The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-05-27
RELIGION FOR MEN
The Present Demand for a
Replenishment Of the,
Churches with Masculine
Virtues.

In the shifting conditions of mod.
ern life thoughtful minds are pom
dering the best ways of adapting
church machinery to new problems.
One of the features of the present
awakening of religious interest is the
demand for replenishment of the
churches with the masculine virtues.
The demand is not premature. The
census shows that in most of the de-
nominations the women outnumber
the men nearly two to one. The
Christian Scientists, naturally enough,
lead off with the largest percentage
of women in that communion the
mother" element might be expected
to prevail. The highest percentage of
men is found in some of the Lutheran
divisions, which may be explained in
part by the fact that all the children,
male and female, are required to learn
the catechism and be confirmed; but
it is doubtful whether the proportion
of adult males in actual service of the
church is larger among the Lutherans
than among the other sects.
Various explanations of this dispro-
portion of sex are offered. 1t is some
times intimated that the types of re
ligion presented by the churches are
more adapted to the feminine than to
the masculine mind; but if that were
true it would still be questionable
whether it was cause or a conse-
quence. Some light is thrown upon
the question by the fact that the
church is not the only field of activity
in which we find large preponder-
ance of women Public education is
largely in the hands of women; they
are giving to the fine arts far more at
tention than men, and among our phil
anthropic workers they are in heavy
majority. The spiritual side of civil
largely to their care. The reason is
that the men are SO much engrossed
in the development of the material
side of civilization that they find little
time for these higher pursuits, The
consequences Of this neglect by men
of the superior interests of their
lives we have been reaping in the
appalling infidelities and dishonesties
which have recently been uncovered.
1t is true that the men have been
dropping out of the churches and los
ing interest in religious matters. and
it does not look as though this were
working well. In the quarters where
this tendency has been most shown
there has clearly been marked de-
crease in masculine morality. 1t be-
gins to be questionable whether sound
character is likely to be sustained
apart from the spiritual ideals.
If it be evident that the men need
religion, it is not less evident that
religion needs the men. God made
mankind in His image, male and fe-
male; the feminine qualities represent
one side Of the divinity that is in US
and the masculine qualities another;
and the complete revelation requires
both. A church which is two-thirds
women cannot fully represent this d.
vine life, it cannot make a true i'm
preston of the great realities of re-
ligion upon the community in which
1t stands. There can be no doubt that
the church has been greatly enfeebled
by this withdrawal Of a large number
of men from active participation in it's
life.
1t is the discovery of this fact that
awakened the widespread interest
now finding expression in the brother
hoods springing into vigorous life in
all the Christian denominations. The
Brotherhood of st. Andrew in the
Episcopal church has long been an
efficient organization, and the healthy
growth of that communion is due in
large part to this agency. But all the
other denominations are now rallying
their men for similar service; in great
East and West, the men
Of the churches are coming together
to envisage their tasks and shoulder
their responsibilities. Some of the
most enthusiastic gatherings which
have recently taken place in this
country are these assemblies of men,
stirred by the religious motive, and
eager to find ways in which they may
the work OF the churches. For
the most part their action has been
rational; they have not pro-
posed much new machinery; they
have usually sought to know how they
might apply their own power more
efficiently to the machinery already in