The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-27
CRITICISM OF CHURCH METHODS.

The Methodist Church has been Catching
it, lately in two or three unexpected ways.
Two of it's critics belong in Chicago, but
the fact that their attacks were made at
about the same time and on the same gen.
eral lines was apparently accidental. Prof.
Seymour Eaton, of Chicago. the other day
told the Laymens Association of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church of Philadelphia
some things that startled and even shocked
that body. He said, among other things:
There is a. spirit of culture and honesty
and moral backbone abroad for which the
church is not responsible. AS a matter Of
fact, the church doesn't exist to-day for the
the church may be coddled and be kept
alive That is, perhaps, wise provision of
Providence to perpetuate, through a critical
period, an institution which has in it all
the latent elements of strength, and which
may yet be a. tremendous power for whole
sale reformation and inspiration. The chief
business of the church to-day is to preach
and hold prayer meetings. True, there are
auxiliary organizations. which give SupperS
and hold entertainments, but all for. the one
purpoSe-that the bills for preaching and
prayer meetings may be met.
We are told he went on, that were it
not for the church in the community we
should have crime and wickedness ram
pant" He added:
don't believe it. The church has a pow
erful influence for good, no doubt: but the
morals of the people are held in check by
an eVer-increasing Christian sentiment,
which pervades all classes of society, and
which is a thing apart from the church:
The exacting morals Of business, of law, Of
society," the conduct and teaching OF
schools, Of newspapers, of books, the ire
mendous influence and moral force and
strength of Christian men and women and
of Christian homes are the overtowering
powers for good in the community. Eyes,
you say, but the church is father of all
this" Perhaps so. The church has the
fatherly air of having done something great
job.
He asserted that the Christian world is
dragging the church with it, burdened as it
is with letters, doctrines, ceremonies, ira
ditions. 'and the thousand and one theories
regarding what was from the beginning, is
now and ever will be-" He also paid his re-
spects to the revival system, and after de-
scribing the feverish manner in which re-
vivsl is conducted, added:
Now. what is the effect upon the church
of these religious gymnastics? The average
healthy boy would rather go to Cuba and
Sight than brace up to it and stand up in
prayer meeting. When a boy reaches twelve
to fifteen years and his Sunday school
teacher talks about his souls salvation he
school, it is a very easy matter to cut
church, and when he cuts church he is at
variance with his parents and by and by he
cuts home and soon he becomes an easy
prey to sin and wickedness. Nine times out
of ten the strong minded, open-hearted
manly boy is turned out of the church and
the namby-pamby. goody- goody remains.
Professor Eaton is Methodist, but the
other critic, Miss Jane Adams. Of Hull
House, spoke as an outside observer of the
workings of the church and its influence
on the masses. No one has had better op-
portunity to see these things than Miss
Adams, and her speech, which was made
by invitation to the Chicago Methodist min
listers, is not to be regarded as mere unsyns-
pathetic and unfounded criticism. What she
says applies to the Protestant church in
general, but has special application to the
Methodist organization because of the
neighborhood of one of its churches to her
field of work. Her main criticism was that
the people were not met on the proper
plane. Conditions have changed. but the
church has not changed with them.
The people that belong to the Catholic
churches, she asserted. were better taken
care Of than the few members Of the Prot
estant church. The city churches she COM
plains keep to the plans that are successful
In the suburbs and In country towns, but in