The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-11-19

ception. The heather and the Mosiem have some object of worship and with out exception every religion has been honored with some outward nlanifesta- tion of respect on the part of the De lieyer. How much more emphatlcally should the believer openly manifest by the most public recognition the glorious God that is ours. 7
 Judge Weleh said that the lack ot at tendance at church could not be said to be universal, but is general, and of somewhat recent date. He declared that church going in his opinion was
 bounden duty as well as privilege
 which a person owes himself He re-
 ferred to Daniel Webster as a deyout
 and regular church-goer worthy of ex-
 ample. Nowadays, he said women and children constituted the largest part Of the church attendants. Men have terri
 bly degenerated in this regard In ear
 Tier times they were 2 physical necessi- ty to protect the women and children.
 Judge Welch expressed admiration for
 their clean moral fibre and their willing
 ness to listen to long doctrinal sermons,
 some of many things which have caused them to be considered as Christian he roes.
 The speaker called attention to the
 great changes for the better in every
 thing except attendance with eegant and commodious churches, inspiring music and ministers devoted, earnest and intellectually acute, and said that the decline in attendance of men could
 not be owing to lack of attractions. The men of these times give literally to the churches, realizing that the church
 makes life safer and property more ful- ly protected, but they deny to God their
 personal presence. The fact is that
 men do not care to listen longer to the
 claims of religion. They have lost their
 personal interest in the great subjects with which Christianity deals. Other things have come into their life and crowded the Christ out, their entire time being absorbed in the pursuit of pleasure or business. They remain
 away from the sanctuary because they
 are lovers of pleasure rather than lov- lers of God.
 Judge Welch declared that the Sum-
 day newspaper was one of the attrac- tions which keep men away from the church. "Once having taken possess
 sion of his Sunday paper or rather his
 Sunday paper having taken possession of him." he said, "he is under the con- l trol of an octopus which holds his at tention for hours. After having taken into his mental system the admixture of gush and sensationalisn, sentimental gossip and islander and bad jokes which these papers offer, he is not fit for the companionship of God, and hardly for that of his fellow man. T think we can- | not condemn too severely the Sunday Inewspapers in their nalign influence in restraining men from performing their religious obligations on the Sabbath. taThe automobile, locomoble or what ever you may call the horseless car- riage. is another deterrant influence. | If the man is a, possessor of one he can-
 not resist the temptation to run 1t on Sunday. Indeed that day is the custo- | mary day for it's use. If man owns one of these "devil wagons" he is dead sure to be out before church, inviting his friends to join him in making a noisy circuit of our public highways" Judge welch declared that some of the hymns describing the peace and rest of the Sabbath needed reformation | for consistency's sake. He declared \ that the trolley cars were another ob- stacle to mems attendance at church, as was also the eagerness in pursuit of | wealth. He declared that the rich man "bas intermittent spasm of giving some what on the order of the remittent re- morse of the thief who broke into a store and stole money from the cash drawer. A few months afterward the merchant received letter containing a ten dollar bill and the following note: Dear Sir, stole seventy-eight dollars from your money drawer. Remorse gnaws at my conscience. When re- morse gnaws again will send you some
 more. Somehow I always recall this lnote when I read of the donations of a
 Carnegie or Rockefeller or some oth-
 CT inordinately rich man to some be- lnevolent or religious object"
 Judge Welch declared that there was no excuse except illness or misfortune for not attending church. He declared that the criticism of the ministers, the preaching and the church was rank
 nonsense, and that the best argument against such excuses was that the ner were not honest and sincere in theil
 statements, and among the most fla, grant Sunday violators.
 Judge Welch said that he could sug.