The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1907-11-01
THE WOMAN WHO WENT TO
CHURCH.

Tier reception varied from warmth to
frigidity. The inference naturally to
be drawn from the record of her ex-
perlence is that the churches which re-
celYed this woman cOldly were blame
worthy, and that those which received
her warmly were praiseworthy. Such
an inference is based on the notion
that n who goes to a church service
to worship has the right to think of
her personal treatment.
The conception of the church service
as an occasion for promoting the inter
change of social courtesies among its
members and for extending social cour-
tesies to others places on a low level, if
1t does not altogether destroy, the mo-
tive of church attendance. 1t is based
on the conception of the church as a
club. 1t assume that the church is
owned by its members, that those who
attend Its services do so upon suffer-
ance, and that it is therefore the bust
ness of the members of the church to
make any stranger who enters its
walls for worship feel like an honored
guest.
1t is the weakness of American Prot
estantism that this club conception
prevails among the Protestant church
es OF this country. No one would think
OF attempting to take the social tenn
perature of Roman Catholic churches
by applying to them a journalistic
thermometer. In a Roman Catholic
church no woman would expect per-
sonal attention unless she had made
her wants known to the priest or to
some n who could take her case to
the priest. TO the credit of Roman
Catholics be it said that they attend
church services for the purpose of wor-
shipping God. They do not expect to
receive a welcome in church, any more
than the user of a public library ex-
poets a welcome when he sits down to
read. The real test for the social value
OF a church would be the experience
OF a newcomer who, desiring really to
participate in the life of the church.
made his presence known as one who
had a right to share the religious in
stitutions of the community. But this
test is not here under consideration.
The experiment of this journals rep
resentative cannot be accepted too seri-
ously. If she had gone to church to
hear the truth, or SO much of the truth
as the preacher might give her, if she
had gone to worship God, she would
not have been greatly concerned
whether she was warmly or coldly re-
celVed. She did not go to listen or to
worship. She went to see whether
people would pay any attention to her
old clothes. AS a test for the true
character of the churches she visited.
we do not see that her purpose was
valid. Indeed, would not most respect
able poor people spurn as an intrusion
and an 1m~pertinence any action based
on the assumption that they 90 to
church for the purpose of securing at
tention? Is it proven, indeed, by this
test that any poor woman who should
go to any of these churches to ask
plainly for assistance would not re.
ceive it? Nevertheless, the experiment
is not without its value.
1t reduces, in the first place, the
| u conception of a church to an alb
surdity. 1t shows that in the city, al
least, few large churches can conform
to this conception consistently. In
other words, it indicates that, however
staunchly Protestant Christians NAV
maintain their church privileges as
though they were the privileges of
club, they are forced by modern con
ditions to forego their duties as dis
pensers Of church hospitality. This eX
pertinent, in the second place, helps t.
emphasize, by contrast, the concep
ton of a church as a community in
stitution. 1t shows not only where tn
present weakness of Protestant church
es lie, but also the direction in whicI
they must move if they would indeel
become the churches of the people.
Professionalism has weakened itsel
by casting away the dignity of tn
Church; it has weakened itself by bic
ding for patronage. All sorts of peopl
criticise it on this its own assume
position. If the churches will but sa
boldly and frankly, Those who ente
here for worship need expect no socis
attentions, for this is the place wher
man draws neal to God and God draw
near to man, more would atten
churches than now Avowedly base
on democracy, the Protestant "churc
finds its principal weakness in its lac
of democracy. The assumption that
visitor TO a church desires attention
an assumption that places the visitC