THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 395 souls, b u t le t them do something tow ards saving th e ir bodies, especially in these trag ic tim es when civilization stands in jeopardy for the w ant of soldiers. Remem ber th a t one-third of our young men under th irty , according to d ra ft statistics, have been declared unable to fight th e P ru ssian world-menace because they are physically unfit. T hink of th a t! A, recent exam ination of the F reshm an class a t H arvard University revealed th e fact th a t fifty per cent, of these stud en ts were physically unfit! And our children are growing up physically unfit, not only poor children, b u t well-to-do children. Why is th is? , 'a It is partly because our American churches, schools, and colleges have failed in th e ir duty, they have failed to insist upon universal physical training. Why should no t our m inisters preach physical cu ltu re in th e ir pulpits and practice it in th e ir lives? Then why not let them dance in decent surroundings under conditions favor able (no t unfavorable) to th e ir civic and social development? Why no t make th e parish houses of our churches community centers where the universal craving for th is pleasant relaxation can be gratified and where young people, otherw ise lonely and discontented, can make desirable acquaintances? There are some churches of which we know that might as well be' turned into gymnasiums and dance houses during the week, inasmuch as they are now used as amusement centers on Sundays. If a church is used on the Lord’s Day for the delivery of secular lectures or scientific discourses on the origin of man, for the recitation of poems, or the cracking of stale jokes, it would make but little difference to what purpose it was put during the week. If the preacher is to be a physical director and dancing master during the week, it brooks but little whether he stood on his head or his feet during the Sunday performance. But if the church building is to be' used for the worship of God and the teaching of Holy Writ; if it is to be a gathering place for praise and prayer and fellowship with the Redeemer of sou ls,then , for His sake in whose name we gather; for the sake of our children and for the sake of lost souls, let us strive to keep one place free from the unholy entanglements suggested. Let us keep them open day and night as life-saving stations to which may come the storm- tossed mariners on life’s sea. It is not true that the churches were built with the people’s money and therefore they belong to the people, any more than the secret lodge belongs to the people. The churches for the most part were built by sacrificial money tithes and offerings saved from slender salaries and hard- earned wages, by devoted Christian men and women. They belong to the church, not to the people, and when honestly used, are the saving factor for the perpetuity of o.ur country. They were founded on the Bible and should he preserved as the centers of religious life and activities of. the communities. The churches belong to the people of God, who are the salt of the earth, and who save the earth from the oncoming wrath of God. If the suggestions of Mr. Moffett were carried out it would not he long before the buildings would become the house of the harlot and the gate to hell. We are surprised that a man could be so ignorant of the cause that produced the unfitness of a third of our young men for war, and fifty per cent of the Harvard freshmen class for a man’s job. Let him find out how many cigarettes they smoke, what they drink and where they spend their evenings. Any man of experience in the game of life can tell him how to correct the evil. It cannot be done by turning the churches into pleasure resorts and dance houses, hut by turning out of the pulpits the men who are dishonoring the calling of men of God, and making of the
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