The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-19
RECENT PHASES OF THE
 INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH

1 law sehol and theological seminary, ail
 conducted at hours and prices suited
 to the needs of the working masses. It
 has a yearly attendance of over four
 thousand
 .'The church also conducts a hospital
 which treats 5000 cases a year.
 .sThe Fourth Avenue Baptist church of
 Pittsburg has visiting nurse. a deaf
 department, a Red Cross auxiliary and
 what l think Is the only toy mission in
 the world
 Tn Buffalo the Westminster Presbyte-
 rian church has splendid social settle
 ment. diet kitchen, summer camp. a l public playground, a mems clubhouse, in- 1 dustrial classes a choral society a resi- dent nurse. a kindergarten and clubs and classes galore. besides supporting a hospital in Persia.
 "St Stephens, in St Louis, has a clothing department, kitchen, laundry, gymnasium and baths, vacation play ground and library. The Ninth Street Baptist church of Cincinnati has seven ehapels, at each one of which institu- tional work is carried on. Its nine building are open day and night, and It holds over eighty different services week, one for deaf mutes They have a hospital and ice water foun- tain, gymnasiums for women and men, 500 girls in the sewing room, 800 pupils in the singing classes.
 All this E city work. But here is an l example of what the institutional church can do In small village for Americans
 of the old stock, if you please, who need
 waking up more than factory populations and city sums, sometimes. l "fn North BroolSfield, Mass, there
 were about a dozen years ago 25O0 Protes- i tants, divided among three churches, all
 moving sedately along the old lines The : Union church, Congregational, was, l | tpIr ha pf tlpSp.
 "The pastor thought and pondered | long time before beginning institutional | work It seemed a prodiglous departure. l Finally he invited all voters to meet | in his church yestry for the discussion of
 the interests of the community. The re- | suit was the formation of the Enterprise | club which met fortnightly to discuss subjects connected with the geneal well | fare.
 Among the topics especially empha- 1 sized were the municipal ownership of public works. goods roads, music in the public schools, electric lights, a village | system of waterworks, and public spirit on the part of people with money and without children Later, boys and girls | clubs were formed, and Historical | eiety, for the study of the surrounding region rich in colonial and revolutionary lore.
 Now for the results:
 
 first club, North Brookfield had put music into it's public schools; the town i had put in q $200,000 system of water works; a free public library and reading room. costing s40O00, had been erected by citizens of the community having no children; and a church especially adapt ed to institutional work had been built at a cost of $60.000
 Tn this church are remarkably fine and complete gymnasium and a night | school in which seven different nationali- | ties are instructed. Isn't that an exam l pie of what the Americans of small 1 country town can do to make Thy king l dom come on earth, once they are touch- | ed with the inspiration of social better | ment?
 Now as for statistical results in city. The Miami association in Ohio in cludes the Baptist churches of Cincinnati l and its vicinity, twenty-three in all. | Two of these, the Ninth street and the 1 Lincoln Park are institutional The other l twenty-one are the old-time churches. | ''rhe two institutional churches are down town. subject to all the disadvan- l tages which have driven out so many | Protestant churches from such regions. In one year recently, out of 325 additions
 to these twenty three churches on confess | sion of faith, 209 were received by these
 two institutional churches.
 Tn numbers, of the churches stood | still that year. II lost, the remaining | gained. 271 members Of these 271, 1Sl
 were gained by the two institutional | churches.
 "The membership of those two churches | is 37 per cent of the entire association | membership. Their church property IS
 35 per cent of the entire church property. | And neither of the two has more wealthy | members. than a number of the other | twenty-one Those two churches made
 66 per cent of the gains of that associa- l tion of twenty-tnree churches in that l year.
 Such results have been amost appall- ing to advocates of the old line system. | So much so that the methods are now fol- | lowed by many churches which would | not call themselves institutional churches.
 Tn Manhattan and Bronx 112 out of | 4SS Protestant churches were reported 1 two or three years ago having one | or more forms of institutional work in | progress. Five have settlement work B | fresh air work, 1 2 bowling alley, 1 bil- | Hard room, a tailor shop, have ath- letie clubs. amusement societies, baths ? swimming pools, IS gymnasiums S dspensaries dispensaries and clinics, | 1 q medical aid society, hospitals, loan | associations, woodyards, coal clubs. 21 l employment societies, 2 penny provident | banks, lodging houses r day nurseries, | 1 an ice water fountain, l a soup booth | coffee booths, 4 flower missions l flower and fruit missions, 1 a legal aid 1 society, a civic club. a trade school, | night schools, manual training schools, 1 1 an art students club of l75 members. l 10 cooking schools. 10 kitchen gardens, 4S | industrial schools. 20 libraries and 25 reading rooms,
 l .,The institutional church Is distinctly Protestant. as it is distinctively Ameri- l can.
 l Out of 56 synagogues reported in Man | haitian and the Bronx at the same time | the following lines of work were report | ed: One reading room, library, kinder 1 gartens, 1 industrial school day nur- 1 series. These were scattered among 1 synagogues.
 1 "Out of 10S Catholic churches have forms of institutional work including 1 ? reading rooms, libraries, ? athletic
 uniors kindergartens and l day nur-
 sery"
 The Kind of Man to Marry. | From the Muncie Qnd) News-Tribune.