The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-10-17

ST JOHNS PARISH
Rev MI. Forbes Tells Of
the Work Of This
Busy Church.
NEW BUILDINGS ARE NEEDED
TO House the Numerous Guilds
and Other Social
Organizations.

made a report Of the work Of the parish
in the last year and drew attention 70 It's
future needs. The church was crowded
almost the entire congregation turning oat
to hear the address. Mr.. Forbes said in
part.-
ut is the custom in his church az we
| enter upon each new year OF work anu
| service, to stop a moment and take az
eixuaa some description Of the spiritual
and social activities of the parish, anu t1
survey. as it opens before us the ned
IN which these agencies hnd tne spaess 8
to the church herself: In one respect there
has been no movement either rWa oI
backward: ST. Johns stands To-Day 5ase
| exactly where she always has stood from
the irst moment of her existence, found-
ed upon the bedrock facts of human nfS
and the constitution of the general
either faith or worship. Her doctrine is
that which finds expression IN the nj
Gene creed; Cod, the Father OF men,
breast a spark of divinity, but VINO mas
sinned against his Father, turned away
from Him and lost himself IN the mazes
Of disobedience and folly; Jesus CHRIST,
the Son of God, mans only Saviour and
Redeemer from the ruin he has brought
upon himself. st. Johns welcomes the
truth from whatever quarter II comes.
the well founded conclusions Of science
and Biblical criticism are cordially ana
appreviatively received. In her opinion
truth is never dangerous. but 81. Jonns
makes no compromise with that foolish
and unscientific hberality. which shuts us
eyes to the plain facts of life. Sne refuses
utterly to dilute or emasciate lhe tgulH
| committed to the Church of God, ana OF
which within these walls she is
the custodian and teacher. But. again, II
she has taken nothing from the truth,
| either her teachings or her forms OF wor-
ship; if, on the one hand. she has no
leanings toward high Unitarianism on
the other hand she does not iiirt with
Rome. She has no place for eccentrici--
ties Of faith or ritual; as in her order OF
service today, so 1t will remain, the SER
vice Of the Book of Common Prayer,
rendered with the beauty and dignity and
| regard for truth which should always
characterize the worship Of A!nllsniv
God. So much for the position OF this
ssI,et us turn now to the spiritual and
social activities which are the highest
expressions of principles and life. These
have steadily increased IN NUMBER anu
influence as the years have passed, nav
ing been one Of unusual growth ana eX-
pansion until today we are taxed 70 ne
fhev make upon us. The work of the
church falls naturally into four depart
| ments: First, the Army Post, IN when
she aims to Initiate her Master N gong
| out into the highways and preaching the
Cospel in the effort to save men ana
bring them into the Kingdom OF 600,
SHrOnd.N the CluTtn St1uOt. III 49, 49,
seeks to educate and train the children
| committed to her care; third, the gullaS
III which she strives to foster tne puila
up the Christian characteT q hsr a nh3at,
she endeayors to do her duty to the
brotherhood Of men by ministerlng 70 me
| needs and necessities OF the community
IN which she has her place,
The Church Army Pest n
under the charge of Staff Officer captain
| Ladd. marks a great advance in our Tor
| ward movement. A year ago 1t was a
| new and untried experiment, its metnods
| were strange. and the field in whicn II
was to do its work unknown. Many OF qs
regarded its future with considerable
anxieTv' and possibly some doubted the
| wisdom of making the experiment at al.
| but if any of us had any such fears or
doubt they have been dlsslpa51e sha og y IN, me
full work of Captain Laid has been gen.
| erously seconded by several ladies' ana
| gentlemen of the congregation whose self
| DENYING labors deserve unstinted praise,
| without their kind assistance II would
have been Impossible for the Post 70 nave
lone the work it has done, Between
September rs, 1897 and September "a OF lhe
| present year. 3S4 services were held, and
| they have been attended bys over 55.u00
! people; 37l calls have been made and $li5
| worth of food and clothing have been
| distributed among the sick and needy
| poor: and all this has been lone at a
| total expense of rent, fuel. salaries and
i~ncidentals Of $l,44l. AS a result OF al
IljS WO1k llAC L o2t 49, ~ $3.50 ~o~
families under its charge, among which
are seventeen communicates. It has pre-
! sented nine persons for continuation, be-
different churches for which they had a
preference, either from education or
ancestry. and had gathered a ehildren's
class of sixty-five members. which meets
regularly every week. In the coming year
ii is proposed to systematize the work so
that It will reach a still higher degree of
I'm the church school We touch the first
af the departments which find a home
under this roof. Like everything else
Connected with the parish, the require
ments of this department are greater
than ever before. A year e the school
numbered three divisions. today it num-
bers five junior primary, junior senior and
are received in the junior primary grade.
which. for want of a better place, is
obliged to meet in the gymnasium, and
from there they pass into the primary de-.
partment. Here they remain until they
are ten or eleven years old, or until they
can read and write with some degree OF
ease. then they enter the junior division
and begin the simplest form Of the
Biakeslee lessons; at about thirteen years
Of age they pass into the senior or main
school. Five years are required TO COM
Tjete the course of instruction in mis- de-
partment and then, at the age OF eigh-
teen. scholars enter the Bible class, where
the system of education which obtains
through all the grades receives its cTown
and finish in 9 three years course Of lee
flIres on the Bible, the prayer book. and
the church by the rector of the parish.
This year, for the first time, we have pre-
pared a special class book for the older
grades, on the cover of which appears the
motto of the school,, Tt is not necessary
that in ST. Johns School there be 800
scholars. or even 30. Blu it is. necessary
that all be Christian ladies and gentle
men,.
"Cur school Is not a r~eformatory; our
time is too precious to be wasted in try
ing to do the work which properly be-
boys and girls come to our doors prepar-
ed to be obedient, orderly and attentive
we receive them gladly. otherwise we do
not want them and we have no place for
them. If by any chance a child gains
entrance who proves to be a disturbing
ele. nent, out of sympathy with the S-irit
Of the school, and ~indisposed to regard
GERS and teachers do not engage to serve
as policemen. We aim to teach some
Thing. and that is why W. call ours a
| church school. to distinguish it from the
ordinary Sunday school where practical
II nothing is taught. We rave scholars
from all over this Hill, from beyond the
Five Corners on the north, to Greenyille
the Hackensack meadows; many. OF them
are from families which attend other
| churches. and repeatedly, when the clergy
| have asked the parents of these children.
Why do they come to st. Johnss? the
| answer has been, Because they learn
something in your school and have to %
as they are told.
The third department OF activity, that
| in which the church aims to cultivate and
| encourage the growth of solid Christian
| character. is the Guilds. Here in some
fifteen or twenty societies are gathered