The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-04-19
CANON FARRAR.
THE Great Church of England Preacher
IN Westminster Abbey.
Edward Bsslestou in tine BROOKLYN Times.


Sunday evening, walked early TO the
abbey, and was fortunate enough 10
secure seat in the nave. And now the
lofty perpendicular arches began to take
hold of me. As the sweet boy sopranos
and the exceedingly rich bass and tenor
voices chanted the service, I could feel
the influence of the place, the oldest
place of Christian worship In the world,
it is said. How has the abbey stGod in
all the connections and crimes anG base
deeds of English history, like rock
beaten upon by each days waves, but
standing still tue same
There was a great thrGng. Already
Farrar is coming TO be 8 great preacher
in England. Give him ten, twenty
wears OF more and men will oanfess that
England mas no finer preacher. lie
carried NE by storm. He preached OIL
the bondage OF ain and the liberty Of
righteousness. Every word was well
chosen. Every thought was fine. Tine
delivery was good for an Englishman.
But the real eioquence OF the sermon
lay, where the highesE eluguence always
lies, IL tine weight o. the man behind the
words. Canon Tarrar has pure anG
lofty Eoul, eagerly seeking the highest
ends.
And then he mas that sturdy Engliah
pluck that Elbows no taitering. He set
forth admirably the contrast between
" that glorious young Greek" Alexan-
der, drinking himsel to death in seh-
indulgence, and the poor, brave, free old
Socrates, with his cup of poison. He
pronounced noble eulugy on Cromwell
and the Puritans. 1t was brave thing
TO DO. Right among all tine monumental
decenciee of Westminster abbey, ne
praised the regicide Puritans in the very
abbey whose treasures tine roundheads
mad rified, and whose tombs they had
broken. Then ne depicted the wicked
ness Of the restoration period, when
lieentious king took subsidies
from France. He called Onarless III. a
&c perjured recreant, now sleeping in the
vaults 81 this abbey" Then he con-
trasted the English with the French
revolution, and nobly set forth to young
men the dangers OF those vices which
are more prevalent in England, il posBi-
bic, than in America. Hespoke strongly
On the subject OF temperance.
While ne Was speaking, quietly, /
and with q certain felicity OF
epithet and phrase that moved the audi
ence like electricity, the sun struggled
through the clouds and shot golden
stream into the windows OF the clereatory
above, which fell away down hundred
feet or so through the lofty cnancel until
it lighted on the preacher. All the
Thousand associations OF the Abbey
rushed upon me at once, and tears came
into my eyes. For now there was soul
in tit was not only the bprying place
Of brave men, but the battlefield o. all
brave man. God has not lett himself
withoute prophet, even in this, our tiay.
to stand in this ancient place and speak
His words to the people. As knelt at
the communion under those venerable
and lofty arches, j felt thai Westminster
Abbey was none other than the house Of
God.
went again in thu afternoon. There
were other preachers in London, hut
there was only one Farrar The Abbey
was fullto overfpwing. The TRANSCRIPTS
were jammed, aiales and all. The choir,
this nave, even the chancel, were full of
people from the four quarters of tine
globe. Inc question over which En-
gland is now ssething is not Russia or
Turkey but the coniesaionalin the Church
OF EnglssrrSas. Canon Farrar spoke on
this matter with wonderful eloguence for
the better part of an hour. Isioud the
whole Time Oh the hard stone pavement,
and j could have stood twice as long
de brushed aside al intervention be
tween man and God. 1t was q fresh
breeze OF nineteenth century reasonable
ness sweeping away cGbwe5s. 1t was
like the VOICE of the old reformers.
LIN case tried before the RECORDER.
8 witness ior the defense, in giving hi,
evidence, observed: The whule affair.
yonr honor, did not amount to q row oil
pins" Counsel for the prosecution:
:" What is the valne of row of pins p
Witness Inaiyely scratching his noaeA. l