, 1881-11-20

FROTUINGuAN.
A"H 1EEAr INDEPENDENT PREACHER Ex,
| iEh'EHFF.s \ CHANGE or VIEWS.
I t"fTsp"hAfHee CfneinHatI Commercial
Ne" AoEK, Nov. l0.--'rhe Rev. Octayius
J bfooEs rockingham. long famous among
freetl'lnkers As the pastor Of the most in
uepen'icnt Church in the country, and v,,o
/ nsteo III New York the place that AIoncure
| conway fills in London, came to New Yor.;
! from Boston i'll 1859, and organized the
/ Third Unitarian Church, The following
year he dissolved all connection with the
| Unitarian Church and founded the "First
independent Church, his congregation con-
>slstlns mostly Of people of means and intel
! iiSehce WHO were drawn to him as much by
1he eolucHce IF the man and charm Of his
st:le rs by the arguments lie used to prove
| historical Christianity all interesting fable.
| Ilic !onS-haircd 1nen and short-haire1l wemc,,
| who form q large element in all ultra-ralical
! gatherings, were represented in Frothiny-
hans audience, but did mot predominant.
The late George Ripley, whose life Frotl.-
inyhaln is now writing. was one of
his congregation. Exactly what Mr..
frotl!i1lghasn taught l. do not know,
aud the religious journals are, per-
liaps,. not good guides uuon this
l'pi1r. The general Impression has been that
All. Frot1inEllam's services had tinctu,e IF
religion about them, but not enough toularm
the most radical Of atheists. According 10
the Christian Intclligcncef, which, when
FrutllingIian went to Europe two years ago,
devoted a special article to him, he was ac-
cnstolned to open his services with PRAYER,
b,lt his prayers were addressed to an un-
Known TOD. whose existence WAS to Frotl1-
inGl'am largely Il matter Of doubt
When Mr.. .Fro1hin.l;s1n got back from
Europe several months ago lie went at once
10 Eesfht1, in Ogtcr 10 gather the material for
his Life of Hirlcy,'' there being many per
sons in TOsicn who could tell him about tie
brook Farm. experiment.. lie comes -occa-
Siona!y 70 New York IL consult the back
tiles Vi the Tribune wjtil which Ripley was
SO long connected. aud during one Of these
recent flynn. visits called upon him with Il
view 10 asceftaining his reasons for giving
up Ills work here. AS what he says is equiv
a|cIt 10 a sort Of half admission that i1e has
beea in the wrong al! these years, | have put
his remarks down Oh pll'er pretty fully:
''My position,:' he said has for years
been peculiar and Il somewhat trying one,
which. Instead of becoming pleasanirr as
years rolled IN. 1'ec:!i1,:: less pleasant 1t
tad II light Aa uphill battle without the
aid TT sympathy oi aIyure, 50 far as lending
i helping 9lEid i'll lny work WIS concerned.
III The s:1'!s tine tllat had the friendsliipuf
many eIrli'.>t. candid ntel. cannot but feel
that their friendship WIS !. personal one, and
!lad nothing to tto with my te;tcllinss. [
iot'keu aroi11!u for voting men who would
take up my work when from one cause or
:tllouier should have to drop it. and / found
llnEr. had large congregation III intclli-
gent persons, to whom | believe | w;.s OF
]eai value in showing them how Il man cln
II" without. some of tile beliefs OF traditions
commonly thou-!lt Essential TO Il right
,njnt!tll llf,.. but uf Coming teachers SAW
none, unless Mr.. Chadwick. vi Brooklyn.
i,lay be plat'ed in this category, aild | nlust
say that l regard CAatWicE>S 5 uaterialisn rs
:. negative faith wlici, lo nut envy him,
and for which should NOT like to be lle!d
RESPONSIBLE :.
~ >tcon1 feature OF the last few years of
luyw"fi Is pastor Ut al. independent church
in Ni'w lnrl, was one less disllearcniny, i
bat h:srass:n@ and unpleasant As Il radical
lecturer found myself constantly surround |
ed ~ r:t:eals ut the most extraordinary char
;:cler. who imagined that as r;ldica preach
ef must also b. radical iii everything else:
was expected to give nloral and material |
70 any one whose ideas Of right |
::1itt "rn:lE differed from those of other peu-
Pic. aud my i1nltpen,lent church became a
sort of magnet for uueer auh hot altogether
}:Ie;'sa1t persons. Organized bodies sac1: rs (
LIZ Episcopal or Presbyterian Churches, !
have tic prtlln.r machinery fur dealing will
such cases; had no st.cli machinery: mlletl
b: lily lllnt: W;'s taken ny IN lrolltlnsS work
u Ill unpleasant description: my health
Failed me- alHi s.'lnE III way out Of the sitst-
}tioD | determined 10 cut lOo>. from alt nly |
lies here a:d Try: what complete rest would
40 fuT lil1. Besides which certain aspects Oh
my work seemed to INT. to need more study !
han had time II .ivs, them. One fact begun
g 2 Iooln nj before my mental vision in Il
l,ongtt teaching was unquestionably To-
S::rts Il dead ula1arlalis.il, which l have an-
lprFtsl AS deeI'1; as any evangelical clergy
nan know. Tie men who would become
s:ldtIs. II! the llee-tlluuyht movement dn not
TOP where stop; they feel III. traditions
'elInd them: they have 10 special training
nT the work Ut 'res1oring.' in Which light
t.Eartl Hitch of my work. did not :.i.1l To
reate any new beliefs, or to tear down any
xstins ones, hut /" restore, to brln. tu
hose faiths. Perhaps am better iitted for
u"h wu!k than many others, because | have
Inherited sense OF tie limits of free
ilnusili beyond which lnateria!st dogma he.
uIll.:s ,Eorr offensive 1l1a.' dngnat:c Calvin |
SIN But the illen whom saw coilin. upon
he stage the apostles Of tile new ,!jspnll-
alton Of free thought we:e dcstr"yers who
pre down, with nn thought Of building up: |
trllctiye lllal't and no discrimination in
heir work. Their notion seemed 10 be to
,ase L clean sweep Of every existing creed;
icy apparently k!tew not. and cared not.
tll.tlrr anything III the shape Of belief ]
l:nui'l arisy from thu. ashes OF tie worlds
reeds The situation, therefore, when 1
nlps,t! pfcaclnG two years ago and Went to
.Nl"]'e was about as follows: Evangelical
>!iSluI' Was stronger. the churches were
t,trr iiIlrh, there was more OF the religious !
ears ago. oc!l men Us caisc forward ts |
';sclltrs i'll the i:e:.-tl1ught movement were.