Signs of Decaying Religious Interest.
By William Cowper Prime
PERHAPS memory deceives me, and there was not so much more devotion in the Sunday gatherings of fifty years ago than now. But, as a rule, there is very little now. The people do not appear to come together for worship. The experience of ages teaches that people who are religiously educated will habitually assemble regularly for the worship of their God, doing it both as a pleasure and a duty. It is not easy to induce men and women to assemble once or twice a week, for months, years, life-times, to hear lectures, essays, sermons, however instructive or eloquent. This is specially true of the young. In the large majority of country congregations it is quite evident that the people assembled have little idea of any purpose of personal worship. There was a time when controversy ran high about the proper posture in prayer. It proved that men had at least the conviction that some specific outward sign of inward humility was proper. It is now the general custom to ignore all outward formalities. It is rare, in "orthodox" churches, to see any one even bow the head or close the eyes while the minister prays. In many churches all the congregation sit bolt upright and stare at the man in the pulpit, or look around. A striking custom prevails in many churches, where a choir, located at the end opposite the pulpit, does the singing. All the people, old and young, rise, turn their backs to the pulpit, and look at the choir in silence, while that part of the service is performed. One is tempted in this connection to speak of the doggerel stuff which has taken the place of the old psalms and hymns which were once the grand liturgy of the church of every denomination. But whatever it is, the people stare and listen. It is evident that they have come to see and hear, to use eyes and ears only; not to take part in the services.—W. C. Prime, in New Princeton Review.