The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-07-22


SO shape the legislation of the future
that the superannuated mothers of men
shall not be left homeless In their
closing years,
Absence From Church.
That large majority Of people outside
of the Catholic communion do not. in
large towns and cities at least, attend
church, and that the influences OF large
towns and cities will, IN this as in other
things. produce In time Ike results n
country districts, is on all hands con-
ceded. The causes have been discussed
and rehearsed, but the remedy seems no
plainer than before. The Boston Con-
,gregGtiondlis takes up the subject and.
after enumerating the various alleged
cause.-the demands of social life re.
curing for fine house and fine clothes
all the money that is aeafned,. the hard
SIX days work that needs its. holiday;
the outgrowth from. orthodoxy and the
lack of simple and earnest preaching
1t recites an incident happening recently
which, it declares, throws considerable
light upon the whole subject: sAAA
A young married couple, the wife ac-
customed to attend church regularly at
home, were called upon by a lady who
asked where they attended service. "We
go from one church to. another. but
would be glad to take a. seat ins -
Church If we only knew anybody there, y
said the wife, my husband has lived
in a boarding house for some years, and
has gotten out of the habit of attending
church, but he is willing now to go with
me- 7 q The lady at once called upon
several in tile church mentioned, and
said: "Here is an opportunity to win
two excellent young people," The re-
ssults were not encouraging. One lady
knew all thetfliends she could possibly
visit, but she would try to call some
time. Another had her spring sewing
to attend to, and would see the young
bride if possible. Another belonged to
several societies outside the church, and
did not know when she could possibly
find time. Weeks went by, and nobody
from that church called. "Finally a
lady whose hands are always full of good
work, whose two children were ILL., and
whose spring sewing was untouched, was
asked to call. She did so at once, and
if the church gains these two people as
members, 1t will be partly because one
oTerworked woman made them welcome,
and with no thanks to the others who
were Indifferent. In this case, at least,
one reason for the lack of church going
lay at the doors of several busy but pro
Tossing Christians" ,'.'
This incident, which we presume is
not peculiar or exceptional, goes q very
little way toward explaining the general
want Of interest in the church, the, dog
trines, and the important subjects which
the church represents. It only shows
that the members of the church are
themselves affected to indifference .by
the same influences which keep people
away altogether. It shows that social
pleasures, social duties, and social cares.
in other words what is evangeically
known as 'the world" engross their
time and their thoughts, and that they
prefer these to the increase Of church
attendance and even to the personal
spiritual welfare of those outside of the
church. In the very nature Of the case
such members can not and do not regard
& the church as essential to salvation. any
more than those outside of it regard It
as essential. If they did, they would
sacrifice their other cares and their
pleasures to the upbuilding of the church
and The Increase Of its members. In
these respects the attitude toward the
church, q both of the members and the
non members, is strikingly alike. Both
are swayed by the same force away from
the church. The one do not much care
to go; the others do not much care
whether they go or not. The one are
already outside of the church boundar-
les; the others are indifferent about
their coming in. If the young married
womanand her husband had wished tc
go to church, they wouldnot have waited
for an invitation. They would have
voluntarily united with one. If the
members of the church had deemed
their membership anaffair of importance
either to the church or to the husband
and wife, they would have needed nc
urging, nor even an invitation, to per-
7suade the attendants to join then
communion. fg19 CT
:" Hence the same trouble and the same
temper lie equally behind the paralysis
of the church, going and of the church
abstaining world. When this is reeog-
nized there will be an attempt at a more
searching analysis of its cause, and. per-
. haps a more satisfactory answer, than
has yet been offered. Detroit Free
Press. 6 u ~ e q ia fT