The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-10-20
The "Candy-Iull" System in the
Church

Observation-Disclosures Star.
The "Candy-Iull" System in the
Church.
AS write, the appeal of Young
Mems Christian association to its me1l-
bers lies on the table before me, and
copy it verbatim:
DO NOT FORGET
The next Social
The next Candy-pull
The next Entertainment
The next Song Service,
The next Gospel Meeting
The next Meeting of the Debating Club
The next Chieken,pie Dinher
The next date when you ought to make
the secretary happy with your cash.
This remarkable list of operations, com,
bining evangeliStic zeal, creature com.
forts and business shrewdness, requires
no commentary; the items give us con !.
vincing Illustration Of an up-tO-date re-
ligious Institutional veritable hustler of
Y. NJ. G. A.
requires word Of explanation; there
may be some persons who have given
considerable attention to Christian agen-
cies, and yet whose researches may not
have come across a "candy.pull.' This
agency, if that be the correct word, is il
party Of young men and women who
meet for the purpose of pulling candy.
sexes, is said to be a very engaging en-
ployment. 1t may be that candy pulling
on the part of Y. NJ. G.. A. is confined
to one sex, and is therefore shorn of half
its attra ction, but one clings to the idea
that in these days Of pleasant" religious
left to their own company.
The Christian church and y. NJ. G..
\. are of course very different institu-
tons, and the latter is free from any ira.
ditions of austere dignity, but one is not
surprised to find that the church has also
been touched with the social spirit and is
also doing her best to make religion EN-
pertaining. One enters what is called 4
place of worship and imagines that he is
in a drawing room. Inc floor has a thick
carpet, there are rows of theater chairs.
a huge organ fills the eye, large bouquet
of flowers marks the minister's place:
people come in with a jaunty air and sa-
bends his head in prayer; there is hum
of gossip through the building.
n man disentangles himself from Il
conversation and bustles to the platform
without clerical garb of any kind, as
likely as not in layman's dress. n quar-
tette advances, and, facing the AUDIENCE,
sings an anthem to the congregation,
another anthem. also to the congregation.
There is one prayer and one reading from
Holy Scripture, and n sermon which is
brief and bright. Among other intina-
tons the minister urges attendance at
the Easter supper, when, as is mentioned
oysters and meat-turkey, | think-and
ice cream. This meal is to he served in
the Church parlor.'
No sooner had the benediction been
pronounced, which has some original
feature introduced. than the congrega-
- %1D 1>,,%
one can explain how it is managed, the
minister is already there shaking hands,
Introducing people, getting off good
things" and generally making things
hum" One person congratulates him
on his "talk'-new name for a sermon
and another says it was fine"
Efforts have been made in England
and. in one town known to the writer,
with some success of it's own kind. One
church secured new set of communion
plates by the popular device of a dance;
various congregations gave private the
atricals, and in one case had stage prop
erty Of their own. Bible classes cele-
brated the conclusion of their session by
I: supper; on Good Fridays there were
excursions into the country accompanied
by military band, and a considerable
portion Of the congregational income was
derived from. social treats of various
xmas. lnS particular town is only an
illustration of the genial spirit spreading
throughout the church in England. One
minister uses a magic lantern to give
force to his sermon: another has added a
tavern to his church equipment; third
takes up the latest murder or scandal a
fourth has a service of song; a fifth de-
Ponds on gypsy or an ex-pugilist.
If this goes ON the church will soon en-
brace theater and other attractions
which will draw young people, and pre-
vent old people from wearying in the
worship of God. Perhaps it may be the
pcrversity of human nature which is apt
to cavif at new things and banker after
the good old times-which were not al
ways good. by any means-but one is not
much enamored with the new departure,
nor at all convinced that what may be
called for brief the "candy-pulr' system
is any Improvement ON the past. After
slight experience of smart preachers
and church parlors, and ice-cream sup
pers, and picnics, one remembers with
new. respect and keen appreciation the
minister of former days, with his SEEM
ly dress, his dignifed manner, his sense
Of responsibility, who came from the se-
cret place Of Divine fellowship, and
spoke as one carrying the message Of
the Eternal. He may not have been so
fussy in the aisles as his successor, nor
so clever at games, nor able to make 50
fetching "a speech on Glove, Courtship
and Marriage. Ian Maclaren in Ladies'