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"You hive wasted more artillery in attacks on
each other than you have ever used in attacks on
Iho enemy," she declared.
"There are splendid organizations for the promotion
of temperance and the establishing of prohioitlon,
yet you are always turned one against
the other. You run to the newspapers with statements
about how ridiculous are the methods of
the other organization.
"Without unified and cooperative organization
of all America's temperance forces the flght can
never be won."
"Religious instruction in State educational institutions
without teaching the doctrines of any
particular creed or sect is neccessary to the welfare
of the people of the United States." Such
was the argument advanced by the speakers ot
the sectional conference in the Trinty Episcopal
Church.
Among the speakers were Dr. James S. Martin
of Pittsburg, Pa., general superintendent of
the National Reform association; Rev. Henry
Collin Minton of Trenton, N. J., president ot the
National Reform association; Rev. W. F. McCauley
of McKeesport, Pa., and others."
"One of the most interesting addresses was that
delivered at Multnomah stadium by the Rev. Joseph
S. Motoda, principal of St. Paul's college at
Tokio, Japan.
Dr. Motoda spoke on social conditions in Japan,
saying in part:
"With that mighty movepaent which turned the
Japanese nation from a rigidly organized feudalism
to the ancient imperial rule and from absolute
monarchy to constitutional imperialism,
the social structure and social ideas of the nation
had necessarily to be changed. The political reformation
could not be effected without its corresponding
social reconstruction."
"In one sense, Japan is an old country, but in
another sense, the newest and youngest among
the more advanced nations. It is our humble desire
and hope that in this g,re9,t family of the
civilized nations we may be led, .guided and permitted
to enjoy perfect peace and brotherly love—
the principles set forth by every Christian nation
worthy of its name."
"The evolution of the city has been the greatest
visible factor in the progress of the human faipily,"
said Dr. Lyman Edwin Davis, in speaking on
the "Moral Evolution of the City."
"The Catch-My-Pal crusade was explained at
Multnomah stadium, by its originator, Dr. Robert
J. Patterson of Belfast, Ireland. The crusadei:
a religious movement among drunkards and drinkers.
Its basic idea is that every drinker is worth
saving and that the best instruments for saving
drunkards are those who have themelves been
drunkards. It is a sort of endless chain movement.
It makes a serious attempt to procure for
total abstinence in each district a few men and
women drinkers and send them out in an organized
way to bring in those with whoni they have
been drinking."
"What the Edinburgh conference was to political
science, the Portland conference should be to
Christian political economy, was the declaration
of Dr. William Parsons of Eugene, Or., at the
lyiultnomah stadium. He said the struggle of today
is for new expressions of Christian spirit,
brought about by a jumble of Christian intentions,
with no generally accepted ideal of the civic side
of the Christian religion. To prescribe remedies
for this condition, Dr. Parsons said, was the purpose
of his discussion.
"Whatever form the ideal Christian state of
the future may take, it will certainly not be any
one of the imperfect forms of the past. They have
been tried and found wanting. None of them
THE CHRISTIAN NATION. Vol. 59.
seems to be vital enough to admit of revivication.
None of them seems capable of moral development.
There is, however, a form that has been
partially tried and not found wanting. That I
shall endeavor to commend to your thoughtful
interest. Embodied ideas determine the moral
character of a state, rather than the form of its
government.
ESSENTIALS OF A CHRISTIAN STATE.
"First. God and not the people, is the source
of all a'uthority.
"Second. The revelation God gave of himself in
the Bible was given to governments as well as
Individuals and churches.
"Third. This revelation of God and his will
should be used by the State as one of the instruments
of government, without the mediation of
any church, priest, minister or hierarchy.
"Fourth. Christian States must govern themselves
in the name of Christ, according to his
spirit and teachings, and with an eye single to
their responsibility to him.
"The heart of the question we are to discuss
is the way in which the individual Christian can
project himself upon the masses of Christian
blunder and worn-out heathenism that make up
our present, so-called, Christian nations, and transform
them into the kingdoms of our Lord.
"That he must continue his individualistic evangelism
is very evident. A steel mill could better
dispense with the chemist than a Christian society
with the evangelist.
"That he must continue to be a churchnaan Is
equally certain. No State will ever have the inclination
of wisdom to rightly Christianize its
government unless it is vitalized by an independent,
spiritual church. Yet something more than
these lines of effort are needed to perfect a Christian
government.
RECOGNITION OF GOD NECESSARY
"The speaker called attention to suggestions for
the amendment of the federal constitution so that
it would recognize the existence of God, and favored
one which Inserts the words 'and Christian
morality' in the preamble.
