Evening star., 1914-07-26
Facts Are illustrated.

Here are some figures that Will Illus
trate the fact. In one church L know.
the one l know best, on Easter Sunday
last, there We're. at all services COM
bined, $500 admissions through its
doors on one day. On last Sunday. only
three months later, the entire attend
ance through the same doors of that
same church was just SlXty-elght per-
sons. / suspect that, as an illustration,
those figures would apply proportionately
to almost every church in the city ana
that Of the entire church-going element
in the population. about that proportion
namely as $500 is to sixty-eight units),
thus suddenly lapse from one Sunday to
another Sunday only three months re-
moved in the seasons advance. This Is
not a theory: it is a condition. We are
face to face with it, And the only SEN
going to do about it,"
There are really only two things.
either one of which city pastors may
do, but one or the other of which they
up and let church worship be abandoned.
because the people have abandoned the
city. Or they may take the services
of the city church to some country dis
trict whittier their people have gone
We have not closed. in this parish. either
the afternoon service at the church
or the evening service in the chapel.
The congregations have simply evapor-
ated and the doors have fallen shut by
involution. We have not wanted to close
two Sunday schools OF 80 members each.
The teachers have literally all gone away
and the scholars have but followed their
example. But they have not gone out
of existence. They have not ceased to
be somewhere. And our anxiety is that
they shall not cease to be Christians.
They cannot come to us. How, then, can
we go to them?
But here is another important fact
and maybe a surprising one: They are
as willing to say their prayers in July
as they are in January. They certainly
need to do this just as much in August
as in April. Is there available. therefore
any single place where they may fore
gather for this purpose? For our own
part, We have gone in search of such a
place. We have found an old abandoned
farmhouse. We have put into shape for
purposes of Saturday outings the farm
itself as a recreation place. We have a
tennis court and base ball diamond a
grove of shade trees. hammocks. swings
and tools and games. utensils and para
phernalia- OF course. all these are used
Saturdays. Now. should they be used on
Sundays?
The Day of Rest.
Well. what do you do. madam and
you. sir. at country homes Sundays?
You do the things you most enjoy. Per
haps You sit on your veranda and read
Maeterlinck. But. then. perhaps. boys.
sixteen. eighteen. twenty years of age
do not enjoy doing this. Perhaps you
stroll or sing or sleep. But here are
some hundreds of young people who are
not sleepy and who do not want to sing
the day, for both of you, is day OF
rest. But rest is very languorous if it
is only idleness. Moreover, idleness is
worse than labor. as you know, If IT Is
enforced.
What I have said to these young peo-
pie. and what l believe in honestly as
thesis. Is this: Sunday is day OF
rest from labor primarily for the pur-
pose of worship. But, then, after an act
in the nature of things cannot continue
all day the rest of the day is normally
to be spent as day of rest: rest has
meaning only when 1t becomes recrca-
tive and recreations. for different peo-
pie are different things. depending on
what things-alWays innocent III theH-
selves. of course-different people most
enjoy doing.
/ have told such of my people as
deal with in these months. told them
plainly and told them frankly. that II
they Will say their prayers with the
clergy at one hour of the Lords Gay
the clergy are perfectly willing to play
base ball with them at ano,ner hour @ OF OF
the same day, which is their DAY OF
ras, which rest is recreation: that If
they will comply with the requirements
of the church and observe sunday hrst
of all as day of prayer, they may
have the rest of it as day OF pay,
and that if they have stopped the.r
work i'm order to worship. having wor
sh;r'.d MT,n " they NAV walk abroad and
saareate themselves" If this be treason
aither to the church or to the day. let
tha.a who wish to do so make the most
| n