The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-04-13

churches that are looked upon as being
aristocratic. so-cnlled. arc mt the fore In
institutional work. ST. Bartholomew is
1.-The Nanderbilt's church," Among tho
other wealthy and locally and nationally
famed parishioners of st. Georges is none
other than j. Pterpont Morgan. Grace
church is hailed far and wide az n fashion
able place vi worship. likewise Trinity
church. Boston. Yet these churches get
right down to the poor man and his wants
largely so. because they are so-cailcd fash
fonable churches, since money and lots OF
Ii In the average case is essential to tho
proper pursuit OF institutional work In a
large city.
Salvation Of the Downtown Church.
institutional methods have truly heen
the salvation of many 4 downtown church.
ST. Georges was totterinS weakly on las
last legs when DIR. Rainsford began insti-
tutionalwork there twenty-three yearsaEo.
With the descendants of its former parish
toner's scattered over upper New York.
Grace holds together by reason of it's
institutional endeavors among the board
ing house and tenement dwellers surround
ing 1t in the lower numbered streets. The
Ninth Street Baptist church. downtown in
Cincinnati. was in despair until 1t became
institutional: now it is among the Queen
City's ecclesiastical leaders. with nine
buildings which are kent open day and
night. 1t holds over eighty services every
week. nearly a thousand girls attend Its
seven sewing classes. and about half that
number of boys and girls receive free sing
ing lessons during the winter months.
Statistics collected In 1900 by DIT. Josiah
Strong, president of the American Insti-
tute of Social Service. show that. all
other things being equal. the institutional
church increases IN membership much
faster than its old line sister. At that
TINA two Of the twenty-three churches III
the Miami Association of Ohio we've insti-
y TD1tt - 80 1N-,,, ~-, -, f,;n-l
natl, the hardest sort of field for 4 churci,
to york in. Still. 800 of the s25 additions
to AL tho churches of the association We're
to the two institutional churches. The
gain of these two churches over their
losses, which were naturally heavy. owing
TO removals to the suburbs, was 1871. The
associations total gain over the losses
was Ia. "4t appears, therefore" said DIR.
Strong. that without these two churches
the membership OF the association would
have been smaller by four at the end OF
the year than it was at the beginning
The churches In New York that show
the largest uniform growth are those
which are most extensively engaged IN In
stitutional werk-St. Bartholomew, st.
Georges. Grace. the West End Presbyte-
ran, among others. Six years ago 112 OF
Che iSS Protestant churches in old New
York were institutional in whole or III
part. The number has undoubtedly IN
creased materially in the last five years.
but not all the churches so working care
to be considered as institutional churches.
Nevertheless. and whatever their aversion
TO the classification. that Is their work
moro or less. and In most cases 1T has
been noticeable that following the adop-
tiort OF the new methods. church member
ship has increased. and the church's hold
on, Its neighborhood and Its respect
strengthened.
During the first years OF the new kind
OF church the Congregational denomina-
fton led IN the movement. A few years
ago this distinction belonged to the Prot
tstant Episcopal church. n man. quarters
popularity supposed to hold itself aloof
from the masses The institutional
church is now found In practically every
denomination, big and little. and as the
statistics OF its spread IN New York city
Indicate, it is the church militant, the ore
WITH a remarkable growth still before IL.
Tho New Kind of Preacher.
With the institutionul church has come
In a distinctly new kline of preacher. BE
fore the days Of its ynultifarious activities.
the American university got along very
Well with a scholar for president. Nova
days. II q. university is to go forward from
year to year 1T is absolutely essential that
1T have an able executive, a shrewd bust
ness man, at Its head-and lucky and ex-
ceptional Is that university whose CHIEF
business man is also Its first scholar.
~ IN lie iulltuClOIal Cnurcn, W1ji6
1T was an old line church. Interested only
in the moral third of It's members. then the
man for Its pulpit was q theological ora
tor. an expounder OF the Bibles moral
laws. Here ia St. Bartholomew's, with
upwaFd of POD meetings.. classes, services.
ana SO on. a week. Is it conceivable that 81
man trained for the pulpit oratory only
could run a complicated and enormous or
ganizat.on, keep all the various wheels
turning smoothly. prod here, check there.
at the psychological moment, determine
far-react1tng policies, appropriate large
sums OF money, be president of this club
and that school: No: it takes a man with
strong ability as organizer, executive.
hnanc-er and diplomat to be at tire head
Of an Institutional church.
Nor mus new kind Of preacher ba
the sort Of a man who will try to do all
thu work. Around him he must gather an
able and carefully selected star or a.
~sistants, clerical, medical and lay, and he
must devote the greater part OF his time to-
directing them III their stated tasks. That
Will keep him busy. That broke down DR..
tsainsford I'm 1883, and again last wear. ara
recently. because of overwork. he was
compelled to resign as rector OF the church
winch he rescued from an ecclesiastical
grave in the carly eighties.
What's tho Matter with tho univers;+x
church,
Broad ard sturdy must be the new kind
OF i~Teachers shoulders, and broad and
deep hts understanding of and ymna th;e.
for mis- fellow mans wants, physically.
mentally. morally. Only such a man il
fit to be at the head of a university
church. And, by the bye. is not that des.
Ssr;atlon-univcrsity ch,rch-more appro-
piiaie than the one we nave become ac-
custc'ned to using all these twenty-odd
years agone?
Girl Champion in Blind Typewriting
From the Chicago Tribune.
Ine worlds record In blindfold type
writing contests was broken at the bus
mess show at the Coliseum Tuesday
night ny Miss Rose l.. Fritz of New
York. who wrote 4.0O7 words correctly
in sixty minutes. The total number OF
words written was 4,457, but $50 mis-.
takes We're made. When sire won her