The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-11-26
THEY PLAY AT CHURCH WORK.
The. Rev. DR.. John B. Shaw Raps
Insincere Women.

The Rev. DR.. John Balcom Shaw, who
is leaving the West End Presbyterian
church OF New York to take charge of
the Second church of Chicago, adj
dressed his valedictory to his fellow
pastors in the Presbyterian Ministers
association. His address was on Soul
Rewinning" and he took pessimistic
view of the religious tendencies of the
time. These are some OF the things he
said:
Five years ago a canvass of the five
blocks of the street upon which the
West End church is located revealed
that there were enough eX-elders, eX-
deacons and eX-Sunday school teachers
ana other church workers who had
lapsed living on that one street to fill
to the doors a church seating LOO per-
sons. At the present time / have no
hesitancy in estimating that TWO OF
perhaps three such edifices a the West
End church would be needed to accom-
modate them all.
There is a second class, consisting
of those who have at some time formal
~ connected themselves with the
church Their names are on our books,
and once in a while they turn up Oft
ener at a social rather than a re-
Iigious function-but they are practic-
ally the unchurched within the church.
il would be fearfUlly heteTodoX thing
for a Presbyterian clergyman to speak
of a second conversion. but something
like that will have to take place.
"A third class goes through all the
motions of the religious life, is faithful
in its rela tons to the church, bu, its re-
ligicn, as Carlyle describes it, is only
algebraic piety,' playing, not living,
toll liz
on the new people,. but you can scarce
~ hire the most pious OF them TO make
personal calls either for "a lost sheep or
for one only strayinS.
"A certain pastor in Our City-let his
name remain unspoken-noticed recent
ly that one of the young women OF his
membership showed suspicious signs OF
slipping away. lie did not like the in
creasing ruddiness of her complexion,
and the expensive Clothes she was
wearing so contradiCted the frugality
OF her home that he was naturally anX-
ious for her. He went IL one of his oTn
good women, an active church worker.
told Ter the facts, and asked her to give
ire young woman immediate and spe-
cial attention.
The charge was cheerfully accepted
and lis fulfilment Faithfully promised.
After = whole month what was the
pastors surprise TO learn that nothing
had been done. His worker said she
had been too busy. But she had not
been too busy TO attend tire theatre
three times each week since the charge
was intrusted to her, nor too busy to 60
to her euchre club, nor to spend an aft
ernoon or two each week in making So
Cial calls.
L, t.,,.
turned to "a second good woman OF his
church, one who always attended the
woman's prayer meetings and INDUCED
freely in pious talk. She also mace fair
promises. She kept ti.-m no better
than her busy sister. She gave much
church work as an excuse for her neg
lect She had plenty CT time to plan
entertainments, but none to give to an
imperilled soul.
Then another attempt was made,
this time With a Christian Erdeavorer
of the jealous type. She was no NOR
prompt in her service than her prede-
oossor. Finally. in despair, the pastor
turned 10 dedconcss, and warned her
OF carrying this young woman's blood
upon her conscience. This fourth young
woman went straightway upon her mis-
sion only to find that matters were far
worse than even the pastor had sup
posed The young woman could not be
found at home; she spent her evenings
out. SO the visitor sought her at her
place of business, and the diamond
rings which bestudded her fingers. her
dyed hair an unmistakable cast in the
eve. told the sad story of her ruin.
While Gods people had been tarrying,
playing with the world, or trying to
satisfy their conscience with unimport-
ant work. one OF his children had been
lost. not only to his church, but to de-
ccncy, honor and virtue"
There Was much discussion of DR..
Shaw's paper. Some members Of the
association held that he looked at
church conditions with too pessimistic
az eve.