The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-04

smooth waters. Arrangements have been
made by which our financial difficulties are
now fully and satisfactorily adjusted. Our
income will exceed our outgo, and the
Brooklyn Tabernacle will be yours and be
long to you and your children after you,
and anything yOu see contrary to this you
may put down to the confirmed habit
which some people have got Of misrepre-
senting this church and they cannot stop.
When came to Brooklyn, | came TO "A
small church and big Indebtedness. We
own this, the largest Protestant church in
America, and financially as q congregation
we are worth over and above all indebted
ness, considerably more than $3.50, 900.
have preached here twenty-three years,
and expect, If my life and health are con-
rinued, to preach here twenty-three years
longer. although we will all do well to re-
member that our breath is in our nostrils
and any hour we may be called to give an
account of our stewardship. All we ask for
the future is that you do your best, CON
tributing all you can 10 the support Of our
institutions Our best days are yet TO come;
our greatest Tevivals of religion, and
our mightiest outpourings Of the Hoy
Ghost. We have got through Red Sea
and stand to-day on the other bank clap
ping the cymbals Of victory.
Do you wonder that last Sabbath l asked
you in the midst Of the service TO rise and
sing with jubilant voice the long meter dox-
ology:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise him all creatures here below,
Praise him above We heavenly host,
Praise Father. Son and Holy Ghost.
Yes, twenty-three years have passed since
I came to live in Brooklyn, and they have
been to me eventful years. 1t was a pros
trated church to which | Came-a church SO
fiat down it could drop no further. Through
controversies which it would be useless to
60 rehearse it was well nigh extinct, and for
a long while it had been without a pastor
But nineteen members could be mustered to
Sign a call for my coming. As a committee
was putting that call before me IN an upper
room in my house in Philadelphia there
were two other committees on similar
errands from other churches in other rooms,
whom my wife was entertaining and keep
ing apart from unhappy collision. The
auditorium of the Brooklyn church TO
which came defied all the laws OF acoustics ;
the church had a steeple that was the de-
Tision Of the town, and a high box pulpit
which shut in the preacher as though he
were dangerous to be let loose, or it acted
as a barricade that was unnecessary to
keep back the people, for they we're so few
that a minister OF ordinary muscle could
have kept back all who were there.
My first Sabbath in Brooklyn was a sad
day, for ! did not realize how far the church
was down until then, and on the evening of
that day my own brother, through whose
pocket entered the ministry, died, and the
tidings OF his decease reached me at six
O'Clock in the evening, as l was to preach at
haf-past seven. But from that day the
blessing of God was on US, and in three
months we began the enlargement of the
building. Before the close Of that year, we
resolved to construct the first tabernacle.
1T was to be a temporary structure and there
g. ID 10 81,
temple. What should be the style Of archi-
lecture was the immediate question. l had
always thought that the amphitheatrical
shape would be appropriate for q church.
Two distinguished architects were en-
ployed, and, after much lowering
over designs. they announced to US
that such a building was impossible
for religious purposes, as II would not be
churchly and would subject themselves and
US to ruinous criticism; in other words, they
were not ready for revolution in church
architecture. Utterly disheartened as to
my favori.e style of architecture, | said to
the trustees: Build anything you please,
and l must be satisfied" But one morning
Il young architect appeared at my house
our church. l said: mo, and what we
want we cannot get" "What style of
building do you wantw he asked. Aud
taking out a lead pencil and a letter en-
velope from my pocket, in less than
minute, by a few curved lines. l indicated
In the rough what we wanted. But" |
said, "old architects tell us it can't be done,
and there is no use in you trying" He
said: ~ can do 1t. How long can l have to
make out the plans" l said: This even
ing at eight o'clock everything is to be de-
cIded."
At eight O'Clock of that evening the arch
ttect presenented his plans, and the bids Of
builder and mason were presented, and in
five minutes after the plans were presented
they were unanimously adopted. So that |
would not be in the way of the trustees
during the work, went to Europe, and
when ! got back the church was well-nigh
done. But here came in staggering him
drance. We expected to 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 pur-
chasers backed out and we had two
churches and no money. BY the help of
God and the indomitable and unparalleled
energy OF our trustees here and there one
of them present to-day, but most Of them
in better world, we got the building
ready for conservation, and on Sept.
25, 1870, morning and evening dedicatory
services were held, aud in the afternoon
the children, with sweet and multitudinous
voices consecrated the place to God.
u Wouby LuOubhuu uOllhEb were raised tnat
day to pay floating debt. In the MORN
tng old DR.. stephen II. 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 Episco~
pal prayer book to keep himself from being
reprimanded by his bishop for preaching at
uon-Episcopal service; and we, although
belonging to another denomination, re-
sponded with heartiness as though we we're
used to she liturgy, Good Lord, deliver
u.s." During the short time we occupied
that building we had constant downpour
of religious awakening. Hosanna Ten
million years In heaven will have no power
had in that 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 it was a building perfect for
acoustics, aad stood long enough to have its
imitation in all the large cities OF America
and TO completely revolutionize church
architecture. People saw that il was the
common-sense way Of 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-
dience 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
1t was an iron structure, and, we suppose,
hre-proof. but the insurance companies
looked at it, and, after we had gone too far
70 stop In its construction, they declined to