The herald., 1893-10-09
YESTERDAY IN THE PULPITS,
Mrs. Laura Ormiston Chant
breaches at Unity Church.
Rev. Clarke Attacks Sensational
Preachers in Strong Sermon.
An Eugiish Philanthropist Preaches on
the Prodignl SOMA Preacher At
taoks Pulpit Orators = Rev.
Bowen Also breaches,

The large auditorium Of Unity church
was densely packed yesterday morning,
the occasion being the presence OF Mrs.
Laura Ormiston Chant of London, Eng
land, who delivered the sermon. Mrs.
Chant is very prominent in philan-
thropic orders in England, and is inti-
/. mate with Lady Somerset and other
philanthropists Of the united kingdom.
The church was Handsomely decorated
with flowers. Mrs. Chant occupied the
pulpit with the pastor, Rev. j. ..
Thompson.
She is Of medium height, dark COM
plexion, expressive face, large eyes and
very effective. full-toned voice, which
she used with great skill, and without
any apparent effort she filed the large
auditorium. She was attired in black
silk dress and wore her dark hair
brushed off of her temples.
There is great amount OF magnetism
In her address, and her voice is very
persuasive. She used but very lew ges-
lures, and those which she did employ
were apparently used when she became
unusually interested in her remarks.
She spoke entirely without notes and
with q freedom and rapidity OF utter
ance.
"A marked impression was made by
her sermon. Her language is plain and
simple almost to homeliness.
Alter the opening hymn had been
sung Mrs. Chant prayed most express
sively and also read the parable OF the
prodigal son.
The pastor, Rev. Thompson, next in
! troduced her as the one who would de-
liver the sermon. He also spoke some
thing of her work in London and re-
ferred to her as being one of the leading
women in philanthropic labors, par
ticularly in the respect OF helping
women.
Mrs. Chant selected the parable of the
prodigal son as he- text and spoke more
particularly from the verse which de-
scribes the father seeing his son while
he was yet Q great way off. The fact
that the father was On the lookout for
the return of his son was dwelt upon
and she used considerable energy in de-
nouncing the stereotyped idea that the
son was originally child OF wrath and
fit only to feed on the husks which the
swine left. He was born in his fathers
house and was brought up there, and it
is not to be presumed that his human
nature was bad.
Many prodigals 60 away. Some take
short flight, others longer one. But
there is nothing to prevent them from
coming back.
The speaker also addressed those who
were not prodigals, and spoke elo-
quently upon the home virtue, closing
with q strong, pathetic appeal to the
men and women present to reconsider
their own experience and impart repar-
alton for any wrong they might have
done, and TO extend the hand of charity
to those who had fallen, and to help as
far as lay within their power to raise up
the degraded and the outcasts.
The offertory solo was sung by Miss
Katherine Kimball OF ths new choir, the
other members of which are: Mrs.
Wiseman, contralto; Mr.. Foley Parker,
tenor, and Mr.. r. H. Maybin,I basso.
At the close OF the service Mrs. Chsnt
received large number of the congre-
cation in front of the pulpit.
SENSATIONAL PREACHERS.
Rev. A. s. Clark, rector of Christ
Episcopal church, delivered sermon
yesterday morning upon sensational
preaching. This subject was one that
be treated recently before the southern
convocation at Santa Barbara. His text
was taken from the eighth and ninth
verses OF the first chapter of Galatians.
Alas there are those who preach not
the word. They preach them another
gospel, as they preach themselves any
thing and every thing but the blessed
word of God. The condition OF
Christianity which is pleased to call
itself popular is truly lamentable. What
have we not seen in the rapid decline of
the pulpit even in some quarters where
it's advocacy has been of the strongest
There seems to be demand for the
flashy orators of the sensational order.
With many it is no longer question of
Boundness in the faith, but it ia eagerly
asked. is he eloquent? Can he attract
The former standards with these have
been swept away, and the pandering to
the itching ears seem to be the staple OF
discourse.
In looking around for the causes
which have operated to produce this
direful result we find amongst many
others three principal causes: First,
the natural perversity of the human
heart; second, created desire for high
spiced intellectual food, and third, the
lack of accountability on the part OF
swarms Of self-constituted preachers.
Human nature is ever restless in its
desires apart from God. There is a
craving for novelty and excitement not
only in physical things, but in things OF
the spirit as we'll as race. And as in
dividuals there is the one thing necea-
eary, be it ever so Elusive for the per-
fection OF human affairs. Restless as
Nthe tempest-tossed sea, as breaker fol-
lows breaker on a sandy beach, the un-
7egenerate man knows no repoae to his
g0ul. Is it any surprise that in such a
condition be should be prey to the de-
signing acts of men? The graces and
the flowers OF rhetoric charm and allure
even when the teaching is OF the most
pernicious kind and can but led astray.
Again: modern fiction especially of the
realistic school has created feverish and
libidinous desire for highly spiced intel
lectual food. Works are presented to
our notice not on the strength of compe-
tent critics, but on the score of editions.
A certain section of the public press,
and we are glad to note exceptions in
Los Angeles, presenting disgusting
details of immortality and crime, has
much to answer for on this score.
The public taste has been fearfully
debauched by sensational writer's. It ia
not to be expected that with the mind
influenced, the heart debased, there
should be love for the pure word of