Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-25

Can the Church Make Good?" was
the title of sermon preached in the
First Presbyterian Church yesterday
by the Rev. Dr.. Charles Stelzle, OF
New York city. 1t is given in the
Evening Star today in part:
Religion todayis concerned with the
fundamental questions of social right
eousness, industrial equity, political
and commercial honesty and honor
and economic justice. Great move
ments, essentially religious, for the
establishment of these ends are
sweeping over the land. But the
church. as an ecclesiastical body. is
out of touch with these movements
She speaks timidly upon such mat
tiers, If at all, said Bishop Williams,
of Detroit, in a recent magazine ar
ticle. Continuing, he wrote: The
great movements of reform and re-
construction are seeking a home and
centre about which they may or
ganize and unity themselves. And
there is none other like the church, II
the church will only take them. This
much is certain: II that reconcilia-
ton is to be effected the church can
not remake religion, cannot shrink IL
into the old, convenient and conven-
tional type, cannot crowd it back
again into the old doctrinal and &C.
clesiastical forms. Religion made the
church in the first place and it must
remake it today-remake it into the
natural and hospitable home of all
that is best and highest in our mod
ern life and world
II was recently invited to an edi-
torial conference of a magazine pub
lished in New York, at which the edi-
torial staff seriously discussed the
question as to whether there was any
further need for the church. In view
of these discussions. one naturally
asks he question: Can the church
make good?
Church Not Growing.
I'm 1900 seven persons out of every
hundred were members Of the Prot
estant Church. in 1850 fifteen out Of
every hundred; in 1870 seventeen out
of every hundred; in 1880 twenty out
of every hundred in 1890 twenty-five
out of every hundred; in 1900 twenty
four out of every hundred, and in
1910 there were also twenty-four out
of every hundred. From 1900 to 1910
the population Of the United States
increased 81 per cent; during the
same period the Protestant Church
membership also increased Il per cent
at is quite apparent, therefore. that
for ten years the church has remained
practically stationary; that is. it's in
crease was no greater than the pro-
portionate increase of the population.
And this proportionate increase on
the part of the church has been stead
lily decreasing since the year 1870.
The question is. What will the next
decade show in this particular? Many
church people are finding q good deal
of satisfaction in the statement that
the church is holding its own, al
though this may be questioned. But
the commission of the church is to
conquer the world.
THE increase In the population in
the city is testing the church. From
1900 to 1910 the increase in rural dis
tricts of the United States was 11.2
per cent; but the cities of $4,000 and
over increased 55 per cent. One
tenth of the population of the United
States lives In the three cities Of
New York. Chicago and Philadel-
phia. One-fourth Of the population
of this country lives on one-four-
More than one-half the population
of New York State lives in New
York city.
1.-THE church is undoubtedly losing
it's grip in many OF the larger cities
of this country. particularly where
the problems of the people are the
most perplexing. 1t was said, at a
rural conference held in the west a
couple of weeks ago, that there are
900 abandoned churches in Kansas.
Whether or not this statement Is