American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-05-26
From The n. 0. Times. 18th instl
Death OF Rev. Theodore Clapp, D. D.


terday, at Louisville, Ky, of this di
! tinguished Clergyman. 1t was know
Dy The numerous friends of DR.. Clap
IN this city, that he had for som
time past been sinking, and that th
fame of life burned but fickeringl
in his bosom. AT length the sun
mons came which has separated hin
from thecares, the duties and the hon
ors of this mortal life. We are no
supplied, as Vet, with any of th
particulars of his last illness, AM
can therefore communicate nothin,
on this interesting subject to the pub
lie. We can only speak of the rela
tiOns which he sustained to this com
mHnity, and to american society a
large, as a clergyman and citizen
DR.. Clapp was born in Easthamp
ton, Mass, ooh March 1892, II,
graduated at Yale College. Conn. If
1914, and shortly afterward entered
the Law School at Litchfeld, in that
State; but soon abandoning the idea
of pursuing the law as profession
turned his attention to theology
prosecuting his studies, preparatory
to entering the ministry, at the Theo-
logical Seminary, Andover, Mass. In
1917, he became licenciate, when he
removed to Louisville, Ky, and offici-
ated for some time as chaplain and
private tutor to a family in that
neighbOrhOol In 1921, he became
pastor Of tie Presbyterian Church
IN this city, whose pulpit was previ-
'Ously filed by the eloquent Dr, Larr-
ed, and subsequently, with distin-
guiShed reputation, by Rev. DR.
Scott, and more recently by Rev Dr.
Palmer
The mind'of Dir. Clapp having un-
dergone some change on the subject
of doctrines, he rendered himself OBJ
noxious to the Presbytery and was at
length arraigned before the Synod
and tried for heresy. We >recollect
to have read, years ago, large oc-
tavo volume, containing an account
Of the ordeal through which he pass
ed on that occasion. Suffice it to
say, that while the communing
members of his church withdrew
from him their oountenance, he re-
tanned nearly the whole of his large
congregation, which, from the time
of his separation from the PreSbyte-
ry, worshiped in the large brick
church on st. Charles street, (near
the st Charles HOTEL and which |
was kindly rendered to DR.. Clapp by
the bcneticent and wealthy Judah |
Touro, under lease for ninety-nine !
Jears. Here DR.. Clapp collected a
arge congregation, and received ,
rom the pew rent alone a highly /
income. His eloquence
attracted crowds of visitors, and eS-
,ecially strangers ofintelligence and
from all parts Of the
country who came to New Orleans
Turing the winter.
DR., Clapp was called Il Unitarian. /
Perhaps he was so, distinctly main
aiming, as he did, what all Chris
ianS profess TO believe, the doctrine !
# the Divine Unity, but he had his
'eculiar notions on this subject, {
rhich he did not hold in common ,
nth the denomination so,called He
id not identify himself with any of
he numerous sects into which chris /
endom is divided, bHt preferred 70 ,
ave the whole field of Divine Truth 8
pen before him, from which to Sc G
ct doctrines, as duty or occasion 4
.emed TO him to require. He was not, t
| his pulpit performances, in the I
abit of insisting op dogmas, but L
welt more on moral and practical s
pics, maintaining that love to God t
Id love to man constituted the sum
I'd substance of the gospel.
He was one of the most, elegant n
ID effective oraterS that has ever $
isen in this country, Or in any
'untry. He did not reduce his dis I
'urSes to writing, but they were the t,
Ihiect of premeditatioR. The proem
Lis SerEon usually impressed his t
,arers with the idea that he was Ia <
ring TO express his thoughts, but
e apparent ease with which, his u
odium completed, he launched iato
S subject, and held his hearers en- c;
lnced, for an hour and half, by
e force of his arguments, the pun +,
ncy of his appeals and the flashing a.
int of his illustrations, soon re-
we'd them of all their apprehen-
81 L d. 4