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tude Is not openly hostile, and varies
with the convictions and courage of
the individual ministers. Some are
openly friendly. Others are more neg
lectful than openly hostile. They
don't understand their Christianity,
and while they preach beautiful ser
mons on Sunday, they have, to hump
themselves the other six days of the
week as ministerial business men,
raising money to build a new church
or pay off the debt on the old one;
and in the meantime trying to keep
alive on a beggarly wage, which is
oozed out to them by a stingy con
gregation that pretends to love its
religion but hates like the dickens to
pay for it.
I don't know much about country
churches, but have seen many coun
try parsons wearing shiny clothes;
and I imagine their congregatio'ns
got all the ministering they paid for.
In the cities, however, the job of
preaching beautiful sermons to rich
congregations is a soft snap, for the
rich congregation pays well and
wants very little religion. The well
kept preacher can't get away with
much real Christianity, for his bread-and-butter
comes from exploiters of
labor. And he would get in bad if he
asked his patrons how they got it.
They will give up the money neces
sary to build a beautiful church, and
furnish the preacher with' a fine par
sonage and an automobile so long
as their Christianity doesn't interfere
with business. And labor unions in
terfere with "business," because they
insist on a greater share of the prod
uct of their labor than the employer
would otherwise have to let them
have.
There are many such churches,
and I don't object to them if rich
"Christians" want them. But I can't
see any reason for poor people at
tending them. They are not wanted
there in the first place, and won't feel
comfortable or very religious if they
go there. And such a church, can't
be friendly to labor unions on Sun
day because it can't be friendly to
them on week days, when It might
hurt business.
Years ago I was sitting In a club
window one Suuday morning, watch
ing prominent citizens coming down
the street to the two big downtown
churches. The fathers, mothers and
children, were dll well dressed. I knew
many of them. Some of the men,
when they got to the club, dropped
in, and their wives and children went
on to church. Some of the fathers
came into the club parlor and joined
me at the window. Finally I said to
them, knowing that their Christianity
was only clothes-deep
"I see now why you fellows keep
up your churches. You don't go to
them yourselves, but you contribute
liberally. You are merely paying the
preacher to entertain your families."
I knew those men had no legiti
mate business in a church of God so
long as they made their money the
way they did; and I couldn't have
felt religious in a church maintained
with their money. Hence I couldn't
blame workingmen for not wanting
to go there. It wasn't any place for
them. They would have been preach
ed at by a kept preacher.
People can't' enjoy going to any
church unless they feel at home
there. I don't belong to any church,
yet I believe I am religious. I do read
the Bible, and especially the New
Testament I believe in Christianity,
but I don't want to go to church.
So, in my opinion, it can't be that
there is anything wrong with Chris
tianity. It must be with me or with
the church. I think it is with the
church. And I think that's the way
many others feel about it. I can't
get the Christian inspiration there
that I can get in the New Testament.
The Golden Rule may be there, but
I can't sense it.
If I understand Christianity, its aim
is social justice, and the human heart
has never ceased praying for that.
If men feel that they ca.n't get it
in the church, and that the church
won't help them get it except in ser-