The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-11-10
THEATRE SERVICES.

appointed to take the matter in hand.
The committee consisted of the Rev. +
b. Allen, superinte ndent of the Boston
Episcopal City Mission; Rev. ii. NJ. Tor.
bert assistant minister of the Church OF
ST. John the Evangelist: Rev. 7. W
Sprague, rector Of s.. Johns Church.
Charlestown, and Rev. Frederic Palmer
rector of Christ Church, Andover a:
the season was already far advanced, il
seemed best TO the committee not 10 at
tempt TO establish such services before
summer. but to. wait until the autumn.
They have now sent out a circular let
ter, setting forth the need of such ser
vices in Boston, and citing the example
of Philadelphia in this kind of work.
The whole letter is so full Of interest
that we make room for il in our columns:
Some persons may question why re
ligious services should be held in a
theatre when there are so many
churches standing more or less empty.
The answer is, for this very reason.
There are in every large community
thousands of people who can never be
induced TO enter the doors Of a church
Of any denomination. Experience,
however, has shown that many OF
these will attend religious services if
held in theatre. 1t is place they are
familiar with. They feel they have a
right there, and understand the code
of manners appropriate to the place.
They are not quite sure they and their
clothes are wanted in the churches.
They are not quite sure they know how
to behave there. They are quite
sure they do not want TO
submit to the restraining de-
corum prevalent in the churches.
Some of them have had experiences
which have made them dissatisfied with
They are not wholly
averse to religion. but they want re-
ligion without its ecclesiastical sIle.
Many of them are in the crudest stages
of individualism, unable to apprehend
the organic relations of Christianity.
There are thousands OF such persons in
every city. They are not necessarily
greatly ignorant or vicious, but they
are outside the range of the established
agents Of religion. Doubtless they
ought to come to church, but doubtless
they will not. What then remains but
for the Church to 20 to them!
Services have been held in Boston in
theatres from time to time. and with
success. But they have been irregular,
two or three in the course Of winter.
Il is the belief Of this committee that
there is a special work for services held
regularly which those held occasionally
cannot accomplish. The non-church-
goer is already too much inclined to re-
gard public worship as like lecture OF
concert, the full benefits Of which can
be gained by casual attendance. The
social blessing which follow continued
attendance, the lecture-trainod mind Is
little likely to appreciate. These bless
ings, which come from dwelling at reg
uar seasons in the atmosphere Of re-
ligion. the committee desire 10 diifuse:
but, precuded as they are by the ua-
ture of the case from church forms in
in any great degree. they desire TO in
troduce as much as possible of the spirit
of church-going to those who so greatly
need it, They therefore propose to es-
tablish a consecutive series of Sunday
night services.
The plan which they propose is not a
mere experiment. Services of this ma
ture have been carried on in Philade.-
phia for eight years, and the great sue
cess which has attended them warrants
a brief description of them here. The
were held at first in the Bijou
Theatre, afterwards in the Archstreet
Opera-house. They were established
by Rev. j. +. johnson and Rev. W. N
McVickar, ID. d., clergymen of the
Episcopal Church; although in the alb
sence of Mr.. johnson for three years,
they were in charge of committee or
four Episcopal clergymen. The ser-
vices were advertised as especially for
non church goers. That they accom-
plished their purpose was shown, among
other indications, when, one night.
the request was made that all VINO
we're in the habit of attending
anv church of any denomination would
remain standing at the close of the
hymn. Out of congregation of about
fifteen hundred, one hundred and
eighty-nine stood. Allowing even that
there were ascore or more who through
or hesitancy did not stand,
there still remained 81 per cent. Of those
present who declared themselves non
There is probably no
other assembly for religious purposes
in America that can show so large
of the outside element as
this. And it is this very outside ele-
ment that the churches are longing to
reach. and cannot.
What sort of people are they who
have attended these service They
are by DO means wholly those who are
vaguely called "tbe lower classes. y
There are respectable elderly shop
keepers, who bring their wives and
daughters. There are working women.
who through the week stand behind
counters or starve over their sewing.
There are hundreds Of young fellows
from sixteen to twenty-six. bearing the
stamp Of the workshop about them, who
before and after the service be