The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-03

| we are not a city of churches like
Brooklyn, but we have a group of
houses Of worship that are a credit to
| this municipality. To this city we well
come you, trusting that you may enjoy
greatly your stay with us and may de-
part, when your convention is over,
bearing with you the pleasantest mem
cries of the Heart of the Common
wealth.
The welcome of the church to the
convention was extended by j. M. Rus
sell, the chairman of the board OF
trustees. He said in greeting the dele
gates that he wished to express the
feeling of honor that filled Pilgrim
Church members to think that their
church had been selected by the con-
vention for it's meeting place, for he
thought that the feeling of the church
was decidedly in sympathy with the
movement. At the same time he hoped
that the convention would likewise feel
| honored that the church had invited
them to partake of its hospitality be-
cause of the place that the church has
already taken among the workers
along institutional lines.
| Rev DR.. Williams returned thanks
| for the welcome that had been extend
ed and paid q. brilliant tribute to the
president, who was absent, and the
secretary, Rev. DR.. Sanford, whom he
/
most to be thanked for the existence of
| the institutional movement.He spoke at
some length Of the work of the move
ment and expressed the hope that the
present convention might prove to be
of great benefit to the cause.
| Following the remarks of DR.. VIII
! liams, the secretary, DR.. sanford, READ
| an extended report in which he referred
! to the great success with which the
| movement has been met during the
past year. The leagues not organ
| ICED" said he, ito raise or distribute
| money: it's sole purpose is to- advance
| the cause of Jesus Christ and bring his
! truth to all men," Already there are
| over 100 churches in New York that
have adopted the institutional, open
door plan.
! What was perhaps the most interest
| ing as well as the principal address OF
| the evening was made by Mr.. William
e. Dodge of New York, who spoke on
the subject 1.-THE work of the churches
| from layman's standpoint, He sald
in part. 1.-THE Christian layn1an can
not forget that he is an integral part
| of the church and somewhat IN the po-
sition of a private soldier in the army
| For this reason he cannot DISCUSS the
! questions that relate to the church
| without feeling the utmost delicacy IN
doing so and speaking with the utmost
reserve. A clergyman is perhaps in a
better condition to know the machinery
of the church, but laymen often sees
aspects of the practical side of the
church's affairs that are not so appar-
/ ent to the minister.
''The great question of the day IS,
| is the church of Christ living up to its
high trusteeship?' Great truths never
change, but methods of applying these
truths change with the times. If we
carried on a business enterprise as did
our forefathers, would it not become
| bankrupt in less time than it would
take to tell it? The times when thirty
| pounds a year would furnish the
preaching for the whole city of Wor-
cester have gone by.
! One of the evils of the denomination
al system is that no one is directly re-
sponsible for any but those already in
the fold of some established church. If
a person does not attend one church the
members of that church take it for
granted that he does attend another
and the consequence is that he does not
| attend any.
"There never was a time when there
were as many good works being car
ried on as there are now. Missions,
higher educational institutions, librar-
| les Christianizing influences in colleges
| and many others are things for which
we owe thanks to God, but there are
| still some discouragements that must
not be disregarded although they must
not be allowed to overcome us.
| The great middle class, the wage
earners, are estranged from the church
| The middle class have no sympathy
with the people of the churches and
| they distrust US The middle class is
being almost neglected. Means have moi
as yet been devised to make them
| come into the range of the church's in
! fluence.
! The great tendency of the rural
| population to drift to the cities is an
other thing that is hindering the work
| of the churches in this country. In
many sections the people are actually
going back to heathenism, and in a
single locality near Utica that know
of there have been seven churches
closed within the last few years, and
| two of them are now cheese factories,
i with mo admittance" signs on the
doors.
In the larger cities it is found that
the intelligent middle class people will
not go to the missions, for they refuse
| to be patronized. The atmosphere of
| the rich churches is not such that they
desire to go there, and the consequence
| is that soon they do not go at all.
| Our Catholic friends have been much
more successful than we in making
| their churches such that all classes go
to them, regardless of social position.
| 1t can not be overlooked that crime
| is on the increase in this country.
| Great crimes are much more numerous
than ever before, and in the next two
generations we have got to create a
different order of things in religious
matters if we would avoid grave social
evils that will perhaps imperil the very
! life of the land.
| What are these things owing to? We
have given up the union of the church
to the state and have adopted the vol
untary idea in religious matters which,
| believe, to be the wiSest, after all
| but we have now no regular system of
supporting religious work except the
system of paid pew rentals. These too
often drive away the poor man who
| feels that he can not contribute to the
expenses of a great church in the
same measure that more wealthy men
do, and as he will not, on account of
| his Self-respect go to a mission, he
| does not go anywhere.
| Then too, we have too many denomi-
nations Because two or three men in
church think differently from the
other members, they must go and form
| a new church. The result of this is
that we have a great number of small
churches that are so busy struggling
| for an existence that they have no time
to do anything for Christ.
| The wage earners have a prejudice
against church work. If we could for
get our little 'isms," and melt into the
great heart of Christ, there would be
something done.
What are the remedies for all these
! things? The league stands for the close
contact with men that Christ taught
| We have got to wake up to a feeling of
! intense responsibility to this class of
people. All the churches should be
! open to the people and there should