, 1870-06-19

1
statements seem to say shA* Alr.
Gladstone has introduced progressive
looking to The ultimate separation
# tho schools fom .denoninatioual in
luanees, but that be thinks The country not
ipe Tor the full immediate eonsummstion
II th,a policy. Mr.. DiMaali treats the
in tho sans Light by auudng to It
n proposition by the House
If Commons "to ravolutiouize tho char
.cter Of its own people" The author OF
i" "Lothait" knows the popular value of An
spho1isu1, and seldom speaks without COIN
iug one.
SENSATIONAL PREACHING. |
Since the object Of religion IS to make !
ua happy, some people Seem to think the
proper study Of its ministers shoald be
to amuse. When We bare been sorely tried |
during the week by divers ve1aaona, when |
the Museum has gone into the moral drains,
and the Opera House is inculcating dreMy
LESSONS in the A B Ca Of virtue, wo some
times sit down to sermon BY the Rev.
Mr.. Funniman, in tho ivo1y faith that We
shall hear great many good jokes that are
dear To us from hallowed associations Of
long standing, and, possibly, soms that
have the merit OF novelty. We think 1t was
Michael Angelo who frat Observed that the
chief value Of picture lay in its frame,
which accounts for his preference forpnints
ing in fresco. So the great charm and
point Of an ecclesiastical joke depends. like
a certified bank check, on the fund that is
behind it. The carved work Of the
pulpit, the little images Of the
-cherubin that hold up tho cushion, the
grave. gothic and thoroughly fashionable
tone Of the whole place.: 80 worldly and
business-like, and yet 50 select. all oonspire
to give piquancy and xaat to an anecdota,
though il be rather alciant, or little
weak. ..,.
Since the first and most serious inquiry
made kby Certain congregations in em-
ploying their pastor is, "Can he tall q
good story" We propose to lay down some
rules by which tho foe& u,ay avoia being
sxindled, as they sometimes are, by man
who processes to be funny In his experiment
I'll sermon but who has none OF the real
spirit Of Joe Miller in him. Be it known
then that real Wit is physical virtue. 4
sa1lov, bilious, and cadaverous parson may,
by dint of hard pounding On joke book,
OF purely by accident, sometimes get Of
things Of certain order, but, in most cases,
it is without knowing it. One Of thus sort
once took for his provocation the words,
Thy feet are ike binds feet," and by
showing that in the originalthis read, Thy
feet are Ike hens feet," be de-
veloped the union Of three toes
into one foot, IS thing Of such
! deep spiritual significance, TINT, from
| that hour to this, we have been as reluctant
To eat pnllet, unless it was fricassed, as an
orthodox Egyptian Is to eat COW. Bu'
pure w.t. lasting humor, that can be relied
to keep up roars of laughter for fifty-twt
Sundays in the year, subject to necessary
exchanges with other funny clergyman, il
largely grace OF the body, and pervade
the lynphatio tissues. The good maj
should be round, not lean and Cassius-liko
Then his sallies of mirth will have an eas
power that meagre witlinga can not acquire
Lean men arc metaphysical, and, when yo
get right down to where they live, hun
dred chances to one they arc in ea1neE
about some pet hobby they have in tow
| and this q minister who understands hin
; sell, and amuses his audience, never wi
: be. Hnving secured preacher of fin
animal spirits, one who is always funn.
| whether in the pulpit or ont of it, who vi
| attend all the weddings himself, and sen
the funerals generously to his con
t petitoB, the next point is to l
wide-awake On tho topics. None but Il
/ latest sensations should be treated L
4 | stead Of Daniel in tne lions den, q threa
/ bare topic, the late uar1ow escape
@ aIndnmoiselle A1azeppa, Of the Bower
Il from being chawed up by her favorite lio
If ess will afford a touching OCCASION for l
y luding to the heroic qualities which t
softer ser invariably display in their ssru
8, gle for the support Of their parents, bow
:. to the earth under the seuility of supara
n nuated old age. From this somewh
5,i striking text the reverend gentleman pass
s TO lively anecdotes, illustrative Of the
IL IL stinct Of animals, never failing to inclu
he the elephant at Elgin, who would not crt
nj tho bridge over Fox River, knowing it y
re going to break down the very ne1t d.
q (which it did, This enables the preac1
IL. to say that the same elephant had better
~ invited into our Court House, which is {
liz of those saIlies 1t the architects that m
at. be heard to 10 appreciated.
.e, We are not prepared to assert tha
nv preacher who fails to amuse should
is hissed, but it is, at least, admissi
of that the congregation should exp,
al, their sense Of the indignity
,ch either reading, studying the physiogno
md oltiress Of their ueighbors, or going to sic
Some allowance must be made for the
ort that preacher cannot change the scen'
ard Or even his costume, in most chu1cl
his and that he is only one, while the dram
,o1 stage may shift the dramatic persona '
Ith appropriate changes Of costume and nc
eht monent!y. Perhaps the pulpit can
III therefore, fairly he held up to that
! is standard Of low comedy which may
ger | achieved with the aid Of all the accesso
,se, Of the stage. How long this paucity
rtli- aids and poverty Of resources is TO
To tiuue We cannot predict. Mr.. Her
MIC. Spencer informs US TINT in their origin
the | theatre and the church were one, all
and trionic representations being designe
last illustrate religious subjects. This is,
aths manner, reversed il the church of
the period, wherein the church and the the
and are msde one, the intent and object OF
the sermon being to provoke laughter.
,een set, if it be trus TINT the stage and the
,aye pit had tho same origin, it would seem
ong that the pulpit is becoming SO excess1
ose0 amusing, that we must be getting bat
yer, the primitive church.
rted We take leave to protest against all
the funny pastors in lump. Not that an
n1es tratiou or form Of words which CT
,late naturally must be discarded because ,
the persons may saniie at it, but becaus
d to :he1e be anything sarious in this life
who pulpit, which Seeks to point us to th'
70 in to come, is the appropriate place ft
the enunciation and enforcement, Lei
7ery- street preachers Of London, on tho
d in hand, and Brigham Young, On the Q
r in have monopoly in the exhibition of
Irred riment over the Word Of God.
mall
they Eng1and is distressed by tho rocen
,nse- rival from India Of the Nswab Eizar
last Bengal, Behar, and Orissa, the ktular
many nominal King Of these three great
and inces Of India He derives his title
the with it clai1n to the nice little ircou