The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-15
CHRISTIANITY's COLD SHOULDER.
Pastor Chalmers Visited the, Churches Dis
guised as a Poor Man.
Atlant.s cossstitstion.

ion the property alike OF rich and
moor, or is it the exclusive possession
Of those who can afford to dress in
,urpIe and fine linen. These are the
questions that FOR some time past,
have caused .th , Rev. Andrew Chal-
,oers. 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,
horn and nuTtuTsd among the meek
and !c=!y, shenld have become SC sar
above the reach Of the rank and file OF
humanity as te make it impossible Rpr
\ poorly dressed man TO enter one Of
our modern Churches without calling
=. mount OF attention 70 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 fashionable religious estab-
lishment. Dcfing his clerical garb.
DR.. Chalmers assumed she clothing Of
an ordinary son Of toll, and thus dis
ruised he visited one Of Cleveland's 8
leading Churches. His experiences
he reserved for modest little sesmon
delivered to his Durham avenue aock.
But il vas not TO 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,
e.hcrs ecaS-sttaiisttiag MIN. NE re-
Piled TO each Of them briefly and mod
eslly. Many Of his friends srged him
to still further agisate the question OF
A;sh toned versus humble religion,
but he declined to do so. He has at
last consented. however, to teal &c de-
tai! the e.cry ~ HE very interesting
experiences while on his tour in the
guise Of poor man, and his signed
statement follows:
IF 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. L did not make this vis;: &c
further divorce the workingman from
the Church. I made it to see if the
conditions noted in the second chap.
ter Of James were really trpe, and if
SO. to put the Churches, my own
Church especially, to process of self
examination, which would be helpful
to the Chu-ch sad would pFe=eut our
being 'respecters Of persons in our
assemblies.
81 was sick. some in bedy and =sssa. :.ssssh. ::..s,sssS..
ia soul, because ! felt that the Church
5s did not have 'compassioa eon tho
multitude, because they fsintsa and za;s.
we're scattered abroad as sheep having
no sheph srd.' Matt. tx, 36. I; felt
this in mr. own work. I was 80 siok.
that my 2hyeician told me I oopld not
preach on Sunday. On Sunday after
pson felt better and told my wife
that was going to see how far the
Churches believed on Jesus Christ
aud whether or not they believed on
Him in respect to the ones with the,
gold ring and the gay apparel /
would have preferred to attend my
ovn Church aud see how my own con.
sregation welcomed the stranger and
the poor man in poor clothes, but I
toev I could not do that without be-
Ing recognized.
II dressed myself in clothes better
tsan tha average man who works on
tae streets ase Oh or 91. .25 per day can
.Gord. The clothes we're not ragged.
Yhey we're not dirty. They were nos
tie clothes that man would wosE "a
"a she street. They we're such ap ne ]
night possibly have for Sunday wear. 4
went TO one Of the representative
Churchea in the city Of Cleveland. I
% not think this Church I yisited is ]
more to be blamed for what followed
than the rest Of us. / am dea!ing
With condition, The Church j visi-
ted pays the pastor IS, GOO to ss, 900 q
year. think there was on the bulle-
tin board on the outside Of the Church, !,
In connection with the announcements
a the regular weekly services, the
usual sign All Welcome. + soon
|: found that this sigE WAS much like
the circu5 ads; not quite ful6Iied il
/ found twas one thing Is place on the
bulletin board On the outside Of the !
uhurch the advertisement OF uelcomei
land 0uita ~. III = I, -, ka,i<, xh..e