The Washington times., 1894-10-15
PHILOSOPHER AND POET
Character Sketches Of David Swing
and Oliver Wendell Holmes.
REV. ALEX. KENTS DISCOURSE
Chicagos Noted Preacher Declined to Preach
Gospel of Despair. and All His Thought
Tended to Human Welfare-New England's
Sweet Singer Broke Down Old Prejpdices.

"Oliver Wendell Holmes and David Swing
was the subject of the Rev. Alexander Kent's
sermon at tho Peoples Church, No. 423 G
street northwest, yesterday morning. A good
audience was in attendance.
OF Prof. Swings independence, DR.. Kent
said: ut IS very pleasant to note that though
DR.. Swing has been independent of all de-
nominational connection for many years, he
had kept in friendly touch with large-minded
men of ali sects. He always obtained the
| confidence of the more liberal men of the
Presbyterian Church, from which he was i'm
! PEELED by desire for peace to withdraw.
Prof. Swing had an unusually strong
mentality. He saw truth very clearly and
distinctly, and was therefore broad and com
! prehensive in his thinking. He thought hon.
/ estly and could not therefore avoid trayers-
! ing the lines Of the creeds. This clearness,
| comprehensiyeness. and honesty of thought
are in themselves great elements OF strength
in speaker.
I'm the second place, Prof Swing was very
! conservative sort OF independent. He had the
instinct to lead where the people were pre-
/ pared TO follow He did not alarm or dig
/ courage his followers by getting too far
ahead. He preferred to have them crowd him
! a little rather than TO run any risk of firing
them by too rapid pace. He had practically
! or common sense in an unusual degree. He
! knew how 10 deal with things as they were
! and to take men as he found them. and SO
moved toward ideals by very slow and imper-
| ceptible stages.
swISg's CONSERVATISM.
but the great charm Of Prof. Swing. that
which, based on the solid conservative quail
ties already mentioned. drew people to him
| and held them from week to week and from
! year to year, lay in the wonderfully polite
| and artistic quality of his thought. He
couched his message III words OF singular
| beauty and illustrated il from an imagination
quick TO ali the perfect in nature and art. Add
to this the rare quality that he was a man OF
quick and deep sympathies, of kindly thoughts,
of gentle judgments; man with profound
| confidence il the goodness OF human nature
! and in the gracious purpose OF an all-embrac
ing Providence and, therefore, full of hope
| and encouragement, and 1t is not strange that
all classes OF people unite TO mourn his de-
parture.
In speaking of Prof Swing as a conserva-
tive radical, 1 did not mean to convey the
/ Impression that he was trimmer. | meant
I simply that in matters of social reform he
| was still honestly conservative. Yet some of
his recent utterances would indicate that he
had at least q growing sense OF the terrible
disparity between our Christian profession
and our unchristian practice IN business and
politics. Only one month ago. In the last
sermon he preached he dealt with the recent
/ troubles which have imperiled our liberties,
| and used this language: oh that God by
His almighty power may hold back our ma
/ m from a fsur mn
years that it may learn where lie the paths in
which, as brothers, just and loving, all may
walk with the most OF excellence and the
| most Of happiness.
HIS INFLUENCE MANKIND's HERITAGE.
"Dr. Gunsaulus says OF him, His interest
in theology sprang from such a root as gave
him a profound interest in the problem OF
society Just as he declined TO preach a
Gospel of despair, which left less loving
God than Christ on the throne Of the uni
verse. SO he declined to believe that the best
civilization will permit capital to grow rich
by child-labor and lawlessness to destroy the
public order
He has gone hence, but he has left
thoughts and influences which will make for
human welfare as long as humanity shall
last"
Then Mr.. Kent turned to DR.. Holmes, and
after calling attention to the fact that he was
the last Of his school of poets and philoso-
pliers who had "a touch Of Puritanism and
wrote with a moral;'' he said:
"0ur ideal has changed. Before the war
the ideal of the average American was the
bright man of letters; now it is, unfortu-
natey. the millionaire" Comparing Holmes
with his associates Mr.. Kent said; In the
genality and happiness of after dinner verse,
in growing lyrics OF patriotism, in stirring
paeans, in poems of friendship, and in ne
g -
could equal him.
''Tn his later years Dr. Holmes said: Il
think the cause of my good health is that. al
though not quite teetotaler. l have always
drunk very sparingly: a good remark TO
make over the tea cups, is it not? And have
never smoked.
HOLMES STRENGTH OF CHARACTER.
when we consider the temptations to
which his good fellowship constantly sub
jected him we see here the evidence of un-
usual strength of character. This is some
thin; Young men will do well to make a
mental note of. There is feeling that if one
goes into society to any extent and especially
if he mingles in cOnvivial company, he is
oSl!ged to do as others in the matter of drink
ing and smoking or lose his standing as a
good fellow. But DR.. Holmes is in evidence
that one may be the very prince of good fell
lows and contribute more to the entertain
ment and merriment than any other
} member of the company and yet not SO
much as put a cigar between his teeth.
perhaps it is at this very point that Dr.
Holmes is to have his finest and most whole
some influence on the nation. The type ot
manhood which he represents is exceedingly
attractive and it is free from all those vices
and excuses so commonly found in conspic-
, uously social career The curse of ordinary
good fellowship is that it brings men together
on too low plane 1t involves a kind and
degree of indulgence that robs man who en-.
ters it of his moral character and his self re-
spect
"The church, reacting from this, has sought
to bring the young together on a purely re
ligious plane It would have them find fel
lowship in common religious beliefs, purpo
, ses, experiences Amusements are put unde
ban. This is coming to be thing OF the past
The church is coming to recognize the legiti
macy of merriment and to cultivate wit ant
humor that find their chief function in pro
yoking health-producing activities.
BREAKING DOWN PREJUDICEs.
''Dr. Holmes has been a power in breakinI
down the old preiudices and in bringing
about more wholesome ideal. He has neve
posed as religious teacher, but his writing
have always breathed heathful moral AM
religious spirit. He went to the Unitarian
Church. but in The Poet he says: 'On tn
whole think the old-fashioned New EngIan
, divine softening down into Armenianism wa
about as agreeable as any of them. And her
1 may remark that a mellowing rigorist /
always much pleasanter to contemplate tha
: tightening liberal as a cold day warming u
s to thirty-tWo degrees is more agreeable tha
a warm ono chilling down to the same ten
perature.
.'Dr. Holmes had his own way of discussin
HsAo to from