The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-14

80 HELP ME, ALMIGHTY aopm

Such crowd had never before gathered IN
that church. There were the usual pew
holders and their families. clad In subdued
colors. but none the less luyuriously. and Gil
Ing the air with delicate perfumes. Those. Of
course. made up the large part OF the conRre-
CATION. Then there were many city officials
como to hear what the eccentric preacher
would have to say against them. There was q
number OF women Of the town. some Of them
inmates OF houses tho Doctor has Wis
tied in his recent Investigations. Fac
ing these women. who seemed to en-
Joy the sermon as much as Dr. Parkhurst did
himself. was Anthony Comstock seated upon
the pulpit steps and nodding solemn approval
as the Doctor made the points under the vari.
GUS heads Of his sermon. Among the listeners
were John 1Ioey. ex- President Of the Adams
Express Company: Col. Elliott F. Shepard Of
the Fifth avenue stage line. William Z. Dodge.
Joseph II. Choate. Robert Alexander. william
Sloan. Elisha Dyer. George Hoadley. ex-
Governor of Ohio: Barlow s Weeks Of tho Dis.
trict Attorneys Office. and Judge John Mo-
Carthy OF do Ate"
Those who had expected to see an unusual.
looking person were not disappointed when
DR.. Purkhurst. In beautiful black gown.
finally appeared. Flo is man Of lofty stature.
slender. with big head covered with a mass
Of long black hair tipped and slightly streaked
with gray. His forehead is high. his nose
long. his eyebrows bushy. The natural grave-
like soemnity OF his sallow face is height
ened by his glasses and by curiously wrought.
Grayish black chin beard which covers his
chin except in two circular spots. one on either
side OF n central line of hair reaching to his
lower lip DR.. Parkhurst was ccompanied
by the Rev. DR.. Lysandor Dickermann.
The only part Of the long services preceding
the sermon that bore upon it WAS the second
lesson. read by DR.. Briggs from the first chap
ter Of the Epistle OF Paul to the Romans. To
one passage in it DR.. Farkhurst afterward re-
ferred. from the twenty seventh to the thirty.
second verse inclusive. When Dr. Parkhurst
arose to speak an utter silence foil upon the
audience. This silent attention was main.
tanned except whom some humorous sentence
caused Il murmur OF laughter. or some strong
characterization of vico made a rustic OF wo-
men stirring in their seats and hiding their
faces or shaking their heads. DR.. fnrkhurst
read from his manuscript. retaining oven those
phrases which are used only in extempors
speech. such as expressing regret forhnving
been betrayed into n burst Of personal refer.
enco. His voice was hard and cold At times
it was very scornful. and. in the proper places.
it was tcnrful or solemn to suit tho phrase.
His gestures were not frequent, but always
f,rcibie. Sometimes he slapped the rail OF the
pulpit with his open hand: sometimes he
brought down his clcnched fist, and again he
waved his fingers III u curious gesture of
rio cIcct upon tho audience was plain to DO
seen, Some men listened with approval Oft
ul others smiled incredulousiy DIT limos and
again \ trille ,derisivoly., In those passages
whore the Doctor touched In no uncertain lam
Cuage upon unmcnti0nuhle vices some mon
looked angry and W ichol their young dnuIEh;
tcri un"asiy son. womb i '"2 hei aS.0n!sn"
Dr. i'arhhurst had upon tho desl;: .'vo,type-
.ii a nj "A r. N
as I" "a" al, aons "olatn ths Ixciss law and as
place in tho sermon he is, t. re, imagined as
waving these tripmplnntiyand slappngth.m
eshtn verso Of tho twelfth chapter OF the
l::" ms. ri od wall, q, ov,rv sas whsn tbs
THE sorn,"n wa in part, as follows
-. :. II Will 10 w,.!,G't u" said thp preacher:
win cn@n @ner r" at in" ' very thr"s ID 81 our
iii -'ussion tnis morning; as to thu true scope
in which. unless all signs are misleading. the
ksats% nsrHa,!nE RHmbcrs are dny by aay
TIN ,GIplt four weeks ago was spoken with u
distinct intent from viii n wo have not in tho
mean time swprvni, ana from Which we do not
tho way ~! obstrGct! ION, yituprrnt ion. or iDtimi.
dali u may i,eo;ilrIayor unniileiniy launched
against US: for the rno exc luS.ve aim Of the
movement i. to probe To chnra ntrrye. and to
!4y hare thc imiGu'ty that municipality antae-
Christie pulpit PUTS fort 10 make righteous
ness IN" INV of human life. individually, so.
cinily, anh ciyil'y. 80 that arprehend my
function a. IL preacher, Of riEnteousness MS
left Tor III 8 to say whether | shall do It or will
not do II, but to 60 straightway about my
business without fear or favor.
at is important TO recognize Just here the
purely m raj Intention Of the crusade as seem
rlty against its becoming complr',trd with
cunsidoratons that stand ulooi frolA tho main
Joint A great many civic effort i,sT, h"ol
made here and elsewhere that hp'. ..,,i.tpl
in nothing for the single and suiilr. ~ yra,ou
that they have been 8 detracked. switched OF
on to som" collateral Issue. mortgaa:e sd tu s1uo
competitive interest. Suggestions insinua-
lions. criticisms that have reached mo from
various sources. some through tho Ir.ss.
some through personal correspondence. make
IT incumbent upon me to declare what has
been SAID, ARD What VIII continue - ,