Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1891-06-17
NO. Al.

were, and so cleverly adapted to the logi-
ical acumen and hard business sense of
the great crowd. A Tribune stenograph-
or told me that Mr.. Brooks spoke an av-
erage Of nearly three hundred words a
minute, and yet every word was clearly
enunciated and heard all over the church.
at was 4 significant fact, too, that when
these sermons ended there was no rush to
get out. | had expected that those gray
headed men, to whom a fraction of ca
bic quotation might mean loss of thou
sands of dollars, and who had been fin
gering their watches restlessly, would i'm
mediately rush for their offices as if the
building was on fire. They did nothing
of the kind. They stood up and sung the
closing hymn, and then decorOusly filed
out. Even when they gained the street
it seemed as if the chronic rush had been
taken out OF them for the time being.
Their step was slow and thoughtful.
Il attended nearly all the other services
and invited many fellows on the street to
them. They laughed at first, but | after
wards noticed many of them in the
church. Moody was holding revival in
the city the same week, and some fellows
after enjoying Brooks would say, Let's
take in Moody tonight But Moody
had nothing like the congregation Brooks
had, and | don't believe there ever were
such crowds in Old Trinity before or
since.
"The last of the weeks noonday SER
mons was to me very impressive. 1t was
Saturday, and feyerish market was clos
ing against me, yet before II | was in the
church. The sermon bore especially, as
all the series had, on the freedom of the
Christian religion, and Brooks began by
saying it would be impossible for any man
to have addressed such an audience so
many times without misgivings, lest out
Of the multitude of things said the essen
tial thing had been misunderstood or left
unsaid. How modest this sounded from
man of such learning and such elo-
quence, and such a handsome presence,
too-for this has an influence rarely esti.
mated but always felt.
"He had n deep fear, he said, lest the
richness and simplicity and the absolute
unity Of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ
had been lost in multitude of words.
Man multiplied word, yet the world came
back to the simplicity Of the fact that
God so loved the world that he sent his
son to be its redemption. Controversial
subjects might be interesting and well
enough in their place, he went on, but it
seemed to him like the lifeboats on board
a steamer. He seemed to be fond of us
ing the Atlantic steamer as a fgure.)
The lifebOats were there for an emergen-
cy. He did not think Of them as an es-
sential of his journey to Europe. Il feel
the deck, he said, Il see the sail, hear
the throb of the engine in the hold
"My faith is in these. Doctrines and
dogmas are but the boats upon the thwarts,
and do not reveal the essential through
Christ. Men are out at sea in the boats.
Go back to the ship, my brothers,
81 feel that he could not afford to be so
broad-minded bishop And then his
close After a brilliant rush Of oratory,
so rapid that thought was scarcely able
to keep up with it, he said Farewell,
my friends with the sweetest sympathet-
ic cadence, it is not for long-this stage
Of our glorious journey heretofore the
gates which shall be opened upon a jour
ney yet more glorious. Whatever may
come hereafter, not this particular oppor-
tunity to serve God will come again.
Catch to-day
"Good memory? Nonesensel Nobody
could hear Phillips Brooks and forget
either the man or what he said"