New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-18
GENERAL GARFTELDS RELIGION.

GENERAL GARFIELDS hEJItlON.'
THE CHURCH FOUNDED BY CAMPBELL.
pscULfaRi1IEs OF THE WORSHIP ASD BELIEFS or
THE DISCIPLES o. CHRIsr-ALExANDGR CAMP
BELLS woRK-THE BREADTH or GENERAL GAR
FIELDS RELIGIOUS OPINIONS
IFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE THiBUSGl
MENTOR. Ohio July 13.-At the centre OF Mentor
Township stands little white church, surmounied
ny q little white steepe. Within. the plain,
straight backed pews give seating accommodations
for about two hundred people. There Is no pulpit.
Upon a broad carpeted platform stands an old
fashioned mahogany table. which, with the aid Of a
big red curtain. forms a reading desk. After the
sermon is over the cushion and the Bible which it
sunnorts. are removed. A white cloth is spread
upon the table the communion service Is brought
ont from a cupboard near at hand aud the sacra-
ment. called by the Disciples the Lords supper, Is
paraken of by all the congregation who are so dis
posed The choir sit IN the centre of the auditorium
in the midst of the pews. large framed motto
Blessed be the Poacemakers hangs on the wall
near the platform The windows OF common glass
are screened by green shutters, and the place sug-
gests n simple, primitive form OF worship without
ritual ceremonial a0juncts of any sort to impress
the imagination. This Is the home church OF Cen
eraI Garfield where he and his family attend woG-
ship regularly, while living upon their farm. Carr
ielu 1OncQ the DlccIplcS WHICH q" VI N's"''~H' I
and has been member of that denomination
ever
The full name of the sect is Disciples
of Christ Members of other denominations fire.
quentlv call them Complexities. Ihey numDeraoOut
100000 and have the centre OF tielr sIrengI9 IN
Western PENNSYLVANIA, West Virginia, ONO. hon.
tucy and Indiana within the radius OF the labcIs OF
their founder Alexander Campbell, OF Bethany, West
Virginia, In the last they are almost unknown,
INIT they have scattered churches throughout the
Cuff states. numerous IN Illinois and Mis-
souri,, and are pretty well organized IN olnef states
west of the Mississippi. CampOeil was frosDy.
terrain preacher of remarkable force OF mind ana
powers of OratoTy. who came from ireland IN iSo3
with his father, and settled IN W ashngtOn Comfy.
PENNSYLVANIA. lie established an independent
church at Brush Run, In that county. on the
theory that all creeds were human, ana therefore.
without authority and that every Christian was
his own Judge of the meaning or the scriptures.
1t was an epoch of intense doctrlnal differences,
when Professionalism in this country seemed TO have
degenerated into a battle OF creeds. lhls sturdy
reformer, preaching no creed but the BlDle ana
claiming for all believers liberty OF conscience ana
judgment with regard to the meaning OF me sacred
book struck responsive chord IN the pubic MIND
Hundreds joined his standard wherever he
preached. and within few years after ne COM
inenced his Independent ministry In 1877 new
sect had arisen acknowledging him as ITS leader.
HIS d'scourses formed a body Oh doctrine iof
authority but the Bible Itself, ana NOT
acknowledge them as i'll any sense authoritative.
| 10 all intents aud purposes however, he was the
founder OF Disclpleism. ms much ms CALVIN was OF
Presbyteriansm and Wesley of Methodism In
| 1S4l he established college at Bethany, near
| Wheeling which soon became the educational and
| doctrinal centre of the new denomination, and
began to publish periodical called The Mitlennial
| Hdrbinger, which was everywhere received as its
| organ, and which is still in existence.
The Disciples endcayored to restore the spirit and
| methods of primitive Christianity. They admit TO
their membership anyone who will receive the rite
of baptism by immersion. and answer III the aitrna-
| tive the following question:: DO you DeheTe that
| Jesus Christ is the Son of God and your Sayi0urP
Nothing Is asked about dOctrnal points Indeed. it
is difficult to ascertain the precise points of differ
| ence between the Disciples and other denomlna-
lions because few of them can be got to formulate
their faith. The New Testament, they say. is their
guide of faith and practice, and they have no cate
chism or books or reference to settle questions of DIS
| pute Practically they agree few general doc
trues such the necessity of immersion for the re-
mission of sins but on most controverted theological
| points they allow wide ude for individual
opinion they are not Calvinists. They believe in
the power of every human soul to obtain salvation.
sy 80 soD,6 RS Of as Christ although
| with Trinitarans respecting his divine nature
They do not invest the Lords Supper with sacrai
mental idea. but regard 1t only as memorial festt.
| val designed to quicken their love OF Christ and
| siren CITIZEN the ties of brotherhood between them
selves. Sunday they call the LORDS Day. and they
do not apply TO it the law of the Jewish Sabbath to
| the extent that most OF the older sects do. In
church government they are purely Congregational,
recognizing no authority either TO direct OF advise,
superior TO the individual congregation. They sup
| port missionary society. have book concern with
branches at Cincinnati and at Oskaloosa, Iowa. and
! maintain large number OF colleges and seminaries.
Indeed they claim that they have more institutions
of learning in proportion TO their membership than
| any other denomination.
The Disciples are friendly. sociable people. They
are fond of calling each other by their first
names prefaced often by the atfectionate term
their personal intercourse with fellow mem
bers. They care less for the Old Testament
than do the Calvinists and Methodists, aud do not
| speculate much about the Book OF Revelations.
| The Gospels. the Acts and the Epstles studied
closely They are very hospltable. and entertain
| travelling brethren at their houses in the manner
lnft hp
vice in their churches every sunday after the
morning discourse. OF late years they have sup
ported settled ministry. but their early successes
were achieved by travelling preachers speaking In
the woods or in tents which were transported in
big wagons around the country. ANY member can
speak III their pulpits. administer the communion and
baptize converts. The ministry IS not peculiar
class although there Is form OF ordination for men
who wish TO devote themselves To IT,
General Garied's father and mother sat under tho
powerful preaching of Alexander Campbell. when
he visited their locality during Of his tours, and
were converted to the new faith without creed or
catechism, discipline or formulated statement OF
| belief of any sort. Ii was natural that their son
should connect himself with the same determination.
Most of his early education before no went TO COZ.
| lege was got ut a struggling Disciples school
| at Hiram. His gift of public speaking soon drew
him into the way of talking at religious meetings.
| and he was constantly encouraged III this habit by
the members of tue denomination, VINO saw that
his powerful intellect and unusual orator
| zeal powers would bo OF great help 10
| them Although he spoke regularly In the
| churches of Hiram. Scion and Newburg for nearly
three years. he never had the thought OF ueVOtlng
| himself To the ministry. Law was then his chosen
| profession. He was never ordained. hut was what
| might be called lay preacher filling pulpIts on
SUNDAYS while teaching week days. those who
| remember his preaching say that II character
IZed by the Vlgor, magnetism, wealth of Illus ration
and intellectual force OF his later political addresses.
The war put stop 70 both his teaching and his
pulpit work He has since kept up his assoc alton
with the church of his boyhood but has not taken
active part IN its religious services, save and
then to offer prayer IN the church at Mentor IN TO
| Spouse tn a cali from the minister.
With General GaTfelPS breadth Of mind aud keen
interest in scientific research aud philosophical dis
cusslon II would be impossible for him 10 run any
narrow rut of sectariansm His religious Vows are
characterized by great tolerance and hberality. HIS