Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-09-28
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
4CHURCH DECADENcE" LAST SUN
DAYS SUBJECT.
Says That Church Attendance Is ON tb.
Increase-"Not Forsaking the Assem-
bling of Ourselves Together" He
brews Z: rs.

copyright, 1901, by Louis KIopsch. N VI
Washington, Sept. 15.-Most encour-
aging to all Christian workers is this
discourse of DIR. Ta1mage while deny
ing the accuracy of statistics which
represent Sunday audiences as dimin-
1sh1ng; text, Hebrews x: 25, mot for
sak1ng the assent bling of ourselves to-
gether"
Startling statements have been made
In many Of the pulpits and in some of
the religious newspapers. 1t Is heard
over and over again that church at
tendance in America is in decadence
deny the statements by presenting
some hard facts. No one will dispute
the fact that there are more churches
IN America than ever before, one de-
nomination averaging two new church
es every day of the year. The law OF
demand and supply is as inexorabie In
tne Kingdom of God as it is in the
world More churches supplied argues
more church privileges demanded
More banks, more bankers; more fac
tories, more manufacturers; more
ships, more importers; more churches,
more attendants.
In all our cities within a few years
churches have been built large enough
time churches. 1 cannot understand
with what kind of arithmetic and slate
pencil man calculates when he comes
to the conclusion that church attend
ance in America is in decadence. Take
1ne aggregate of the number of people
who enter the house of God now and
compare it with the aggregate of the
people who entered the house of God
twenty-five years ago, and the present
attendance is four to one The facts
are most exhilarating instead of being
depressing That man who represents
the opposite statistics must have been
most unfortunate in his church ac-
Quaintance
Use of Modern Methods.
Churches are often cleared of their
audiences by the attempt to transplant
the modes of the past into the present.
The modes and methods of fifty years
ago are no more appropriate for to-day
than the modes and methods of to-day
will be appropriate for fifty years
hence. DR.. Kirk, DIR. MeElroy, DR..
Mason. DR.. De Witt, Dr. Vermilyea and
hundreds of other men just as good as
they were never lacked audiences. be-
cause they were abreast of the time in
which they lived. People will not be
interesting in what we say unless we
understand the spirit of the day In
which we live. All the woebegonish
statistics are given by those who are
trying in our time to work with the
wornout machinery of the past times.
Such men might just as well throw the
furnaces out OF our church Easements
and substitute the foot stoves which
our grandmothers used to carry with
them to meeting, and throw out our
organs and our cornets and take the
oid-fashioned tuning fork, striking it !
on the knee and then lifting it to the
ear to catch the pitch of the hymn, and
might as we'll throw out our modern
platforms and modern pulpits and sub
st1Sute the wineglass pulpit up which
the minister used to climb to the dizzy
heiSht of Mont Blanc solitariness and
then go In and out of sight and shut
the door after him. When you can get
the great masses of the people to take
passage from Albany to Buffalo in
stage-coach or canalboat in preference
to the lightning express train which
does 1t in four hours, then you can get
the great masses of the people to go to
a church half a century behind the
time.
Sympathies of the People.
At meeting of the general assembly
of the Presbyterian church of the
United States a clergyman accustomed
on the Sabbath to preach to an audi
ence of two or three hundred people.
In an audience room that could hold
fifteen hundred, was appointed to
preach a sermon on how to reach the
masses. I am told the incongruity
was too much for the risibiIities of
many of the clergy in the audience.
NOW, young man coming out from
such bedwarfing influences, how can he
enter into the wants and the woes and
the sympathies of the people who want
on the Lords day a practical gospel
that will help them all the week and
help them forever?
Young ministers are told they must
preach Christ and him crucified Yes.
but not as an abstraction. Many a |
minister has preached Christ and him
crucified in such a way that he preach
ed an audience of five hundred down |
to two hundred, and from two hundred |
to one hundred, and from one hxndred |
to fifty, and from fifty to twonty. and |
on down until there was but little left |
save the sexton, who was paid to stay |
until the service was over and lock up. |
There is a great deal of cant about |
Christ and him crucified 1t is not |
Christ and him crucified as an abstrac- |
ton. but as an omnipotent sympathy |