The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1905-02-16
Church Advertisements.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Richmond Times Dispatch
This is a day CT advertising,and even
the churches have fallen into the hab-
it, A writer to the New York lnde-
pendent has been giving this subject
special study, end, in order to get ma
terial for the article he has written,
during the weeks OF one whole Year.
from January to January, he clipped
each Saturday from the daily papers In
New York City that portion OF the
age containing church announce
ments. He concludes from his obser-
vat1ons that the purpose OF most OF
The entertainments, at least, was to at
tract a crowd. In one whole group,
for example, be says that the empha-
sis is laid uron the music. In most OF
the advertisements some special feature
is mentioned, mainly the music, the
preacher being secc ndary attraction.
He fcds that attention is repeat. Oily
called to the fact that the services will
be musical. With brief addresses. He
answered" one of the advertisements
by attending one such service, and
found that while the service was one
hour and thirty minutes long, the ser
mon occupied just six minutes. One
notice referred to new organ, another
mentions stringed quartette and Or
gan another boasts of stringed instru-
ments aud of chorus choir. One OF
the churches announced that colored
jubilee singers would render gospel
ngs aud plantation melodies, and
Till another announced music by
American Indians.
Again, there are advertisements OF
the subjects, some OF which are as iol-
lows: "Seekirg Grass for Mules and
Finding Elijab," Nathan said Unto
David, Thou Art the Man, or the
Crack Detective" "Out of .the Frying
Pan Iuto the Ere A Study of Recent
Suicides" "Has God Body?" "A
Defense of Violence to Scabs," "What
are Our Inspectors OF Police Doipg?'
"Noted American Gamblers at Monte
Carlo" "The Devil in Politics, Is He q
Democrat or a Republican," "The
Case of Florence Burns" 1.-The Humo1
of Jesus" "Christ's Banquet Talk
| Ole preacher announced as a subject
for a Christmas sermon Goods Little
Boy"
Is it not a sign of the divinity of the
Christian religion that it has prospered
and spread in spite OF the blunder'
AID Sins of heresy and narrow preju
dice and prosecutions -and false doc
thine and false methods of some of it,
exemplars and promoters in all ages
How can preachers and church official
h ,pe to promote the cause of religion
by resorts to the "tricks of the trade p
How can they hope to elevate thu
church by resortlng to degrading way
and means? The gospel is strongest il
its purity and its integrity it does not
need to be bolstered up by fakes ant
fads If it is not attractive within it
self, it cannot be made attractive b,
descending to the methods OF the play
houses. We believe in good music
good preaching and attractive services
but the cause OF religion is never tt
be advantaged by claptrap and sensa
:ionalism. The end will never Justify
The means. Crowds may be attracted
by their desire to see show, but i
they come in such spirit, they viii
have the sense of being swindled if th.
show is not up to the advertisement
and if they do see satisfactory show
nei: her they nor the cause of religion
will he the gamer by the experience.
As the writer in the Independent
says, crowd cannot be collected b,
mountebank tricks and then appealed
to with the solemn truth of God.