The morning call., 1893-07-09

most fiercely upon his favori;e topic. and
can do no better than give his own words:
Il have written twenty-five books, but
I'm not an author; I'm parish minister.
[ don't care snap for the difference be-
tween BalZac and Daudet. That isn't i'm
portant in life. / do care about the diff
ference between the classes Of men who
migrate to this country of mine"
Here | interrupted him:
us it better to do twenty things than
one?"
mot best for every one, but for man
who writes forty sermons year 1t is bet
ter not to get in to one rut. To write those
sermons we'll he must come into touch
with forty things or forty men. AS man
of letters, | say the same thing. An au-
tt or must bs an all around man and take a
many-,lded view of life. My friends think
it harms me. say it does not"
Although / was burning to ask vital
and perhaps an impertinent question. for
as he was so kind to me ljwished not to be
intrusive, / waited while he chatted abou
his connection with Harvard.
It's one of DR.. Hale's happiest men,
cries that he was an oyerSeer OF Harvard
University when the modern plan was
introduced of having more than one per-
son to take charge Of the chapel services.
The new custom was initiated by ap-
pointing the clerical members of the
overseeIs and faculty to take the chapel
in turn. DR.. Hale thinks that there were
nine of them. SO he took ninth part.
That system in turn gave way 10 the
present system by which five or six men
are appointed annually. Each in turn
is given room in college so as to enter
into intimate pastoral relationship with
the boys. This system has proved
wonderfully successful. In the Inaugural
ton of each of its phases DR.. Hale was
senior in the board and heavily influential
in the working of the experiment. 1t is
not to be wondered at that OF the expert
ences of his long life he values making the
acquaintance of couple of thousand Of
This is only another illustration Of DR..
Hale's wide sweep and Influence.
"Dr. Hale, you yourself have limited at
it. namely, that the worst thing your
friends say about you is that you have
too many irons in the fire. Do you think
that thereby you nave missed an oppor-
turity in lifeP"
Il am glad you asked me that question. !"
He reassured mo with his most winning
smile. 81 don't think | have" he said
slowly. II might have written better
verses: by the way"-I thought he was
changing Tie subject-"1 am just editing
collection of my verses for Roberts
Brothers. to DE called For Fifty ears.
On the title page this quotation from the
Ingham PAPERS will be printed as motto
for the poems. Read it aloud to me"
Judge how | was moved AS l read the
following words to him:
poor Ingham was painfully opscious
that he had no peculiar genius for one
duty rather than another Ii 1t were his
duty to write verses he wrote verses; to
Law telegraph he laid telegraph; TO fight
slavers he fought slavers; to preach SER
mons he preached sermons. And he did
one of these things with just as much
alacrity as the other; the moral purpose
entirely controlling such mental apinesS
or physical habits as he could bring to
bear
AS my voice died away among the vol
umes it flashed across me that IN these
words could be found Dr. Hales mental
and spiritual biography.
as this your epitaph?" l asked very
soberly.
II am willing to stand by this as my
epitaph." he repeated after me In his
gravest tones.
Now this scene was not an interview.
but a revelation, ard l felt that II was
good to be there" But. as an engage
ment called us to go out together, we
arose.
Il wish you could have seen more of my
parish work" he said, as he walked in the
rain He required to his favorite topic
eagerly. "for that is my real life"
"SeImonse" The word started him off.
II have no patience with the idea that it
takes six days of grinding TO write a SER
mon. What nonsense! A sermon consists
of about $500 words. l take cup Of cOf-
fee before breakfast and write about SIX
rages-that is $50 words. In the morning
| dictate to my aman1ensiS 1900 words. l
am ensely nteres ted in the subject and
this takes only quarter of an hour. In
the afternoon | look it over and add 500 or
800 words and the sermon is done. In all,
| haven't put my hand for over two hours
to paper"
Although I have written sermon or
two myself, and had different experience,
did not argue the point. have faint
suspicion that it would take most people
fifty years of experience to arrive at such
a wonderful facility.
Power? Where did DR.. Hale get the
strength to carry through his hundred du-
ties? Editing, writing. aiding public
work ana public and private charities. cor
respondence-for he is the busiest man in
Boston, and his business increases upon
him week by week in an appalling ratio.