"This would completely tie up the government
to the ethics of Christianity and would probably
encounter less opposition than the other form.
Neither Jew nor (Mohammedan has a right to
object to such ethical standard.
"The adoption of such a standard of political
morality would in time work a revolution more
sweeping and potent than is generally recognized.
"This I believe to be the vital development possible
to every modern nation. A step that would
sacrifice nothing valuable in their past, but open
a wider door of moral progress for the future.
If China should do this, the prayers she asked
for would be largely answered.
"To the majority of Christians, 'Christianizing
a state' is tinkering its statutory laws into some
sort of conformity to the current vision of Christian
morality. Certainly this is an element of the
task. But If all that I have pointed out is forgotten
or neglected this makes a very shallow and
hopeless program. Nevertheless, no loyal Christian
can tolerate unethical laws or immoral practices
in administration a moment longer than he
gains the power to initiate the movement for
their reformation.
"We shall never complete the Christianizing ot
a state until the majority agree that the flrst and
chief concern of the state is men, not dollars,
character and not comfort."
The morning sectional conferences ot Thursday,
July 3, were on Immigration, Rev. F. M. Wilson
presiding; x)n the Sabbath, Dr. W. E. Grouser, of
San Jose, presiding; and on Mormonism, Dr. W. J.
Wilson of Lansing, Mich., presiding.
"'Legislation and education must have their
places in preserving the integrity of the Sabbath.
These two influences were recommended by the
Commission on the Sabbath, which was the subject
of discussion at the sectional meeting at the
First Presbyterian Church. Last but not least
the duty of all lovers of the Sabbath to observeit
with care was emphasized. The report of the
commission presented by the Rev. W. M. Rochester
of Toronto, Canada, said in part:
"The menace of the thoughtless and the lunlnformed
everywhere is great, and not the least ot
the destructive movements whose steady and sure
progress must be resisted is that which in a certain
fashion would pledge us our day ot rest and
at the same time rob it of its religious character,
utterly secularizing it. We shall keep our rest
day only so long as we can preserve its religious
character."
"There is awakened interest in the great cause
of the Lord's day preservation in every land, according
to the report of the Commission. The subject
of Sabbath observance was further discussed
in the addresses of Dr. J. H. Lieper of Portland
and Dr. W. B. Grouser of San Jose, Cal."
The report, which was read by the Rev. Oscar
F. Davis of New Richmond, Wis., chairman of the
coinmission (on Mormonism), made the following
recommendations:
"(1) That the department of justice (federal)
make a prompt investigation of the commercial
investments, alliances and monopolies of the Mormon
church, and if results of such investigation
warrant, follow the same with a rigorous
prosecution of its property trusteeship,, as organized
in violation of the Sherman law.
"(2) That the postmaster general be urged to
deny all privileges of the mails to the Mormon
Church authorities so long as they continue to
practice treason, or in any way maintain a treasonable
attitude in their teaching.
"(3) That each house of congress should refuse
to seat or retain in his present seat any man
who is a polygamist in principle or practice, or
ope who pays supreme temporal allegiance to the
Mormon church rulers. These actions are possible
under the existing law if supported by a
strong public sentiment.
"(4) But most important of all: Utah should
again be brought under strict and direct Federal
jurisdiction by an amendment to the constitution.
In other words. Congress ought to submit at once
to the several States a resolution which, upon
ratification by the legislatures of two thirds of the
States, will empower the Federal Congress to
legislate against, and the Federal courts to punish,
the crime of polygamous marriage. This proposed
resolution should not, in justice to divorce reform,
be associated with any federal measure anticipated
to cover 'uniform marriage and divorce
law.' Let the two be urged, but kept entirely separate.
Marriage is not a crime under the law,
neither is divlrce for suflicient cause. Polgamy
is a crime."
The Stadium program was as follows:
Afternoon.
"Personal Evangelism and Social Service," Dr.
William Hay, New Zealand.
'^Christian Forces in the Levant," President
Armenag Haigazian, Konia, Asia Minor.
"The Press and Public .Morals," Robert J. Burdette,
Pasadena, Cal.
Evening.
"Divorce and Social Welfare," Dr. Edwin H.
Delk, Philadelphia, Pa.
"The Conflict of Christianity and Infidelity In
France," Dr. Charles Merle d'Aubigue, Paris.
"In the way of remedial reform, Dr. Delk piac'
ed first, uniform marriage and divorce laws, a
single standard of sex morality for men and worn
en, courts of domestic relations, proper housinf
conditions and sex instruction to boys and girls.