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About The Henry County weekly. (McDonough, GA.) 18??-1934 | View Entire Issue (May 29, 1908)
THE PULPIT. A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SEPJVION BY DR. CURTIS LEE LAWS. Theme: Men in the Church. Brooklyn, N. Y.—Dr. Curtis Lee Laws, the new pastor of the Greene Avenue Bapth Church, Sunday night preached a i jcial sermon to men. The . service was held under the auspices of the Men’s League of the church. In the course of his address he said some very strong things. The subject was "Why There Are More Women Than Men in the Church.” He took no text, but at once vigorous ly took up his theme. He said: It is not a fact that our churches are not reaching men in our day and in our city. We are reaching men; we are reaching men in large num bers and men from all classes of so ciety. But it is a fact that we are not reaching men in the same proportion to the same number as we are reaching women. This is a fact, and it is a fact to which we cannot be in nocently indifferent. We must meet the situation fairly, and if the fault is in the church we must remove it. Here are facts which no one will dispute. Fully two-thirds of the church members of our country are women and more than two-thirds of the people in the church congregation are women. I doubt very much if we have in Brooklyn a single church with snore than thirty-three per cent, of men in its membership. This is a startling fact when we come to con sider it, and it becomes more start ling still if church membership bears any relation to the question of salva tion. Few will claim that a man must) be a member of some church to bel saved, but all will agree that the church is the place for saved men, and that, generally speaking, saved men are in the church. Why, then, i= it, that with all our equipment and zeal, we are not able! to reach men. in the same proportion as we reach women? Why is it that only a third of our memoership are men, and that, relatively speaking, we l)ave so few men in our congrega tions? Personally I love men. I re joice in their society and fellowship, and I do my best to interest them in Christianity and the church, and yet, broadly speaking, we have the same conditions ir. our church that prevail everywhere else. I come to the study of this question with a great deal if personal interest and after a great deal of thought. It is claimed by specialists who have studied this question that the reason why men are not attracted to .the church in larger numbers is that the ministry of th*= modern church is not strong enough intellectually to eatisfy men of culture and education. This is practically the ground taken by a writer in a famous article pub lished in one of our magazines. After talking with hundreds of young men the writer came to the conclusion that “The modern pulpit is sluggish and stagnant,” and that young men ab sent themselves from church simply because the average minister is dull and heavy and behind the times. Are the men who do not attend church brainier, more intelligent or more cultured than the men who do attend church? I would like to see the men who do not attend church placed upon the south side of one af our streets and the men who co at tend church placed upon the north side of the same street. Then I would like to drive slowly along the street between these two groups that I might study their faces. Cn which 6ide do you think I would find the brains and the culture, and the re finement and the character? Again, when non-churchgoing men prate about the uninteresting preach ers, I always feel that they are cast ing needless insults into the teeth of their mothers and daughters and wives and sweethearts. Women read more than men, and except about po litical and commercial questions they are better informed than men. Not withstanding their higher culture and their greater refinement, the women do not find the sermons of the average preacher dull and inconsequential. Again, it is claimed that the churches don’t seek the men nor wel come them to the services as they should. Now, personally, I do not be lieve a word of this. I have been for years very closely identified with the church life of a great city, and I have been in close personal relations with a greath many of our ministers, and I tell you that the whole Christian church is making a mighty effort to reach the unchurched men of the city. And wanting them as much as we do, It is nonsense to talk about not wel-. coming them. I have heard that in a certain section of Maine there is a church which has out in the vestibule a nickel-in-the-slot machine. All that a stranger has to do is to walk in and drop in his nickel and out from the machine comes a hand to grasp his in cordial welcome. We do not have anything like that here, but we can beat that in our church, for here many a stranger gets a hearty hand grasp and goes away with his nicks! in his pocket. I tell you that men are welcome in our churches; men, irrespective of the accident of fine clothing; men, how ever dressed