The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-26
a. w .C1ine.)

.go. Yea / might say twenty years
,.o, and too / might add that 1t
.1oesr,"t take close observer 10 no
.tca a marked change within the past
-, Years. The transition Is RAPID
,na there must be some cause lor AZ.
Yon ask me what mean Hneh say
,here has been change. Your Ola
rdfather or grandmother who has
htndcd the same church for seven
" c,n wears can answer the question
rHorc intelligently than L can, In TACT
.,,y idea for this sketch was OBTAINED
I'm q conversation with Cody OLD
IAN who deplOreS the TACT that re-
ton has lost it's power, not only III
,ope city churches, but scores or ru-
~ Churches as we'll. OF course this
.onaition is not universal, but 1t is
.,rov.Ient in some localities. j know
"ountrv churches that only Few
..ears ago were alive with the Gospel
- christ and now they are spiritual
" dead. To attend a service IN THESE
churches now seems more me wv
,yare present at a lecture IN some
nublic hall than the pace where the
,nsnel was being eXpounded. Ihe
,tn'ospbere reminds one Of Deem
Der day.
II he above is true there must be
..,n,e cause for it. Let US see IL we
ant find a few of the Ca lses for the
crescent drift OF many churches away
rom the old time religious customs.
aov many of the younger readers
ayer attended a service where no or
,an was used, but some sanity old
nan raised" the tune Of Nearer My
,.od 10 The" What u Friend We
Have in Jesus" Jesus Lover or MY
Soul" and other Of the old hymns that
will live throughout ages. II you at
ended such service and didn't feel
81 Il SDiT ri on
were indeed hardened sinner. Such
service was enough to touch the
heart of all infdel
When i refer to the service with
.4it the organ don't understand me
a being opposed to its use in the
Churches: far from that. / believe
he organ can be made a great power
FOR good if the proper person is or
ganist. in many country churches
he advent of the organ was tht
death OF the church. Now let u!
consider the best possible way for th'
organ 20 be used for the glory O
cod II is not the organ but Organis
that kills the religious fervor OF /
service. ] do think that any one wh'
has not experienced the love Of Coz
in his or her heart and who is un
educated in music should be debarre'
from holding the exalted position o
church organist. Better throw tn
organ out Of doors than let such
person kill the power of the services
How many have made the expression
hat If a certain person is oTsanis
~ sings In the choir Il am going t
stay away" Ask an old person t
compare the revival of fifty years ag
with the one of today. Young as l al
can remember when the alta
wouldn't hold the pentitents whe
the invitation was given i'll a revive
meeting in the home church an
when the invitation was closed som
good old Christian knelt beside eac
'mourner' and pointed him TO tn
Way OF Life. Only few years ag
spent q few days at home during til
he best in the State, had lahore
faithfully for i week and when u ca
for pentitentS was made afte" heal
touching sermon, there was not a II
Spouse out Of the congregation of Se'
"ral hundred, the majority <yOur
people and known to be out OF Chris
Won't someone tell us why the gOsp
has lost its hold on the peOpl1 in tn
particular section?
What is true OF the section jill
mentioned is true OF hundreds of Sc
ions throughout this and 9TH
states. Something must he done 81
that quick, or the church Will
uothing more than Il mere playhOuS
Vow let us see if we can't find a fe
things that look like they are respO
ilbie for the state Of affairs me
loned above. Sometime during u
meeting referred ~ the pastor ask
the head OF families in which fGmi
prayer was held, ut least once 3 da
- raise their hands. Not hand We
-. lie then wanted to know h
many had occasional prayers in the
-aofnes. and one out OF the entire go
7fegation responded. Oh! May t
gay hasten when "A family altar W
oe erected in every Christian hOr
throughout the land. No matter ht
ar from home the young man, w
y as raised in 4 home where fam
prayer Mas a daily event, Wanders t
influence of that home will foll'
mn, and no doubt some day be
Means Of leading him to Christ.
opinion Is. that the adjustment a
tailre to establish the family alt
~