The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-21

all pastors, Sunday school superlnten- |
dents and Epworth league presidents |
will cooperate, great relief will be Of |
forded to our overburdened treasury. |
Send in your orders for envelopes at |
once.
THE PRAISE SERVICE AT THE |
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
The second praise service at the !
First Baptist church by the new quartet |
was given last night. A large audience |
was present The program, which con- |
sisted almost wholly Of musical selec- |
lions. went off with great spirit and
great credit is due the singers, Miss
Lomis, Miss Klock Mr.. Jacobus and
Mr.. Edgar. Mr. NJ. Edward Mccarthy,
of the Church of the Divine Paternity
in New York, sang Gounod's 30 Day of
Wrath" with splendid dramatic fire.
Mr.. Mccarthy has a magnificent voice
and a brilliant future undoubtedly
awaits him. Several prominent men,
bers Of the church have expressed a de-
sire to have him sing at the church
again during the winter. Mr.. Edgar,
the bass in the quartet, sang his solo
extremely well, both in point of express
sion and execution. The whole was un-
der the direction of Mr., Newton, the or
ganist Of the church.
The quartet will sing at a concert to
| be given at the church on the 30th inst,
| under the auspices Of the Kings Daugh-
| tiers.
VALUE OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
Rev. Mr. Dickerman at the Church
of the Messiah yesterday morning deliv-
cred a very thoughtful and interesting
| sermon on the value of church men,
| bership. 1t was as follows:
But seek We first the kingdom of God, and
His righteousness; and all these things shall
| be added unto you."-Matthew vi:33.
What is to be gained by joining or
supporting church? In what shape
will the time. talent and money we put
| into a religious institution return to us?
| This question always saddens me; for
| it betrays the misconception. of the
mission of the church. The church is
not a savings bank, a board of trade
or a joint stock company for gain. 1t
| declares no dividends, offers no pre-
mlums. 1t is not so much a place of de-
post as it is of distribution. The church
will be help to men only as it shall
| enable their natures to flow out in gen
erosity and graciousness. The church
IS the instrument by which we share up
with our fellows the fruit of life. 1t is
not a field in which to seek gain, but
| sacrificial ground, made holy by self
denial, and rich in resources of good for
the world by the contributions of love,
time, talent and money we bring to it.
We sustain the institutions of religion
in the same spirit that we give our
means to lay out public parks and erect
statues; for the common good. No man
expects a commercial equivalent for
the cash he puts into these things.
While the purpose of the church is
not selfish, yet it does make a return to
everyone who appreciates It's spirit.
Goodness is profitable unto all things,
having promise of the life that now is
and of that which is to come.
But some may ask, what good has re-
ligion done that we should favor it?
What plea or justification does it make
for itself? In answering this question
we shall consume no time in discussing
the perversions of religion. What re-
ligion has done for the hope and COM
fort of man in his private experience is
evident. But let us study the more con-
spicuous and enduring monuments 1t
has left us in the, works of art and mu-
sic in the world. There must have been
an inspiration for art and music; from
whence did it come? No person who
does not recognize the possible exist
ence of an ideal beauty and grandeur,
a standard Of purity and holiness far
above the capability of human nature,
can ever arrive at any high or noble
development
The worlds masters in sculpture,
painting, music and architecture de-
rived their inspiration from religion, or
rather from the grand central idea
around which all religion is crystallized
God. This is not confined to the
Christian religion. In sublimity Of
thought the Hebrew poets have not
been surpassed.
Greek poetry is filled with the gods
and their dealings with men; while their
noblest sculpture presented statues of
their divinities The ideal figures which
they wrought out of marble were not
copied from any single human form,
Jul LiiS SACelleutIeS anu DedutleS OF
many were combined to make one per-
feet representation of a celestial being.
The architects, too, lavished all their
art in evolving forms of construction
that would possess a dignity and
grandeur worthy of the temples Of the
immortal gods.
The architecture, poetry and decora-
tive arts of China, India, Egypt were
, devoted mainly to religion-temples and
tombs.
The Mohammedan religion, with its
! heroic and imaginative poetry, and
architecture most graceful and elegant.
But the entire career of art has been
crowned by the splendor of what
Christian inspiration has brought forth.
In poetry it has followed David and
emulated Homer, while it has wrought
out beauties of which they never dream
ed. In sculpture, Christian art has
done no more than to initiate the
Greeks; but in painting antiquity has
been left far behind, which Christianity
, has produced the Gothic architecture.