New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-24
IN THE CHURCH PORCH.
NOTES or PULPIT AM PEW.


vefy much concerned about many problems OF Ine
remote fnsnrs Here for instance, IS dear ola
clergyman writing TO me IN much alarm over tno
question whas the churches wiz DO when, all The worio
a. converted to Christ Is gives me great pleasure 70
rsassurc him on this point When the churches nave
converted the world they viii discover that they van
have to begin all over again and convert Christianity
task that viii require their very best enor's 'or
experience shows that IT Is much harder to convert
Christaps than heathene. IL Is because We are 80
bsy holding our own in Chrstendom has we are doing
90 comparatively littls to-day in heather lands
IL a. alas, only TOO easy to turn mp the seamy
stde Of our own current Christianity DO you
Know said commercial traveller. to me tho other
6ay that large number Of men on the ROAD arc
not only tempted but forced to go TO- tho devil py
Christian men Of high gtandfngi Yon are SURPRISED
but II Is q fact. My experience Is a,ease IN
point Some years ago was employed as drummer
fer big house, the head OF which was not only .
church member but church oficer. And yet ne
instructed almost many words not TO hesitate
n Ees my customers drunk IL could tn that way sell
snem Big BILL Of goods. got many A heavy order
by helping my customers to paint the mwn red, ana
my Christian employer knew It, and cheerfuliy footed
the bilIs. large as they often were, Instead OF
zebukang me he praised me for my business aointy'
until under his tutelage ct last became little oeuer
than common drunkard. j began to lose my
customers, and then for the first time this good
christian realized what wicked man was and
promptly disch arged me, with highly moral lecture
on the Importance Of temp&xnce. IT took me ten
years 10 reform and rehablitate myself. DO you,
shsreforc, wonder that 1 speak bitterly Of the pro
fessins Christian VINO forced me TO make drunkard
Of myself IN order to Ill his coffersf'
Miss sanborn's letter In The Tribune about the alb
surdities Of many funeral customs IS exciting vide
spread comment. In many respects nothing can DO
moro anti-Christan than Christian funeral Around
tho house OF mourning there immediately gathers an
atmosphere Of hopeless gloom that distinctly pagan
The tone of the condolences, the einblems OF woe,
the needless display and ostentaon, and the bnsng
activity OF the undertaken, all are opposed alike 10
the spirit Of Christianity and tho canons OF good taste
The undertaken who, as rule means well is often
the worst offender. Every one has some story TO
tell Of his gancheries. recall attending funeral
some time ago at which the undertaken made his
,sua, little speech with reference TO viewing the
"remsans' He concluded thus In behalf OF the
friends Of the family wish thank those who have
80 kindly helped to make this sad event a success,
and am sure that II the 'remains' wore alive, no
would heartily Join In this expression OF gratitude.
And once heard another undertaken say that
certain funeral he had conducted was very small,
being attended by only persons including tho re-
saainsg The clergy are rarely guilty Of such I'M
sPropxfetcs, except in tho way OF unwise euioges-
but was present at funeral when the clergy
man offended good taste by beginning his remarks,
"Thoss Of you who knew the corpse, etc. VINO
win organize funeral movement so comprehensive
In its character az enlist tho active cooperation
OF all tho Christian denominationsf
Ife average American clergyman Is much
naesly-mouthed in the pulpit than is his English
brsfhers said an English clergyman to recently.
And struck with the truth OF the assertion In
listening to the Rev. T. walpole Warren last Sunday
evening There was nirectness and personality,
not SO muck in what he said as I'm his manaer OF
saying IT, that arc not usual In this country. He
appeared to take IL for granted that nearly every one
In the church q sinner. for whom he had mes
sage And in telling them that they were sinners
he looked SO directly into their faces that they
couldn't avoid the issue. Tho impression he thus
ixnade was deepened when he remarked incidentally
that he could read in their faces the story of their
spiritual life. al can tell" he said. Hhcther you
are Gods or not by single glance az your race
spoatfvely It makes uncomfortable exclaimed
a lady who present q 1t makes me feel as II
detective was on my track Our pastor always draws
~ lesson from the sins Of the ancient Jews "hcn
Dr., now Bishop, Courtney was at st. Thomass. the
personality of his preaching often startled and IN
few cases offended ] remember once hearing him
preach on the Eighth Commandment. Thou shalt not
steas and he actually seemed TO tale it for granted
that there thieves in the congregation TO whom
he appealed with great eioquence and power Doubt
less this style Of preaching Is liable TO abuse but
it would be good thing II American cersyrnen would
more generally adopt it. That they do not do so is.
think because they are much more dependent on the
GOODWILL OF their Pensioners than English clergy
lanen.
The intellectual vice Of this ago is that We read
sboub facts and truths. instead Of absorbing them
onto our intellectual being We read about Christianity
while standing outside Of Christianity. We read
about ethics while refusing TO adopt for ourselves
any code OF ethics. And we read about the Bible.
not as followers of its law but a. critics Of its sub
scot matter and style.
Tho siavish and uninteiligent plety Of women has
given point to many q sneerng paragraph That
tho sneer is In large measure undeserved is EVIL
,dent to any who keeps his eyes OPEN Mrs.
Ward, IN England and Mrs. Deland, in tho United
Estates, stand for great multitude Of women who,
3ike them have studied the fascinating problems Of
religoa with sympathetic intuition surpassed by no
taasn Since Robert Elsmeres and John Ward" APP
psarcd have endeavored 70 road most Of the critical
estimates Of these books that have been Ysblished.
and I find that some Of the most acute Of these
CRITICISMS have been written by women. Two Of
these reviews on Robert Elsmere" 1 have Just
sfnished reading one by "Gal Hamilton In the best
znspper OF that gifted woman, and one by Mrs. John
sherwood, which denoIishes Mrs Wards antChrstian
assumptions gracefully and yet so enectuaiy ~ to
leave nothing to be desired.
said wellmcwn clergyman the other day: 81
think the clergy have had TOO much 10 say about
tho srnalness OF their wedding fees. There
no earthly reason in tho first place, why clergyman
should receive any fec for his services such an
occasion. II fees to be gwen at all. they would
be much more appropriate when q clergyman IS asked
10 ofaciato at funeral, which in some cases may
consume several hours OF his time But, granting
that wedding fee Is allowable my experience Is that
saoh fees arc as q rule largo rather than too
small have ofieisted at the weddings of a groat
many mechanics and vordngmen. and In the largo
majority Of instances the grooms have given ten
sdolaarx Some OF them have given fifteen and even
.swenty dollars Now the lowest Of these sums Is out
of all proportion to tho average income Of mechanic
It is nnch more than they can afford for service
which q Christian minister should be glad to render
for nothing And in my own practIceI have always
returned the fee IN such cases. unless the groom was
20 fcoltshly proud Is to refuse it. but In doing so
ssrat tiat am running counter to the almost uni
....-~., .a..3ou. uf the clar1x. Ny own narznnal