The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-07-17
PUa1L1sM FROM A cH1cAeoPULP1T

PUGIL1SM FROM a CHICAGO PULPIT
A Presbyterian Divine Finds the Recent
Meeting Full Of valuable Suggestions.
(Frons tue Chicago 7ribune.)
eff Mr.. Brobst has never been pro.
fessional trainer his sermon is a great
compliment to his imagination, said a
gentleman from Clark street who was
attracted to the Westminster Presbyte-
rian Church last evening by the an
nouncement that the minister would
preach on "Prize Fights"
Mr.. Brobst turned the thoughts of bis
audience into pugllistic channels at the
outset by reading about Goods strong
right ARM in the ninth verse of the
ninety-eighth Psalm. He quickly fol
lowed this by a lesson from PauPs pas
sage: Il have fought good fig bit. ,
Then he prayed that the audience might
enter the arena of Christian faith. Fl,
nally he selected for the choir the most
combative hymn in the song book,
Brightly Cleans Our Banner!"
Having thus prepared his audience,
Mr.. Brobst rolled up his sleeves little
from the cuffs, and attacked the subject
of the discourse. His text was the sen
tcuce in Paul's first letter to the church
in Corinth: $50 fight I, not as one beat
ing the air.
''The gaze of this nation and foreign
countries" he said, "is now centered on
two men, The telegraph is throbbine
with their movements. The daily press
is given up to accounts of their condl.
ton. The pictorial press is filled with
cuts of their every muscle. The world
has followed them South to New Or.
leans. Three Governors have issued
proclamations to prevent their meeting.
But they will meet, and they will meet
tomorrow!
"Wt.o are those two men? They are
two rained pugilistS-two men OF
braw1. One is John L. Sullivan, who
has alnassed fortune of over $500, ,00C
through his prowess in the prize
ring. The other is Jake kilrain, who
thinks he can knock the Boston cham
pion out.
"see them as they face each other fol-
the fight"
Mr.. Brobst squared himself behind the
pulpit. He threw his fists before his
breast in a defensive, yet ready attitude
He slugged from the shoulder, he
spared, he countered, he even closed
With the pulpit, and could easily have
thrown it over the ropes from the ros
trum. People almost rose in their seats
in the intensity OF their interest.
Has the world advanced since the
days of the Coliseum?" asked Mr.. Brobst
after pause in which he rubbed him
self down with his handkerchief. "HaE
the world advanced? See the money
poured out like water to witness this
modern encounter. Itused to be poured
out in Rome in the same way. But
Caesar then poured it out. The nobility
poured out. Maidens poured it out
! But the President of the United State:
is not on his way to New Orleans. And
the thee Governors who issued their
p1oclamations will not act as referees
No ladies will be present. In view Of
this difference in the class of attendant:
then and now, say the world has ad
vanced.
Look at the preparation these two
men have gone through" he said. "a
short time ago they were drinkers, sen
sual, beastly. But for weeks and month:
they have been temperate-they have
denied themselves. They have passed
through the severest training. Tall
about taking up your cross, Christians
You ought to be ashamed of yourselves
Take lesson in hardship and denia
from these pugilists! Think how they
Lave worked to be ready for fght
which may last only a half hour.
"What a lesson this is to u.s." went on
Mr.. Brobst. "Many Of us are letting
the time for preparation slip by when
we have heavens battle to fight.
''See the force they exert in the ring,
said Mr.. Brobst, "the will power, the
determination. They hurl themselve:
against each other They struggle fol
hour after hour, round after round
until one falls.
They bend their every muscle and
every thought to the fight" continued
Mr.. BrobSt. ''Tbey are willing to kill
themselves to achieve victory. Take
another lesson, Christians!
Then look at their skill. They have
spent years learning the art of parrying,
and striking, and graphing. Their
training has aroused the faculties oi
their brains so that they are rational in
their work. They know what they are
doing in the thickest of the fray. Min
listers hear it said that if they want tc
preach good sermons they should sc
into the pulpit and leave it to God to
tell them what to say. But it takes
skill to preach a good sermon. Minis
ters, take lesson from the prize fight
ers, Christians, take another lesson.
''Look, next, at the courage of these
two men. We hear of Sullivan's boast
ing and Kilrain's self-confdenc. If we
could get near enough to them tonight,
just on the eve of the battle tomorrow
morning, I expect We could hear their
hearts beat with anxiety. Reports get
started that this one and then that one
is going to back down. You hear it
said that their trainers have to spur them
up to make them come to the scratch.
Well, it takes courage to walk into a
prize ring and stand up before hu.
man catapult, and take the chance of
of having your jawbone knocked out of
recognition But did YOU ever hear of
prize fighters failing to come to time!
These meu will come to time in the
morning just as the Brooklyn champion
a few weeks ago showed up fresh after
losing one side of his face.
''Thc eyes of the world are on these
men" said Mr.. BrobSt, "aud they will
face each other. Take another lesson
from their courage, Christians.
"Look at the toughneSs of these two
men. They are no delicate fellows.
They are not to be scared by FIRE
cracker. They are not to be paralyzed
by a scratch. They stand up as that