OCR Text |
Show jWHEREDOTHEYGO? QUESTION OF INTEREST TO CHURCH PEOPLE. Nonattendant at Religious Services, Converted In Boyhood, Makes a Frank Confestlon That Is Worthy of Attention. A recent number of tho American Magazlno takes up the subject of "Religion "Re-ligion Insldo the Church and Out." In tho course of tho article, which Is a defense of tho church, tho following confession or a young Chicago non-churchgoer non-churchgoer Is published: "Your story of 'The Rov. Hilly Sunday Sun-day andHls War on tho Devil,' In the American Magazine refreshed tho memory of my own conversion back In 18S8 under the pleaching of another great revivalist. I was 11 years old at the time. "I had been making trouble In school when the meetings began. My people were worried about me. The revivalist revival-ist offered a way to reform. So I was urged to attend tho meetings.. Of course, I heard a great deal about hell and tho damnation of sinners. Scores Vero being converted. There was great excitement. I was pushed and pulled. Finally, I surrendered, although al-though I was not conscious of anything any-thing but a deslro to please my parents, par-ents, to avoid tutuie punishment and to effect tho necessary reform In my conduct at school. "The next step was Joining the church. That was easy. All I had to do was to go through tho ordeal of a meeting with the church committee, composed chiefly of respected old men In the town whoso confidence I was glad to have. "I enjoyed tho experience of being n full-fledged Christian for a long time. My father and mother were pleased beyond expression, and for years I think that I was a bettor boy that Is, more restrained In my behavior In school, perhaps. I cannot recall any other definite manifestation or 'conversion.' 'con-version.' I continued to go to Sunday school and to church twice Sunday. 1 had become a habitual church-goer "ny the tlmo I was 18 or 19 I began to grow sick of It all. I began to see that I had no genuine interest In tho church. I was not going to tho bad, either. Far from It! My conviction thnt decency makes for happiness was taking deep root. 1 Intended to bo a good man, and 1 began to want to work It out In my own way. I felt that I was Just about to begin my serious seri-ous lite, and do you want It straight rrom tho shoulder? I felt that I wanted to begin outsido the church. I don't know why. I am not arguing this thing or trying to prove anything. I am Just trying to toll you. "Very soon I was 21, I think I left the llttlo town where my father and mother brought me up and enmo to Chicago to live. That was nlno years ago. And shnll I tell you? I havo never been Inside a church moro than n dozen times since. "Now I don't want you to Interpret this as a criticism of the church. Do you think I would rebuke tho Institution Institu-tion which has given my good father and mother that peace which Is my happy assuranco or their future well-being? well-being? Neither do I find fault with tho Rev. Hilly Sunday. Not ono out of 100,000 whom he has converted may turn out the way I havo. Ho may not try to convert children, either. I don't know about that. I think that- that makes very littlo difference, howevor. Many people are chlldron, no matter how old they are. All I know Is that over since I can remember the churches church-es have been rushing names onto their membership rolls. And yet the cry Is that the churches aro falling off In numbers. Where do they all go?" |