Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-16
TALKING INTO TUBES.
Rev. J. W. SprOull's Telephone
Scheme Received Favorably.
MODERN METHODS TO BE ADOPTED
In Order to Neutralize the Growing At
tractiveneSs of Vice.
WATCHING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Three old persons had considerable diff
Guilty in repressing their desire to shout
Hello, Central!" yesterday morning, when
they applied their ears to sundry transmit
tiers, Just as Dr. Sproull commenced his SER
mon at the Central Reformed Presbyterian
Church. Meanwhile divers comments were
passed upon funnel-shaped tin device at
tached to the pulpit, to which Rev. Mr..
! Sproull addressed all of his discourse and
considerable of his attention. After the
service everybody crowded around the three
people who had received their sermon by
telephone and asked how it worked. Two
of them had heard every word distinctly,
and the third had heard fairly we'll, but
complained of the scattering of the words.
| This disability will be remedied by next
Sunday.
The experts who are constructing the ap-
pliance main tain that the number of tubes
and transmitters will be necessarily limited,
but the pastor of the church stated that
some experiments will be needed before the
exact number to be furnished can be made
known. He was much pleased, not only by
the perfect success of the plan, but by the
hearty favor with which it was received,
contrary to his expectations, for every
church numbers conservative people who do
not enjoy innovations. At present it is the
intention to have ten transmitters attached
to the tube. Rev. Mr.. SproulI stated subse-
quently that the labor of speaking was to
some extent augmented by the fact that an
evenly forcible tone had to be used, and
that while in the pulpit the position of the
speaker had to remain unchanged. He ex-
poets, however, to not only become used to
the requirements of the system, but to make
it a permanent feature of his ministerial
charge.
CHURCHES TOO CONSERVATIVE.
Rev. Mr.. Sproull was seen at his home
and requested to give his views upon the
question of the application of modern dis
coveries to the practical work of Chris
tianity. He said: '"The church must adapt
itself in every respect to every change In
connection with society. am firm be-
liever in progress. Too long the church has
been the last to notice the Kaleidoscope
changes which are slowly leavening society.
1 maintain that there is no divine haste in
the preparation for every radical change in
nature or in society, but L think religious
bodies are over-cautious in the important
work of conforming to changes when the
latter take place But ideas are pervading
society which demand attention from the
church 1t would be queer, old-fashioned
world If the ideas of thinking men had not
impregnated society. The minds OF the
people are being enlarged and their percep-
tions quickened, and l would suppose that
the church should be consulting its own
welfare if it adopted progressive instead
of stationary policy.
81 look for the day to come when the
interior of churches and the comfort of at
tendants will receive the same attention
bestowed upon public .amusements. The
church must study the conditions of society
in order to enlarge its scope. Ii comfortable
chairs and personal accessories, and the best
of music, lighting, ventilation, etc., will
attract more people to church, all those re-
ouirements must be met. We must not con-
fine ourselves 20 the launching of ana
themas against crying evils. We must set
ourselves to find out way by which evil
can be minimized. Reacting influences
must be brought to bear. Take, for instance,
my little plan for enabling people to hear
distinctly what the minister says. There
are many people who refuse to 90 to church
because they cannot hear. The present sys-
TEN Of church life requires active overhaul
ing with view to attracting the tremen-
dous number of non-churchgoers Some
city congregations are diminishing faster
than new members are introduced. Under
such stimulation the churches should be able
to both hold and increase popular attend
anee.
SECRET SOCIETY METHODS.
"Our churches are sadly neglectful of
their poor The Masons, Odd Fellows and
other secret societies maintain and assist the
bereaved families OF their poor people. The
church folds its hands too often and allows
humanity to fight for daily bread. This
should not be so. I have had nothing but
praise for my plan as put in force to-day,
but it is often the case that minister who
schemes for the future benefit of his flock is
sometimes accused of sensationalIsm, when
nothing could be further from his intention.
The Reformed Presbyterian Church has
recognized women's claim to active partici-
patton in church duties. In several local
churches women are elected as deacons, and
are actually serving in that capacity.
Women has just as much right to recogni-
ton anywhere as man, and will eventually
obtain those rights
think that every church IN town that
has members who are hard of hearing will
eventually adopt the telephone SYSTEM
And cannot help believing that if churches
were as luxuriously appointed, so far as the
comfort of attendants is concerned, as the
interior of the average theater; if every
plan was adopted which could make
churches attractive, there would be fewer
empty pews. The churches are altogether
too conservative in some respects, but the
signs of the time seem to point to more
progressive policy. 1t is, perhaps, sweep
ing statement to make but, to an observer,
vice is daily being made more attractive to
its votaries and the public, and the church
must awake from its lethargy and adopt
policy in accordance with the modern days"