The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1908-03-19
MII.5IENS Up IND JyAi
Move! Enterprises Marking the
Work of Churches.
MOHAMMEDANS ARE FEW

FFSe LuEch at Cfitg,c Greek, Cheeks
for Easies in Om.ac5--raVestisinJ
Found to Pay--VSrsd Soms hills
sion Work-Early Church Soeie.
ties IN America.
Church organizations OF the United
tiass have sometimes been accused
lck of enterprise. but innumri-
-..a instances of extraordinary en-
.-.tor may be cited in refutation OF
.--s charge.
.1e pastor Of q church at Cripple
task. Col, has introduced the free
inch feature in connection with his
CLurch work. lie aHsounced in the
papers that all who ended his SER
vice would afterwaiI be provided
with free food in the Sunday school
room.
For the sake of novelty a New
York preacher employed a whistler
and later a vaudeville artist to en-
liyen the services at his church Not
long ago the writer mad occasion TO
make an extensive trip over the I'm
tied States, and in eleven different
cities pastors of various denomina-
tions went to the trouble to copy his
name from the hotel register and send
invitations to attend their meetings.
In many cities churcn advertise
ments now appear in the street cars
and other public placer The convic-
e!yu seems TO be growing tnat !. pays
10 advertise religion as well as any
thing else.
A Chicago minister hit uron plan
to encourage housewives and young
mothers to come to the Sunday morn
ing service at his church. He estab-
lislCd q creche or day nursery in al
adjoining building where he installed
a corps of nurses under the charge
of a competent matron.
Mothers of babies and young child
ren are now invited to bring the little
people along and check them free of
charge in the creche, while they at
tend church next door. Their minds
can thus be free from worry in the
thought that their children are near
and are being well cared for.
The man who objects to foreign
missions and thinks that nothing is
being done to spread the Gospel at
home will be surprised to know that
a great organization is at work es-
tablishing churches and Sunday
schools in the out of way places Of
this country. There are missionaries
the various denominations still
yelling much after the fashion
old time circuit riders. or with
a.lc teams hitched to Gospel wag-
-.S
There are also number of chapel
cars which the Western railroads
haul on their trains free of charge.
The car Emmanuel runs on the Paci-
&c Coast. the Goodwill makes one
night stands in Texas, the Evangel
is in the Indian Territory, the Mes
senger of Peace in Missouri, while the
Glad Tidings and the Herald of Hope
come as far East as Wisconsin and
Michigan.
One feature of the work OIL the SAL
walton Army is the effort it makes
to encourage self respect and self
help among the unfortunates whom 1t
assists. The old clothes gathered
from various sources are sold to the
deserving at ridiculously low prices,
but the purchaser his manhood by
paying for them.
In most of the large. cities wagons
are sent around to collect old pap
ers and rags for the industrial homes.
The man in charge of this work in
one city declares that if everybody
would save his papers and rags and
give them to the Army collector, the
simple task of preparing this rubbish
to ship to the mills would furnish
occupation for practically all the
homeless vagrants in the city.
Some of the oldest churches estab-
lished under the patronage of the En-
gli3h Crown are still standing in
this country. In many instances the
royal arms are displayed of the walls,
and the altar holds communion sill
yer marked with inscriptions express
ing the Kings good will to his faith
iul subjects. Notable among these
Is Kings Chapel in Boston now a
Unitarian church.
The Epworth League derived its
name from the Epworth rectory in
England. where John Wesley was
born and raised In politics the Con.
gregationalists look upon the famous
Ordinance of 1878 as their own. Its
passage was said to he due chiefly IN
the efforts of one Manasseh Cutler, a
Congregational minister. 1t prohibit
ed slavery in the Northwest Territory
now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan
and Wisconsin. and abolished the
law of primogeniture, which made the
eldest son The only heir TO his faith
eg estate.
A notable fact about religious con-
ditions in the United States Is the
scarcity of Mohammedans. Although
the followers of this religion num-