The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-12-01
FROM THE PEOPLE.
Thanksgiving Musings.


EDITOR NoRTHERNER:-
The fact that, by actual count, les:
than 90 persons embed at the union
Thanksgiving service IN the Disciple
church on Thursday last, led me u
wonder whether, in this Christian
nation, we are losing sight ot our in.
debtedness To God aud are drifting
away from a spirit of thankfulness u
our Creator. Five congregations were
supposed To unite in this service, aud
the citizens generally were invited tn
participate. Those who are not church
people were noticeable only by their
absence, and the congregations above
referred 10 averaged less than dozen
each, who attended the Thanksgiving
service. OF course, the weather was
inclement, but that alone is not sutfi
cient To account for the lack of interest
in the day. Nearly every business
place in town was open all day long, as
on any other day, giving TO merchants
and employees no opportunity for wOr-
ship or for enjoyment of the holiday
In times past, Paw Paw has been noted
AS religious community. Is it posi-
BILE IA change is coming over us in this
respect!
another one. Years ago, when this
country was new and this village drew
people To religious services for radius
of miles around, the number of churches
in town was none too great To accom-
modate those who attended. Now it is
different. While the population of the
village has not grown, the territory
tributary to this place has become more
lagos have grown up and rs country
churches have been established. Yet
the number of churches has not de-
creased. We still have them all, and
each and every one of them is poor,
weak and struggling, barely able to
maintain an organization and To keep
up their services. AS result, we have
a lot OF ministers, good and cOnsecrated
men ii is true, but living on starvation
salaries and, because OF their limited
incomes, prevented from doing the best
work OF which they should be capable,
in the church and in the community.
BY this evident lack of harmony among
people who all draw their religious
ideas from the same source, many out
side of the churches are led To believe
that good time for them to join the
Christian army is when that army
knows exactly where it is at" Now,
l am not theOlogian, but as "A COM
mon, worldly mortal | am unable to
find any greater difference between the
Disciples and Free Will Baptists than
can find between two bullets cast in
the same mold. Now, both these de.
nominations are among the "strug-
glers." Why shouldn't they unite in
one common church, and thus make a
congregation that could maintain it.
self, decently support "a pastor and ac-
complish much good? Such an exhibit
ton of the fraternity which the denom-
nations preach rather than practice,
would give their cause an added impe.
tus that would be bound to call IN out
side support. Then, the regular Bap.
fists: Why couldn't they likewise unite
their destinies with the reform move
ment, locally? | am constrained To be-
heve that not one in ten of the mem.
bers of these denominations can tell
the existing differences between their
own and the others In fact, the diff
fcrenccs are absolutely imaginary, so
far as essential elements of their
religion are concerned.
Then, the Presbyterians and Method
lists They would scarcely be likely. at
the present time, to reach an amicable
agreement on the baptismal question
with the immersIonists, but there does
not seem to an outsider To be any use
whatever for them both. Why cannot
these five churches of Paw Paw be
merged into two, thus making the
church accommodations about equal to
the demands upon them? Any move
ment in this direction would be recog.
nized by the community as an advance,
and would largely increase the respect
of outsiders for the church
This is not q chimerical dream of "a
man with m ssion," but the condition
of religious life in Paw Paw, AS it APP
pears to one outside of all the churches,
stated in plain English If the religion
of the Christian stands for anything at
all, there is no occasion for the vast
amount of sectarianism and bigotry
existing IN this place, aud the religion
itself must he greater than any theo-
logical dogmas or theories.
Starved churches cannot feed starv-
ing sinners very substantially.
ONE OF THE SINNERS.
For Catarrh nothing equal Colmans