The Portland daily press., 1864-09-21
Another Church Nuisance.

Ma. EpIroR:-I noticed in your paper
| dav or two since. an article on "Church Null
saneesm which | think all church going peo-
pia will heartily endorse; but wish TO call
attention to another greater nuisance, and
! that is of a class OF people who belong to no
| church. and who neither pay rent nor contri-
| butte ANYTHING for church support (but who
are able TO do SOL aud who make it practice
drifting round from church to church, and oc-
cupying the best pews without asking anyone
to show them seat. Now / think the plan
generally in use in New York, by all denomi-
nations, would work equally as well here, and
that Is no person unless invited by member
to attendl should be allowed to take seat
until the pew holder has reasonable time TO
occupy the pew. 1t is not very pleasant every
Sunday TO find your pew full, and be obi ged
TO crowd your neighbor for aseaf, and think
plan similar to the above would obviate the
above trouble. Such are the views not OF a
member but PEW HOLDER.
We insert the communication OF re"
hoder"-without knowing his name-ior the
purpose OF expressing our dissent from soWe
of his conclusions. We have no great sylnfa-
thy for persons OF ability who systematically
sponge their pew rent from more liberal me D,
but the number of such persons Is very limit
ed. w z 90 DOL DcuCfS oAy ~ANANa - WHY
ly annoyed by such visitors. But there is
one thing in relation to which many churches
are sadly at fault, and that is in the attention
or lack of attention-they bestow upon stran-
gers. A person goes into the vestibule OF a
strange church, and wishes for seat. There
he may stand entirely unnoticed, feeling awk-
ward, not daring to go in and take a seat lest
he should be regarded as an intruder, and
ashamed to 60 out lest 1t should be regar ded
Is disrespectIul. Depend upon it, few es-
periences Of this kind give him no favorable
impression Of the religious influence exerted
upon the worshippers in such house, what
ever may be his feelings upon the general sub
ject of religious worship.
The man who IL offended because he finds
his owa pew crowded with eager listeners
cannot be very intent upon adding to the pop
uiation Of Gods house, and probably feels In
attending church, very much as other people
do in attending theatre; that having paid for
the privilege he is defrauded of his rights il
others benefit from that privilege.
We have sometimes looked in upon congre-
cations, exclusive, cold -booded, aristocratic,
who would pass the stranger on the other
side, and regard as an intruder the de voui
minded wo-shipper who should presume TO
occupy vacant pew without invitation, but
We have always felt that such places were NO
more like the real kingdom OF heaven than q
marble statue is like living, breathing flesh
and blood. They may be fair and beautiful TO
look upon, but cold, pulseless, dead! If ii
were possible for the Nazarene Reformer to
reappear In the flesh, and should he go into
such a church, he would be treated with neg
lect, II not elected as an intruder.
We have very small faith in and infinitely
less sympathy for, that kind of religious de-
votion which is more exclusive than party pol
ilics. In political meeting we labor to secure
the multitude. We invite the Indifferent and
those Of no fixed principle, because we would
do them good. We never shut ourselves up
in our dignity and exclusiveness, and say to
The stranger within our gates" by acts II not
by words, stand aside, ''come not near me,
| for am holier than thou" Where this spirit
is the spirit of the Christian Master Is not
| Let US make our churches attractive, invit-
ing, genial, and all the atmosphere with the
spirit that goes out in the by-ways and looks
up the poor, the lame and the blind, and brings
| them into the feast OF fat things. 1t was
test OF the genuineness of the early christian
mission, that the poor had the gospel preach
ed unto them