TO ATTEND CHURCH
IS URGED AS A CHRISTIAN DUTY
Dr. Chapman Speaks of the Va!t:e of
Christianity on the Character of
the Nation.
New Yopk City.?'The Rev. J. 'Wilbur
r?Actnr-pvnncrelist of
the Fourth Presbyterian Church of this
city, has delivered a sermon in which he
set forth the reasons why men should attend
church. He preached from the text,
"And He said unto them. Come ve yourselves
apart into a desert place and rest
awhile." Mark C: 31.
John the Baptist had been beheaded
and his disciples were in confusion. They
wore truly as sheen without a shepherd*
The apostles had heard of the disaster,
and came to Jesus to tell Him of all the
things that had come to pass, and then it
was that He spoke to them in the words
of the text. "And He said unto them.
Come ye yourselves apart into a desert
place and rest awhile; for there were
many coming and going, and they had no
leisure so much as to eat." I am very well
aware that to some of von this may seero
an inappropriate text, for if the church is
^ _ nc .ko I
a ceserc men in u*vu n. iircscms ? ureason
why so many men are away from
it. and wliy there seems to be a growing
indifference to its claims. Alas, it is true
too often the church is a desert place. It
will not help us any in our efforts to lead
men to attempt to blind our eyes to the
condition of thintrs. A desert is a spot
without water, without habitation, a place
of death and despair, and this is true of
every church where anything is substituted
for the gosnel. where the whole truth is
not preached, and where Christ is not presented
to dying men. The sermons may
be perfect so far as their literary excellence
is concerned, but without the gospel, as
the heart thev are sounding brass and tinkling
symbol in the estimation of Rim who
is the ereat head of the church. Then again
the verse in which the text is found presents
us a picture of the world. The Master
called the apostles aside to rest, for
there were manv coming and going, and
they had no leisure so much as to eat.
This is indeed a representation of the business
life of the most of men. The pace is
terrific, and if any man fails to keep step
with his competitor in business he is soon
left behind and is counted out of the race.
/vf rwro-t*oct neods nf the dav fc>T
men in all departments of life, whether it
be in the shop, with the ordinary day laborer
or with the great merchant in his
business, or the famous lawyer at the
court, one of the greatest needs of the day
is for rest. Rest does not necessarily mean
idleness; when men rest as I have it in
mind thev get their best conception of God,
they work out their greatest plans for the
future, they become in the truest sense as
God would have them.
Men cannot carelessly approach a great
worl;. For the disciples it was "Tarry ye."
before the going forth to service, and this
is necessary not only in religious life, but in
all departments of life. In a paner not long
ago under the caption "Why do we go to
church?" the following was suggested:
Because it is the fashion.
Because it has become a habit. '
Because it is respectable.
Because we like the minister.
Because we enjoy the music and other attritions.
Because we feel lonesome when we do
not go.
Because we sing in the choir or are offi cia's
and must go.
Because parental authority enjoins it.
Because it helps business.
Are any of these the motives that move
you to attend church? Som^of them may
nave a subordinate place in one's actions,
but they should never become a Drominent
or a dominant force. Why should we go to
church? For a hundred legitimate reasons,
chief among which are these:
Because the church is the tabernacle ol
the Most High.
Because it has always been the symbol
and centre of worship.
Because He plainly promises to meet us
there.
TWnnao wo need the heln the church af
fords.
Because others need the force of our exam
ole.
Because of the joy we find in public and
social worship.
Because without the church the community
and nation would soon lapse into barbarism.
Because close fellowship with God's people
here is the truest road to the life hereafter.
It is a fact that men are not attending
church, and it cannot be true that this is
altogether the fault of the non-attendants
themselves. This is a cold world in which
we live, and naturally the world wants
warm words, warm smiles, warm welcomes,
warm hearts, warm prayers and the warm
spirit of brotherhood, and men have a right
to expect that the church which represents
Christ upon earth shall exhibit all of these
things. The man of the world does not
?tay away from the church because there is
too much of the Spirit of God in it, but
rather because there is too little. The
church must be united if the unsaved world
is to be drawn to it.
T
X.
The following reasons for church attendance
have Deen presented to me by
men of great renown throughout the country,
great business men, great philanthropists,
great leaders of men generally, and
there is not one who has written to me
but whose name is known throughout the
whole world.
First?Man needs the church. Temptations
assail him on every side; there is no
man that lives without temptation. The
whose salary is $2500 per year. "My pros?erity
will be my defeat unless I am careul.
