Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-09-16


aging to all Christian workers is this
discourse of DR.. Talmage while deny
ing the accuracy of statistics which
represent Sunday audiences as dimin-
fshing; text, Hebrews X, %, Not for
saking the assembling of ourselves to-
gether."
Startling statements have been made
In many of the puipits and in some
religious newspapers. 1t is heard over
and over again that church attendance
IN America is in decadence. l deny the
statement by presenting some hard
facts. No one will dispute the fact
that there are more churches in Amer
lea than ever before, one denomination
averaging two new churches every day
OF the year. The law of demand and
supply is as memorable in the kingdom
Of God as it is in the world. More
churches supplied argues more church
privileges demanded. More banks,
more bankers. More factories, more
manufacturers. More ships, more i'm
porters. More churches, more attend
ants.
In all our cities within a few years
churches have been built large enough
TO swallow up two or three of the old
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
the 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
kxrn &x-f x-n J,n
attendance is four to one The facts
are most eXhilarating instead of being
depressing. That man who presents
the opposite statistics must have been
most unfortunate in his church &C
quaintance.
You are not to argue adversely be- /
cause here and there church is de- |
pleted. Churches have their day. Some !
times merchandise will entirely occupy |
neighborhood and crowd out the |
churches and families ordinarily at |
tendant upon them; sometimes a church !
perishes through iRternecine strife. /
But there are no facts to overthrow !
the statement that l have made In re- !
gard to the increasing attendance upon /
the house of God. Now, | am ready to /
admit, as every intelligent man will adj !
init, that there are churches which !
have been depleted, and it is high time |
that q sermon be preached for the ben |
eft of young men who are just enter !
Ing the gospel ministry and for the /
warning Of prosperous churches as to
what are the causes of decline in any
case. If merchandise crowd out a
church, that cannot be helped, but I'M
der all other circumstances decadence
In church attendance is the fault either
OF the church or Of the pastor.
Modern Church Methods Needed.
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 today
than the .mC-les and methods of today
VIII be appropriate for fifty years
hence. Dr.. Kirk, DR.. McElrOy, DR..
Mason, Dr. De Witt, Dr.. Vermilyea
and hundreds of other men just as good
as they were never lacked audiences,
because they were abreast of the time
In which they lived. People will not
be interested 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
WORKOUT machinery of the past times.
Such men might just as we'll throw the
furnaces out of our church Easements
and substitute the foot stoves which
Dur grandmotherS used to carry with
them to meeting, and throw out our or
Eans and our comets and take the old
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 well throw out our modern
platforms and modern pulpits and sub
Itftute the WineglaSS pulpit up which
the minister used to climb to the dizzy
height of Mont Blanc solitariness and
then go in out of sight and shut the
door after him.
The trouble begins away back in the
theological Seminaries. 1t is shame
hat larger provision is not made for
ministers CT religion, fer the sick and
she aged and the infrm who have worn
themselves out in the service of God.
We have naval asylums and soldiers
asylums for men who fought on land
and sea for cur country when these men
Aave become aged or crippled, and it
ID a shame that larger provision is not
made for the good soldiers of Jesus
Christ who have worn themselves out
q battling for the Lord. But lack of I
provision in that respect makes tend
ency to turn our theological seminaries
INTO hospitals for sick and aged and
nfirm ministers. When a man begins
30 go down, they give him the title of
D. D. by way of resuscitatiOn. If that
tails, then the tendency is to elect him
10 q nrofeSsorate in some theological