k in the center of population in
the city, but also a shifting of the center of gravity in religion.
There was dawning a unity of the spirit which led men to break away from
the orthodox emphasis on creeds, and which strove to express itself in
many forms; such as parish houses, Christian associations, reforms, and
educational and missionary movements. Mr. Nelson's mind, being busy with
the stars, was concerned with the moral and spiritual movement which
outlasts the stars. He said, "To some of us it seems that Jesus was not
so much interested in establishing an institution as in revealing a new
quality of life." Likewise, Frank Nelson was not so much interested in
being the rector of a large, prosperous parish as in making the church
an agency for leavening the city's life with the spirit of Jesus Christ.
He caught the imagination of his people when he pointed to the
possibility of a church becoming the community center for multitudes in
the downtown district. In the near neighborhood of Christ Church were
new offices, factories, and boarding houses, and at the distance of one
block began the tenement houses where lived the poor and
underprivileged. He said:

We owe to them the gift of Christian friendship, of spiritual
influence irrespective of religious affiliations. The church
should provide not only a place to pray, but to play; a place not
only for worship, but for friendship. There are no places for
leisure except the streets, saloons, burlesque houses,
pool-rooms, public dance halls, or other commercial places of
entertainment. The Church is not here for its own sake. It is
here to bear witness, and to spread a spirit. It should be the
center from which radiate the forces of righteousness and the
spirit of brotherhood and every human activity and interest in
the community. Therefore, it must speak not to the individual
only, but to the business, social, and political problems,
dealing with them not from the viewpoint of the economist or
political theorist, but from that of the preacher of
righteousness. If Christ Church can be a force for righteousness
in the city, it matters but little whether it gain in numbers.[6]

"Distinction," it has been said, "is the emphasis put upon qualities by
circumstances." There were two circumstances which enabled this young
rector to create in Christ Church, Cincinnati a far-famed chapter in the
history of American churches and cities. One was h