I find now that I ara constantly
thinking of business and scheming to increase
my riches," and then the tears
pressure of materialism in these days is
terrdic. and unless a man has a strong upward
pull, at least one day in the week he
will find himself gradually going down.
The commercial spirit of the aav is something
marvelous to think of, and unless
one day at least in the seven is spent in
worshiping God the other days of the
week will dwarf and starve that spiritual
nature wmcn every man possesses wnetner
fee is conscious of it or not. The tendency
to look down and not up will after a while
give the man a halting, hesitating, blind
ava.y of walking, while the man who one
day in the week at least looks up and not
down will find himself purer and better
end stronger. "Men are sure to retrograde
and lose ground if thev neglect the
ohurcli," said a man to me the other day,
started as he said. "I question if 1 am as
happy as when 1 was on a small salary and
lived in a very simple way."
Second?The church needs men and the
work of God cannot be accomplished without.
It has always been God's way to
work through instruments sometimes as
humble as the rod which Moses neid in
his hand and yet as important as Moses
himself. God means to win men through
mer, and if the men of the day absent
themselves from the church of God for the
loss of the souls of other men they are held
responsible at the day of judgment.
Third?Men ought to attend church because
of the intellectual culture that is
there gained. The average man has little
time for reading, little opportunity through
the week for recreation and lectures and
it is the opinion of this distinguished business
man that the average sermon will he
a stimulus to his intellect. Remember, it
is not so much what you hear as the impression
it makes upon you and the after
effects upon your life. Men may have forget- ,
ten the (.^reek thev learned in college, and '
-e U._1 ??.i |
t Tie principles Ol WW IIIKIIC1 nmuivurau.,,
but no man coubi pass through college
without coming out stronger and better
in every wav it lie were true to his ecluca- ;
tion. and the effect of a sermon rightly
heard and received is to make the life
purer, the mind clearer, the character
stronger.
Fourth?The example of church going affords
an important means of promoting
the good crder of the community. The reflex
influence upon oneself is of the very
best, and the influence upon others is conducive
to regular habits and good order.
Fifth?The idea of recreation in church
attendance is one of the most important
reasons for faithfulness in this regard.
"Surely." writes a distinguished man,
"church going will afford this." A change
of occupation is rest and a working man
who feels that he must sleep through the
hours of the morning because he has
toiled faithfully through the days of the
week, will And that he is beginning his
week duller than if he had been true to
God; while the business man who reads
through most of the hours of the day because
he feels that to attend church would
be a sense of weariness would find that he
begins the week more weary than if he
had been loyal to Christ.
n.
There are certain facts which we must
remember in our efforts to reach and to
help others.
First?There is a worshiping faculty in
man. and it is the climax of all his other
faculties. For the exercise of his voice
man has the air. for his feet he has the
earth, for hunger he has food, for'thirst
he has water, but for bis soul he must
have God. John Stuart Mills was one of
ivoAafiiai man Ko Vl 1 H AnP f VlP
greatest minds we have known in these
latter days, but his early life, his father's
blood and his education had drawn him
awav from thp church. He tried to kill all
faith, and yet he could not kill the demand
for something to worship. He eulolized
his wife until he worshiped her, and
the seven and a half years they lived together
were the happiest years of his life.
When ?he died the light of his life went
out. There never was a sadder closing to
mortal life than his.
Second ? Men have misunderstood the
spirit of the church. Criticism has been
made that the church is a class institution
existing for the favored few, but this is
not true. The existence of the St. Bartholomew
Mission House in this city,
where people by the thousands have been
reached and blessed;*the p.esence of the
Madison Square Church House, so recently
dedicated to the glory of God and the
helping of all classes of people is an argument
which directly meets this disposition
on the part of the unchurched. Jvot long
ago a man went about through the
churches clad as a poor man, plainly
dressed, and found that he was repulsed
by no one and welcomed by nearly all.
The church is the greatest factor in the
world, but its work is first and foremosf
with the soul and its needs. Men have
been disposed to censure us because we do !
J 1 - ?L- -l_V J <lu, I
no ao wnai uie ciuu uucm, uui nuau iue i
lodge does, but it should be remembered
that the church is not a charity institution,
nor an educational institution; it is a
place for regeneration, conversion and eternal
salvation. The church has a. social
mission, it is true, but first of all it has a
saving mission. We must keep first things
first. The lodce may have its place in the
ranks of men, but woe be to that man who
allows it to usurp the place of the church
in his life.
