"'Ware Fascism"

Many a U. S. churchman would be happy if he could take back some of the things he said during the War to End War. Along with many a college professor he gave his services to the Nation, particularly to the Committee on Public Information headed by George Creel. Ministers were the first to demand, as suitable for churches, such material as a lantern-slide lecture on "Ruined Churches in France." Ministers were also glad to give their pulpits to "Four-Minute Men," to preach mimeographed War sermons sent out by Propagandist Creel, and sometimes, like the late Dr. Percy Stickney Grant of Manhattan's Church of the Ascension, to let Mr. Creel himself speak.

Last week the Wartime activities of preachers were recalled by Rev. William Benjamin ("Bill") Spofford, Socialist, Episcopal minister and managing editor of The Witness, Episcopal weekly. He feared that much the same thing was about to happen under NRA, and that some day churchmen might regret it just as much. Wrote Editor Spofford: "I presume most of us now realize that we made a mistake in those far-off days and that we did wrong in allowing the State to gobble up the church to use for its own purposes. We can see the issue clearly enough today when Hitler tries to capture the Church in Germany. We do not see quite as clearly when we ourselves are involved, particularly with so much in the Roosevelt program about which to be enthusiastic. Nevertheless the New Deal, as fine as it is in many respects, is a lot less than the Christian religion. So, for one, I hate to see the churches becoming ballyhoo agents for this or any other administration. After all, as so many wise ones are pointing out, there is much Fascism in the present setup. . . . Certainly it would be embarrassing to discover four or five years hence that the churches had been instrumental in entrenching a Fascist regime in the U. S."

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