New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-10
IN THE CHURCH PORCH.
ETcHrNGs AND EcHoEs

Trinity Parish Of this city, appears an article By
Bishop Seymour of Springfield, H.. on the coming
Inauguration centennial He regards It inter-
esting circumstance that the greatest centennial Of ali
is to be celebrated in the greatest city of the Republic
within little moro than stones cast Of the greatest
church Of the city. Though some may dispute the
Bishops assertion all will cheerfuy concedc that
Old Trinity is entitled honorable mention as one Of
the most venerable historical landmarks Of our city.
The great city, continues the Bishop, (which has
drawn to itself nearly, IL not quite, two millions Of
people and massed wealth which Is fabulous in its
amount; not far away, rising above the din and dust
of speculation and traffic, the spire Of Trinity Church,
surmounted by the cross, the true measure OF all
earthly things-surely no setting moro appropriate
and more suggestive could have been prepared and
made ready for the hundredth anniversary Of an event
which called into being what is OF the might
est nations the face of the EARTH and which shell
tiers more largely, we believe, than any other the
hopes of the wsest and best for the future welfare Of
mankind New-York, wal-st, Trinity Church,
the cross of Christ sll-rs is the immediate en-
vironment Of the which will be Witnessed II Coo
permits, on the Both day Of April next
gentleman ofthis city, the son Of one of tho most
distinguished clergymen in the country, writes TO ne
as follows: " Is II not true that cannot do our
duty to God unless we do duty 10 DUR neighberf
And do we not fail in our duty to neighbor when
we fail to conform to the rules Of courtesy and good
breeding? And yet sorry to say that some OF
the clergy fail in this natter When clergyman
treats his servants stability when he betrays lack
Of good breeding In society," at the table, or In the home
circle, he casts dscredt upon profession which we
all wish to honor and which as whole is worthy OF
honor. The many are made TO suffer for the sins o.
the few. We have all the clergyman whose linen
Is Of dubious cleanliness whose clothes appear to b
unacquanted with the brush, and whose hngcr naiis
are In state of chronic mourning. In many cases
he is of deep earnestness and great ability
whose sngleaess Of heart and devotion to duty arc
worthy of ali praise; but by his sovenly habits ne
mars and often destroys his usefulness. He is re-
garded as with whom 1t Is not pleasant TO hold
social or business relations, and he fails TO OBTAIN
the positions in the ministry to which his talents en-
title him. We don't want clergymen to be dudes
but we do want them to be gentlemen not only In
their instincts, but in their bearing and per-
sonal appearance. I wish you could impress upon
young clergy the importance of this matter, many
OF whom err not so much through ignorance as
through the belief that the accidents OF dress man.
Der and appearance not worthy OF any serious
consideration by earnest They are making
great mistake which win affect their whole future'
Last Sunday a Hartford clergyman appealed 10 the
believers outside of tie churches TO come In. The
most suggestive fact about the sermon Is the assump
ton that there believers outside OF the churches
for from the ecclesiastical point Of VIEW the statement
is contradiction in terms Nevertheless. there is
a sense In which It is true There many to-day
outside the churches who believe firmly In the fnda
mental positions Of Christianity, who try to live In
accordance with its precepts who even contribute 10
its support, but who Notwithstanding, refuse to Join
any special Christian denomination The reasons for
this refusal are many but they may all be traced to
the widespread belief that formal membership In the
Christian Church is not a necessary part Of tho
Christian life. This indifference to the claims OF
ganized Christianity is TO to be depored from every
point of view IL not only weakens the.churches, but
IL isolates the outside believers from nearly all tho
Christian work and thought Of the day and enables
them shirk many of the duties which ought to de-
volve a Christian man Is this individualsm q
tendency of the age, and is the Christianity Of the
future to consist of myrads of Independent units m
stead Of one great catholic body Who shall read
the religious riddle of this restless sgei
II he has been reported correctly, New-Haven
clergyman preached sermon last Sunday that in my
Judgment win do more harm than good. 1t was on
he wickedDess of people in New Haven, and consstnd
largely Of wholesale denunciation. He declared that
he would rather HIS daughter sick in hospital
than her mixing with the society of the day. Tho
/ proper epitaph the tombstone Of many would
| be Clicked to death by his wife's nbbons.s More
| women die Of dress tremens than there men who
| die Of dellndm tremens. Ninety-nne novels out Of
every hundred are injurious. In modern society one
half Of the society wondering how m the
world they get the wives Of the other half And
| so on Now, have no doubt that this clergyman
means well but in making such sweeping charges
he not only violates good taste, but gives
TO what is not true That he honestly believes his
statements to be true does not him. Ne,ther
In NewHaven nor In any other city is society so vile
he declares IL to be. And even II IL were, heoan
not know that It is. Slang whanging statements
should find place In the Christian pulpit They
bring dIscredit the Church, and in the end react
against the clergyman who INDUCES - them. Sout-
side Of the truths of Revelation once said old
clergyman to young candidate for the ministry,
never indulge in the luxury of universal affirmative
or universal negative. For almost always you viii
be wrong' 1t is great pity that all clergymen did
not observe this rule In their pulpits
AS is well known, the Episcopal Church Of the ADJ
vent, in Boston, Is very rituasc church. and many
people attend its services occasionally Just 10 be dis
gusted and Mortified, and arc quite disappointed
they fail TO see something very queer. They have got
used to seeing the acoytes In attendance the cels-
brant and preacher. But the other Sunday they
thought they discovered a atrocity. Mr.. Whit
ney the organst, who is SIX feet in height and
weighs $50 pounds, had I'm attendance during the SER
vice two exceedingly small boys; and the word was
passed around that hereafter the organst, well as
the clergy to have acolytes As matter Of fact
the small boys were simply prospective members
of the choir who were being broken IN their duties
In the modern Athens Just as In the ancent Athens
there many who spend their time IN nothing oise
| but eithor 10 tcn or TO hear some new things
Here is another Illustration of the religious attitude
of certain Bosonians furnished me by lady Of that
city She says: In speaking of our pastor, who has
recently come to from NewYork, dyed-inthe-wooi
Bostonan said the other day that the gentleman
might do very well for NewYork but that no was not
sufficiently Intellectual to suit Boston congregation
Not any especially intellectual Boston congregation.
mind you but "a Boston congregation no matter OF
whom composed If there is any scarcity of wise fools
in your city, Just send on here and we VIII supply
In salvation by scholarship only"
"The Churchman" is gradually Increasing the
efficiency and scnpe of It's Illustrations feature
which 1t began somewhat over year ago. There
is such wide field for good illustrations In religious
journalism that 1t is surprising that other Influential
religious papers have not entered It, Well executed
pictures of prominent clerymen, welLlnown religious
cdinees, and striking events in the religious world