After Rossini had rendered "William
Tell" for the five hundredth time a company
of musicians came under his window
in Paris and serenaded him. They put
upon his brow a cold crown, and in the
midst of the cheers Rossini turned to a
friend and 6aid, "I would give all of this
just for a day of youth and love," and
there is many an old man in New York
who has passed his Sundays in the house
of God who knows more of real joy be
cause ot this than .ne man venose name is
famous throughout the world and counts
his money by millions.
In the Yellowstone Park there is a famous
point where on one of the peaks of
the Rocky Mountains the falling waters
seem to hesitate for a moment as if to say,
"Which way shall I go?" This point is
the Continental Divide, and a gust of wind
determines whether the water shall flow
east to the Atlantic or west to the Pacific.
I doubt not but some one is reaching
a decision as to what his true relations to j
the church may be, and if he decides
against the church he is to be pitied,
while if his decision is in favor of the
church all will be well.
First ? His individual life will be
strengthened, he will meet temptation^ j
but overcome it; he will meet trial ana
rejoice in it; he will have the approval of '
his own conscience, and this always makes a
man courageous. i
Second?His social life will feel the impetus
of his decision. Men's lives count 1
for evil. Dr. Munhall, the celebrated evan- j
gelist, says that before he became a min- j
ister he went one evening to the theatre .
just to please a visiting friend, and the <
next day met upon the streets a young .
man whom he asked again as he had askeu '
him frequently to be a Christian. The \
ni3n looked at him and said, "I never want 1
you to speak to me on the subject again. 1
1 saw you in the theatre last night, and I <
have little confidence in a man who pro- <
fesses to be a Christian and was found in i
a questionable place of amusement." "1
never won him,' said Dr. Munhall. "He '
gradually drifted away from the church
and from Christ, and I met him in the
West a hopeless wreck." If a man's influence
may count for evil then who can estimate
what would be accomplished among 1
men if we were true to Christ and true to j
the church and lived out the principles of ;
both in our business life.
Third?The home life would feel the impetus.
Mr. Moody used to tell the story J
of the father who came to his home, found ]
his little child suffering as he had been for (
weeks ai*l months. The little fellow said,
"Lift me up," and he raised him from his j
bed, and then he said, "Lift me higher," '
and then he held him up for a moment as 1
h.gh as his arms could reach, and when he !
took him down he was dead. "He had i
lifted him/'^ said Mr. Moody, "into the
very arms cf Christ." This is possible for (
every man who lives as he ought to live
and works as he ought to work; is true to
Christ and faithful to the church. May )
God help us all to be just this, . '
HE DESERVED WHAT HE RECEIVED.
A. Bad Citizen of Spartanburg Was
Soundly Thrashed By Indignant
People For a Black Crime.
Sparta* ourg, Special. ? Tuesday
night si >r*ly after 10 o'clock a crowd
of about 75 white men went to the
house of J. C. Perry, who lives with
r.is who ana cm .urea on iirawiey
succl. in the Hanl-urg section, and
surrounding the premises, demanded
to see Perry. That individual endeavored
to escape, slipping through
a window in ihe l'-ar portion of his
residence, but in the back premises
he was caught by some of the crowd,
and led off the entire mob following.
He was led to a deep woodland beyond
the Austin r'.ace, about three miles
from the s<yusrc oi the city, and was
stripped from his head to his waist,
and men with belts of leather administered
severe castigations on hto
body. His groans and cries eventually
aroused a sense of the humane, and a
pause in the punishment was the result.
At this juncture Sheriff Vernon,
Chief of Police Dean and a posse ar
rived to the succor of Perry. They
took him in charge, carrying him by
his home to secure seine clothing ha
desired. He then fcecought them to
carry him to the Southern depot and
watch by him until the southbound
train arrived at 12:26, when he would
leave this city for good. The Officers
watched by Perry until he boarded
me midnight train and he left vowing
that he would never put his foot in
this citv again.
The devilment of Perry, for which
he was whipped, was of such an increSible
and enormous nature that it
is hard to conceive of a human indulging
in the same. There is not the
slightest doubt as to his guilt, for he
acknowledged that, and there were
responsible witnesses to testify to it.
The wonder is that he escaped with
his life.
