428 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



cities has assumed an intermediate position between that of the 

 Continent and that of Great Britain. The religious customs char- 

 acteristic of British Christianity have undoubtedly declined — they 

 have yielded to the influence of Continental Christianity. If Brit- 

 ish Christianity is the norm by which we are to judge, then Chris- 

 tianity has declined in the United States. If, however, it is not 

 the norm, then it might appear that an intermediate position, such 

 as we have attained by the assimilation of the British and the Con- 

 tinental types, may be a real advance and gain, because of the ap- 

 propriation of some of the best features of both methods and the 

 rubbing off of some of the eccentricities and excrescences of both. 

 A decline in the relative attendance upon the public worship, and 

 especially upon the second service on Sunday, is exactly what we 

 would anticipate under the circumstances. It is altogether prob- 

 able that the decline is much less than we had the right to expect 

 in view of the vast influence exerted upon us by Continental types 

 of Christianity during the past half century. And it is altogether 

 probable that the decline has not reached its normal goal. Espe- 

 cially is this the case when we take into consideration other influ- 

 ences which tend to diminish the attendance upon public worship. 



1. In Great Britain, where the churches were established by law, 

 the state and Church were so entwined that it was a badge of good 

 citizenship to attend upon public worship. In antithesis with this, 

 attendance of the nonconformists upon public worship was re- 

 garded as a standing by their principles and a test of fidelity and 

 courage. These influences worked also in the United States dur- 

 ing the colonial period; but during the present century this mo- 

 tive has lost its influence, and it is to be feared that politicians as 

 such feel under no special obligation to attend church, especially 

 in view of the attitude of many of the ministry as to political life 

 and political questions. 



2. In Great Britain it has been a badge of social propriety to 

 attend public worship. Social influences still prevail greatly in the 

 United States, in villages and small cities, and even to some extent 

 in the churches in the great cities, where they are organized and 

 conducted in social lines as social religious clubs. But this influ- 

 ence is much weaker than it used to be, and it is gradually passing 

 away. 



3. The pulpit was once the chief means of instruction and of 

 intellectual and moral stimulation for the people. The preacher 

 was the people's orator. The pulpit has in great measure lost its 

 attractive power in this regard. The daily and weekly press have 

 a greater influence in public instruction. The multiplication of 

 cheap books also takes from the preacher a large share of his 



