Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1881-06-11
The Free italian Church.


Gavazzi's Visit to the United States--Ser-
vices Tomorrow.
The history of the Free Church of Italy is
one fraught with interest The New Haven
public will have an opportunity of hearing
tomorrow Alessandro Gavazzi the italian
patriot and evangelist, the companion of
GaribaId and an eloquent orator. He speaks
| at the North church in the morning and at
the Center in the evening on 1.-THE Free
Church in Italy, with whose founding and
progress he has been signally identified.
| Scri6ner's Monthly of last December gave a
| fine review of the life and career of Gavaziz.
His father was an eminent barrister and
| Judge His nineteen brothers and sisters
have all had the respect of all who knew
them They are all of tall and commanding
figure, the men being six feet high and pro-
| portionately stout. The Gavazzis surpass the
other natives of Bologna in size and vigor.
A1ess andre Gavazzi was educated at the Uni
versity of Bologna and at twenty was pro-
| fessor at Naples. He became monk and.a
| priest His preaching was new and unusual.
| He ignored rites, ceremonies, professions,
penances, and urged the weightier matters OF
the law, justice, truth; integrity, piety. He
| was patriot preacher. He boldly denounced
l the corrupt court of Gregory XVI, and for
this had been year in virtual confinement
when that pontiff died. Gavazzi's voice was
| also for a united Italy. He made brave
| speech against the Austrians in 1848.
| He was imprisoned, but the voice of the pub
| lie freed his bonds. Gavazzi led crusade
\ to drive the Austrians from Italy. Hisbrave
| work Italy remembers, and his career has
| been identified with the struggle for italian
| liberty.
''In 1872, Gavazzi came to America to Sc
1 cure funds for the work of evangelization, -
especially for the establishment of a theo-
logical seminary. He succeeded in gathering
| for the purpose thirty thousand dollars.
Many will remember with what graphic ut
terance he told the story of evangelization
4 with what torrents of eloquence he hurried
| his audience along through his historical lee
lures; with what tender pathos he delivered
his message. But only those who have heard
| him under his native sky, and in his native
| tongue, can adequately appreciate the power
with which he moves the masses of his
countrymen.
'tHopefulness has ever been one of his char
| acteristics. To an audience in Chicago he
| said 4 think 1 shall have everything 1 want
1 before die have seen SO many of my
hopes realized-the Independence of Italy,
| the unity of Italy, the freedom OF Rome l
| have been permitted to go back to the Eter-
nal City and preach the free gospel in its
| streets. So many of my dreams have come
to pass that despair of nothing
He has since seen the church he chiefly
founded steadily eliminating the last vestiges
of Plymouthism, developing in prudence, in
| piety, in numbers. in influence. theological
| seminary in the heart of the Eternal City
trains young men to preach pure gospel,
| Gavazz himself being their instructor in
| sacred oratory, and Professor Henderson, of
| the Free Church of Scotland, in theology.
And the call for more laborers comes con-
stantly from every part of the united king
dom, from the Alps to the Adriatic, from
Susa to Sicily.
''Gavazzi is no longer young. But his eye
is not dim, nor his natural force abated. He
/ speaks with the force and energy which has
| ever characterized him, though his fiery
| spirit has been tempered by the simple piety
| which manifests itself in all that LIE does.
| He has outlived the hatred and calumnies
alike of enemies and rivals, and peace, like a
\ benediction rests upon his maturing life. "