The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-23

tainment Is provided in the
churches, -oung people will seek
It out Of them" said Rev. G. E.
Guthrie, president Of the Epworth
league. at the Desplaines camp
meeting near here.
The Reverend Guthrie said much
more on the same line. The church
that wishes to hold the jaded in
terest Of the modern youth or maid
On must furnish more than spirit
nal thrills. 1t must be amusing. It
must have gymnasium classes, So
cial clubs, entertainments and vari-
Gus other harmless attractions.
This is in line with the whole mod
ern church movement, and seems
to be logical idea.
In the days of our grandparents
the competition between the church
and the world was not so keen. Re-
ligion was a recreation as well as
a duty. But now, with the movies,
flivvers, golf and cabarets all striy-
ing to wean the weak and erring
soul away from his inherited habits
Of worship, it begins to look as if
the church will have to be up and
doing. 1t is a. deplorable fact that
the light Of spiritual truth from
the church, does not seem to shine
so brightly in the eyes of the young
er generation as the lights of the
movie theat.e across the way.
The answer to this, according to
the more modern divine, is to bring
the movies to the churches rather
than let the congregations go to the
movies. Indeed, surprising as it
may seem to some of us, there are
already over five thousand churches
in the country equipped with mo-
ton picture machines, which are
used in various ways in connection
with church work. Some ministers
p each sermons illustrated by films
So far, however, the greatest work
done by the church movies is in af-
fording wholesome entertainment
for the flock on week days or Sun
day afternoons.
Preach to the Eyes.
In attracting and holding church
members the movie has been found
to be without an equal. Rev. Les.
lie Willis Sprague, one of the first
ministers to preach a sermon illus.
trated by movies, says that this is
only natural 1t is a scientific fact
that we get So per cent of all oul
information through our eyes
Hence a sermon preached to oul
eyes instead Of to our less efficien,
ears ought to produce more re.
suits.
1t seems to be much easier fol
the modern man to concentrate
usually than auricularly. Life
moves too swiftly for him to con
centrate upon some heavy tome OF
abstruse lecture. His mental slim
illus comes mostly from the news
paper headlines and cartoons, tn,
illustrated magazines and the NOV
ing pictures. Preach a moving pic
ture sermon to him and you NEE
him on his own ground. Harangut
him for an hour with resJundins
phrases and he falls asleep. Al
this shows, says the Reverend
Sprague. that a church that is no
equipped to show motion picture.
Is as incomplete as the church
without an organ. And as the hea,
Of the church department of tn
Community Motion Picture Bureau
of New York, surely Rev. Mr.
Sprague should know.
| Another even more important us
for the church motion picture ma
chine is the educating and amusing
of children. Not only is it a grea
help in the Sunday school work
by enabling the children to visual
ize the simple bible scenes and par
ables, but it also plays a much
needed part during the week. Dl
A. D. V. Storey, executive secre
tary of the American Educationa
Motion Picture association, sug
Igests that the church should Civ
one special children's show eac
afternoon. The child should sto
on his way home from school an
see proper films especially suite
to his age, and then come home t
his dinner, have all the evening t
do his home work, with his cray
ing for the movies properly salts
fed, and go peacefully to bed, hay