The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-02
Men and Church Attendance.

Prof. Arthur Holmes. Of the University
OF Pennsylvania, says the reason men do
not attend church more generally Is be-
cause the ministers are not manly Not
that they are weaklings or lacking in
moral enthusiasm, oplnes the professor,
but because the average preacher is
victim of feminine influence. nodded to
meet feminine requirements, and held
strictly accountable to feminine ideals.
Says MI Holmes:
"When a man enters the ministry he
is like other men, but before he has
served in the pulpit ten years he can be
recognized as a clergyman anywhere: he
has been made over by the women.
After the sermon the women discuss to-
gether. not the talk, but the talker.
They talk about the color of his eyes.
the tone of his voice. the fit Of his
clothes the way he walks, but rarely
about the soundness OF his doctrine. ANY
minister who is patted on the back and
told that he IS a nice little thing is
not competent to lead men in the tight
OF the church"
For the purpose OF discussion, we shall
assume that the professor IS right-aI-
though, as a matter of fact, of course.
he is only partially so. Who, then. is
responsible for this state Of things? OBJ
viously, the men. The women could not
and would not dominate the preachers
/ personality unless the men so willed A
minister enters upon his charge. What
, 5oas 10 apd9 Tho man acffx,af,- cor
nestly, courageously cooperating with
the women of his congregation to the
church's advancement and glory? Not
at all He finds the church. really, in
/ the hands of the Ladies' Aid Society and
the Woman's Auxiliary. despite duly and
truly constituted boards of authority OF
masculine persuasion. That is what he
finds usually. albeit there are exceptions
due TO location. environment, eminent
patronage, and so forth.
If the church needs a new roof. to
whom does the preacher look for that
roof? The men? Not much-unless he is
a very new and inexperienced preacher
indeed. If the parsonage needs refurnish-
ing and repainting. does he call in the
men to help him get things under way in
that direction? once. perhaps-nevei
again. The women start the bazaars
the strawberry festivals, the ice cream
fetes. and the church fairs-and 10. the
new roof cometh, the refurnishing is
accomplished, and the parsonage is re-
painted!
Thrown with the women, necessarily
working all but exclusively with them
no wonder the preacher strives TO please
them and uphold their notions Of thing,
rather than those of the men! The womer
give linen showers. and slipper showers
and dresslng-gown showers, and things
of that sort for the minister's benefit
wherefore, the minister lives in approx
mate comfort and content What sort Of
showers do the men give the preacher
Absent treatment is what the men CIV,
him!
Are our preachers spoiled? Perhaps, tC
a degree, they are-and by the women
And man, AdamIike everlastingly. say,
that Is why he stays away from church
The outrageous old hypocrite-manl H,
ought to be thoroughly and forever
ashamed OF himselfl How can he have
hand in spelling the preacher unless HI
gets genuinely in the game?
Anyway the devil was not spoiled b!
the women. nor were any of his imps-
ever