The seven largest churches in the place were all on one street, well up in the wealthy residence portion, and not more than two or three blocks apart.

Down in the tenement district there was not a single church building, and only one or two weak mission schools which did not touch the problem of the district at all.

The distance from this poor part of the town to the churches was fully a mile, a distance that certainly stood as a geographical obstacle to the church attendance of the neighborhood, even supposing the people were eager to go to the large churches, which was not at all the fact.
Indeed, Philip soon discovered that the people were indifferent in the matter.

The churches on the fashionable street in town meant less than nothing to them.

They never would go to them, and there was little hope that anything the pastor or members could do would draw the people that distance to come within church influence.