OCR Text |
Show Men and Church Services. The absence or men in Sunday meeting is a subject that Is agitating many or the ministers in the east. There appears to be more indilTcrcncc Iniegardto religious matters among men, then ever was known before. It Is thought that If statistics were taken on the church attendance witli the sexes, it would show that tinougli-out tinougli-out the country fiom one year to another, theic would be fully seventy-llc seventy-llc per cent of the attendance in favor of the female and only twenty-live twenty-live per cent In favor or the male. It is also claimed that the male attendance at-tendance Is compiised mostly of hill hi-ll r in and aged men. As a nile, men of all ages have a sense of religion Implanted in their natuies; they believe In their religions, reli-gions, arc willing to contribute to the support of churches and would not have them eliminated rrom a community, com-munity, yet at the same time most or these men give little thought about eternal things or the future that awaits them. They take moie satisfaction, satis-faction, appaiontly, In devoting their time and thoughts almost exclusively to things of a temporal character. An Kuglish clergyman, in a list of reasons that he thinks aie mainly attributable to the lack or interest in the attendance at meetings by the men, gives one as follows: "It Is that subjects arc so seldom touched upon that Interest the men. They like to hear tho solid gospel preached by those who have made a study or the .scilptures they do not care to hear too much about the picacher's private opinions about this and that, as they do about historical facts recorded in the old and new Testaments, recalling recall-ing piophccics that have been given and the fulfillment of them In latter-days latter-days They like to hear of the Savior and know all that can be told about the piomincnt characters In Jilblc history Moses, David, Daniel, Solomon, Solo-mon, Job, Isaiah and all the rest, they like to hear of the doings of these men while upon the earth. They do not caie about too many funny stories, too many strained accounts of things that have happened, but want to know that everything they hear Is authentic and can be proven." The divine goes on further to say "would It not be better to cater to the tastes of practical men by giving Hist class seimons by those who have a knowledge know-ledge of their subjects and thus bring the right kind of talent to the rront, and ir possible mouse a reeling of Interest In-terest in the minds and licaitsof business busi-ness and piactical men, draw them to churches on the Sabbath, and thus keep before their mind's eye that something else besides this world's goods should ba sought after. Have them thoioughly awakened to the fact that there is a future destiny awaiting await-ing all men, and that destiny will be governed by their actions In this life." The above conditions as to the non-attendar.c non-attendar.c or practical business men to our meetings is ery noticeable In this community. If all men would break away from their wordly cares on Saturday nights, and attend meetings, they would reel bcL-Lcr, bcL-Lcr, and on Monday mornings would find llicmsclves rerreshed and beLler prepared to grapple with their business busi-ness affairs, having had a little rest rrom the regular routlns or business. |