The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-09
What Is the Matter?

What Is the Matter?
1t is not surprising that the peoples
movement" OF the Madison Avenue Presby-
terrain Church has failed. 1t would have
been surprising II it had succeeded.
This church is situated In O region which
has long been oversupplied with Protestant
houses Of worship. though it is the district
of the town where the Protestant strength
is proportionately greatest. 1t was this
absence OF demand for its accommodations
in the immediate nelghborhood, more espe-
cially among the Presbyterians, that in
duced the pastor to start the peoples
movement about two years ago, with
view OF saving the church from both spir-
itual and financial bankruptcy. His plan
was to make the church SO popular that 1t
could dispense with pew rents and rely for
its material resources on voluntary Of
ferings. The rich who were attracted to its
services not being enough to furnish the
necessary cash to keep the church going.
he sought to get the requisite fund from
the sum Of the individual contributions Of
the many poor. Unquestionably. too. his
expectation was to strengthen Presby-
terianism by making it more popular. He
compel the people to come in. He would
draw them by philanthropy to a church.
which had not attracted them by Its re-
ligious doctrine and its spiritual zeal. By
furnishing them food for their bodies and
relief in their temporal affairs. he hoped to
make them ready to accept the food he
offered for their souls and the cure he pro-
posed for their eternal danger. They
would not come to him. and hence he
started out to go to them with the seduc-
tions of charity and humanity.
What has been the result? The Madison
Avenue Presbyterian Church Is now worse
of than ever. 1t has been losing the
strength it had and new strength has not
been added. Instead Of the people coming
in from the byways and hedges, its congre-
cations are pitifully small. not filling one
fifth Of its sittings. The treasury is empty.
the offerings having been paltry. and a
floating debt Is piling up ominously. APP
parently the only course left is to sell the
property. a course which ought to have
been taken long ago. The church is wanted
by neither the rich nor the poor. It Ia
neither popular" nor in requisition as an
exclusive house OF prayer, for there are too
many such in the neighborhood.
The pastor attributes the failure OF the
peoples movement" to the circumstance
that the church is In upper Madison ave-
nue.. the wrong territory for movement of
the sort" But that is not the trouble.
Upper Madison avenue is as good place as
any other from which to dispense spiritual
good. II the food appeals to tho popular
appetite. II the popular heart is stirred
by the religious teaching. the people
will flock there to satisfy their craving.
Nowhere in New York can the true bread
OF life be scattered abroad without the null
titude rushing to partake OF it; but they
cannot be hired to come to religious teach
ings which they reject. by brides Of charity.
unless they be beggars. and the beggars
are few proportionately to the population.
They are not numerous enough to 60 around
among the many churches which are ex-
pcrmenting with tho peoples move
ment" plan Of this Presbyterian church in
Madison avenue. Philanthropy is not
sufficient substitute for religion.
The trouble with the Madison Avenue
Presbyterian Church is that its faith 10
cold. 1t does not believe what 1t teaches
1t is Briggsite church. which means that
its tendency Is toward the lifelessness of
agnosticism. Having no living faith to
propagate. it purveys philanthropy instead.
morality. humanity. altogether unsatis-
factory food for souls hungry for the
bread OF life. 1t cannot stir up revival
outside. for inside 1t is questioning and
criticising rather than believing. 1t is an
association for discussing religion. not
for propagating 1t. 1t has not in its
heart the fire Of enthusiasm which kindles
a corresponding fire In the popular heart.
1t is not source whence faith can come
II Is rather n fountain OF skepticism. 1t
teaches that faith in CHRIST is essential to
salvation. Yet in tho same breath it
AYERS that the authority upon which that
faith is based Is Enthusiastically.
First of all. the religious teacher must be
convinced in his own mind as TO The abso-
Lutte truth and absolute need Of his doctrine.
If he doubts, no is an iniidcl. He has no
place in the Church Ho Is All enemy OF the
Church He b longs rather in some secular
association for secular philanthropy, II he