Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-09-18

ffAfftt AtIN MOEhGIS IL Ah'a A'iD~'sf'NN
0oN DR. Talmage while denying the
accuracy Of statistics which represent
Sunday audiences as diminishing: text,
Hebrews X, %, Not forsakiug the as
sembling of ourselves together.
Startling statements have been made
in many of the pulpits and in some of
the religious newspapers. II is heard
ever and over again that church attend
ance in America is in decadence. | deny
the statements by presenting some hh'i
facts. No one will dispute the fact that
there are more churches in America than
ever before. one denomination averaging
two new churches every day Of the year.
The law Of dem,md and supply is as IN
sxorabe in the kingdom Of God as 1t IS
in tie world More churches supplied
argues more church privileges demanded.
M0id banks. more bankers; more fac
tories more manufacturers; mere ships,
more importers; mere CHURCHES, more at
PENDANTS.
IL all our cities within few years
churches have been built large enough To
swallow up two or three of the old time
CHURCHES / cannot understand with what
kind of arithmetic and slate pencil MAJ
calculates when he comes TO III. conclu-
sion that church attendance III America is
in decadence Take the aggregate of the
number of people who enter the house OF
God now and compare it with the aggre-
gate of the people who entered the house
OF God twenty-five years ago, and ths
present attendance is four to one The
facts are most exhilarating instead of be-
ing depressing That man who presents
the opposite statistics must have been
most unfortunate in his church aequaint-
ance.
You are not TO argue adversely because
here and there church is depicted.
Churches have their day Sometimes
merchandise will entirely occupy a neigh
borhOod and crowd out the churches and
families ordinarily attendant upon them.
Sometimes church perishes through in
ternecine strife. But there are no facts
to overthrow the statement that | have
made in regard to the increasing attend
ance upon the house of God. Now, J. am
ready to admit, as every intelligent man
will admit, that there are churches which
have been depleted, and ii is high time
that sermon be preached for the benefit
of young men who are just entering the
gospel ministry and for the warning of
prosperous churches as to what are the
causes Of decline in any ease II mer-
chandise crowd out a church, that cannot
be helped. but under ali other circum-
stances decadence in church attendance
IS the fault either of the church or of the
pastor.
Use of Moderu Methods.
Churches are often cleared of their au-
tiences by the attempt to transplant the
.. 81, t4a
modes and methods of fifty years ago are
no more appropriate for to-day than the
modes and methods of to-day will be APP
propriate for fifty years hence. DR. Kirk,
DR. McElroy. Or. Mason, DR.. De Witt.
DR. Nermilyea and hundreds of other
men just as good as they were never
lacked audiences. because they We're
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 Woe
begonish, statistics are given 10y 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 comets aud take the old-fashioned
tuning fork, striking it on the knee and
then lifting il TO the ear to catch the
pitch of the hymn, and might as Wen
throw DHt our modern platforms and mod
ern pupits and substitute the wineglass
pulpit up which the minister used to
climb 10 the dizzy height of Mont Blanc
Bolitariness and then go in out Of sight
and shut the door after him. When You
can get the great masses of the people to
take passage from Albany 10 Buffalo in
stage coach or canalboat in preference 10
the lightning express train which does it
in four hours, then YOU can get the great
masses OF the people to 20 to a church
half century behind the time
The trouble begins away back in the
theological seminaries. 1t is a shame
that larger provision is not made for
IN listers Of religion, for the sick and
aged and the infrm who have worn
themselves out in the service of God
We have naval asylums and soldiers
asyihlils for men who fought Oh land
and sea fer our country when these men
have become aged or crippled, and it is
a sha me that larger provision is not
made for the good soldiers of Jesus
Christ who have worn themselves out in
battling for the Lord. Bur lack of pro
vision in that respect makes tendency
TO turn uur theological semnaries into
hospitals for sick and aged aud intirn
ministers. When a man begins to 20
down they give him the title Of D. D. by
way OF resuScit1tion. If that fails then
the tendency is to elect him To a pro-
fessorate in some theological seminary
There are grand exceptions 70 the rule,
but it is often the case that the pro
fessorate in theological seminary is
occupied by some minister of the gospel
who not being able 10 preach is set to
teach others how TO preach. In more
eases than one the poorest speaker in
the faculty is he professor Of el0cution.
We want more wide awake, more able
Bodied abeTninded men, more enthu-
siastic men in oar theological scminaries
and in the professorates- like Addi-
sen Alexander who could during the
week teach young men the theory Of
preaching and then on Sunday 20 into
the pulpit and with the thunder AMI
lightning Of Christian el0guence show
1heIn how What would yoa think Of a
faculty Of unsuccessful merchants to
train Young merchants or a faculty Of
unsuccessful lawyers 10 train young law
gers. Il is aftsn the ease that theo-
logical seminar Is cut man and clip
him and square him ana mold him and
bore him and twist him until oil the
individual j gone out of him aud he is
only poor copy Of man who was