The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-25
AFTER THE FABIAN CLUB.
Rev. c. o. Brown Says That
They Have Made Many
MiSStatements.
THEIR MOTIVES QUESTIONED.
Prominent Religious Thinkers Writ
ing Words of Approval
to DR.. Brown.

Rev. C. o. Brown is not at all perturbed
about the series of resolutions adopted and
issued Monday night by the Fabian Club,
in which he is severely criticised for the
position he had taken with regard to
Professor George D. Heron and that
gentleman's teachings. The resolutions,
Rev. Mr. Brown declares, are full of mis-
statements and were issued with a mali
cious intention of causing trouble in his
church.
ut is well known" he said, "that the
Fabian Society is composed partly of men
who wish to create dissensions in Con-
gregational church if they could. l am
happy to say, however, that up to date
their efforts have signally failed.
"Our prayer-meetings have never been
better attended. At none of them, nor at any
other meeting, has the matter ever been
alluded to directly or indirectly. In fact,
the only time to my knowledge that the
teachings of DR.. Heron have ever been
mentioned within the walls of my church
was on the night of April q, when 1 de-
Iivered the sermon, printed copies of which
have been sent all over the country by the
trustees of our church.
Now l want to say that these men have
made many misstatements. They say that
the address printed differs materially from
the one l delivered. This is not true
There is not punctuation mark changed.
The sermon was written and | read from
my manuscript, at no time varying from
the text. I had that sermon printed in its
entirety"
Here I. H. Morse, one of the officers of
the church, said that he knew this was So.
He had heard the sermon and read the
nir To- nd % there
dissimilarity.
Mr.. Brown called attention to the fact
that the issuance of the sermon was said to
be contrary to the feelings of many promi-
nent members of the congregation. Be-
sides the six who figured in the call for
the meeting at Metropolitan Temple, he
said he knew of no members OF the con-
gregation who did not agree with its senti-
ments. This, he thought, showed that the
church was with him, since there are $50
members.
Every word of that sermon was read to
the trustees before 1t was printed, he said.
| 'They all considered it carefully and ap-
proved OF it being sent out. This shows
| that their statement that some OF the trus-
tees had no knowledge of the contents OF
the sermon till after it was printed is
| false.
They say that one was abroad when il
| was issued. In this they refer to w. F
Whittier, to whom the sermon was sent
first. He read it and advised its circula-
ton, saying that he absolutely and heart.
| lily agreed in everything had said.
| GAS to the prominent members of the
church who they say are opposed to the
action the trustees have taken, l will say
! that l think they do not exist. l have
carefully looked over the membership o.
the church, and among the $50 names can
not find in opposition more than the si1
who signed the call. Mr.. Dexter is dea
con, but he was made one at my request
AS to Mr.. Strouse, he is not only not dea
| con, but never was one. About ten year.
ago he was an elder for nine months bu
has held no office in the church SINCE"
Mr.. Brown said he was receiving letters
from prominent religious thinkers of al
denominations approving his course. Tn,
letters came from ministers, college pro-
fessors and laymen. They were from al
over the country. One was from a mem
Der of the faculty of Yale. Another from
one of the best known professors at Stan
ford University contained the following:
! Please accept my thanks for your discus
| sion of Professor Herron's teaching. l though
at first that you were little too severe in YOU
| objections to him. But have been forced Il
| the conclusion that he is not a fanatic but
| rank humbug.