Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-01-13
CHATTER VIII.

ddscpf the month.
CHAPTER VIII.
The first Sunday was beginning TO
be more or less dreaded or anticipated
by Calvary church people They were
learning TO expect something radical
sweeping, almost revolutionary In Phil
| ips utterances on Christ and Modern
Society" Some agreed with him as
far as he had gone. Very many had
been hurt at his plalnness OF speech
This was especially true OF the prop
erty owners and the fashionable part
Of the membership. Yet there was
fascination about Philips preaching
that prevented so far any very serious
outbreak or dissengion IN the church
He was recognized leader. In his
presentation Of truth he was large
minded He had the faculty Of hold
Ing mems respect. There was no mis-
taking the situation, however Mr.
Winter, with others, was working
against him. Philip was vaguely con-
scious % much that did not work out
into open, apparent fact. Neyerthe-
less, when he came up on the first Sun
day OF the next month and began 70 an
n0unce his subject, he found an audi
ence that crowded the house to the
doors, and among them were scattered
numbers Of men from the working
mems district with whom Philip had
talked while down there. 1t was, as
before an inspiring congregation, and
Philip faced IL, feeling sure in his heart
that he had great subject TO unfold
and q message 10 deliver to the church
Of Christ such as he could not but be-
lleye Christ would most certainly pre-
sent II He were living today In Milton.
lie began by describing the exact
condition Of affairs in Milton To as
sist this description he had brought
with him into the church his map OF
the town.
Look now" he said, pointing out
the different localities "at b street,
whore we now are. Here are seven OF
the largest churches OF the place on
this street The entire distance be-
tween the first OF these church build
ings and the last one is a little over a
mile. Three OF these churches are only
two blocks apart. Then consider the
character OF the residences and people
In the vicinity OF this street II Is
what Is called deslrable-that is, the
homes are the very finest. and the peo-
pie, almost without exception, are re-
fined, respectable, well educated and
Christian I'm training. All the wealth
OF the town centers about Il street. All
the society life extends out from IL on
each side. IL Is considered the most
fashionable street for drives and prom
enades IL is we'll lighted well paved,
well kept. The people who come out
OF the houses on h street are always
well dressed The people who go into
these seven churches are as a rule well
dressed and comfortable looking. Mind
YOU" continued Philip, raising his
hand with a significant gesture, II do
not want TO have you think that / con-
slider good clothes and comfortable
looks as un-Chrstlan or anything
against the people who present such an
appearance. Far from II. | simply
mention this fact TO make the contrast
| am going TO show you all the palmer.
For let us leave b street now and go
down into the flats by the river, where
nearly all the mill people have their
homes ] wish YOU would note first
the distance from b street and the
churches to this tenement district II
Is nine blocks-that Is, a little over a
mile. To the edge OF the tenement
houses farthest from our own church
building II Is mile and three quarters.
And within that entire district. meas
urlng nearly two by three miles, there
is not church building. There are
two feeble mission schools, which are
held IN plain. unattractive halls, where
every Sunday handful of children
meet, but nothing practically IL being
done by the church of Christ In this
place TO give the people In that part Of
the town the privileges and power Of
the lie OF Christ, the life more album
dainty.
The houses down there are Of the
cheapest description. The people who
come out OF them are far from well
dressed. The streets and alleys are
dirty and III smelling, and no one
cares TO promenade for pleasure UP
and down the sidewalks in that neigh
borhood. II is not a safe place 70 go
10 az night. The most frequent dis
turbances come from that part of the
town. All thq hard characters find ref
use there. And let me say that ! am
not now speaking OF the working peo-
pie. They are almost without excep-
ton law abiding. But in every town
like ours the floating population of vice
and crime seeks naturally that part OF
a NVhn Nnfi' INV IOHlfsA DNhstS oi'f
and the most saloons, and the greatest
darkness both physical and moral
III there is a part OF this town which
needs lifting up and cleaning and heal
Ing and inspiring by the presence Of
the church OF Christ, It is right there
where there Is no church. The people
on b street and for six or eight blocks
each side know the gospel They have
10 ,,tt h..v % N ~
much Christian literature They have
been taught the Bible truths; ley are
familiar with them. OF what value Is
IT, then. to continue to support on this
short street, so near together seven
churches, Of as many different denomi-
nations which have for their members
the respectable. moral people Of the
town? ] do not mean TO say that the
well TO do, respectable people do not
need the influence Of the church and
the preaching Of the gospel. But they
can get these privileges without such
fearful waste OF material and power
II We had only three or four churches
on this street they would be enough.
We are wasting our Christianity with
the present arrangement. We are CIV
Ing the rich and the educated and well
20 90 people seven times as much
church as we are giving the poor, the
ignorant and the struggling workers
IN the tenement district. There Is no
question, there can be no question, that
all this Is wrong. II Is opposed 10 ev-
cry principle that Christ advocated
And In the face Of these plain facts,
which no one can dispute. there Is a
duty before these churches on this
street which cannot be evaded without
denying the very purpose OF n church
II is that duty which am now going
TO urge upon this Calvary church.
1T has been said by some Of the
ministers and members Of the churches
that we might combine In an effort and
build large and commodious mission |
In the tenement district But that, TO |
my mind, would not settle the problem |
at all as II should be settled Ii Is an
easy and lazy thing for church men, |
beers TO nut their hands in their pock- |
cts and say 10 a few other church |
members: We win help build a mis-
sion II you will run Il after II Is up |
We viii attend our church up town |
here while the mission Is worked for
the poor people down there That Is not
what Will meet the needs Of the sltua.
ton, What that part of Milton needs
a. hn oh - T.. 1