Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-03
|OUTSIDE POINT Of WEN.

Written for the Times. Republican


preacher the writer has been much inter-
ested in the discussion under various
heads, but all Of which leads UP TO the
great question, why Is not the Christian
religion making more converts in these
United States? Under the head OF
spiritual Power and Honesty" the fol-
lowing is from the Nation:
More than two million and a half
OF the Methodist Episco-
pal church during the past week. in
theory at least. have been fasting and
praying, their prayer going up for that
return to spiritual power which their
bishops, who recently summoned them
to these acts, say has departed from
their religious organixation. In support
of this contention. the bishops point to
the fact that. notwithstanding the 1nan-
cial prosperitysof the commandments and
the churches, and the rapid growth Of
Methodist mission, both abroad and at
home. the list of converts In the home
Is waning, and the latest stat
istics show not only a relative, but an
absolute decrease In the membership
of the denomination. The minor reasons
for this startling state of affairs in
denomination hitherto distinguished
pre- eminently for zeal in evangelization.
as they are assigned by the bishops, the
the alienation from the church OF the
the disintegrating intiu-
ence of Christian Science and similar
.vagaries, the frivolous character OF the
books and pa pers read by the young. the
passion for amusement for amuse-
ment's sake, the irreyerence for sacred
things, ard the baneful influence of the
higher criticism. But the major reason
is the waning of spiritual power. the
decline of the camp meeting and tile re-
vival, and Of the old Wesleyan ideals
and methods
The UNCONVENTIONAL press has. in the
main. accepted the accuracy of both the
diagnosis and the prescription. But
there has been one notable exception.
one discordant note, one intimatiOn that
possibly the trouble with the denomina-
ton is ethical rather than spiritual
This note of dissent comes from Zion's
Herald, nom official Journal. whose
former editors have been men of inde-
pendence, notably when Gilbert Haven
edited it, and whose present editor, Dr.
Parkhurst. Is only a trifle less bold than
the New York Clergyman of the same
name. This free lance has boldly de-
.clared that what is paralyzing the de-
nomination is not any one or all OF the
things named by the bishops. blu: the
fact that our bishops, book agents,
general secretaries. editors and other
representative leaders in the church do
not carrythe fragrance of holy living to
the people, and no longer attest by per-
sonal example that they are more anx-
ious for the salvation of the multitude
than for anything else. The plain
spoken editor proceeded to say that IL
we are to get right before the Lord. and
no; BE- guilty longer Of Hypocrisy and
3unl'ighteousness, the church must be
,purged a. Its fountain-head. Unholy
ambition, business dishonesty. impure
thinking and speaking. must be put
away. He then denounced unsparlngly
The political scheming within the de-i
nomination, which is especially marked
now that q general conference is ap-
Hproaching.
such developments 40 these show
how complete liz often the divorce be-
tween relis I'm, in the conventional sense
|of the wolf. and everyday honesty.
here is something wrong with the Meth
|odist church, as the bishops say, but the
trouble goes deeper than they see and
'thescure demands more radical reme-
acceptance of the term, as synonymous
With a revival of the camp-meeting
among the masses. will never meet the
case so long as the leaders condone
low moral tone in the transaction of
who have been exposed in dishonesty.
This is a lesson. too. which other de-
nominations than the Methodist need
Ito keep in mind. II they would compre-
bend the attitude of the modern world
toward the church,.
Recently a young man in Sioux City
Iattended an Episcopal church service on
Sunday morning where sveral hundred
people were present. In the evening
BY ac;ualcount in the same church, the
same minister. the same choir. were
twenty persons. In Grinnell on the
Sunday evening when the Easter song
lservice WAS rendered by big choir and
Ecollege glee club over 1920 people filled
the church to overlooking. Frequently
less titan 200 are present at the regular
evening service, while in the morning an
laudience OF 700 or 800 Is not uncommon.
Rev. III. Francis Perry, of the Engle-
wood Old Baptist church spoke one
Sunday evening on the theme. Why Do
More Women than Men Attend Church
and Accept the Christian Life? IL ii Be-
cause Christianity is Effeminate? He.
answered the query in part by saying
There are more women than men in
1.-THE church because woman intuitively
Irecognfzes the truth.
1T has been we'll said that woman.
loYes the concrete, a person. A man
lenjoys the abstract view OF life. Ambl-
ton. Helfishness, calculation is less cons
spicuous In woman than in man. The:
anectionate nature is strongest In a
woman. A woman loves and trusts with
Iher whole being while man is too apt
to make these only a part OF his life. II
the woman's love is requited 1t is every
thing to her, II the mans love is not re-
Iceived he turns elsewhere for It's fulfill-
ment. There is q greater blank in a
Woman's life when love is dead or lost
than in mans life. She feels the need
|of Christ.
But the greatest reason OF all why a
woman Is by nature more inclined 20 re-
Iligious things than q man is because
4 her moral life is purer than that OF the
average man.. 1t is not discredit to
have more women than men interested
in religion. but 1t does reflect most em-
Iphatlcally upon men that they have no
lgreater place in the church,
! Z = y 4