The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-03-09
Ire regular circulation Of THE Sun for the
week ending March 8, 1884, se0s:
A Very signih cant Proposition.

A conference Of about soventy-five minis
ters, representing all the Protestant commu-
mons except the Episcopal, was held In q
Baptist church Of Brooklyn on Friday for the
purpose Of arranging for some special rellg-
ious services during Lent.
Formerly such q meeting would have
aroused the greatest excitement In the evan
gelical denominations, so called. In truth,
even 30 lately as twenty-five years ago any
proposition that they should recognize Lent
would have provoked bitter hostility among
the clergy and laity Of those bodies. They
would have looked on 1t as step Romeward,
and as an abandonment OF principles to which
they and their fathers had always been de-
voted. Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and
Easter were days unknown among them and
they regarded their observance as POpish
superstition foreign to Professionalism. Even
Christmas was little regarded In New Eng
land. and only recently have evangelical
churches given it any formal recognition.
Now, however, we find seventy-flve evan
gelical minister's Of tho Puritan city OF Brook
Ign resolving to hold special religious SER
vices during week in Lent perhaps Holy
Week, when tho Catholic world Is Frustrated
In prayer.
Nor is this the first step toward external
conformity with the ancient usages Of the
Catholic Church on the part OF tho donomi-
nations they represent. Tho architecture
OF Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Con-
gregational churches Is now commonly fash
toned in imitation Of tho old ecclesiastical
standards. though the forms OF such buildings
may DO little adapted to the services OF those
Gath oIi m E,>t, NJ
church was easily distinguishableb its archi-
lecture, but now the temples Of worship OF
the other communions are scarcely different
In appearance. Even the cross begins to
appear on them, and at Christmas carols are
heard within their walls, whilo at Faster the
pulpits may be decorated with flowers.
Meantime there is growing desire among
their attendants for liturgical forms. The
old service begins to seem dry and bare and
unbeautiful. The taste OF tho young people
is not satisfied, and they are likely to run off
to tho Episcopal churches, which are now
full Of recruits drawn from denominations
that once regarded Episcopallanism as
feeble competitor.
The tendency is toward formal and emo
tiOnal religion, and the leaders OF the denom-
nations which have hitherto refused and
dlsdnined to meet 1t, are gradually awaken
ing to tho necessity Of doing something to
satisfy It's demands. They find that they are
rowing against the current when they disre-
gard 1t. Extraordinary pulpit eloquence may
hold congregation without other aids, but
that Is rare and hard to get. The Church
must avail itself Of other methods of keeping
up the interest of tho flock. 1t must be q
centric Of activity, and 1t must appeal to tho
haste and the Imagination.
Meantime, too, common danger from the
great infidel enemy is uniting the Christian
hosts into ono powerful army, and differences
of form, and even Of doctrine, which once
kept them fighting among themselves, are
ceasing to provoke controversy. Even Prot
estants and Catholics are brought together
In tho day OF peril.