, 1870-05-01
THE WoRlp:oF AMUSEMENT. !.
*4Fer the Benefit Of the Church."

'Fer the Benefit Of the Church."
| 4 Paptr Reed Befosr ne Pdri.h Club Of Ae
Church Of 1se Atoneme..t, Ap,4l %, 1870.
CHICAGO, Aprt, a.
To tAe Etttor ~ 1A< CAiaa9o Tribune:
Tbs reason for the publication Of this paper,
which WIS read on Thursday evening Lat, 1t i
soanee Of the Parihh Club OF the Church Of the
Atoos1neus tor the bsnetis Of the church, j"
is contained In The following nutshull,
I: CHICAGO, April 81
PHKEG1MK Pc11k, Esq-Daar Sir: Re, hsy-
ing been highly entertained by Jour reading On
&c q 1or Iac
TElsunn, for 90 6enelt 81 noso. 1ho were re unsoie
to heat 'oa' Respeeffqs, 1oqFs; ~,;;,n
:. PEeMdens Fauan Club.
JOIN E. 8T1tpiRoN, =
JOIN n. Psck.
The following "a the pspes, which 1as en-
titled:
:" ron rHE aKxE1Ir or TILE CHURCH."
Lddies and Gentlemen:
PatAApa it Would be mora in accordance,
bath with the etiquette and ameaitaa Of this
occasion to address you a. aiatezs and brethren.
never use the terms :. Ladies' and gentlemen"
with 4nf degres Of satisfaction, because they
have Ettle or no significance in these latter
days. Every ono who weAra female gatb is :
lady, whether lAdy's breast BEATS beneath
that gsrb or no. Every man is reputed to be
gentleman whether be be gentle OF no; Just
% the man who Pa1es your CONS is pro-
tonsozial artist, md tho woman who makes
bonnet forms in her back shop on Clark street,
Is Madame, tho modis2e, Just from
Paris, where she has helmed the
creme de q creme and is at present unwilling
to to admit tho tEade to her openings. When
ten cents pound. boiled dinner does not
convey any sJbaz1tdc manning to your guests.
Reasoning by analogy, do not know that Tou
VIII feel compiiuented whan address YOU Is
Indies ard gentlemen" for these NO cheap
terms which you can get any day and apply
With The esns fotce to Bridget, tho 1ady.like
fighter, gambler, and Congressman.
Hmeh reninds me to Say to yon, thai am
not altogether convinced / have Tho right to
address you ~ sisters md brethren. since, Ike
immortal 1sck FAls.aH, it il not often that I
soc the inside Of church being addicted to
IN = femple uhose dome i tho
vsst ove1arching sky, blazing WITH e.
fv1Genee At my matins and spsu-
gled With glory At my vespers !;
whose coumns AEc the everlasting hills !;
whose tacesses &na ttetworkn are in the tree-
tops, and the NowerH, and the 1inea; whose
nuaio comes to me in the tremolos OF the
2ephyIB, in th4 hum OF the insocts, in tho dis
pa8on Of the ocaAn4 and in the awful eoleunify
Of the thunder. In this grand temple, ~ not
made With hands" + hare room to Worship. It
seems TO me- havo little need OF tho written
Word, when the G1eat FAthnr ls all about me-,
speaking with the "stiu, suan voice" above
the a1e and the stoen and the earthquake;
telling mo Of His majesty in the wrath Of the
wind; Of Hi tender cara In the flight Of the
sparrow; Of His beauty in the painted cup Of
the Lily; al His lore il avery attribute OF M
tuxo.
i ea1mot address yon II Fellow Sinners, be-
causa l do not baGove you &a 9in1erB neither
~ Es1oW-SAinte, because I do not be1ieye you
are sainta. unKalant though it may be. not
to excapt the geutlar part at the audience
from this lstteF statement: presume you
amount Of human merits and hunau frAildes,
With fair prospects Of becoming SANTA At some
future TINA. after you have quit this world. in
which saints don't. grow. You cannot rsiso
tuclsias in your ash~hA1rcl~ Tho soil OF this
world Is too poor to grow aaints in.
iou see, tAerefore. that am. in \ dilemma
ut the very outset. i address, you a Ladies'
and Gentlemen, It will be no complainant to
/ you. II cal you Saints or sinners, it viii be
untrue. Il speak to you a. Sistera and
i Brethren, i ro&nifest1y tz1nscand my preroga-
| tises, 80, with your permission, / wil zddress
/ you, with ail solemnity, you have accomplished
I great deal in this world, whosa tendency is
, alWayB downward, II you hare 30 far resisted
/; this principle Of nol g1ayitation ~ to mako
/ yourselves average human beings
/ In the pursuance OF. some Of my journalistic
dutiea in this city, during the past fifteen
] years, it has been my fortune or misfortune,
~ the case may be, TO attend hundreds Of
benefits, alWays il the capacity OF critic. I
ramember that once, upon the occaaion Of a
benefit to an actor, felt compelled to Say
some nha.p things about him. Aeedng him
wink could ait in front once - critic aud
catch you before the foot1ightBsr I Little
dreamed at that time that should ever be
csught in such = predicament; but, in Al un-
guarded moment, I made one Of your number
A.raah promise, and regretted 1t, only whom it
vaA too late, for Atoneruent- So, for the first
time in my life, am performer and you Aro
| critics. I confess to ! hearty recognition OF
tho proper timidi.ieH OF tho occasion, md prom.
