The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-26

venture to say that there are thousands
upon thousands of useful, respected.
hard working citizens to-day who few
years ago were hopeless. desperate,
literally down and out. So large has
this multitude of reformed men and
women become in every large com
munity that he would DE a very narrow
or cloistered scientist who could over
look the practical effect Of religion in
the twentieth century.
Never before has there been SO great
an opportunity to preach the gospel as
right now. and in many Instances the
best way to preach 1t is to get up and
preach without letting those present
Know just what you are doing, whether
at dinner. a firemen's rally IA political
conference. a civic convention or a hun
drcd other occasions of the kind. Men
ana women are to-day leading more
spiritual lives than at any other time in
my experience, but these lives are led
in such wide relationship to the world
at large that the men and women do not
realize thc situation.
IF YOU wonder sometimes that people
nowadays seem to hc less religious than
in former years think of what they are
doing To- aid Gods programme of mercy
help in time of trouble and loving SYM
pathy. Remember that in past gen, ra =
tons religion was cast In rigid thcologi-
cal muulds; that 1t was interpreted by
holy IN. n OF Old largely in pictistic fash
ion-and viril, men and women OF char
acter got terribly sick of IT, To-day the
spirit of religion is To- be Interpreted as
pcrvasivc, exercising It's functions in all
the areas Of life. whereas formerly il
was largely restricted to the distinc-
lively religious areas"
IF your analysis Is correct" said Or
Boynton's visitor. then why Is il that
y, oplc don; 20 To church as they used
to-"
They do 40 relatively as well as they
ever did he responded. The poop. as
usual thing never throngrd the sane
tuary. You will find that people Of all
ages and coalitions 20 to a church
when the human heartbeat Is there and
God is presented as the Father of love
and Christ as the brother of humanity.
zone reason why the church is doing
more good than ever before is due Ia
the passing into ubscurity of .;he Rev.
Miss Nancy-the type OF narrow. sim
pering. sanctimonious creature .who
formerly afflicted So many congrega-
tions OF Intelligent men and earnest
women, who naturally regarded with
contempt his circumsoribed outlook on
life and his ridiculous pretensions
That sort OF pitiful mistake.
thank heaven has no place to-day In "A
church whore people worship the God
of things as they are. You don't hear
much OF church that still harbors a
Rev. Miss Nancy in its pulpit.
when We reflect upon the seem M
lessening of church influence We must
not forget that to-day the church. 50
far as its Sunday services are con-
cerned has great competitors for pub
lie attention that We're not in existence
twenty-five years ago. do not her.
refer especially 10 the Sunday news
paper. for while 1t was anathema to a
large proportion of clergymcn quarter
century ago, to-day the representative
minister must read at least the inn
portant news IN his Sunday paper be-
fore he steps into his pulpit for the
morning service
The church to-day j. in competition
on Sunday with the growing spirit OF
recreation-a perfectly proper idea, but