St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-10-12
HE ENTERS A DENIAL.
Sermon Regarding the Diminishing
of Sunday Audiences.
DR.. Talmage Presents Some Hard
Facts Showing That Church At.
tendance In America In Not
i'm Decadence.

Facts showing That Church At
tendance In America II Not
i'm Decadence.
copyright, 1901. by Louis Klopscn. N. r.
Washington.
Most encouraging to all Christian
workers is this discourse of DR.. Tai
mage while denying the accuracy OF
statistics which represent Sunday au-
diences as diminishing. Text, He
brews 1925, Not forsaking the as
sembling of ourselves together"
Startling statements have been made
in many of the pulpits and in some OF
the religious newspapers. It is heard
over and over again thatIchurch at
tendance in America is in decadence. l
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
churches every day of the year. The
law of demand and supply is as mex
orable in the kingdom of God as it is
in the world. More churches supplied
argues more church privileges demand
ed. More banks, more bankers; more
factories, more manufacturers; more
ships, more importers; more churches,
more attendants.
In all our cities within few years
churches have been built large enough
to swallow up two or three of the old
time churches. I 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
IS years ago, and the present attend
ance is four to one. The facts are
most exhilarat ting instead of being de-
pressing. That man who presents the
statistics must have been
most unfortunate in his church ac-
quaintance.
You are not to argue adversely be-
cause here and there church is de-
pleted. Churches have their day.
Sometimes merchandise will entirely
occupy a neighborhood and crowd out
the churches and families ordinarily
upon them. Sometimes a
church perishes through internecine
throw the statement that have made
n regard to the increasing attendance
Upon the house of God. Now, I am
ready to admit, as every intelligent
nan will admit, that there are
churches which have been depleted,
md it is high time that sermon be
Preached for the benefit of young men
Who are just entering the Gospel min
stry and for the warning of prosper
Jus churches as to what are the causes
If decline in any case. If merchandise
crowd out church, that cannot be
helped, but under all other circum-
tances decadence in church attend |
nee is the fault either of the church |
r of the pastor.
Churches are often cleared of their |
audiences by the attempt to transplant
he modes of the past into the pres
mt. The modes and methods of 50
ears ago are NO more appropriate for
o-day than the modes and methods of
o-day will be appropriate for so years
ence. DR.. Kirk, DIR. NcElroy, DIR. Ma
on, DR.. De Witt, DR.. Vermilyea and
undreds of other men just as good
s they were never lacked audiences,
ecause they were abreast of the time
n which they lived. People will not
e interested in what we say unless
re understand the spirit of the day in
hitch we live. All the woe-begonish
are given by those who are
rying in our time to work with the
vorn-out machinery of the past times.
UGH men might just as well throw the
urnaces out of our church easements
nd substitute the foot stoves which
ur grandmothers used to carry with
hem to meeting, and throw out our
rgans and our comets and take the
ld-fashioned tuning fork. striking it
n the knee and then lifting it to the
IT to catch the pitch of the hymn,
nd might as well throw out our mod
IN platforms and modern pulpits and
ubstitute the wineglass pulpit up
hich the minister used to climb to the
Ivy height of Mont Blanc solitariness
nd then go in out of sight and shut
le door after him. When you can
It the great masses of the people to
Ike passage from Albany to Buffalo
stage coach or canal boat in prefer
nee to the lightning express train ,,
hich does it in four hours, then you
IN get the great masses of the peo-
le to go to church half cen fury be-
md the time.
The trouble begins away back in the ,
Geological seminaries. 1t is shame
lat larger provision is not made for
inisters of religion, for the sick and
le aged and the infirm who have worn
emselves ont in the service of God. I
e have naval asylums and soldiers s
'yiums for men who fought On land I
i'd sea for our country when these t
en- have become aged or crippled, and i
is shame that larger provision is q
IT made for the good soldiers of Jesus q