The Newtown bee., 1898-04-29
The Bee Buzz.
MOST EXCELLENT sUeaFsr1oNs.

R How to get people to heed the Gospe
is still the great question. What is thu
matter! Why do so few of the people
go 10 church? Is it because we have no,
o churches enough? There seems to be
room for more in all the churches we
have, almo st everywhere.
Is it because the ministers are mt
good and true men? Most of the neonla
who do go TO church appear to be inter
ested and attached to their ministers.
Does 1t cost too much to 90 to church i?
Mcst churches are free to all who will On
) and those who sacrifice most to supnort
the cause of the Gospel are generally
most devoted to the church and most
oenehtted by all its privileges. Are
tnere many who are too poor to 20 to
churchE The churches are always ready
10 help any who are poor, sick or unfor-
tunate, and to provide for their religions
instruction if they will accept of il. Ia
IL because so many live too far from the
churches, and having no teams cannot
get there? Most people do not mind
walking three or four miles to 8 crrcns
Ut dance, but of course going to church
is different thing. We canrot expect
people to walk ss far to attend divine
worship and hear sermon as thev will
20 see show! That is not according to
human nature. We do not expect peo-
pie to drive as far to church as thev will
10 Danbury Fair By no means! The
motive is not the same, the pleasure ia
not the same, the benefits are not the
same. 1t takes strong motive to get
people to go as far to church as they
Will go to whist party or horse race.
the weather and other circumstances be-
ing the same.
But what can we do about il? We
must do all We can. If people will not
not go to church, the church must 90 to
the people. We must in some way. bv
some means preach the gospel to every
creature. How 10 get st it is the oues-
tlon. Shall we build chapels here and
there IN every community and forsake
the churches? Shall we have more min
lsters, or pass those we have around. to
hold services in all the neighborhoodsP
Or shall We have less ministers and more
lay preachers?
have thought of plan which might
be worth trying. Seeing that we have
the churches l would try once more to
get people to go to them. Let all the
churches unite in furnishing means of
conveyance free of charge to all who
Will go. What we want is four big
church vans or gospel omnibuses, one
for each quarter ofthe town, to 60 each
Sunday morning and evening, and blow
trumpet, and pick up all who will 20
TO any church, as each may choose, to
be taken home after service. 1t seems
to me this would be more practical and
economical than building chapels. But
If this will not work, these gospel omni-
buses might be fitted Cp so that services
might be held in them, a sermon here. a
prayer meeting there and litany ser
vice yonder as the people may choose.
Having good roads to drive over, these
little chapeis on wheels when the high
ways are bare, and on runners when
there is snow on, might go out to all the
little hamlets and cross roads as we'll as
to the villages, each minister serving
where he is preferred, and so the people
would have no excuse, or would have to
invent some new one, for not attending
divine service.
Each of these vans might be made to
seat % or 80 worshippers, could be easl-
ly heated by means of oil lamps, and
should have small pipe organ and
quartet choir.
By this method the whole country
might be thoroughly evangelical and
perhaps after a while we could do away
with churches altogether o.
Wright.