The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-10
COMES TO STUDY OUT west
REV. JENKIN LLOYD JONES WILL
LECTURE THROUGHOUT
THE STATE.
BUDDHISM MAY GET BOsTON. BUT
WILL MAKE No HEADWAY
IN CHICAGO.

Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones of Chicago, as
sociate professor at Chicago University
and Secretary of the Worlds Congress of
Religions, arrived in San Francisco yes
terday evening on a tour through the State
81 left Chicago in the proverbial biz
zard, and of course found sunshine and
balmy breezes on reaching California.
was prepared for that" The professor.
however, added that he had not come to
enjoy the climate so much as to study the
mental and moral condition of the people
of California. Everything here is several
degrees newer than it is even in Chicago
and I want to find out whether the people
are more advanced than in the middle
West. 1t is an interesting sociological
study, and one that [ mean to make the
most of.
ut seems a strange thing to say, but so
far what has impressed me most is the
desert. 1t was good to see something
| where man was not, and that he did not
covet-in fact the desert is the only thing
| | have seen for long time that man did
not want There is a great sermon in the
gospel of the desert"
| Mr. Jones, who is the guest of Leslie W.
! Sprague, will preach twice at the Second
| Unitarian Church, once this evening and
once next Sunday, during his stay in this
city, though the desert will not be one of
| his themes. He will also deliver lectures
on literary subjects at both the universities
and in Golden Gate Hall, and at the Sec
| ond Unitarian Church.
Speaking of literature" said Mr.
Jones, 4 consider the dramatist and the
novelist the greatest preachers of to-day.
| Mrs. Humphry Wards 'Marcella' is a
pure tract for the times, although the
writer has had art enough to make it a
great novel at the same time. Another
writer over whom the Chicago profession
is enthusiastic is Henrik Ibsen. To me, -
he said, "Ibsen is one of the bitter-sweet
tonics of modern literature. There is a
| wholesome discomfort to be found in his
works, and though he has never arrived at
any great conclusions himself he has
forced men to think. 1t is mistake to
call lbsen pessimlst. He may be short
| range pessimist, but he is a long-range
| optimist. That is, he thinks that things
will be worse before they are better. but
that ultimately men will learn by bitter
experience, and will overthrow the evils
that have crept in through the present cor
rupt condition of society"
! When asked whether Chicago was his
native heath the Unitarian minister frankly
stated that he was born in Wales. 81 was
an enterprising infant of a year old though
when | emigrated to America" he added
land l brought my father and mother
with me. Since then L have lived princi-
pally in Chicago"
One of the lectures that Rev. LLOYD Jones
will deliver is entitled Parliament al
Religions, and What Next?" In reply to
question as to what sequel he expects the
professor declared that the parliament had
sounded the death knell of sectarianism
at made even Christianity realize that il
is one of a family-the best born and the
noblest maybe, but it has brothers and
sisters. The parliament showed the uni
versatility of religious instincts, and out o.
that comes recognition of the unity of al
men,"
When asked his opinion of the fact that
Buddhist missionary had recently bepur
propaganda of his faith in San Francisco
Mr.; Jones remarked with an air OF surprise
and gentle sarcasm: "Wen I have hearG
that the Buddhists had hopes of capturing
Chicago we are too good Christians to ql
to the lengths of San Francisco and Boston
though we realize some good in Buddhism.
And then the Rev. Mr.. Jones looked
thoughtful, as though he were beginning
to ind more interesting sociological studio
Id the west than he had anticipated"