Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-06-02
PHILLIPS BROOKS
And the Brokers-Memorial Scenes at Old
Trinity Revived.
NeW York Continent

After dinner at an uptown club the
other night the convention fell on Phil
lips Brooks and his prospects of becom-
ing a bishop. There were many opin-
ions expressed, some of which found a
place in the editorial columns OF the
metropolitan dalieS the next day. Those
OF a financial editor, who never handles
such subjects with his pen, seem to be
worth reproducing, because of the felic-
ity of his description Of the reverend
gentleman's sermons and their effect
upon the sharp-witted men who would
rather Scorn to be thought truly pious
For my part, | hope they don't make
Brooks a bishop" was the startling way
in which he dropped into the discussion.
eff they do, his eloquent mouth will to
certain extent be closed, his indepen-
dent spirit will be under restraint,
and he will run humdrum course of
tea-drinkingS, and christeningS, like a
Pegasus chained to pillow.
Now, this is not suggesting for a
moment that he is not worthy of the
highest honors his church, and, indeed,
the whole country, can extend TO him.
| am simply saying that from my point
Of view, perhaps rather narrow one,
his elevation to the bishopric would les
sen his immense influence for good, and
would deprive those like myself, who
enjoy eloquent oratory, irrespective of
any thoughts of the operations of the
Christian Clearing House hereafter, of
a great pleasure. or course, he would
still continue to preach if he were made
a bishop, but to my mind he would not
be so free and independent in his eX
preston of religious thought.
when he preached in Old Trinity, a
year ago last Lent, he said the main
thing was TO get a religion and stick to
it. When a man made trip to Europe,
he saw to it that the ship was staunch,
the engineer good and the captain re-
liable. He did not care for the name
of the vessel, or that OF the company
who owned it. Now, it seems TO me
that Bishop Brooks could not preach as
broad a Christianity as that. 1t would
rather be his duty TO the Church and
the people under him to teach that the
only way to heaven is through the
iron gates Of the episcopal Church; OF
course, may be all wrong about this.
"But you all remember those Lenten
services at Old Trinity given at midday.
They lasted for a week, and ii was d
wonder to everybody that the hurrying
money-grab bers should leave their bust
ness Just at the busiest hour to go to
church. | walked into Walpole Il
Stocktons Office on Tuesday morning,
and after transacting some business
young Walpole said to me, Come and
have drink and We'll go over to hear
Brooks preach" | accepted the first
part of the invitations; the remainder
thought was sickly joke. But it was
not. He not only intended going TO
church, but insisted that | should go
too.
81 never saw Old Trinity so crowded
in all my life. We could not hope to
get in at the front, and would not have
got in at all hut that Walpole met a
regular worshiper there, who gave us
the tip TO go through the little door into
the vestry. From this we crowed our
way into the south side aisle. You
never saw such an audience in your life.
All the big men of the Street were there,
several of the milionaireS standing in
the aises among the crowd.
There were such representative men
as General Thomas l.. Watson, George
Bliss mot the Colonel, but the partner
of the e-President). Chas. 5. Smith,
president of the Chamber OF Commerce;
George w. Ely, secretary Of the Stock
Exchange: w. L. Bull, then the presl-
dent of the Stock Exchange Che waited
on Mr.. Brooks after the sermon and
took him across the street 10 lunch);
Frank Emmon, John 7. Terry, the eX
ecutors of Governor Morgan's estate
Sidney Dillon, now the president Of the
Union Pacific: X. NJ. GA loway, the
vice-preSideet Of the Elevated: and his
general manger, f. X. Hahn; Henry
Clews, Richard Cross, j. c. Calhoun,
President c. G.. Wilson, Of the Consoli-
dated Exchange, Colonel John j. Nc
Cooke, John j. Knox, j. ID. Verlilye, w.
c. Rhinelander, Joseph H. Choate, Allen
w. Evarts, Elihu ROCKWELL, take a
directory OF the principal men who have
downtown offices. They were all there.
"If they didn't get seat the first
day they went, they were on hand
earlier The next day. Every seat was
occupied quarter Of an hour before
the time of service, and after that
there was such crowding as yon never
saw. The choristers could not make
their way through the crowd, so the
professional and occasional hymns had
to be done away with. Trinity'S choir
is a famous one, but doubt if anybody
listened to them during the six moons
Phillips Brooks occupied the pulpit.
Then the preacher came out Of the