Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-09-07

animals. Is a God implanted instinct
Man will associate with man, and no
power on earth can help it He will
associate with man in the church or
else in the saloon or club or secret SO
ciety. He must and will find perpetual
conIpanionship during his evening
hours. The church should provide a
place for the harmless indulgence of
that craving.
How to Reach the Masses.
Statement second: find by study of
books and personal investigation that
every church which has first been bap-
TIED by the Holy Spirit and then gone
forth to reach the middle or the labor
ing classes through the social gate has
always been blest of God in a marvel
Gus way. a conspicuous illustration of
that fact is seen in St Georges Epis-
copal church of New York city. This
was once the famous church of the
great DR.. Stephen Tying. This church
is situated in East Sixteenth street A
short time after the good DR.. Tying
died the wealthy parishioners of this
church began to move away. There
was great talk at one time of abandon
ing this site and going farther up town.
Then came DR.. Rainsford to this pulpit.
He is a big, warm hearted, practical
Christian. What did he do? Desert
that magnificent downtown field to
Satan, as many of our downtown
churches have done? No; he made st.
Georges parish right about face. He
made that church appeal to the classes
around its very doors. He made it &C
complish its work by appealing to the
neighborhood through the social gate.
| The result is st. Georges Episcopalian
| church, great as its former pastors
were never did the good that it is do
| ing today. 1t is now appealing to the
great unchurched classes. Its parish
houses and social beehives are busy
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs
day, Friday and Saturday as well as
having its church auditorium open on
Sunday. 1t is a church of the glad
hand" and the every night welcome"
as well as the church of holy prayer"
What is true in reference to St.
| Georges church is true of the Judson
Memorial church of New York and Of
Russell Conwell's church in Philadel-
phia and of the Park Presbyterian
church of Newark, n. j., and in one
sense of the Moody church of Chicago.
Oh, why will not all of the churches,
like those named, learn the value Of
doing their work by appealing to the
social instincts?
In the most congested parts of our
cities the saloons have no difficulty to
live. They appeal to mankind through
the social gate. Upon their windows l
see these words advertised everywhere:
Free Lunch" What does that mean /!
Have the saloon keepers suddenly be-
come philanthropists? Are they ami
mated with the gospel desire to feed
the poor and care for the starving
Oh, no! The saloon keeper is a man
shrewd and keen in business He says
"If | with a sandwich can only entice
my victims into my hell hole then
can keep them here by the social in
stinct. will then surround them
with my hirelings and hold them in
grips of steel" There is an old saying
in church circles, Give the people 8
free lunch and there is no difficulty in
collecting a crowd" If the salooI
keepers can afford to give free lunch
every morning. noon and night in the
service of the devil l do not believe Il
poor policy once in awhile on week
night for the institutional church t.
give free lunch" in the name o.
Christ.
EVIL Influences to Counterfeit.
When some months ago l wen
through the Chicago slums in compan.
with the officers of the law, hunting
for the debauched husband of one o
my church members, found in man.
of these evil resorts that free vaude
Vile shows were given in order to de
coy and draw in crowds. If the Satan
ic proprietor can afford to do that
do not believe it out of place for Chris
tians on the week nights to offer re
fined social entertainments to gsthe
the great unchurched masses into
church fellowship in the name q
Christ. .......-
day night, past church after ehurc,
tomblike and silent and dark on az
count of their closed doors, and fin
the billiard halls in full illuminate
and crowded with the young men G
. our land, l know then that there
something wrong. l know that thes
young men are not being appealed
I In the name of Christ through the 81
cial gate. know that the institution;
church is right when. to counterat
that evil influence. 1t throws wild
r open its church buildings and offers
the young men and women of its neigl
I borhood libraries in which they ca
: read the best books. and gymnasium
: in which they can develop their mu
; cles. and places in which they can
brought into the best of Christian a
: ISOLATION. You who decry the missile
n of the institutional church. did yC