Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-11-10

safely married and settled. A man who sue
ceeds in such an undertaking is worthy of the
greatest distinction.
THE DEWORALIzATIoN OF THE
CHURCH.
Preach the word; be instant in season, out
| of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long
suffering and doctrine.-Il TIMOTHY, Wa.
The evangelical ministerial association of
Pittsburgh held a meeting last week, in
which q special discussion arose upon the
discouragements presented by the present
condition of the church. In summing up
the reports received it was found that
/ 1. No single denomination of evangelical
Christians exhibits decidedly healthy growth.
2. Additions to the church membership are
| much fewer than in former years, and espe-
! cially does this apply to the young.
| 3. The average attendance upon the appoint
ed means of grace is not up to the standard of
| other days.
4. The weekly prayer meetings are not what
they once in point of numbers zeal.
| S. The disposition evinced by not few
| professors Of religion to fit from church to
church in pursuit of something that may tickle
| the ear.
| Clergyman from nearly all parts of the
|
same condition OF affairs exists where they
reside, and, in addition, speaking of those
outside of the pale of the church, they de-
clared that tho Sabbath is less and less sane
tilted, that profanity is INDUCED in to an
extent that filled them with dismay; that
RIGHTEOUSNESS in its most debasing as well
as refined forms (what ia meant by Gre
fned' form of Gcentiousness:l is daily be-
coming more and more fragrant; and that
the disposition to evade pecuniary obliga-
tons as evidenced by the numerous defalca-
tons of the past summer, furnishes strong
proof of a decline in business integrity.
The discussion which took place on this
matter would have been ridiculous if the
subject Of it had not been OF such grave
character, for it showed that scarcely q man
among the large company assembled had
even the remotest idea of the causes of the
evils named, of the proper remedies to be
applied, or of their duty as ministers of
the gospel in the premises. Everybody and
everything under the sun YVES blamed, save
those who were the most to blame-the
clergymen themselves. It never seems to
have entered their minds to look at their
own example and inquire whether some of
the lethargy in the church was not due to
their want of appreciation of their duty.
Did it never occur to them that body that
is itself corrupt cannot in reason be expected
to attain healthy growth? AS long as the
church harbors nj en- who are dishonest, de-
ceitful, hypocritical and unclean it will repel
instead of attracting. More especially is
this the case when men against whom these
charges can truthfully lie occupy the pulpits
of leading churches and are upheld and de-
Tended by their fellows. Beecher has done
more by his example to retard the growth of
the church than all the ministers in the
country can do to assist it. Glendenning,
McCoskrey, Hayden, Vosburgh, and hun
dred more of their ilk have damaged the
church more than all the earnest preachers
of the century have helped it,
OF lets years the churches, Instead of be-
ing places for religious instruction, have
degenerated into places of amusement. Tbs
mountebank in the pulpit draws the largest
salary, and as a natural sequence the rest OF
the clergy strive to initiate him. Instead OF
preaching the gospel they branch OFF into all
the sensationalisnl of the day-discuss poll
tics, poetry, psychology and science anything
but religion. The weekly prayer meetings
are not what they once were because there
is less of fervor in their conduct They are
caves OF gloom rather than places of Joy,
and person who attends them feels
chre. There is nothing cheerful in
the prayer meeting of to-day, and people
attend it from a sense of duty, not as q
pleasure. The Pickering and uncertain gas
light, the melancholy hymns, drawled out
by few uncertain voices; the plaintive con-
LESSONS of lack of faith and of fear lest the
speaker shall fall from grace, the prayers
full of meanings and Scomplainings, all tend
to repel rather than attract.
AS long as the church is what it is we may
expect that those who owe it no allegiance
will continue to grow worse. AS long as
ministers indulge in a 'refned'' form of
Righteousness, 'inspirational kissing,'' for
instance, they must expect that the people
outside of the church-and not few inside
of twill indulge in the grosser forms.
AS long as the Hathaways, Chaces, Spencers,
Angels and Etheridges of the church set
the example of defalcations they will find
imitators among those who are not re-
strained by church obligations. The
remedy for all this evil is in the hands Of
the ministers themselves. ssPreach the
word; be instant IN season, out of season;
reproye, rebuke, e1hort.''
The Flyers Troupe.
Two immense houses again greeted the
Flyers Sisters their return yesterday. Their