The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1910-06-25
RELIGION FOR MEN
The Present Demand tor a
Replenishment Of the
Churches with Masculine
Virtues.

II LEe Smiling ClJ-Cit3G.s 81 L-lI
err life thoughtful minds are ps9-
de-1g the best wars Ct adag-t-2
church machinery 70 new problems
ora If -he features o. the E-re6sE-
g zke-1-g Of religious interest il tz-e
demand tc- 2 repie1.s1neEI q 20
c1u-cE.es Nth tle masculine Ttrt-c5.
The demand i II, premature. TIE
ceLz-z s1cz-s -1ar i Ecst Il tse &
I1--zr a-zong rze wo-ea oa-zuz.b be-
,ae 1el nea-.- lwo . che TIE
CzsTtz:.a- Scientists. naturally cE,5GgE
lca4 II ~ lEa jc-gest percentage
q rc-ce2; Il tat co---T.z-.cE III
--1o,zsr' e.er.cE: Esig3c b czZcccec
70 3-e@s:l. The liga1s. --cc2 go q
zen y ford Il 9cEe Il ne Lutheran
zi~.=:c-7 --3r1 MAJ - e-..a.1c1 il
yz-c 5- -2ec fat t-zt I'll me children,
= roe.e 80 female. gre required 70 lea.1
the czcac1tz-a and be 1ol~r- (, bu-
II ts doubtful ~-e.te- II r-o9c-tEa
/. Of DIT -7aies il actual ze-rice & taa
otl1cz1! Is lager s1o-g tie Ll,-e-a-1
( thin arcEG fEe chez sGc-s.
/ Various explanations g to s-=z3-o-
I portion &C. sez ara offered. L Is Eonc-
/ ttEts t-tina-cd that tie tFEes of re
ltgioa presented b the ch-rchez arc
-eo-e adarted to the feminine man rc
! tle TaGcri ne f1i1d: but Il tEa- Te~9
-ra;c it would sill b. cgestio1atle
I v-hetlc- il -as a cause or cG1-Ec-
qreE-e- Some light il thrown upon
the question BY 1he fact -hz. The
church is not the only field Of activity
in which re find q large P-eT,o1tor-
arre O women Putlic cd1ca-ica IS
largely Il the hands Of Women: theT
arr giving 70 TIE En- arts far more a.
-elt.o1 than meG. ard among CIR Pr
aatarapic wor:,ers they az in z bcaEy
majority. The spiritual side Il ciT.li-
cation seems t. be committed quite
largelv 20 their care. The reason Is
that tie men are 50 much engTess-d
in the development OF the material.
side ct civilization that they find little
tire for these higher E1rEgits. The
consequences 81 this neglect By men
Of the superior interests q their
lives We have been rearing in the
appalling inGdelities and d:snonesties
which have recently been uncovered.
II is true that the men have been
dropping ont Of the churches and los
ing interest in religious matters. and
il does not look as though this we're
working well. In the quarters where
this tendency has been most shown
there has clearly been q marked DE-
crease in masculine morality. Il be
gins to be questionable whether sound
character is likely 70 be sustained
apart from the spiritual ideals.
If it be evident that the men need
religion, it is not less evident that 4
religion needs the men. God made i
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-tbirds
women cannot fully represent this d.
vine life it cannot make a true i'm
preston Of the great realities OF re-
igion upon the community in which
Il stands. There can be no doubt that
he church has been greatly cnfeeblod
y this withdrawal Of large number
If men from active participation in its
ife.
1t is the discovery Of this fact that
Weakened the widespread interest
1ow finding expression in the brother
foods springing into vigorous life in
II the Christian denominations. The
brotherhood Of St. Andrew in the .
Episcopal church has long been an .
.ficient organization, and the healthy
,ro|th Of that communion is due in
arge part to this agency. But all the ;
ther denominations are nov raIlying !
heir men for similar service; in great t
onyentions, East and West, the men {
I the churches are coming together
0 envisage their tasks and shoulder {
heir responsibilities. Some Ct the I
1ost enthusiastic gatherings which !
ave recently taken place in this I
ountry are these assemblies Of men. &
TIRED BY the religious motive. and t
ager 70 find ways in which they may a
remote the work Of the churches. For n
le most part their action has been
ntirely rational; they have not pro Z
osed much new machinery; they '
ave usually sought to know how they v
light apply their own power more q
hciently to the machinery already IN d