and however wicked; they are all welcome in nine-tenths of the churches; and what is more, they know quite well they will not only be welcome, hut that we are praying that they may come. Let us glance now at some of the real rea sons why men do not come to our churches and into our churches, as their sisters dc. Men are driven so hard by the work of the week that when Sunday comes many of them are in a state of col lapse mentally, and so they spend the _ Great suffering is the lot of all women, who neglect the health of their wo- E A Vk manly organs. No reason to do so, any more than to neglect a sore throat, II wT colic, or any other disease, that the right kind of medicine will .cure. Take Ladles Wine of Cardui for all your womanly ills. It can never do harm, and is certain to do good. Mrs. Sallie H. Blair, of Johnson City, Tenn., writes: “I had suffered from womanly troubles for six -11 H * een rnont^s ’ had four doctors, but they could not help me, until l began to take Wine of CarduL !f[|| Now I think lam about well." At all reliable druggists, in $ 1.00 bottles. Try it. IaJDITP | IS; $ j| Write toJny for a free copy of valuable 64-p.ieo illustrated Book for Women. If you need Medfcrf J-22 Iftl I L U.J 3 n I IK Advice, describe your symptoms, statins ace. and reply will be sent in plain sealed envelope.. - , * Address: Ladi.es Advisory Dent., The Chattanooga Medicine Co.. Chattanooga. Tenn. time in bed, or else they betake them selves to the parks or to the country for recuperation. I know many men who are commit ting a slow suicide by the work which they are attempting to do, and I know that when Sunday comes they snatch a little rest as their only safety. I feel that in some way they must get out from under the burden which they are bearing, some by choice and more by necessity or else while taking care of this life they will by sheer neglect lose the life which is to come. Now, women, on the other hand, have their work for the most part in the house, and they welcome the Sabbath day and the church services as a kind of mild entertainment and pleasant diversion. There they see their friends and have a pleasant word, but the men have been seeing their friends all the week, and now they want simply rest. Men have many things in their lives which furnish them with social iife, and with a little balm for their r.ore consciences. Tens of thousands of men belong to clubs and societies and lodges. Here they spend their leisure time and spare money, and many of them will single out the charitable features of these organiza tions, and wall say that their lodge is their church, inculcating all that is good and beautiful. When any man allows any human society to take the place of the church of God in his life, that society has become to him a posi tive evil, and he ought at once to rec ognize it as a snare of the devil. These societies do good in their way, hut in comparison with the church of God they are as a rush light to a star of the first magnitude, as a firefly to the sun in all his glory and splendor. I blame these societies for keeping many men out of the reach of the Gospel, for they try to teach men that morals are as acceptable as religion, and many men are giving a blind al legiance to these human institutions and at the same time believing that they are serving Almighty God. Men also have politics to interest them, and during a political contest it seems utterly out of the question to interest the ordinary man in anything else than a political discussion. Women have few societies, and, thank Heaven, they have no part in politics. Men are more enamored of certain forms of overt sin than women, and the devil, through these forms of sin, is winning many men away from all the influences of the church of Christ. Gambling and drunkenness are the sins of men, and while some women also fall into these two classes of sin, they are the exception rather than the rule. In many of our American cities we have one legalized place for the sale of liquor to every fifty of our men, and we cannot tell, nor do the authorities seem to care, how many gambling places there are in our fair city. But all of these places live largely upon the patronage of men. Now, is it strange that we have so few men comparatively in our churches? Men are far more in the clutches of overt sin than woman, and that fact must be reckoned with when you count up 'the men in the churches. God pity the great host of men in our city who have sold them selves body and soul to the devil, and who have no care about righteousness here nor felicity hereafter. Society places a premium upon the irreligiousness, if not upon the posi tive unrigbtousness, of men by per mittirg the double standard of mor als. Men do w.th impunity what a woman could not do at all if she de sired to remain respectable in the es timation cf her family and friends. Now, so long as society, composed in part of Christian people, permits men to be libertines and drunkards, and does not make them smart for their sins, these same men will have but little