Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-07-28
''Sunday Bummers" and Actions

! that of providing for their religious in
struction and inspiration. He knows
that the rectifcation and elevation of
| habits which are the natural outcoms
of religious and spiritual influences,
are ministers always the poor mans
temporal prosperity.
In contradistinction from these there
are those whom we may call mans
poor" They are people who spend up
on themselves, out of an income not
generous, perhaps but competent, so
much that they have nothing left with
which TO bear their portion of the bur
dens of society. They live well, they
dress we'll, they maintain what they
consider a respectable position in so
ciety, they go to the theater when
ever it may seen desirable; they spend
upon themselves and their Injuries
their entire income, and habitually
steal their preaching.
A case in point is that of a promi-
nent church member cutting down his
yearly subscription almost one-half i'm
mediately after the purchase of a new
not all l5OldLGu case 6llAltl
! That the automobile has played d
stronger part this year than ever be
fore in the depletion of church atten-
dance, and that restaurants and all pub
lie gatherings are effected is shown
by the fact that in one hotel in large
city that can accommodate eight hun
dred to one thousand guests at one
time there were IS guests at dinner
Tuesday, July 4, and the next evening
nine tables were occupied The at
tendance at clubs during the week, af-
ternoons and nights, the giving of par
ties there. so thoroughly exhausts the
energy of the members by Saturday
night that they feel that they cannot
attend church on Sunday They are
too tired. Some plead the fact for
non-attendance that they do not like
the preacher, not rejecting they did
not join the preacher, but Joined the
church The truths of which do not
change with every new minister 1t
would seem that a man who becomes
able to buy automobiles of increasing
value should also be able to increase
rather than decrease his church sub
scription. BY this policy of selfindul-
gence they rob themselves of others
respect, of their own self-respect and
rob God of the portion justly due Him.
'Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye
shave robbed Me-" said God.
Many of these people are quite reg
ular in their attendance upon the Sun
day services of the church; they unite
with 1t, but do not assume a single re-
sponsibiIity connected with it. There
are churches in our city, as we pre-
sumo there may be in most cities,
which are the favorite resorts of the
bummers-churches which, by the mum
bers in attendance on Sundays, seem
to be prosperous, but which, from the
fact that they are so largely made up
of bummers, cannot support themselves
or their pastors. The worshippeTs
make a very well dressed congrega-
tion, but they offer a very poor field
for preaching and pastoral work.
They sometimes introduce them
selves TO the pastors TO whose preach
ing they listen. when they become a
little ashamed of this Sunday cumming
at one church they go 10 another. The
sexton knows them at last and under
stands exactly what they are and what
they are doing a little self-denisi
would give TO these people the right
to a pew and save them from the |
meanness of appropriating that which I
honest people are Obliged TO pay for.
Now, there is nothing in the world I.
better calculated to bring dry rot into
character than this Sunday cumming 4
To go week after week to church, az
Stunning no responsibility, paying for /
no privilege. and taking no part what F.
ever except that Of thief or sponge, (
can have no influence better than that
Of uniting a man for society. He 4
who is not one Of Gods poor has no