, 1889-10-24
HUMOR AND RELIGION.
Robert J. Burdette's Appearance
in the Pulpit of a Chicago
Church.
MY Son. Be Strong in the Grace
That Is in Christ
Jesus"
The Crowd Was So Great That
the Doors Had to Be
Locked.

The true humorist says the Chicago
Inter Ocean of October Is, is he who i'm
presses the world as much with the
laughter he provokes as with the tears
he draws from his listeners. He pre-
sents the ridiculous and the sublime
alike, and in doing so becomes i'm
pressive.
Robert j. Burdette is such an impress
sive speaker. Pathos fingers behind his
smile, and laughter is courted by tears.
This combination proves the great con-
vincing power to man. A man con-
vinced by dint of impersonal example
listens unconsciously to the noblest
sermon, for it is the simplest and most
powerful.
That Brother Burdette should there
fore preach is less surprising than one
would think at first acquaintance with
the tact. Bob Burdette's funniest lcct-
ures are always sermons. lie is the one
humorist, the one lecturer on tho
American platform who can soothe
hearts, who can with few words i'm
press moral upon his hearers without
apparently attempting to do so.
That he Is able to preach is therefore
self-evident; that he.should be fond OF
preaching the word of God Is not sur.
prising Nor is IL to he wondered at
that the people are us anxious to hear
him preach in the pulpit as they arc
happy to hear him speak on the rostrum.
Some 1000 people witnessed Mr.. Bur
dettc's debut rs q preacher in the West
Sunday night. They went to Grace NJ.
T.. church, on La Sale avenue, carly In
the evening. They went soon after tea
TO secure seats. Some of them who
came an hour before the services began
found that even then they were late.
They found every seat taken and were
content to stand, They envied the more
fortunate late.comers who were given
seats on the platform. Long before the
services began the doors were locked on
the inside, and churgh.goers for once
found the house of God closed in their
faces, with no explanation from the Ger.
berus within who guarded the monster
portals.
Mr.. Burdctto spoke simply, yet with
great feeling. He was serious but at
times he could not resist the temptation
to say truths and preach morals in q
vein lighter than the sanctuary is accus-
toned to. The people enjoyed the ippo-
vation, and laughed. But the sermon
was good II was rarely good. It was a
model for professional preachers to fol-
low. 1t was sensible, forcible, direct.
An old man could profit by it, and every
boy could understand it. 1t illustrated
the fact that the man who has made all
America laugh, and who has made he
heart swell with the pathos that turks
behind the purost humor, was competent
to lead the coniiding and erring lambs
as a shepherd leads his flock.
The text was appropriate TO all, and
was found in II. Timothy H., 4:
Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
There was noembarrassmcnt in Broth
er Burdette's delivery. His preaching
during the past summer at Marion
square, Pa, had evidently prepared him
for the pulpit and given his speaking q
grace even grsater than is customary
with him when telling Of the "Pilgrim-
age of the Funny Man." He was attircd
IN dark grnyish blue suit with plain
white tic, and looked more serious than
Bob Bur1ette usually does. He won the
audience by his informality. lie seemed
to take every one into his confidence ut
once.
And when he said my boy" and
don't SOW wild oats every one looked
to him, not only as a spiritual adviser,
but as father He spoke against the
sowing of wild oats. He wanted no
morals tampered with in old age or
youth. He wanted no man to live to be
81 years of age before he was % years
old. Neither did he want man to try
and regain thirty years of misspent
life within five years. He pictured a
railway train losing days time In order
to make "a spuri of O few minutes. He
pictured the lives of martyrs, and told
of Christ's martyrdom in dying for his
enemies. lie wanted all his hearers to
live in Christ, to remember Christ 5
noble teachings and profit by his God
like lite
There was no evidence of the profes-
sioDal humorist in MIR. Burdc,te'S pero-
ration. II was noble effort inspired
graceful, impassioned, earnest, iorcible
and touching. 1t fell from the lips of
the speaker like as from one inspired,
Ike one whose voice "sobs in plaintive
tone that smites the silence tenderly."
After the sermon many came forward
to greet Mr. Burdetto and thank him for
the noble words he had spoken to cheer
them and lead them OH to moral victory.