The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-10-02
AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION
AT THE CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH
 LAST EVENING.
The Subject Was, "Why Do the Men Stay Home from Church. ,'' and Was Taken Up by Prominent speakers.

ed by anybody in the congregation, but it was decided to part from this plan and have several speakers for the evening discuss the subject from the platform. The speakers were Rev. AL exander F. Irvine, Rev. Henry L. Hutchins, Rev. w. F. Dickerman, pas tor of the church, and J. A. Towle. Rev. MT Dickerman announced pre- vious to the speaking that the platform was one of perfect freedom and that the speakers could say what they thought no matter if their statements were a flat contradiction of what had been previously said.
 MT. Dickerman said that nobody could tread on anybody's toes in the Universalist church, so he hoped many opinions on the subject would be eX-
 pressed. MT. Dickerman said that next Sunday evening opinions on Why Men Do Not Attend Church" would be heard from people in the congregation and that he wished every one who had any opinion on the subject would rise and make it known. The service will doubtless be very interesting one and large congregation is expected to be present and many opinions and excel lent ones will doubtless be heard. The pastor of the church was the first to speak on the subject at last nights | meeting and in opening he quoted some
 lines from Rev. Cortland Myers of the Baptist temple in Brooklyn. He said Mr. Myers has estimated that 50 per cent of the people do not attend church of any denomination and that if all the so-called church-going people wanted to attend services some Sunday there
 would not be churches enough by one half to accommodate the people. Dr. Dickerman said one of the reas
 ons why men do not attend church more than they do was that they thought the services of the church at the present time were "juggled' some what and that in nearly all cases the services of twenty-five or fifty years ago were entirely different from those of to-day. He compared the church with a new store. On it's opening day a great ci owd rushes to the place and takes q good look at everything and in short sizes up the place. They go out and perhaps return once or twice with in six months and make a purchase.
 
 goods, with the clerks, with the gen eral system in the store. Any one of these keeps the people away So 1t is with the church. A man will attend once in while and if he is not suited with what is preached, or with the preacher or with the length of the ser vice he will go away at it's close to re- turn possibly once in five or six months The whole atmosphere has changed, the speaker said, and the current doctrine is no longer preached.
 He said that in other years religion was preached as a sort of an insurance and that death was portrayed in vivid colors; the future was blackened clouds of wrath were in the heavens and the life beyond the grave was portrayed in horrible fancies, The people then were almost afraid to stay from church Now these times are passed. The feat ures spoken of are portrayed in polite language: there are no thrilling sermons and pictures drawn by preachers; noth- ing now of the future concerns the men of the present day; their belief in these pictures have passed, and they feel that there is no need and no hurry to go to ClulC CIl iHty dit ltll III ct StdlS Ol doubt, the preacher said; therefore there is no interest.
 MT. Dickerman said the commercial age, the great rush for wealth, the bicy cle the trolley, excursions, etc, are re- sponsible for a great deal of staying away from church.
 Mir Hutchns said that the clergy were partly to blame, the church as a body was partly to blame and the peo- pie themselves were partly to blame for the present condition of affairs. He said the people do not believe in the thor ough earnestness of the church of to- day, and that there are too many figur- CTS so real comfort is hard to find in at tending church. He said men of to-day do not feel as if they needed church as they used to- so take things easy and do not spend the time.
 MT. Towle said that many people don't go to church because they think it too but Took at the thousands who bought seats at $10 for the Dewey in New York. And then these same people will say they can't afford to go to church" He said there are four hundred organizations in New l1dNGH that Sldllu III lieu Ul lHS CHuTCU, all of which are more expensive than any church in the city II mean by these, he said, "the clubs, lodges, fra benefit organizations etc., | members of any one telling you that there is plenty of religion in their order and that they don't need to go to church" He said the day of organiza- lions was at hand and that this was the | main cause for staying home from church.
 Rev. Alexander F. Irvine was the last | speaker. He gave in a most eloquent | and pronounced address his views on he subject. He said sin was the chief E factor in keeping men away from ,hurch, and that the present age of n- justice was another. He said that the ministers have departed from the plain, | simple teaching of Jesus Christ and talk en up something altogether different hat of injustice in many ways MT rvines views were illustrated in a manner that was intensely interesting Q all, and at the conclusion of his re- marks he was very heartily appiauoed.