Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-08-01
~YoUxG MAN IN RELIGION :"
SECRETARY Kent Gives AZ Is.te.e.tlnx Talk
a. The Y. NJ. e.. a,

The Young Man in Religion" was
the topic at the mems meeting at thu,
7. NJ Z. \. Sunday afternoon. The
Speaker was General Secretary c. e.
Kent. Jr. Mr.. Kent said;
a man may be successful in bust
ness, may umass a fortune, may be-
Come 4 wizard of Wall street, or H.,
may be fortunate in politics, rraliyin,
mis- highest ambition. being preferred in
position over his fellow man; or h,.
may be brilliant in society, be sought
after and courtcd and battered for his
social charm and graces. still. if he is
srreligious. if he has left the divine out
OF his life there is a mighty blemish on
ms being; he is unfinished incomplete
The sphere and function Of religion are
often COMPOUNDED. One of the grea test
sins and blunders Of the age is to limit
the sphere of religion. To exclude it
from politics. pleasure and the so-calleu
secular occupations. 1t is the duty Of
tne church to educate the indi vidu IL
nind IN regard to all Of these. The
NtIerence in function between the
church and State has been happily sta
ted by MIR. w. H. Stead, as follows:
White the State and municipality says
you must. the church says you ought
Or. Strong says the church has and
ought to have authority over her owl
anternal affairs. but she should have no
authority over the public or individual
outside of her own Institutions Out
side of her walls let her have unboun-
ded influence. but not one iota of au-
thority.' These two propositions we
wish to consider. First, the young man
needs religion Second. religion needs
the young man" The speaker cited
man needed religion to resist tcn1pta-
ton. to give aim and direction to his
beliefs. to help form his character, to
help him make the most Of both worlds
the now and the hereafter In speaking,
or the second proposition, that religion
needs the young man. the speaker gave
some hgures that have been compiled
from the most careful estimates oe
men VINO have made the matter a life
study. 1t is claimed that there are be-
tween seven and eight million young
men in the United States between four
teen and sixteen years old OF this
number an average only of twenty-five
out Of one hundred attend church a + all
Ninety-hve out of one hundred belong
to no church. Ninety-sevcn out of one
hundred do no active work in church.
seventy per cent. of all incarcerate ted
SliAEiiaiS stfe young men. Ninety per
cent. OF all crimes are committed by
young men. The absolute accuracy of
these figures cannot be vouchcd for,
put they are most likely Approximately
correct. The following facts and fig
udes. taken in our town are, however.
correct and up-to-date. If all the white
churches in our town were filled at ono
time they would hold about 1000 per-.
sons. about the number Of white man
now at work in the shipyard Ten of
our churches report a memberships of
but 44S men between sixteen and tilir:
ty-five years of age. This morning
fhere were at ten churches but 346 men
between those same ages. Last night,
Saturday by actual count there en-
tered tive saloons on Washington ave
nue. between and o'clock. Ais young
men, not counting old men or boys.
Ihere are eighty-sx saloons in our
city which are licensed. How MANY
unlicensed the speaker does not know.
me spea iScr closed with an appeal to
young men to be religious in the high
est sense Of the word. This is the best
slfne to live that has ever been. A
young man is a bigger god than ever
was Jupiter. 1t is a superb time to do
Ire work. Conditions religious God
challenges young men to do their hes.
You can buy Refrigerator at les.
than factory cost this week nt Iacb,s