Judge — February 22, 1913 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page addresses "The Church Problem"—a early-20th-century concern about declining church attendance and relevance. The left side shows a photograph of what appears to be a grand urban church building (with "Motion Pictures" signage visible nearby), suggesting competition from secular entertainment venues. The three architectural floor plans on the right propose a solution: redesigning churches to include multipurpose spaces—a "Boy Scouts Drill Hall" and various community facilities alongside traditional worship areas. The circular diagram at bottom shows a domed auditorium layout. The satire's point: churches must compete with modern attractions (motion pictures, social organizations) by offering more than Sunday services. The text explicitly argues churches should use their property "seven days a week" and incorporate "correlated things of vital social and human interest" to "attract and hold the attention of the many-minded multitude without abandoning religious purpose." This reflects Progressive Era debates about institutional relevance and the tension between traditional religion and modern secular culture.