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VOL. XV., NO. XVI
ESTABLISHED IN 1SS6
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LINCOLN. NEBR... SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1900.
ENTERED IN THE POSTOFFICK AT LINCOLN AS
SECOND CLASS MATTER.
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Official Organ of the Nebraska State
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8 OBSERVATIONS.
i
Costly Churches.
During the past twenty years Lin
coln has built ten expensive churches:
a Methodist church of stone, an Epis
copal church of stone, and a brick and
stone Presbyterian, Congregational,
Unitarian, Christian, Baptist, Catho
lic and Jewish church and another Me
thodist church. The congrega
tions of these churches probably
number less than six thousand people
and each church has cost between
twenty five and fifty thousand dollars.
Not one less than the former price and
only one or two have cost as much as
thelarger. The Christian church was
unable to pay the mortgage on the
building and it was sold. Another
important church is quite likely to
lose the beautiful building it has
erected. The cost of these ten build
ings has not all been borne by six
thousand people, for many men who
do not go to cburch have contributed
liberally to the building of all of them
And many of the churches are still
mortgaged. The six thousand have
contributed ungrudgingly from their
necessities and not from embarras
ingly large bank accounts. Lincoln
is settled by small tradespeople, mod
est professional people and laboring
men. It is questionable if there are a
hundred residents with an income of
$5,000 per annum. Therefore the ten
handsome churches are a, tribute to
the generosity of the people.
Not many of the churches hold
more than five hundred people. Since
the completion of the auditorium, it
has been used for Sunday afternoon
services and the multitude has come.
Without especial urging or advertise
ment, the people have filled the build
ing and listened with great satisfac
tion to the music and preaching. The
problem of how to get the multitude
within hearing of a sermon and
of hymns seems not to exist on
Sunday afternoon at the auditorium.
"And seeing the multitudes he went
up into a mountain and when he was
set his disciples came unto him. and
he opened his mouth and taught
them." Jesus did not, on this oc
casion, go Into a synagogue where
only a small fraction of the people
could accompany him, but he stayed
with them, only going up onto a
mount where all the people could sea
and hear him.
It may be better to build small, ex
pensive churches where only a few
can get in and only a few with the
price and the clothes feel at home,
but it is a fashion of the later church.
The Methodist church of Lincoln
has accepted plans and will build an
other handsome stone church which
will be a credit to the city and to the
generosity of the membership. It
may hold a thousand people. There
are three thousand people who would
be glad to hear Dr. Wharton preach
every Sunday. For something under
$25,000 an auditorium holding three
thousand people could be built. It
would lack a spire, mullioned win
dows and the traditional, conven
tional appearance of a church but the
multitude might- feel at home under
its unconventional.massive arches and
the multitude might gradually be in
duced to become a contributing neces
sary part of the church and congrega
tion. A crowd attracts a crowd and the
mighty voice of three thousand in
singing or responsive prayer would
breakdown doubts and change the
reckless mood of tbe desolate into
respect for man and that is very near
worship of the Cause. If the multi
tude should crowd into any Lincoln
church as they crowded about Jesus
of Lazarus when he began to preach,
the Lincoln pewholders would begin
to ask where the mob came from and
what it wanted. Their advent is a
subject of weekly supplication, but if
they came, what church would hold
them ? The people that followed the
Nezarene were not above walking in
the streets. Tleir garments were
dusty and possibly their presence
could have been detected by a man
born blind and deaf. The same sort
of people li re in Lincoln now, but not
many of them ever saw the inside of
a church. They go to tbe auditorium,
for curiosity of a Sunday afternoon
though.
A sloping floor which, the audi
torium has not, would cost probably
t500more. The first church which
builds an immense audience room and
hires a minister with an original
mind, a natural leader of men, like
him whom the Methodists have the
good fortune to listen to every Sun
day now, is sure to make a great hit
with the multitude, which does not
care for steeples nor groined arches,
nor even for stained glass windows.
Such a man and such a church is
worth more than steeples, glass, carv
ings and velvet carpets. A man is of
more account than architecture. It
is perhaps occasionally possible to
have both. Where there is a choice
it is better to take the man. A lead
er of men can command his price even
in the ministry. But- a congregation
that prefers to spend its money on
brick and put up with a commonplace
preacher will go on wondering till
the end of time why the people do not
crowd the church.
