Show i BUSINESS MEN AND RELIGION 1 I j j I j I The current number of the Cen i K i 1 t tury Magazine gives the results of I I 1 i some investigations as to the truthfulness i 1 truth-fulness of the assertion that rich i J men and men of business have lost f j their interest in active church = work Two representative cities 11 were selected in which to make the 1 So inquiry one of 40000 inhabitants i f in the east and the other of 60000 f 1 inhabitants in the west The president pres-ident and cashier of a bank in the a i f first city were asked to give the J names of the gentlemen at the head I 1 of the fifty strongest business houses In the place The bank i officers aid not know for what purpose 1 l pur-pose the names were wanted They 1 I I furnished fiftyfour of which number I i num-ber it was ascertained that six i were identified with no church I the relation of seven tithe I + ti-the churches was not known and i i fortyone were regular attendant i i 1 and generous supporters of the < 1 j churches most of them being com J I 11 municanta In the western city E fitty two names were similarly obtained I 1 r i ob-tained and their ecclesiastical I I standing ascertained to be as fellows K fel-lows One was a Jew six were not connectedwith any church the f standing of three was unknown and i I i fortytwo were regular churchgoers r ° church-goers thirtyone of them being l l i be-ing communicants The Century i l thinks that the nonchurch f 1 goers who are raising the question l whether the coming man will go to 1 church might as well disabuse their minds of the belief that the Christian o 1 Chris-tian religion is in its decadence i 0 ri i r After all can these figures be regarded I j k re-garded > as indicating the true I status of the religious sentiments I 1 senti-ments of business men 1 They show that fourfifths I are cegular churchgoers and three fifths are church members yet they prove nothing as to the true religious a i f reli-gious feeling of the gentlemen There is a vast difference between religionthe man who conscientiously i 11 conscien-tiously believes in the doctrines H tenets forms and practices of the i churchand church attendance ort L fr f or-t i curch alliance It is fashionable to r j t attend church and almost equally so t i to be a member of the church while t I j 1 it Is very nearly disreputable not toy to-y do one nor be the other The investigation s 4 i t inves-tigation to mean anything g should t run to the point of ascertaining whether it is religion or the require j ment of society that takes businessmen i business-men into church Bob Ingeraoll is I ° 1 a frequent and interested attendant t I i at church and yet he is a violent and outrageous scoffer at true a t piety and honest conscientious I 1 conscien-tious religious belief Herein J s Here-in Salt Lake where everybody ar i knows everybody else an inquiry t I similar to that of the Century would 1 f I doubtless verify the magazines I figures and maintain the pretended j 3 Christian average but we all know 1 1 J that a very large percentage of the t business men who attend church or t I I who are duly enrolled church members i J bers are absolutely devoid of religion I i reli-gion and without belief in the principles J < y 3 prin-ciples of Christianity It would be 9 i I misleading and incorrect to say that I because these men attend church f and contribute to its support Christianity H 1 11 Chris-tianity can claim them as believers Hj An investigation that would show 1 11 i o 1 the true standing of men of affairs l 1 if not with reference to church attend J 1 ance and church support but with i 4 regard to their conscientious belief 1 t l > in Christianity would be full of j f interest and highly valuable 1 b1 Ii valu-able as indicating the tendency I f J ten-dency of the active practical i 4 I thinking portion of mankind in the 1 matter of religion The Centurys i inquiry in view of well known facts i concerning mans private feelings j t as regards religion simply proves t J s 4 i that society is powerful in compelling t t tI compell-ing people to assume a virtue J 1 1 s Whether or not they powes itt 2 lt i 2l i v l sIt F f It 1 I j j l k V |