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The Rt. Rev. Arthur Foley Winnington Ingram, Bishop of London, spoke in Sanders Theatre last evening before a large audience on "Some Problems of Great Cities." President Eliot introduced him as a holder of one of the most venerable and oldest ecclesiastical offices in the world, a social worker of great success, and a sympathizer with all classes and conditions of men.
One of the first fearful problems that we have to meet, said Bishop Ingram, is the great increase in the population of London, an increase which amounts to at least 100,000 every year. In addition, all our little country villages are being swallowed up year after year and others are growing every day. Another problem is the appalling overcrowding of London which we already have. The mortality is terrible, especially among children, of whom 52 out of every thousand die yearly, whereas the ordinary rate is not more than 18. At least half of these deaths are due to preventable diseases. The immorality of our women we are fighting day by day. The large, hungry, starving crowd of the unemployed which march through London every winter present another enormous problem. Besides all this, the slums are a breeding place for all kinds of doctrines; and anarchy and socialism preached today under thousands of red flags create great danger for all.
Now the part that you must play, continued the Bishop, is to send us good men ordained as ministers. No University that is not sending its quota of men to the ministry is doing its duty. Besides this you can do a great deal by your life here. Nothing does more harm to our cause when we are struggling against immorality than to see in a University, the centre of culture, any laxation on this point. Unless you Harvard men are absolutely sound on the question of morality and drink, you are undermining our work and are doing the world more harm than good. Spend a year after leaving college in the slums of a great city, and you will gain the best practice in the world for many a career. Finally you will add to our admiration and love if you will help us to solve some of these greatest of problems.
After Bishop Ingram's address President Eliot said a few words of acknowledgment for a book which the Bishop presented to Harvard University. It was a book written by Nathan Prince 1718, containing a sort of summary of his studies, which had for some unknown reason been found in the Bishop's library.
President Eliot said, in closing, that one of our greatest problems here is that millions feel that all churches and all religions have been used to justify and compensate for the social wrongs of this world. These people want their rights now, not later, and therefore belong to no church. On the other hand, we have certain advantages in this country which are possessed by few others; for example, the universal use of voluntary associations for religious and charitable purposes. Last of all we should aim for the unity of spirit which we are how seeking here, and the goal is not far distant.
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