The Savannah morning news., 1900-10-07
BOARDING HOUSES.
And Flats Are killing the Churches
According 20 THIS Minister.
From the New York World.

And Flats Are killing the Churches
According 20 THIS Minister.
From the New York World.
| IN the resignation OF Rev. Robert =
Sample. p. d. pastor Of the Westminster
/ Presbyterian Church. In West Twenty
third street. story fun OF pathos Is
brought 70 light After years of useful
ness the church Is on the point Of being
reduced % a third-rate church. There were
many fearful ewes when al the meeting
last week the pastor said:
Il have heen with you for "a years. ana
Ia that time have given you the best years
! n my life Ny leaving YOU Is not due 10
any environment. u IS simply because OF
tho lack 81 support During tho last two
years could not live on tho salary I re-
ceived One thing ! want 20 say: I never
demanded anything Of this congregation.
have only asked what you could give
/ freely
This church r. in the very heart OF New
York II Is ola and has a history that Is
tWined In and out Of tho very life OF the
metropolis. The greatest men that the
| country has produced have attended
church there at different times From the
historic pulpit tho brightest lights IN
| Christendom have dropped their words Of
! ENfuANfA anu A0fleNAANinM 10 hn0WNhffAN
and thousands OF New Workers the edi-
/ ice "a sacred because Of what Il has been
20 them and their IN the year gone
l Yet tho church r. doomed. Tho revenues
have fallen away so that n cannot sup
/ port a minister who q willing to almost
give hts services. as Or. Sample has for
/ several years.
| A question OF great importance 70 Now
I York IS involved L. the city becoming
J -. y "a o.
| churches Why are 80 many historic
! churches falling away in attendance and
/ IN financial support
When Dr Sample was asked these eb-
/ sorhing questions he became interested at
once. He has given the matter great
deal OF attention.
within three miles OF my church" he
| sald-'and our ancestors thought nothing
| % walking three miles TO church-are
quarter or million OF PEOPLE. We can
send ministers % the Chinese aAd 90 the
/ indian. but IN Christian New York the
churches do like weeds by the roadside
/ for want Of nourishmcnt what r. tho
reason2 l would name tho following
| causes:
THE disarpearance OF the home
The multiplicity OF the boarding houses.
THE uuholy relations Of the fats 10 hui
man lie
The growth OF the city toward the Hnr-
/ lem River
The passing away OF the rich people
who formerly supported downtown chur-
| chea
"A real old-fashioned home Is impossi-
| bile IN a nat The peace and quiet ieft New
Workers forever when the last or the
| homes disappeared. only the very wealthy
can now adord them. The majority are
crowed into hats II was the home. pri-
/ marily. that supported the church. II was
/ from that sacred haven In old days that
the father and mother mustered their lit
tie army OF children 20 the family pew.
Now. with the swift life that we lead,
We have no time TO think of morning pray
ers on sunday morning the father who
has lived IN a nervous strain all the week
and has been out late the night before 20
! the theaters and other places OF amuse-
/ mems IN tho Tenderloin lies abcd ana rests
He gels up and buys a paper and reads
an the forenoon Hls family follows his
example The Old peace ana quiet of the
/ Dutch sabbath ana the Puritan Sunday
are not Ia his nat The fever that surgcs
/ along the brilliantly Illuminated streets
| Of the Tendcrloin has .got into his blood
/ lie spends thousands for the amusement
Of his family lie has nothing for their
| spiritual uplifting In n generation or two
| they viii be deEonerated. II Is the health
ful atmosphere OF the home that keeps
Z robust life n the cNNfch ana we fAMllN
All through this part % the city you
| viu find the houses that were once homes
now turned into boarding houses. God Is
1 not there Mother Is not there. Father
| with his sunday morning prayers and his
loving oversight OF the family Is not there
The boy from the country comes here 20
work lie Is full OF determination 20 con
unue his pure and simple lie here. lie
gets IN early sunday morning and goes 10
. { 49, Ha &c s,uf.
/ ia tho house who docs. The other folks
ue In bed aud read In a few weeks. unless
he IL cxtraodinarily strong OF mind. he
does likewise. There are hundreds 81
boarding houses Ia this section where not
one man or woman attends church.
| sometimes wonder what the children ~
the thlrd and forth generation will be
like.
There Is not one sentiment that makes
a home sweet and uplifting 10 be found In
1 a boarding house. Ana the women and
men who keep tho houses are not 20
blame. either IL Is law a. natural as
gravltation.
There are peculiar things about New
York. Strangers from the country often
complain that they are not spoken TO az
church DO YOU know that there are
Thousands here who 40 not want 20 be
/ epokcn TOT some OF them oven 70 from
one church 60 another. regularly. TO avoid
being spoken 20. ! know a man who at
tends regularly. and IN order Eve
churches. 20 o. not 20 be known and mad,
10 assume responsibilities.
III I were 20 name tho two great things
that threaten America to-day they would
ses h. imperialism ana free silver. One
would be the race question and the other
the loss or spirituality In the cities. These
are greater dangers than any others"