New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-19
THE CHURCH AND PRACTICAL W0RK

TIE CHURCH AND PRACTICAL WOBh
One of the most interesting developments oil
present-day Christianity in the great cities Is
the successful establishment Of such institutions
as the Parish House of St. Bartholomew
Church, now in course of erection, full de-
scriphon OF which recently appeared in IHE
TRIBUNE. These great centres of philanthroplc
and religious activity emphasize in strlk-
ing way the importance which the mouerh
Church is coming to attach to what may be
called present salvation. And they are well
worth considering in trying to form an estimate
of the religious tendencies of the day. IL Is al
first little pulling to notice that they nave
come into being and are attaining vigorous
growth at a time when the churches appear 10
be given over to speculative controversies. what
is the explanation of this phenomenon AS
we read Church history, we notice that It's
epochs of controversy have not been marked
by any conspicuous activity in the lines OF prac-
teal philanthropy. Broadly speaking the his
tory of Christianity naturally divides itself into
three great periods. First came the period when
it created its theology, marked, as we Know
by strenuous and for the most part barren con-
troversy, so far mans present condition was
concerned All the efforts of the theologlans
were directed to tho construction of theo-
logical system that would help man to get to
Heaven.
Then came the period OF the middle age,
when, the theological superstructure being es-
sentiaIly complete, the Church, conscious OF Its
power sought to adjust itself to its environ
ment, and in many ways strove to ameiorate
the temporal condition of men. Mediaevallsm
has not always received the credit 1t deserves
for its earnest though often crude and unln-
telligent, efforts to promote the present saliva
ton of men. When we remember the savagery
with which il had to contend, and the unwiedy
character of much of its machinery, the candid
student of that lttle-understOod period is i'm
PEELED to praise it for having done so much
rather than blame it for not having done more
The third period was marked by the Reforma-
ton, which threw all the great questions that
the Church thought were settled forever into
the arena of passionate discussion, where they
have remained ever since. The problem of
present salvation was again thrust into the back
ground, and speculative questions about Church
polity, and Heaven and hell, almost exclusively
occupied the attention of men. But there are
not wanting signs that this period is coming to
close, not because Christian men have settled
any of these questions, for they have not, but
because their comparatively unimportant char
acter is coming to be recognized. The dis
clssion has burned itself out, and men in all
the churches are beginning to ask themselves
the only important question, "What shall we
do to save humanity, in this world as we'll as the
world to Gomez"
| 1t is indeed true as we have said, that the
present time is one of noisy controversy but
| after all, only comparatively few take part IN
that controversy. The great mutitudes of Chris
| tians in all the churches are deeply and vitality
| interested in such beneficent movements as the
| Society of Christian Endeavor the Kings
| Daughters, and the Young Mems Christian As
| ISOLATION; or, in connection with their pastors,
they are reaching out to help and save the lost
through such great organizations as st. George
Memorial House or st. Bartholomew Parish
House in this city. The ideal which these
| philanthropc agencies hold before themselves
is eminenty practical. 1t is not primarily 10
| glorify the Church. though incidentally the
Church will be gorifed through their work,
but TO help and instruct boys and girls and
men and women who In the bitter struggle
of life have been worsted and are likely to fall
| by the way. They teach no system OF the
ology, either complex Or simple, and any sort
of formal ecclesiasticsm is conspicuous by it's
absence. But they do make much of goodness,
purity, honesty, temperance sobriety and chas-
tity, and at the proper stage in their educational
work they do point to the Church as the teacher
of these virtues. In their training of the ig-
norant, in their encouragement of healthful and
innocent recreatons, in their incubation of an
honest and self-respecting manhood and woman
hood, among the poor and neglected classes of
the community, they arc doing work in which
not only all good Churchmen but all good cit
liens should earnestly and heartily cooperate.
The old age of useless controversy is passing
AVA, and new era of intelligent, unSelish
effort to promote social and moral regeneration
is dawning in all the churches.