Year: 1879

reasonable men should consider IN the
special instance. With the peculiar
sanctity of the day has gone the pecu.
liar sense OF obligation to pass it in
church. Here is one reason for the
decline in church going.


Another may be as briefly told.
However backward other things may
have been in recent years, there has
been steady progress in the love OF
knowledge and polite letters. The
ablest of living men have not thought
1t beneath their dignity to popularize
the proioundest speculations of exis-
tence, in books and pamphlets and
spoken speech, SO that all classes are
discussing problems which once would
not have been heard outside college
walls. TO the majority of persons the
Sabbath is the only time they have 10
read, This is the case with the older
ones. In effect, the case is the same
with the younger ones. A marvellous
impulse has been given Of late to light
letters by the cheap publications Of
several great houses. For fifteen cents
one can buy novel which used TO
cost dollar and half The standard
works Of English authorship, printed
beautifully, and in convenient form,
easy to the hand, charming TO the eye
and captivating to the mind, in these
cheap editions, are sold in cords. Sun
day, when there is nothing TO inter-
rupt the pleasure, is devoted TO these.
This, more than any other ono thing,
perhaps, is cause OF the neglect OF
old.timc church attendance.


Then again, in the old time, which
is not so very old either, all within q
pretty large radius OF church were
familiar with the pastor, and he with
them, for he mado it his business to
know them personally. When Sun
day came round, these people felt bound
by the duty of courtesy and warm
friendship to acknowledge their respect
for the minister by listening TO his dis
course They felt this outside Of any
religious sentiment concerned. But
now, in cities, where the fault in ques-
tion is complained Of, not one preacher
in fifty is acquainted with one-half the
people around him. lie cannot be.
Duties have accumulated rapidly since
the old.time preacher left. His sue.
cessor has more funerals, more we'd
dings, more charities, more educational
and missionary enterprises to attend to,
and he has TO preach better sermons
or he will get his walking papers. No
living man can do all the routine work
now thrown upon a minister, and still
make the incessant circuit of calls
which gave the minister of other days
his personal acquaintance with nearly
every body in his parish. In conse-
quence the minister Of today is a
stranger TO the great body Of his par
ish. He may be an able and excellent
man, and tho best Of companions to
those who are in intimacy with him,
but to those who are not he is simply
iunctionary like every other. If
thereis something special on hand they
90 and hear him, il not, they stay at
home and read a book of simplifed
science, a novel, or a Sunday paper
Taking the word in its old, tender and
rich meaning, there are no pastors
nova days, aud, as things are going,
there are to be none hereafter. Here
is another reason for the decline in
church-going.


The decline Is not by any means so
great as many say, nor has it resulted
in consequences half so serious to the
Sabbath as day of rest and moral
recovery, as many say. But there
has been a decline, partly from causes
that can be remedled, and partly from
those that can not. How can they be
remedied ? We are not prescribing in
this case. Ask the doctors in charge.
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