THE RELIGIOUS WORLD

Evening Star, Issue 17194, 8 November 1919, Page 10

THE RELIGIOUS WORLD

MEN" AND THE CHURCH.

HOW GREATER INTEREST MAY BE AROUSED.

[By a Disfranchised Churchman.]

I have been in London for two and a-half years, am a member of the Church of England, have attended regularly one particular church, at which I have been a constant communicant. At Easter last year printed cards were left in the pews requesting communicants to write their names alid addresses on cards and drc-p them in the church box. This I did, and I also wrote a note to the clergymen asking for the prayers of the Church for my son, who was then dangerously wounded. His name was mentioned at the altar, but I am still as much outside the church as when I commenced attending; I know no one in connection with the church. Such is my experience, and, I presume, the experience of a' good many others. I• have visited other churches in London, and cannot but notice the absence of men at the services, which verifies the phrase of Dr Archibald Fleming: " Our elderly and spinster religion." The absence of men at the war •was considered a reason for the paucity of men at the church services, but I have seen no improvement since demobilisation. I have been, a spectator at football matches, and seen the thousands that congregate there. Where are all the men on Sundays? Have they no religion? Evidently church i#?of little importance to them. —Fault of a System.— Is it the fault of the clergy ? I think not. They are, as a rule, painstaking, and do their utmost to make the services not only attractive but reverent. It is the fault'of the svstem. There are no Church local councils. The laymen have no representation except the* few churchwardens and sidesmen. Nor will there be any demand for representation until there is taxation. Get the people to pay for their religion, and they will soon take a more lively interest in its work. Let the Church enrol its adult members, ask each for a voluntary yearly subscription, give them representation on the councils of the Church, if such exist, and let them feel that the Church's influence and prosperity "is as much dependent on them as on the clergy, and new life and t interest will soon be shown. The Church ds a State Church, and the majoritv of people think the clergy are paid by" the State. Give them a vo'ice not only in the financial affairs of; the parish, but in the election of the clergy. Let them feel that the clergyman is their own. and that they have some voice in the Church's management, let them pay into its funds as recognged subscribers and members of the congregation. If a business method of collecting annual subscriptions were introduced into each parish the Bishop of London would not be in the humiliating position of sending round the hat every year for funds to pay for his clergv's breakfast. Some time ago I saw a remark in one of the daily papers that what the Church wanted was a Church Parliament, hut that up to the present no Church had one.

-••A Church Parliament.—

May I correct thiS error by referring to the Church of Ireland since disestablishment? There they have an enrolled Vestry in every parish of all members 21 years of age and over. These subscribe to the parish church funds, and elect avery Easter 12 vestrymen to whom they commit their responsibilities. Additional Jnembers are the rector and people's rhurchwardens. Then there is the Dioresan Synod, which meets once a year, taembers of which are the clergv ot the diocese and two laymen for each cler°ytoan, elected by-the Vestry of each parish. From the Diocesan Synods are elected Diocesan Councils.- Then there is the General Synod, meeting in Dublin once a year, elected by the Diocesan Synods in the same proportion of laitv to clergy. This General Synod makes the laws for the government of Church matters. These are submitted for approval to the Diocesan Synods the following year, and' are further revised at the next meeting of the General Synod. When a parish becomes vacant there is a, Diocesan Board of Nomination to select the minister for the parish. This board consists of the -bishop, three of Ihe senior clergy of ike diocese, a representative layman, and three laymen from ihe vacant parish. Parochial "nominators are asked by the bishop to put in the names of any clergyman they think suitable. These, with others selected by the ■bishop, are then considered, and the" elec- • tion decided by a majority vote. —"Life and Liberty."—

