Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-29
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
Sermons That Are Interesting and
Churches That Are Attractive viii
Solve the Problems OF Clergymen
Who Mourn Nonattendance
at Services
By SARAH ID. IOWRIE

L It is such a powerful organization in nll
its branches and in spite of its divisions
that ono can find fanlt with i without being
made to (cN cowardly or pitiful.
1t is such big. imucrsOnal organization
that IL is almost ns hnpcuCtrablC to iabS ana
whncks ~ Sidney Smith affirmed the dome
Of st. paul's was to tickling. At least
when h" found boy tickling the back Of
turtle he said
You might as well try to tickle the dome
Of st. paul's,"
For 1900 years there have been plenty of
persons to say the Church was bound to he
SCrappCd. had been Scrappcd. deserved to he
scrapncd and still the Church goes on,
still has special privileges given it by the
state. still is allowed by society ono day
in seven to make itself felt prcdominantly
over other institutions, still holds its mo-
nopOly unChallcnCcd aS the authority on
God and on mans relation to God.
To give II free access to tho young of the
country. all public and private schools are
closed ono daV in seven, 80 that it may hold
its religious day school without competition.
To give it free access to the adults Of the
country. the theatres and paid public
HmuScmcnts in most places are discontinued
by law en- Sunday for the entire day; in
some places for the first half of the day TO
give the citizens tho time to go to the set
assemblies Of the Church all cmploycs-do-
nestle. factory. store, banks. courts. mar
kcts. public utilitics-arc given time of
with pny by their employers. Railroad
timetables are changed to lessen the traffic
all building ceases. no mail is dcivCrCd
almost nothing can be legally bought or sold
Public eating houses arc closed. saloons are
closed by law. the great business cctiOnS of
the town arc NCSCrtCd,
by common Impulse everything has been
made I" c"HS" tun"tiOnnG for business. aud
10y common consent everything has been
made smooth for the Church to utilize the
day. added to this. society has given the
Church the monopoly of marrying the living
and burying the dead.
a ND with all this material backing of the
"A statF and Of society tho Church has been
nhI" to hold its tremendous position aS the
llrSt and the most important organization in
tho country.
K docs this by three kinds of arpcaI TO
IN" citizens of the countrv--an appeal to
antN' an appeal to generosity and an appeal
to tho mind.
1t gets people goirg and coming by these
anrNnS. For if YOU SCc no particular
f"n"ht to Yourself in going to church. YOU
'nn sec ii benefits the country to have
churches; nnd If YOU are not moved hv duty
or generosity. the music of the churches
lWnlrh IN some eases is very fine and only
I" be heard in churChcSI tho literature Of
religion and the liturgy (which in some
"hnrrhes Is worry fine and only to be got in
rhnrrh"s) and the reasoning of thcooCians
'Whlch in n very fcw cases j. very brilliant
or moving or comncinC. and only to be got
troubI" TO go to church and reward YOU for
III" trouble of going by the sensation that
You have while there
A > MOST persons are either moved by
dntN or generosity or n desire for mental
S"nSnt ions of on" kind or another. the
Church has Il unique opportunity sooner or
later to make men and women and children
feel its ntIucncc.'a 'at least temporarily.
1t aims t" make that temporary influence
permanent and universal. and because il
makes no secret of its aims ii is condemned
ny som" prriudicCd OnlOokcrS as n failure
and by ,omc dishCart"ncd members aS being
unfnirly treated
Those VIII" condemn it rs failure be-
rauS" II is not universally sought hv all
p"r~orS and not permanently sought Iv nil
~ converts would like TO scrap it, Those
"i ITS m"Inb"rS who are dShcartcncd would
IINr to boost il by doing away with all com
p"tIII"n :" that il would have Il comrlctc
monopoly. Men. women and rhi,drcn bv
III" W"rNIng "t that Complct" monopoly
would then have nowhere To- 60 hut out
To- church for at least twelve hour, every
Sunday. -
H"lb III" N"rnpp"rS and the mouopoli<tS
W"iId Iik" +" Us" fore" for thing that
tore" cannot Kill. or cannot make alive. For
III lt~ ">'"ur" III" practice Of religion j. a
Spontaneous act.
0I'E clerical friends WHO wish to enforce
~ "tIl"t"r legal mouOuoly Of Sunday for
th" Church would do we'll to pause and rc
gard tn" fat" Of all state religions from tLot
"l Egypt. in Moses day. tn that Of France
III "rr day. lh"S" who desire to ucnaIizc
r"mIriing Sunday occupations in order that
ih" Church, ,>h0uld be- the ONLY uIorn iLin
p"r>ouN may turn for pleasure or rroii, rr
rest might study th" annals Of Snaiu and
III" Low '"untri"S during Ih" Inuui>ftion
and turn leaf or two Of the history of
r RANG" Ah"U' IN" tim" Of the revocation Of
,,t a.