The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-13

New York. August 2.-(Speeial.) )-Auto- mobiles are changing the character of Christian work in many parts of this country and Europe. The changes have been talked about for some time. This summer they have arrived. For years autos have been mentioned in sermons
 of many preachers, always to be oe-
 plored and those who ride in them 10
 be condemed when they rode on sun
 days. and especially during church ser vice hours. Now autos are returning the
 compliment by assisting Christian Wofk
 more than anything in these later years.
 In this country and Canada in England and Scotland, and in some measure In
 France and Germany, the practice has been invented this summer of arranging preaching circuits. At specific hours an auto arrives at church, hall or possibly school house or open air. In it are preacher, singing leader, and may be lay worker to distribute literature. A service is held, an address made, many hands shaken, and as many goodbys. All hour later the thing is repeated a few miles farther on. In some parts of Eng land, where the villages are near together, as many as 10 services a day are reported.
 In Rocky mountain states this month there are at least a dozen autos, some with two evangelist and some with lay men in addition, one of the latter the ehaffeur going from settlement to settle ment without previous arrangement, and preaching, praying, talking, selling Bibles and giving away tracts, wherever two or three. many or few, can be gathered. Evangeists report the work productive of much good, and news from communities visited such news arriving by the way of missionary societies is in all cases iaY- orable.
 In England Roman Catholics. supported by the English Catholic Missionary so- eiety, have fitted a motor car into chapel with altar and confessional. Seats are even carried, folded while en route but. spread on the ground when needed for services. In this country, so far at least, the need for motor chapel has not been apparent. Halls, paflors' groves, even the open air. have proven adeuuate If continued through the Win ter it is not believed that a motor chapel will be essential
 Schools are being established to train laymen to speak in public. These laymen are mature men usually, but few are students on vacation. These laymen sup plement the ministers OH duAo u ipS' Some religious bodies look forward to vast numbers of volunteer lay speakers. Roman Catholics. are urging the employ ment of these laymen and the Apostolic Mission house, connected with the Cath olic university at Washington, offers in- struetion for them to fit them for work.
 In Connecticut, Ohio, Virginia and Wis consin, possibly in some other states, ministers stationed in one town have formed circuits four to ten times as large as they could have formed under the horse and wagon era, and this summer are maintaining preaching services on them. The old-fashioned Methodist itin- crate system has come In again, grip under an auto seat taking the place of the old saddle bag. Christian people in small towns, cut off from religious privi- leges. have heard of the new auto plan and are not only appealing to mission- arv societies to arrange tours to include their settlements, but in some cases gre offering to contribute, in company with other settlements. the auto that will make the plan feasible. Catholic and Protes- tant America, Canada and a good part of Europe are introducing the automo- bile.