Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-23

mon basis. The rich do not sacrifice any thing when they smoke the best cigars and keep the finest horses and live in the most elegant houses, but it is great sacrifice for them to give up their pew for one church service to a poor man. It has been said that the reason our churches are not more fully attended is because immigrants drop their religious convictions when they cross the water. tell you the Christianity of to-day is losing it's hold upon the people that are nominally connected with the church. Bishop Niles, of New Hampshire, was the next speaker. The ground taken by the bishop was that it was not the pew-rental system that made paupers, but it was the ether system. I believe that the brethren and rectors of pewed churches are just as good as the others, said the bishop. be- iieve that both systems may work harmoni- ously for the advancement of the cause of Christ.
 Rev. Dr. Boggs, of New Jersey, said he wanted to say word for those poor down | trodden people, the rich. He said the way to begin the work in the free church was to teach the rich people, How are the minis ters to get their salaries if the rich are ex- cluded from the churchs Q.aughter.) There is church in the city where live that pro fesses to be a free church and they go around every year and get persons to subscribe for free gospel and then announce that on certain day the pews will be assign
  tions will have the first choice. Naughter.) That is pretty free church system, said the doctor. tell you that the way is to get the people to come to church, rich and poor alike, excluding no class.
 Rev Charles H. Babcock of Columbus, Ohio, said: There is no such thing as 8 free church. The term is misnomer. All church es must be supported by the voluntary con- tributions of the people in any case. To say that our free churches really free is not true any more than in pewed churches
 Rev. Dudley Ward Rose said there was nothing that was more open to discussion than the question of free churches Notwith- standing the church papers have advocated free churches I believe the old plan is and will remain the most popular ill our own de- nomination. am convinced that those who pay large prices for pews will not pay when a subscription paper is offered to them.
 Rev. B. w. Maturin, of Philadelphia, said he was convert from the free church sys- tenn to the pewed system. For the sake of the clergy think it the most desirable thing that the churches should be pewed. think the people are to be taught continually that they are to pay for their religion. l maintain that the pewed system is right. It makes men feel that when the pew is to be paid for that the gospel is worth paying for. This ever appealing for money is degrading to the gospel.
 The closing speech, which was a very amusing one, so far as it related to the much -talked-about free church system, was by Rev. J. H. Hopkins, D. D., of Williams port, Pa. The doctor kept the audience in the best of humor for about five minutes.
 At 10:40 o'clock the closing hymn was sung and the benediction was pronounced by Bishop Doane.
 To-DAY'S PROGRAMME.
 The programe to-day is as follows:
 Friday, October 8, 1O:3O a. nn., Carll's Opera House.
 Sixth topic--"Deaconesses and Sisterhoods.''
 The Rev. Thomas M. Peters, D. D., New York city.
 The Rt. Rev. William Croswell Doane, D. D., IL. D., bishop of Albany.
 The Rev. Ealbraith B. Perry, Baltimore Md.
 The Rev. A. St. John Chambre, D. D , Lowell Mass.
 Friday, October 2s, e;ao p. m., Carll's Opera House.
 Seventh topic-sPlace and Methods of Bible Study in the Christian Life.''
 WHITES.
 The Rev George William Douglas, D. D., New York city.
 The Rev. Charles H. Baocock. Columbus Ohio.
 The Rev. E. s, Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.
 Russell Sturgis, Boston. Mass.
 The Rev. w. Hay, Aitken, England. The Rev. George z. Gray, D. D., Cambridge, Mass.