The Lutheran visitor. (Columbia, S.C.) 1869-1904, January 23, 1902, Image 10
10
PERIPATETIC WORSHIPERS.
Mamma, aren’t you goin^ to
pay for our seats!'” demanded an
anxious little girl in a stage
whisper as the collection plate
passed them in church; but the
mamma, who had neglected to-
bring her porte monnaie, could
only shake her head and frown,
fn pleasant weather, when there
was nothing in particular to
keep them at homo, she and her
little daughter were in the habit
of attending church every Sun
day morning, just as they at
tended matinees every Saturday
afternoon during the season, and
as they did not confine them
selves to one play-house, so it
did not seem to occur to the
mother to take part in the ser
vice of any particular church.
When a girl at boarding school
she had been confirmed by the
bishop of the state in which that
school was situated. She had
been married through choice in
the largest and most fashionable
church in the town in which her
parents lived; the nearest min
ister had been hastily summoned
to administer private baptism to
her only baby who, at a very
tender age, was so ill that its
Roman Catholic nurse, fearing
it might die at any moment, in
sisted upon the sacrament. But
though the baby had recovered,
and had now passed the pinafore
period, it would seem, from her
anxiety to pay for her seat in
church, that she and her mother
were still without a church home.
And pity of it is that this is
by no means a singular case.
Churchless men and women,
professing and calling them
selves Christians, are to be found
in multitudes in all large cities,
and even in villages and country
neighborhoods this habitof what
has been called peripatetic wor
ship is found only too often.
The man of business who,
every Sunday morning, after
duly perusing the Sunday news
paper, goes off on his bicycle
“to worship in nature’s temple”,
as his apologetic wife or sister
explains it to the neighbors, is
perhaps more consistent in his
devotion than are these wor
shipers in many and various
churches! If it be true that on
these excursions he “Looks up
through Nature unto Nature’s
God,” he cannot be accused of
being fickle in his method of
adoration. There are those who
would seem to contend by their
Sunday impartiality that the
THE LUTHERAN VISITOR
word church should have only
the definition we sometimes find
in old-time 'spelling books: “A
building of stone.” With them
the choice among these build
ings of stone (or stone’s substi
tute) depends sometimes on the
choir, sometimes on the preach
er, sometimes on the social
status of the other worshipers.
“Variety is the spice of life,”
some of these churchgoers will
say, “and as long as we assemble
ourselves together to worship
God, what does it matter just
where we do it? One grows so
tired of seeing the same set of
people every Sunday!”
It is to be feared that if on
some of the fashionable avenues
of our cities there were Jove’s
temples to be found, these un
settled worshipers would not
confine their patronage to the
churches of the true God. Theirs
is a roving nature, and change
of scene is more to them than
consistency of faith. The joss
house of the slums does not at
tract them, it is true, but if the
Diana of the Ephesians had a
modern shrine with a Pagan
Campanini in the choir, or if a
Mohammedan mosque reared an
artistic front in the fashionable
quarter of the city, it is quite
possible that over-broad relig
ionists might be found listening
to Pagan pa»ons, or to the dis
course of some silver-tongued
Koran preacher, gravely endea
voring, as they listen, to de
cide within themselves “which
speaks truth, Mohammed or
Moses.”
It is the fashion of the day to
condemn norrowness (so-called)
in doctrine, and to speak with
complacency of the breaking
down of denominational fences;
but it should not be forgotten
that poor humanity is ever for
extremes, and that when there
are a multitude of ways that
seem right unto a man the end
thereof is confusion.—Living
Church.
THE CHURCH STILL STANDS.
' While so much is being' said,
and correctly too, about the
worldliness of Christiaps and the
feeble activities of the churches;
while indifference to religion and
fondness for new and vague be
liefs are very much in evidence
just now and threaten to lead
many souls into error; yet let it
not be forgotteojhat God is still
with His Church. Men may re
ject His Gospel, or fail to know
it as a power unto salvation;
Christians even may lose their
hold on its spiritual, transform
ing mysteries; but the Word is
still the same mighty agency it
was when Christ proclaimed it.
That Word is still with us; and
where that is, God’s Spirit is.
Now, this fear among devout
Christians that the pillars are
falling out from under religion,
and that the devil is getting the
Church exactly where he wants
it, springs from a lack of faith
in the power of the Gospel.
The Church, it is true, is under
the spell of worldiness, and she
does not reach-the masses as she
should, because they are still
more worldly. Her pulpits do
not ring with the message of re
pentance and faith and justifica
tion as clearly and powerfully
as they ought Her membership
are far more generally interested
in the material prosperity of the
churches than in the spiritual
prosperity of the Church. But
with all her shortcomings, with
all her'divided and antagonistic
forces, she is today, as never be
fore, a mighty power which
Satan has to reckon with. We
live in a critical age, and men
see the imperfections of the
Church much more clearly than
in the days gone by. In the
shadow of these imperfections,
the Church as a spiritual organ
ism is being lost sight of; but
notwithstanding the adverse
forces arrayed against her from
without and the enfeebling con
ditions which handicap her from
within, she is still the salt of the
earth, and, according to_the
Word of her great Head, ever
will be, for He has promised
never to leave her.
Is it notin order then to revive
the faith among Christians that
God has not left himself without
a trangible witness here upon
earth? that He has ordained
His church to be that witness?
that while godlessness may rage
and sinners imagine vain things,
no adverse power shall over
whelm His Church? That stands
secure amid all the revolution of
time. Zion is still with us and
our hearts need not fear. “Walk
about Zion; mark well her bul
warks; consider her palaces.”—
The Lutheran.
The greatest of all responsibil
ities is that of doing what we
choose to do.
He who does evil needs our
pity more than he who suffers
wrong.
January 23, 1902
THREAD AND NEEDLE TREE.
There is a forest of such trees
on the plains of Mexico. The
Mexican housewife is truly
favored, for when the children
tear their clothes she has only
to step outside her dwelling, lay
her hand upon a sharp, slender
thorn needle, which is pushing
itself out from the tip of a green
leaf, draw it very carefully out
of its sheath, slowly unwinding
the thread—which is strong fiber
already attached to the needle
—and everything is ready for
use.
The tree is called the maguey-
tree, and it bears pyramids of
flowers w hich rise above its rich,
dark leaves. The roots when
cooked make a most appetizing
dish, and the leaves are usqd to
thatch the cottages. From tne
leaves is also made a paper, and
the heavier fibers are used by the
natives to manufacture ropes
and coarse cloth.
TEN RULES OF POLITENESS FOR
CHILDREN.
1. To be polite is to have a
kind regard for the feelings and
rights of others.
2. Be as polite to your parents,
brothers, sisters and schoolmates
as you are to strangers.
3. Look people fairly in the
eyes when you speak to them or
they speak to you.
4. Do not bluntly contradict
anyone.
5. It is not discourteous to re
fuse to do wrong.
G. Whispering, laughing, chew
ing gum or eating at lectures, in
school or at places of amuse
ment is rude and vulgar.
?. Be doubly careful to avoid
any rudeness to strangers, such
as calling out to them, laughing
or making remarks about them.
Do not stare at visitors.
8. In passing a pen, pencil,
knife, or pointer, hand the blunt
end toward the one who receives
it.
9. When a classmate is recit
ing do not raise your hand until
after he has finished.
10. When you pass directly in
front of anyone or accidentally
annoy him, say: “Excuse me;”
and never fail to say: “Thank
you” for the smallest favor. On
no account say “Thanks.”—
School Rules of Santa Barbara,
Cal.