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Show iBfir PEO IN PULPIT jjijent Taft Believes That jft of Greater Force Will Enter Ministry. I H)R HAS ENORMOUS " I: INFLUENCE FOR GOOD ig Men of. Later Years Arc fNot Attracted to the t- Rostrum. f, BY D. V. FRANCIS. Led Wiro to The Tribune. T YORK, Juno IS. I supposo it rdlv proper to suppose that any 6TCadcr8 have failed to ponder the words of President Taft on abicot of the Christian ministry fflic course of his address at the Northern university. It was u go to mo to note the tender if fhat sad interest Mr. Taft lias 'taking in the ministers of tho 'of the past generation. It cordis cor-dis gratifying to find that he is iil for tho future. Tho president "'-'I regret to say that during rt generation tho strongest young do not seem to have been at d to tho ministry. The made 'of tho compensation, tho changa Mo commanding influence that the rs had in the early part of this y to that which they now occupy, ifluenccd men who in early days i have taken to tho ministry, to ( othor callings. Nevertheless, fluenco of tho church in our eoin-v eoin-v is still deep-seated, and reforms re-forms the inspiration of tho grent of our people. A minister, to d the constant attention of a mgrcgation, must now be a. man sr. The mere office does not ilh it either tho sacrcduess or nonce that was once attached look, however, for a reaction matter. I believe that in tho ;ure men of greater native force fer the ministry. We are all with the enormous influence id that a powerful minister gospel exercises over his cou-m cou-m a in the community in le fives, and, wo may well ex-at, ex-at, after tho wild rush for that has characterized previous Ions, shall have- ceased, the op-;ies op-;ies for great usefulness offered practice of tho profession of rpyman will furnish a tompta-tne tompta-tne strongest of the young colli col-li to assume tbo cloth." Religious Census Bulletins, ions census bulletins are now thick and fast as tho prepara-tho prepara-tho volumes advance. Ono of 3Bt of them makes some intor-:omparisons intor-:omparisons between the relative i of tho Roman Catholics and angelical Christian churches in at cities,, the lesser urbau ccn-i ccn-i the rnral districts. Comparison iherp, as the bulletin expressly states, is misleading, but comparison by percentages is instructive. Thus it appears ap-pears that ncarl' 2S per cent of all Roman Catholics are found in cities of over 300,000 and more than 52 per cent in placen of over 2o,000, while on tho other hand, moro than four-fifths of tho "protestanta" are, ontsido the cities, and only 7.3 per cent in cities of over 300,000, a ratio barely one-fourth one-fourth of tho Roman Catholic. Of course this represents largely the result of recent immigration as does also tho SO por cent of Jews in those cities of tho first class. Evidently tho Evangelical propaganda propa-ganda has been moro effective in urban than in rural conditions. To some extent ex-tent this would seem to be true generally, gen-erally, for whilo in IS00 there were in these cities 25.7 per cent of Christians of all names, there are now 319 per cent. Tn proportion of communicants to population Boston leads among tho larger cities, with 02.6 per cent. Other percentages nre: St. Louis. 46.6; New rork, 14.7 ; Chicago, 40.7; Philadelphia, 3S.S. Tho number of communicants or members in each 1000 of population in 1906 was, for ,1110 principal cities, 469; for the whole country, 391, and for tho sections outside of tho principal cities. 363. Tho ratio of communicants to population was considerably greater for tho principal cities than for tho country as a whole. As compared with 1S90, the report shows a gain of ninety communicants in, each 1000 of population popula-tion for tho principal cities, and of lifty-ono outside of them. There woro 4,9S2,039 or 32 per cent moro femalo than nialo members in the continental United States in 1906, whilo in tho" principal cities the excess of femalo fe-malo members was proportionately less, being 960,526, or 23.5 per cent. The greater proportion of males in the principal prin-cipal cities is probably mainly due to the greater proportionate strength of tho Roman Catholic church in these cities and to their method of reckoning communicants. Society Women Study Bible. When women in the whirl of New York society come together for a weekday week-day study of tho