regard for religion. How can we expect the libertine to have any respect for religion when he is made the welcome guest in the house where, if the people lived up to their religion, he would be loathed? How can we expect sinful men to come into the church and give up t ieir sins, when the men and women wuth whom they associate do not dis count them in the least because of the lives that they lead? How different with women. They must be pure to he respectable; they must not fall once into tne sin in which their hus bands and Drotners riot, for if they dc they will be scourged out of soci ety. I tell you men and women of Brooklyn, the social order in which we live puts a premium upon the vice of men. We are responsiole to the extent of our influence. I plead with the fathers and mothers to protect their daughters. Be as willing that your son should marry a fallen woman as that your daughter should marry a fallen man. I plead with the Chris tian men before me to refuse their in timate friendship to impure men, and under no circumstances to allow im pure men the privilege of social equal ity in your homes. Not until Chris tian men take some such stand will the men of cur generation realize the enormity of scciai sin. LATE NEWS NOTES. General. D. J. Lockwood, a barKcopt'-, at Lit tle Rock, Ark., died after taking a drink of whiskey and eating a banana, the coroner’s statement being that the mixture produced a poise. l. A train carrying reinforcements to General Snakiski, commander of the Russian punitive expedition in Persia, has been derailed, tnirteen artillery men receiving bad injuries,. Mrs. Ernest Terwilger was found dead in her room at Newark, O. She had been choked to death. Her hus band was arrested and ue confessed to the crime. Digging for more bodies was re sumed Monday on the farm of Mrs. Bella Gunness near LaPorte, Ind. W. H. Howard, a wealthy commis sion merchant, was killed by lightning. Sunday during a rainstorm which swept over St. Louis. Rev. William S. Friedman was elect ed rabbi for life of Temple Emanuel, in Denver. This is an honor seldom bestowed upon Jewish rabbis. At a ball game in Buffalo Sunday a grandstand, ho.idin,g about 800 per sons, folded up and spilled the crowd into the mud. Governor Magoon has issued a de cree that the Cuban elections shall take place on August 1. Major Keen, icf the medical corps, reports that not a single case of yellow fever ex ists cn the island. The feature of Monday’s exercises in connection fith the 106th annual com mencement of Salem Female college was the planting of the class tree. Not a railroad in Oklahoma was in operation Sunday night, as a result of the heavy rains and cloudbursts that occurred in various parts of the state. J. O. Davidson, cashier of the Wood ville (Miss.) bank, committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid. He was 40 years of age. He had lest heavily in speculation, but it is understood that the bank will not be in any way af fected. A cablegram received from Kingston, Jamaica, from Minister Ruiz of Colom bia reports that a tornado has destroy ed the port and town of Santa Marta, Colombia. The New York anti-bucket shop bill was made a law Saturday when Gover nor Hughes signed the measure pass ed by the legislature. According to a poll taken by New Orleans representatives, prohibition will carry thirty votes in the house for state dryness and a majority for pro hibition exempting New Orleans. A monument in memory of the late Senator Marcus A. Hanna was dedi cated at Cleveland, 0., in the presence of many distinguished guests and thou sands of spectators. The special train, bearing 500 stu dents of the agricultural college to the Oklahoma state field meet at Oklaho ma City, crashed into a special car near Ripley. Conductor Allen was kill ed and twenty students severely in jured. The death is announced of Francois Coppee in Paris. He was a French poet and dramatist and was born in 1842. The Globe (Ariz.) National bank, which closed its doors November 4, after a run, has re-opened prepared to pay all depositors. W. R Davis, private secretary to the late Governor John Sparks, died at his home in Carson, Nev., Saturday. Through the death of Governor Sparks and his secretary, business in the state buildings has been brought to a standstill. Train service on the Mississippi Cen tral railroad from Natchez to Hatties burg was inaugurated Saturday. The road is to be extended to Scranton, Miss. The next annual convention of the American Bankers’ association will be held in Denver during the week be ginning September 27. The Old Dominion paper mills, own ed and operated by the American Strawboard company, which have been closed since November last, have re sumed operations with a full force. In the Elkhorn arid Pcahontas coal fields more than two thousand miners, who have been idle owing to slack bus iness, resumed work Monday. The New York National City bank has engaged $1,300,000 gold for export. This makes a total of $32,155,000 en gaged for export cn the present move ment. Frederick Clark, 2-1 years of