The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-09-22
A ytrginian Hears Joseph Cook.


A yfrginian Hears Joseph Cook.
Isufolk SUM-
This man deserves especial notice. For
year past no man-not even D. L. Moody
has been more prominent in American re-
ligious circles than Joseph Cook. Coming
to Boston 4 comparative stranger, but thor
oughly trained in the schools both OF Ame-
RIGA and Europe, he boldly grappled with
New England skepticism and the false
philosophers OF the so-called Athens OF
America. His audiences at first were small,
but when Boston discovered that he had
something to say, Boston came to hear
him. After awhile the largest hall in the
city could not hold the throng. From
week to week, on Monday at noon, he
delivered his lectures, dealing with the pro-
foundest questions Of metaphysics and the
ology, and putting to confusion the cham
pions Of infdelity and heterodoxy. From
position Of comparative obscurity he sud
denly climbed By sheer strength OF intellect
to position Of lofty prominence In the adj
miration and esteem not only Of America,
but Of the whole Christian world. He Is
not DR.. Cook, nor even the Rev. Joseph
Cook, for he has never been ordained.
He is simply Joseph Cook. This man,
fresh from his Titanic contests and splen-
ulO flClOTlCS OfCl uuUCuCl, "ao
engaged by DR.. Vincent to deliver six OF
his celebrated lectures to the gathered null
titudes Of Chautauqla. Two OF these lee
lures were heard-one on ''Certainties in
Religion" the other on "God in Natural
Law.' The audiences on both OF these oc-
casions were simply immense, not less than
5000 persons being within the reach OF his
voice. Let US endeavor to sketch him rs he
appeared upon the first OF these occasions: !:
The great audience had gathered and
waited eagerly FOR the feast. The capaclous
platform was filled with singers ana distin-
guished speakers. Professor Sherwin and
his Well-trained choir bad caused the
groves to reverberate with the melody Of
their songs. And now, all preIiminarles
being over DR.. Vincent arises, and in a
few graceful words introduces the lecturer.
Joseph Cook arises and stands before bis
audience. Our first thoughts, what colos-
sal man! In physical proportions he is mas
sive, not much above the average height OF
men indeed, but broad-chested, large-imb-
ed, massive in his entire build. His head
is very large, his face broad, his hair abun-
dant, his beard bushy and tawny like his
hair, his eyes clear and bright, his COM
plexion f1orid. The man will weigh, we
suppose, 230 pounds. We saw that huge
body stumbling down-hill the other day,
and it's movements reminded US of the awE
ward, heavy gait OF an elephant. But noW
he opens his mouth, and the first tones OF his
voice convey disappointment. There is
no music in that voice; it is rather husky
and hoarse. In fact, its tones are more un-
pleasant than attractive. He speaks:
ga little while ago we were not in the
world-a little while hence we shall be here
no longer. This is arithmetic. This is the
clock. Demosthenes used TO say that every
speech should begin with an ineontroverti-
bic proposition. Now, it is scientifically in
controVerlible that little While ago we
were not here, and little while hence we
shall be here no more. De Tocqueville
said that you will in vain try to make any
man religious who has no thought OF dy-
ing. Now, the first OF religious GER
talnties is that we are going hence soon.
AS to that proposition there is not particle
OF doubt. In this audience we have assem-
bled the eastern west and the western cast.
But among all the coteries Of small philoso-
ply which annoy our unrolling democratic
ages, in the Mississippi Valley, or the Ohio,
or in that OF the Hudson, the Connecticut,
or the Merrimac, there is no one who can
deny that we are going hence soon, and
that we want to 60 hence in peace. Here,
GUGu, ulC GNO touS CCl LaluIlcS, IuuC we
must 60 out OF this world, and that il law is
universal in its reign we shall not, in going
out Of this world, escape from the sove-
reienty OF the moral law revealed in con-
science here, and likely to be revealed in
the next world quite as fully as it is in
our present lowest state. ! defy any man
to deny that we are going hence. l defy
any man to deny that we want to go hence
in peace. / defy any man to show that
we can 60 hence in peace unless
we are harmonized with our environment.
What is that? Our environment is made
up OF God, Of the plan OF our own natures,
and OF our record in the past; and therefore
we must be harmonized with God, con-
science, and our record, or, in the very ma
ture of things, there cannot be peace for u.s."
Thus he goes on unfolding his splendid
argument for over an hour, holding his au-
dience with the grasp OF giant. His voice
acquires power. His arms fly about like pom
drous fails. His great feet come down at
times on the platform with force enough
almost to crack the foundations. Now and
then be stoops forward with hands upon
thighs, head thrust forward, and eyebrows
elevated almost to the roots OF his hair,
while with biting sarcasm he makes some
thrust at the adversaries OF
truth. He thrills, melts, uplifts, conyulses,
inspires his hearers, as the argument rolls
on; and when the last word
has been spoken we turn away with the
crowd, agreeing with everybody else that
this man is giant in intellect, and that no
man in Christendom has grander possiblli-
ties OF usefulness and honor before him to-
day than has Joseph Cook.
N. Thiers was very far from being ma
terialist. 81 often," he was in the habit OF
saying in his last days, "invoke that God in
whom am happy to believe, who is denied
by fools and ignorant people, but in whom
the enlightened man finds bis consolation
and hope. have with conviction defended
the Christian religion as insuring in the
highest degree the grandeur OF France and
liberty in its best sense and believing that
society without Catholicism would fail into
frightful chaos. Foolish preiudlees do not
alarm me, and Ishall never fear to encoun-
ter them when great and noble interests are
st stake. Materialism lis at once stupidity
II y-s- Z