New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-13
THE BLUE MONDAY CLUB.
HOW 1T DISCUSS I'd THE CHURCH OF The
I'I"TITPE


II was not exactly clerical symposium, TINS
Rlue Monday CluD. The Doctor could not nave
persuaded them to come if he had told them th''
they were 10 take part IN symposium. sS IL
postum is apt 10 be rather sim alalr' lou "
liver number of more or less excellent Sou'i4"0''
in bookish manner. Then somebody Is suPpo''
TO answer you although he has obviously plep1io"
his answer before he came to the meetlhs' nc"
von v1lte down the whole thing making ca'oiu'
cancellations and send it to me Nort" -i"'""'''
Rcrec To parody the OLD eplgr"iD' ~ - D''71''
cent, but not conversation. 1890
The Blue Monday Club pretended to Ii'l.e mag
pifcencc. but could safely plume itself upon
its conversational powers.
The Doctor was a sort of nondescript Churchman'
He could afford to be. ST. Prsclias gave nun
$4,000 a wear with perqulsites and he was .lo
only son and heir of father worth Slo'ooV'ooo'
The latter fact made it easy for him 10 get toge'e
ten or q dozen clcrgymen of all the ChTlStIan uo
nominations IN his beautiful study every ioh'IS
morning and if ne could get jewish hapol 10 W
present once in n while so much the better lie
IaI,oa i bis RIro Monday Club, and he took the
,.,.4 ,oo.,,ro in listening 10 each members at
+amnt In convert all the rest while all TOOK an
nraIIv keon Measure in the Doctors hearty hOspl-
taity. ,
No fixed topic was ever discussed at these meet
irgs. the Doctor didn't wish to have anything pre-
ar1apged he liked to have great many questions
left open in the programme of his life lie even
preferred to have some of the articles OF rehgloh
remain unexplained mysteries But on TINS day
the company seemed to have drlfted INTO discus
sion obout the Church of the Future how 1t should
be evolved from the churches of the present ana
what would be its characteristics ihere were
rrosent bes1dcs the Doctor the following clergy
men. The Rev. Father HeliOtrope. ). j., Roman
Catholic; the Rev. Tonans Ginger, D. d. baprs' ;
the Rev. Hay Teacher, CongreGahonalst; the
Rev. Anti Huxley, ID. d., Methodist Episcopal; the
Rev. CALVIN Knox, D. d., Presbyterian; the Rov'
Chasuble Stole, S T. d., High Church Episcopal;
the Rev. Kingsley Newlight. Broad Church EPiSco-
nal: the Rev Messrs Sweetness and Light reSpec-
tlvelv of the Unitarian and Universahst ChurcheS'
tbe Rev. Holland Knickerbocker, Reformed; the
Rev. Freelance Memo, Undenomlnatohai' anu
Rabbi Mount Sinai, Jewish.
DOCrOn-I think 1t would be we'll, gentlemen
before going any further INTO this topic, to come to
some general agreement. so far as we can, as TO
what the church in its essential features really Is
NEMo-Oh that will be easy. The church Is made
ND of all religIouslv inclined people
KNox-Who are called of God and elect
Srorr-And free from the errors of Rome and
Geneva, as we'll as
Observation-Disclosures of the true AID only
Catholic Church Of Christ, aud
Mr. SIHAI-Followers of Gods holy law, and al
ways
G1NGFR-Duly immersed and ready to bear teStl-
mopy at all times against the man Of SIN ana the
sons of Belial.
HAY TEACHrR-Gentemen. fear our definition
is hardly coherent. think we will all admit that
the religious bodies which we severaly represent
bear some sort Of relation to the church MOST oil
Ms would perhaps claim more than that. but we
would at least admit that much For instance
Father Heliotrope here would doubtless call me
hereto Father HeliOtTOpe mods gently, but even
hereto bears some relation to the church ii noth-
ING else he enacts the part of a horrible example.
He has been temporarily put outside Tor MS own
good and the good of his orthodox brethren. But
one of these DAYS either he will 90 IN again or else
all will go ont with him. In either case the here
tic will be all right.
HICKERDOCKER-According to this theory the
Church of the Future will be made up of all kinds
of people. believers and unbehevers. fear L am
too much of an old fogy to accept that idea,
Observation-Disclosures Kuickerbocker would
dophtless like TO have the Fiji Islander accept the
SYNOD of bort and the Augsberg Confession ana
he saved in the good old Dutch way.
G1vGrR-Brother KnickerbOcker is to be con-
pratulateG. great many modern Christians have
no creed At all to present to the Fiji Islanders, and
as for salvation they have no conception OF the
word.
LIGHT-Except perhaps, the salvation that
comes from loving God and man.
NEMO-For my part think that social and san
itary science ought to be prominent feature IN
the creed of the future church. This is of more
value than most of the medieval dognas. The
1nednval odOr of sanctity too often only the
odor of dirt. We want to preach the Gospel OF
good health.
HAY TrAcHER-Look out, my dear fellow, you
e ~
sermons. Would you take the bread out of the
mans MOUTH Remember his price for these noble
ideas is 81 a seat.
SToLE-Talking Of Ingersol, would he have a
place in the Church of the Futurel
HAY TEACHER-Yes; he will take my place as
a horrible example-when get in.
DocroR lsmillng-I don't think you will ever
know whether yOu are in or not
ANTI HCXLHY-And yet no man can be truly
converted without knowing it. The Church Of the
Future will make conversion the cornerstone of its
life. The Word of Cod
NEwHGHr-Is misnterpretcd and misunderstood
by nearly all modern Christians Did you see III
this mornings papers the report of the sermon
preached Yesterday by the Rev. Rigid Frigid, III
the church of the Holy Canons ? He took the story
of Jonah for his subject, and he actually assumed
the literal truihfuncss of the story, when every
modern well-nformed scholar knows that 1t is a
beautiful legend founded of the ancient solar
myths The Word of God, forsooth! The Word OF
God is the divine inspiration that touches our
hearts and lives. The Church Of the Future will
find this out and Will not make fetch of num-
Der of venerable Hebrew books.
HEMOTROPE-I believe Brother Newlight is quite
ready now to unfold to us the whole plan of the
Church of the Future. He has been sketching il In
his last course of sermons l move that copy be
passed around TO clear up the discussion.
STOLE nave entire respect for Mr.. Newlght as
q brother priest satirical smile on the part Of New
light; yes repeat it, brother priest for he was
made snch at his ordination, whether he recognizes