Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-10
COUR7ING ROOMIN CHURCH?
NO, HARDL Y, SAY PASTORS
LOS ANGELES MINISTERS DO NOT FAVOR CHICAGO PREACH
ERS PLAN FOR YOUNG
Hall All Right but This Business OF Sparkling in such
Public Places Might be Embarrassing to Ardent
Youths, Belief of Many Clergymen

Courting, the regular old-fashioned
back-parlor, dim7light kind, is to be
carried out on an up-to-date basis If
the plan of Rev. j. r. Snyder Of Chi
cago is followed out by other churches
throughout the country. His plan is
simplicity itself, merely "courting
ROOM" where everything will be lovely,
dim lights, cozy corners and all that
goes with that sort of thing.
It will be very simple. The bashful
young man will go to the church which
the lady of his fancy attends, and he
will politely ask her into the court
ing room," and then 1t will be under
stood, without further ado, that she Is
being properly courted. Would leap
year privileges permit the young wo-
man to ask the young man into the
aforesaid "courting room?"
Courting, to be up-to-date. may re-
solve itself into mathematical prob
lem. How many coZy corners can
there be in one counting room, and will
1t be necessary to put out the sign:
This corner Is busy now? Just what
the rules of the new game will be have
not been made public, but 1t goes with
out saying that everything is to be
made pleasant, for how could the
"courting room" flourish otherwise?
Some Ministers Favor Plan
There are but few bachelor clergy
men In Los Angeles. consequently the
majority favor marriage, and while
"courting room Is a novelty in Los
Angeles, still. under the name of So
cial hall, 1t is generally approved by
the clergymen and their wives. III
marriages are made In heaven" what
could be nearer than made in the
church? And If made in the church
ha hn than
that the preliminaries should be salts
factorily arranged there?
"I have courted, and 1t worked, too,
and / didn't have to do 1t in the
church. either" said Rev. George e.
Foster, pastor of the Newman Meth
odist church, yesterday In speaking OF
the new proposition. II don't believe
1t would be just the thing from the
standpoint of the fellow that is doing
the courting." continued Rev. Mr.. Fos-
ter. "As for social hall in the church.
that is what there should be. 1t should
be general social room for the young
people, where they can have good
time and get acquainted, something on
the order of the Y. M. c. A. social
rooms, which. however, are now for
men only. This should be a splendid
thing, but speaking from the stand
point of a 'courting room, 1t wouldn't
work"
Might Lead to Court Room
"The courting room might too easily
lead to the court room" said Rev.
Baker p. Lee. rector of Christ church.
on the subject of How to court In the
churches" Anything that promotes
sociability in the right way Is good
thing. 1t is carried out In our mems
club and in our ladies' days. 1 think
1t would be we'll to have these social
affairs always properly chaperoned, not
necessarily watchful, but carefully
planned. Social pleasures are to be
commended in the church. But this
courting room Is absurd and ridiculous
Any man paying court to woman In
the right way would not do II In pup
lic.''
Rev. T. c. Marshall. rector Of ST.
Marks church, is a great leader in the
social settlement work in neighbor-
hood where the church means center
of sociability. He said:
at think the label is rather in bad