Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-04-15


there and there one of them present to-day,
but the most In batter world, we got the
building ready for conservation, ana on
September 25, 1871, morning and evening
dedicatory services were held, and IN the
afternoon the children. with sweet and multi
tudinous voices. consecrated the place TO
Cos. Twenty thousand dollars were raised
that day TO pay a floating debt. In the
morning old DR.. Stephen h Tying, the
glory of the Episcopal Church and the
Chrysostom OF the american pulpit preached
a sermon which fingered In its gracious
effects as long as the building stood. He
read enough out OF the Episcopal prayer
book to keep himself from being reprl-
maude1 by MS bi2hop for preaching at a non
Episcopal service; and we, although belong.
ing to another denomination, responded with
heartiness, as though we were used to the
liturgy, 'Good Lord, deliver usn
During the short time we occupied that
building we had a constant downpour OF
religious awakening. Hosannah. Ten mil
lion years in heaven will have no power to
dim my memory of the glorious times we
had in the first Tabernacle which, because
Of its invasion of the usual style of church
architecture, was called by some ''Talmage's
Hippodrome, by others, Church of the
Holy Circus" and by other mirthful nomen-
clature. But IL was building perfect for
acoustics, and stood long enough to have its
imitation in all the large cities Of America
and to completely revoiutionizs church arch
lecture. People saw that it was the com
mon sense wayof seating an audience.
Instead of putting them in an angular
church, where each one chiefly saw the back
part of somebody else's head, the au iience
were arranged in senicircie so that they
could see one anotner's facaS, an | the audi
torium was a great family circle seated
around a fireplace, which was the pulpit. 1t
was an iron structure, and we supposed fire
proof, but the insurance companies looked
Il Il %%~ fn. r. o%@rA
in its construction they declined to insure it
except for mere nothing, declaring that
being of iron, if the inf1ammable 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 a lay college under our charge
some twelve hundred young men and
women, many Of them becoming evangelists
and many OF them becoming regularly Or
dained preachers and I meet them in all
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 excite
ment in the street and much smoke in the
air. Fire engines dashed past. But my
min Il was on the sermon l was about to
preach, until some one rushed uD and told
me that our church was going up in the same
kind Of chariot that Elijah took from the
banks Of the Jordan. That Sunday morn
ing tragedy, with its wringing of hands and
frozen tears on the cE ee5s Of many thou
sands 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 are anxious to do something, and as
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
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 a
lamppost near the destroyed building, be-
fore II o'clock that morning, was a board
with the inscription, ''The congr egation Of
Brooklyn Tabernacle will worship tonight
in Plymouth Church"
Mr.. Beecher made the opening prayer,
which was full of comm iseration for me and
nv homeless flock, and [ preached that night
morning in my own church, the text con-
corning the precious alabaster box broken
at the feet OF Christ. and sure enough we
had one very precious broken that day. We
were as church, obliterated. But arise
and build" said many voices. Another
architect took the amphitheatrical plan Of a
church, which in the first instance was nee
essarlly somewhat rude, and developed it
into elaborate plan that was Immediately
adopted.
expensive undertaking was the question
expensive not because of any senseless
adornment proposed, but expensive because
of the immense size Of the building needed
to hold our congregation. It was at that
time when for years our entire country was
suffering, not from a financ al panic, but
from that long continued financial depression
which all business men remember as the
cloud hung heavy year after year and COM
mercial establishments without numbe went
down. Through what struggles we passed
the eternal God and some brave souls to-day
remember. Many time would I have glad
ly accepted calls to some other field
but could not leave the flock in the wilder
ness.
At last, after, in the interregnun1, having
worshiped in our beautiful Academy of
Music on the morning of February %, 1874,
the anniversary of the Washington who con-
quered impossibilities and on the Sabbath
chat always celebrates the resurrection, DR..
Byron Sunderland, Chaplain OF the United
States Senate, thrilled US through and
through with a dedicatory sermon from
Haggai IL, 9. The glory of this house
saith the Lord of Hosts" The corner stone
of that building had been laid by the illus
trious and now enthrone1 DR.. IrenRus
Prime. On the platform on dedication day
sat, among Others DR.. Bowling. of the Bap-
fist Church, DR.. Crook, of the Methodist
Church, and DR.. French of the Presbyterian
Church. Hosannahi Another $50, 900 was
raised on that day.
The following Sunday 1923 souls were re-
ceived into our communion, mostly On
confession of faith. At two other commu-
Mons over 500 souls joined at each one. At
another ingathering CPS souls entered this
communion. and so many of those gathered
throngs have already entered heaven that
we expect to feel at home when we get there.
NY! my. Won't we be glad to see them
bo Suho Sto hx-1 in do