Picture Exhibits,
The Artist's club of Denver is now
holding its annual exhibition of
about two hundred pictures. Among
them are two by Miss Sara Hayden,
the head of the art department of the
Nebraska State university. The Den
ver Times says that "one is a beauti
ful portrait study of a girl's head and
a figure study in a lilac gown. They
are both striking, but the head is
particularly fine and expressive."
Mrs. Emma Richardson Cherry who
was the founder of tnis club and who
was also a former head of the art de
partment of the Nebraska university
has sent several water colors from her
home in Texas to this annual exhibit.
The critic in The Times says that
a fine scene under the pier at Gal
veston Is very well done. It shows a
fisherman at work in a boat, and the
deeper shadows underneath the wharf
fade into the sunlight shining on a
sailing boat in the immediate dis
tance. She also has a portrait of an
old gentleman done in oil. "The Old
Courtyard at New Orleans," is also an
interesting and well handled subject.
Many of the pictures are contributed
by local artists and there is a suf
ficient number of real painters in
Denver to make a very interesting
exhibit. Among the foreign artists
who have sent pictures there are J. H.
Sharp, Robert W. Vonnoh, Leonard
Ochtman, Edith Mitchell Prellwltz,
and Alice Barber Stephens. Among
the local artists, who have contri
buted to this exhibit, are Charles
Partridge Adams, Mr. Frank Saur
wen, Frank Read and many others.
Miss Elsie Ward, a sculptor, has hung
a number of basreliefsand hasa figure
in the round, the "Manila Volunteer.''
Such an annual exhibit is an in
spiration if only for the time it is
hung. It dims tbe fascination o.
silver and gold and insinuates that
there are men and women who are
conscious of the phenomena of light
and line. These men and women use
another language. After they have
painted their pictures with great care
or modeled their statues the neces
sity of putting a price upon the in
timate work of their hands is un
pleasant. But as the artist lives part
ly on bread he Is obliged to sell his
product. But unless the artist or
someone belonging to him is very
hungry, he works without reference
to pay. An exhibit of paintings brings
an audience of idealists and dreamers
together. It is good for the life of
the city, for tne men who six days
in the week regulate their conduct
according to the market based en a
dollar, and on Sundays cast up their
profit and loss, to be confronted with
the evidences of experiments in light
and shade. It is diversifying and
spiritualizing. When tbe Western
Art Association assembles an exhibit,
It will need the help and sympathy of
every member and of all Nebraska.
Probably the board of directors will
be able to make arrangements with
the Artist's Club of Denver so that
when pictures are snipped there from
the east they may be exhibited here
on their way back and thus perform
a double mission. And artists are
always evangelists. Born with an
extra sense they are ever seeking
the conversion of the heathen blind
men that surround them. President
Ilall of the Western Art association
and the able directorate who are
weary of grubbing in the mire, have
decided to hold an annual picture ex
hibit and to offer prizes to the pic
tures selected by a jury. The influ
ence and effect of such an exhibit
Is incalculable. The Haydon Art
club's exhibits have been stimulating.
But the well-to-do burghers of Lincoln
have refused to buy any pictures year
after year when they have been of
fered for sale and artiste who live on
the Atlantic coast have given up Lin
coln as hopelessly benighted. They
are not to be blamed for refusing to
send their pictures any longer to a
place which has repeatedly declared
itself no market for paintings and set
up a corrugated iron statue of a help
less Lincoln on top of the court house.
The prizes offered will change all this.
The artists are willing to preacli but
they deserve a chance to earn the
price of the oils and canvas, and par
tial payment for the agony of effort
and of disappointment which every
good picture costs.
The Stotsenburg Fund
Contributions to the Stotsenburg
fund are being slowly received at this
office. A chain letter series has been
started asking for a quarter from
each correspondent. I hope no recip
ient of such a letter will allow his
disapproval of chain letters in gen.
eral to influence him against this one.
California raised 1100,000.00 for Mrs.
Lawton. Colonel Stotsenburg's death
was peculiarly heroic and unselfish.
His wife and two children are Ne
braska's wards. The nation has so
many heros and hero's wives and
children to care for that the share of
