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Show . The It Has Failed ' i But It Will 1 II II F C Jl Yet Be Great By PROF. CHARLES ZUEDLIN, B Sociologist. I I 1 HE church is not useless; it is going to bo greater than ever. jT I But it has failed, as the municipality has failed, to servo thu I interests of the common life. The church has been too worhl-v worhl-v I OQv I b' t 'ct religion expand; it has been too unworldly to gic IBll Icoplo a chance. The church has never been democratic 1 I onou6" "How the people to voice their sentiments. There I Inr4l I nns "lwn)'8 ucen dominance of the hierarchy if not of the I W?v$f I c'crSy ''10 people do not voice their opinions in religious CjUSSIiiJ matters, and are not expected to have them. It is also the great weakness of nil government that wc do not trust the people enough. Wo are confronted in our American trn-' trn-' ditions with the dillieulty of fi national church nnd the need of a national organization of religion. AVc keep our religion now for the seventh Hay, and look upon the clergyman and the politician as different beings. AVc divorce the separate aspects of life from each other, yet all these special interests arc founded, like language itself, on the common life of the people. If we go to the people for our language, why not go to them for the sources of our inspiration? If wc went to the people, learned their needs nnd tried to incorporate them, we should get more efficiency. Slight we not appeal to the laity to get a new infusion of blood? The church is trying to get nt our workingmcn. It doesn't let them voice themselves. Let us open our school houses on Sunday and give them ;un opportunity of expressing themselves in worship. Then wo can afford to tax the private religious houses if people want to go to them. In England they let people talk nil sorts of nonsense. It's the best .safety Valve. Our religious life lacks spontaneity, and moves along conventional con-ventional channels. The municipality is our best unit. We arc going to regenerate our municipal government before wo regenerate our national government. Wc are going to extend tho town meetings and multiply the basis of free expression. It will -give us the first leverage to the idea that there is one representation in tho life of nil, and that is the state. |