Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-15
ATLANTIC CITY LEAGUE
FORMED TO ENFORCE LAW.
Potent Force for righteousness Has
Materially Reduced Resort's
. Offensive Features. 49,
UNIQUE cHURCHoN BoARDWALIls
Every Sunday Morning Presbyterian
Clergyman breaches to Most Co.'S
mopoiitan Congregation That Can
he Found In America. MAJ


organization which was formed to com
pat inc offensive. features of that ia
! nous resort and has become a potent
force for righteousness, the Law En-
roEccment League. 1t has reduced ma
te"iaily the Objectionable Sunday feat
ures there. Tho league is the out
growth OF movement started by a
group Of Influential members OF the
tirst Presbyterian Church. Rev. Henry
Merle mellen. pastor. 1t has tho CO.
operation OF nearly all clergymen in At
lanttc City. The popularity Of church
work at Atlantic r:t% is that the sum-
mcr season. with lis golden shower
keeps many OF the most active church
workers away from services. Many At
iantic city'residents leave town and so
iriand for July and August. renting
their furni 'hcd homes to affluent fami.
les from Philadelphia. Pittsburgh, New
io%k and Washington. Others. who are
active IN church work during the win
ter months. take boarders in summer.
"hich keeps them so busy in. their
homes that they can not attend church
! serviceA The population in winter is
UPWARD OF 10000 The summer figures
are about 100000.
In the BoardualIl Church Atlantic
10y; hak one OF the most unique
churcheS or the nation. For several
Years Rev. Robert Arthur Elwood, a
: rresbyt erian minister. has conducted
services i'm tins" Bjou Theater on Sun
day mornings at lo:45 o'clock. preach
Ing to the most cosmopolitan congrega-
ton that can he found in America. He
uses the newspapers. street cars and
hotels for church publicity. He adver-
t!ses the board walk Church on blottars
and t!cks;s that arc distributed every
where. Thus he always attracts, Il
crowd The Eijou Theater is filled for
his, Observation-Disclosures services. Men
and women assemble there from cities
and towns throughout the United
States: from Canada. Mexico and for
e'En lands. At one stage OF the service
Visitors are invited to stand and brief
II tell whe:e theyscame from and what
I God has done for them. A man from
Glasgow, Scotland, is followed by one
from Dallas. Texas. A woman from,
Winnipeg gives her testimony: a sales
man from Chicago speaks. followed by
others from Melbourne. Australia;
! Seattle. and Savannah. Ga. The audi
ence finds these testimonies fascinating.
UP-To-DATE PASTou.
put OLD-TlME RELIGION
AZ .Eiwood is a, vir!le preacher who
Ia jasts .enthus iaSm, humor and spiritual
hover, into fh!s Gospel messages. He
poFsc SECS "a delightful personality, and
to-data styleT which, grips his hearers.
It would be i.nicQit TO find a clergyman
| better adapted 10 interest n cosmo-
politan congregation. Moreover, Ell
wood looks and dresses more like a
business man than ~ preacher and the
resort visitors like that. Many Of them
como to atlantic Clty-to getaway from
! rhe' conventional. The meetings are
supported By voluntary contributions,
made in large measure by business men
4
church is a good thing for the resort.
Another feature liz the singing. led by
the preachers to the accompaniment OF
a piano. Of good. old ashioned hymns.
The. church situation here Is very
enconraR says Rev. George D.
Jones, pastor of Trinity Methodist Pro-
tcatant Cau"ch. ifnd secretary of the
Ministerial Union, Atlantic City. Lay
men In all the churches have exhibited
greater Interest In religious work since
the revival campaign conducted by Rev.
]. g: A. Henry, the Pacific Coast evan
go,ist,. at tho Exposition Building in
! March,: "Rilly" Sundays work in Phila-
delph:a also had its effect here. Mem
bers OF the Ministerial Union have
worked in the. revival campaign and
also in the movement for civic der
cency ~
There arc thirty Protestant churches
i in the city. including ten colored con-
greRations. and all are in the heyday
prosperity OF the summer season. For
the most part, they are filled every Sun
day, largely with visitors. Four
Catholic. churches attract large con-
greGat.ons. Four OF the strongest
| churches OF Atlantic City are the First
Presbyterian, which has a large and
influential congregation: St. Paurs
Methodist Episcopal. which enrolled
nearly 900 members; the First Metho-
dist Episcopal and Christ Methodist
Protestant Church. The two largest
sunday schools in Atlantic City are
those OF Christ Methodist Protestant
Church and Trinity Methodist Protest
ant Church. With an enrolment OF
, between $50 and 600. they are In an
rrdNanced state Of efficiency. using the
graded system and other up-to- date
| features. Rev.eDr. c. n. Sinkinson. OF
Christ Church. has had that pastornte
about twenty years.
SisE-ans Feel "weHer.-
~ Z @,