The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1882-03-01
Non.Anendance ofMen nj Public
Worship.

OH NAtu uulAC
Worship.
The New York tribune, under the
heading what is Wrong?" has an
article on this subject, from which we
make the following extracts:
There is not sincere servant Of
God in New York pulpit who, look.
ing down on his congregation, has
not again and again asked himself
why it is so largely composed of
women. Where are the men? Why
do they not go to church? If it were
fact that the men whodo go embed.
led all the virtue and morality of the
community, and the absentees were
all goddess and wicked, the question
would be answered by the fact. But
the truth is, there is a large class of
men "a class unfortunately rapidly
growing larger who seldom enter
a church, yet who are neither profit
gate, profane nor doubters. Let each
Of our readers count how many of
these men he can find in his own
circle of acquaintance to estimate
how large it is. Yet the men of this
class would be first to admit that
public profession of faith in Christ is
a right and useful act, both for them.
selves and the world. Why do they
not work with some organized Chris.
tian body, and under the leadership
Of some acknowledged Christian min
lister? There are many reasons why.
In the first place, sectarian churches
do not now, as they did a century
ago, originate and control all human.
itarian and Christian work. There
are charitable and educational enter.
prises of vast proportions conducted
wholly outside of any denomination.
al limit, and which seem to many in
telligent good people as necessary to
the well-bcing of humanity as the
conversion Of the heathen or The
Jews. Their money, time and activ.
ity, which, two generations ago,
would probably have been spent
within the pales Of IA church, in fight.
ing heretics or waging pole,nical dis
cussion, go now into these things.
Again, the clergyman in those earlier
days was usually the acknowledged
intellectual and moral superior Of
the members of his flock. How is it
now? Here and there we find a
clergyman whose high faith and sin.
certify command the respect of the
men Of his acquaintance, and whose
keen intelligence and comprehen
sion, both Of books and of life,
overweight theirs. But the great
mass of young men who enter the
ministry are shut of from the ordi-
nary training given to other men,
Instead of being taught science, from
which the enemies of Christianity
now draw many of their weapons,
they are drilled in dead literatures in
order that they may argue with sec
tartan opponents on the meaning of
a word. The young pastors mild
theology, his carefully written ser.
mons, drawn mostly from the knowl.
edge 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 Choir.
listers overhead.
Besides these reasons there can be
no doubt that the bigotry, the intol-
erance, the sectarian disputes of diff.
fering denominations keep mary
away from church. They did no,
disgust our grandfathers. May not
the reason be that we are beginning
to understand better the profounder
truths Of Christianity? 1t is now
matter of brotherly love, of life for
the soul, rather than of immersion.
or episcopal succession, or church
government, OF one thing we are
certain; that when the Master chose
the men who were to teach His relig.
ion to the world they were men who
knew the world and belonged to il;
not recluse scholars, but tax gather.
ers, fishermen and publicans. Nei.
Their did these men quarrel about
dogmas or forms. They taught only
Christ and Him cruCitied.