Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1881-12-18

Why Many Women But So Few Men
Attend Churrh

Attend Church.
1t is accepted as true that divine wor-
ship has more attractions for women than
men; at least, this is the conclusion gen.
orally derived from the fact that a great
many more women than men attend
church. The prime cause OF this is the
radical difference in the nature OF the
sexes. Woman is emotional. She is in q
high degree susceptible to the exhilarating
influences Of the imagery that enters SO
largely into every religious system. Man
is sterner and prefers rather to deal with
facts. This is reason number one. But
there are reasons to account for the alb
sence OF men from church that are more
prominent and more readily appreciated.
While the tender narratives and pathetic
appeals Of Scripture never cloy the femi-
min mind, these become an old story to
men IN lose the poetry Of their youth
from contact with the hard probabilities
OF business life. Not that there are no
women who relish reasoning and digest
facts philosophically. There are many
members of the fair sex who
are peculiar for their intellectual acumen
and characterized by a taste for philoso-
phical research after hidden truth. But
it is not the rule that women are reasoners.
BY far the greater number OF them accept
as truth whatever is offered them from the
pulpit, without question. They are in
spired by faith rather than by reason.
Few women are skeptics. They go to the
house OF the Lord with implicit trust, to
be warned and comforted. Among the
men there are q great many unbelievers.
They are skeptical Of a great many things
they expect to hear in church, and they
do not care to listen to what they do not
believe. Still these skeptical males would
often attend church il they thought the
preacher would present the subject Of
Christianity in q rational and agreeable
manner ; but they will not be bored " by
the presentation Of questionable religious
doctrines by worse than mediocre pulpit
orator. This fact suggests a thought with
regard to the general character of minis
tiers Of the Gospel. While the ladies would
attend church anyway, for the same rea-
son that they would attend q
sewing circle or a quilting, no to
talk, OF course, but TO get q budget
for future use, to say nothing Of the emo
tional pleasure they derive from the unc-
tuous words Of the preacher, the mon have
pitbcl pusiitoo VI utNtfblUu WHICH tDty
prefer to a dry sermon or q foggy treatise
on theology. After all. the one great
cause Of empty pews in churches generally,
the reason why many women as well as
men prefer to stay at home or go picnicking,
or to do most anything else on Sunday
rather than go to church, Is the inability
OF the ordinary preacher to interest his
audience. There is an art in preaching,
which has its requirements in natural
talent and special culture. The Ses. cause
may be spoiled by a poor advocate. The
profession OF the ministry demands elo-
quence, learning and the highest order Of
logical power to make it legitimately sue
cessful and rich in the harvest OF souls.
Reyivalists do not come under this obser-
walton. Theirs is an affair OF animal mag
netism, and people crowd to their exhibi-
tons as to a circus. II preachers had to
pass through the ordeal that those are SUBJ
jected to who seek for popular favor as
actors, and were discarded as the latter in
case Of failure to come up to the required
standard OF talent. there would be fewer
preachers and larger congregations. A
great preacher, like a genuine star, never
fails to draw crowds who drink in his fer
vid utterances.