The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-25
|BE MANLESs CHURCHES.
My One Man OF Eleven Belongs to
tho Churches Of tho
Country.
Ihe Fact One Of thu Serious Prob
LENS OF the Religious
World.
Church Paper Suggests That II be
Left to the Religious Women TO
Solve.


Solve.
Manless churches is tho subject of an Cd
Eofial in the Epworth Herald. the organ Of
be Methodist Episcopal Epworth lenaue.
p this editorial our contemporary asks:
Why 10 il that ont Of eleven millions Of
asn In this country between the ages Of IL
nd 45 only one million belong TO the
hurchY" The question 10 practically an as-
srtion. 80 that the Herald becomes author
y for the statsmsnt that out Of eleven
l~Aillions Of men in our country between the
|gss Of IS an 45 only one million belong to
he chut oh. Our contemporary prooesds TO
|onsider the reason Of this serious state of
fairs. II 10 not prepared to assign the
auas Of this great lack Of men entirely to
he fact that they are less susceptible to re-
bRious impressions than women. It comes
o the conclusion that "a better reason is
ound in the temptations incident to the
bublio life which man leads. He 10 con-
family exposed to worldly influences. and
his attention il largely devoted TO worldly
Pnds. He also has opportunity to see more
the Inconsistencies and failures of pro-
essinR Christians than do women. Too
many church members are a. unreliable in
business % are the worlds people. Gross
aeceptions are practiced. Frauds are POI
betratsd. When discovered they shake
confidence. not only in individual Chris
ians. but also In the GLASS Of which they
ire conspicuous members. Moreover, the
btandaids of manhood are often very low
lmong mon. They admire shrswdnsss and
MUSCLE, and often fail to appreciate frank
1ess and grace. Then the multiplication
II social organizations has tended to win
non from the church."
Pursuing the subject still further. II says:
Thousands Of nominally Christian men
IRE moro devoted to the lodge room than to
the church prayer room. Then, again,
men are. often excused from religious re-
bponsibilities and work because they are
being actively employed churohwise they
ose what spirituality they have"
Ihe Christian Advocate has been stirred
by the Herald article and very properly in
luiras by what means it 10 ascertained that
bnly one million, more or less, Of eleven.
millions OF msn between eighteen and
torty-fvs belong to the church? It 10 not
Y0AV 81 OuAAA Wy oMy
on q statistical statement that has not had
khe most Trustworthy verihontion. II only
such Z proportion Of mon 10 within the pale
Of church membership the fact presents
Dne Of the most stupendous problems with
which the church has to contend. The
Advocate gives the statement some amount
pf color when IL tells us that The number
pf men suited for official positions ia vastly
smaller than IL was thirty years ago in
The Methodist Episcopal church. The
Herald does not yield to despair over tho
grave condition Of affairs. but takes q
hopeful view Of the case from the fact that
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the
world. The religious women are to rave
The boys, and these arc to be trained in in
|telligsnt devotion to the church, and 30
grow up in full sympathy with its activities.
This, it IL to DO feared, ia . slender ground
of hope, In view Of the further statement
that the number of men in the church has
steadily decreased relatively to tho number
|of women during the past forty years. Says
the Advocate: Forty years & statistics
were taken in New England which showed
that three-sevenths of the msmbe: ship Of
the Protestant churches we've men. since
that time those who were boys or have been
born since constitute the mon of the present
time. What then have the religious women
been doing that the number OF religious
men should be diminishing?"
That is another very pertinent question.
and we are not sure that the manless church
problem ought to be left entirely with the
religious women to solve. OF course, il
should be remembered that the statistios
men Who, while not members Of any
church, may be regular attendants upon
in attendance upon religious worship
through the influence Of the wives and
mothers, but the church can be content
with nothing short of their open profession
OF Christ. and cannot number them among
tho ranks, while they make no such avowsl
of faith in him.
1t 10 time for the church to turn its alton
tion to the men. The Lord by no means
depends upon men to win his victories or
sing his praises. He can raise up children
unto Abraham out of the stones Of the way
side. but the experience Of history shows
Ms hat God calls for q consecration of the
males ere he does his mighty works for his
people. One thing 10 evident, and that is,
as the Advocate puts it, the absurdity of
the oft-repeatsd assertion that if the church
would unite az n man at the ballot il
could reform the country. Tho voting will
long continue to be done by individual vot-
ers, and not On masss, even though the
mass be Christians. We should have little
trouble, either politically or morally, il tho
men OF the country were oonsecrate1 to
unnecessary, because then all would
vote as men. But in no place Is
the church likely to become = great
moral power unless it has won to itself q
Roodly proportion of the men. May We
hope that the Christian Endeavor move
ment will result in snlarRinR this proper
tion? II il certainly interesting many
young men. II it makes any marked and
perm ansnt improvement In the nanless or
half Unnamed churches, it will be because il
aids in establishing Christian homes whore
. Christian man and a Christian woman
will together bring up their children In the
fear and admonition Of the Lord, and in
loyal devotion to the public miniatrations
and holy activities of the church. NeRu-
while We believe that two causes havs
toward the condition 80 much to be
deplorsd. One Is that attendance at Sun
day school on the part OF the children has
been made a substitute for attend
at the regular church services, and the
other ID the disappear snce in many pro-
Christian homes Of family worship
aud family religious instruction.
Guaranteed Cure.
We authorize our advertised druggist to
sell DR.. Kings New Discovery for CON
sumption, coughs and colds. upon this con-
dition. II you are afflicted with . cough,
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