Bible, it is of more than passing interest. Mrs. Martin "W. Littleton felt that a more thorough knowledge of the Biblo would have a steadying influence in the exciting times which just now exist in, the feminine femi-nine world, and so, despite fhe cold wator thrown upon her suggestion, friends wcro invited to her homo to hear Dr. C. T. Scoficld, secretary of the Oxford Revison Society, mako clear some points in regard to a better understanding un-derstanding of tho scriptures. Enthusiastic Enthu-siastic was tho response, and preparations prepara-tions Nre now under way for a longer course of study next winter. A movement move-ment of this kind seems to somo of us to indicate even better than tho suffrage suf-frage agitation that women are really interested in trying to solvo the problems prob-lems which aro peculiarly thci.'s to solve. Respect for women will increase in proportion as they concern them selves with serious occupations, liko the study of tho Bible or tho proper train-of train-of children, thus showing that all their interests aro not compassed by bridge whist, tho theater and receptions. Eichneld Springs Meetings, Tho programme of tho meetings at Richfield Springs this summer has just been issued. Tho summer school .for New York Sunday school teachers, of which the Rev. William Walter Smith, M. D., is dean, is to bo. held from .lu!y 16 to 31,aud the World Missions conference con-ference from August 4 toll. The Rov. Dr. Charles II. Hayes, of tho general seminary, who has recently returned from a " missionary tour of tho world, is to speak at the conference. Other speakers iucludo the Rev. Dr. W. H. Van Allen, of Boston, and tho Rev. Dr. William T. Haven, of the A v erica u Biblo society, who will tell of the World Missionary confernco at Edin burgh, Scotland. "The society in chargo isKcompofiod of young men of the village, vil-lage, and they selected the name "Christian Education society." Their secretary, Mr. Arthur Pierco, will send programmes upon request. Jewish Seminary Association. Tho alumni association of the Jewish Theological seminary of America will hold its annual assembly in this city on Monday. June 20, and on Tuesday, Juno 21. On Monday morning Dr. Schechter will deliver the op.uing ad dress, and papers will be roatl by Rabbi Jacob Kohn of Syracuse, on "Marriage and Divorce," aud Rabbi A. M. Ilirsh-man Ilirsh-man of Detroit, on "Tho Course of Development hi Jewish Law in the Present-and tho Future." On Monday afternoon papers will be read by Rabbi Elias L. Solomon of Now York, on "Tho Development of the Jewish Liturgy;" by Kabbi M. M. Michler of Boston on "Modern Development and Practical Problems of tho Jewish Pravcr Book," and by Rabbi Rudoply L Copeo of Pittsburg on "Tho Conduct Con-duct of Jewish Institutions." On Tuesday Tues-day morning Prof. M. M. Kaplan of New York will read a paper on "The Basic Principles of Jewish Education," and Rabbi Herman H. Rubdnowitz of Louisville will read a paper on "The Union of Conservative Forces in America." Amer-ica." Dr. Julius H. Greenstone, of Philadelphia will mako a report on "Textbooks for Jewish Schools" on Monday afternoon. Tho various papers pa-pers will be discussed by Rabbi Henry M. Speaker of Philadelphia, Rabbi Alexander Basel of Now ork, Rabbi Arthur Ginzler of Elmira, and Dr. Cyrus Adler of Philadelphia. On Tuesday Tues-day afternoon preceding tho business session, Rabbi Marvin Nathan of Philadelphia Phila-delphia will read a paper on "Tho Jewish Jew-ish Pulpit and TJomiletics.", Rabbi Charles I. Hoffman of Newark is- president presi-dent of the association. A social reception re-ception and entertainment will bo tendered ten-dered tho members on Tuesday evening. "Franco Leads All Nations. France leads the nations of the world, as it has always, in supporting the foreign for-eign missions of the Catholic church. Tho Rt. Rev. Monsignor Frcri, general director of tho Society for tho Propagation Propa-gation of the Faith, he national officers offi-cers of which arc in this 'city, Lex-ingon Lex-ingon avenue, has made public tho annual an-nual report of that organization, which shows that, nearly a million and a. half dollars wcro contributed last year by Catholics throughout tho -world, and that of that sum Franco raised $030,-69S.51. $030,-69S.51. After Franco, the United States holds the second place with the generous gen-erous gift of $220,637.7S. ' |
