The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-09-15
WY Dc NOT MORE MEN ATTEND
CHURCH,
BY REV. JOHN rAvILLE.

/ NNN-' +tteAt anu 0Fh Nun 10 KlNt
not only his personal reason for nom
attendance, if he bore that relation 10
the church. but also his judgment as to
the causes affecting other men. Notes
were taken at the time for future refer
cncc. OF the men interviewed twenty
seven were members Of some church.
soveniy-thrce were not. forty-iour
might be clas-ed as attendants. though
some of them were very irregular,
while iilty-six did not attend at
all Their denominational tenden-
cios were as follows: Congfoga-
tional, thiity-seven Methodists. sew
euteen; Presbyterian. nine; Baptist,
five. Episcopalian. six; Lutheran. six:
Catholic, thirteen; jew. two: unclassi-
fed, five. As TO their vocations. there
were eleven Merchants. seven manu-
facturers. six clerks. SIX oifice-hOldcrs.
eight physicians, four teachers. nine
lawyers. two carpenters. seven minis.
ters. two day labOrcrs. two college stu
dents. four druggists, three real estate
dealers. two jewellers. two engineers.
three BARRIERS. six editors, two livery
men. two farmers. two saloon-keepcrs.
one drayman, one insurance man. one
photographer. two dentists. five book
keepers. .venty-seven of Il ..e men
were married the remainder single.
Some of the conclusions 1 reached
from this investigation are:
li The non.attendance of men as
compared with women il fact i'm all
the churches. Catholic as well as Pro-
testaut. Tho general proportion is not
far from twice as many women as men
at our Sunday services, AMI from three
to four times as many at the weekday
religious me tings.
l2l am convinced that it is not mans
natural religious incapacity that keeps
him from church attendance. He has
osuch natural incapacity. hcis note ere
ated woman inferior religiously. This I
claim is made and believed by some be-
cause. first. religion is falsely or par
TALLY defined. a full Christian life ell
lists thought feeling and action. ltisnot /
to be measured by one set of moral quail /
tiles. Much claimed for women AZ /
more religious is only pecuhaiity /
Of her mental on social nature. Again. /
woman's cultivation of her religious F..
nature has been taken for original en-
dcwment That womal has studied .
harder In this generation in the school /
OF religion isIrue. but when men train
themselves equally with women they /
Go NOT find that they are less capable or
less accomplished religiou.ly. When
masculine virtues shall be considered as
Christian as feminine. when the moral
qualities Of lives shall not be COMPOUNDED .
with the emotional or estnetlc. we shall
have less said about women being more
by nature than man.
49, Not many men are physically
unable to 90 to church. l asked mauy
men. among them all the physicians, if
in their Judgment Sunday would be less
as a day Of rest If men tired
with the week day work should attend
church at least once. They all asserted
that q man would be- the letter physi-
cally for that change. On this ground
woman has greater excuse than mau.
Her husbands non attendance. her
family. her household work. all hinder
her. When one sees how many Of our
servant girls dave to hurry 10 Sc,
To church ON Sunday morning. ard
how many young men have TO loaf not
ID get there. the sale turns strongly in
favor OF woman s excusabie absence.
a. found men who are non attend
ants poorly informed concerning the
church of . to-day. Tsey get their
largely from the street and
Inc secular newspaper. They do not
snow the best thought Of toe church on
science or doctrines They knew little
IF it- practical and benevolent life. Of
rs government or history or progro. S..
Many of them are i'm transition stage.
rhev have ceased 10 acknowledge the
External authority OF the church, and
ave become critics rather than re-
.ormers. idlers rather than helpers.
l5l But few men are at heart antago-
listie to the church as an institution.
wen as it now exists in lis varied ami
imperfect forms ask.d each man
hese questions during the interviews:
s the church essential, Cannot some
hing else now take its place: Every
man said Nothing can be substituted
.or il il is the best investment society
an make. and they also gave as their
relief that men almost universally take
his position.
The rersonal result Of my investiga-
ions was a growing conviction that the
men outside Of our churches are more
n sympathy with them than the minis
er or the member generally assumes
hem 10 be, and that they can be wonto
be services of the sanctuary more
areely in the future than they have
,een in the past.
TIE TOUCH Qy SIN.
When an earthly touch once mars
heavenly gift, it can never be restored
O. lis primitive beauty. Ruills the snow