The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1910-01-30
Rev. G. III. Summers.

Rev. q. III. Summers.
The Rev. &. NJ. Summers, pastor of
the First Christian Church. met each
gumen,s to uphold his theory. His an
swer follows:
Your first question, What, in my
judgment, IS the reason men are not as
, interested in religious matters as wo-
menu assumes more than | am ready
to admit without qualification. l am
in receipt of recent statement OF
Gypsy Smith. an evangelist of world
wide fame, to the effect that in hrs
work ne IS able TO win vastly more men
! than women. l believe that this is
true in the experience of most modern
evangelists. / was told not long since,
| by citizen of the place, that the lar
/ gest demonstration OF men ever seen
in prominent city of my native state
was a parade Of Sunday School men.
| | have before me, in she report OF a
meeting which Is now in progress, the
statement that among the converts
there have been ''attorneys, doctors,
state educators, merchants. bankers,
/ boiler makers, carpenters. tarbers,
blacLsmiths -rairoad engineers. ir2-
men, brakemen and Others. If my
! Information is correct the number OF
men among the Student Volunteers
compares very fayorably with the mum
Der of women. The Layman's Mis-
| sionary movement is matter of no
Ettle Importance at the present time.
While it is no doubt true that there
was a time when there was very
marked lack OF interest on the part of
men in religious matters, 1 believe that
it is very rapidly passing. Often WHIST
seems to be d lack of interest In men
is more properly difference in tho
ssay in which the interest manifests Il
self
However, granted that what your
question implies is true, 1T may be due
TO a number of causes. While i be,
lieve that the attitude which the peo-
pie take toward the minister is vefs
often responsible for the fact, yet y
seems to me true that the real Oh
imagined eaebisiyeness of the niinistf.?
IS responsbIe for the lack of interest
on the part of the men. Another one
of the causes, which I should name al
oecasioning lack of interest by the men
in religious matters .at the present
time. may be called .sthe sins which
prosperity brings These arc Sc
numerous that I shall not take tht
space at present TO mention them
Another cause, and ono which / wouls
. mention with as much kindness as
can command. for ] do not believe the,
realize their missske. is the apparen
Inconsistencies of some of the women
I have known wives whose petty frivo
lities lid not appeal to their husband
as being consistent with their religion
professions. This is by nc means til
most general cause. Still anothel
cause which appeals to nc as account
ing for this difference of interest can
no. eau anx.aing else than the differ
eue. Of rasl-e which exists beiweel
men ard womer. | think it is a fac
that nsomen are harder to tempt to cyl
and easier TO influence for good thai
are men. Reahxing this, tho pulpit
I showing it would meet more read.
: response, has made it's message appea
!, more directly to the WOMEN. Thi
{ leads me to say that = failure 70 p1ezr
4 the gospel in such . way a to appsz
TO manhood has been responsible tor
/ large part of tho lack OF Intcrez
. among men.
. Now i shall try to give ansNers I
4 your other questiens u LET'S spAer tha
. 4 have taken for this one. You ak
2 s-ss What. ip my opini0s. il u
z reason 50 few i4boring men are
g be fond IL the churches !,
2 think | rax sns hat s false prid
sezy ss-gs y<gponsible for fhi
8 znla y . cenassti tim. Man have sol
I NE IS 50 not 50 g elnreh II
cause their xiothes s1o not enyapai