The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-01
..wny NOT nNDow OUR CHURCHES

! y
more intelligent conceptions, is bearing
rs away from this miserably made
Quate conception Of the Church. deeply
rooted as this idea has been AMID TN
best Puritan Christian elements OF oul
land. For all inteuts and purposes, thu
conception seems once TO have answer
ed well enough. II IL now utterly IN
suited to modern spiritual needs. as un
suited as the old flint lock musket tC
/ the equipment Of the modern sharp
/ shooter. The defense of texts and
creeds is AL well enough: most neces
sary in its true place; but it is not here
that the battle is to be decided.
TIE one question Is. Can the Church
grow with her duty? Can she shield
and inciose, so that, shielding and IN
closing. she may foster and develop
not by want of wise cXpansiveness
squeeze 10 death the truth that is her
most sacred charge? Is she a tree-bark
or an earthen pot? If the first, she
will grow and not split: if the second
she viii split and not grow. Can she
take her true place. the place of a leader
/ ia human society? Can she be to all
the wondrOus possibilities OF our ma
/ tiOnal life a nursing mOtherY
These are some of the questions that
confront the Church to-day. | say. the
question of Church endowment Is only
one part of these larger questions: and
| IL seems TO me in considering It. 1T is
essential. first Of all. resOlutely - face
the fact, that before she can DO her
duty. changes nothing less than radical
must pass on the Church herself. Such
as she is. the modern Protestant Church
has allowed herself 70 be driven from
/ that FIELD which the Church. in ages
past, proved to be specially her own.
There Is something, TO my mind,
downrightly scandalOus IN the Church
OF the living God. the pillar and stay OF
the truth, presenting 10 the public the
spectacle it does in New York to-day,
moving up town ae fast as her members
grOw rich. and leaving, as she moves.
vast spaces in ignorance and wee,
churchless, Christless; and, worst OF
all. all this done to the sound OF eccl1s-
iastical hOsannas. How has she eX-
cused to herself this movement Her
single excnse has been, that as with
the bulk Of her forces she moves oft the
field. sine leaves the sorry outpost OF
the mission chapel TO hold her lines.
Now, the mission chapel is wretcbed
compromise for the church. The chap
el is only half church. Al present.
the chapel j. little more than the weak
err half OF the preaching, singing, pew
renting establishment up town. All II
t,ret.i,as or tries 10 do Il TO establish &
small church where once there stood Il
big one; support secOnd-class preach
er where the very best preaching IS
above all things needed; ana a com
Darativelv poor and mean edliice. just
where poverty and meanness need
to be uplifted and enlightened
bv all that Christianity can oifer
# what is rich. generous. beautl-
fol and strong. IL is hard 10 have pa
nepce with the snug PnllilstiLism
that spends hundreds OF thousands OF
dollars Oh its costly preaching house.
closed all the week, that fills its win
dows with beautiful glass, aud crowds
IFS floors with luxurious 5ittIpg5. while
from It's membership and revenue II
scarcely draws funds or WORKERS
enough to u4port the cramped re-
igious charity established down town.
1t may be truly said. however, IN eA'
tenuatiOn of this policy: Il wot, breth-
rem. that in ignorance ye did it, II Is
policy well meaning. a policy that
has been supported wi h mnuiiiceat
lnberality bv "a few; but | hold
II is fatal policy and one
that has proved itself nn%ise.
Impractical, inadequate, and ill-adapt-
ed. 1t is poor economy IT IS a hand to
mouth policy. 1t has failed and must
fail. It is responsible for the spectacle
30 often afforded to u. that We nave
failed to notice the tragedy OF II, the
ntjable death struggle OF "A dying
church IL is thief story Of increasing
opportunities and diminishing powers
Of meeting them, of brave front pre-
sented 10 an overwhelming foe by a
broken and rear guard Tne mission
chapel feature Of our modern Chrls
tianitv is failure from beginning tc
end. aud failure in spite OF the most
heroic efforts aud self-denying labors
Of multitudes of earnest Christian folk,
who have been left without the support
that was their due.
What is needed? How shall we dc
the work the mission chapel has failed
TO doY 1t must be done by large, thor
oughlv equipped churches, and not by
small aud weakly equipped ones. From
the very nature OF the case, the church
situated among tenement and boarding
house populations, that stretches out
its hands ard offers its worship to these
must be a more costly church 10 sup
port than churches planted where ricf
people dwell. It's not necessary, sure
| iv. TO enlarge upon the manifest adj
vleabiity If providing Tor those whose
lives are necessarily spent amid sor
did surroundings, "a worship that IN it'
completeness and beauty, tends to In
Them above these. The great city
church should, therefore, have ample
provision made for orderly services anC
beautiful music. The man who iron
it's pulpit speaks to the people mus
have the power to draw and TO hold
1 lie needs, IN short, to be preacher fo
never can the preacher SPEAK TO empty
pews. Where for weeks and week
nothing of interest is apt to happen
book. whether 1t be good or bad, is ;
welcome guest; and one may well par
don the avidity with which the soul
hungry country ladies' Of two centurle
aro devoured immoral romances an'
forgot 10 blush at indelicacies which II
speech they would have quickly re
scented.
Ia the train Of "Amadis" followed I
long series of so-called "Amadis Ro
mances, A" which were but VARIATIONS o
tins same theme of solemn chlyalr.
and over conscious virtue. Marvel
vet abound, and, what is worse. the,
IRE utterly absurd and arbitrary mar
yels, invented merely because they wer
in demand. Passing over long an,
ldreary waste of seml-bIblical and semi
classical wonder-stoIies, we come Il
last to a work Of definite literary value
Ia fact, Grimmelshausen' 8 Der Aben
leuerliche Simplicius Slmpliclsslmus
not only the first German novel OF rea
merit. but II will always remain ms
torical document of the utmost impOr
lance. Ii is. however, in the stIictes
sense scarcely novel, but thinly dis
ouised autobiography. 1t seems to me 4
be IDLE 10 talk OF maintaining the sort
church that ought to be maintained