The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-05-30
Why Men Don't go 10 Church.

ers and grandfathers of those now
filling the pulpits and it will proba-
bly, trouble their sons and grand
sons. But the fact was never so evi.
dent as it is to-day and the search af-
ter the cause was never so diligent.
A look over the congregation in any
Protestant church OIL a Sunday
morning will confirm the impression
that men do not go to church
in nearly as large numbers as wo-
men, and if any one has the means
of comparison he will find that the
proportion of men to women is even
less now than it was generation
ago.
Why is it so? There will be a
good many answers to the question
by both the lay and the clergy, but
probably the gist of the largest
number of answers will be that men
do not think it worth while to go
to church because they do not get
there what they want. This reply
will be given not only by the laity
but by the clergy also. In his an
nual address in Cleveland last week
Tuesday before the Episcopal
diocese OF Ohio Bishop Leonard
declared that people are not getting
what they want from the pulpit on
Sunday and therefore they stay
away from church. He said: The
world of busy toilers, the tired-out
men and women OF six days labor
in the marts of merchandise, want,
on the Lords Day,some instruction,
guidance and inspiration on the
subject of sin fighting and sin-kill-
ing. Our people tell me that they
do not desire politics, civic questions,
social themes, ethical theories,
doled out to them on Sundays by
gentlemen who know but little Of
what they are talking. Earnest
men inform ME that they want re-
ligion and not rubbish on Sundays.
They want the doctrine of the soul,
the helpful instruction of the per-
feet man, Jesus Christ, for their
spiritual uplifting. What we need
to-day is Christ and the church of
life. "
Bishop Leonard at the same time
that he delivered this chaIge to the
clergy Of ohio called attention to
an investigation made in Chicago as
to the subjects of sermons preached
in that city's pulpits on a recent
Sunday. The Times HeraM gives
these eleven subjects as specimens:
"Prof. Hermon's Teachings, !"
Mrs. Humphry Wards Eleanor, +"
"The Almighty Dollar" Tragedy
of Human Greatness, Doctrine or
Spiritualism, " The Religious Sit
uation, " "The Churches and Bigot-
ry, "Three-fourths or -Four fourths
OF a Man" Review Of the Trial OF
DR.. Thomas for Heresy," The
Southern Negro" An examination
OF the topics announced for pulpit
discourses in almost any city would
probably show many of the same
class of subjects. These are not the
subjects which will draw men to
church, and the discussion which
the publication of this list of subjects
has called out in Chicago iustlfes
Bishop Leonard's attitude and argu-
menr.
But the sermon is not the only
part of the service which keeps men
away from church. The singing IS
not guiltless in this respect, if the
Rev. DR.. Cadman. pastor of the
largest Congregational Church in
Brooklyn, is to be believed. In an
address last week on how to bring
men into the church he said
Another reason why men do not
go to church is the femininity of
her hymnology. Why. in the
Protestant Church you find very
few hymns that are strong, virile
and manly. We sing about dying
and going to heaven and about
sitting on marble slab, etc. Let
us sing about life and living. If
you live right, you will die right.
The strength Of Methodism is in
the hymnology Of John and Charles
Wesley. There is too much tweedle-
dunn, tweedle-dum in our hymns.
Men were won to God and Christ
by the great hymns of our fathers.
There is hymn, %, to Be Nothing
1t we want to be nothing, our
prayer will be answered. We should
get rid of the silly, wishy-washy
tunes we sing to-day. There are
many splendid hymns. They are
found in every book and excluded
from none
Here are two reasons why men
do not go to church. One is what
Bishop Leonard calls the rubbish
A.