Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1881-12-03
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1881.
WHAT Is WRONG.

WHAT Is WRONG.
There is not sincere servant of God
in pulpit who, looking down on his
congregation, has not again and again
asked himself why it is so largely COM
posed of woman. Where are the men?
1t is all very we'll to talk of the "devOut
SEX" But men have souls and a future
on the other side of death as well as
their wives, and, if the truth were
known, think of them quite as much.
His faith is secretly as real and immi-
nent matter to him. Why then does
he not go to church? If it were fact
that the men who do go embodied all
the virtue and morality of the cOmmun-
ity, and the absentees were all goddess
and wicked, the question would be an
swered by the fact. Many clergymen
do answer it in this way; and assure us
that the man who stays away from
church does it either out of vicious in
difference to the truth or the fear of
hearing it. But the truth is, as we all
know, that there is large class of men
who seldom enter church, yet who are
neither prOfigate, prOfane nor dOubters;
they both fear God and serve Him, hum
bly, sincerely and effectively. Let each
of our readers count how many of these
men1he can find in his own circle Of ac
quaintances to estimate how large it is.
They aid all humane, charitable, just
causes. Why do they not work with
some organized Christian body, and
under the leadership of some acknOwl-.
edged Christian priest? There are many
reasons why.
In the first place, sectarian churches
do not now, as they did century ago,
originate and control all humanitarian
and Christian work. There are chart
table and educational enterprises of vast
proportions, prison reforms, work for
the cause of temperance. of immigra
ton, of the elevation of the poor, all of
which are conducted wholly outside of
any UNCONVENTIONAL limit, and which
.seem to many intelligent good people as
necessary to the well-being of humani-
ty as the conversion of the heather.
Again, the clergymen in those earlier
days was usually the acknowledged in
tetlectual and moral superior of the
members of his flock. The preacher of
our early settlements, was the sense
carrier" for his parish; the educated.
live. strong, practical man, whose advice
and authority were weighty because
they were based on higher knowledge
and broader experience than those of
his people. How is it now? Here and
there we find clergyman whose high
faith and sincerity command the re-
spect of the men of his acquaintance,
and whose keen intelligence and COM
prehensiOn, both of books and of life,
overweight theirs. Depend upon it,
that mans pews are not filled alone by
women. But the great mass of young
men who enter The ministry, as soon as
they announce their intention to do so
are shut off from the ordinary training
given to other men. Instead of being
taught science, from which the enc
mics Of Christianity now draw many of
their weapons, they are drilled in dead
literatures in order that they may argue
with sectarian opponents on the mean
ing of word. POlemics and ecclesias-
tical history are the fields in which they
are taught to work. The young pastor,
when at last he has charge, is rule
set apart from all the ordinary expert
ences of life, the rending passions, the
mastering temptations which every day
wrench the souls of other men. His
mild theology. his carefully written SER
mons, drawn mostly from the knowledge
Of human nature given him by books,
fall on the ear of the middle-aged worn
men in the pews very much as do the
voices of the bOy-chOristers piping
sweetly of the day Of judgement.
Resides these reasons there can be no
doubt that the bigOtry, the intolerance,
the sectarian disputes of differing de-
nominations keep many away from
church. They did not disgust our
grandfathers. 1t is now a matter of
brOtherly love, of life for the soul, rather
than of immersion, or episcopal success
sion, or church government. OF one
thing we are certain: that when the
Master chose the men who were to teach
His religion to the world. they were men
who knew the world and belonged to it,;
not recluse scholars, but taxgatherers,
fishermen and publicans. Neither did
these men quarrel about dogmas or
forms. They taught only Christ, and
Him crucifed.