This is a Church Parliament with, taxation and representation, and until the Church of England adopts a plan on similar lines it cannot expect iti people to take anything but a lax interest in their church. The Act lately introduced into Parliament to grant more freedom to the Church does not go far enough. It is a step in the right direction, but leaves too much power in the hands of the ibishops and clergy. More has been expected, from the "Life and Liberty" movement, which started with enthusiasm a year or so ago, but to all intents and purposes the man in the street knows nothing Of the movement. The 'Challenge,' the organ of the movement, gives very little enlightenment on the subject. The first meeting in the Queen's Hall was attended ■with a great flare of trumpets, but has since missed fire. If the movement were properly organised and propaganda used firight, there ought to be as much interest taken as in the coal and other industrial questions of the day. Why not have meetings in the different parishes to enlighten the people? It is not enough to preach a sermon on its behalf on a Sunday once in the year. Only "the elderly and spinsters" hear that sermon. You want to get to the people, the men in the parish, who do not go to church. The churchwardens, sidesmen, and other church workers should divide the parish Into districts, make a personal visit to sach family, if possible at a time when the map of the house is at home, urge them to come to the meeting, which should b« held not earlier than 8 o'clock p.m., Viat the ordinary workman might be able )o attend. VICAR v. WOMEN. SPIRITED VINDICATION BY A CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER. Some remarks of the Vicar of Wellingborough on the morality of present-day-women, and on their place in—or Tather out of—the' church pulpit, has aroused much dissent.

In an interview granted to a Preßs representative, the Rev; Lionel B. Fletcher, of Wood Street Congregational Church, Cardiff, replies to the vicar. • Mr Fletcher said :

If a -wave of looseness in living is being experienced in oux country it is one of the results of war conditions, which will pas 3 a« other troubles have passed if the Christian teachers and leaders keep their heads and their faith. Instead of hurtful explosions about the effrontery of dissenting ministers, and sweeping assertions about ■ the easy morality of- women of all classes, it might be well to remember that a positiv* example of martyrs at home keeping the colors flying would at this time be of immense advantage. Something to inspire the Church might have been seen the other day at Weston-super-Mare, when a company of 12 Church of England clergymen were preaching to the thousands of holiday-makers on the sands from a platform erected on the beach, assisted by a. company of their people. Their very presence there was a sermon in Itself, while the manly and vigorous, yet deeply sympathetic message which they - rave to the people must result in 6coies having their thoughts uplifted. —Women Must Teach.— Immorality there certainly is, bu£ if Mr Watts, and those who think like. him. imagine that a bitter opposition to the spirit which is drawing the churches together, and the spirit which is demanding that consecrated and gifted women should speak to their sisters for their uplifting, is -going to help, purify, and sweeten our nation at this time, then they have proved . themselves completely oui «£ touc-h with

th» need of , to-day. If there is im- ; morality among women to the oxtent •Mr Watts evidently thinks, then Surely the Christian : Church should bo' filad to use pure and noble women to teach their fallen sisters, —Audiences of One.— Thousands of pure women who worked at home and on the battle fronts in hospitals and canteens during the war give us a vision of the true British woman of whom we are proud, and many of these women have preached, " in a ministerial capacity," to audiences of one, by sick beds, over canteen counters, and elsewhere. Positive evil must be met by positive good, and if sin is sweeping through our country, then let the ministers and Christian workers go out into trie highways and compel people to come in. It is not for us to-day to quarrel with those who do good work, let them be clergy, Dissenters, or even women. Those who ought to be denounced are th* idlers, who sit still and do nothing beyond criticising those already busy.

SPURGEON'S AUNT AT 100.

* CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE

FROM THE KING

Mts Spurgeon. aunt of the lato Charles Hnddon Spurgeon, celebrated her lOQth birthday at her humble home in Anerley on August 21. when she received the following message from the King's private secretary, sent from Balmoral :

The King is much gratified to learn that you are to-day celebrating your 100 th birthday, and* I am commanded to send_ to you an expression of His Majesty's congratulations and good wishes.

