FIFTY MILLION STRONG 



A poet recently satirized this inclination of Urban America 

 in these words: 



Father is a Futurist, mother is a Suf., 

 Grandma's a Conservative, hates newfangled stuff; 

 Brother's an Impressionist, sister's Academic, 

 Uncle Tom's Cubistical and baby is Eugenic. 



Although it is not to be regretted that emphasis in urban 

 religious activity is being transferred from life beyond the 

 grave to life on this side of the grave, since life on earth 

 is the important thing today, yet the decay of the piety of 

 earlier days, which is more prevalent in the city than in the 

 country, is to be deplored. It is the decay of the old time 

 piety that causes The Wall Street Journal to express itself 

 thus: 



" What America needs more than railway extension, and 

 western irrigation, and low tariff, and a bigger wheat crop, 

 and a merchant marine, and a new navy, is a revival of 

 piety the kind father and mother used to have piety 

 that counted it good business to stop for daily family prayer 

 before breakfast, right in the middle of harvest; that quit 

 field work a half hour early Thursday night, so as to get the 

 chores done in time for prayer-meeting; that borrowed 

 money to pay the preacher's salary. That's what we need 

 now to clean this country of the filth of graft, and of greed, 

 petty and big; of worship of fine houses and big lands and 

 high offices and grand social functions. What is this big 

 thing we are worshiping but a vain repetition of what de- 

 cayed nations fell down and worshiped just before their 

 lights went out? Great wealth never made a nation sub- 

 stantial nor honorable. There is nothing on earth that looks 

 good that is so dangerous for a man or a nation as quick, 

 easy, big money. If you do resist its deadly influence the 

 chances are it will get your son." 



Some time ago a man arose in a prayer service and asked 

 an interest in the prayers of those present because he was 



