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Show THEY PLAY AT CHURCH WORK. The. Rev. Dr. John B. Shaw Raps Insincere "Women. The Rev. Dr. John Kalcom Shav; who is leaving the West Knd Presbyterian church of Xew York to take charge of the Second church of Chicago, addressed ad-dressed his valedictory to his fellow pasterns in the Presbyterian Ministers association. His address was on "Soul Rewinning," and he took a pessimistic view of the religious tendencies of the time. These are some of the things he t-aid: "Five years ago a canvass of the live blocks of the street upon which the West End church is located revealed that there were enough ex-e!ders, ex-deacons ex-deacons and ex-Sunday school teachei-3 and other church workers who had lapsed living on that one street to till to the doors a church seating 1.300 persons. per-sons. Al the pres?nt time l have no hesitancy in estimating that two or perhaps thiei? such edifices as the West tnd church would be needed to accommodate accom-modate them all. "There is a second class, consisting of those who have at some time formally formal-ly connected themselves wilh the church. Their names are on our books, and once in a while they turn up, oft-ener oft-ener at a social rather th:n at a religious re-ligious function but they are practically practic-ally the unchurched within the church, j It would be a fearfully heterodox thing for a Presbyterian clergyman to speak of a second cm version, but sometning like that will have to take place. "A third class goes through all the motions of the religious life, is faithful in iU relations to the church, bu; its religion, re-ligion, as Carlyle describes it, is only algebraic piety.' playing, not living, religion. Women will make social calls on the new people., but you can scarcely scarce-ly hire the most pious of them to make personal calls either for a. lost sheep or for one only straying. "A certain pastor in our city ltt his name remain unspoken noticed recently recent-ly that one of t he young women of his ncmbeir-hip showed su.-t-h lou. tignn oi slitping away. He did not like the increasing in-creasing ruddiness of. her complexion, and the expensive clothes she was wearing so contradicted the frugality ct her home that he was naturally anxious anx-ious for her. He went k. one of his own good women, an active church worker, told her the facts, and asked her t j give the young woman immediate and special spe-cial attention. 1 "The charge was cheerfully accepted nnd i.n fulfilment faithfully premised. After a whole month what was the pastor's 3iii.::se lo learn that nothing had been done. Hi3 worker said she had been too busy, but she had not been too busy, to attend t'r-e theatre thice times each week since the charge was intrusted to her. nor toa busy to go to her euchre club, nor to .-nendflii afternoon aft-ernoon or two each week in making social so-cial calls. .. "Failing in this-instance. the pastor turned to a second good woman of hi church, one who always-, attended the woman's prayer meetings and indulged freely in pious talk, fhe al:o made fair rp:o;nises. She kept th.m no belter than her busy swter. She gave much church work as an excuse for her neg-kct. neg-kct. She had plenty cf time to pltn entertainments, but none to give to an imperilled soul. "Then another attempt was made, this time with a Christian Kndeavorer of the zealous type.' She was no mor prompt in her service than her predecessor. prede-cessor. Finally, in despair, the pastor turned lo a deaconess, and warned her of carrying tbi; young woman's blood upon her conscience. This fourth young ncman went strafghtway upon her mission, mis-sion, only to find that matters were far worse than even the pastor had supposed. sup-posed. The young woman could not be found at home: sh: spent her evening out. So the visitor sought her at her place of business, and the diamond rings which bestudded hen. fingers, her dyed hair, an unmistakable cast in the eye. told the sad story of her ruin. While God's people had been tarrying, playing with the world, or trying to satl.sfy their conscience with unimportant unimport-ant work, one of his children had be en ;o.-t. not only to h!s church, but to de-coney, de-coney, honor and virtue." There was much discussion of Dr. Shaw's paper. Some members of the .;-so i4t!o'i held that he looked at church conditions vith too pessimistic a-.: eye. |