The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-11-18


passed over without word. In the field
/ OF Industry where the masses OF men are
engaged the crying problems are OF tho
body not OF the soul II 10 question OF
food not faith. IT In a question OF re-
| spectacle home here, not a mansion here-
after. II IL u question OF eight hours now,
not Of an eternity TO come. ~
IL In a question of the right TO enjoy
some OF the good things OF life now not
the assurance OF harp hereafter. II 10
question Of a do,,ar In Providence not =
question OF golden streets In the New Je-
| rusalern.
The great problem that confronts men
10 the dual problem OF capital and labor
not the. triune speculation concerninE
! God. It's the problem OF how TO Set the
Kingdom OF God into this city and leave
| every man tree. not the problem OF one
man getting hts soul into the kingdom OF
| God.
! 10 the masses or men In the face Of
these problems the church is absolutely
weak and helpless and since the church
cannot help them they see no reason
why they should help the church.
TI-RN FROM THE CHURCH.
A. consequence the masses OF men
1 turn from the doors OF our churches on
the Sabbath for the field and the forest.
] for the library. for the companionship OF
/ friends for those places where SOME go
7
! the battle. and few 10 satisfy the deep
longings of the soul which the forest. the
| poet or the friend provides In a way that
! the preacher does not.
! The attitude OF society as a whole Is
! the attitude OF the individual wrib large.
Every man is his own problem but we
may gererallze and reach the majority OF
cases. II there is a general feeling that
| the church is out OF line with the new
! point Of view In thought. II N Ia weak and
] helpless IN practice the individual mans
/ attitude will he one Of Indifference. He
will say as Emerson said of the Holy
Communion, II simply does not interest
! me.
! Besides. the great majority OF men to-
day, ~ they are interested In religion NJ
all are Interested more i'm something
/ else. The practical q airs Of life Will
| predominate Even whore there Is a re-
! ligious interest the individual. as We have
already indicated, feels and exercises his
religious nature In spheres apart from the
! church. Our art r. per7nested with re-
| hgion.
The writings OF Emerson. OF Browning,
OF Carlyle and a host Of others deal with
the fudamental questions OF life. and the
man who IL interested and engrossoo in
Browning is not interested In the
argument AS to how man might
live In the belley OF whale for three
ing poetry, or an illustration OF how the
action Of Agag I'm tearing 10 pieces his
enemies can be jrstifed on moral grounds
because he thought God commanded it.
or how novel points may as truly be in
spired as great Epic
LEARNS FROM EXPERIENCE
Furthermore. the individual learns from
experience. He comes In contact hl bus,-
ness with men In the church, His expert
ence has not led him TO the conclusion
that all men In the church are saints and
all men out of the church sinners.
He can't see why he should buy his
sugar Of man simply because ne is
member OF the church or how that IL
sufficient compensation for short
weight He Is led too often to the con-
yiction that morality and religion are not
always Joined and that some men are so
much interested In long prayers as TO for
get TO mention in a horse trade that the
animal has ring bone and spairn. He
comes in contact with people who In the
church profess charity. and vet who
smack their lips over juicy bit OF gossip
and roll scandal around under their
tongue before they swallow st. not for
fear they will choke on II. but for fear
they will miss its favor.
The man of experience says II the
church does not help men in these matters
perhaps 10 Is not necessary. But the
church says 30 the world: You out to
discriminate These are not good samples.
But the world replies: You ought 10
practice what you preach. indifference
on the one hand. experience with the
church on the other--these help to swell
the multitude OF those who say we have
no use for It, and II Is because so many
say this and have said 1t SO long, that
many are hostile toward the church today.
simply because they are ignorant OF what
rome churches, at least, are trying TO do.
They do not know that some pulpits
reject tho very doctrines which they hold
up 10 win the Kisses of the crowd. Rob-
ret Ingersoll. III be we're living today,
would find his arguments dead and life-
less in the face OF the Biblical scholar
ship OF our times. And you hear and ]
hear reasons stated by intelligent men for
not worshipping In the church that to-
day are absolutely worthless. To all such
doubling Nathaniels let 1t be said. Come
and Sec
so ioug do our sins weigh upon US.
The sins OF the churches are visited
upon the churches children for three and
four generations. God forbid that the next
generation should condemn lis because we
have not preached and practlced what we
believe to be the truth. Let not our children
cay that earnest. honest men are turned
aside from the church. because in this
generation In oiir Sunday schools and
In our young peoples societies a con-
ception OF Christianity was taught that
was false and because false could not
stand the test of time.
ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH.
The great enemies today Of the chure,
as the church is viewed IN the light Of
the future. are those OF it's own house
hold, Men In the pulpfts playing 10 the
galleries. ranting about the new theology
and the dear old book that has been
tone leaf from leaf
Men who are teaching for Christianity
and Gods truth what every intelligent
| man and woman knows To be vcritable
| rot The church has suffered already too
| long from these sanctimonious frauds
| let the intelligent few rise up and
claim its right Let the truth loving pull