The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-06-09
A SERMON FOR Sunday
A STEcka DISCOURSE ENTITLED,
"W.;..AT CHURCH OWES CHILDREN"


The Rev. Howard McliSll Talks Whole
somely on the Promise of Zechariali
to His Discouraged Countrymen -
Mans Thirst For Righteousness.
BRooKLYN, n. Y.-"What the Church
Owes the Children" was the SUBJECT ot
strong sermon preached by the Rev. H}T-
ard MeEsh. rector OF the Church Oh tne
HOLY Trinity 4 number OF requests tor
its publication have been received and 1t IS
herewith given. The text was from Zeeha,
1iah Wits: The streets OF the city Shall
be full of BOYS and girls playing IN the
streets thereof" Mr.. Melish said:
Zechariah gave this promise as word OF
announcement 10 his discouraged country
men when on their return from their exile
they were trying in the face OF enemies
anG great obstacles TO rebuild Jerusalem.
The time will surely come, Re bade them
believe, when the city shall stand once
more on Mount Z!on n all its former
strength and sp:endor, blessed with that
greatest of all life's neutrality-suspicious.
at play. ''''he streets OF the city shall be
full of boys and girls playing in the streets
thereof"
One OF the wonderful stories which GU;
last census told was the phenomenal
growth of the American city. Briefly, the
story is this: While the population OF the
country in the nineteenth century was
multiplying itself fifteen times the popu'
lation Of the cities and towns was multi
p!y;ng itself 80 times. Whereas the popu-
lation of the farming community has been
multiplied by two in fifty years, .hat OF
cities has been multiplied by ten; IN lsoO
one man in every twenty-five lived IN a
lo,- ~ &c three.
The tremendous concentration OF men.
women and children in our cities Is one OF
the most significant and startling facts OF
The city is built! The prophets promise
has been fulilled-tEe streets are tuil OF
boys and girls. But what tulillment!
They are playing in our streets because we
have built our cities in such way that
there is no ether place ioc them to play.
In our tenement districts especially the
houses stand so closely together that there
Is scarcely space for light and air to enter
rooms. not to mention courts, nask yaros'
short walk of where we are to day are
hundreds of families living in one or two
small rooIas to family, rooms often
gloomy at midday OF course, the chill
dren are in the streets.
And what places the streets are Tor these
little ones! Look over the pages OF our
parers day b. day with the children IN
mind and you read the sad story OF this
little child crushed by a car, of tnat one
manned fol- life by some wagon. 90 into
the Chiidren's Court and see. boys OF
twelve and fourteen arrested for crimes
which would send men to the penltentlary
for long period of years. Between the
crowded tenements and these injuries:
deaths and crimes, there is the relation OF
cause and effect The tenements drive the
bows into the streets, and there they are
forbidden by the police and prevented by
traffic to play games which kept me and
my boy friends from going to the dexll.
No! / don't mean that insinuation. Ihe
good God won't let the devil have those
boys They may become lmpertlnent
criminals, ard die like the hardened thleI
en- the cross but conditions shaped them,
and God will give :hen,, in my heart. OF
hearts. believe, new chance to become
like Him in tha: new city, Jerusalem.
which is not built by mems hands. And
vet true it is that in our cities boys who
are denied the healthy amusements OF boy
life drift into the crap games ana form
street gangs which terrify nclgEborhoods
and brutalize ccys and turn the spirit OF
mischief into the demon or crime. JACOB
Ris has told US that between the, tenement
and the penitentiarv he has found heaten
path, Travelled by the feet OF hundreds OF.
our boys every year.
II is about this somewhat new and very
serious situation of the children OF our
streets that I want you to think with me
this morning.
1t is often said, as IN argument against
tie church assuming this responsibility.
that tie church's one mission Is to pTeacn
the gospel, and l want to say at tae start
that the purpose OF the church has never
been more correctly defined. The gospel
is the message Of the good tldlngs that
God cares for Zen, that God is love: once
let a man accept that message and !et II
sink into his soul that it becomes the pfin-
cip,e of his life, and even though ne hyeS
in badly zen iiated house in u CROWDED
district surrounded by evil influences, Yet
he will be good citizen, son, iatEer, nus
band and friend. Yes, and once let land
lord receive the gospel in his heart and he
will transform his tenement lnto aecenV
abiding places if it o...s him haii his IN
come. For the gospel of the Son or God IS
the rereneratins power in the word which
makes all things new. To preach 1t clear
", with conservation and power, IS the su-
preme. all important, never-to- to-oc-iorsotten
mission of the church OF CHRIST.
But how S the gospel to be lTeacncd IN
our CROWDED cllieS lO-CGS ~ - 10 iA--
portant to know the way IS the destina-
tion when one is trying to reach definite
point in the world. Some men fancy that
the city needs nothing more than q coun-
try viliage-a preacher and a b!lildins-to
have the gospel preached with power.
There was a famous test case OF that
preaching on the East Side in Manhattan.
A man OF ability determined to preach the
Gospel every Sunday and do netting else,
believing that people would come as they
did before the city became what 1t IS TO-
cav. After several years he gave mp the
work as proved failure. He was john
the Baptist crying in the city wilderness,
but unlike Johns experience inc people
did not come out to listen 70 the voice.
And believe it is because they were walt
inc for the Christ Not the voice in the
wilderness, but the man to 90 about dong
coed. healing, strengthening, encouraging,
inspiring. Sermons. services and prayer
meetings are preaching the gospel and 40
good. Many. OF us could not live without
them. But they do not monopoiize preach.
ing the gospel Did Jesus do nothing but
preach and teach? The church needs to
learn anew the message OF the incarnation,
the truth that life is impaired only through
q life, We are Christ's body. May we
prove it by going, as He went: into the
orJ bool- alle,-s SojDr rood