Perry for two or three years past
has been ninuiug a junk shop in
Spartanburg. His \ areroom is situated
near the Charleston and Western
Carolina depot, but he has an up
town office on East Main street over
tbe "tore of Trakas Bros. For some
time past several little white school
girls, ranging in years from 13 to 15,
have been seen occasionally going up
to his office and remaining-there for
some time. The regular attendance of
one of these children grew notorious,
and people daily transacting business
in that quarter of the city took it
upon themselves to investigate the
matter. The result of their observances
and Investigations were to the
effect that Perry's conduct towards
these little ones was anything Dut
right and proper, and his immorality
was of the most pronounced type. The
man is at least 40 years of age, with
a wife and children, and the actions
of criminal guilt were a shock to
many who knew him when the statements
began to spread. From a gossip
of the corner the matter was taken
in hand by friends of one of the girl's
parents, and hence the reason of the
Hogging.
Dismantling the Exposition.
Charleston, Special?The wrecking
of the exposition is making rapid progress.
The midway has now been al*
mcst entirely leveled. The work of
moving out the splendid government
ovKIKIf Kor/on ir\r\n\r onrl tn o Hav nf
two the spacious colonades which were
so attractive to many people will be
empty spice. The postofflce department
was the first moved, and then
came the fishery display. A large force
is at work shipping the agricultural
department, exhibits. The wrecking oi
the buildings is also rapid in the natural
section. The Cincinnati building
is a thing of the past The Palmetto
hotel is. almost down and in a few
weeks the art building and the woman's
building will be the only structures
standing in this section of .the
grounds.
Ersktne Graduates.
The year at Erskine college closed
last week. Dr. Pressly presented the
diplomas. There were three post
graduates who received the degTee ol
A.. M. They were C. M. Boyd of Mississippi,
J. Y. Bryson of Abbeville and
E. E. Strong of Tennessee. Each of
them took history as his major study
md English, or metaphysics or science
as the minor. Diplomas in the A. B.
course were given R. A. Lummus, J.
IV. Good, G. W. Hanna, L. W. Jenkins,
R. C. Knox, S. R, Lathan, J. R. Sandifer,
C. W. McCully, and Miss Janle
Burns; in the R. S. course, W. J. Irwin
and Miss Luna Tribble. Certificates
for the honorable completion of
special courses were awarded H. S.
Blackwell and R.,W. McDaniel. Much
good work has marked the past year.
New Bank For Spartanburg.
Spartanburg, Special?In about two
months another national bank will begin
operations here. J. H. Sloan, who
is interested in various industrial and
financial concerns in Charlotte, Wilmington
and ether cities, will be the
president of the proposed bank. Neither
the names of the other officers nor
the site of the building have been determined
upon. The other capitalists
interested are: J. W. Norwood, president
of the National Bank of Wilmington;
D. A. Tompkins, of Charlotte, J.
E. Reynolds, vice president o' the Mercantile
Trust Company, of New York,
together with capitalists from Eastern
cities. The capital stack of the new
bank will be 3100,000.
*
Pat Cp a good "Bluff."
The Rev. Alexander Allison, Jr.,
pastor of the Southwestern Presbyterian
church, in a recent sermon on the
subject of "Lying," illustrated his text
with numerous stories, and one of
these showed hew, even in church, a
man's falso pride sometimes leads
him to prevarication. A young man
took his best girl to church and, when
the time for "collection" came round,
rather ostentatiously displayed a $5
gold piece. Presuming upon the engagement
to marry that had been
made by her, the young lady placed
j a restraining aand upon the arm of
ner nance, "way, auni ue so exua.vagant,
George," she exclaimed.
"Oh, that's nothing. I always give
$5 when I go to a strange church."
Just then the deacon came with tne
plate, and George dropped a coin.
Everything seemed favorable, and the
young man heamed with a sense of
generosity. Then the minister made
the announcements for the week, and
concluded with the wholly unexpected
announcement of the day's collection.
"The collection to-day," said he,
"was $3.75."
George hadn't much to say all the
way to his fiancee's home.
Ihe comet just discovered to be revolving
about the sun in one-fourth the
number of c ays required tty any comet
eyer before observed arouses the belief
that the autcmobile craze is extending
throughout t.ie solar system. Pedestrian
planets must hereafter fence in
their orbits or take the consequences.
J. H. WfcUUll\
HARD!
29 E. Trade Street
We are leaders in our business, z
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We sell Syracuse Steel Beam I
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