Daily Republican., 1879-01-04
sATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1879,
rae REPUBLICAN has the largest
circulation "f aay paper In Nesa.
~sre. Adyersfseyx take . uOte 81
ssstn.


tart Ain usnt1. which was ere tltsd ny
the old fashioned religious class OF
peopl. al being about as neer correct
and appropriate for the times as any
sermon. that eminent divine eyer
preached. There is a growing opp"s,-
ton among devout people, even oy
those who are often drawn into them,
against many of the popular devices for
raising money for churches, and there
are many who attribute the present
spiritual dearth in the Church to the
decline of piety traceabe to the mixing
up of the religious world with what are
considered the social enjoyments and
festivities which have crept into the
churches.
Even this habit Of doubtful propriety
of securing funds to meet the expenses
Of the Church, has been much abused
oflate by the example of certain church
people of New York, who, 50 me days
ago set up target, in the pulpit and
had a rifle match along the middle
aisle, and now the practice haS become
quite common in that city of having in
the Sunday School room cakr'walks,
which are simply a species OF ped-Strl-
an race, which has, We believe, been
practic.d TO some extent in this city
among the colorpd Sunday Schools and
churches, and which, if there is auy
money in them, with the present mama
tor church entertainments, WI. soon
spread to the white Sunday Schools and
churches. The natural tendency Of
schemes for securing money for church
es is towards impr"prlety. A simple
fair or supper for church purposes ap
pears harmless enough at first sight,
hut by and by they become so common
that there is a plethora of pin-cushlons
and tides, and surf, it of roast turkey
and the impulse is to offer new attrac
tlors, either In the shape OF lotteries
in W ich the prizes are things which
nobody wonld deliberately buy, or il
races round the Sunday School room
which differ from the wicked outside
races Of worldly people only in the fac
that the prize, instead of being iega
tender note, is an indigestible pound
cake, made Of common -four, stale Eggs
sasled sugar and strong butter
1t would certainly be better t" dc
away with all these things Of at Ieas
doubtful propriety, and to depend en-
tirely upon the free will offerings Of the
faithful of the Church, for certainly i
was never intended by the Apostle,
that the Gospel tidings should BE-
spread through the fundamentally o
cake walks and target shootings; Meth
.r was it expected that the world wa
to be converted by ratil-s for hair-pir
holders ,chair-tidips and Stri ped atghans
TIL. painful truth is that these thing
are done because the voluntary contrl
butiOu5 of church members are rarel,
generous enough to enable church t
meet its obligations, and where
church is to choose between chratin!
It's preac er out OF his salary, and earn
ing money at church fairs and festivals
there is a good reason why it shoul'
choose the latter alternative.
The reason why churches 50 otte Ii -
uehind in their liuanrrS may De attrlbu
table to the fact that the average churcl
member who has been paving hi
church dues regularly along decline
in piety and likes to get his none.
back in material substance somethin
which we can See and handle. Tn
reason why an ordinary man hates
pay doctors bill is that he seems t
b. getting no substantial return ior hi
outlay, and the persistent manner /
which pennies and smooth quarters an
dimes with holes through them are pu
into the volrc'ion basket is at'ribut;
bic to the same feeling. For this re-
son the system Of pew rentals is PR
terable to some ppOplp because The
have the pew which they can see, f''
ard enjoy as the worth OF their money
instead Of going it on the naked taitI
principle, Many men who are tryIn
to lay mp treasures IL Heaven, Xix"
hold a pew a. visible guarantee tha
they ar" on th" right track. II
church fair and festival are Outgrow
Of this peculiar disposition OF the min
40 Is the cake walk, shooting at "a
get; and 30 is the donation party ~hi'
brings to the pastors house an owe
abundance of the Kind Of provision
not needed and then tarry and eat
the pastors expense supper wort
more than the provisions lett. A M
who wouldn't give dollar to chur'
fund will spend three times til
amount at church fair or festival
something that he doesn't want al
which he could have purchased rls
where tor half the money if he want
it, and by this means money is obtail