The Republican journal., 1883-09-06
How a Sermon Went Round the G
BY NOAH BROOKS.

BY NOAH BROOKS.
\ striking example of the truth that
circumstances count for more than men,
and that no man can tell what results
may flow from an action undertaken
without much thought, is found in the
story of a sermon that went around the
globe, visited many lands, and won for
itself a place in religious literature. If
the author of Nothing but Leaves had
dreamed Of the singular good fortune
awaiting his little work, he would have
brought to its preparation deep solicitude
and much painstaking. Perhaps his ser
mon would have been spoiled in the filing
and the polishing that he would have put
upon it. SO after all, 1t would not have
been the famous little work that it is.
The Rev. L. 5. Atwood of Salem,
Mass, was returning from Europe to the
United States, in June. 1867, on board
the steamer William Penn. He was in
vited to preach to the ships company,
on Sunday, June l9. In his slender stock
OF sermons, Mr. Atwood had discourse
founded Oh the parable of the barren fig
tree, as narrated in Matthew xxi. This
he selected, not for its special fitness to
the occasion, nor for any. special merit
which it had in his eyes, but because it
seemed less likely to excite comment
among he,somewhat heterogeneous COM
pany on board ship. The sermon had been
preached but once as an exchange. and
it was almost by accident OF providence
in the preachers luggage
No matter; the sermon made good
impression on those who heard it. More
over it was then started on its travels in
a way which, if we may compare small
thing with great, reminds one of the
figure OF Wyclife's name being spread
abroad wide as the waters be- Among
the passengers who listened to the
preachers wise and telling admonitions
concerning the barrenness Of some lives,
and the deceitful promise shown in the
untrulttul leafineSS OF others, was Mr..
Stephen MaSsctt, the well-knoWn public
reader, who had read the collect for the
day. Alr. Massett begged the privilege
OF copying the sermon for his own edif-
cation and satisfaction and to this Mr..
Atwood consented, in some surprise He
could not exactly understand why any
body should want to read OF hear the dis
course a second time.
Mr.. Alassett was bound westward on
voyage around the world, and he soon
after reached San Francisco, where was
then conducting a daily newspaper. Af
ter renewing an old acquaintance, and
promising to send from Asia any stray
items of news that might have escaped our
regular correspondents, he sailed from
San Francisco for Yokohama. Japan, on
l1p OF
trip. This vas in October, 1867, and
Mr.. Atwoods sermon had begun its
travels; for, being invited to read some
thing to take the place of ''a regular dis
course" on shipboard, one Sunday in the
midst Of the Pacific Ocean, Mr.. Massett
produced from his budget the leaves of
Mr.. AtwoOd's sermon, preached on board
the William Penn, on the Atlantic, dur
ing the previous June 1t so happened
that the editor Of the Hong Kong Daily
Mail was on the Ship and, hearing the
sermon and being attracted by its manly
vigor and scholarly structure, he asked
for copy of it for his own perusal. After
reading it, he begged the consent of Mr..
Massett for its publication in his journal.
Accordingly, when the two travellers ar
rived in Hong Kong, the sermon was
printed in the Daily Mail, with a brief
note giving its adventures up to that
date. In course of time, the copy of the
paper containing the sermon arrived in
San Francisco, and came under my eye.
Struck with the unusualness, so to speak,
OF the incident, | wrote a little paragraph
for my own paper, giving the facts in the
history of the sermon up to that time.
This went eastward as fast as steam and
wheels could carry it. And, in few
weeks afterwards, | saw my paragraph
copied in a Chicago paper, and then in a
Boston paper. The sermon had gone
half way around the globe, and had re-
turned to its point Of departure.
But the stream ofnewspapers sets west
ward as we'll us eastward. The Hong
Kong Daily Mail was travelling to Eu-
rope, by the way of the Red Sea, Suez.
and the Mediterranean, while its sheets
were drifting from the Pacific to the
Atlantic seaboard. In this way, the
sermon reached Scotland, was copied
into the Scotsman, and from thence its
condensed history, shortly followed by
the sermon itself, was carried across the
Atlantic, and reached the United States.
Having rested its wings on its native
shore, the much Travelled sermon was
taken up by the American Tract Society,
and printed as one of its leaflets copy
Of which, with the title Nothing but
Leaves, lies before me as | write.
The unpretentious sermon, preached
with some mental dubitation in the midst
OF the Atlantic Ocean, had gone on its
rejoicing way, from continent to CONT
nent, from cline to cline, crossing oceans
and seas, giving a cherry word and an
admonitory injunction to many thousands
of widely scattered hearers and readers.
How much good it had done, how many
higher aims and aspirations it had arous-
ed and kindled, none but He who holds
the waters in His hand can tell A word
let fall in season, but without any inkling
of its results, had belted the globe, carry
ing, let US believe, gracious influences in
its worldembracing mission.
But the travels of this fortunate child Of
thought were not yet ended During the
Massett was returning from Cape Town,
Africa, to England, on the steamer War
wick Castle, Sir Garnet Wolseley and
staff being on board as passengers, Just
after the close of the Zulu war The
usual service of reading prayers by an
officer of the ship was performed, and
Mr.. Massett produced his old travelling
companion, Nothing but Leaves: now
dlgnitied with the honors of a printed
page, and delivered its truths and illus
trations to the company. incidentally,
the story of the sermons adventures was
told, and the great English warrior asked
for a copy of the work. Mr. Massett
promised to send it, and in due time re-
deemed bis word. And so it came to
pass that, one morning, in the spring of
1889, years after ! had taken up my
abode in New York, as | was sauntering
down Broadway, saw in the window Of
one of the shops an autograph letter from
Sir Garnet Woseey to Mr.. Stephen Mas