New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-21
IN THE CHURCH PORCH.
E.srrR-.NaTIoNAI. RELIGIoUs LEE

crime Of TIE resurrection Easter Day is season Oh
xeep religicns import. It Is time above an o'nolo
when be would enjoy the services OF his chufch nv
Rom all worldly distractions But that IS Ius' VIA
No doesn,t have an opportunity 70 do unless nc goes
10 soma fttls known church Going In ana coming
nut from service, he win be pushed ana eooWeo oS
multitude of people, many of whom are NOT worShp-
pers but sghtscers who have set out 10 40 nan q
dozen or more churches during the hours oil morhne
servic. and who audbly whisper and chatter In the
church even after tbs service has begun Then 'oere
IS the choir commercially anxious to honor the hought
NJ the day. but altogether prone to unduy lenghen
the service so that sometimes the pastor feels guilty
AZ hs lengthens It stin more by preaching Ana lhe
there are the flowers ana ported plants beautiful and
appropriate in themselves but often sadly overdone
Maybe they are artsteally arranged ana maybe not
II Il inst possible that the solid but inarstic church
,oeuber who contributed most generously to buy them
has IDEAS as 10 their arrangement and no one dares
10 say him nay. Or 1t may be that Mrs. Elte, VINO
sent q number of potted plants, will be mortaly
offended II they are not made the most prominent
feature Of the decorations Altogether, there Is TOO
often an element of noisy ostentaton in the Easter
seryices Of the churches that often Obscures the great
Thought of the day
It has been estimated that the flowers in the
churches of this city to-day represent money value
of sloo 900; but this is probably an Underestimate
The question viii come to many, even Of those most
anxious TO honor Easter, whether the expenditure
of so much money in this way Is not mistaAe'
confess ! sympathize with those who so regan w.
Originally the custom beautiful bit OF religious
synbolism, and such served legitimate 1un0"on
Sin this services of the day. But 1t has now oecone
great business enterprise, encouraged by the
ana patronzed by fashion until the religious oeS ID
almost lost sight of. Churches which cannot resiy
afford elaborate floral decorations are compenou "
have them, because they feel that they can sun 'oS
afford 10 defy the mandates of fashion As prociaie
nv the florist; and 40 In the stress OF compeuuoh o
Aills for Easter flowers growing bigger every
war MANY churches are beginning to see the I'M
wisdom of all this and believe that heaithiui
reaction in favor of greater simplicity VIII soon sst
IN When a church IS so lavishy decora'eo "S' :.
looks like q conservatory or hover spre, ih"0n Va
the aroma of religion disappears ana uo
great object Of the display mus ue
fested The same thing has happened IN Clc
Harvest Homo festivals In the English churches Inc
sacred edifces are hed with heterogeneous coIiec
,ion nj all kinds OF vegetables until they OFTEN iooh
moro like green grocers' shops than ohuVhe0' u'
there Is now a vigorous protest against the Souse'
Eashon has done much TO mako both Lent ana Easter
ridiculous; and Il is time for reheious PSoP'o "
r.cornlEe the fact. and do something to BRING out
fnto clearer view the religious idea underlying tneSe
seasons.
tn rone will the close of lent be more welcome
than 10 the Episcopal clergy. For, with a mueh
,maTcr staff of assistants, they have been aRempt
np In late years to emulate the Roman Cstoohc 1en
In the MULTIPLICATION Of services during Lent h"n
,etter last week from the rector OF church I'D bs"
more IN which he mentioned incidentally that no hso
been preaching seven times week on an aIefSs0 s'
ing the whole OF Lent To-day he holds SIN SERVICES
t three of which he will preach; and ne has no a.
distant such state OF aialrs-and 1t Is very eoi-
mon-explalns why so many Episcopal n'oH
break down In Lent, or are obliged 10 'ake '"'
lion after Easter In noticing this fact The onuf"h
mans calls for the appointment OF larger stan "a
.,ercv I'm the city churches. This" II says wouu
-. .h ,ho,ebts of some OF our preachers TO rpen
A., DEMONSTRATING Trinibar4snsm, and spare the puo-
m, the crude results from the pulpit OF uncompieteu
,noury Nothing Is more exhauStng tnsh lVtt' oo90
NJ reviyahsm and the discharge OF occasional onoo
and visits In our large parishes Is Simply spP~is'
and thus the solitary assistant naturally Is !" u""
ger Of SINKING under his task
The employment Of assistants in the parish mas
Tins far been almost entirely confined to the honS
Catholic and Episcopal churches. And IL mas p'oh
popu,arly supposed that those churches employer 'e
mainly 10 assist in conducting their elaborate anu
lengthy nturgcal services. But other dehomh~''o"'
are beginning that assistant may ana no. pei
form a much more important function than this
1.-THE Christian Union' crystsllizes this hought
in telling article the necessity OF co'pSstOfs III
all largo churches. "Such church. 1t says must
have a college OF co-wOrkerS. One man cannot 90 u
he has neither the strength hor ZIG '0Nh"
man best fitted 10 teach is not the man best nted 10
administer The man best fitted to administer Is not
the man best fitted TO teach. Layman In small
churches, and with small work, may De iound 10
take this executive work mp and carry It on; but
they are 100 busy in great church In great city
The IDEAL church Of the future in our great cities VIII
be built the model Of St PauPs twelfth chapter OF
Romans 1t VIII be an organized working force,
with pastors and teachers of various functions:
prophet b. inspire, minister to serve teacher 10
instruct, an evangelist to exhort administrator 10
direct Each function may not have separate
ofhcial; but the church viii not expect ore Official
TO exerise them allS
sThe Christian Advocate refers with pardonabie
pride the fact that the Methodist Episcopal Church.
then IN Its infancy. the first to congratulate the
FIRST President of the Republic. and express senti-
nents of respect and admiration for the Constitution
and loyalty the infant Nation The reference Is TO
the congratulatory address presented to President
Washington in the spring OF 1882 Just after his inaug
ration by Bishops Asbury and Coke. behalf Of the
Metlsodist Episcopal Conference. This Conference
met in the old John Street Church in this CITY. and IT
g. therefore especially appropriate that religious
vices are be held In that venerable church on the
morning Of April 30 In Its century OF growth and
development since It's piois bishops congratulated the
6rst President of the Republic. Methodsm has ever
chung closely 10 the ideal of free religion IN free
state embodied in thai address. 1t has no cause to be
ashamed OF It's record.
The coming Cehtennisl Celebration brings out In
strong relief the fact that the people of this Nation
have not yet wandered very far away from the re-
ririous ideals of the fathers OF the Republic. The &C.
eiesiastcI perspective has, It true, been modified IN
,osDy points. Things that were once considered all
Important have now become of subsidiary Importance
while new thoughts and issues have taken their place
But instead Of being sign Of decadence this proof
Of growth, and mark of that necessary expansion thss
,,st modify All Institutions which reject the life ~
ths pecpie 1t Is an udeniables fact that notwitl-
standing the assaults of unbclief and the speculative
unrest OF the age Christianity IS to-day woven into the
very warp and wool of our National life And Its
restraining and inspiring influence Is all the greater
because Il is FREQ institution Of the people and not
u. .rnl- that