Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-06-09
IbtNAuti Slavery BuoIs.
DEATH OF THEODORE PARKER.


of such man will be felt as crcadnga void not
soon nor easily to be filled. In him philanthropy
has lost one of its foremost living champions,
pulpit, one of its most renowned and efficient
preachers, aud the cause of learning one Of its
brightest ornaments in America.
TnEoDoRE PARKER was born in Lexington, Mas
sachusetts in 1872 His father plain Mas
sachusctts farmer, and his grandfather Revolu-
tiouary soldier whose musket did good service in
the battles Of Lexington and Bunker Hill. THEo-
DoRE was born heir TO a vigorous constitution, an
iron wi,i great intensity and force Of character,
aud no worldly possessions. AT a very early age
he began his struggle With the world, resolved
upon conqueriag the difficulties of all the sciences,
and becoming a scholar. lie received only a
common school education, and bought himself a
Latin grammar with the hoardings Of his own
labor, which he studied to good purpose, that
at She age of seventeen he was competent to open
a school. BY dant Of pinchinG economy, and by
studying all the long winter nights, he was ena-
bled to enter the Divinity school of Harvard Col.
lege, where he graduated with distinction in the
year 1896. In 1887 he was settled as pastor Of q
small country parish of the Unitarian denomina.
tion at West Ruxbury, where be continued about
six years, studying voluminously, preaching spar
ingly, and writing for the Dial and the Christian
Examiner papers, whose bi ieadh of thought, and
vigor and eloquence of style, attracted very wide
attention.
in 1913, Mr. PARKER went to Europe for a
year, and returned well-storod with the spois
which are gathered only by the most wise and
cultivated of travellers. 10 1885, he accepted a call
from an organization. of religious worshippers
known as the 2Sth Congresa sational Society Of Bos-
ton, to become their minister. This society grew,
under the power and attraction Of his pul pit dis
courses, until Mr.. PAREER's audiences first in the
Melodeon, and afterwards at the Music Hall, were
the largest congregations in America, with the
single exception of HENRY WARD BEEcuER's. 1t
grew into q common remark that no Que could
be said to have been in Boston, unless he had
heard THEODORE PARKER.
His reputation as bold and original thinker
spread through the country, and his services we're
early enlisted in the lecture-room, upon social
and educational questions. lie was prolific and
multifarious writer, both in the reviews and in
books published under his own name, an indefati
gatie worker in all the reform movements Of the
times, laborious and most effective preacher, and
q. lifelong, uuweaied and well-nigh universal
scholar. His reputation among the learned men
of New England was that Of profound and
Thoroughbred student. His writings and dis
courses are heavily rreighted with learning, not
thrown in in bulk or at random, but perfectly as
simulated and applied. No science and 70 litera
ture was neglected; like Lord BACON, he seemed to
have taken all learning to be his province, and
nothing ever amiss to that capacious and
Unsuitable NAV. His private library, gathered
with the assiduous pains of many years, was one
of the Target in New England-about II 900 vol
umes--and it was his cherished purpose to be
queath it at his death to the city of Boston.
man SO active aud unSparing in his drafts up
on his bodily energies as Mr. PARKER, could not
look for long life, and, accordingly we find him
after many premonitiOns, breaking down amid his
many labors and compelled about year since to
fee for his life, to sea-voyage. The last sermon
he ever preached was January 2, 1859. A pulmo.
nary complaint had fast hold of him, and hemorr-
hage ensued on the succeeding Sunday. He sail
ed With his wife and several friends 10 February,
1859, for the West Indies, and after some months
spent in Santa Cruz aud Havana, went to SwitEer-
land, and afterwards to Rome, where he recruited
for time. only to be utterly prostraied at last.
His brilliant light was burnt to the socket before
il was extnguished forever. Even in his last days
of pain and weakness he would not lay down the
pen, but wrote an autobiography and history Of
Rome during the winter just passed. The partic.
ulars of his death have not reached US. His wife
survives him. but he had no children.
The sources of Mr.. PARKERs power over the
mind of the age have been partly indicated above.
His uncommon attainments, mind Of wondrous
scope, extraordinary intellectual independence,
and, more than all, the ardent spirit of humanity
which burned within him, gave him an influence
such as falls to the lot Of few. The character of
Mr. PARKER was that of singularly earnest,
simple-hearted and brave Few natures were
ever cast in q moro heroic mould. No ever
had more devoted and enthusiastic friends
pie Hhom he drew and inspired by the force of his
character the unspotted purity of his life, and the
loftiness Of his aims. Possessed Of abilities which
would have enabled him to shine in any walk of
life, he devoted himself with stern and resolved
purpose to the work of reforming errors and
abuses, He cared nothing for popularity, favor,
or applause, but fought steadily in the face of
obloquy, opposition, and reproaIh, needless of
everything but humanity, reverencng nothing but
Justice, devoted wholly to freedom.
Whatever feelings might be cherished by those
who could not sympa,hise with his views, there
were mono who did not respect and few who
could help admiring him. |: was his fortune to
awaken fierce enmites and strong passions, for he
stood for the most part on the unpopular SIDE and
was by no means free from the acerbities OF con-
troversy which are so easily INDUCED in by men
of strong and sarcastic powers Yet he lived to
sec most of his ideas taking wide root in the
minds and even in the institutions of his country
men. lie wrought, and oiled, and thought, for
'""'ap 'aGo. The animositics