The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-30

or Ave generations it would not be
possible for us to underestimate the
pulpit and its work. but when 1t comes
down to the subject of civic righteous
ness we have a very good model to
follow. as 1t would seem to us. rs
1t lawful TO give tribute unto Caesar?
:. Show Me the tribute money
And they brought unto Him penny.
And He saith unto them, Whose is
this image and approximation? They
He unto them, Render therefore unto
Caesar the things that are Caesars,
and unto God the things that are
Gods. And when they heard It, they
their way"
BY and BY, we may get enough sense
to let these things alone; but. surely.
those who give so much good counsel
to others should not object to an oc
casional excursion into the religious
domain by "tlie least of these, my
brethren" Fortunately. no one is I'M
der the slightest obligation to accept
our view upon what DR.. Broadus
called "the preparation and delivery OF
sermons" a book. by the way, which
has been pronounced by an eminent
Scottish divine as "the finest book on
homiletics that was ever written: but
we like the excitement and indulge our
theological bent now and then, having
fact, as all good boys at Due West
were many years ago before the rail-
road ran to that town. and we would
regret 1T very much if we should be
deprived of the privilege OF helping
the clergy in their proper and divine
~ appointed work.
We wish all the churches in Rich
mond and throughout Christendom
We're filed with devout worshipers
every Sabbath Day: but are they? We
do not think they are, and If we
think correctly, why are they not!
The REV. DR.. II. X Carroll, of New
| York. has prepared recently some in
teresting statistics OF the religious
| bodies in the United states, covering
a period of five years. In 1908 the
! total membership of all the Christian
| churches in the United States aggre-
1 gated 34,2S2.543. of which number 12.-
! OO4656 were credited to the Roman
/ J,, a
gain of 1,241,2Ss in church member
ship: in 1908 there was a gain of 720,,
| SAT. In 1907 the total Protestant gain:
were 5T1,4i3; in 1908 they were 421,-
so4. Since the United States censu!
of 1890, or III the eighteen years GOV
cred blythe Carroll statistics, the gain o
church membership was &C per cent
or less than . per cent. annually. Dur
! ing the same period the increase in TIL
5 number of ministers was 40 per cent
5 or less than 8 per cent. annually
: During this period the Church ha
e been particularly active in wha
I Brother Bickers calls works of civil
. righteousness, and in some parts q
: the country, but not in Richmond
mark that! the ministers have adopte
all sorts of jimcracks to keep up tn
excitement.
1t would seem to the ordinary OF
server that with all the civic organ
- Observation-Disclosures Congresses, hook
a worm societies, pellaEra conference
N Governors conferences, the Elks, tn
J. Eagles and the Owls, the suffraSett
movements, tho settlement worker
Taft's lecturing at Yale on the civ
uplift and Brother Roosevelt sermon
# izing at every turn or three cont
Y nents and speaking from the Bible ar
re the Koran with equal facility and II
. licity--it would appear that with a
e these agencies in the field, the Churc
al might be excused as such, from dill
is ping into business over which 1T we
'e not expressly set. So that we retur
TO our original suggestion that lit
-, more Gospel, and little less polite
al and a little less mixing with II
al things which do not belong to
ar would make the pulpit far more effe
20 tive in its work. OF course nothir
M that we say here and now is to
ts taken as applying in any sense,
he conditions in Richmond, but only
,o conditions as we have known thel
av say. in South Carolina. When he w
n much criticised some years ago T
preaching about the venial offences
of members of his congregation, a al
n tinguished minister asked In despa
lv "Well. what can L preach about 20
no shucks," came the answer, "prea'
a. about the Chinese; they haven't got
- friend in this country" That is w
n we are now talking about She habit
,r- ,ions of horrid cruelty, so to say,
1t South Carolina.
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: A CHANGING COURT.
IA The Supreme Court is a heavy los
10 bv Justice Brewers death. He
| 49, III n