The Federated Council of Churches.
By Editor
On our first page will be found a photograph of the delegates to the Inter-Church Conference on Federation held in Carnegie Hall, New York City, November 15 to 21. The delegates are seated on the platform for the one purpose of having their photograph taken. In our Outlook Department will be found a report of the first two days' proceedings, by our special correspondent, and also portraits of some of the leading men. We again appeal to our readers to give these papers beginning with this number just as large a circulation among the thinking classes as possible. We are well aware that the daily papers are making very little note of it. It is hailed by them as an omen of good, but the religious papers are seeing in it very much more; as expressed by the New York Independent, of November 23: "It was a great meeting, great in its representation;" "great in the purpose it had in view, to federate the Christian bodies in this country as far as possible into a single force for all good things;" "great in the harmony of its members;" "great in the influence which the now federated force of its constituent churches will have for the wellbeing of our country;" and then the editor tells us that we must understand that "This is a federation for influence and combined power; it is not a federation against any Christians who have not taken part in it; particularly it is not a federation to attack or in any way discredit the Christian work done by the Catholic Church in this country. . . . No word was spoken on its platform attacking the Catholic Church, while words of commendation were spoken of spiritual fellowship and kindly goodwill." Other papers are talking along the same line. It is a movement worthy of the most earnest study. Our readers can not afford to do otherwise than to study it most earnestly. If it is good they certainly want a part in it; if it has within it seeds of evil, they ought to know and be prepared for it.