Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-14
THE FAMILY ESSAYS.
THE SECOND ONE OF THE SERIES
BY REV. w. r. LLOYD.
How the Family of To-Day is Being In
Iured and Prevented from Doing
lts Proper Work-An Inter
estinG Article.

in this TO point out some OF the ways in
which the family OF o-ddy is being injured
and prevented from doing its full and
proper work The last census reports that
there arc 100000 families in the United
States. II IS safe TO assume that very
nearly half million more are added every
wear through that number OF marriages.
With these facts before US it is very easy
70 see how far-reachIng in its influence Tor
evil IS any custom or system that effects q
large proportion of the families of the
nation. The evils 10 which we shall call at
tention ia lAis are not nearly so great as
some that VIII DC pointed out in future
papers. Really they are not evils in them
selves ana only become such because they
have called attention away from the main
issuc-the care OF the famiy-and directed
il to secondary matters.
Dr. Samuel ". Dixie. secretary OF the
National divorce reform league, and who
mas perhaps given more thought TO the
family and all kindred social subjects than
any man IN america, says: sociology
clearly shows that the human race acts IN
three great kinds of collectlOnS-in families,
IN local assemblies OF the people, and in
representative 6Odies-and that is the most
successful social order in which every one
Of these three kinds of collections receives
It's fan care and is made 10 do its full work
for the great social body" He further says
that ii IS our danger that we are lOoF:ng to
TWO OF these social forms more than to the
other - ANA the one that We are 2e@lectlng
IS tDat which IS first and fuEdamcntal-the
family
That the tendency Of modern times Is to-
wards the development of the local church
IN every conceivable way Is clearly seen by
every thoughtful observer VINO studies Tor
d moment The numerous devices Tor inter-
ssc!ug the people ana doing the work of the
church. 50 radical aud extensive has been
the effort 10 reach all the people with the
gospel that methods OF church work have
been completely rcyolu'iOni2ed, and the
loca. chn!vucs themselves are 10 more like
the churches of an hundred years ago than
the modern wen endowed and equipped
col iere IS ike the odd field school" of two
or Three generations back. So numerous
are The societies aud helping bands that
their name Is legion, ana IL would seem
that IothiuT more could be desired or
thought OF 10 enable the local church TO
Utilize its forces We have now the Sun
day-sCnool. the Young Mems Christian as
socia-iou. the ! nuH- Nomcn'S Christian
assCcia-iOn. the Young Peoples society of
Christian cuu"uVor, the EpwOrth league,
you peoples pray-r-meet;ng, juvenile
sOsiet"r amt religious guilds of one kind
aud another. TOO numerous 10 mention.
The Sunday ~caoo. IS tHe most important
and Inc most extensive Of any OF these
agencies ana las conferred upon the
Church ana u on society At large a benefit
TIA, * in,.aI,.rllau,r. II has become the
- ron rr,t arm og,ue church. Hundreds of
thousands Of the bcsJ men and women III
the church are employed in this work, =
vast literature. N" product Of the best
b~.in and s,.fnrar,liiD of the ace. has been
specially prepared tor use III the Sunday
school. Churches are lifted and chapelS
blIflt exclusively for his department of the
church lii, and activity. Il is safe TO say
,h.,r no commitment nf church work has
been brought so near to perfection as has
the Slnday-scbool. And for every hour
and every dollar expended in this direction
there has been 4 return OF a hundred fold.
WORKING side by side with the Sunday
school. and generally Tor = slightly older
and more advanced class arc the other socie-
Ties and ORGANIZATIONS named above. The
o,.oyfh of Inc movement among the Young
people Of our churches in the last ten years
has haer, without u4raIIel in Ire history of
lie world. Never was the church at large
so we'll equipped a. now. In taking this
.rolr- however II must be borne in mind
that This entire change in the methods of
cb1,,,rl, ,yrrl, has cam. about in an annaz-
IrTIv short lime Tie Sunday school is
f,i~iy NOT mora Than i hundred wears old.
while The Young Mems Christian assccia-
l5.r Is r.p- Inu,r. ~, than thirty and of
In, others. ia, Young Peoples society of
Christian t.,ldeayor is the only one that has
,.as...i :, decade Each and all Of these are
dning rood work Indispensable work. il
seems toms The, danger j.. that in cult
,afir- .h,sa recent c-.1yy'hs W.. may NEGLECT
- oririr,l and n,.r.uancu, source Of
( ty.,,,f-rh fn,. bnrn sn,if,y and the church
o,li,. an tho ,,o,,-ar Of the r,1a+forn D,Iluit
nd YlIess &c nTueu,t,d NOW in an effort 10
C5r..in,., the dty,Innr1nrt Of our churches
,.l,nrg hos. lines This Is GOOD. and moi 10
lie ,iIs.ounraI but in ON. Efforts 10 dcvelop |
~. ioral ,4iturrh we must rot Tnr,ret rhgt !
-l,,st J,7.rr, n. snciSry. ON. Of which all else
r,,,.ir,-s- he family I. j. very easy 10 see
I.,,y ,,.f-h minis: and rrliofgiIs press and |
I,'atr,r,n o,.l-o. ana Individual effort from |
i.,rirfla.s nrTr.lar. .,r Ilc.jr,- me necessity
IF ,,,.r7,.iza'in,, .t.nc- rho Hrrs in |
,;t.4,'.} .,Lo,-, trst ottrrtion can hn |
,riv,,inl FROM thn importance of |
s'n,y u9f;rr1 family t,.a,uipc. ana i,cnt di |
-.ytni -o INV man iron. iuf,,l win result
.s,r,,rr, fr.r, ,,,I..,.. n, WORT, hn,ypya. |
,.-r.!.rive If Gr.uday-srlgo7. pl,.,rr-rne..t !
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80. ,,,,,s or ~. rrrprvr 1lI, r1ccrs-
- ft,. ,.,rrl.,,. sy,rarrati. narieut trar- |
f., =, .,,i tr.,i,ir., IN 40 home some tJ,,,-hs |
~ ,.,.,,,,.,,,, md sr,.,r,T SOM, facts mr., in
-, ass,,,',i,1 s+if,,,ior al thir~s and can
,,.,sr }a 1I,orI5 mo MACE of ihe family |
a.. ., S,,t,r f.. nrrnariuor men ana women |
80, s,,.i..,I..,n3 In. et.It9 ana shanino DIS
Inv. t0,, ,I.,.,,it,- is one of those basal |
,,r,,bs from winch t,era < No as,.ore and |
a., ,,.,;.b ~, i-,,,,r.,-or,,,r,f can he made
NJ ., ia, oil train;,rr 10 .,.
,,-',,,.,. f ,,l,sfin, CbII,.ch lyor
81 ,-,.,,,,,, ~ Tbn cbI,,.,.f ;tsSif
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