Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-03-28
Caste in the Church.
People Kept Away From Church by
Social Differences.
The Church is Confronted 1y a Serious
Problem.

The cause of non attendance at church
is one of the vexed questions about which
the mos divergent opinions are daily ex
pressed. Most people have remedy for
the so called evil, but most remedies have
as yet failed.
II think it has been conclusively prov
sd, said the R-v. Dr.. Utter in discussing
the subject, "5hat church attendance is
but little dependent upon the ability of
the preacher or the quality of tho doc
triues preached. The world has creeds
enough to satisfy everybody, aud there
are grades of ability enough in the pulpit
to settle the question as 10 the stamp of
men required. Congregations have been
fed with intellectually and with emo
tional ecstaoy, with dogmatio theology
and with free thought discussions, with
homilies, essays, exhortations, and what
not. Some preachers have strewed out
truth in plain, unadorned way, and 9th
ers have attitudiniz5d before the public
and brought to their assistance a wealth
of oratorical power. This thing mas been
going on for years. Even in Chicago
leading clergymen have come together to
devise some scheme to reach the masses,
but all to no purpose. There are church
org mutations in this city that would dis.
charge their pastors and engege otheaa
men, fit up their church buildings NOR
sum ptuoLsly or deplete chem of orna-
menJation, If they could but fill the pews.
The fact is that church attendance is
not measure of religious interest, nor is
lack OF church attendance measure of
ministerial ineffioienoy. The two prime
reas jns why people go to church, think,
are to profit bg or enjoy it's social fea-
lures and to be amused. The education
al, the moral, the spiritual interests are
minim lied. In other words, church going
is lbit in the maintenance of which
considerations of social well being over
ride all others. On the other hand. social
differences-the inability OF one member
to meet another on a social and financial
equanty-constltute a great reason why
people do not attend divine service. This
reason may seem far. fetched and Insult
cient, but | am satisfied that il is the
rlgat one and that unless some move
ment can be got up in which social diff
ferences can he Ignored or lost sight OF
there will be little difference in the sizs
of our congregations.
at does not seem just right that caste
lines sholld crop up in the church and
initiate against its influence, but such is
the fact. The only caste lines we Ameri-
cans have are those of wealth, and the di.
rect tendency of the age is to diferenti-
ate the church, making one body an
aristocratlc and another a plebeian or
gaRlzatiou. There are practically but two
20, - 81
wealthy, the religious home of those who
can pay literally, or they are the poor
meu's churches. The middle men-those
earning frou 81 900 TO 81 POO year-are
practically without churches. They can
not put on the style of the wealthy bod
les, cannot afford to pay their relative
share of the expenses of the church, and
yet they feel as good and as proud as the
better circumstsnced. Personal pride
kee q them from taking what 10 their eyes
would be q second or third rate station.
On the other hand they want something
better than the churches that are patron
lied by men and women not their equals
in wealth and social standing. The need
of the age is middle mems church, where
the great mass of wcll-to- do but still not
wealthy people could assemble without
beng made TO teel thet they were ont OF
place.
The need of such churoh may be
said to betray perverted state of affairs
That may be true, but il the evils now
complained of are to be righted we must
face actual facts and meke the best Of
them. OF all the churches lining Michi-
gan avenue 1 bslieve there is not one
that would not gladly Welcome the midule
classes | have been talking about, and
still | believe there is not one in which q
mau earning, say, only, $1,000 year
would feel at home. All are welcome
among such congregations as that which
attends the Chicago Avenue church but
they will not 20 because they want sope-
thing different. We're the eight churches
supplied so that social contrasts would
not be 30 marked there would be no
higher grade OF preaching, no changes in
theology or ia religious services, and
appgehend that the church attendance
would be better. Atleast caste lines are
cause of the tr1sble, and il is to them
that the remedy is to be applied"