Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-09-11

w nat Is True III fcieffslCS TO =.
Georges church is true OF the IudsSa
Memorial church OF New York and OF
Russell Conwell's church in Philadel.
phia and Of the Purk Presbyterian
church of Newark. y. j., ard in one
sense or 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 10 the
social instincts7
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 I
Free Lunch" What does that meanf
Have the saloon keepers suddenly be-
come philanthropists7 Are they anil
mated with the gospel desire to feed
the poor and care for the starving2
oh. no. The saloon keeper Is man
shrewd and keen in business. He says:
IF with sandwich can only entice
my victims into my hell hole, then i
can keep them here by the social in
stinct. will then surround them
with my hirclings and hold them in
grips of steel" There Is an old saying
in church circles, "Cive the people q
free lunch and there Is no difficulty In
collecting crowd" II the saloon
keepers can afford to give free lunch
every morning, noon and night in the
service of the devil dc not believe 1t
poor policy once In awhile on a week
night for the institutional church to
give free lunch" In the name Of
Christ.
EVIL Inauences to Counteract.
When some months ago I went
through the Chicago slums IN company
with the officers OF the law. hunting
| for the debauched husband OF one OF
my church members. I found In many
! Of these evil resorts that free vaude-
vile shows were given In order TO de-
coy and draw In crowds. IL the Satan
ic proprietor can afford to do that
| do not believe IL out OF place for Chris
| tians on the week nights to offer re-
/ fined social entertainments to gather
the great unchurched masses, into a
church fellowship In the name OF
Christ.
When go down the street of Mon
day night, past church after church,
tomblike and silent and dark on ac-
count of their closed doors, and find
the billiard halls in full illumination
and crowded with the young men OF
our land. ! know then that there il
something wrong i know that these
young men are not being appealed to
In the name OF Christ through the so
cial gate know that the Institutional
1 oh 10 s-iryh Nxrhn IN 1t
that evil influence IL throws wide
open its church buildings and offers 60
the young men and women OF its neigh
borhood libraries In which they can
read the best books. and gymnasiums
In which they can develop their mus
cles, and places I'm which they can be
brought into the best of Christian as
ISOLATION. You who docry the mission
OF the institutional church. did you
ever stop TO realize that i'm the longest
ed districts of your tenement buildings
there Is hardly a public place for a
workingman to so and get warm ex.
cept to saloon. there is hardly a
place where he can 90 to meet the
most sacred wants of his physical ma
ture except I'm a saloon? Therefore can
we and dare we decry the mission OF
the institutional church I'm furnishing
wholesome and elevating amusement
for the workingmnn and a resort in
which he can spend q pleasant social
evening?
But" some one says. show then do
you distinguish between the work OF
the social settlement and the work of
the institutional churchr" They are
diametrically different. They are as
far apart as the arctic and the antarc-
tic poles. They have entirely different
purposes. The institutional church be-
lieves that the social gate" should be
the strait gate" leading directly to
the foot Of the cross While the social
settlement Is I'm nearly every instance
managed by Christians and while Il II
inspired by Christian principles and
motives. Ii Is compelled by the ext
gcncies or Its work TO keep creed and
denomination In the background. Its
opportunities OF getting In touch with
men and women OF every faith ana OF
no faith would be restricted, IL not al
together lost. IL ii became known as a
PROSECUTING institution. The institu-
tional church believes In being all
things to all men so that Jesus Christ
can be glori1ed. 1t is trying 70 carry
out the command OF Christ which says.
And IL be lifted up will draw all
men unto me-" The social settlement
can never take the place OF the church,
though II may prepare the way for II.
Its work. valuable an IL Is. does not
reach Its true elimination until the
people whom 1t strives to influence
have found in the gospel Of Jesus
Christ the panacea for ALI their afnic-
tons and ia Jesus himself the bearer
OF all their burdens. So the institu-
tional church, strong in it's conviction
or the efncacy Of Its remedy. makes
Jesus Its motto, presents Jesus at the
social gate, Jesus In our libraries, Je-
sus In our gymnasiums, Jesus with w
In caring for the children, Jesus the
countersign with which we shall COM
mune on the Sabbath day. Jesus the
name OF fellowship with which we
shall associate together on the week
night. Jesus. Jesus only!
Sabbath Day Observance.
Another means of benefiting the
workingman is to insist on the observ-
ance OF the Lords day. The Sabbath
day as sacred rest day Is to be q
great factor in teaching the 'laboring
classes how rightly to spend their
evenings. 1t Is not only, as William
T. Gladstone once expressed II, to be
the great conservator of physical
health" but also the golden gate which
shall open to let the laboring man into
the higher and nobler life of the Spirit.
1t is TO be the foundation stone Of the
sacred church Ii is also TO be the
foundation stone of the pure home and
OF the pure place OF evening entertain
ment.
An oriental legend In very graphic
way taught the truth Of Ralph Waldo
Emerson's terse saying, The Sabbath
day is the very core of civilization"
both spiritual and temporal 1t pictur-
ed King Solomon on his way to visit
the queen of Sheba While iourneyInQ.