Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-09-18

hi4 we CLIP the lOllOWlng c&ccuent eA-
tract from the Western Christian
Advocate, which we wish every minis
ter ofthe Gospel of any denomination
would read, ponder and practice
'The children of this world are in
their generation wiser than the chill
dren Of light, and the performers on
the stage labor often with more zeal
and intelligence to produce amomen.
tary effect on their bearers, than The
ministers Of Christ labor TO save i'm,
mortal souls. Many excellent cler-
gymen distrust the influence of on
impressive and popular mannerir
the pulpit, as withdrawing attention
from the truth TO the preacher, but il
is fatal error. In the early ages OF
the Church, its great preachers were
trained in the best schools oforatory
which the world could furnish, and
some of them passed years in Athens
in preparation for their future work
The wisdom of their course was at.
tested by the measure OF their sue
cess. An English paper has some
sound suggestions on the importance
of good manner in the pulpit
There is much in common between
the tragic actor and the popular
preacher; but while the actors pow.
er is generally the result of studied
elocution, the preachers is almost al.
ways native. A teacher Of clocation
would probably say that the manner
of Chalmers, Guthrie, or Baird, was
u very bad one; but it suits the man,
and no other would produce like
impression. In reading the most
effective discources Of the greatest
preachers, we are invariably disap.
pointed. We can see nothing very
particular in those quotations from
Chalmers which are recorded ut hav-
ing overwhelmingly impressed those
who heard them. IL was manner
that did it all. In short, an accessory
which in England is almost entirely
neglected, is the secret Of Sco'ch
effect. Nor is il any degradation
from an orators genius to say his
power lies much less in what Essays,
than how he says il. IL is saying
that his weapon can be welded by
no other hand than his own. Man
ner makes the entire difference be-
tween Macready and the poorest
stroller that murders Shakespeare.
The matter is the same in the case OF
each Each has the same thing TO
say, the enormous difference lies in
the manner in which he says ii. The
greatest effects are recorded TO have
been produced by things which, in
merely reading them, would not
have appeared so very remarkable.
Halett tells us that nothing solingcr-
cd on his ears rs line from Homes
Douglas" rs spoken by young Betty:
And happy, In my mind. wa- he iha. died.
We have heard it said that Mac
ready never produced greater effect
than by the simple words, "Who
said that?' II is, perhaps, a bur-
lesque Of an acknowledged fact, to
record that Whitefeld could thrill
an audience by saying, "Mesopota-
miai" Hugh Miller tells MS that he
heard Chalmers read apiece which he
-Miller-had himself written. II
produced the effect Of the most tell
ing acting; And its author never
knew how fine il was till then. We
remember we'll the feeling which ran
through us whom we head Baird say,
CAS- we bend over the grave whore
the dying are burying their dead.
All this Is the result Of that gift of
genius-to feel with tho whole soul,
and utter with the whole soul. The
case of Gavazzi shows that tremen-
dous energy can carry an audience
away without its understanding Il
syllable OF what is said. Inferior
men think loud roaring and frantic
gesticulation produce thatimpression
which gcnius alone can produce. But
the counterfeit is wrctchcd; and with
oil intelligent people. the result is de-
rision and disgust.