Wichita eagle., 1888-06-20
COMMUNICATED.
LANES FREEMAN cLARKE.

birthplace may account Tor the granite
element in his blood. His subsequent res
idence in Boston and in Louisville, KY,
may account, in part, for these other re-
markable traits of character, which he
happily combined with the granite, namely,
light and sunshine.
With the exception Of seven years spent
in the west, the scenes of Dr.
Clarkes school days and working
years were in Boston He was
member of the distinguished Harvard
class of 1879 Oliver Wendell Holmes
Rev. s. f. Smith, author OF My Country
It's of Thee" Judge Curtis, Justice Blge-
low and " II. Claiming were his class
mates. He graduated from the divinity
school at Cambridge in 1883, and one week
after was on his way to a field of labor at
Louisville, Ky. Louisville was IN the far
west' thea.
The Journey from Boston TO Louisville
was a more formidable one then than a
trip from Boston TO Japan would be now.
In the year he went TO Louisville the hrst
steam railway was opened. The longest
continuous line in the world at that time
-twenty-three miles; and in the same
year the town of Chicago was organized.
Dr. Clarke's ministry OF fitty-iive years
covers period OF the greatest commercial
and intellectual activity known IN the his
tory OF civilization.
After working seven years in the west
he returned 10 Boston and organized
church which embodied his own favorlte
ideas. Most any of the old churches IN
Boston would have been grad to have Sc
cured him, but he he preferred TO
organize new society. The characters
tics OF the society established are limited IN
the name Church of the Disciples The
seats were 10 be free, absolutely 20 all who
cared TO come, irrespective OF color, race,
social O. financial rank. 1t was TO De sup
ported by voluntary contributions. The
structure was plain chapel built, not Tor
show. but for use. The organ was small,
the pulpit plain. Yet, there was bunch
of fresh flowers on the desk the whole year
through There was no paid church
choir. The members Of the society came
together just as if they were family
uniting for worship. There was no re-
straint, no restlessness. There was in
stead, an air of easy familiarity. Friend
nodded recognition TO friend and, some OF
the congregation had been known to whis-
per before the minister ceme IN. HE
singing being congregational, would prob
ably not have satisfied the requirements OF
musical art but it touched and satisfied
the heart.
The description here given of the church
service is borrowed mot quoted) from an
elaborate and very pleasing description
given by Oliver Wendell Holmes, several
years ago. DR.. Holmes declared that
Mr.. Clarke's church came nearer
his ideal than any he had
ever known. A distinguished Englishman,
an editor of leading liberal religious peri
odicaIs of England, after visit to DR..
Clarke's church wrote that he thought the
goal OF spiritual pilgrimages was not Nee
ca. Jerusalem Or Il Jne, but Boston. To
him, the service at DR.. Clarke's church
most fully realized his ideal. Similar tes-
timony might be given in abundance.
Dir. E. f. Hale has spoken Of DR.. Clarke's
church as perhaps the most influential one
in Boston 1t is not easy TO estimate the
extent and worth of the influence which
man eXerted, standing in such pulpit, in
such an intellectual center for nearly half
a century. A characteristic of his church
worthy of mention is the simplicity of its
creed, or bond of union. The basis OF faith
and purpose is here given:
Our faith is in Jesus rs the Christ,
the son Of God And we hereby
form ourselves into a church of
his disciples that we may cooperate to-
eether in the study and practice of Chris
tianity.
Three things DR.. Clarke tried to make
his church, namely, working church, a
social church and q free church. At least
three institutions have grown up from
the social meetings of this church. The
Temporary Home for Destitute Children.
The Children's Aid Society and the Home
for Aged Colored Women. 1t has also
paid five hundred dollars year to assist
in the support of colored school in South
Carolina.
Other ministers have spoken to larger
audiences. Few have spoken TO so many
thoughtful, educated people. DR.. Clark
was not an orator. He made no attempt
to become popular or famous. He never
acted or spoke from selfish motives. His
sermons were not one sided They were
joint products of heart and hes d. A Bos-
ton paper has published one of his ser
Some of them have been translated into
German, French, Hungarian and Welsh
No Unitarian minister since Claiming,
has been so widely read as IIr Clarke.
After trying different methods OF work
he settled down to to the habit Of writing
out each sermon in full. This he did Sat
urday night or Sunday morning. But he
studied all week and allowed his thought
to crystalline in its own way. He was
often curious himself to know just what
form it would take. His subjects were al
ways timely and the treatment earnest,
thorough and skillful His style was sim
pie and direct He was never guilty of
verbosity, pomposity, or pidantry. His
Catholicity of spirit was remarkable. He
had the rare faculty of finding the grain
of gold IN forms of belief differing from
his own. He preached as much to the fu
ture as to the present, perhaps more.
When Beecher's sermons will be forgotten,
Clarke's viii be read with interest.
Mr. Clarke was actively engaged in the
work of the ministry for period OF forty
seven years. But he did other work than
pulpit work He wrote the campaign of 1sI2
and anti-slavery days, works on biography
and theology, works on practical religion
and religious history and textual criticism.
He translated several books from the Ger
man. He wrote numerous poems and
hymns, and made some valuable coatri-
buttons to the science Of astronomy. in
all he wrote entirelyor IN part some thirty
published volumes. some Of them stand
ard authorities Ten Great Religions"
in two volumes, is his monumental work.
It is to the study Of religion what Les
Miserables'' IS ia the realm Of fiction. Il