The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-15
Discourse Of Rev. John
CuckSOn OF Boston
BEFORE UNITARIAN CLUB.
Church Suffers From Indifference
Mere Than Hostility.
ADDRESS BY REV. JOHN W. DAY

The regular monthly meeting Of the
Unitarian Club was held last evening, In
| Iillinghast's assembly rooms, with quite
4 large attendance of members. Prior TO
tho supper a very pleasant half hour was
passed in the parlors, and the two distin-
guished guests of tie club. Rev. John
Cucksop, pastar Of TIE Arlington Street
Church Of boston, and Rev. John w.
DAY, pastor of the First Church of Hing
ham, Mass were introduced TO the
members.
At7:l5 O'Clock the party repaired TO the
dining room, where the more than 30
gentlemen sat down to a most excellent
supper
AT the head table were seated Vice
President George Chadsey, Rev. Mr.
Cuckson, Bev. Mr. Day Rev. Herbert Ill.
Mott, MIR. J. W. Austin of England IA
student at the Harvard Divinity school;
Chsrles Sheldon, Il. Mitchell, Secrstary
william II. Eddy and Treasurer A ugustus
X. Pierce. In the absence OF President
Shaw the office of toastmastsr fell To Vice
President Chadsev, who, as ston as sup
Ter was ended, introduced as the nrst
| 81 eaker Rev. John Cuckson.
Mr.. Cuckson chose as his subject, The
struggle of the Churches, ana said in
| substance that there ARE many reople
who, while not hostile to religion are still
| Indifferent TO IL, and from January To
| Decemter try to set along without re-
| lgion in any form whatever. These people
a.e not people OF poor Judgment, but are
| intelligent and of Goou Iepute, and tDis
makes us wonder why the church has no
| Lold upon them. The numIer OF people
| who 10 not attend church is largely iu-
| creasing, anu yot, Notwithstanding their
| apparent indiffere ate, the infileace Of
| their younger lives is maze clear. Ihey
may not suffer q CREST deal by staying
swav from ,hursb, but how about their
childrena These children are receiving
no religious training whatever, and We
know what that will n can in after life.
The influences OF moderl life are steadily
against church attendance. Men are
giving up their time to business and they
look upon Sunday a day Of physical
rest; and who can blame themy The
trouble Is in the conditions which make
this steady busit ess life necessity, hnd
thev should not exist Tor there is an inn
preston In s,me qunrters that the rush
ana turmoil is uncalled for.
II is Just possible that every business
man could find time to DO on week days
what he thinks Re cannot 90 except on
sun avs IL he triei TO do So He had re-
marked that many of Il @ men at the lead
of great mercantile enterprises and Iro-
fessional pursuits could find time To at
tend church, and this led him To he lievs
that others could do likewise. 1t is this
apparent Indifference which Is causing
the struggle in tho churches. and il is by
no means confined s.to the Unitarisn
churches, but 10 extsnds to EpiscopAl
churches just "a mucn. Another strange
thing Is that many mon want their wives
and children 10 attend church but never
90 emselves. Then on fine SUNDAY
mornings the bicycles are out and ths fast
trott Is on the road and this attracts
many away from church, particularly tho
yonrg people. The young p, ople of our
day are nkiDa less and less OF their re.
sponsbilities and mors and more of their
indul9ef,e and pleasures. ann sometimes
we wonder WHO Is TO hold sloft the banner
Of liberal Christianity when the older
ones have rassed away. Mary Ieonls
seem to tnink that the chursh is n place
Of social iuter. curse. how many will
! ave "A church be,au the service il not
! sufficiently exciting an FOR similar rsa-
so $. how many churches there are
| therefore which ale trying almost every
! tning except relision. to bring younr
people within their influences. Suppsrs,
| concerts and even dances, have tesp re-
sorted to for this purpose, nut the sooner
| the churches make it understood that
| they exist for the diffusion of religious
| truth the better it will be- for them and
! for tie who.e community. Othsr people
| say they co not vert any theology. and
! this causss a struggle uTon the part OF the
| rhurCEes 10 ueflirt lne lfutn anu Keen the
i truth bsfo the y ople. Many children
! are sent TO the Sunday School but not To
The church and when hey leave the
sunday school they have formed no con-
nc,tion with the church. Ihis in another
strugals uTon the part of the church TO
| influence these Young people.
| Then there are contests between the
| churches tfemselves and people who
might we'll be occupied In taking sinners
| out of the gutter are found taking young
/. people out Of one church To another. Ihis
is n spirit which ought not TO exist
among Christian churches, for IL creates
| a Jealousy and rivalry OF sects. This is
| syst III OF proselyfizinR which should
be vigorously condemned. The Christian
! church has lost a large number of young
men and young womea by this system OF
sectarian and narrow purposes The
| pulpit has to compets with the daily
| press and 60 very largo extent they are
doing the same work. 1bis makes II
| difficult to interest men in themes from
the pulpit which they have teen studying
in the daily paper. Mon care very deeply
for whatever truths in religion which
effect their daily lives, and wnat Is there
in our experience which has such n force
I'm forming our characters ss rellgiony
| Wealth and pleasure are not satls ing
hut religion makes life "A glad and beau
.tiful thing for all time. Men of rcep
principle are tbs me who weather all q
aged In this ase OF msterislism which
contributes very little TO the form etion Of
oharac er. All We have 20 do is 10 he
faithful 10 our church life aud very
much can Re done by punctual church
attendance on SUNDAY. ILers is nothing
10 tha fsitn which prevents ~ becoming
the common prllerty Of the common peo-
pie, aud all the tsik about Unitarianism
being \ religion for n clique Is absurd ana
untrue. Unithrians % not possess any
moro intellect than other people and the
sooner this notion IL W II understood the
bitter IL will re ior the church. 1hc
churcl IS should struggle as philanthrupic
sfituiions 10 relieve tfe burcens Of life
| as they exist al frouBd u.s. We must
take fair ara of the buripn OF Chris
tian work, anu 1, Is Cnly bv doing Is
tat tire church can live and pr, sper.
| Diferenc a o.ini1n dogmstic iscus-
siobs and trisi jeslousics must bc Ia id
aside, sns not ubti. tLis H. done will the
strugele OF life be aineliJrsted.