The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-25
THE FREAKS OF FOOLS.
DR.. P S. Henson's Entertaining Lecture at
Plymouth Church Last Evening.

Rev. Dr. P. s. Henson. of the First Baptist
Church, of Chicago, gave delightful lecture at
Plymouth Church. last night, on Fools 1t
was full of humor and sound, practical sense,
and at times the audience was stirred to the
warnest applause. The Doctor said he was not
lecturer, but plain, old-fashioned preacher,
and lectured as an occasional diversion rather
than as vocation. The lecture serves the min
lister as safety-valve for the escape of superfu
Gus steam, and so he saves himself from blowing
up and from being blown up.
Tie Doctors lecture was full of anecdotes,
used, not for the anecdote alone, but for llustra
ton. AMI when La used an old one it was so good
and fitted the point he desired to make so aptly
that no ono could except to it. He spoke of
the building of the Tower OF Babel
as one of the earliest pieces Of
folly, and of the pyramids of
Egypt as another. Coming down the centuries
he spoke of the witchcraft craze as furnishing
one OF the saddest and most terrible instances of
human folly, a craze that destroyed 500 lives in
Geneva; L. 900 in the country of Como, Italy;
1900 in Scotland 40. 600 in England and many
lives in New England Even to day there are
people who pretend to practice witchcraft and
In New York city there are fourteen full grown
witches and two able bodied wIzarGs-so the
foolery still lives, practiced by knaves and be-
lieved by fools. He took up the famous Nj, sis
spp scheme of Laws, the Scotch banker. the
South Sea bubble, the tulip mania. the oil ex-
element in this country few years ago, Nor
monism and spiritualism. OF splritualism he
spoke with keenest irony, ridiculing the table
tipping and other alleged manifestations, the
hOIney ignorant women and long haired men,
He did not think the spirits of the departed
would come, called by such people. "As for my
SELF he said, when GO to world hope to
find infinitely better than this, sincerely trust
l shall not be called back to run fools errands
for any woman on the face of the earth, and
give notice, if sent for, won't come.'
After considering fools in masses o.
systems, he said be proposed te .I. "s an. ano
individually, which he did ,;. spea an. VI .ne,a
taking tax Se'uo p:'' ais lecture the better part
.volous fools, solemn fools and others oil
..ous kinds. Making quotation from the
prologue to flaming of the Shrew, the awaken
ing of the drunken tinker, Christopher Sly, he
said he commended Shakespeare, but did not be-
lieve lii the theater for Christian people, because
| OF the atmosphere of the place 1t is like ma
| laria. You can't see it, but it is in the air He
gave the description of the fall of an old college
| mate, Henry Haynes the wonder and prodigy
OF the school, handsome, fearless, the leader in
| everything, wonderful debater, whom every
one expected to see fill high place in the land,
but who, through drink, went down to the low
est depths of degradation. Following this he
made stirring temperance appeal which evil
IDENTITY met the approval of the audience. for it
was followed by great and prolonged applause.