The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-10
Church SERVICES OF day
Rev. ". 6. Watkins DenOunceS Church
Fairs and Festivals.
HE SAYS THEY ARE DEBASING
Has No Respect for Those Who Will Only
Contribute to Churches Through These
Affairs-Terms Them Disciples Of
Loayes and Fishes.

Rev. W. G.. Watkins preached SER
mon at the North Main Avenue Bap-
tist church last night upon Church
Amusements." The reverend gentle
man based his discourse on John ii.
1913, and an interesting introduction
described the journey of Christ from
Cana to Jerusalem and his visit to the
Feast of Passover. He then drew
vivid picture of the scenes of barter
and selling of beasts which desecrated
the holy temple, and how Christ cleared
out the vendors and denounced them by
saying Make not my fathers house
a house Of merchandise" and applied
the illustration to the proceedings OF
the present day and said:
I'm the mind of any one who believes
the Bible there can be no doubt as to
what Jesus did. The question is this.
Which of these affairs, If any, that
are held for amusement and money get
ting in our churches are in nature ike
the business which Christ condemned
and cast out? l believe many of them
are.
The Chance Element.
81 ask any Of you to show me the
difference between church chances and
the wheel of fortune as 1t is practised
by the fakir or in the gambling den.
Every time you pay 10 cents to guess
what is in the cake, or buy a ticket
with a number on it, with the eXpecta-
tion of getting the lucky number that
will bring you the prize, you take your
chances like the man at the wheel or
at the card table. Only one out of the
whole number can be successful, all the
others paying money on expectations
that will never be realized. The church
and civil laws condemn gambling In
the world. What then makes 1t right
for the church itself to gamble? need
not take time to enumerate the fool
ish and disgusting forms of chance
work which churches practice. If Jesus
Christ should come he would certainly
cast out from our church affairs the
element of chance.
"Of the business enterprises in the
church, l believe most would be con-
demned. know from observation that
many of them practice fraud. Seldom,
If ever. are they conducted on true
business principles. Who is there so
innocent as to go to a church festival
expecting to get as much ice cream for
10 cents as in an ice cream parlor?
Gospel measure Is brimful, pressed
down and running over; but instead OF
giving Gospel measure, the church fes-
ival goes far below the standard of the
worlds measure otherwise there would
be too little money in it. OF course,
people will say it Is for the church, and
on that principle are willing to pay 10
cents for half-a-plate. Be it so, then
at best it is but half charity and the
other half is fraud.
Disciples of Loaycs and Fishes.
Moreover, when an honest attempt Is
made to conduct the affairs on right
principles it evinces gross carnal tend
encies, for 1t means that those from
whom the church cannot exc money
except in lieu of a dinner or supper are
justly entitled to the opprobrium which
Christ hurled at those of old, who fol-
lowed him simply because he fed them
with bread and fish, who ever since have
been stigmatized as disciples of loayes
and fishes
"These affairs are also a deviation
from the original and divinely appoint
ed method of supplying the cause of
God, In the old Testament God called
upon the people to bring in their tithes.
In the new Testament every one lay by
him in store as God has prospered him.
Those represent the sources of the
church's revenue, and they indicate di-
rect and free-will offerings and not
money gotten by barter. 1t will not do
TO say that this business is done for
aiding the church or is it justified on
the principle that the end justifles the
means.
FINALLY these affairs are subvertive
of the very aim and purpose of the
Christian church. They diminish the
spirituality of every church that pro-
notes them, they lower the standard
of morality, they cripple the church In
its usefulness, and destroy its useful
ness for good in the community.
Debasing and Corrupting.
'I would not be austere, l would not
deprive young people of all pleasure
but do believe that these affairs In
churches are debasing and corrupting
and that there are other means and ex-
ercises which the church may use for
the culture, development and profit OF
its young people and the enlargement
of its own life"