The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-04-06

planSY SAID, Inns evening ~ OAVOn
everything is to be decided"
At s o'clock of that evening the archi-
tect presented his plans, and the bids OF
builder and mason were presented, ana
in five minutes after the plans were pre-
sented they were unanimously adopted.
So that would not be in the way OF the
trustees during the work, went to Eu-
rope, and when got back, the church
was well-nigh done. But here came In
a staggering hindrance. WeNexpected 70
pay for the new church by the sale OF
the old building. The old one had been
sold, but just at the time we must have
the money, the purchasers backed out
and we had two churches and no money.
BY the help of God and the indomitable
and unparalleled energy of our trustees
there and there one of them pres
ent to-day, but the most in a better
world, we got the building ready for
conservation, and on September 20, 1870,
morning dedicatory services were held,
and in the afternoon the children, with
sweet and multitudinous voices, conse-
Grated the place to God. Twenty thou
sand dollars were raised that day to pay
floating debt. In the morning old DIR.
Stephen II. Tying, the glory Of the Epis-
copal Church and the ChrysostoE 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. repri-
manded by his bishop for preaching at a
non-Episcopal service, and we, although
belonging to another denomination, re-
sponded with heartiness, as though we
were used to the liturgy "Good Lord,
deliver us!" During the short time we
occupied that building we had con-
slant downpour ofreligious awakening,
Hosannah Ten million years in Hea-
ven will have no power to dim my
memory of the glorious times we had In
that first tabernacle, which, because OF
its invasion of the usual style Of church
architecture, was called by some Tai
mages Hippodrome," by others, Church
of the Holy Circus" and by other
mirthful nomenclature. But it was a
building perfect for acoustics, and
stood long enough To have its imitation
in all the large cities of America and to
completely revolutionize church archi-
lecture. People saw that it was the
common sense way Of seating an audi
ence. Instead of putting them in an
angular church, where each one
chiefly saw the back part of some
body else's head, the audience
were arranged in semi-circle, so that
they could see each Others faces, and
the auditorium was great family circle
seated around fireplace, which was
the pulpit. It was an iron structure,
and, we supposed, freproof, but the in
surance companies looked at 1t. and
after we had gone too far to stop in its
construction, they declined to insure IT.
except for mere nothing, declaring
that, being Of iron, II the infammable
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 lay college under our charg,
some twelve hundred young men ant
women, many of them becoming evan
gelists and many Of them becoming
regularly ordained preachers, and | Imee
them in all parts of the land toilini
nightly for God.
One Sunday morning, in December
1872, the thermometer nearly down b
zero, was on my way TO church. Their
was an excitement in the street an'
much smoke In the air. Fire engine
! dashed past But my mind was on tn
sermon l was about to preach, unit
| some one rushed up and told me tina
: our church was going up in the sam
: kind Of chariot that Elijah took fron
r the banks of the Jordan. That Sunda.
r morning tragedy with its wringing o
3 hands and frozen tears on the cheek O
many thousands standing in the street
l and the crash that shook the earth, !
4 az vivid as though 1t were yesterday
e But 1t was not perfect loss. All wer
4 anxious to do something, and, as, o.
5 such occasions sensible people are ap
3 TO do unusual things, one Of the mem
t bers, at the risk Of his life, rushe'
: in among the fallen walls, mounte'
a the pulpit and took glass of wate
!; from the table and brought IL in safet
e to the street. So you see 1t was not
K total loss Within hour, from man
S churches came kind invitations to occu
t py their buildings, and hanging agains
t lamppost near the destroyed building
= before 12 o'clock that morning was
= board with the inscription: "The cor
t gregation Of Brooklyn tabernacle wi
t worship tonight in Plymouth church.
r Mr.. Beecher made the opening prayer
h which was full of commiseration for m
i and my homeless flock, and preache
;, that night the sermon that intende
G to preach that morning in my ow
Il church, the text concerning the preciou
n alabaster box broken at the feet {
J. Jesus Christ, and sure enough "
d had one very precious broken tina
> day. We were, as church oil
!. liberated. But, arise and build,
; said many voices. Another architeS
:. took the amphitheatrical plan Of
!, church, which, in the first instance wa
y necessarily somewhat rude, and deve
d oped il into an elaborate plan that wa
l. Immediately adopted. But how to rails
t the money for such an expensive unde
d taking was the question = expensiy
= not because Of any senseless adornmer
|, proposed, but expensive because Of th
), immense size of the building needed
h hold our congregation. 1t was at thi
+ time when for years our entire countr
e was suffering, not from a financil
IS panic, but from that long continue