The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-01-26

ca-Some Hints 90 Our Cicrgymon.
Every commercial c0mmunity-in SO far "a
1t attends to religious matters at all--is natu-
rally conservative and practical In its theories
OF religion. Nor is New York any exception
to the workings Of this principle, a. is
thoroughly manifest from the decay OF Boston
isms in this city, especially within the last ten
years. Notions Of the genesis of things,
vague theories upon very vague topics, queer
quips about the relations of trinity and unity,
which, borrowed from Boston, were formerly
affected by metropolitan thinkers, have now
gone out of date, or have been buried fossil
deep under the layers Of vigorous practical
thought which the present generation Of New
York thinkers has developed Boston, which
ten years since affected the lax and liberal,
now affects the German in religious thought
borrows extensively from German rationalism,
mysticism and criticism, and, with true Bos-
tonian instinct, insists loudly that what 1t Dor
rows and retails considerably diluted is Of its
own invention and quite original. With the
exception Of the clerical fraternity neither of
these peculiariHes of Boston thought has any
currency in this city and in making this ex-
ception we are giving one reason for the decay
Of clerical influence here.
Some years since the metaphysical was in
vogue and popular. Fashionable people, not
over fond OF being reminded of their sins aud
selfshness, were exceedingly glad A the min
lister found it convenient to talk about some
thing which nobody could understand, not
even the talker himself At that time, too,
Theodore Parker, famous for philosophical alb
stractions, which were mostly distracted from
the German, was in the zenith of his reputa-
ton. New York copied the Parker cant about
the divinity in humanity" the "absolute hui
man." the ''goodhood of physics" and the like;
and az to the New England pulpit it was sim
ply vast force pump, deluging Yankee con-
gregations with Parker diluted in water and
sweetened to TASTE To these phrases the
Yankees SMILED their huzzas, and matters got
on swimmingly for decade or more.
The thought of the great mass has outgrown
the stilted lunacies Of that day-a fact of which
clergymen seem to be utterly forgetluL Pulpit
influence is, therefore, on the wane; not because
the people have no reverence for the pulpit
per Sc, but because the pulpit has no sympathy
with the people. AT present, in religious wor-
ship, the musical element is every thing and the
sermon is of no earthly account; and yet cler-
gymen will keep on retailing the same dreary,
dunderheaded platitudes as formerly, which,
because they mean nothing, arc very easy to
say. To the people these platitudes are no
longer either morally or Intellectually tonic.
Maudlin sentiment and maudln transcendent-
alism have ceased to be effective. The popu-
lar mini cannot at this day be fed with sha-
dows. II demands something With blood and
pulse In it !; and, instead of declaiming against
the callousness of the public, it would be we'll
for clergymen to set about amending their own
stupidity. The clerical cant must be dropped
pulpit orators must stuff less from musiy vol
umes and think more, or pulpit influence as q
power in the land is likely TO be snutfed out
altogether.
We want no clerical cant we want no pa
healthy, vigorous though! from the pulpit;
and from the pulpit we must have il, or
we shall look elsewhere before buying. II
is useless for the pulpit to AFFECT Delphic
orscles, after the manner Of Carlyle aud Emer-
son. Any man who has clear ideas upon what
he is talking about can and will express his
ideas with precision and intelligibiliiy end
isany man be unable TO express himself intelli-
gibly we can really see no especial propricty
in his expressing himself at ALL But the cleri-
cal seer will say 10 defence OF his uninteligi-
bility -. am o transcendenialist speak of
the thugs IN posse as we'll as Of the things ia
esse; l am too profound TO be comprehcndcd,
and am not. therefore. to be hampered
with The ordinary modes OF English If I
vaticinate at all / mast yatciuate in my
own peculiar English. and vasicinale 1 must
or perish with the excess of nv inspiration
Very well yaticinate. Suck your thumb
that is an evidence Of proiundity too profound
to he spoken. All We ask is that YOU vatici-
nate in good hnglsh Sr cease matchmaking alto
gether. You may perish with The excess of
your inspiration but il you should We viii see
that you are decently buried, which is all
transcendentalist has RICH! 70 expect and
more than most OF them get.
But 10 be serlous--and we slways like to be
so. II possiblc--the decadence Of clerical iufu-
ence 10 New York city--a decsdence OF which
clergymen themselves complain bitteriy--is
largely due 30 this same affected mounting OF
the obscure. Nine out OF Ten OF all the
sermons weekly delivered from our puipits are
simply clever bits OF circumlocusiou. thirty-six
written sheets Of about and about and all the
way round TO nonsense and nothing. There is
no direcsness, no earnestness, no intelligible
meaning in 'bem--uo bold, manly thongh, Tor
people who think. no sympatb, with The human
needs oil arss, commercial community. they
are simply moral nothngs decked aboui and
sugar-cosied with rhetorical fsuces
The style Of clerical composition needs
pruning. Ii is 100 Indirect, 100 SIMMONS. too