The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-11-27
DRAMATIC BIBLE READING.
New Church Services Proposed by Bsp-
fist m fDfsters-rhe ol0xfcaI Seminaries
Blamed for Sending Ont Horrible
Readers.

tist Mfnfsters-Theol oxfcal Seminaries
Blamed for Sending Out Horrible
Readers.
New York SUM-
The Baptist ministers have in their weekly
conference a regular order of proceedings
in which is an opportunity for questions and
replies. Brother Swan, of Newark, briskly
jumped up in yesterdays session of the con.
ference and said: Brethren there's a
good, honest Baptist deacon in Newark who
has been offered a position as bookkeeper In
a wholesale Newark grocery where ardent
liquors are sold-not over the counter but
in whole bottles to families. The deacon
doesn't know whether he will do right or
not in accepting the position. He has sit.
uation now yielding small income, but he
wants to get more salary 10 give for eharita.
BILE purposes"
He'd be a bigger fool than most Baptist
deacons If he doesn't accept the position"
broke in the Rev. Dr. Miller. of Greenpoint.
He'd be big fool il he did accept" cried
the Rev DR.. Reid, of Willamsburgh aud he
hoped mp to defend his position with a
speech. A chorus of amens from the breth-
rem greeted him. DR. Reid told the story
about the late ID. b. Gale, In st Louis, who
refused to add the wholesaleIng of liquors to
his regular business, ard amassed a fortune
even while his fellow traders we're predict
ing his financial ruin. The churches" ad-
ded DR.. Reid, must fight this whisky ques
ton, and not be so lax about their members
engaging in that trade"
DR.. NJ Her jumped up and wanted to know
whether it was any business of the Newark
deacon what the firm sold il he was only
bookkeeper. There is no rum In the ink
stand, is thtre?" he exclaimed. 81 have
been identified with the temperance cause
all my life, but there are ways OF striking
the rum traffic'without knocking bread and
hntfpr Wp on tn
root of the question, then why not, In all
reason, attack the deacons who buy liquor
and drink 1t? Is not this que stion Just as APP
plicsble TO the tobacco as TO the LIQUOR traf-
fic? and, If il is, then how about the churches
in Connecticut that are supported by the
tobacco raisers thereP Then Dr. Reid ar.
gued that the old cry of cuisines is business
and religion is religion" Is fallacious, and
that ministers can not be too firm in resist
ing Satan as the liquor fiepd.
A brother in the rear seats shouted for q
vote on the Newark deacon question, but he
was not needed, and the moderator, amid
some confusion, introduced the Rev. DIR
Geo. NJ. Stone, OF TarrytowD, who would tell
the ministers show to read the Bible for the
best Evolutionary effect before a copgrega-
ton" Comment while reading the Bible in
the pul pit. the speaker saId has seemed TO
become necessary, because ministers have
not saturated themselves thorough y with the
Spirit OF the sacred text. 1alnlul STUDY IL
necessary to give proper accent and empba
sis. Emphasis IL, in fact the best exegssis
OF all writing, the Bible Is the most vivid
The Psalms OF job are generally considered
the grandest reading, but in the speakers
view, the conversations of Christ may BE-
made most impressive. But these must be
studied spiritually, and when so studied they
are seen to carry ev dences of their truth To
fact through their being true to nature
The speaker gave what he called an 'object
lesson" Taking shining half dollar tn
represent the penny, with Ciesar'simage and
superscriptIon with which Christ COMPOUNDED
his questivners, DR. Stone recited, drsmati
cally, the incldens as related in st. Johns
Gospel. The speakers main object he went
o. to say, was to persuade the brethren t.
hold on every Sunday evening services OF
Bible readings only. No preaching, butonly
selections from the Old and New Testaments
bearing on one topic for instance, the
Atom, ment. or the Resurrection. He had
tried il in larry town, and the evening meet
ings were better attended than those in the
morning when he preached
Brother Brouner liked the notion OF Bible
reading on Sunday evenings. He had COM
piled charge 10 the candidate, the Rev. A
Stewart Walsh. in the South Baptist church
In this city lately, aud every word OF the
charge was from the Bible The Rev. DIR.
Armitage told the speaker that il was very
successful because not word of 1t was the
Speakers Laughter.
The Rev DIR. Elder thought that gesticu
lation in pulpit reading of the Sunday morn
ing lesson would hardly be &C, eptable to
congregation now. AS separate part o
the service, just as an anthem differs from
hymn singing il might do.
Brother Folwell also questioned the &C.
ceptableneSs or gestures To the people.
Brother +. J. Foote said that ministers do
not know how TO read the Bible TO their con-
gregations That II is true is proved by IFS
having survived so much bad reading
[Laughter.l IF Shakespeare should be
read as the Bible Is, then IL would be Kissed
from the stage. The theological Summaries
are TO blame for sending out such horrible
readers. 'That'sso!" cried some of the min
listers.
The Rev DIR. Wsyland Hoyt said that il
preacher has the pluck TO get mp in a pull
pit and recite dramatically, he'd better do
it, The trouble is that Protestant ministers
are the slaves of tradition. No cross must
be raised on the churches because Roman
Catholics DO that; no gestures must be uset
In reading Co.'s Word because that would
be theatrical. Then. TOO, Ii is terribly hard
work to read the Scripture dramatically
harder than TO make a sermon. The preach
er must see the Jews, see Jesus see the coin.
and see the expression on the faces of the
speakers.
DR. Stone, in conclusion, said that the
preachers are given too much to biblIolatry
The Bible Is a kind OF superslitious work
Yet he believed that the name OF God
should always be spoken with holy rever-