The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-04-12
THE RRIIaIopa al1uAIIos.


Racis ana SpseuIaIi0Ds as to Christian
WORK and BslIeF-PFSiGstan's and
Catholics,
Nn Christian Onion of last week has 8
series Of interviews with prominent New
York and Brooklyn clsIgymen Oh the al
legged decline Of church attendance and
work. Among these are the Rev. DR.. R.
Potter, the Rev. Dr., John Hall, the Rev.
DR.. Thomas Armitage, the Rev ]. B,
Thomas, the Very Rev. Thomas 8. Pres
ton, the Rev. Dr.. Charles F. Deems, the
Rev. DR., Howard Crosby, the Rev. Dr.. J.
A, N. Chapman, the Rev, Henry Ward
Beecher, and the Rev. Robert Collyer,
Their testimony Is absol Itely uniform that
there has been NO falling otf in church ct.
tendance. Each Of the denominations
represented appeara TO be in as prosperous
q condition a. It ever WRs-some OF them
much more 90. The pithiest reply is
from DR.. Crosby: /, n know Of no
decline whatever in church attendance,
l think things are just as they have
always been. 2. | think the sermons
Of to-day arsa as effective as they ever we're
g. All such things as church fairs, private
thsatriCals, etc, do decrease spirituality, but
| don't believe there are any more Of them
now than there always have been. 4 |
don't know any difference In church work,
except that there 10 great deal more Of It,
and that 1t Is spread over larger surface,
5. don't think the devil Is bit more &C.
tive now than he has always been, and |
think good deal OF modern thought is
modern humbug. l don't think modern
thought ia any better than ancient
thought. ] think there is great deal said
about this nineteenth century that 10
all boah, and the old doctrines are just
% precious and Just 90 much priced
as they ever were" Father Preston
says: "What l consider you mean by
modern thought is infdVlity, and Its in.
ausnCe is very bad, But Catholics are
not taken by that, because the doctrines OF
the Church are 80 plain and simple that
they must believe or else cease 10 be
Catholics. II they doubt any one Of the
doctrines OF the Church they cease TO be
Catholics. Therefore this modern liberal
ism does not affect US much. think II
has produced very serious effects among
some Professionals. ! do not like 10 attack
them. But ! think, in my experience,
there are q great many Proteatants who
really have no fixed belief, and | think
that this modern liberalism has some,
thing to do with 1t. It seems to me,
looking back on the experience Of
a good many years, that Protes.
tants have not generally as fixed q
creed IS they used to have" Mr.. Beecher
says: ~ think that certainly there is q
far greater number Of persons In the Ro.
man Catholic Church that implicitly be.
lisve than In the Protestant Churches.
But, II you ask me whether the thinking
classes in the two Christian sections are
more troubled with doubt In the one than
in the other, would reply that doubt, as
the mother Of inyestigation, 10 like pimples
which are freeing the blood from morbid
matter, which are signs OF health. In the
Roman Church there ia vast amount OF
thought which does not, or dare not, ex.
press it,elf; 1t Is q kind Of suppressed
measles. In the Protestant Church 1t is
encouraged TO come out on the skin and
there Ia speedily healed"