The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-15

OF those VINO can aHOrO CO ureoo ia
purple and fine linen. These are the
questions that for some time past,
have caused the Rev. Andrew Chal-
mers, pastor of the Durham Avenue
Christian Church, Cleveland, o., many
.sleepless nights. The more he pom
dered over it, the more troubled he
was over the thought that religion.
born and nurtured among the meek
and lowly, should have become SO far
aheyc the reach Of the rank and file OF
Humanity as to make it impossible for
a poorly dressed man.fc-sisssf one OF
our modern 4fches without calling
.snount Of attention to himself
that, to put it mildly, is very embar-
RAISING.
Dr.. Chalmers decided to put the
matter to practical test and settle to
his own satisfaction the length,
breadth and height Of poor mans
welcome from the ushers and congre-
CATION Of a fashionable religious estab-
lishment. Do&ng his clerical garb.
Or. Chalmers assumed the clothing OF
an ordinary son Of toll, and thus dis
guised he visited one Of Cleveland 8
leading Churches. Els experiences
he reserved for a modest little sermon
delivered to his Durham avenue aock.
But il vas not 20 be in the nature Of
things that DR.. Chalmers action
should pass unnoticed. After he had
preached the sermon he found himself
overwhelmed with correspondence,
some writer's criticising his action,
sthers oongratulating him. he re-
Piled toieach Of them briefly and mod
sstiy. Many Of his friends urged him
so still further agitate the question Of
high-toned versus humble religion,
but he declined to do 80. He has at
last consented, however, to tell in de-
tail the story Of his very interesting
experiences while on his tour in the
guise CT poor man, and his signed
statement follows:
.sIf this article will be continued as
arraying the poor against the Churches
more than they already are, it will not
represent me and will be worse than
wasted. I did not make this visit to
further divorce the workingman from
the Church. / made it to see if the
conditions noted in the second chap
ter Of James were really true, and if
so, to put the Churches, my own
Church especially, to process of self
examination, which would be helpful
to the Church and would prevent our
being 'respecters Of persons in our
assemblies.
sI was sick, come in body and much
in soul. because felt that the Church
cs did not have compassion on the
multitude, because they tainted and
we're scattered abroad as sheep having
NO shepherd Mat. *, S6. I felt
this in my own work. l was 50 sick
that my physician told me l could not
preach on Sunday. On Sunday after
noon I felt better and told my wife
that was going to see how far the
Churches believed on Jesus Christ
and whether or not they believed on
Him in respect to the ones with the
gold ring and the gay apparel. l
would have preferred to attend my
OWE Church and see how my own con.
gregation welcomed the stranger and
the poor man in poor clothes, but
knew Icoald not do that without be-
ing recognized.
'ssI dressed myself in clothes better
team the average man who works on
the streets at 81 or $1.25 per day can
a6ord. The clothes were not ragged.
They were not dirty. They were not
the clothes that man would work in
on the street. They were such as he
might possibly have for Sunday wear.
I went to one of the representative
Churches in the city of Cleveland.
do not think this Church I visited is
more to be blamed for what followed
than the rest of US. I am dealing
with condition. The Church | visl-
ted pays the pastor s5, 900 to $4,000 q
year. think, there was on the bulle-
tin board on the outside of the Church,
in connection with the announcements
Of the regular weekly services, the
usual sign: 'All Welcome | soon
found that this sign was much like
the circus ads, not quite fulfilled.
found it was one thing to place on the
bulletin board on the outside of The
Church the advertisement of welcome
and quite another thing to have tha
II u I@o Vrnr