Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-10-09
ABOUT pREscHrSG.

| DR. PARKER OF 1onoon, the wei
known Congregationaiist preacher,
Is evidently an extremist. This
time his eccentricity takes the d.
rection Of short sermons. Last Sun
day, mt the City Temple, he preached
one Of his condensed dlscOurses,
lasting exactly sfSty seconds, into
which he crowded 160 words. His
subject was the use Of intoxicating
wine at the saeramental service.
He said:
at is high time that intoxicating
wine should be banished from
the sacramentai service. II hrs cf;en
driven men 70 ong-Absndoned habits
Of iniemperauee- / am also opposed
10 the use Of vile connections by which
In some instances intoxicating wine
has been displaced, and this objection
20 the mzkeshifts Of the extreme tee
io:allers is no, surprising, as a certain
pastor is credited with the employ
ment Of zoedone for the purpose"
He advocated the use OF water.
and throughout was in unison with
the faith and practice Of the Latter
day Saints, SO FAR as relates TO what
should be partaken Of in commence
ration Of the atonement Of our
Lord.
The one minute sermon system il
too great an extreme OF -breyity, al
though the long drawn out discour-
ses are as a rIlc'equaily objection
able. Some preachers annoy their
hearers by passing too many camp
ing places, where they might settle
down prOfitAbly. When n speaker
in any way announces, by word or
manner, that he is about 20 cease, a
a rule he loses his hold on his audi
ence, because he has created an ex-
pectation aud dispeiled IL and the
connection between the preacher
and the congregation is thus broken.
II takes some time TO adjust the
couplings, if II eau be done 1t all.
As thoJgh;t.lness increases
among the people there is pro
poftionate dista.te for the whirlwind
style OF preaching, in which physic-
ally expressed vehemence plays a
prominent part, as it is not neces-
sary that real, soulful carnestness
should be always IN that way ex-
hibited. 1t interferes with the
mental digestion Of what is being
enunciated.
The chief effort Of the speaker
should be 10 have forcible, useful
and beneficial thoughts to present to
his listeners, making language in
which ~ clr.Le them merely second
AIRY. The mind that is n rccS-sstacle
Of truth will Z eneTally fin1 a
method Of expressing Il. There is
considerable in the remark once
made by one Of our home
missionaries in this Stake. Hesaid:
ga good many who perform the
duty Of preaching inform their
hearers that they nave not language
with which to express their ideas.
With me il is the reverse. II had
the ideas 1 think / could find worIs
with which 10 explain them - As
rule tits easier for a msu 10 admit
a poverty OF words in preference to
a sparseness OF ideas yet most peo-
pie have woris enough with which
TO express moe n: the truths with
which they have made themselves
conversant.
Hardly anything is more dis
agreeable in r public speaker than
sfFectation, and when it enters the
domain OF initiating seme allie
model, it becomes positively objec-
tionable TO those who detect it.
Those who DO NJ; perceive ii feel
that there Is Something wrong, but
as it is uniefinable to them they
are unable To till exactly what Il j.
Il is the unnaturalness which cru'
ates the unpleasant Impression.
which is akin TO what would be
caused by the sight OF asn artificial
Roman nose on a face for which
nature intended one OF an entirely
different size and mould.
In the days when Daniel Web
SER was at the height of his Iopul-
ariiy as an orator, scores Of spindle
shankei, whisile-voic,-i, stripping
attorneys initiated his heavy, mels-
urei, ponderous style, the spectacle
impreSsing one, perhaps, much As
would the aspect % a monkey at
tempting to mlnipuIs,e a sled &c.
hammer. All this imitation being
unnatural, gradually died out.