Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-08-11
IL

cerned, for society's sake at least, whether
we be r~eligionists or not. None of us can
deny the wholesome effects proceeding from
churches and religious teaching. The
value Of the elevating influences and moral
restraints inculcated and thrown around
the baser nature Of mankind from tins
source cannot be overestimated. Religion
in the aggregate is the basis Of all gov
eminent, and the sole thing which makes
liberty, regulated by law, possible. IL
therefore devolves upon every correct
member of society to do whatever IN MIN
lies to promote and extend the sphere Oh
the churches within their proper bounds
that of sound moral teachers. Too few OF
us lend our influence and bend our ex-
ertions in this direction. This latter con-
clusion is borne out by some statistical
information which we find in an article in
the San Francisco Bulletin. An extract
will form interesting Sunday reading, and
hence We append it, as follows:
Bishop Cheney of Chicago, recently dis
cussed Church failures, declaring, among
! OtQef lulI1kS, tldt Oui1 Ob,Oot PSoPioi eo"e
civ were III napitual attendance upon public
worship on sundays. AS Chicago has 540,-
COO inhabitants, the attendance is less than
90 per cent. Of the population. There Is,
: of course, another element wno are occa-
sional attendants, which, if added by way
of straining the point, or rather mitigating
the statement, would bring the per cent.
of worshippers up to a somewhat higher
rate, And yet the attendance on public
worfhip in Chicago is probably larger in
proportion to population than in San
Francisco. We have not the least data
concerning church attendance here. But
it is quite within the mark to say that
there are not ten per cent. of the 300 600
people in San Francisco who are habitual
attendants upon public worship on Sun
day. Possibly eight per cent. of the en-
tire population are church-goers. But il
would trouble the statieian to find "a, 900
people in all the churches of this city to-
morrow, or say two months later, when
some Aundred or thousands have returned
from the country.
Ii one had at hand the entire church
going statistics of the country, not as set
down in some hap-hazard way, but care
fully ~collate up to the present date, some
startling facts would be brought out.
While the attendance upon Catholic
churches is increasing, or rather there is
no such diminution as to attract attention,
the falling off in the attendance upon
Protestant churches is increasing. That
is the inference which is unavoidable from
such tables and facts as come un Ter special
notice. The Catholic attends divine SER
vice on Sunday-once, at least, because he
considers it one among his religious duties.
Many Protestants attend for the same
r.. agOn whIla MANY nthara nf that firth
nominally, do not attend, because either
they do not consider attendance obliga-
tory, or are not interested in the
services held. 1t certainly is a ques-
ton Of some interest as to what is
to be the result of this tendency to remain
away from public worship. 1t is to be
noted also, that among absentees aside
from the coarser element, there is a very
large element made up of refined, cult
waited and moral people. They are good
neighbors and good citizens. They take a
deep interest in many charitable objects,
giving literally from year to year. They
are public spirited withal, and when called
upon to discharge public trusts they make
as good an average record as do those who
are sc~rupulously exact in attendance upon
public worship. 1t may be said also that
some of the most fragrant cases OF breaches
! vi puDilI Y lCb l1ftO III III
the last three or four years in this country,
have been on the part of those who were
conspicuous in the observance OF all out
ward religious obligations. They were
principally church-goers, and efficient in
what might be called church activities"
These isolated facts hardly warrant any
radical conclusions.
The question still remains to be an
swered Why are there SO many non
church goers? The Bulletin, further on
in the same article, thinks it may be dut
to the heavy expense attending the main
tainance of churches. 1t argues that the
gospel is not likely to be preached to poor
people in a church edifice costing a quarter
Of a million of money, the annual run
ming expenses of which amount to from
Sf5, GOO to $4,000. We think, as a rule
our churches are too 'tony." So mucl
display does not comport with the sim
plicity of the Saviour, nor does it accort
with the biblical ~admonition that the COS
pei should be given to all the earth with
out money and without price. We are tolt
by some writers, In this connection, that
great wave of infidelity sweeping over tb,
world is the real cause of the waning in
terest in religious matters. If this be so
the fact cannot be o deeply deplored
But we have allowed our remarks t.
assume a different scope from that in
tend d. 1t was our purpose to compar
the morals Of the people of the mountain
with those of the cities. Eureka furnishe
an example about as striking as any plac
we can call to mind. Let us see how W
stand at home. We have in Eurek'
and vicinity a population of. say G,000
There are in the immediate neighborhood
five churches, of an average attendance
perhaps, Of 100 each. Will there be 50'
pe ople in all Of our churches to-day Their
will not be more and this leaves $50
drifting in the way the devil would hav
them go. 1t is a terrible commentary oil
the lsxity Of our morals and tends unmis
takably to the conclusion that the grea
mental structure is fast becoming rotten Il
the core. Is there help for it Not with
out a tremendous awakening of the pnlpi
and the press and the better class of so
eli ty to a realizing sense Of the response
bility which they owe posterity, their coun
try and their God.
THE Crawford plan goes in Storey. Dag
gett first proclaimed for it, Battermal
writes the Enterprise that he will stand il
on that line. and Tyrell is understood t.
be willing to take an even chance with tn
rest. What of Conner and Kinkaid
Ara thav IN he eb,t mt vv;thont a show