NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12479, 4 March 1909, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

An Experiment in Christianity.

An extraordinary decision was arrived at recently at a religious conference held at Cleveland Ohio. The conference was the outcome of a revival which had been in progress in Ohio for some time, and which had ■ given rise to numerous scenes of religious enthusiasm similar to those which marked the revival in Wales a year or two ago. The conference was attended by. 1800 delegates ,-. representing 11,000 revivalists, and was held for the .purpose of deciding upon some scheme-to give tha' world practical proof of the genuiri«ness of their Christianity. After discussion, the delegates passed, a resolution pledging the whole of the»reviyalists whom they represented, to live for two weeks exactly as Christ would if he were on-earth to-day. But. the practical result has not been satisfactory. In accordance with American husiness methods, the cases were all card-in-dexed, and the reports at the end c f .the'fifst week-were very significant; if rather depressing.- Very , many of those, who took the resolution, said, after a week's trial, that' they must "either side-track the Christian life, lor lose their jobs." It was those whrv Iwferein subordinate positions and therefore not masters of their own ac ti'ons, who complained. Clerks said it was impossible in an American office to be genuine followers of Christ. Thoy were required to tell people things thai were not true, or to write deceptive or lying letters'. It was comparatively easy to keep one's private life, in ac cordance with the teachings of Christ, said a young lady clerk, but it ifas another thing to try to live with Jesus when you had to work with those who did : not sympathise with your aims. In spite of discouragement the experiment in -Cleveland goes on, and the plan is to b 1 ?- tried in New York and other cities. One religious paper say.-* that the experiment ought to' havo some good effect— if only, that of hrmgihg" to light business and social conventions that are glaringly inconsistont with the spirit and teaching of Christ. ■''■ - '-- -..■■ •. : : '-