The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-26
WHERE DO THEY CO.?
QUESTION OF INTEREST TO
CHURCH PEOPLE.
Nonattendant at Religious Services
Converted In Boyhood, Makes
Frank Confession That Is
Worthy Of Attention.

a recent number OF the American
Magazine takes up the subject Of RE
ligion Inside the Church and Out" In
the course of the article, which is a
defense of the church. the following
confession of young Chicago non
churchgoer is published:
Your story of The Rev. Billy Sun.
day and His War on the Devil In the
American Magazine refreshed the
memory OF my own conversion back In
1888 under the preaching OF another
great revivalist. 1 was IL years old at
the time.
Il had been making trouble In school
when the meetings began. Ny people
were worried about me. The revival
ist offered way to reform. So was
urged TO attend the meetings. OF
course. heard q great deal about hell
and the damnation Of sinners Scores
were being converted. There was
great excitement I was pushed and
pulled, Finally, 1 surrendered, al
though l was not conscious OF any.
thing but desire to please my par
ents. to avoid future punishment and
to effect the necessary reform In my
conduct at school.
THE next step was Joining the
church. That was easy. All l had to
meeting with the church committee.
composed chiefly Of respected old men
In the town whose confidence | was
glad to have.
81 enjoyed the experience Of being
full-fedged Christian for long time.
My father and mother were pleased
beyond expression, and for years
think that l was better boy-that Is.
moro restrained In my behavior In
school. perhaps. l cannot recall any
other definite manifestation Of con.
version / continued to so to Sunday
school and to church twice Sunday.
had become a habitual church-goer.
"By the time l was IS or 10 l began
to grow sick of 1t all. l began to see
that l had no genuine interest In the
church. l was not going to the bad,
either. Far from IT.! My conviction
that decency makes for happiness was
taking deep root. / intended to be a
good man. and l began to want to
work 1t out in my own way. l felt
that was just about to begin my seri-
GUS life, and-do you want 1t straight
from the shoulder?-I felt that I
wanted to begin outside the church.
don't know why. l am not arguing
this thing or trying to prove anything.
/ am just trying to tell you,
Very soon-I was II, I think-I
left the little town where my father
and mother brought me up and came
to Chicago TO live. That was nlne
years ago. And-shall l tell you?
have never been inside church more
than a dozen times since.
Now / don't want you to interpret
this as a criticism of the church Do
you think l would rebuke the institu-
tion which has given my good father
and mother that peace which is my
happy assurance of their future we'll
being? Neither do | find fault with the
Rev. Billy Sunday. Not one out Of
100000 whom he has converted may
turn out the way have. He may not
try 10 convert children. either. / don't
makes very little difference, however.
Many people are children. no matter
low old they are. All | know is that
ever since l can remember the church
es have been rushing names onto their
membership rolls. And yet the cry Is
that the churches are falling off In
numbers. Where do they all go2"