Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1902-12-04
AS WE GO ALONG.
Some Observations That We Deem
Meet For Saturday Reading and
Sunday Reflection and
Every Day Guidance.


Sunday has been widely discussed.
Some claim that business has largely
cut into religion, SO to speak, and
that the Sunday newspapers have
more or less printed matter bearing
upon religious topics which is more
interesting than the average sermon.
Others declare that the public au-
thorities are in a large measure re-
sponsible for it by being SO careless
in the execution of the Sunday laws
as to cause Americans to drift to-
wards the European idea of observ-
ing Sunday.
A Chicago contemporary COM
menting on the subject, pointedly
says:
"The truth is that, from a secular
viewpoint, the average American
business man has outgrOWn the
average preacher in some respects Of
late years. He is increasingly a man
of education. The time has passed
when the average preacher was men
tally the best man in his community
able TO inform and. instruct his
hearers upon almost any topic. In
mental power the peWs have grown,
relatively speaking, faster than the
pulpit. There are many cOnsplcu-
Gus exceptions on every side, but,
nevertheless, this is the rule. For
this condition the preachers are not
to blame. 1t is an inevitable result
of the worlds increase in wealth and
of the facilities Tor mental improve
ment which wealth brings. Where
many preachers have been to blame
is in falling to perceive where the
church's true strength lies"
Irus4nllI.g 1l,av there is a good
deal of truth in this, it is noticeable
that a great many preachers. who
find themselves unable to hold the
attention of their hearers by reason
of the fact that the latter demand to
be told something in an interesting
way which they do not know and
which the preachers themselves are
frequently unable to do, resort to
science, art and what not to hold the
attention Of their audience. What
is the result? Genuine religion is
largely discarded in favor of an ava
1anche Of speculation, and the in
telligent, thinking man finds him
self wondering if the day will ever
come when preachers will cease
their efforts to reconcile the Bible
and science. Orthodox believers in
the Bible have long since satisfied
themselves that the Biblical writer's
were not scientists; that science was
not their aim and object, and that
man, with his poor, weak mental
Limitations should no o reject the
frustwortniness of miracles as re-
corded in the Scriptures on the
ground that he does not understand
them than that he should deny the
existence Of the aurora borealis, the
extraction Of water from the earth
by the sun, and other wonderful phe-
nOmena because he cannot give a
satisfactory explanation of the same.
When a man declares he doesn't be-
1ieve there were any miracles be-
cause he cannot explain them it is
safe to ask him if he would be will
ing to bow down and worship a be-
ing that could do nothing beyond his
frail powers Of comprehension.
And when preachers drift into
this sor: OF thug what may we ex-
pect next f ON the pulpit? Political
discussions, long-draWn-out argu-
ments on sociological topics. sensa-
tionaiis md, iii fact, anything but
an opposition Of the Bible and an ap-
~pllcation of its principles to our daily
lives. IS it reasonable to expect in
te,IioenG business men to attend
church regularly to hear some gym
nastic preacher indulge in violent at
tacks upon individuals? Nc wonder
it has been suggested that preachers
who resort to such methods to keep
no their congregations should occa-
sionally try the Gospel for a change.
Further commenting on the sub
iect, our Chicago contemporary says:
"Yet again, the business man OBJ
serves with profound establishment
that many preachers insist on the
church laying aside n of its most
potent weapons-a weapon which
the business man finds indispensable.
The business man knows he cannot
succeed by love alone. He must OPP
crate by fear also. He knows that
in business the average man cannot
be induced always to do right mere
ly for love of right. He must be put
in Wholesome fear of punishment if
he does not do right. Yet he sees