The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-23
DIVIDE ON LIQUOR.



awaken to a realization of its mis-
sion,' said DR.. GLADDEN.. THE church
is working on the theory that its duty
is to get people out of this world into
Heaven Rather, it should be engaged
in Christianizing the art, industry,
schools, business-all the activities of
man.
ment to individualism and not enough
to brotherhood The motto it has
taught is look out for yourself. 1t
has advised its people to get saved,
rather than to save others and thereby
save themselves.
There is no mystery in the lack of
interest which many men exhibit in
regard to the church. Putting the
other side of the proposition, the
church which stands earnestly, active
ly and effectively for social justice in
the face of all odds and every con-
ceivabIe antagonism is not long
wanting a congregation
A warning that the church must get
away from the ancient ideas of dogma
and adapt itself to present day cOndi-
tons striving more to enroll the work
ing man than to coddle his rich
brother was sounded by Oscar E;
Maurer, of the Center church, New
Haven.
why Churches Fail.
THE reason for most of the city
church failures in the last few years
has been the lack of adaptability,"
said DR.. Maurer- MANY minister
who is trying vainly to breaSne the
breath of novelty into a midweek
prayer meeting for the benefit of a
handful of gospel surfeited elders,
would do better to hold an early ser
vice Sunday morning, for the beneflt
of men and women who work six days
in the week and whose only chance
for a breath of country air is on sun
day. Hundreds of working people
can't come to the Lords supper after
the morning service because they are
solely responsible for their Family
dinner Many a business man would
gladly give up 80 minutes out of his
lunch hour to sit in a church all by
himself, for a little time of thought
and prayer if he could get in without
using a Jimmy.
down some of us in New Haven felt
that we wanted to pray. So we went
to Center church at noon and rang
the bell. Three hundred people, most
ly business folk from the center of
the city, Romans, Protestants and
Jews, answered the call
Study the Field.
"Our chief obligation is to study our
field as it is and adapt our work as
religious society to meet the needs of
the field-at whatever cost. forgetting
neither rich nor poor. The church
must prove it requires every man to
make the great remuneration and that
it values character above cash. We
must prove that we are not capitalist1c
brethren. 1t is a hard thing to do, but
a beginning will at least be made
when a church shows that it is really
in earnest in the attempt to make
religious democracy for itself-a
brotherhood of the burning heart"
Lewis T. Reed of Flatbrush Congrega-
tional church, Brooklyn, N Y He
urged the church to cultivate the mid
die class of men. -
1.-The church's danger" said he, '1s
not from the ultra rich or from the
extremely poor, but from the possible
paganism of those who are fitted to
be the public leaders of our thought
the great middle class of men,"
Rev E. B. Robinson, pastor of
Grace church, Holyoke, Mass, advo-
Gated the yoking of churches in places
where some are nonsupporting. and
Mrs. B. W. Firman of Firman House,
Chicago, told of conditions in the
neighborhood of Ewing Street church.
Rev. Charles r. Brown, dean of the
Divinity school of Yale. was elected
moderator late Wednesday afternoon.
After the Young Men.
The conference engaged a lively dis
cussion of the question of how to in
teFest young men in the ministry.
1t was brought up by Rev. Charles
A. Blanchard, president of Wheaton
Wheaton, Ill, who submitted
a resolution that the business commit
tee be instructed to take up the ques-
ton of interesting young men in church
services. Rev. c. A. Prouty of Spencer,
Mass, said:
Those of US who are experienced in
Sunday school work know that the
church is losing the boys over 10 years
of age. How shall we keep them?
Keep the old men in the Sab
bath schools. If the older men file out
of church after the Sunday service
young men will follow. There should
be a greater effort to establish mems
classes. There is a dearth of men.
Most of the churches are composed of
women. Men feel Indifferent to the
church. The influences that cause this
are the automobile, the
Sunday newspapers, and cigars.
While we have been discussing the
white slave question from many angles
we know that the insincerity of men is
dragging women down. If we allow
this to go on the men will be dragging
the women out of the church. To keep
the boys the men must lead
William Shaw, national treasurer of
the Christian EnGeaVor union, CRITICS.
ed the ministers in the matters of en-
rolling young men as preachers. The
said he, ARE allowing the
young men to drift away. Many min
listers have discouraged them, pointing
out that life in the ministry is a life
of work and poverty. The young men
and women are anxious to join in the
church service and need encOura ge-
ment"
The resolution was referred to the
business committee.
Lynch Is Confirmed
Albany, N. Y, Oct 23.-The senate
unanimously confirmed Governor