To the Editor of the Norn-Cuwa Dany News"
Su.—In your Issue of Sunday, May 17, (page 20), there appeared an arresting article under the heading "One in Ten go to Church," with two sub-headings, one being "British people lapsing to semi-heathen-
"othe article embodied a portion of the remarks made by the Rev. T. G. Mahan, assistant secretary of the Church Pastoral. Ald Society. at recent meeting of the Oxford Confer~ ence of Evangelical Churchmen, and [should be read earetuliy here:
'Being 'Sunday, the article set me thinking over' the change of habit In regard to church-going Which has taken place in Shanghaly as well as la Britain, since my early' days, In China during the Arst decade of this century, when the local British population" was certainly' mot one-Falf of what it is to-day, "At that time, the Rev. A. J. Walker was Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, and T can testify' that during eight' months of the year not less then three-quarters of the available sittings were oe: Jcupied regularly at the morning ser-Vices, and that there was an avera Aitendance of about a hundred people ft those held in the evening. During the same period, when the ministry of the late Rev. C.'E. Darwent reach-4 It zenith, so. far as church a Tendance was' concerned, t was most cult to find a seat at the morning services unless one arrived at the church in good time, "it was neces-ary to place chairs in the parsaiss In'Geder to accommodate late-cure for whom room could not be. found the pews, while in the evening also" there" was always a large:
But what is the ease to-day, thirty years later? "At the Cathedral, des-Bite the alt action of the mazniteent War, Memorial Organ, so beautifully Tandied: by str, RE. Young. and the singing of the large and well-{rained hots, there is seldom an attendance at the morning service large enough to All more than. Afly per tents of the ow apace, while in evening it is no uncommon thing to have congregation less In number than that of the choir. Things are even, worse at Union Church, despite the fact that, in. their minister, the Rev. H, G. Newsham, the church is the fortunate possessor of a. leader who, If his all-round capabilities and talents were given the recognition to which they entitle him, chauid. be able to have the satisfaction of looking' down from his. pulpit on the same crowded pews os did his. pre-Gecessor, Mr. Darwent. Every. Sun-Gay evening, at the German church Avenue Hialg, Mr. Newsham con duets a simple service for the benefit of church-goers residing in the West-frm District of Shanghai. but in spite of lis attractive character the attendfnces are almost always sparse. Pos: sibly. the comparatively late hour at which thie service commences (830 pam). may have a litre to do, with This, but it is doubtful. The down-towa "evening service at Union Churen annal grave but the meres handful of worshipper in contre-distinction io the church-ex and their emptiness, the various pleturehouses can. always rely on Keing packed tothe doors on the occasion of their 530 ppm. performan< on Sunday. a large percentage of the patrons being drawn from the British population, 'As stated by the Rev. 7. G. Mahan in. his. address given at the Oxford Conference, it would be a mistake to regard these people "as either hostile to religion er impervious. to its. influence, but hag" virtually' no" place in. their lives!" But what a pity. it is for them as individuals, and also for the British community in Shanghai as a whole, tat the old custom of regard-Ing Sunday as a "holy day" as well 8 being & holiday fromthe dally Found of work, should have. fallen {nto such desuetude inthe present time, 20 far as church attendance is concerned. It sometimes seems to me that it might be possible to bring about revitalization of the religious life of the Protestant section of the foreign community if the three leading churches, via: "Holy Trinity Catheral, Union Church and Community burch, were to "get together" more than Is. the case meantime. Something might be accomplished if the autumn of this year, say about October, a joint "Mission" could be conducted by the clergy of these churches. meetings to take place in the afternoons afler business hours at some convenient centre. T can Well remember the success which attended 9 special "Mission" conducted In the Cathedral some twenty years ago or more, by the Rev. Cyril Blekersteth of the Community of the Re-Surrection, whose headquarters are at Mirfield ili Yorkshire, "Mr. Bickers-teth came out specially to the For East for the purpose of conducting Missions among the foreign commun Hes of Singapore, Hongkong, Shang-thal, and, T think, in Japan as well. Afternoon after another, Holy Trinity Cathedral was filled to the doors, with notable results in the quickening religious desire and activity among Jmany who for years had allowed their church connections to become weak+ ened. Anyway, I would like to throw out the suggestion for the consideration of the churches in our midst, that such a Mission be attempted once more.
The picture-houses fil on important and pleasant place in the lives of most of us. but surely it is of some Importance that we should not altogether forsake the good old habit assembling ourselves together for public worship on what used often fo be termed "the Lord's Day," thereby refreshing our souls as well as our bodies, in a way which not be done by mere attendance at the Mims.
Shanghai, May 18,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.