The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-03-15
A WorshipIess Sabbath.

n EV. DIR. GEORGE c. LoRIMER o
. II the Madison avenue Baptis
: church. New York, takes
$ gloomy view of religion in America
/ and declares that evangelical religion
, especially, has reached a very low vi
tally. He complains that the attend.
ance at church service is shamefully
, small We are attacked by secular
!; writers" he says. who tell us that the
ministry is deteriorating: that the
The schools. and that education alone
can encompass all the activities of
life Much more he says in anguish
of spirit, but without answering the
indictment of evangelical religion by
Secularists, who also point with scorn
at the ice cream suppers and other
cheap methods of obtaining money to
support the gospel" DR.. Lorimer con-
eludes his lamentation by declaring
that at the present rate at which we
are living, in fifty years we will have
no Sabbath"
Who is 10 blame for this apathy
among the believers in evangelical
religion the ministers, or their erst-
While pew holders, whom Dr. Lorimer
now calls secularists? Evangelical re-
ligion is not superior to reason, and
where man is admonished to con-
strue the Word to suit himself, what
advantage has the preacher over the
individual reasoner? The Sabbath was
set aside by the Creator not only as a
day of rest but as a day of worship
What construction does evangelical re-
igion give worship, other than
an invitation to hear a minister
discourse on 1.-THE Lesson of Prince |
Henrys Visit and listen to a new So |
prano just added to the choir? No Won |
der the Gospel is so cheap that ice
cream suppers furnish abundant means
to float it. No wonder the secular esti-
mate of evangelical religion is compared
with other worldly affairs, TO the dis
advantage of the ministers. The fact is
that the value of a minister is rated
like the value of a book keeper in
commercial house. Both work for a
salary. 1t is natural for the mer-
I
oook-keeper than he does on his min
ster, although the latter may draw
bigger pay and hold down softer
Job. Looking at it from his stand
Joint, the merchant violates no divine ;
obligation by absenting himself from ,
'ublic worship so long as it is not real ,
Worship; and it is not real Worship 4
'here the biggest salary is given to the I
Minister who best discourses on the i,
popular topics of the day. The mer- u
hant would be silly, indeed. should he a
g out in the rain to attend such wor- r
hip. especially when he can get it next i
forming in the daily paper.
This is an illustration of evangelical
orship, interrupted occasionally by
lie revival" But the old-fashioned
>vival is no longer popular In the
'uth it is relegated to the "niggers
nd poor white trash" In the north it
succeeded by the ice cream supper. :"
9th devices of gospel winning are re- =
liked by the secularists, who accord y
g to DR.. Lorimer) say that educa- v
On alone can encompass all the ac- ~
vities of life X
The Catholic church alone presents %
e attributes of real worship. Upon y
) affairs is daily enacted the awful ~
orement made by the Goldman for ii'
e sins of the world. Within its tab '"
nacle reposes the soul and divinity of Vi
2 Trinity. 1T is the faith in this Real gu
essence which inspires the believer to IS
lad for pardon and hope for saliva III
n, and through the confessional Cd
ige himself of Gods displeasure. See he
lat is going Oh in Butte today. Wit WI
IS the crowds on their way to church He
the gray of dawn, the air heavy co.
IN frost and sulphur smoke. 1t is a
rifice these toilers in the mine make. hu
it is borne cheerfully, yet no less 10
,erfully by their wealthy CO. on
gionists. No salaried ministers talk I'm
these early risers during the Cath no
mission in Butte, but men who rs
their lives to Christ by vows of oif
erty and obedience. This is real To-
ship. This is Catholic worship. ina
I. Lorimer may be right in pre- arg
ing that in fifty years I'VE will tioi
e no Sabbath" but he speaks not zee
the Catholic church, which for two u
lsand years has preserved the sane lSo'
of the Sabbath as Christ preached avn
n Galilee. froi
CON