The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-03-26

Kind of laSTnan, the young pdSiheo'
man, who wants q larger Apressioh
OF his life and who turns to his own
denomination as a channel for service
All over the United PresbyteTlan
church these men seem 10 nave
cropped out. Not heard OF before,
they have been strangely successful IN
themselves in the background
in the new methods of campaigning.
Nobody can say that this million dol
lar canvass is any one man plan.
With consummate skill, the new lay
men have managed to place the re
sponsibility for all that hey 90
s1uarely upon the churches.
This is no revolt against the boards.
The secretaries and OF the
boards have welcomed the new men
and methods and have co-operated
heartily with them in creating new
channels in which the churchs inter
est and ~beneTolences might flow. the
most conspicuous Of the new metnods
has been the publicity campaign and
the use Of paid advertising space IN
the papers. This has continued down
to the present day and the denom-
national weekiies have given their
advertising pages Wlthout cost ioI tHe
March
a Crisis for the Denomination.
All that has been done has had the
sanction of the general al
though it originated with the laynlen
in their convention. Many persons 90
not realize hat an entire new era has
come to the church. Others, more far
sighted, perceive that United Presby-
terianism has entered upon a crisis.
AS Rev. DR.. j.. X. McClurkin said at a
recent mems rally in PlttSDurg, Il
would count it as great a privilege 10
share with the brethren who are thus
animated with the activities and bur
dens Of this great missionary cam
| paign, as to have been permitted to
stand with our revered fathers in the
most historic epochs in the life of u
beloved denominations"
That the new era calls for entire
reimbursement Of the denominationS
approach to the world, is admitted by
some. Rev. DR.. w. r.. McCul1och
made a striking confession and proph-
ecy when he said: For what do we
stand as a church? For what are
we specially distinguished? My broth
ers, let us be candid enough to a
that the old-time emphasis upon dis
tinctive principles is practically gone.
You know and I know hat in a multi
tude Of instances they are coolly and
deliberately ignored. It seems that
few are so poor as to do them reVer-
oncc.' This is not a fitting occasion
to discuss the question as to whether
we are right or wrong in such Or at
itude But the facts in the cas- are
very different.
Now, this further: If we are to
preserve our denominations! identity,
with sufficient for SO doing. we
must lay hold on bigger ~distinctives;
~distinctives that are ~abundantly worth
while. Here are w of them:
]. Extraordinary eVangelistic zeal.
.. Unparalleled missionary devotion
"Gentlemen, those are d~istinctives
for which we shall never need to apol-
ogize in a conciliatory manner, IND
with a mild tone Of voice"
Exit Leading Laynen.
Revolutionary as is the effect Of The
new laymen's movement upon the de.
nomination-and inevitably upon a!
the other denominatiOnS-its first an(
Immediate effect is felt in the loca
congregation. Instead of thirty pc
cent Of the members bearing the finan
clal burden, one hundred pc
cent now do SO. Everybod.
has a part in maintainin;
, the local church and the de
nonlinatlOnal beneyOlence. The lead
ing layman," who used to pay the bill
and feel in consequence that he ha.
: q right to a.Speclal voice in the run
nlnS OF the church, is permitted t
surrender his prominence. Responsi
hility has been distributed 50 that i
me new regime all the members hay
4 chance TO work as we'll as to pay.
5 In his respect some of The incident
J reported are Illuminating. One churc
found many members who said tha
{ jhty mad never once been visited b
E the pastor or any other Representative
OF the church. The schedule of cor
!" triputlons ranges from TWO cents t
$40 a week, and instances are know
OF men, who make ten or twelve do
a lars a week, paying more than a tent
q 10 the church. One clerk, whose sa
IS AIRY IS SO a week, insisted upon sui
le scribing TO $3.50 for benevolences an
800 for local church expenses.
Looking Toward Union.
neneVer any new development
American church life arises one Of II
r first questions asked is in effect upe
q ultimate church union. | asked
leading United Presbyterian Wheth,
this pcrfecting OF the organization al
IN efficiency of the United P~reSbyteria
lie Church would not hinder it's amalg;
n nation with the other P~resbyteris