The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-24
ADIRONDACK MURRAY.
He Explains Why He Left the Pulpit-NIodesty
Not His Leading Trait


Not His Leading Trait
Interview in Boston Herald.
There has always been much interest natural
iy, Mr.. Murray, to know why you left the cleri-
cal profession, having been. as you were- so sue
Cessful in it."
but it is not matter about which your readers
ut the present time, are especially interested.
It's too long ago. The American public remem-
Der nothing more than three weeks-leastwise SO
small an occurrence as that Why I left the
clerical profession was matter of deep interest
and probably of profound regret, to a few, local.
ly, here. but that time is past, and, with the
past. is forgotten"
Il do not think so, Mr.. Murray; am certain
there are many here to-day who regret your leav-
ing the ministry and always will"
ut may be So have met a few in my life
with memories, but only few, and there is no
special reason why anyone in the religious world
should miss me. never had theological fol-
lowing; had personal following only. The
theologians on either side never liked me- We
snapped even on that, for l never liked them.
They thought that / was undermining their
theological structure with every sermon
preached, and was, and / thought that their
theological dogmas their ever growing creedS,
their multiplying and tyrannous traditions.
were smothering the life out of Christianity.
and they were. For ten years l stood alone in
this city. was not bigoted enough on the one
hand, or radical enough on the other. / stood
Ao1o
both"
But you had very large following. Mr. Muir
ray, and hence your views must have been ac-
ceptable to many"
Certainly had large following. but it was
personal Men came to hear me because they
liked my views, and my way of putting them:
because was neither bigoted nor sensational;
because they liked my spirit of federation of new
things. on the one hand and my reverence of
old things on the other. They liked my spirit
also, my frankness and my intellectual honesty.
They knew that said what believed. said it
quietly, as a scholarly man should, without MAX
ing any fuss about it. They knew that said
my latest thought out, and did not conceal itby
polite sience that would risk any pulpit
ever stood in, and all my public standing, rather
than preach a doctrine that the growing
scholarship Of the world had discovered
to be error. These were the reasons
that people locked to hear me. But, theologi-
cally, never had a following here. Andovsr
then was in the bulrushes and was on the first
terrace. They now stand dripping on the first
terrace apd am looking shout on the second.
If the old foreign board, or the bicoted section of
it, that is trying to get control of it will only
force them to show their hands, the people will
suddenly discover that two-thlrds of the Congre-
gational clergy of New England believe in the
old fashioned hell as place of torment for ten
years"
''What about the Des Moires meeting. Mr.
Murray, and what do you understand the status
to LEI Will there be any fghtW
"Oh, no one can tell but the theologians
within the ring. The root of the matter is
wholly personal. DR.. Duryea any liberal
minded Congreeationalst here conld probably
give You the inside history of the fracas, and <
he only would. predict that the public would
get bit of unwritten history that would open
their eyes to the true lnwardness Of the mat
ter"
'But do you think there will be fight, Mr.
Murray
''No, I don't think there will don't think
the men up at Andover have pluck enough to
fight, and don't think that Drs. Alden, and
Park, and Dexter are fools enough to make
them fight. Wiser counsels,' as the saying is,
will probably prevail They will rake the punk
of prudential considerations over the blaze and
so make a smudge Of it. But the fire of disa-
greement, honest and angry disagreement as to
what is true, is in the matter, all the same. And
on some future occasion, some accidental puff of
wind that comes along will start it up afresh.
and the Congregationalists Of the county will
be suddenly on fire."