The Sermons In New York Churches – 1918
With today being Christmas many Americans make their annual appearance in what was once a a weekly tradition. Attending religious services has been on a steady decline for decades.
There are dozens of reasons for the loss of parishioners. Could one of those reasons be the content of sermons?
Looking back at The New York Tribune for December 14, 1918. there’s a section “Where to Go To Church To-Morrow.”
There was a fair amount of the standard church fare with simple preaching. But church was a place where new ideas and topics were broached. Besides newspapers and periodicals, in the days before radio and television, church services could be informational rather than solely inspirational.
On the surface, many of the topics discussed from the pulpit back then seem more captivating than today.
So here are some of the church topics spoken about of December 15, 1918. Generally there were two different sermons, one at 11 a.m., the other at 8 p.m..
At Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square, at 11 a.m. Pastor A. Ray Petty has a standard sermon (after the recent conclusion of World War I one month before):” Three words of Jesus to a world at peace.” Then at 8 p.m. a real coup – Major Fiorello La Guardia (yes the future New York Mayor) would give a talk on “Flying for Uncle Sam on the Italian front.”
Calvary Methodist Church at 7th Avenue and 129th Street Reverend William H, Morgan’s 11 a.m. talk was “The other side of greatness.” At 8 p.m. “Woman: has she arrived?” The vote would be granted to women by Congress on June 4, 1919.
Rutgers Presbyterian Church on Broadway and 73rd Street featured an 8 p.m. speech by Dr. William B. Guthrie on “Great Britain and America.”
The Church of the Messiah at Park Avenue and 34th Street at its 8:15 service had a special speaker, Mademoiselle Marguerite Clement, “What America can teach France and France teach America.”
The Fourth Presbyterian Church West End Ave and 91st Street at 8 p.m. had guest speaker Dr. Pisek in honor of the Czechoslavak Republic.
St. Marks In The Bouwerie on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street, William Norman Guthrie, the Rector would speak in the morning about “A spiritual metropolis” At 4 p.m. “The freedom and future of the Slavs,” with addresses by Bohemians, Poles and Serbians.
The Church of the Ascension on Fifth Avenue and 10th Street with Reverend Dr. Percy Stickney Grant at 11 a.m. on “Creative impulse in religion.” At 4 p.m., a concert, Verdi’s Manzoni Requiem. Then at 8 p.m. a forum featuring Isaac Russell, an Investigator for the National War Labor Board speaking about “War-Time Strike Adventuring.”
The West End Collegiate Church at West End Avenue and 77th Street, the Reverend Henry Evertson Cobb at 11 a.m. would preach and conduct the “annual service of ‘Ye Olde Settlers’ Association of Ye West Side.” If you’re wondering, the Settlers’ were an organization of men who recalled the early days of the west side between 58th Street and 81st Street when goats ran wild.
Further up on West End Avenue, The West End Presbyterian at 105th Street has Dr. A. Edwin Keigwin preaching “Keep your eyes on the Holy Land.” And at 8 p.m C.R. Towson on “The sons of industry.”
At Lenox Avenue Unitarian Church at 121st Street the service at 11a.m. was with Reverend Merle St. Croix talking about “Judaism at its best.” At 8 p.m. a forum featuring contra-alto Elise Breuchaud and Columbia Professor William P. Montague on “Socialization of American Democracy.”
If you did want the fear of God put into you there were many options. A typical example of that sort of preaching was available at the First Baptist Church on Broadway and 79th Street.
Pastor I.M. Haldeman scheduled at 11 a.m. “To whom shall we go?” A firebrand sermon on the inadequacy of the world’s religions; the wickedness of Christian Science; the worthlessness of New Thought; the lie of Spiritualism and that Jesus only has the words of eternal life.
If that wasn’t opinionated enough, parishioners could double down at the 8 p.m. service, “The League of Nations and Its Self-Exalted Head.” Pastor Haldeman would rail against President Woodrow Wilson and how it would be national suicide to enter a league of nations. Also that the U.S.A. should have a navy equal to England. The league now proposed is only a shadow of the monstrous one foretold of God and preparatory to the Second Coming of Christ.
If you could wait until Friday Dr. Haldeman would begin a series of Bible talks on Israel and Jews. Jews were cordially invited to hear God’s threats and promises to his chosen people.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
