The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-30
A PROGRESSIVE CHURCH
Dr.. Scudder Says 1t Solves
the Problem of Keep
ing Young Men in
the Fold.

Rev. John L. Scudder talked earnestly
and entertaiuingly last night on the sub
ject the progressive Church OF today"
The text was from 1 Corinthians tx, 22:-
Il am become all things to all men that l
might by all means save some"
MIR. Scudder referred to the Peoples
Palace as one Of the evidences of a pro-
gressiye church. and referred to the
Institutions" ne said, concentrate their
energies upon the rising generation which
includes young women as we'll as young
men.
Tonight 1 shall especially speak to the
young men who are to be the men OF to-
morrow, into whose hands we snail soon
commit, the political, industrial and re-
ligious Interests of our country. Our
deStinies lie in the sentiments and char
acter of the rising generation. They are
the key to every great reform, the prin-
cipal factor in all social progress. l claim
that the enlightenment and ennoblement
of our young men and women IS a most
important subject, and ore which cannot
be neglected by the christian or the
patriot without disloyalty to his country
aud indifference to his God.
.1u this age we take pride in catchin G
anu controlling forces of nature-of hal
Messing Them to u purpose and COM
pelliug them to do our bidding, but where
can YOU find a mightier power than the
b. ain aud heart of the young men of
An.erica? All your material force is sub
iect to this spiritual force we call Will
ooWer; all you modern marvelS are the
outcome OF thought. The engineer is
greater than the steam or the train of cars
lie propels. l ask right here, how
far has he Church of Christ captured this
vital force which lies embodied
in our young men. Only five per cent,
L answer, and that | maintain is a poor
showing for ChristianitY. Young men
are scarce in most of the churches, but
our ~PenlJentiaries and State Prisons are
full of Them. So are the saloons. brothels,
variety theatres and the gamoung hells.
Gully one young man IN twenty Is Il mem
Der If a church. Only fifteen per cent. OF
our young men attend The sanctuary with
ANY de gree OF regularity, and seventy
five per cent. never go 10 church at all.
This is a shocking state of affairs for
Christian people to contempt te, aud is
the result of our narrow eccles-
iastical methods in days gone by. We
are suffering in this respect for the sins
of omission of our foreIathers. They
made religion u very onesided affair. They
tried to operate everything on one wheel,
after the manner or d ~Wheelbarrow. The
name OF that wheel was the spiritual.
THE PROGRESSIVE CHURCH WAGON.
"Any Que acquainted with The progress
sive churches viii tell You that their
wagon has four wheels, the physical,
social, intellectual aud the spiritual. Two
of these are manifesLly smaller than the
others, but all of them are necessary to
easy and successful locomotioD Zion
ward. On this sort of Gospel wagons
,rn ~ ,uo -.o
youngfmen to glory by the thousands
aud beholding the procession, I feel an
irresis ible impulse TO shout and throw
up my hat.
THE BROAD AND NARROW WAY.
tit may be said OF the average young
man that he is in q state of unstable
equilibrium. His habits are not yet
fixed. ne is susceptible to influences, be
they good or bad. He is a creature of
great energy, but frequently he is lacking
In good sense and it takes very little
at times to start him off or a
career of folly or a life of virtue and
honor, a young man IS a quick witted
creature and travels fast III whatever
direction he chooses to run aud being a
gregorious animal. he usually carries u
crowd with him Que way or another. One
vicious young man, like a runaway horse,
can smash into others and start them Off
to perd1tion and, conlrawise, one u
mai OF conservation and tact can u
many to righteousness If he adopts the
p oper methods.
cit is a waste of time to expend your
energies on old hardened sinners, whose
heart strings are twisted aud broken like
dried up cat gut on a dusty old tiddle and
incapable of vibrating with noble sent1-
ments. The average tramp Is a forlorn
hope, but, when you WORK on a young
man, you are dealing with very different
-. AnE~ $1,000 - ES-N mir n nnY1 nf naEo
instead of a rawhide and you can usually
lead him whittier you will.
THE PEOPLES PALACE.
"The Beauty of the Peoples Palace and
other similar institutions consists in its
working along lines which are essentially
interesting to young men. young man
cannot enter O progressive church or our
day without pleasure and profit. 1t caters
TO his peculiar wants and lifts him up to
higher levels without his knowing it.
lust as tine Incoming tide raises the ves-
sells floating upon its bosom. such a
church is the embodiment OF common
sense and practical adaptation of means
10 ends. It believes in hey whole man
and attempts to deyelop a mar on every
side of his nature, and herein very largely
lies the secret of It's power. IL believes in
religion and q healthful religious inHa-
euce permeates the entire Institution bat
it refuses to regard religion as the only
factor in existence. 1t provides q gyma-
SUM aud an abundance OF fresh
water. Believing in the principle of
recreation. it supplies a variety of
Indoor amusements and out of door
sports. Beholding the social instincts OF
human nature. 1t organizes within Itself
a variety of of goodly fellowship. Seeing
men unprepared for business life, 1t gets
to work and educates them. Aud then it
does a fellow SO many kline turns which
come under no particular head, such as
iuding a boarding place. giving him let
ters of introduction securing him a situa-
ton, ETC., etc., that it becomes a powerful
magnet and draws men in by the hun