The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-12

Accessions to the churches this year
will he large Returns are at hand from
almost all principal bodies and from
every part of the country. II is a note
worthy fact in the religious world that
Nethodists who so long led in revivals,
lead also in the new method of propa-
ganda. 1t is true that for many years
Rrotherhoods of st. Andrew and Andrew
and Philip have. in "A small way, follow
ed the mln-to-man method. but it re-
mained for Bishop Thoburl and his
Methodist Forward Movement to inaug-
urate it in a large way. The Bishop did
not attack the old method. but he did
put his energies on the new The time
seems to have been ripe for the change,
and the result is that MrthodSm is see
Ing its largest year for long time Ac-
ccssions in 100 selected Presiding Elders
districts in the Middle West have Of late
reached 5000 a week. in Brooklyn the
accessions have been I.20l While recent
figures sent out from the Western head
quarters We're a little over-colored. it is
true that Methodist growth, under the
new plan, is to see record breaking
year.
What is true Of Methodism is also true
Of all religious bodies In the New York
Episcopal diocese. the leadership of
Bishop Potter is resulting in larger con-
trnation classes than for many years
Areformed church in Newark has taken in
nincty-four members recently. a Presby-
terrain church in Manhattan lin and
Congregational church in Brooklyn
eignty-six. In the district OF Manhattan
above SiNtieth Street and west Of Central
Park. attendance upon religious services
is larger than for years past All churches
there are prosperous. Manhattan Congre-
Eational Church the Rev. DIR. H. a Slim
son. has succeeded where almost every
body expected it to fail. About 100000
has been raised. and as soon as the new
| church can be built Congregationalism
will have in New York. not one principal
! place of worship. the Broadway Taber-
nacle, but two
The Twentieth Century Campaign. with
William Philips Hall at its head. issued
its recent address too late in the season
to have the best effect and it comes at
a time when religious bodies are work
ing not together as it cOntemplateS. but
separateIy a second feature of the new
. century is the emphasis laid upon denom-
inationalism. The old sectarian bitterness
has in part passed away, but denomina-
tionaI loyalty is stronger this year than
il has been. The Congregationaiists. who
have preached comfy and interdomna-
tionalism for the last decade, are sue
ceeding as they have not in the past, by
laying emphasis upon Congregationalism
as something better than other religious
''isms,' and, therefore, better worthy OF
support and extension. The Episcopalians,
Prcsbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, and
| Methodists in the country are working
J under their own names and banners.
John Wesley, the founder of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church, and Francis AS
bury. its first Bishop of America, set Il
fashion of making religions conversions,
which having been followed with more
or less consistency throughout the cen
} fury, gives promise of disappearing en-
tirely in the changes which are so strong
~ at work at the turn Of the century.
! leveling the differences between one sect
| and another. The Methodist Church has
| always stood for the evangelical method,
! the labors of which were eNemplified by
| Bishop Asbury's indefatigable travels in
J | the American colonies in Ia and later.
IL has been the idea of the Methodist
! minister, even up to the present time to
| carry on the ordinary work of his church
in parallel with more or less meetings OF
! the revivalistic sort. Today one learns
| that the Methodist Church is doing less
| to stir up religious ferVor by emotional
! outbreaks. The pastor of a well-to-do
congregation in Washington admits that
| he has this year for the nrst time carried
| on the work of his church without the
| customary revivallstlc ana eNahSellCdi
| accomplishments
1t indicates a deep-seated change in the
, | attitude of the denomination that a
) ! Methodist minister should feel compelled
! to dc clare that y9I out of every l,vJ0 per-
| sons who attend his services are regular
members of the church. II was the
! original intention of Methodism TO min
i lister to the poor by making religious wor-
: | snip and conservation so simple and at
tractive that those who were awed by
the splendor of other denominations or
| made cynical by the conservatism of some
might be free to experiment with religion
| unembarrassed. The poor who made up
| the Methodist denomination century
ago have given place to other generations
| of greater wealth. The liberal education
| of today has tended to break down the
denominational antagOnism to question
| able forms of amusement, notably dane
, | ing and card playing. Church matnte-
| nance has become vast and serious
| business enterprise, no less than the run
ming of a great hotel or the publication
| Of a newspaper-the one along spiritual,
! the other along material lines
! In the matter Of church music, de-
, clared a clergyman of this city. in illus
} | tration of this point, there is a hard light
, | all the time to secure the best. In this
! ! the Episcopal Church takes the lead, but
| we are all following. The pastor Of to-
day counts among his duties arduOus
' and continual campaign Of solicitation
among those whom he hopes to make
= members of his flock The old-time method
4 of increasing the church membership by
| ionable churches at least.
L So far has this evolution proceeded. in
| deed, that people have seriously enquired
| whether break was not imminent be-
tween the old-tlme Methodists and the
l new. II is not correct to suppose that
! evangelistic methods have been wholly
/ ! RELOCATED to the Salvation Army The
| various branch churches of the Metro
| politan Temple, New York, Offering con
| | certs and revivalistic meetings Of every
stripe. are conspicuous examples. But a
/ consultation with the Methodist clergy
| does not convince one that they antici-
1 pate any disruption. They admit that
| the change has taken place but they de
| clare that the change has been in the
| attitude Of the people toward REVEALS
L ers, and that the mission oi the Metho-
dist body includes so much more than
= the eVangeistic idea that il is absurd L.
shake heads and be solemn.
The rational view is well Illustrated by
| the spirit In which the oncoming Cos
! pei campaign is propagated Many be-
| lieVc that the Campaign-beCauSe il is
| called campaign-has in mind revival
| methods pushed to the limit. But the
I appeal which was recently issued by the
| committee I'm charge contains no intima-
4 ton Of sentimental methods. 1t IS n re-
| quest that they look the field over and
/ decide whether they are not moved TO
| make the generation see piety in new
L light.
II Revival meetings have declined because
1 people Will no longer come to them. The
| professional evangelist has done a great
! deal of harm" declares one clergyman OF
attend revival meetings FOUNDERS
4 who go TO all revival meetings to be
l come saturated with the peculiar sensa-
| tions which they receive. The margin OF