, 1874-10-12
Memorial Sermon on the Rev.
T. NJ. Nddy.
installation Of tho Rev. Mr.. Burrill at
Westminster Church.
Sermon Oh Mediation by the Rev.
T, M. Elliott.



Sermon bv shc 1scv. ". II. Ryder.
Tho Ney. ". II, Ryder, paatar Of st. Paula
Universalist Church, preached tho following Ber-
mon Rt that church yesterday morning, his toxt
being:
And every ons that hcArath thesu sayings Of naine
nnu doeth them NOT, shall bo ltkentd untu foolish
man. who built hia house upon tho al 1d3tat, T. 49,
Tho carly years Of my llfo we're spent In = soa-
port~toSn in Massachusetts, whcru all thehouaes
in 1t are built upon tho sand. They ara built up
on the sand chiefly for this reason. that there
IL nothing elso to build them On. Pos
aibIy tho people would preftw rock to
sand, II there wore my rock within
shclr reach; rs It is. they build literally
on the sand and in tho sand, with vary little OK
cayating, aud no dimension stono underneath.
And have never known house, In consequence
OF being thus built. to fall or como down on that
account, though tho town has been thoro somo
200 years. Aud, What ia more, tho unaven set
Ting Ut buildings In that locality IL almost un-
known. Aud theeo Massachusetts townB that
slirt tho Atlantic coast, need hardly say, aro
peculiarly expoeed to high winds and .dronching
raine. and though the xinda blow and beat
against the housco Of bloak Cape Cod, tbay fall
pot, but stand as firmly ab any building know
Of.
Do l then deny the truthfu1ncas Of tile state.
ncut from which tho excellent lesson al. tue toxt
il drawn? Do mean to say that hotlse built
upon the aald iB just IS aecuro one bnilt upon
rock2 That depends upon circumstances
upon tho quality Of tho aapd, and tho depth OF
it, and upon several other conditions that uoed
J not be namoa here. 70 SEQ tho force OF many
OF tho illustrations employed In tho New Tcsta-
| ment. it IL necessary ofteu to consider the
! peculfar1ties Of the country in which
Tho writers ot tho Now Teetament lived,
Palestine ID peculiarly billy, rocky couatry,
sna tho so,l over The rocks ~, 3s often , shallow
| noakH the Roil, and loouany lta hold upon the
| rocky bed. Furthermore. the houses nro bniit
| Of mud walls or unburnt bricks. aud nrs mado
peculiarly f1ail by moisture. II, now. to CON-
plete tho picture, you include tho fact that moat
| of the villages OF Palestine arc aud wcre cou-
structed upon hilladoB, yon will sec tho force Of
| tho Illustration. The house built upon tho hill
side Sheto the soil was shallow, and which tho
rain would loosen from tho rock bed, Was
| wholly insecure, especially in view OF the per-
| ishable mRtoriala OF which the houses were Con-
| structed
Tho point Of tho illustration is clear and fotci-
bic: msko the building secure l.. whst IL necss,
soil and other local considerations. The ono es-
Bontial thing is to mako tho building securot no
| that 1t will ncisher fal1 dorm nor settle. nor
buckle, but stand whero 1t ia put fairly aud &C.
/ curelY.
Now all this, friends, barely mood romiud
| you. III not d talk about buildings, but renI!y
about men aud women; about institutions, COM
mnnitles, and. above all. personal character. For
chosen followers, as thsy sat thoro upon tho
| Mount OF Deatitudes, was not teaching r!,om
! how to construct tho buildings in that country,
but how to couatract durable character. and
upon all nusafe aud inadequate foundation.
| The teaching OF tho text js ns applicable to ni-
DoiA as it WAS to PaIeatine, and to Chicago Is 1t
waa to Jerusalem or ceaa1ea-
| III tho G,U0D yearR which our race has existed,
eomo thinsa aia we'll learned. We do not need
another Illustration TO shov tho effects Of sim
iul life and tito 1nisohlef which, sooner Oh later,
follows eyerg form Of vice. Virtue and tntslli-
| u the people, aald thero ia no durebla ancccas
| withous ti,eu1 Ho who builds upon any other
| Foundation builds insacuzely. 10 GOT asde tho
| wisdom Of tho world and to defy tho nany leg
aons Of human experience iA TO build upon tho
sand. from which tho end is sure to oo1ne.
