The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-06-20

to leave the store" mo one7 Why,
what are you talking about? Here are
clerks galore. You have at least TWEEN
ty men and women in your employs"
Il know it, you answer, "but not one
Of them all is competent to take my
place. They are all young men.
cannot make merchant out of an err
rand boy in minute any more than
In a minute out Of a young college
youth who has just matriculated in the
scientific school Of Princeton" Yet the
strange fact remains that, though
church work Is the most important Of
all work, the leading Christian men Of
walk out Of these halfway churches"
Thus they will practically say to the
minister who is struggling there:
young man, fill your session with 4
lot Of young people who are utterly In
experienced Grab right and left for
your Sunday school superintendent and
teachers, no matter whether they know
the Bible or no. We want to go and
live on the aristocratIc boulevarus and
go to stylish church. You must get
along as best you can" Thus these
leading men, seemingly without the
least compunction, desert their gospel
ship when it is in danger Of sinking
Don't Desert 1t.
Is it surprising that these halfway
churches are destroyed when their
strong church leaders desert them in
this way? Let me today enter one of
our large city churches in the residen-
tial districts and take away fifteen of
It's powerful consecrated church lead
ers. The next year have another tif
teen depart, and so on year by year.
Would not the spiritual work Of that
church be doomed? Yet this is just
what is happening to our halfway
churches" The greatest difficulty fac
ing such churches Is not that the null
titudes are not near by to be reached.
These multitudes by the ebb and flow
Of the boarding house element come
and go, but there is always multitude
there. The greatest trouble is that the
leading positions Of those churches are
not filled with experienced men end
women, with gospel veterans who stick
there for the works sake. These half
way churches" have not the spiritual
leaveners to leaven the church loaf.
O Christian workers, be ye men or wo-
men, you have no right to desert that
ed fifty, hundred. times more than you
are needed upon the church of the boule-
ward. know of what speak. 1t is SIM
ply an impossibility for any clergyman
to make a success Of one Of those impor
tant railway churches" unless some
Of the Christian men and women who
are now sitting uselessly In some Of
our weather. uptown churches are
ready to go down and help them. Again
and again in these old halfway
churches" a new session Of nine Nom
bers has been elected, and within six
months half of them would be gone.
These halfway churches" must have
the right kind Of men and women
for their official boards. More than
that, they must have money sufficient
for their work. Some Of this money
should be collected from their own
people, Most Of this money, however.
should and must come from outside
sources These churches need it and
must have it in the same way that
little child must have help from a
father. Supposing l should say to my
eight-yearold boy, ''Son, you must now
earn your living" You would answer
me: THAT is absurd! Your boy in
time will be able to earn his own liv.
ing, but he cannot do it now" The
halfway church" in one sense is the
child. It can do little for its own
support, but not enough to be indie
pendent Of help. But, though our
boss91s of home and foreign missions
send their representatives to many diff
ferent classes, they neglect, for the
most part, these halfway churches"
where every dollar invested for Christ
will bring the greatest returns ever
found In Christian work.
They Need Looking After.
The Importance Of financial aid for
these halfway churches" can best be
illustrated by describing the classes Of
people to which these churches appeal.
They are not dead BEATS" loafers and
outcasts; they are, for the most part,
young men and women-students,
clerks and young married PEG: lie.
There are many who have known What
better days mean, but have been
forced on account Of misfortune to
seek the cheaper lodgings of q town.
Shall they not be looked after?
Here Is one case: l am farmers
boy. "Goodby, mother" l say as I
climb into the village stage which
takes me to the city. ''Goodby! Good
byw Brothers and sisters wave as l
disappear over the last hill, which shuts
out the old home and the familiar
scenes Of my boyhood. l am now
heading for the city to make my way
in the world. Where will l board? In
fashionable part Of the town? Of
course not My salary is only SO a
week. I must live within walking dis
lance Of the store. Besides that, each
week I must send little money home
to help father hire another hand to