The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-03-31
OUR CHRISTIAN AGE.
CHURCHES GAMING FASTER IN SPIRIT
uAL POWER THAN EVER BEFORE.

| DETROIT, March 27.-r~v, Thomas /
/ Dixon, Jr., preached in th. city tonight /
+ tn Plymouth church 10 one of the largest !
/ audiences ever assembled here. He lec- /
/ tured ON Saturday night in the Star
course 10 an audience of 1900 people |
and then consented TO remain in the !
| city over Sunday and preach. Plymouth
church, where the service was held, il
| the great peoples tabernacle Of Detroit,
being the largest church in the state.
| The pastor, Rev. l.. Morgan Wood,
breaches to the largest regular congre-
CATION in the city and one of the largest
in the entire west. The audience packed
the great tabernacle this evening TO
overfiowing and several hundred were
unable to gain an entrance. Promptly
at 7.30 Mr. Wood ordered the doors
closed and then the great throng, led
simply by cornetist and precentor,
joined in singing our rousing national
! hymn America" After the opening
exercises Rev. Mr.. Dixon delivered q
most powerful and eloquent sermon on
christianity Triumphant" He said,
speaking from the text, But We cannot
discern the sign of the times (Matt.
xvi, 81:
A few years ago Colonel Ingersoll is
: reported to have uttered the prophecy
that within ten years from the time he
spoke there would be two theaters erect
ed where one church would be built. 1t
is remarkable that man of the intelh-
gence of the distinguished infidel could
, work himself up TO such pitch of pref
,, udice and blind incapacity that he could
utter SO remarkably stupid a prediction.
1t only shows the height and depth of
the pit of blind folly into which preju-
: dice can lead a SO called freethinker.
ANY man who labors beneath q noun
tain Of prejudice such as incapacitates
his Judgment can in no sense claim to
be freethinker. He is a slave of slaves.
THE OLD NEGRO.
Q We cannot imagine how the colonel
a could have the check to face the world
. today after such a prophecy, except that
he had sublime confidence in the igno-
: rance of the great public to whom he ut
V tered his prophecy. l suppose he relied
Il upon the same power which an old col
: ored man of whom l heard in the
south did, when indicted IN a court Of
justice. The judge asked him if he had
f any lawyer.
i He replied, ''No, sah."
: The Judge asked him if he desired one
l. to be appointed to defend him.
j. He replied, mo, sah."
The Judge asked him what he pro-
posed to do then.
The old man replied, 81 jes' tot I'd
q ieabe my case to de ign'ance OBJ de co't!'
Colonel Ingersoll must have had O
- boundless faith in the fathomless depths
- of the ignorance Of the public he ad-
" dressed, or else his own ignorance was
= unfathomable. We are all liable to
% draw conclusions wide of the fact, if we
u base our estimate of the world upon our
, own limited circle of acquaintances
l. Sometimes when we know one or two
II people who differ with us in religion, OF
- indeed any subject of vital Importance
~ we are too apt to feel If we are out
10 numbered in our acquaintance, that we
le are outnumbered in the world. Many
IL of US feel, when we are surrounded IL
r. our daily work by scoffers and un
believers, that all the world has deserted
ir the truth and that there is no hope fol
1T the future. So the colonel knows few
le agnostics and infdels, and basing hi
C. prophecy on his own limited observa
le ton he predicted the downfall o
a. Christianity. Let us lift our vision I
a. little beyond this narrow view.
V. In the ,letc century that as ddir,itn9
i'm srhat is the status of Christidnity9
Mt We see in clear outline q near aDorl'
" .uhose heart IS nearer the heart Of JeSu
T. Christ than that Of any age before see
h in human history
+, CHURCH GROWTH.
%, First-We are led to this conclusio
Ia because of the remarkable progress i
organic church life within the period c
years covered by this remarkably stupi
prophecy of Colonel Ingerscs.
Within this precise period the deve
opment of church life in America ha
n been the most remarkable in many rt
spects in our history. Within this pa'
twenty-five years the number of COMMIT
nicants in Christian churches in Anne
ny ica has increased nearly 100 per cen
az faster than the increase Of population
Oh The increase Of our population With
" that period has been one of the miracle
,as in the development of nations. FL
w. progress in organic church life in IL
:, development of the numbers OF church'
"a has been equally remarkable. Think I
~ prophecy that within ten years the
~ would be two theaters constructed +
"a. A every church! The period of this prop
io' ecy has expired. There are about tive
: ty-fve theaters in New York city with
population of /, 100000. There are ov
500 churches. There were more church
1sl built in New York city last year tn;
IL -. IN I,a whole pjtv III
ers there are theaters IN the "iloAe oi'y. =
,er Methodist denomination alone built la
,ad year in America over 1900 churches.
iv- do not believe that there are 1900 the
ler ters in America.
vs. THE NEW CHURCH POWERS.
est Within this precise period of agnost
,Jo prophecy the church has developed wit
w in itself powers hitherto unknown In
~, history of the world. Within this peri
the magnificent organization known
u the Kings Daughters has been born.
un numbers now hundreds of Thousands
We oonsecrated women, who, with their ha
~ of charity apd love, touch human socle
- at almost every possible point OF conta'
% Within this period has been born t
Young Peoples Society Of Christian L
~. 6eayor, numbering over million acti
}. members. Such an enlistment OF
Ssrces of young manhood and woms
rho hood in active organic church life Is
lwo development of power of which
I'D church never dreamed twenty-five ye;
''o ago.
Within this period has been born
Young Mems Christian association, t
? now covers the civilized world with
NJ thousands of buildings and thousands
re- organizations and thousands of do
all swinging vide open IN an 1-e sells sel.eis
csc, metropolitan lie. 1hoe .nooo 80 =
and and repass mlllohs o, soune lnen'
cur mention ohiy ehese 'utee 60.
,o;st been developed along lines of endea
that are new to church work and
unknow forces in that past which