The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-22
CHURCH METHODS
Critical Suggestions Of a
Regular Attendant as to
the Means Of Gain
ing Souls.
GO INTO THE BYWAYS AND HEDGES
Win the Confidence OF the
People and They Will At
tend Service-Among
the Churches.
GO INTO TIE BYWaYS AND HEDGES

The following critical comments relative
To a sermon preached by a certain local
clergyman on the question of the non
church going habit of the masses, are
presented for the examination OF the
readers of 1.-THE News
They are from the pen of a well known
critic. who has a penchant for aggressive
criticism and is a keen observer OF Things.
His idea of the matter is couched IN plalh
terms. and there can be no mistake ABOUT
his meaning. This is what he has 10
say
..If we are to believe the frequent utter
ances of some clergymen and the state
ments of exnerts observers, the masses IN
general are extremely Indifferent in their
a+t,t,,da toward the Church. Furthermore
this tendency is growing, and IS the CAUSE
of considerable -uneasiness in churcn CIT
Giles.
NOW. whitfield down to a hne point lhis
grave and much discussed problem OF the
lack of interest in church lie wnich Was
made the subject of the preachers ser
mon, resolves itself into two phases-"hy
do not the masses go to church. and no"
can their interest in this direction De
awakened and ecure Now, 10 use the
telephone, the persons desiring TO COM
municafe with each other must De sllnui-
taneously at the ends of the WIRE there
being no provision for the distribution OIL
the messages by proxy. Metninks TINS 10
an ant illustration of the work necessary
TO get the church and the masses 10 an
intelligent understanding, and into a mar
people shall be bound together by the
can be no proxy business, but there must
be direct. earnest and close contact pc
tween present and past. the INES Oh
humane and practical sympathy must
reach out to the very habitat OF the
masses and catch on with such a vital
and potent grip thai the church and rne
people shall be found together by the
sound ligaments of a living. effective and
purely disinterested interest.
at sounds all very wei to hurl
bolts of denunciations through provincial
m-egaphopes, and to PROFOUND astute ana
finely wrought theories for the specinc
purpose of bringing the n~on-churchers
into the fold. But this is not the most
practical idea. Is it not better TO create
an interest. than to inyeigle against the
want of one. My conception is that the
more feasible plan would be to streteh
out the lines of practical effort and SYM
pathetic concern so as to get into touch
with such as seem to be lethargic.
doubling cynics shrug their shoulders
and exclaim that the masses do not want
any connection with the church.
.sBear in mind that it is our bounden
duty as sincere followers of the humane
and national injunction of the Christian
system that we look into the lives OF the
masses and see what are The possibilities
of their religious advancement withinst the
limits of reason. This is a fit object OF
systematic investigation and philan-
thropy. Again, let me state that we
should not trouble ourselves so much
about the obstacles that are in the way
as we should how to get over them.
What we need the most is to learn how
to avoid difficulties, and to reach the OBJ
5ective point of a beneicent mission in
the most expeditions and practical way.
81 maintain with all the intellectual
force that / can muster, that it would be
more consistent with the high province
of the modern pulpit that some of our
preachers would go right among the
masses to see the situation as it is, and
to catch a profitable glimpse of the church
methods and usages as they seem to
Others.
Such a visit would afford a frst-class
opportunity for an educational and scien-
tihc examination into the rouble. 1t
would also reveal the available points
where moral telephone connection would
be efficiently established between the
pulpit and the masses. What we want
to know is how the masses feel. and
what are the actual causes of church
absence. 1t frequently happens that a
minister's influence in the neighborhood
is estimated quite largely by he
wisely r~efrains from saying as by what
he thinks it is smart to say. The same
pourse of reasoning appiys to his labors
outside of the pulpit. A well selected
word of kindness or admonition may
catch the ear of some Respondent one
and work wonders. 1t would be much
better that the clergy, instead of fight
ing over creeds, would join earnestly in
the well organized movements to get in
humane touch with the masses.
But it is even more important that
they essay to give aid to any schemes
that are calculated to furnish a health
full impetus to over-burdened and dis
heartened toilers to help them to take
faithful heed to the noble impulse of a
better nature-a nature inherent in ALL"