Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-24
Or. BRouaAToM's nEwIpEA.
WANTS TO SERVE DRINKS AND
HAVE COMIC SHOWS AT
CEURCH

| CHURCH.
| Rev. l.. G. Broughton, D. D., Is an
Evangelist and is well-known in this
city, he having at different times con-
Quoted protracted meetings at the
FreeTHason Street and Park Avenue
Baptist churches; also in Portsmouth
DIR. Broughton formerly resided in Ro-
lanoke, but is now q resident of Atlanta,
Ga, and has always been noted for his
earnestness in church work. Sunday
last Rev. DR.. Broughton preached at
the Green Avenue baptist Church,
Brooklyn, at which time ne advanced,
according to reports, some strange and
strikingly original methods for the ne
cessity of church ATTENDANCE.
In the course of his remarks. DIR.
Broughton is reported in the New York
World as having said:
There are 60,OOo 600 sinners in the
United States. Not one man in 10000
to-day stops to think of God until he
Is ready to die. Religion is going back
ward. 1t is the fault of the church. too.
Ministers are at a standsti1l They are
slowly losing their power. AS draw
ing card the church ranks only sixth
in the list of public attractions. 1t
should be made to rank first.
The church must be made as at
tractive as the theatre and the cake
walk. Something must be done to
bring the people into the churches, not
on Sundays, but every day of the week.
! To do this we must make the church
both n business proposition and a place
of attraction.
There are 10000 people who will pay
$4,000 for theatres before they Will en-
ter q church and give five cents to
God. There are $4,000 men who would
pay $l.0oo.000 to see a prize fight and
would insult any one who would ask
them to give % cents apiece for re-
ligion.
There are 10000 women who would
pay s10,o0000o for dresses for fashion
VIII would not take the trouble to get
up early enough Sunday to attend
church.
II want to see the man who can
doubt that statement
| First OF all, 1t behooves every min
lister TO make his church rs attractive
as possible. It cannot be called SEN
sationalism. 1t is merely putting God
at the head of all things, where He
belongs.
IF 1t is necessary to bring people to
church we ministers might so so far
as to have n service where the bio
SIapH could Dc introduced with DfDli-
cal pictures, and with other pictures,
too.
For the men who put prize-fghting
ahead Of God. we might go so far as to
have n few rounds of boxing before
each service.
Perhaps = one-act comedy might in
duce the Electrically inclined to stay
until the sermon was over.
Then to attract many others. we
might turn the church into. n temporary
cafe, where We might serve soft drinks
between prayers.
Theatres. cards. kissing parties.
prizefghts, cake walks and fashion.
all mingled into one unharmonious
whole engage the people. They engage
the people so strongly that they do not
feel the power of God-not until their
disspated lives are waning and they
are dying"
The World artist has chosen DR..
Brcughton's sermon as q subject for
illustrations and in a series OF four pic
lures has represented the evangelist in
the roles of n nicIlel-in the-slot ma
chine operator: as contestant for pu-
gfftstfC h0nUTS Min ONO OF MS flock:
as Hamlet, with ito be or not to be at
tachment." thoroughly modern. The
last of the set of pictures represents
the gentleman from Georgia in the act
Of serving drinks (sofD to his hearers.