The San Francisco call., 1898-01-17
EXCUSES OF
 YOUNG MEN They Tell Dr. Coyle Why They Do Not Attend
 Church. Some Reasons Given Are in Direct Conflict With
 Others. Streetcar Men and Postal Clerks Could Not Attend if They De-
 sired.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,

Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
 sos Broadway, Jan. IS.
 Rev. R. F. Coyle opened his series of sermons tonight on the answers he has received from young men to his query sent out recently asking for reasons why so few of them attend church.
 pr. Coyle said that a goodly number of replies have been received, all of them courteous and some of them very thoughtful and suggestive. All were not complimentary, but all were hon. est. He said in part:
 In sending out this letter did not for a moment assume, as seems to have been understood by most of those reply Ing, that there are fewer young men in the churches to-day than in former years. A generation or two ago it was rare thing to see young people of either sex enlisted in Christian work or in any way prominent in church life and actiV- ny, ana especially young men. But it is not so now. The truth is that the num- Der or young men who go to church has been steadily increasing, and is larger on this Sabbath day than ever before. In calling attention to this subject I am not to be considered as implying that church neglect among young men is growing, Tor that does not agree with
 One reason assigned for their absence rom church, and 1t is common to all the answers l have received, is 'indiffer- ence, lack of religious feeling" One young man says, We do moi feel inc compulsion to attend" This indifference Is Variously explained. Two or three of church in early life. We had to go whether We liked 1t or not. It made us sore ana sour, and now We do not care
 In direct opposition to this. others say: We were not required to go to church Wneh We were younger; We were per mlIted to grow up without the church, ana so never formed the habit of attend
 Thus, on one side they got too much church; on the other they did not get enough, hence their indifference The need of recreation is another req son given for absence from church. and IL IS dweit upon in every letter. One writer tells me that he often hears the following offered as an excuse for non attendance; Il work hard all the week and need the fresh air and recrea tion which green fields church alone can give l My boss IS churchman, and if he is 1 interested in my welfare why doesn't he and the rest close their stores Saturday aIIernoon ana give us chance to go to church. The writer concludes this speci- | nCauOn by saying: There is much in it. ! but still l believe it covers a multitude ] is about right. ! Several of my correspondents declare that hundreds of young men are kept from church. by Sunday labor. and that We know is true. The street-car men say: Tt is impossible for us to attend church. We have to wait on Christian l people and see that they get to their ! places of worship" .1 One young man writes "The postofi-|- men say that three-quarters of the mail delivered from the windows on Sunday is ] received by people just from church. and that if the good people would stay away l Uncle Sam might be induced. from lack 1 of patronage, to close up all day and give his boys an opportunity to attend 1 church"
 It is difficult to say anything in reply to such statements as these. The sar- 1 casm that bricks up through them is de- l served.
 On one side the preaching Is found fault with because 1t is too doctrinal, and l on the other because it's theology is back boneiess and emasculated. Now, I am perfectly willing to admit that there is something in both charges. l have no doubt that we preachers sometimes deal with things a little too remote from life and sometimes we try to get so close that we are shallow and superficial. Neverthe- less good deal can be said for the |