St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-02
PASTORS AND PEOPLE.
At Present They Are Sepa-
rated by a Very Broad
Gulf.
Chu h Workers Must DeVC tie
T cir Efforts to the Mid
die Glasses.
Rev. DR.. Seaver Says Protest
antism Is Growing Weak
err Every Day.
Something Must Be Done to
Make Christianity Sue
cessful in Cities.


A, to discuss the question of an unde-
nominatiOnal mission. The first bust
ness was the election of officers for the
ensuing six months. This resulted in
the election of Rev. w. n. Dawley,
PRESIDENT; Rev. ii. f. Butler, secretary,
and RevS. David Morgan and HaWley,
committee on programme.
DIR. S. G. Smith questioned the adj
visibility of starting an undenomina-
tional mission. as they could do little
but give it their Endorsement. and no
time to it at once. Rev. D. Nor
gan did not believe that such
a mission would be successful.
Rev. c. L. Hallowell thought it unnec-
eSSary. He criticised the Y. NJ. G. A,
saying it was body that should take
hold of this; but it was becoming an as
ISOLATION for good young men, and the
poor devils were allowed to go to the
devil. These things are dragging for
lack of money, and something must be
done to redeem the vast number of
young men who were becoming drunk
ards. The Y. M. c. A. should be set to
work redeeming the fallen classes
which are not now being reached. Rev.
r. D. Hawley defended the Y. NJ. G. A.,
saying it was doing good work, but its
working force was not strong enough to
meet it all. The Bethels had proved
very successful in other cities
in gathering in the neglected
classes. Dr.. Norman Seaver said he
had been convinced for some time that
unless something were done at once the
Protestant church would fail. 1t was
not the poor classes but the middle
classes who are being lost. He related
an instance of sexton getting $1,000
year in a very fashionable church,
more than one of his family to church
at time, that he could not afford to
dress them well enough. "In En-
gland" said the doctor, 1.-THE
wealthy ladies. such as the Duchess
of Sutherland and others, make it a
point to go to church in the simplest
clothes they have, and never wear any
jewelry, so as not to shame their poorer
neighbors. Here the wealthy women
put on all their finery and jewelry, and
actually shame the others out of wOr-
Shipping" Continuing, he said there was
not and never would be enough moral
courage to make those who could not
dress we'll attend church. One pew was
$40. and so on, down to s.. and people
were stamped according to the pew they
occupied as $40, $40, OF s. people. He
strongly favored a central undenOmina-
tlOnal mission as a
REMEDY FOR THIS EVIL.
The minister should be paid large
enough salary to devote his whole time
to it, and money should never be men
toned in the church. The reverend
doctor concluded as follows: eff peo-
pie will wear plain clothes to church
the question of the hold Of the Protest
ant church upon the masses will be
solved. Unless it it is solved in
ten years from now, the question
will be answered in the negative" Rev.
d. Morgan said that Christianity was a
failure in the cities. If God would build
wall round st. Paul it would go to
perditiOn in ten years. While the
Methodist church had spent $4,000 IN
property and had been run at an eX-
pense of $4,000 year for the past five
years, the net increase in membership
during those years was 125, and the pop
ulation of the city he'd increased from
10000 to $4,000 year. The Baptists
were behind the MethOdists, and the
Presbyterians and EpiscOpalians only
slightly better. DR.. Seaver had struck it.
The Y. NJ. &. A. was becoming toady
affair, and the results should make
every officer ashamed of himself. Moth
ing would do any good that did notreach
right into the home. The churches are
virtually closed to the masses. The
trouble was they had too much money,
but he believed if two men cOnSecrated
to God were to take hold of such a
mission, have fine choir and an Or
chestra, make the services attractive
and have some good men and women as
workers, some good might be done. If
something is not done, they would be
overcome. Undenominational things
are always sickly and unsuccessful.
The Salvation Army would do good if it
only had some system, but it is expected
to turn its converts over to the churches,
and the churches do not care for them.
A free and easy method should prevail,
but it must be denominational.
Il. G. Horton, Secretary of the Y. M.
G. A.-You have got to go where they
are.
Rev. j. F. Stout agreed with the other
gentlemen about the fine-clotheS bust
ness, but said there was some excuse,
as many
WOMEN WHO HAD FINE CLOTHES
had only the church to show them off
in. DR.. S. q. Smith thought that many
people did not want to go to church,
and there was something wrong with
the people as well as the church. There
are essentially democratic churches,
such as the Clinton Avenue Methodist,
First Baptist and Central Presbyterian,
to say nothing of his own, the Peoples.
He thought missions mistakes, and the
work should be done in the line of great
churches. r. C. Horton differed with
DR.. Smith, saying lots of people would
go to tent alongside of church who
would not enter the church. The
trouble, he thought, was that they do
not follow the people. Better work
could be done in small churches, but it
was necessary to go where the people
are: to bring the churches down to the
level of the poorer people. There
was no place where a fallen
man OF woman could go in and pray and
helping hand. The only way to clean
out a wicked district was to permeate it
with the gospel. The territory from
Third to Seventh, and from Wabasha
to the gully is that part of the city
which needs the most work, as the peO-
pie will not come in. Dr.. Norman
Seaver and T. G. Horton were appoint
ed committee TO prepare plan of de-
tails for submission to future meeting.
1.-THE Official Position of Women in the
Early Christian Church" was announced
as the subject for next meeting.
Almost Self.Sustaining,
A meeting of the directors of the
work house was held yesterday morn
ing at the Office Of the president, George
w. Lamson. There were present Pres
ident Lamson, Mark Costello, r. B. Ga
lusha and g. j. Monfort, the latter now