The New York herald., 1879-12-02

THE TENDENCIES THERETO AND THE REMEDY
THEREFOR DISCUSSED BY BAPTIST CLERGY
MEN.
The Rev. 7. A. T. Gessler. the new moderator.
took the chair in the Baptist Ministers Conference.
at No. Murray. street. yesterday. Mr. Gessler is
now of Trenton, N. j., but will be Of Brooklyn in
few weeks having accepted the call of the Central
Baptist Church of that city. Rev. DR.. Smith read
essay the tendency to plagiarism in the pulpit
and the remedy therefor. He started out with Q
definition Of plagiarism as the appropriation Of
other mems thoughts and ideas without due credit
therefor and quoted the old Latin proverb about
nothing being said that has not been said before.
He did not where the line could be drawn There
may be generations at the back of the thoughts of
man whom we copy quote physician who
quotes from and uses the works of the fathers of
the healing Is not accused Of plagiarism. and
why should o minister be? The great London
preacher often takes from the great masters in
pulpit thought and sometimes acknowledges them.
but sometimes he does not. A few Sundays ago he
told his audience that onehalf of the sermon they
had heard from the "Jukes," and that the sue
ceeding Sabbath ho would take two-thrds of his
mon from the source. DIR. Smith thought
there might be unconscious copying. and ministers
should beware of it. Some men have a wonderful
word "memory" and become saturated" with what
they hear and read.
TEMPTATIONS
There Is a temptation to ministers to plagiarize
because more intellectual labor is expected from
them than from any other professional men except
perhaps editors. The minister is tempted, too, to
bring out something fresh and resort forgotten
+ unknown authors for his material Some of the
men who have been caught in this way were men
who could make good sermons themselves. The
remedy for temptations to pagiarize lies in the
present commandment. "Thou shalt not steal" And
self the Lord and do as DIR. Howard Malcolm once
did when he was overworked: Ho bought q sermon
went into his pulpit and holding it up said :"This
is mine; paid sixpence for it; will read to
you this morning." Another remedy lies in the
minister giving much attention TO thoughtful read
ing This will stimulate his thought. The
minister should school himself in structure OF Illus
trations. He should study his people also and he
will not have much troubein finding fresh material
for sermons. great deal Of time should be spent
also in studying the Bible its history. poetry and
prophecy until tho mind is saturated with it, and
then the minister will not need TO study books Of
sermons much.
The subject of plagiarism was discussed by Mcssrs
Sinions, Stubbers. Bourne, Douglass Eddy, Everts,
Foiwcll. Gait and others, aud the conclusion
very general that the plagiarist is thief. But
there is limit somewhere. No one, said Mr..
simons. can put patent a fact nor on inter-
probation of Scripture, though it would be q dis
honest thing for man to pretend that he had
brought forth this or that Interpretation which did
not belong to him. DR.. Yerkes gave illustration
of a who stands high in the Church to-day who
preached in his Dr. Yerkcs pulpit of the
of Br. Fuller, OF Baltimore; aud another
illustration of candidate for Phila-
dephia pulpit who out OF nine trial sermons
books. Mr.. Bourne thought such men should have
large quotation marks painted at the back of their
pulpits. Dr. Eddy also told about minister who
preached AZ candidate for pulpit which hc tDr.
Eddy was about to vacate. The sermon was grand
one, but was stolen from DIR. Fuller's works. Tho
candidate engaged. bur in four months said the
speaker. hc petered ont" DR.. Evcrts. who baptized
Dr. Lormer of Chicago. whose plagiarism has
given rise to all this discusston made All able de-
fence OF the Western preacher man who would
not consciously do what he has been accused Of and
who has made an ample explanation OF his act aud
should be forgiven.