The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-14
WHY MEN DO NOT ATTEND
REV. j. CUNNING SMITH SPEAKS OF
CHURCH SERVICES.
Rev. Mr.. ViIIers's Sermon on the Two
Crusts of SOciety-Oth-
Sermons.

In the last of a series of talks on 1.-THE
Church" Rev. j. Cumming Smith, pastor of
the Tabernacle Church, yesterday morning
touched on the question of why more men
do not attend religious services. In the
course of his remarks on this topic the pas
tor said:
And in this connection all come upon
threadbare and yet ever new problem
How shall we enlist more men in church
work? This does not presuppose thin at
tendance of men at the services, but II does
presuppoSe that more men are absent and
undrafted than we may want to admit. AS
rule, manly and leonlne pulpit Will mean
goodly proportion of men. Men love cour-
age, devotion 10 high and far-reachlng is
sues, the breadth that goes with depth
But even where the pulpit is masculine.
stalwart, irreproachable the proportion of
men is not what it ought TO be- Other
causes besides a defect in the pulpit must
be sought. Nor are these causes far to seek.
In some cases an absolute carnal1te holds
men aloof from any sphere of lofty infiu-
encc. The brute in them is oVerdeveloped.
Then in other cases there are men OF
catholic spirit who are enrolled in ira
ternitieS, in orders that are based on the
Bible and that lend helping hand to the
weak and poor and that enter with a sooth-
ing voice into the rited home of the widow
and the fatherless; and men claim that
these orders are churches, that the very
genius of these organizations is the fellow
ship Of charity that they tighten and lessen
the burdens of the oppressed CHEEKY bles-
sings in dark and dreary abodes, and often
tiles as to insinuate charges against
churches riddled with controversies and
ra.sped With seetarian ~, riyalries ana ,e sur
not little from these sister institutions.
/, for one, believe that the divisiVe shape
of Christendom and the swarms of waspish
churches are responsible for the noble
fraternities organized outside the church.
The distinctions between denominations be-
them any more than the glacial periods in
geology? The cure is for the church to
Guido the orders in care for the sick and
sorrowing and then perhaps merge them
with her own activities.
Then again we cannot overlook another
cause for dearth of religious interest. |
refer to the high pressure of the economical
situation. The war for bread whets the
lower qualities in men, but blunts the high
err Darwin's confession is only a typical
one. Overkeen rivalries mean that the in
stincts of self-preservation are called TO the
front while torpor, II not atrophy, set
ties down on the generous and imaginative
elements. The war is on and 1t is hot. IT
holds men down to the problem of food.
While we utter eulogies on the marching
troops whose arms are valiant on the
martial scene we utterly fail TO appreciate
the men involved in the cruel and truceless
struggle of commerce. God alone knows the
stern fight of those who guard their fame
from strain. But from these very men we
hear the admission that the brisk encoun-
tiers in business make them live ana alert
on the lower plane, but tend to stunt the
princely capacities. Therefore, many men
become cemeteries on top Their best as
but they claim that the grind and hard drive
of life does drain the lofty interests Now
there is too much truth in this me duty
of the church is to cease to denounce men
who have lost an early love for the Things
of faith owing to the fact that they have
been forced to plunge into the strife for
bread It is easy to denounce. Her duty
is to sympathze with the age, to mend
things rather than scourge men. The New
Testament is very suggestive on sociology:
1t asserts an epoch of equity. system OF
cooperation on a large scale. Darwin
struggle for existence is, | believe. false
1t is rather a struggle toward excellence.
The pulpit is apostolic unless it revoces the
sermon on the mount and the essential
brotherhood of man. We know these social
grows with love. But we know also the
ideals men Knocked yesterday are the tacts
men build on to-day. The centuries make
long freight train some goods are marked
for the first depot but others for remote
destinations. Let our age claim the goods
due its depot. Then, too, in TINS regard we
notice the overcrop of small churches sad
died with mortgages and salaries. We need
a return to the cathedral system. or rather
common sense plan or cooperation; we ~,
in the thousands and with college OF pas
tors each in a sphere to match his talent:
We believe in these sacred syndicates. If
churches are small then one man does the
whole work and the whole work wrecks the
one man. This violates the law that talents
should find their spheres as herds on the
dairy farm find infallibly their own stalls.
1t also collides with our modern tendencies
toward Capitalization, word which haunts
some people. but which itself Is only
precursor to cooperation on universal
scale. Such wise mutuaism cannot and will
not drown indivdualism. The pulpit can
two things: the truth of the Christ and the
age. this critical transitional age one
magnetism is irresistible, it is manhood
moored to truth and afame with love for
this time. Small churches generate the sell
fish idea of self support rather than altru-
ism. And a church must dwarf that lives
1. So. r-alT