Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-06-26

chine a purchase will be made.
Expects Criticism
IT presume" Mr.. Hart continued,
that we will get criticism a-plenty,
for such Is ever the case when a
church leaves the beaten path, but I
am certain an honest examination of
the subject will lead all fair minded
people to approve our course. Two
important considerations have deter
mined our action. First, the problem
OF the Sunday evening congregation,
and second, a knowledge of the almost
universal love for pictures. AS to the
first 1t Is only necessary to say that the
Sunday evening congregation is the
nightmare of every preachers life.
The people Just will not go to church
on Sunday evening. Every conceiv-
able method has been tried, with vary
ing results. Some of the best preach
ers that ever graced the earth are
preaching to Sunday evening congre-
cations varying in size from 100 to
rs. What waste of resources! No
where else is such thing permitted.
Say what we will, the Sunday evening
service is one of the perplexing prob
lens of our day and much be reckoned
with.
For several weeks 1 have been ex-
perimenting with illustrating the
salient features of our Sunday evening
sermon with stereopticon views and
the results have been surprising. The
same is true with the Wednesday even-
ing prayer service. Next Sunday even
Ing we will use the stereopticon to
illustrate our Fourth of July discourse.
on "Twenty-nine Leading Events in
American History" and while it always
is hazardous to assume the role of a
prophet, it is safe prediction that
the congregation will be one-half
larger than usual. Now il nothing
more were accomplished than to in
crease the size of the congregation, the
results would not be worth the effort.
But If the preacher is to accomplish
that whereunto he is sent he must
first of all get the people to whom he
expects to minister there.
just Step Further
There is nothing new about this
plan. Preachers and teachers for a
generation have been using the stere-
opticon. We propose now to go a step
further and use the moving picture.
And why not? Everybody likes pic
lures. They are used everywhere.
Formerly the good Book itself was
illustrated with crude drawings. Likely
the first impression made on the mind
of the infant was by the picture. The
stately and impressive service of the
Iturgical churches is largely beauti-
ful panorama of moving human pic
lures. In the kindergarten and pri-
mary departments of the Sunday
school the first lessons are impaired by
the little picture-card, larger hanging
pictures and other forms of illus
tration. Why should we seek to culti-
Nate this love of the beautiful in the
mind OF the child up to a certain point
and then later frown upon the very
method we have taught the child to
love?
IF it be argued that so much evil
tnI hN.
ture, our reply is that the same arg,i-
ment could be used against every mu-
sical instrument in use in our churches.
and by that kind of logic every good
thing in the universe could be argued
out of existence.
Religion in the Laugh
For the present our moving picture
machine will be installed in the assem-
bly, room, where every Saturday even
ing the children and youth will be en-,
tertalned with pictures descriptive of
religious. moral and educational sub
1ects, and always with one film of
good, wholesome fun; for we are of
the opinion that there is as much re,
hgion in a laugh as in a cry.
For the good We may do 1t is our
hope to make all these entertainments
1ree to the children and only a penny
or two admission for adults. Thus the
very best pictures from the most up
to-date equipment will be brought
within the reach of everybody
Certain it is that we will be criti-
clsed and perhaps condemned. More
than likely we will be charged with
sinister and selfish motives. But all
these things We're considered before
we decided definitely our course. We
mad the same things to endure when,
some months since. we announced that
we would read one of Billy SUNDAYS
sermons to an evening congregation,
We are willing to endure them again
IL the results are half so lasting and
apparent as from the Sunday sermon.
More and more are we coming to feel
with the great Apostle, L am willing
TO be all things to all men that might
save some"