The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-27
RELIGIOUS STORM CENTERS
The Crisis at Surgeons abernacleand
in the Salvation Army Camp.
The Conflicting Claims Of Young Spurgeon and
Dr.. Pierson-The Latter in an Unenviable
Position, but IL Is Not His Fault.
Special Correspondence Of the sunday Journal.

49,
LONDON. Nov. 16.-SpurReon's Taberna-
Gle is almost as much an object Of interest
to Americans as to the English. SO is that
remarkable movement which is controlled
by General Booth, and az both are passing
just now through a great crisis. we shall
probably not be mistaken in %supposing
that all classes of readers will be pleased to
learn, from O well-informed source, the
true inwardness of what is going on in
these troubled camps. At the Tabernacle
the row and rumpus presents itself pri-
marily as q sort Of family affair. On
the one side is the widow of the late
departed, having the active support of
her Twin boys, Charles and Thomas.
and on the other stands that solid piece of
ministerial humanity. with an American
ID. ID. tackled On to his name. but with all
of the Englishman's tenacity in his nature.
James Spurgeon, q brother of the late de-
parted. DR.. James is a worthy individual.
Who has quite q genius for the details OF
church work. but he is the sort of preacher
whose excellences outside of the pulpit
would always be extolled first. and whose
preaching ability would be alluded TO, II
the speaker were conscientious. at the flag
end of his description, and always in
guarded language. No one dreams that
he could fill the shoes of the great Spur
90 on. or even rattle about in them credita-
bly,. His prominence in the present crisis
is due to the fact that he had been assistant
pastor for some time. and that, upon his
brothers death, being the most ayallabio
man In sight, he was made pastor. This.
however, with no idea that he would be re-
tosnoA ~, Marin mr. that ha wnnld Oth-
ciate in the pulpit. for the preaching was
being ably attended to by the Rev. De.
Pierson. o distinguished American. /.
Grant now an indefinite continuance of
the services of DR.. Pierson on the plat
form and the prospect would seeI2 good for
the retention indefinitely of tho acting
pastor. 1t Is possible, of course, that Dr..
James Sturgeon has not looked at the
matter in this light, but he Is loudly ac-
cused of SO doing by those on the opposite
side, and such q view Is so natural TO our
poor humanity that he could surely in.
dulgeit without being very culpa bic. and
he might almost have done so without
knowing it. Besides. it would be very easy
for one who had borne SO many of the bur-
dens while his brother was still living. to
conscientiously persuade himself that no
shoulders were so we'll qualified AS his own
TO support the entire weight of this big
church. now that brother had been provi.
dentlally removed. At any rate. there he
10, and 1t 10 On open secret over mere tnat
no has given no countenance to the move
ment in behalf of his nephew. but has
stood like q rock, through ell the floods
and tempests of the recent months, in de-
Tense of the existing status.
But If il was natural for SDurgeon's
brother to desire the inheritanoeh how much
more so for the widow and sons to stand
forth as claimants. Here Is one of the big
est religious societies in Christendom, and
the creator of it was the man who In TIE
prime of his years fell Q martyr to the work
II L. - l--o rs o-~. = tI~a n nnA-
nan chnrch in the 5ulkst and best sense
Ffhd METROPOLITAN Tabernecle was such
Q thurch. Now, with two, sons left
behind-both preachers, and both reared
church-how fitting 1t would seem that one
or the other of these should fall heir to the
fathers distinguished pulpit. The most
| thoughtless outsider could not fail to see
| the aptness of o succession ike this, and II
such a conception has taken strong hold of
| the Sturgeon family who can blame themi
| And what gives final justification to such
aview ls the fact that one OF these sons,
Thomas Spurgeon. has so clearly demon
strated his fitness for the place. Having
sepeatedly listened to him, we venture
the Judgment that this young man Is
not only a good preacher, but q
super-excellent one. For the rare
| faculty of making things clear to the
| his superior and have rarely met his equal.
His voice is q perpetual charm. Just as that
of his father always was. and he has q
great command of those Saxon dement's of
the language which made SpurgeOn in
effective oratory the only serious rival of
John Bright. The younger Spurgeon may
not have 50 great q mind as the elder, and
may not be able to dig so deeply into the
great wells of theology, but in certain
popular qualities the son goes ahead of the
sire; as for instance, in having q moro
| pleasing and spirItuelle presence. and In
being more buoyant and animated In his
pulpit gestures.
PERSONS UNENvIARLE POSITION.
These are the family aspects of this
fsDous church quarrel. snd it looks as
though the one who might be ground to
pieces between these upper and neither
mIIl-stones was our W countryman. DR..
| Pierson. The position of this gentleman
Is not at all one to be envied, and yet
there il no blame attaching to him. By
Mr.. Surgeons own arrangement DR.. Pier
con was filling the pulpit at the time of
that great preachers death: He filled it
grandly. too, and filled the church as we'll.
That this arrangement should be continued
until winter wore off into summer was in.
evitable, and by that time all the mischief
was done. simultaneously with the invita-
ton TO Dr.. Pierson to return in the same
capacity after q summer holiday was an in
v~itation given to young Thomas Spurgeon
to come over from New Zealand as q pulpit
supply during the interim. Young %Spurgeon
came. and the result was that from Sabbath
to Sabbath. twice q day, he preached SO
admirably as to convince q large portion OF
the congregation that he would
serve them with distin guished sue
cess as a regular pastor. The
signatures of two thousand Of the member
were secured urging his retention in that
role. But how was DR.. Pierson to be dis.
posed of, and. above all. how was DIR.
James SpurReon, the uncle, to be gotten
out of the wayf There was the rub; and il
90 happened that just as the sentiment in
behalf of young Thomas was solidifyinG
itself into the form of q popular petition,
DR.. Pierson sent word that he had accepted
the call they bad given him, and would
shortly be in their midst as their most hum.
Bile servant and preacher.
There was at first not the slightest feel
ing against the American clergyman. Ii
was not that they loved Pierson less. but
that many of them loved Tom Spurgeou
moro. The church had Dcen "Spurgeon's
Tabernacle" all along. and now it looL ed
as though they could safely continue it al
"SpurgeOn's Tabernacle with a worthy