ise you, Il escape safely shia time, Twill nevel
Eccsnse do not often see the ins;do OF .
church, It doea not follow by any means, thas
LIDO uut beiiuve in churches. Tbs very prin-
.ciplo OF aggregation involved Ia tho c3,nrrh, IL
une Of the cardinal points Of its e1celance.
| Any man can drive fock of sheep; bat Il
fequisea avsry skilfu1 rnan-t .arivo N indi-
| viduL sheep md keep him from jumping over
every fence aud Stone wall, md pIun9ing into
every ditch in the 4nsghborhood- Man aa an
Individual Is pure cussedneas. II you will par
aas easas sSSan.to M Z e. eood
any other man.
So is woman.
Anyclergyman will tel 5or: how it tries hin,
tins OF Mrs. boozlo in priYste; because Ole
Grumpkins thinks he ID about - good rs ths
m1uifter any way, and Mrs- Doozle know
she IL AZ good Is the minister's wife even il aht
doesn't wear coral set, which ehe might hAv'
done easily enough. IT, Nr. booele had on1,
followed her advice and Let those eo5uor lot
IN Calumet alone and bought Oh tho West Side
But once sink old Grpmpkins and Mrs. Boozl
in the maes sud they are plinhle - wA1, keen
II sensitive to the magnetism Of the multitude
and car be moulded by the minister Like cla
on the pottars wheel.
II there DO one thing moro than another !
this world which l reverence i Is man
honest opinion ~ opinion which he make
tha div tule Of his lie; Al opinion which b
.. lives for, whichhe. will suffer for, md which
xM die foE il necessary. So reverenfn 4
, worship where it is not form, and all RELY
in in alone. / reverence the poor cone
+ vonap. who makee her mud image Is taeaz lii
God ~ the light which Is in her will lat be
and sets il mp IN her mud hoYel for wnrshi
!: because nho il honest in this rude ewress,s
! Of reGgious devotion, quite As much y DO
with tho eloquenco Of the pulpit and lulled vi
I t,e music il The choir loft and VIXEN Ny La
i and the Congo woman stand, side by side,
i tho great AAsizc. I suppose no aNaaons ".a
:; made to the mud ef}gy OF the v:Tct eus6io
y but hat the simple question viii BE-, What ha
t yon done With the talent given you? ! 10
~ y. upou III forms OF honest religious worhhiH,
& | something very solemn. bccanse they re-,
= acut the inner needs OF man nad the outr1At
=: =: inE Of the soul, in its endeAvora to gasp
IL aofpetllpg winch it cannot quito comprGhsl
.e .ud yet knous is necessary to its nouti.hm'
's and existence. l. therefore, with pleasure
H. nv little mite for tho benefit Of the cl1arcli
T. think it wou1d be for the benefit OF
# church to make the Eniristes's path T. easy
IL possible, and tho most possible way to MI
I'd comfortable SALARY, 70. that tho little matt
-. at bocfsteaks, Mondy waehings, linen COLI
t.npt 1csky copper boilesN assessments Tor
10 posts, etc aha1l pot prove graashoppeza
"A e being burden toll hlm II II % IN amIorl
u u matter for the rhssaeisn to patch, md NJ
and tinker the cssket, how mnch moro inn
Aa- TINT is tho duty Of this greater |
~. ~ sician, who hAa in charge The jewel which
81 the cssket! Ind you knox how much 4
lin9 difficult his task Is, becAnee III raAn want
~; sced, even i Il sh.ll d. up and ahavel
cnt, x,l,- iii lave him frpa to ii
tue to IL a1ties. md prevent his having the !
al | chltne. fctua4A !o1 nae ~
ous, tho tact tnat N cau8CA "asAa @as kAI.' ksss
Aenh ! him md the doctor, which results IN IN Of
ntszl | announcement ty the ht&ar At the bus
u 10 | st.nu - ~. rhnr-h that the tuinis
NV bronchitis can only be cured BY trip t
Ho!y Land, few weeks 1t the tomb Of .
and frequent b.thing At tho pool Of Beth
Now Ill this can be Temeaied By good 8!
I1Asing a1ca upon . good eala55, Is tnanS eaos
ibcfa | be- for tho bcuett of the church 39a
hat your minister sh4ll set out q az
much - possible. Tell him you dent
III ~ hin to write his sermons out Of his
lplaln ne!a1.: Eu h-,;na ~ the FathaTa. but