Mrs Spurgeon, interviewed, said she felt rather tired, a - sho had been up much earlier than usual; and it was a good thing she did set up, she added. Otherwise she would not have been able personally to receive the large number of visitors and the congratulatory messages which had arrived. She received gifts from the vicar and members of the parish church, among others. Despite failing eyesight, Mrs Spurgeon still follows closely the doings of tiv? <l-v. ht- ; W--

labor troubles are a problem which she cannot understand. " There were no unions when I was a girl; hut there were workers," she said. Her humble income is now almost inadequate to meet the rise in prices. She has £2O year from the Agricultural Benevolent Institution, and her own private means are strictly limited The oldest of an Eisscx family of nine, she was always industrious and cheerful and has lived a quiet life. She had no children, but she brought tip'a niece (now Mrs Lreritt, a widow), who is returning Mrs Spurgeon's goodness by looking after her.

Mrs Spurgeon has a brother aged SI and a sister aged 84, still living.

A CRAZY CULT.

The_ whole world will go naked as soon as Jt is properly ' ; educated - ' by the Kosmamies a religious cult founded by D R, Newberry, of Rochester, N.Y., 15 Vears ago, according to the British branch of the society. Following the revelation bv a newspaper that the Plymouth colony of Xosmamtes already was allowing bovs and s '£ iS . l' P - to 15 J' <;ai ' s of a S« to run "naked, officials investigated the situation. They found a barn-like structure hidden away in a small woods, overgrown with weeds and bushes, with plenty of vegetables all around v Ihis hut is used as a tabernacle. Tha Kosmanites believe in going to "church" naked. Brother H. T. Mercer, leader of the faithful, who is a prison ■warden here, said indignantly : " Plymouth acted prematurely. The world is not readyyet for nakedness. But oar idea is right, and our cause is good. The whole world will adopt it as soon as it embraces the teaching of the Kosman Church. We believe in living close to Nature. We .are vegetarians and Pr /Tbitionists. To display _ the naked beauty of the human bodyis right. It gives the sun a chance to work beneficially. Adoption of our creed by the world will come, sure as fate, and shame will disappear."

STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN A LONELY CHtTRCEC

During a recent outing a little party of antiquarians spent some time in the lonely church at Avenbury, Herefordshire, 'expecting the vicais Being unable to attend, however, the vicar (the Rev. Archer Shepherd) sent a letter of apology, which contained two ghost stories about the very church in which they had assembled. "By some strange, unexplained cause," the vicar -wrote, "the sound as of a voluntary played'on an organ is heard at times to proceed from the church. Three such occasions have come under my notice. 'On the first occasion the muslo was heard by several members of the family 01 Colonel Prosser, of Bromyard, who were walking along the footbridge by the church. They all heard it, and believed- it was the orgranist practising. They afterwards found that neither he nor anvone else had been inside the church that'day. The American organ was substituted* for the present (harmonium. One Saturday afternoon \vhen I was in the vicarage garden I heard the harmonium being played, and, supposing that the woman who cleaned the church was allowing her child to strum the instarument I hastened to forbid it. The music continued all the time I was walking down the meadow till I cams within 10yds of the churchyard. Then it ceased, and I found the church door locked and no one there. On another occasion I heard the music as I was driving In Avenbury lane. 'lt sounded like a voluntary, and continued while the pony trotted about 100 yds, and ceased when I came opposite to the church:" SIMPLE DRESS URGED. Simplification of dress, including abolition of the high heel and the sharp-toe"d was urged by Dr Augusta Rucker, of New York, at a recent session of the International Conference of Women Phy--1 sician3. Savages of old, she said, developed a better race physically than modern peoples because of their natural and free tendencies. She said that stockings worn by children were too short in foot length. which,_ coupled with tight shoes, reacts later in life, and often causes deformed feet. The posture of children due to wearing elastic garters or suspender straps, she added, stoops them and impedes their growth. She advocated compulsory physical examinations for all children at least once a year. In the discussion which followed, English and Frenth doctors, while agreeing that periodic*! examinations were beneficial, were of the opinion that the examinations should be made at the discretion" of the parents.