Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-26

bers of the church, as they have been quite
confident from the beginning that DR.. Tai
mage would, under the peculiar circum-
stances now existing, be glad to come to
Washington to work. He is to be CO.
pastor of the church. of equal authority
with DR.. Sunderland, and will probably
preach one-half of the sermons. 1t is not
certain whether he will take the Sunday
evening services regularly or not. but he
has expressed a tentative preference for
those services, and such an arrangement may
be made.
The Letter of Acceptance.
In his letter to the committee, Of which
Elder Wight is chairman, which was dated
yesterday. DR.. Talmage said Dear Breth-
rem: The call signed by the elders, deacons.
trustees and members of the congregation
of the First Presbyterian Church of Wash
ington is before me. The statement con-
tanned in that call that you do earnestly,
animously, harmoniously and heartily,
not one voice dissenting desire me to be-
come co-pastor in your great and historical
church has distinctly impressed me. With
the same heartiness I now declare my ac-
ceptance of the call. All of my energies of
my body, mind and soul shall be enlisted in
your Christian service. l will preach my
first sermon Sabbath evening, October 21."
To BE Trnnsferred Formally.
This delay of over a month in the for
NAL Inauguration of DR.. Talmage's serv-
ices here is made necessary by the fact
that certain preliminaries must be OBJ
served before he can become member
of the presbytery of Washington city. or
course he could occupy the pulpit of the
First Church in an informal way before
that event is consummated, but this would
not be deemed regular or proper under
the circumstances. He is now member of
the New York presbytery. and must be
formally transferred to Washington. By
an odd coincidence the TWO presbyteries
meet on the TIN Of October, and an effort
will be made to have all the red tape of
the proceedings unwound on that Occa-
sion. If by some accident the papers could
not properly be laid before the Wash
ington presbytery in time it is possible that
special meeting will be called for this
purpose.
Installation Services.
After the formal transfer of DR.. Tai
mage from one presbytery to the other has
been effected, and his name has been en-
rolled here, it will be necessary to install
him as co-pastor of the First Church. This
ceremony is an important one and is usu-
ally the occasion of considerable effort on
the part of the church. With so promi-
rent man as DR.. Talmage the subject of
installation, the ceremony is apt to be
unusually interesting. In note to DR..
Sunderland he has expressed the prefer
ence that the installati tion should take place
Wednesday or Thursday evening, October
% or "a. DR.. Sunderland will write at once
to DR.. Talmage to inquire for his prefer
ence as to the pastors who Will be invited
to preach at the installation services.
There will probably be three addresses, and
DR.. Talmage will be asked the usual con-
stitutional. questions by the Washington
presbytery.
Coming Here to Reside Prominently.
DR.. Talmage's son is pastor of a church
at Pittsburg, Pa, and he has invited his
father to preach there the first Sunday in
October. That will probably be his last
sermon before he becomes co-pastor of the
First Church Of Washington. and 1t Is ex-
pected that he will move here permanently
shortly after that occasion. He expects to
dispose of his house in Brooklyn by lease
or sale and to take up a permanent resi-
dence in Washington. 1t Is well understood
that Dr. Talmage has long wished to oc-
cupy a pulpit at the national capital, as
he has great fondness for the city, where
he has a number of intimate personal
friends. Among these is DIR. Thomas Chal-
mers Easton. pastor of the Eastern Pres
byterian Church, who was his co-pastor in
Brooklyn for number of years. A propo-
sition was made to him some months ago
by local people for him to come to Wash
ington and preach in Convention Hall, just
as he occupied the New York Academy Of
Music last winter. He was seriously con-
siuerlHS lHlS, IL iS Sdlu, WHen ne was cdlleu
by the First Church.
DR.. Talmage's Career.
Rev. DIR. Thomas De Witt Talmage is a
native Of New Jersey. He was born at
Bound Brook in January, 1882, and was
educated at the University of the City of
New York. He did not graduate from that
institution, but determined to enter the
ministry, and completed a course at the New
Brunswick Theological Seminary, gradual
ing from there in 1856. He was at once
ordained pastor of the Reformed Dutch
Church in Belleville, N. J. He later went
to Syracuse, and from 1862 until 1869 he
preached in Philadelphia. During the civil
war he was chaplain Of a Pennsylvania
regiment. In 1869 he was made pastor of
the Central Presbyterian Church in Brook
lyn. N. Y. which was the church which was
recently burned for the third time. The
\Srst Tabernacle, which was the name given
t0>Dr. Talmage's later church ediices, was
built in 1870, and had seating capacity of
3,4OO. 1t was enlarged the next year to
seat 500 more, but was destroyed by fire
December %, 1872 Work was begun at
once on a new tabernacle which was dedi.