The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-06-09
makes thea. feel their brotherhood among

makes then: feel their brotherhood among
| men and the Fatherhood in God.
You know the way the churches have
shirked responsibility for this kind of
! preaching. the kind that is effective in our
| crowded districts. 1t IS one of the ssddest
chapters in the history OF Christianity.
Churches among our tenements, with few
splendid exceptions, have sold out and
| moved up town. with their wealthler mem
bers leaving their ,,oorer members as sheep
without shepherd in the "city wider
ness" One will hunt far before finding
more un nChristian spectacle than the exo-
| dus of the Christian churches from the ten
| ement districts where the harvest is ready.
| The reason usually given is the removal OF
| the rich to the suburbs end the failure of
| the poor to contribute liDcraily. So the
| poor are blamed for the church's lnhdelity.
| The church ought to be on the firing line
| where the need is greatest. Instead it ia
too. often found in the rear, caring for the
| wounded, no dc bit. ard occasionally urs-
stragg.ers- The crowded districts where
| the streets are fl'l Of bo: aad girls arc
| the church's responsibility TO betake it.
self to the suburbs and leave these children
| in the streets. saloons and tenements is to
| offend Gods little ores. And tire Master
said about such one thai it j. bette that
a milestone were hanged about his neck
and he was drowned in the depth of the
sea.
The second hing I want 20 think about
this morning with you is the church's op-
portunity to help the children o. our
streets. sS
This opportunity IS oriy limited by the
| number Of men and women who are Uilir
b IL ><era - tho ON
and by the space yon have to use. ssG1ve
| these children a chancesto get Cd. Of the
streets and away from the bad influences
into wholesome environment of real
warm blooded people and good books and
amusements and fun giving .recreatlons
and the will come to the church in
stampede. HFheir hunger for ENROLLING
friendships is one EofE 1ae most pathetic
things. / have found in my ministry, and
also one of the most inspiring.
On! the splendid opportunity for You al!
and girls OF our streets i; here. In the
boys clubs is the chance for YOU young
men to preach the gospel to our lads, not
by speaking sermons, but by manifesting
to them through Your manly sympathy
and interest, your courage and your truth
| fulness, your honor and your uprightness
the Christ you love and follow. Christ
! may be preached to these boys with the
| boxing gloves, and the fencing feils, the
carpenters tools and the football teams
| with more power than by sermons from
pulpit. In the sewing schoo! is the chance
for YOU young women to preach Christ. NOT
friendship fo3 the little girls who come in
eager to receive that which their homes
| are unable to give them. In the Sunday
school is the chance for you young men
and Young women, ,sand older ones, too, to.
gather once a week little group about
YOU and lead them through the wonderful
story of Elm vino came to earth to be our
servaritsand vet was King Eternal and
then through the alchemy OF the influence
of your life move them to love honesty,
purity. goodness, man. Christ and Cod.
Nor viii admit the older psople's chance.
to preach the living Christ. There, comes.
club in certain parish house where a.
professor of political economy net IN a
perfectly natural waysa brakeman or the
Pennsylvania road. and Doth men came to
see that great labor problem more clearly,
and had more OF the Christ tolerance than
ever before And I know OF women who
have found through the Girls Friendly So
ciety the chance to preach the living Christ
so effectively that ci-is haze risen up and
| called them blessed among women:
gThe few hours given to, such workin a
single year seem very poweriess beside the
powers of darkness which walk. our streets
both day and>night, week in and week out, !
in vacations as in working or school days.
But. thank God, mans life is not an
equilibrium of forces, a resultant of houses
and environments. In every soul is the
thirst for Righteousness which can be
aroused by bringing it face to face with
righteous. life, There IS. a, contagion in
goodness as theres is m badness Arouse
those dormant faculties in every soul, and
they. with Christ's help Will copnteract
all the influences Ole house and street.
This is the opportunity OF the church to-
the church will find, what every individual
who has so met opportunity finds. thai it
gets by giving and has a irmer ho.d than
ever on the realities of truth and lie.
Call such service whatryou Will-though
Z personally hate the trite phrase institu-
tional, Tor am pleading for q work alto,
sether personal, the touch OF life on life
but you must believe that the church
which assumes this responsibility and
meets this opportunity is following the e.
ample of the Master. When Christ came
to earth to lift men up 70 God He took the
form OF a common man. He might, We
some great plain and revealed His mission
in the sight of all with such glory that all
must bow the knee before Him. He might
have come with angels straight from heav.
en- and swept men ,irresistibiy into His
train. What Ee did resembied neither of
these, but poi is the way for US to follow.
He was among men as d servant. by His
life of service, now with sermons, now
with deeds. but always with life spread
ing a contagion of love, courage, hope,
manliness, sincerity, he, the servant. so
profoundly touched the hearts OF men that
men have risen un and crowned Him King
of Kings and Lord OF LORDS.
The Power of Cody Life.
In a recent article. the Rev. DI.
! Schaut4ler incidentally said: I had a