The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-11
A NEW LIGHT
lt'ontrihutell

Speaking at the banquet given Tues
day evening to the men of the First
Presbyterian church. the pastor. Rev.
j. y. Maclean, threw new light onto
church work in Missoula In part, he
said:
There is one thing that you all are
to be congratulated upon, and that is
Your choice of mothers wives. sisters
and maiden aunts. There never was a
better bunch OF women than those of
this church: handsome they are. and
handsome they do. The strength and
efficiency of this Presbyterian church
in Missoula are due. | think il is fair
To say. more To women than to men.
Though we have some mighty good
men. the women. as a rule, are "A
mighty sight better | am speaking.
of course, from the point of view of
a church worker.
The church is a great institution:
it has great business on hand. 1t
represents the greatest enterprise this
world has ever seen. 1t is up against
a mans job. 1t is worth thinking
about that Christianity has appealed
more to strong nations and races of
tht NbIiu IMAM 10 t1le weak ones.
1t took its course of empire west
ward among the conqnering Romans
and the great chested. shaggy headed
Teutons and Gauls and Saxons and
Britons tyour ancestors and mine)
rather. than eastward among the
dreamy, indolent. unprogressiyc orien-
tails.
THE master nations of the world to-
day are Christian nations. The strong
est men i'm this nation today are
churchmen: even the president has
turned preacher.
Some of YOU may think the church
n refuge for weak men. women, chill
dren and preachers. but that il has no
opportunity for strong. resourceful.
virile. world mastering men. But that
is n mistake.
A few weeks ago we heard Senator
La Toilette tand no one could accuse
him of sissy sentimentaiism) complain
that i'll Il city not far away from Mis-
soula he heard much OF the material
resources. population. commercial ac-
tivities. mineral output and all that
sort of thing. but nothing of schools
and churches that contribute most to
good citizenship and good society.
The senator seemed to think that
those institutions We're not held in high
esteem in our sister city.
Now, | am disposed Ia think he was
getting in word for Missoula's ben
eft. warning To look at its churches
There is Booster club i'm this city
with an aim, among other things. To
raise our population to $4,000. 4 good
enough aim. and the club is going
about it ir a good enough way. This
city has population at the present
time of 10000. Magnificent homes and
business places and hotels and other
improvements are being constructed
with marvellous energy and enthusi-
asm. But the churches of Missoula
are the churches of our village days.
when the population Was one ar two
thousand. There isn't city i'm Mon
tana. perhaps. with such mean equip
ment as ours. And want to tell you
this-that the desirable citizen. Seek
ing new location for himself and
family. will consider twice. and oftener.
what the church situation is. | have
met good many people from the east
this summer in Missoula. and the
church situation was by many of them
considered ominous. They would be
much more likely To talk freely with
me than with you on that matter. II
men of Missoula neglect their churches.
consigning them Ia the care and sup
port of women and children. they
should be assured of this. To put it
on the most commonplace ground. that
they are depreciating the real estate
values of their city and making the
winning of noble manhood and good
citizenship a seriously handicapped at
fair.
Good schools and strong. up To date
churches are city's hest assets.
This church, with others, is facing
the problem of enlargement Of church