New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-28
IN THE CHURCH PORCH.
A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIANITY.

A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIANITY.
In their celebrations this week. the chnrhes WI"
very properly give thanks for their growth III mum
hers. wealth and let us hope and believe, spriinalS
also during the last hundred years. We iooh a' ''o
past of course, through the glanor oi iOiH"o0' az"
therefore not apt 10 realize no" hu'u -
was lacking In the current Christianity OF "ashi"s
inns day The attitude OF the denominations 'o"aiu
each other was characterized by an Intolerance al"
scctarian bitterness that happily We can hardly com
prehend to-day. Christian public opinion on tue
subject Of Observation-Disclosures philanthropy was 'e''
sluggish, each church. rule, spending an '' o"'
cies un its own UNCONVENTIONAL work lhere Wei,
tcv church buildings oIt,lde the largo towns anu
III, religions condition of the people In the c"uhr!
u, 4, many cases dcplo.abl,. Much more IN
ror,ancc was attached 10 the dogmas than To tue
snirtt Of religion. and many members OF The ch"o"
I'm good standing thought it right and proper ~ Nv
things that to-day would make their mempersh'P III
the church impossible. The attitude Oh Ir"e
people toward temperance was cspeclai! IAN ~
one now reads with amazement OF the nuhiper Va
GALLONS Of rum consumed at church gatherings anu
t,rcr,Is in the good old days. Churches wer SCI
dom heated in winter. and were uncomfortape az al
times Whc generally fervcnt, the mus" was i
and often unpeasing. Tho sermons were o''
Theological essays. often two hours IN chgh' anu '
pr,achers rarely attempted TO attract by their sN'1
,vbv ,bould they indeed. when tho people "o"i'
rc,v snnarr boxes utterly devoid OF any artistic
hcautv Nrth and gladucss wcr, looked upon Win
ensncion a. almost devilsh in their character. anu
a spirit of sancied gloom was regarded n INC
ontlook of religion. AmuScmenis were Sterhy '"'''
Die ted and tho good Christians Of the DAY "olo
taught TO believe in literal earnest that This word Is
| al a ecetnc show Doubtless there were rms III
-, .,ord- avon then hut they must have been few
| and far between The modern spirit had not yet
made Itself iel'
Rut the evolution has not been entirely upward Inc
Christianity of to-day Is less earnest and sincere III
| many ways than that OF a hundred years ago ~ -
seriously weakened by the spirit OF DOUBT anu spo."
| lation so largely foSterd by modern science. US
high ideals are somewhat obscnred by mabrialiS"i
and conformity TO the world. II has loSt lis "oH
an large numbers of people either because OF ten
denotes outside of Itself for which it Is not response
blc or because Of tendencies and defecs WITHIN "S'
| for which It is responsible II IS elmer us m''
fortune or its fault that it Is more or Tess ou' Va ~
monv with a great deal that IS regarded as Oh p'"
c,ount i'm port ancc IN modern life II fails IN many "N
n attain large and comprehensive outlook. IT o
rues 10 rim I'm many WORKOUT occlesasca sro"Ne''
crt out for II by the fathers and schoomcn' ana ~
| q, = measure Is unable to understand the ouSS
nuIsatinc life Of this age. And 1t therefore o""'' "
10 looked upon by many people moribnnd inSl"u'
ton Of the past with vital message Oh nope VI io'
for the men and women OF to-day.
fool tho moro FREQ to mention these defects, be-
cause ! believe that they are NOT VIAL 'N'"e''
Chrisanity In spite Of all rs Shortcomings anu "o'"
ncsscs Is without doubt tho most powerful anu i''-
| .oh,r, forcc in the Nation and. humanity speaking
Tho only fprce that stands between our social system
| and the spectre Of anarchy and moral dca'h' - >
we'll for even the agnOstic and Inc ihliuei w ''"
| that Christianity Is moulding the lives anu S""P"e
tho conduct Of vast numbers Of people VINO reiuSc ~
| acLnowlcdcc its claims. In the busy and 'ro"u'o
CITY or I'm the pioneer settlements OF inc NcN'' ~
stands for law order, virtue and moralIy' II u
tho conscrvator Of society, the defender OF the nome
No matter what attitude may assume towaru IT, -
holds rs all within It's powerful grasp, ana coh'pci'
lis involuntary TO allegiance 10 the 'ru'I anu
beauty Of its code. We may not like 10 acknowiege
! n I'm, n is a fact that the fate OF h" hepuo"' -
hound HID in the fate of Christianity and every plo"
aimed at the fundamental principles OF the k'nEloh
If Jcsus is aimed equally at the civil and social Sys
| tcm under which are living.
Standing today at the close Of tho first century OF
-, vat,oraI life American Christianity ought TO dis
corn clearly its mistakes I'm the past. IFS possibiieS
fnr the future /, needs not new faith nor perhaps
even a new statement Of faith. so much as ne" on
thusasrn and trTer conception OF the mean'hg al"
import OF the old historic creed There are OMNIBUS
n,utterings of religious and social discomfort In tho
air The old fcudal conception OF man ana MS reia
tons and the old fcuda theory Of eccie'iaSt'ai ana
social order are slowly but surely dying Ana IN
their place will arfse-nay, IS even now arising d
bIer and n,ore symmetrical vision Of allpervading.
al-embracing human brotherhood. II Is the GoSpei
If the Gaican fisherman translated into the secular
life Of the nineteenth century What shall he me
attitude Of the Christian Church toward this renas
sapcc of ChriSt's Tracking? VIII 1t be found on the
side Of the dying tyrannc. and proclaming the divine
right OF the organized crelticS that have entrnched
| themselves in our social system? Or VIII II be "hhu
on the side Of plying his sorrows assuagihg MS
crlcfs rghting his wrongs. delivering him rom inc
hand of the oppressor freeing him from the shackleS
Of superstition teaching his ignorance. and opening
his mind 70 conception Of the real beauty of goodness
and holnessl II is questions such a these. rather
than squabblcs over ritual and ecclesiastical ord
nances that should engage It's attention during the
coming years.
4 few years AGO Sir Charles Dixie wrote an enter
tanning book. entitled Greater Britain similarly
much might be said about the greater Christianity
that manifcsts itself in many forms today ou'-
side Of the organized churches. The fact that there
| is such a Christianity l. Interesting and sug-
acstvc thought because II has grown into being almost
| without the knowledge Of the churches. and while
they were eagerly striving to strengthen their several
organizations But although the hospital the asylum,
! tho home for the aged and for the young, and the
nmbcresS other philanthrOpc institutions Of every
kind. have not always sprung up within the sh%lo"
of the church. they due to its beneicnnt spirit
! While churchmcn have been arguing, often IN wrath
| and bitterness. over the meaning of Christ'S words,
| III, spirit has been touching the hearts Of men and
women IN and ont Of the church; and so this greater
| Christianity ha, grown up all around The churcheS'
suppemcnting their failures. realizing their ideals,
and Icacng for good upon the great body OF organic
Christianity | know that nhdels NAV build
hospital, endow a home for the helpless, although
as a matter Of fact few Of them have done So But
even II all niidel did, he would be doing an essentially
| Christian deed in spite Of his formal unbclef For
10 feed the hungry clothe the naked and make gibi
the heart Of the sorrOwful, Is OF the very essence
Of Christianity: and he who does these things Is
tterry his al llIllr