Great Falls weekly tribune., 1895-01-04
A NEW CHURCH PAPER.

Tho Initial Number AMhounces New
Departure in Church Entertainments.
A copy of the first issue of the Great
Falls Churchman, dated January l,
1895, has been received 1t is four
page monthly issued by Rev. DR.. Was
son and designed to chronicle the doings
and promote the interests of the church
in this city. The paper can be had at
Crockett's news stand.
The most astonishing piece of informa-
ton contained in the initial number is
announcement that the women of the
| Episcopal church have abandoned
church entertainments 1t is not because
the church is SO rich as not to need them
nor because they don't pay, but because
the church men and church women think
they are wrong, or at least, not quite
right The arguments against this pop
ular mode of raising money are forcibly
put by the rector, and are we'll worth
reading. Perhaps it marks permanent
advance in church life in Great Falls,
and perhaps it doesn't. The reasons
assigned for this new departure on the
part of the Episcopal church in this city
seem excellent ones and as they are of
interest to the public generally they are
reprinted below:
In Ex, %, 2 God has laid down the
principle of all acceptable giving: "Of
every man that giveth it willingly with
his heart ye shall take my offering.'
/. Now the money that finds it's way
into the Lords treasury through church
entertainments does not conform with
this principle. 1t cannot be described
as given "willingiy with his heart" when
you have to bribe the giver with supper,
spectacle, concert, a dance.
=. The church entertainment with
draws the attention of churches from
their true spiritual mission and places
the emphasis on the temporal features,
which should be secondary and Incl
dental.
3. The entertainment diatemper be-
comes chronic, and even good Christians
forget how to give willingly with their
hearts, and learn to expect part pay
ment in the way OF an entertainment for
their gifts.
4. 1t is device to make people of
other churches and of no church sup.
port our work instead of doing it our
selves.
5. Consequently we lose the respect of
the community and our moral influence
is i'm paired.
How can the world respect the church
when it sees it's half-doZen local organ
lzations in this town, for instance, en-
gagged in an unseemly scramble for the
crumbs thrown TO them half in con-
tempt and half to get rid of their impor-
trinity?
TOW can it respect an institution that
sends its little ones out into the street to
stop people and pester them to "Duy d
tlckat:' That seems to spend it's ener-
gics in ,he cevieing Of und gnited, petty,
ingenious, puerlle schemes 70 make Il few
dollars: That is coutinu lily, On fences
and In newspapers. advertising its pov
erty and appealing for outdoor relief:
Are such performances meet for "tLe
church of the living God, the pillar and
the ground of the truth:" Did the
apostolic church thus support itself?
Did those early Christians spend their |
time in dancing and eating to provide
for their pastors or for the relief of the |
poor saints! What part did fancy ba |
zaars and amateur concerts and apos-
tolic theatricals and shifting play in
Christianlty's conquest over the Roman
world: Yet these things might we'll
have carried terror, in their way, even to |
Cesar's heart. Unfortunately those
early Christians knew nothing of them
They simply gave themselves and all
they had for Christ and trusted that
through prayer and labor they should |
redeem the world