The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-16

the city Methodist churches: allud-
ing to the form of service which has
recently been arranged for the pub
lie Worship.
"Whaf's the matter with it?"
asked him.
20. it makes me tired. 1 can't
realize that am Methodist. but
am a sort of cross between a Catho-
lie and an EpiscoDalian and not
much of either. If our preachers
would cross themselves and repeat the
creed in Latin. or if they would adopt
the clergymans gown and drawl. l
might think We were Catholics or
Episcopalians. But. as it is. feel like
we are a sort of imitation-a Kind of
dilution that hasn't enough of the
solid in it to stand alone. / may be
wrong. but that's the way / feel.
"Oh. you are behind the tines I
said. "While it is true that John
wesley many years ago. preached
some very able sermons. on the doc
trines of Repentance. Faith. Justifi-
cation. the Witness of the Spirit ETC..
which did good. in their way: also that
he minified the importance of ritual
ism and magnified the conscious pres
ence of the Holy Ghost: yet. it must
be remembered that we have had some
new light impaired to us in these lat
ter days; and. that it's not just the
thing now as it was in the DAYS OF
our daddies and granddaddies to have
too much to say about experimental
religion. True the Psalmist said 'My
soul shall make her boast in the
Lord" and Christ also said: God is
a spirit and they that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit and in
truth" But that's old style now. The
present age requires fine churches. big
organs. scientific music and up-to-date
preaching on scientific, commercial and
nnlifipa1 tOnicS. and lust i'm DrOnOrtiOn
as the spiritual is minified the cerc-
Inonial must be magnified. Don't you
understand" / asked. by way of Il
closing remark.
81 understand said he. cor / think
! understand. that our church is fail
ing from grace-losing its religion
and Is beginning to substitute forms
and ceremonies for the old time PRAYER
and praise meetings.
did you ever hear; / asked. "how
the old colored preacher explained
falling from grace?''
NO" said he, tell me about it,"
my brethren said he. falling
from grace is one thing. but losing yer
'ligion is another thing. EVERYBODY
that falls from grace don't lose his
'ligion. It's dis way. 'Spose Use up
on a hen roost feeling fur fat hen.
in de dark. and jest bout de time
gifts her two feet in NV hand. de roOst
pole breaks, and 1 falls: dus yer spOse
Use gwine to turn that hen loose? ?
You bet I amt. I'll hold on to her
twill pull dem feet off. I falls from
de roost but 1 holds on to de hen.
Jus so. about falling from grace: I
falls from grace but / holds on to
my 'ligion."
So, you see. / said to my respondent
friend. as the darkey holds on to the
old hen, when he falls from the roost.
so Wen try to hold on to our religion
even though we do fall from grace.
Humor aside, / don't think the
Methodist church. by it's adoption of q
species of ritualism has added any,
thing to it's strength or usefulness.
1t fought and sung and prayed and
preached it's way from the coal pits of
Cornwall to the foremost place in the
religious world; and in the same way.
it can go on from conquering to con-
quest. without lowering it's standard.
or compromising any of it's old time
methods.
A brother preacher gave me an
idea the other day. which may serve
to satisfy those old time Methodists
who can see no good in the new order
of worship (Which requires the con-
hymns, repeat the Apostles creed and
sing the Gloria Patria' before the
preacher takes his text)
The idea is" he explained. "to
keep the congrega ton in motion SO
the sleepy ones cannot possibly doZe
off before the preacher can take his
text" The old style of sitting and
singing. he maintained. served as q
lullaby to a great many people. es-
Eeeially the men folks. who are heads
of families and are much broken of
their rest by reason of crying
babies. squalling brats. or the late
hours down town, on Saturday night.
getting shaved CD He said it's a
difficult matter to keep that class of
church goers awake until the text is
read out, unless there is some kind
of a commotion in the audience. Now.
ne says. we've got the go on those fei,
lows. Before they can possibly fall
asleep, or even doZe, we've got them
UP singing another hymn. or repeat
ing the creed. or singing Gloria
Patria." ana SO we manage to keep
them awake until the text is taken.
which it was impossible to do before
we adopted the new form of service.
That much is gained at any rate. and
if they hear nothing else, the texts
may do them a sight of good after
awhile.
I have been seeing some trouble
lately, but I hardly know how to speak
of it. as it concerns friend of mine
for whom I entertain the highest re-
gard, and for whose welfare l am
greatly interested. / repeat. l hardly
know how to speak of the matter: vet.
feel it is my duty to speak and.
thereby to some extent at least relieve
my mind of a burden that Expresses
il.
Hon. Josephus Daniels. the editor
of this paper. is the trouble just now.
and while am spending no sieepless
nights on his account. no more than
he did when lodging in room "2S'
assigned him by Judge Purnell: |
must confess have been thinking a
great deal.
1 have never heard of many people
being ruined by their enemies: but
it is all too true, as we'll as very sad.
that many have been and others ara
being ruined by their friends.
doubt not but what Eve loved Adam.
just as we'll as she knew how.
taking into consideration the two-fold
fact that there was no courtshiD nor
honeymoon: but the world has heard
with horror of the tragedy which
grew out of little mistake she made.
When I think of that mistake and
the terrible consequences that befel
Adams family on account of it. my
alarm is intensified. in behalf of my