The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-02-20

A fair audience assembled at City Hall last
evening to hear the Rev. w. H. H. Murray
deliver his lecture in the Y. Nj. U. A. course,
entitled "Mv Creed" Mr.. Murray's fine
presence and rich deep voice make him de-
served fayorite with lecture audiences. His
! effort was a fire one, Astounding in strong
brave words but occasionally disfgured by bit
of tawdry rhetoric. He began by saying:
| There is power which stands back of all
laws, stronger than the laws, power standing
behind the public press, stronger than the
press power standing behind the church
stronger than the church This power is pub
lie opinion. the creed of the masses In
country like this even individual opinion is of
consequence, so tell you my creed as part of
that which along with your creeds goes to
make up public opiuion A creed can he and
often has been abused, can aud often has been
an instrument to Cypress thought But still
should as soon think of fighting with an army
without banners as to preach in church with
out creed. The creed should be capable of
expansion. Unless it benefits the present gen.
GRAFTON it is worse than useless. Creeds are
not of value as theological slogans, but only as
instruments to enlarge the heart and the brain.
But little good has come of the fierce theologi-
cal contests in New England, Some people
value a mans orthodoxy by the amount of fight
in him, Some clergymen are never satisfied
unless they have some pope to .belabor. Their
text is a challenge and their comments upon it
are attacks upon some brother who differs with
them in views of the nature of God, and then
they pray for blessing upon their warfare and
adjourn for week to seek another victim,
The lecturer proceeded TO say that his creed
favored mirth. He believed in making the
hard New England character more suave,
more pliable, more mirthful. God has i'm
planted in the breasts of all his creatures
frolicsome impulse. The love of fun is as
natural as the taste for food. Gravity is a re-
suit and comes with experience. Jesus was
found at the feasts-at the feasts too of the
publican and the tax gatherer. The old paint
ers always pictured him the centre and the
soul of the group l believe in a nature that
can enjoy romp, kindly sympathetic nature
that loves good companionship, that enjoys the
mental discipline of a game of chess or whist
But in this matter every man must be a law to
himself. Elf he believes whist playing wrong
let him abstain, but let him not attempt to
Judge for others in this matter. That is tyr
rany. The worst of all tyrants is professor
of religion who don't know any thing. I
would rather be in the inquistion than the |
pastor of church with three such men as
deacons. l have no patience with these men |
who presume to say who shall sit at the Lords |
table. Remember the table is the Lords, at |
which all his disciples may sit and pot the |
In this matter of amusements each |
must judge for himself If man plays |
euchre or billiards he is the best Judge of the |
effect upon him. If a young girl of my
church comes to me and asks If she shall |
dance, 1 tell her she must decide for herself. |
She knows better than 1 how her health, her |
Imagination, her conscience are effected. |
While I am amusing you here tonight no one |
has right to say how Mrs. Murray shall |
amuse herself in her distant home. No one |
has right to say she shall or shall not play |
euchre. If you say that the use Of these |
things will lead to their abuse I will remind |
you that our children will learn about what |
they want to. You can't repress a New Eng |
land boy. If he has the disposition to learn he |
will learn. The best card player in my Col |
lege class was the son of a deacon who learned |
to play old sledge in his fathers hay-loft while |
the deacon was studying the commentaries.
My creed has for prime article that every |
man or woman should have a fine physique. |
Half of us are crippled-in the stomachs dys- |
pepsia is fine art and rheumatism luxury. |
This is true particularly of the clergy. The |
clergy of New England for fifty years has had |
no tan on it's cheeks. The ministers have con-
fined themselves to their studies have studied |
books much and men little; and so too often |
have lost their cases.
The last article in the lecturers creed was |
charity. Mr.. Murray INDUCED in little per-
sonal "reminiscences and closed with an elegant |
apostrophe to charity.
This course of entertainments has been an
excellent one, though it-has not been literally
patronized, and the Y. NJ. G. A. are deserving |
Of credit for the manner in which it has been |
conducted. 1t is to be hoped that better sue |
cess will greet their efforts another year.