Smyrna times., 1899-05-10
THE DECLINE OF FAITH.
Its Effect as Shown Among the Different
Denominations OF New York
City

City.
Never before has it been so evide1
as 1t Is now that a sweeping revival G
religion is necessary to save man
churches of different denominations i
New York from falling into religion
indifference which must be destructiv
OF their spiritual vitality unless it
overcome by such extraordinar
means.
The closing years of the life of tn
late DIR. John Hall were embittered b,
movement in the Fifth Avenue Pres
byterian church to get rid of him as it
pastor. His preaching had lost inter
est for these malcontents, yet in kline
and quality it was the same whicl
twenty years before had crowd
ed thatchurch with the creates
and richest of Presbyterian con
gregation in the world, and it had Ion.
been peculiarly edifying to the who'll
church III its simple and direct presen
tatlon of the doctrines of the West
minister Confession. He remained
the same, but they had changed radi
cally. Since DIR. Halls death hi
church has been unable to find pas
tor to succeed him, who satisfies it,
critical tastes and comes up to the
standard as to pulpit eloquence. Mean
time, of course, this, once the most no
table and most powerful of Presbyter
lrn churches, is maintaining u cOmpar
atlvely feeble existence.
About mile below in Fifth avenue
the Brick Presbyterian Church, of ,
long and distinguished history, ha:
been much agitated by the attempts
first, of John Hopkins University a
Baltimore, and, next, of Princeton
University to draw away its pastor, the
Rev. DIR. Van Dyke, to the secular oc
cupation of professorship of English
literature. He has been more success
tul III keeping up this congregation
than any other Presbyterian pastor in
town, and accordingly when he an
nounced his prediction for the pro.
fessOrship and his desire to withdraw
from the church, he was opposed in
them by the united session and the
whole parish. DR.. Van Dyke, under
such pressure, has decided to remain,
through we infer from his expression
that 1t will be for a limited period
only, he having declared very frankly
that he prefers the professorship, and
believes he would be more useful in it.
This leaves the church in very uncer-
tain state of mind, and indicates a feel
ing in DR.. Van Dyke which does not
seem to constitute a vocation for the
Christian ministry.
At the West Presbyterian Church, in
Forty-second street, near Fifth avenue.
there is much turmoil. The pastor.
the Rev. DR.. Evans, has resigned be-
cause of objections that the church has
not been kept up financially under his
No accusation against his
on any score of its ortho-
dOxy or its spirituality is made, but it
is said that it has not been of kind to
draw paying congregations and thus
assist in the renting of pews. That it
was not ''star preaching" seems to
have been the only complaint, and
consequently he resigned three months
ago, but the session of the church re-
fused unanimously to let him go. Last
Sunday, however, he announced his
resignation peremptorily to the con-
on the ground that he found
his "labOrs as your minister in Christ
greatly hindered by the present fnan-
cial management of the church and
by the influence now at work to lessen
its usefulness" In explanation he
the surprising improperly
Of reading thus publicly, a private let
5er from Mr.. E. H. Perkins, Jr., the
president of the Importers and Trad
ers' Bank and also of the church, to
DR.. Stryker, of Hamilton College, ask
ng him, at the unanimous request of
,he trustees, to persuade DIR. Evans to
'esign. Mr.. Perkins said in his letter
hat the church was not getting reve-
lue enough to pay its expenses, that
| large number of the pewholders had
given notice that they would not pay
'ent after May next, and that generally
the people are drifting away"
Another trustee confirmed this, saying
hat erich pewholders are getting out. -"
Among the members of this session,
)y the way, is Mr.. Russell Sage,
md he and his associates have
money enough to run the church with
'ut help from any others.
The financial drain caused by the
distraction of rich men extends to
,ther Presbyterian churches also, for
hat denomination, though once the
eligious home of very much of the
wealth, is not now congenial with the
ocial tastes and ambitions of an in
reasing number of families of the
ort; they prefer the Episcopal church.
This is very important matter, for, as
n the case of the Forty-second street
.hurch, the test of a pastors use is not
low the soundness of his doctrine and
lis spirituality, but his ability to
draw money!" like an actor, a singer
II q dancer.
The Methodist church was formerly
distinguished by it's simple, unques-
ioning faith in the Bible, but when
Rev. DR.. Cadman, pastor of the Met
Opolitan Temple in this city, declared
ecently before a great company of
ministers that ''the absolute
nerrancy and infallibility of the Bible
re no longer possible of belief among
easoning men," he was applauded.
The Baptists have not presented any
uch conspicuous example of decline
# faith, but it is discoverable among
hem also. DIR. Lyman Abbott prob
bly, expressed the frequent, if not the
Usual, sentiment of Congregational
minister's when he went even further
n his departure from the old theology
md DIR. Hills, who is his success
or in the pulpit of Plymouth church,
n Brooklyn, breaches vague sentimen-
alities only. In the Episcopal church
he radical distinction in belief and