St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-12-13
BOSTON LETTER.

y
preaching. And very good preaching i
was, too.
The Shawmut Congregational church
here has inaugurated for the winter {
series of meetings on alternate. Sunday
evenings, which shall be addressed by
some of the most eminent men anc
women who can be secured These adj
dresses will not of necessity be primarl
w of a religious nature but the ultimate
end aimed at, in thus bringing some O
the brightest minds Of the present age tc
bear upon the complex problems which
now confront the modern church, is the
advancement OF Christianity and the
good of mankind,
1t was at one of these meetings that
Mrs. Deland spoke, and the announce
ment that this well known and success
full writer was to speak upon the "Moral
Power of the Novel," was sufficient to
fill the church.
Mrs Deland began by saving that it
might be asked what the novel had to
do with Sunday night, that she should
speak there, but she thought that any
thing which had to do with human life
had to do with Sunday night or any
other night. The primary object of the
novel was entertainment, and to have
any value whatever novel must be
true to life. In spite of the opinion OF
many eminent writer's she believed that
the novel should have a purpose but
this must be subordinated to the enter
tainment, else the reader was left a sadder
and not wiser man. The novel must
deal with love, not the love of Edwin"
and Angelina, which lis only the dawn,
but the full moon which we older people
have found love to be-"
The novelist summed up her address in
these words: Let us read and know
that what we read is true. Let us hope
because what we read is true. Let
us love because what we read is true And
then let US get about doing our duty to
humanity as we only can when we work
with truth and hope and love-"
Mrs. Deland, have been told by a per-
son who knew her as child, was
brought up under something of the strict
restraint which she pictures in John
Ward, and rebeled against it. 1t is a
pleasure to know that those of her rela-
tives who thought her course wrong
then are now most proud OF her. In this
address she relates that as girl she read
Ouida surreptitously in corner of the
library, and Miss Mulock hidden in the
garnet, where | lay on an old green
chest, kicking up my heels in the air"
She had felt that these indulgences were
wrong until one day her old pastor, for
whose opinion she had the greatest rev.
erence, surprised her by saying that novel
reading had its value, and might under
some circumstances be religious duty.
That was all she needed. He had said
that it was a duty, and after that she
did her duty.
Mrs. Deland has a strong, good face,
and sweet, winning voice. She always
dresses quietly, but in exquisite taste.
Her home here in the city is in an old
house on Louisburg Square, quaint lit
tie breathing place on the most aristo-
cratic side OF Beacon HILL Mrs. Deland
is a well known figure in Boston, as she
walks a great deal, accompanied usually
by huge mastiff. Mrs. Deland's hus.
band, it may not be known to every one
is Mr. Lorin Deland, the eminent authori
ty on football matters, who has recently
been placed in charge of the Harvard
team.
Speaking of that part of Beacon Hill
Mr., T, B. Aldrich lives near Mrs, Deland
in beautiful old house on Mt. Vernon
street, which is furnished with quaint
ties of rare old furniture, choice pictures
and brio a-brac, selected and arranged
with such exquisite taste as might b.
expected of a man who writes as Mr.
Aldrich does. One quaint conceit, and ;
charming one, too, is rarely perfec
music box fastened upon the front doc
in such way that the opening of tn
the incoming guest is welcomed by swee
and delicately soft notes, which continu
for a minute or two after the door
, closed.
5 The announcement that Mr.. Mood
= was to speak in Boston recently wa
1 enough to pack Music Hall, at moor
soidly full of people who wished to hea
5 him. Hundreds stood, and so great wa
e the desire to be present that saw on
= venerable Doctor OF Divinity contentedl
S sitting flat on the floor on the edge of TIL
. platform.
, Mr.. Moody, who had not spoken i
c Boston before for several months, wasi
:; excellent voice, and he has evidently los
!. nothing of his old power over audience
n As usual, his talk was rich in apt ilustr;
y ton, and one of the best OF the storic
T, which he told was drawn from an c,
+ perleuce during one OF his early visits t
e England. He had gone over that tin
/. for rest and study, without intending t
T conduct any meetings. 1t so happene,
however, that he was asked to preach
$ 4 certain church under such Circumstance,
+, that he did not feel as ii he ought to d
cline. ThereSult of this sermon was sue
a remarkable awakening to grace tn;
even he was astonished. Itfollowed thu
he conducted ten days service the
t. with a result that neither he nor the pa
If tor of the church, great as was the
), faith, could account tor, until, long aite
wards, they learned that a certain be
Il ridden woman, member OF that churc
L. who had ielt once that she was Who'll
al 6 =