The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-10


She believes that she ought to do
something but does not wnow just
what is Is, or how to do 1t.
We are not reaching the world, not
getting in reaching distance. The
world is treating the church like the
priest treated the wounded man on the
Jericho road. passing by on the other
side We advertise but the world
does not read our add. We ask the
world to follow the crowds (meaning
to the church,, 1t takes us seriously
and goes to the picture shows. There
is something wrong with either our
present day evangelistic message or
methods we are not reaching the I'M
churched So far as bringing people
into the church Is concerned We are
marking time according to the statis-
tics of DR.. H. K. Carroll formerly
director of the Religious Census, the
increase in all the protestant churches
in the United States for 1911 was
1896. This is less than three-quar-
tiers of one per cent of the country's
population and only one and seven
tenths per cent over the country's
church membership for 1910. In. other
words three persons were brought in
to the church last year for every
preacher-two for each church. One
| for every preacher and church COM
bined 1t took fifty-seven church
members to bring one person into the
church membership. More men are
found in our picture shows on Sunday
night than are found in all of our
churches.
I On certain Sunday night, 1850
men We're counted as they went into
our picture shows. In many churches
! the Sunday night audiences are SO
small that the preachers are embar-
raised when stranger enters the
/, door. There is great gulf between
the church and the wage Garner. If
! any one doubts this statement, let him
investigate. The labor unions are in
different if not unfriendly toward the
! church. They declare that the preach
!, ers and congregations are held in COM
). plete bondage to the present industrial
system; that the church is under the
, dominion of wealth or ruled by the
, middle classes; they say that is not
in sympathy with them and hence is
: doing comparatively little to help
them in their struggles for their
t rights. These same men affirm, that
the colleges and universities are I'M
/ der the dominion of money kings.
: That they control the faculty of many
: of our universities in such a way as
f to teach the rising generation false
{ cial regime. We had to meet these
very charges or similar ones in our
i own city during the Men and Reli-
| gion Forward Movement" These men
, said in the labor assembly that the
!, wage Garner ought to have nothing to
! do with the movement because it was
| financed by some of our money kings
and hence controlled by them to d.
vert the minds of the people from the
!. real issue-the demand for better So
cial conditions. They were wrong. But
how are We to convice them. These
; men seem to have lost confidence in
, the church, if they ever had any.
, These men are proposing to fight
their battles alone so far as the
church is concerned. They remind one
:. of the monk in Dandet's story who
was attacked by bandit. The monk
!. rolled up his sleeves and offered this
PRAYER: 20 Lord. all ask of Thee is
that thou wilt remain neutral and I
will manage the rest {" You may ask:
What have these things to do with the
social mission of the church" | an
, swer: These conditions constitute
the social problem. second-It gives
, the church her bearings and shows
her the task set before her"
What can the church do in the pres
! ent situation? The leaders of the
church must apply themselves more
, seriously to the study of social condi-
! tions and this can not be done salts
| factory by reading about 1t. The
! question must be studied at first
/ hand. AS ministers, we should ac-
5 quaint ourselves with the wage earn
] er; his wages, habits, manner of life.
) his peculiar temptations surround
: ings. companionship and find out his
2 attitude toward the church Carry
, this information back to our people,
/. discuss the matter with our leading
= men and apply it fearlessly in our
e teachings from the pulpit We will
D have to divest ourselves of any per-
D sonal irritation that may arise on ac-
e count of those who criticise us and the
/. church. We will have to be broad.
g minded enough and have sufficient pa
a tience odscuss the subject of in
n dustrial reform ON its fundamental
t principles. This will send us to our
2 knees and to God for wisdom and pa.
i tience. 1t viii cause study or a re.
e study of the teachings of Jesus.
e Surely the preacher that enters in.
e to this world conflict for the better.
T. ment of the race needs divine help to
Il save him from paroxisms of naee;op