The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-05-13
MINISTRY DYING, SAYS DIXON.
He Declares the Pulpit Does Not
Tolerate Men Of Brains. Pastors
Resent and Reply to His
Attack.

: N. Y. Journal, May Srd.
"Men have renowned religion, the
ministry is in its decadence women
are the only supporters of the church"
Thus the Rev. Thomas Dixon, Jr., de-
clared the warning of interest in the
present theology in the Academy OF
Music yesterday.
"The organic church," said Mr..
Dixon, "has lost its hold on the public
mind. The decay of the organic life
has become assured. Women are the
only ones who hold steadfastly to the
church organizations Of to-day. There
are not 81, 900 men in the city of New
York to-day who go into Protestant
churches.
cit is an awful fact. This is true
also of the Roman Catholics. Accord
ing to the last statistics 1t is estimated
that 3S5, 900 persons attend the Catholic
churches, but 1t must be understood
that out OF that number there are many
who 20 to church once or twice a year
and some who never 60 unless they
are about to die.
"Within the last 100 years they have
lost from their organic union 100000
persons, whereas to-day they ought to
have 100000 commandments in this
city.
':The decline of the ministry is an
other great factor in the decay of the
ecclesiastical machinery. IT there is
a runt in the family, who is of no
earthly use for anything else, the par
ents make preacher OF him. There
are 1000 preachers in this city out of
job.
"There is not only glut of preachers
in the market, but there is perfect
cyclone of preachers walking about
without jobs. run across dozen OF
them every day.
"There was a vacancy in pulpit up
the State short time ago, and the
Pulpit Committee received 400 letters
written by 400 hungry preachers. You
can make up your mind that when
preacher is out of a job, there was
something the matter with him before
he went into the business.
eff men of brains get into the min
istry and begin to think aud give ex-
preston to their thoughts, they have
got to get out mighty quickly or stand
trial on charge of heresy. DR.. Briggs,
the brainiest man the Presbyterian
church ever had, was put out when he
began to think.
"Old FORMS" continued Mr.. Dixon,
shave had power, not because they
we're forms, but because the people be-
lieved they bad power. The ministry
of the future must be of the independ-
emit sort, and the new theology will
embrace ali--creeGs united under one
grand church, the state that shall be-
lieve in the fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of man."
CALLS REV. MR.. DIXON PULPIT
MOUN1EBANK.
"Mr. Dixon's statements are absolute
ly absurd" said the Rev. ]. B. Remen-
snyder yesterday afternoon. "If all the
ministers in the organized church were
like him the outlook would indeed be
gloomy. He is a clever talker, but
made very poor pastor when identified
with the Baptist church.
"He is what might be called pulpit
mountebank, and belongs to that class
of ministers of the gospel who become
famous because of their sensationalism
and hostility to orthodox religion.
"Instead of the organized church
losing its hold on the public mind it is
gaining ground every day, and the
statistics of the past ten years show
that the spread OF Christianity during
the period has been marvellous. Ad-
vanced thought ls and always has been
decayed thought.
"In Germany, the very home of adj
vanced thinkers, orthodox Christianity
is becoming stronger than ever"
PARKHURsT WOULD TAKE SHARP ISSUE
WITH DIXON.
II would have to take sharp issue
with DR.. Dixon on many of the points
raised by him." said DR.. Charles III.
Parkhurst, "and prefer not to discuss
them at this time.
DIxoN's UNITED CHURCH Is NOT PRACT1-
CABLE.
Rev. George III. Houghton, of the
little Church Around the Corner"
said:
$50 tar as my own observation goes,
have no reason to believe that Mr..
Dixon is at all correct in his views re-
garding the decline of religion, nor do
think he is right in what he says
about the congregations of the present
day being mainly composed of women.