age, Gertrude O’Brecht, 19, and her sister, Bertha, 22 years old were drowned by the upsetting of a canoe at Walkerton, Ont., which shot over a dam in the Saugee* river. Washington. With little discussion and less pub licity, the United States senate has at this session placed its approval on thirty-seven treaties. Statement of the condition of The Bank of Locust Grove, Located at Locust Grove, Ga., at the close of business May 14th, liIOHL Resources Loans and Discounts $48,487.88 Demand Loans 75.00 Overdrafts 384.55 Banking House 4,726.02 Furniture and Fixtures 1,632.05 Due from Banks and Bankers in the State 787.97 Due from Banks and Bankers in other States 1,287.81 Currency 442.00 Gold ’ 80,00 Silver, liickels and Pennies 743.12 Checks and Cash Items 8 56 Total 58,655.86 State of Georgia, County of Henry. Before me came J. W. Brown, Cashier of said Bank, who being duly sworn, say* that the above and foregoing statement is a true condition of said Bank, as shown Oy the books of file in said Bank. J- W. Brown. Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 22nd day of May 1908. 1). L. Burk C \ 1* Statement of the condition of The Bank of Henry County, Located at McDonough, Ga , at the close of business May 14th, 190 K. Resources Loans and Discounts $80,191.96 Demand Loans on Cotton and Other Collateral 35,841.60 Overdrafts 2,864.06 Banking House 3,632.09 Furniture and Fixtures 2,641.68 Due from Banks and Bankers in the State 13,131.16 Due from Banks and Bankers in other States 23,052.87 Currency 2,043.60 Gold 5.00 Silver, Nickels and Pennies 727.59 Checks and Cash Items 372.23 Insurance Account 15.16 Total 164,418.30 Shite of Georgia, County of Henry. Before me came J. B. Dickson, Cashier of the Bank of Henry Ccunty, who being duly sworn, says that the above and foregoing statement is a true condition of said. Bank, as shown by the books of file in said Bank. J. B. Dickson, Cashier. Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 25th day of May 1908. H. M. Turner, C. N. P. of If. C. Statement of the condition of The Bank of Stockbridge, Located at Stockbridge, Ga., at the close of business May 14th, 1907. Resources Loans and Discounts $45,207,65 Demand Loans 2,750.00 Overdrafts 1.64 Bonds and Stocks owned by the Bank 1,400.00 Banking House 2,169.00 Furniture and Fixtures 1,306.80 Dtie from Banks and Bankers in the State 4,445.84 Due from Banks and Bankers in other States 3 779.47 Currency 1,270.00. Silver, Nickels and Pennies 158.82 Interest Paid 918.41 Depositors' Guarantee Fund 2,879.16 Total 66,286.69 State of Georgia, County of Henry. Before me came C. M, Power, Cashier of the Bank of Sfeockbridge, who being duly sworn, says that the above and foregoing statement is a true condition of said. Bank, as shown by the books of file in said Bank. C. M. Power, Cashier- Sworn to and subteribt d before me, tliis22d day of May 1908. A. H. Swann N. P. W. W. Ward, J. T. Bond. Statement of the condition of The Bank of Hampton, Located at Hampton, Ga., at the close of business May 14th, 1908. Resources I Liabilities , . ... . ..... ... Capital Stock Paid in *25.000.08 Loans and Discounts $.8,393 oO UndivWed p rofltß , IeBB current * urmture and 1 ixtures 1,260.06 Expenses and Taxes Paid 20,940.19 Due from Banks and Bankers ~ ~ . h. , . * -, Individual Deposits Subject to in the State 10.602.72 Due from Banks and Bankers Lhetk in other States 14,261.25 Time Certificates 3*mm Currency 1,710.00 Bills payable, Including Time Gold 60 00 Certificates representing Silver, Nickels and Pennies 307.36 Borrowed Money 20.000.08 Total 106.534.83 Total 106,534-SS Stale of Georgia. County of Henry. Before me came J. O. Norris, Cashier of the Bank of Hampton, who being duly sworn, says that the above and foregoing statement is a true condition of said Haute as shown bv the boo’s of file in said Bank. J- O- Norris, Cashier. Sworn to and sa ’ <.d before me, this 25th day of May 1908. S. H. Griffin, N. P. Ex. off. J- P- Liabilities. Capital Stock Paid in $25,000.0# Undivided Profits, less Current Expenses and Taxes Paid 4,905.5 S Due to Banks and Bankers in this States 71.39 undividual Deposits Subject to Check 22,140.99 Time Certificates 1, 194.43 Cashier’s Checks 343.59 Bills payable, Including Time Certificates representing Borrowed Money 5,000.09 Total 58,85588 Liabilities Capital Stock Paid in $58,000.09 Surplus Fund 5,000.09 Undivided Profits, less Current Expenses and Taxes Paid 13,453.58 Due to Banks and Bankers in this State # 1!,81E.9T Due Unpaid Dividends 60.09 Individual Deposits Subject to Check 58,822.18 Time Certificates 24,777.1 ft Cashier's Checks 5U2.72 Total 164,418 39 Liabilities Capital Stock Paid in $16,000.09 Surplus Fund 1,189,ft Undivided Profits, less Current Expenses and Taxes Paid 23MS Due to Banks and Bankers in this State 6.000.0# Due to Banks and Bankers in other States 3,500.09 Individual Deposits Subject to Check 18,072.7# Time Certificates 10,375.59 Cashier’s Checks 173.7# Bills Payable, Including Time Certificates representing Borrowed Money 10,000.09 Total 66,285.0#
