The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-09
ADVERTISING CHURCHES
A VISITOR COMPLAINS BECAUSE HE
CAN GET No INFORMATION.
why Churches Do Not Publish An
nOuncement of Services in sun
day PapeFs-POor Policy.


why don't the Indianapolis churches ad-
vertise their services in the Sunday Jour
nal?'' asked well-known commercial trav-
eler of a reporter who CHANGED to meet him
yesterday at one of the hotels. Without
waiting for an answer to his question he
continued: MY business brings me to this
city at the end Of the week and for several
weeks L have spent my Sundays here. In
fact, like good many other travelling men
in this territory, 1 make it q point to reach
indianapolis on Saturday if possible, rather
than To stay over until Monday in a small
town. Now 1 know it is the fashion to re-
gard travelling men as a gay and frivolous
lot whose chief idea is to have a good
time when they are off duty, but the repu-
tation doesn't do us justice. We're about
the average, 1 guess. and some of us have
the habits of civilization. /, for one, am
something of a church-goer when Oppor-
tunity permits-and there are others. But L
like TO go sometimes to one church and
sometimes to another-where your best at
fractions are. / like to know if the regular
minister is to Officiate at any services
may think of attending, or if "A stranger Is
to be present; and / like to know If there
is TO be anything special in the way Of
music. But how am / to find out any of
these things if they are not announced in
the morning papers? Ny wife is with me to-
day and she especially wished to go 10 hear
a certain minister, but there was no men
tion of it in the paper and as it is a good
ways up town we concluded not to go,
thinking the minister might not have re-
turned from his vacation. l have since
learned accidentally that he is at home and
held services this morning. Why is it they
don't announce their programme for the
! day?'
REPORTERS INVESTIGATION.
The reporter had been asked this ques-
tion so many times that he had investi-
gated the matter and was able to explain
TO the seeker for information that some
of the various boards of managers, or
whatever the official heads of the church
| organizations might be called. and some
of the ministers, cherished an antiquated
and unreasonable prejudice against Sunday
papers and objected to patronizing them to
the extent of inserting a twenty-five-cent
ad. They We're entirely willing to have
reports of their services published in the
Monday paper, all tire work of which is
| done on Sunday, but Virtuously turned their
faces against the editions delivered on Sun
day morning If they knew as early as
Friday evening precisely what the Sunday
services We're to be-a thing not always
possible-they were not unwilling to an
nounce them on Saturday morning; but
on Sunday, no! Hence the very incom-
| plete church record, giving strangers, more
of whom read the Sunday edition than any
| other, an erroneous idea of the religious
Perhaps they would be willing to have
| you insert the announcement on Sunday
if you would do so free of charge" sug
| geSted the travelling man.
The reporter couldn't say as to that, but
! he didn't see why, if there was any iniquity
would be any less By making it free. And
| he didn't see, either, why a paper which
but which, nevertheless, gave great deal
| OF space to gratuitouS announcements of
| church socials, fairs. business meetings,
etc, should do all the church advertising
Well" the travelling man said reflective
| ly, Il think the churches are pursuing a
| very short-sighted policy. They complain
| because congregations are small, yet they
| don't invite the public TO come They can't
stop the SUNDAY papers by withnolding
membership from reading them. Why not
| take advantage of them, then, to inform
| Sunday paper readers of what they are
| doing. It's a plain matter of business.
| People who are likely TO attend church
| don't, as rule make their plans the day
| before. They don't think of it until Sunday
morning, and then they are not likely
| TO hunt up Saturday paper for infOrma-
ton, If they can't get it in Sundays pa
| per the chances are that they stay at home.
| This may be true even of regular members
| of congregation; 1t is pretty sure to be of
| strangers. All this summer thousands of
| people from all over the State nave been
| coming to indianapolis on Sunday ex-
eursion trains-respectable, orderly, Well
| behaved people. Many of the trains arrive
| early enough for the visitors TO attend
morning service if they are so disposed.
| but I'll venture to say that not an effort
| has been made to get them there.
THE EXCURSIONS SITS
ut is quite probable that few of these
| excusionists have any thought of religious
| services in mind when they leave home.
but it will not do by any means to class
them as non-churchgoing people. Quite the
contrary is likely to be the case, for, as
rule, country people and the residents of
small towns are habitual churchgoers. If
! they knew they would have opportunity
to hear the big preachers and the fine
music in Indianapolis churches it would be
| an added inducement TO some of them to
| come And even il they are not church.
/ goers. isn't that all the more reason why
| an effort should be made to make them
| SOP"
| The travelling man by this time had
grown quite animated. and was waving his
| Sunday Journal about vigorously.
| ''Oh, I'm in earnest" he continued. "I
| going on in religion as well as in dry goods
| circles. If l were a preacher I'd make nv
| church advertise and in a big way I
| wouldn't stop at a little stingy five-Iine
| sationalsm; it would be business. I'd
| make people know when the church was
| open and that they would have good music
| and as good sermon as L could preach to
/ them and that they We're more than well
come TO come. Don't you think such a
plan would work well2"