Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-01-13
Open for Many Purposes Seven
Days in the Week.
BETTER THAN CLUB LIFE.
Every Year Sees Great Steps in
Advance Taken.
BLAZING THE WAY FOR OTHERS.
Pilgrim Church. In Cleveland. Has
schools. Games, Entertainments
and other Attractions.

The evolution OF the modern church is
one OF the most interesting movements Of
the present lime The development from the
primitive meeting house, hard benches and
foot stoves Of the purltans. when 1t was
considered almost sacrilege to have a
flro in the building. and anything In the
way OF comfort was regarded as direct
hlndrance to spiritual growth. to The present
palatlal structures and all the modern
conyenlences Of electrical lighting aud steam
or furnace heating, is. indeed. long STEP
but from present indications It Is almost as
nothing to what is about to come.
For long while there has been n
strong feeling in many quarters that the
church was not doing what It might do and
what It ought TO do TO keep pace with the
times and with modern methods. The great;
piles " brick or stone are open, to De sure.
on Sundays, aud a congregation varying In
size according to the attractlveness OF the
minister. gathers twice week TO ilsson to
short sermons Pretty much all the rest
Of the week The great building stands
gloomy, barred and bolted. The members
OF the congregation, busy with the business
OF the worlS-a-day world. feel that hey are
doing all that can bs expected OF them II
they attend upon the services once or twice
on Sunday. But meanwhile the great mass
OF the people Of tho large cities are not
church-goers, and are little Interested In
what is going on In the churches.
How eau this be rcmodied? How can the
church be brought more into accord with
The spirit Of the umes7 These are the
questions that have been interesting those
that are able to closely think and that have
the good OF religion most at heart. 1t Is
always a long step in advance to be able
fully to recognize a need, Some one Will
soon thereafter try to supply It,
good deal has been said from time TO
time OF the work OF Dr.. Persons great
church Ia Philadelphia, which Is open the
year round every day and which is con-
Quoted in wonderful way on strictly busi-
ness principles, having a b0okkeeper and
business office, giving instruction to young
men and women In nearly everything that
is necessary TO NJ them for practical life
and for usefulness In tho world But 1t
has remained Tor congregation in Cleye-
land to take much more radical aud ad-
yanced step than has ever been done In
tho world anywhere before. The work OF
the Pilgrim Congregational Church OF that
city will mark an epoch in church work.
In November. 1891. the pastor Of Pilgrim
Church preached sermon 10 young men.
In which he brought home to the condolences
OF many of the prominent members OF the
congregation the great necessity for work
In a rev Tine 10 meet the needs OF young
people. and to have them feel that tho
church Is a home. Immediately efforts be-
gan to be made % secure a new site. with
the end IN view OF constructing a building
that should be peculiarly adapted 10 mod.
ern institutional work Of Tho most advanced
kind.
The new building. which has Just beet
finished and dedicated, covers 10 $40 square
feet. II contains sixteen rooms on the ground
noar twelve rooms on the second hoHr, and
li,een rooms on the gallery G9or-idriy-
three separate apartments in ALL beaidos
ample halls, vestibules, etc, furnishing a
remarkable working capacity, The audito-
rum will seat $50 on the main noor. The
chorus addition will take 100. the gallery
30O the supplemental gallery 100. the CONF