The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-30
Their Club Dinner at the
Trocadero.
Discussion Was Relative 10 Preach
ing From Two Points Of View.


The members and guests OF the Church
mems Club dined at the Trocadero last
evening and after the menu listened TO
four splendid addresses on "Preaching
from the Standpoint OF the Pulpit ana
the Pew" The list OF speakers included
two olergymen and two laymen, and, as
usual with the discussions at the club
dinners, there was a difference OF opinion
on the part OF the gentlemen called upon,
which added to the enjoyment OF the
affair the Zest which comes from just
tinge OF argument. For instance, Mr..
III i. Parker of Worcester claimed that
the preacher must be highly educated
man and a fiuished orator, while Rev.
DR.. Prali OF Detroit said "no" 10 that,
and stated that's minister, IL he is in
truth a minister of God, need not be
learned, for II he loves God and loves
man he must be eloquent
Mr.. ID. J.. ID. Granger presided at the
dinner and alter announcing the topic for
the evening and making a brief intro
ductory address to show its timeliness,
introduced Rev. George Hodges. ID. d.,
OF Cambridge. Mr. Hodges asked "Why
is the sermon dull?' and then proceeded
to answer his own question.
.sSometimes the sermon Is dull and
somtimes IL Is only the listener, put in
either case the sermon gets the b ame.
'sSt. Paul, the greatest preacher OF all
times. was not appreciated by the people
his sermons responsible for that.
"Sleeping in church is, admit, an opin-
ion, but IL is not an accurate one. Con-
greQational sleep is not natural; IL is
hypnotic. There is the dim light, with
probably just one point of briiliancy over
the aksr that the congregation must
look at; there lis the regular cadence of
the preachers voice and the influence of
the music and bad air. The sermon is
not necessarily duh, but the congregation
sleep. There should be as an annex to the
theological seminary a school for sex
tons with the study of ventilation in the
curriculum.
"The sermon itself may be dull, because
II lasts beyond the limit OF attention.
The parishioners ask too much of the
preacher when they want two sermons
every Sunday. His work becomes con-
ventional; he realizes that he must tax Q
up 20 minutes In the uttersnce of gram
maticsl speech about religion and this
constant routine handling OF holy things
Etulis the spiritual touch and that makes
the sermon duh. Praying end preaching
under those conditions is not religious.
"People want positive resolution In the
sermon they. listen to and they want
Jesus Christ in it..
Mr.. Ii. L. Richards OF Worcester was
the first to speak from the laymen's
point of view and he made many sugges-
tions that met with the approval OF the
score or more OF clergymen who were In
the company. For a text he read the 32d
verse of the 7th chapter of Luke: "We
have piped unto you and you have not
danced"
"The clergymen," he went on TO say.
"are hard working. much-a bused, poorly
paid and self-sacrifclng lot. / wish this
subject was reversed and read The laity
from the standpoint of the pow, for
then could be eloquent. The trouble Is
in the lsziness and selfishness of the
laity, the mon who only go TO church oc-
cssionally when they tire OF the drivel in
the Sunday papers and then they go only
to carp and find fault-they are nothing
more nor less than obstructionists to
church work. The preacher is not to
blame altogether for the decsdence of the
sermon.o
: Then Mr.. Parker: enumerated some OF
the things that the preacher may be held
responsible for. Perhaps he is unfit for
his position because Of lack of education,