But this ia precisely what multitudos Of poo
pie aro continually striving to 40, to build up
themselves and their personal interests in disse-
Galx Of these nln3ims, ~ i they could evade
and morality OF mankind. In applying. tho los
| bona Of our subject, 70 ma: "a well begin ut
home. In 1nanY reapecsa. Chicago is bull: upon
| o tirul foundation. Tho average intelligence OF
her controlling citzans, Aer. schools, churcI1oa,
institutions OF charty,-theao arc celt2ln-
y reapectnble, considering tho ego OF
I our city.-ase worthy Of thigh commendation. Far
b It from me to nnderrato any OF tlcBo things.
But theae ara not "nat the average etlzen. refers
to ~ evidence Of our cityo Croatncsc. Ho will
toll you Of our wonderful growth will compare
tho city to-day NTH what it vas only thirty yoars
ago; will point you to our geographical positlon.
to tho railroads which contre here. our commerce
On these inlaud scos. the volume Of business
| transacted bore. ETC., ete.,-:al Of waich to q
be mentioned tn s',y fstalea,ont ''e Of
what Chicago 10, o. e1pects to bo., But tho scc-
to portion Of thia picture. and that side il not
especially tlatlering to our prido. No small por-
ton Of what NO hayo built must DO rebuilt Our
chief danger, 60 far "a material property Ia con
cosued. he's in the wooden atruct,lres which. by
the rapidity, oheapnoas. sud extent Of their con-
structlou. have Afforded temporary homes for
tho maHses rho have como hero. So fur, wo
havo built upon tho Sand 20 far, To must tear
down and rebuild better.
But thla only by tho way. What Wish espaoi:.
ally to emphasize il, the feeling which many OF
our people soem to have that Chicago ~ aotue-
how a exceptional clty, and can do just about
aud haa now attained fairly its n,su'a estate.
Tho world wiII honcsforth treat her ~ mai,
and not aa ~ oyorgronn boy. We ,uay ~ well
Viii s s.s as aaa s see's Nov ' so ars
control OF largo cltieg. Those bare oesn wrought
out hy experience. Tbs Intelligence Of tue
I civilized world III agreed iu regard to thola.
Ihese lesnona Chicago muat nccopt, snd 10
Judged BY. Thsrs 10 10 regal road 1os US whiHa it,
Ia not opeu to Ill otAera. 70 defy tha ihtel's,
genoa la madluess. Evan to disregard u ~
folly. Wooden ssructurss within the cooperate q.
uts Of asyeat city sse asngerous. thst 70 se!a,
ov!deut. Let, therefore, tho now Ale.o.nsnue n.
Within tic cet,tra oi tho city, espce!elIy vooaon
budnga should not 10 eonstrucseS4 e. q sh,a man,; oni
tainod no "a to sndauger tho city. 10 tn!a onn i1
plsns Tor buildings within certain lIulta should
10 submitted. .,,..,.
For 1nyaalf, an glad Of tho re- rece1t ~ as'saslon o.,
It has arsady " ps,clsd certain bubbles tat onsLt
10 have collapsed soo tins nxo. We .,s srsnos. We
~ ir,a rreatl;ess' quito 20 remarkable city or
quto al tux 70 ywoudotful ! people 40 no hare rated
cuaclsop If any one aoSlss th's .as .ss'n1a,a T.,
| ,uur,hnru ovar 51A}cauo TIll ba GreAt City,