Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-04-04

present today, but the most II better
world. we got he building ready for
conservation. and on Sept. 20. 1870.
morning sad evening d-cseatcry serv-
ices were held. and Ia tie afternoon tAs
children with sweet and mult,Eudinous
voices consecratea the place % 6od-
Twenty thousand dollars were raised
that day u pay floating debt. Ia the
morning old DR. Stephen IL. Tyng, the
glory Of the Episcopal church and the
Chrysosto1n Of the American pulpt.
preached a sermon which fingered In its
gracious effects as long rs the building
stood He read enough out Of the Fps
eopai prayer book to keep himself from
being repriInandsd by his bishop fos
preaching at a non-Episcopal service,
and we. although belonging 70 another
denomination. responded with hearu-
Ness. as though We were used TO the
liturgy Good Lord, deliver u.s."
During the short time we occupied
that building we had constant down
pour Of religious awakening. Hosannahl
Ten million years III heaven viii have no
power 10 dim my memory Of the glorious
times We had in that first Tabernacle,
which, because Of its invasion Of the u.s.
nal style Of church architecture. was
called by some ''Talmage's Hippo
drone." by others. Church of the Holy
Circus" and by other mirthful nomen-
clature. But it was building perfect
for acoustics. and stood long enough to
have its imitation in all the large cities
Of America and to completely revolu-
tionize church architecture. People
saw that it WAS the common sense way
Of seating an audience.
Instead Of putting them in an angular
church, whore each one chiefly saw the
back part Of somebody else's head. the
audience were arranged in semicircle,
SO that they could see one another's faces,
and the auditorium was great family
circle seated around fireplace. which
was tho pulpit. 1t was an iron struc-
ture, and we supposed fireproof, but the
insurance companies looked at it, and
after we had gone too far to stop in its
construction, they declined to insure it,
except for a mere nothing. declaring
that. being of iron. If tho infiammable
material between the sheets Of iron took
fire no engine hose could play upon it.
And they were right. During those
days we educated and sent out from q
lay college under our charge some
twelve hundred young men and women,
many Of them becoming evangolists and
many of them becoming regularly or
dained preachers, and l meet them in
gil parts of the land toiling nightly for
God.
One Sunday morning in December,
1872, the Thermometer nearly down to
zero, was on my way to church. There
was an excitement in the street and
much smoke in the air. Fire engines
dashed past. But my mind was on the
sermon l was about to preach, until
some one rushed up and told me
that our church was going up in the
same kind Of chariot that Elijah took
from the hanks Of the Jordan. That
Sunday morning tragedy, with its
wringing of hands and frozen tears on
the cheek Of many thousands standing
in the street, and the crash that shook
the earth, is as vivid as though it were
yesterday. But it was not perfect loss.
All were anxious to do something,
and is on such occasions sensible people
are apt to do unusual things, one of the
members, at the risk Of his life, rushed
in among the fallen walls, mounted the
pulpit and took a glass of water from
the table and brought it in safety to the
street. SO you see it was not total
loss. Within an hour from many
churches came kind invitations to oc-
cupy their buildings, and hanging against
q lamppost, near the destroyed building,
before 12 o'clock that morning, was o
board with the inscription, "The con-
gregation Of Brooklyn Tabernacle will
worship tonight in Plymouth church"
Mr. Beecher made the opening prayer,
which was full Of commiseration for me
and my homeless flock, and ! preached
that night the sermon that ! intended to
preach that morning in my own church,
the text concerning the precious ala
baster box broken at tho feet Of Christ,
and sure enough we had one very pro-
cious broken that day. We were, as .
IL,
build" said many voices Another
architect took the smphitheatrical plan
of q church, which, in the first instance,
was necessarily somewhat rude, and de-
{ veloped it into an elaborate plan that
was Immediately adopted. But how to
raise the money for such an expensive
undertaking was the question-expensive
not because of any senseless adornmeut
proposed, but expensive because Of the
immense size of the building needed to
4 hold our congregation.
I 1t was at that time when for years our
entire country was suffering, not from q
financial panic, but from that long con-
tinued financial depression which all
business men remember, as tho cloud
| hung heavy year after ycar and CON-
merciA establishments without number
went down. Through what struggles
we passed the Eternal God and some
bravo souls today remember. Many q
time would have gladly accepted calls
to some other Geld, but l could not
leave the nock in the wilderness At
last. after in the interregnum having
worshiped In our beautiful Academy Of
Music, on the morning Of Feb. 20, 1874.
the anniversary Of the Washington who
conquered impossibilities and ON the
Sabbath that always celebrates the res
direction. DR.. Byron Sunderland, chap
lain Of the United States senate. thrilled
us through and through with . dedica-
tory sermon from Haggai ii. Q. THE
glory of this house shall be greater than