themselves. There was not only
misunderstanding but prejudice. I came in contact with it in quarters
the most unlikely. The people of independent means in the Church of
the Ascension have social ideals, those of the working class who are
in the church have none--none whatever, and what prejudice I found
came from those who had never contributed anything to the church but
their presence, and to whom the church from their childhood had been
an almshouse, a hospital, and a place of amusement.

These were the people, baptized and confirmed Christians, who spoke
with bitterness and a sneer of the evening meetings because the
majority of the attendants were Jews. The other phase of their
prejudice was against Socialism--which they supposed to be a process
of "dividing up." My chief encouragement came from the richest people
in the church, the sneer came from the poorest.

The range of topics was as wide as the interests of human life. The
speakers were the leading men of New York and distinguished visitors
from other lands. One of the earliest speakers was Mrs. Cobden
Sanderson, the daughter of Richard Cobden and the intimate friend of
William Morris. Capitalism was represented by Professor J.B. Clark,
Dr. Thomas R. Slicer and Herman Robinson of the American Federation of
Labour. There were many others, of course, but these were the best
known. The Socialist leaders were W.J. Ghent, Rufus Weeks, Gaylord
Wilshire and R.W. Bruere. Exponents of individualism were many, and
most of them were brilliant. The most powerful address on behalf of
labour was made by R. Fulton Cutting. There has been no attempt to
bait an ecclesiastical hook to catch the masses. We have tried to make
men think and to act on their best thought.

This venture in ecclesiology is not the democratization of a church.
It is the leadership of a rector--Mr. Grant is an ecclesiastical
statesman--he has a strong cabinet in his vestry. Men who, having made
big ventures in the business world, are not averse to an occasional
venture in matters not directly in their line. He has enough reaction
among them to keep the balance level.

The Church of the Ascension is the real Cathedral of New York. What
matters it about Canon, Chapter, Dean and Prebend? A cathedral is a
church of the people--all the people!

CHAPTER XXII

MY SOCIALISM, MY RELIGION AND MY HOME

My vision spiritual came to me out of the unknown. The facts and
experiences of life led me to S