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The Presbyterian of the Vol. 96. No. 28. RICIIMOrTO, VA. July 12, 1922 ..A SUMMER is a busy, fruitful season in liis church, writes a pastor in a large Southern city. Why should it not be ? The churches, in large number seem to think that work must l>o practically given up when the weather gets warm. Except schools, practically nothing but churches stop work in the summer. The ex planation usually given is that so many people are away that the work cannot be carried on. We wonder how many times an effort has been made to find out what proportion of the mem bers of a church is actually away from home at any one time. We believe that very few churches would ever find twenty-five per cent of their members away from home at the same time. The question arises, whether the ab sence of twenty-five per cent, ought to deprive the seventy-five per cent of their privileges and responsibilities. We recognize the fact that some summer Sundays are swelteringly hot in some places. But we have noticed also that some winter Sundays are cold and rainy and disagreeable. In either case, there is some dis comfort in going to church. But men and wo men do not stay away from work or pleasure be cause of the weather, except in extreme cases. Places of amusements are well patronized all the summer. Crowds flock to the parks on hot ?lays and evenings. So the trouble cannot be that it is too hot to leave home. The same means employed for going to places of amuse ments and to the parks can be employed for go ing to church. If the churches are not as com fortable for the people who attend as the theatres are, they ought to be made so. With proper ventilation and a wise use of electric fans, a church can be made as comfortable as any other place. If it is known that the church will be found comfortable and cool many will attend who will not otherwise. But ought God's people ever to stay away from God's house be cause of a little or even great discomfort? A business man or corporation would not long employ a man or woman who would say that the weather was too hot to go to work. Ab sence of some from the city may reduce the amount of work done by the church, but it need not stop it It does not stop the devil's work. 0 TRIKES are serious tilings and often cause ^ suffering and engender hard feelings. 1 he great coal strike now in operation involves probably as many men and as many problems difficult to solve as any ever called in this coun ty. The Federal Council of the Churches of ('hrist in America, in conjunction with the Na tional Catholic Council and the Central Coun cil of American Rabbis, has taken up the mat ter. They have presented to President Ilard ,ng a petition, which is almost in the form of ?'? demand, that the Government of the United States shall take the matter in hand and settle the strike. It presents plans by which it is aimed that this can be and should be done. ^ hether intentionally ot not this paper really places the blame for the strike upon the opera tors. There are some things about this action the Council that strike us as peculiar for an "''ganization representing the Churches of ( hrist in America. Who gave the Council w isdom enough to say that the Government has the right or ought to settle strikes ? How comes 't that it knows just how the Government ought *? handle the question, if it should undertake to settle the question? The CoiS^^BBI its petition that much information must be acquired before responsibility for the strike can be definitely placed and an agreement be reached, and yet the petition has a decided lean ing toward the miners as against the operators. This looks as though the Council had decided views on the subject, although the Government has not yet information enough to act upon. Whence did the Council get its greater informa tion and its superior wisdom? We are de cidedly anxious to see this strike settled. But there are many difficult questions involved and many different opinions are held by honest men. There is a great difference of opinion as to whether the Government ought to undertake to settle strikes, as there is difference of opin ion as to whether the Government has the power to do so. Men in the Church differ on these subjects, as well as those outside. Some opera tors are in the Church and some are not, and the same is true of the miners. Neither the Church nor its representative has the right to pass judgment on any but moral and spiritual questions and then only after the fullest in vestigations and giving all parties concerned an opportunity to be heard. We believe that the Council in this matter has gone beyond any authority, granted to it by the constituent churches. ATTENDANCE upon all of the sessions of the General Assembly on the part of its members has often been seriously urged by that body. More than once has it urged Presby teries not to appoint any as commissioners, who will not be able to be present at the opening ses sion and stay through to the last. Twenty-four hours or more before the last Assembly ad journed numbers of the members began leav ing. Two hours before the final adjournment a counted vote showed 50 present, though the enrollment had been 258. That some were providentially called away there is probably no doubt, but the Lord must have had a very poor opinion of the value of the more than 200 and a very high opinion of the value of 50, if He called so many away and left His work in the hands of a few. During that last twenty-four hours, indeed during the last two hours very important matters were acted upon. How many of the actions were adopted by a real majority of the Assembly it would be hard to tell. We have known of a Presbytery that paid the traveling expenses of those members who nt tended its meetings, but paid only those -who remained to the close. We would hate to a?e such an action taken by the Assembly, but something ought to be done to insure a full at tendance of those who are intrusted with the solution of the great questions connected with the work the Church is doing for God. LAWS are made by the legislative depart ments of the national and state govern ments. Their enforcement is entrusted to of ficers elected by the people or appointed by the executive departments of the government. Each of these officers is sworn to enforce the laws as they stand upon the statute books. Gen erally this is faithfully done. But there is a growing tendency on the part of certain offi cials to say that certain laws are not to be en forced, or at least to fail to enforce those which they do not care to enforce, and these officers frequently require their subordinates to act '"-cng to their wishes, instead of carrying out the law. Recently a deputy game warden undertook to enforce the game law of the State which prohibits the sale of the plumage of apy except game birds. He seized some of the pro hilm^d plumage and reported his act to his superior. He was immediately discharged from the force i>y the gaimv warden, who simply told him that 1& did not i^end to have any of his deputies try to enforce that law. The matter was taken to jtlie State's prosecuting attorney. Although the 'law seemed perfectly plain, and he had'^worn to enforce it, he would do noth ing^ until, under heavy pressure from others who had become interested in the case, he agreed to refer the question to the Attorney-General of the State. This was done and that official said that the law was very plain and must be en forced. What will be the outcome yet remains to be seen. What we are especially interested in is the fact that this deputy who was trying to do his duty was dismissed without having the courts decide whether he was right, and without even being given a hearing by his su perior. If law is to be enforced only according to the wish of some official, then the country has come to a bad state, and if a man is to be sum marily dismissed from office for trying to do his sworn duty, what is the use of having laws? Faithful officials should have the support of good people. HARD indeed is it for a great many people to learn some of the simple facts about the Presbyterian Church. In one of the cities of the South a reporter for a daily paper was recently writing up the leading Presbyterian church of his* city. Referring top the bulletin published by the church he called attention with surprise to this statement which appeared in it: "It (the Presbyterian Church) re cognizes the validity of the orders and sacra ments of other Christian churches." He adds this comment: "The world moves." He seems to think that he had made a most re markable discovery, that this church was tak ing an advanced position in liberality that puts its far ahead of any other Presbyterian church. The fact is, as every well informed Presby terian knows, that the Presbyterian Church is as liberal in this respect as any other church and far more liberal than most churches. All that the Presbyterian Church requires for church membership is faith in the Lord Jeeus as the Saviour. The consequence is that this Church receives members from any other evan gelical ohurch, merely upon evidence that they are members in good standing in some other church. For entrance into the ministry through ordinary channels of education and prepara tion a very high standard is maintained. But when a mnistcr of another church wants to be received into' one of our Presbyteries, and brings credentials to show that he has been or dained in accordance with the provisions of his church, the Presbytery does not examined him as to his qualifications, but receives him, though his preparation and education may fall far be low the usual requirements of the Presbyterian Church. His ordination is accepted, just as though he had been ordained by another Pres bytery. He is only examined to see if he ac cepts the doctrines of the Presbyterian Clrarch. This is necessary, because he is to teach these doctrines.