Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-14
IN the aisies Tor want Of other resting
place. ~ iiHlt III

place. Ut lly H.
Inere were singing ana Scripture read
ing. but the great interest Of the service
| centered In the review Of DIR. Broaduss
career and character by the ministers OF
the conference who had known him. The
| tributes paid TO his memory were without
exception glowing and reverential without
the suspicion Of fulsome praise ior ,ns
dead man was the Nestor Of the Baptist
| faith in the present era. and was pre-emi.
| nentIy the ideal scholar, minister, ana
man.
STUDENTS OLDER THAN BOOKS.
Rev DR. ]. c. Hiden. OF Richmond, was
the FIRST speaker. He had been a teiow
| student with the lamented DIR. broanus W
the University Of Virginia. He toia OF
| his memories of his old colleague Va hen
student days. DR.. Hlden, III speakns "a
| the ethics OF education. said: students
are older than books. There would De
no hooks had there not first been stu
dsr,s There has lately sprung up
| schooI NJ learning that holds the possi-
biIity of studying without learning any,
,b,ng In particular. simply drawing out
| the mind. .,,
| "This was not DR.. Broadus's method.
n. always wanted TO master any SUBJECT
| no attempted He seemed to De porn
| student OF men and things, as wei' as vi
hAn
ra,sr seemed TO and out what was his
rsa, snecialty I'm study. He seemed equal
10 ant I'm mathematics. In the abstruse
nh,Iosophies. and in languages. Thoush
he did not know letter or Greek wheh
- cama IN the university, he took the
degree of Master of Arts In TINS course
\ before ne left 81,
"He studied from the things ABOUT DIM
the horse he rode was lesson W M" ~
no
travelled gave him lessons In engineering
and his walks in the fields furnished him
ui,h many of his most beautiful iilustra-
,ions as they had his Master before MIN.
WAS A PERFECT TEACHER.
.IIis method OF imparting information
was greater even than his facility In ac-
ouiring IL. He could come down 10 tne
level of the most primitive student IN NE
classes and word from him seemed TO
straiehten out the difficulties OF some
Young fellow fresh from the piow az
though the teacher read the thougn's OF
those with whom he was laboring. lie
would talk with the boys who drove his
buggy about the country, and there IS
MANY a man now % or 80 years old In
that mart of Virginia who is a better and
stronger man to-day for those talks during
their ong drives with John A. Broadus.
"Of the books he wrote and the trea-
tises he published. II Is not necessary 10
sneak. nor IL this the place TO speak OF IT,
But If there is one of the many books
that he left as n monument TO himself
that more than any one else will furnish
a key TO his mind and character. IL is his
commentary on Matthew. which could be
read with interest by any one In this
audience.
He was literary man before almost
anything else, but he was man who
understood the art Of using his accom-
plishments without paradlng them. which
is very different matter from parading
accomplishments without using them. This
is very much in line with one OF his own
stories of an esteemed colleague, who
once preached "A classic sermon on the
poetry of the Bible to a large congrega-
ton Of negro slaves"
HIS SUCCESS AS A MINISTER
Or. Broadus's character as preacher
was discussed by DR.. Henry Mcdonald.
Of Atlanta. Ga. formerly OF the Second
church. Richmond. He said: II cannot
help believing that the large majority Of
this audience have heard Dr. Broadus.
and I am glad 10 think So for hearing
one sermon from his lips would do more
to enlighten them as 10 the powers of this
wonderful man than anything 1 could
possibly say.
His power, grace. simplicity, and spir-
ituality were the great distinguishing
marks Of his personality. He never came
"a the messenger OF doubt. half believing
the message he gave. With him a ser
mon was a message direct from God.
and lovingly. trustingly, reverently he
rendered 1t TO his people.
He believed that this word he read
was the Word Of God. He studied IL, he
taught it. he preached IT, One could moi
but delight in his natural grace and dig
nifty as he preached. \ plain. simple man.
without robe or canonicals. who took the
Word Of God and expounded it without
cant in his word or cant in his manner
There was no effort in his address. He
never shot arrows TO show his skill I'm
archery. He never bent he bow of
Ulysses TO show the strength of his arm
He was the same In little country
church or in great cathedral And TO
any audience he was equally clear, edify-
ing. lovable. He saw clearly the law. Of
God. and thus clearly could he enforce II.
THE SAME TO ALL MEN.
He scarcely used the current terms of
theological discourse. He understood
them. but he translated them into the
language of the COMMON people. so that
they scarcely knew that they were being
initiated into the abstruse principles OF
the faith. He did the studying and I'M
ravelling of abstrUse topics in his own
study, so that when the work was pre-
scented to the people 1t was finished. plain.
ready for them TO take to heart
ITO all men he was the same. The
man who understood the classics. the
scientist. and the unlearned man. and
all others, he was the Ideal minister
of God.
II need not say 10 you that not only
was DR.. Broadus simple in his expression.
hnt ha AT tom nj oil ha niOb Of
rhetoric, those dainty children of the
brain of which We are all so proud and
love TO bring out on state occasions. Yet
he was in love continually with his work.
and | think there was upon him the
shadow OF a broken heart when he gave
up the pulpit to enter into the work OF
the institution 10 which he was called
10 give his life.
Every era has its great preachers
They are coming on. The world will
never be entirely bereft. but / tell you
honestly that in many respects John y.
Broadus was the foremost preacher Of the
age. and in his own line Will never be ex-
celled."
ut may be safely said" remarked Dr. |
HARRISON in introducing the last speaker, |
that great az was the fame Of DR. |
Broadus as a preacher and "A scholar. IN |
no direction was he so much felt as i'm his |
personal influence on man, and IL is |
eminently fitting that DR.. r. II. KerfoO,, |
who had been so long and closely asso- |
ciated with him. should speak of him in |
this connection"
HIS PERSONAL INFLUENCE.
'In all my connection with Or. Broad |
u.s." said DR.. Kerfoot. nothing impress |
ed me so much as his personal influence. |
! do not mean the ordinary power OF in |
ducing man 10 do what he wished. but the |
broader sense of putting himself into the |
life of those about him. 1t has been said |
by many that those who were much with |
DIR. Broadus initiated him. But l tell you |
for every man who consistently tried TO /
initiate him there were ten who tried not |
TO be like him and failed.
81 shall not attempt TO analyZe his pow
err: could not; but | must try to speak /
upon some points. Through his books.
even more widely than through his per-
sonal influence he reached men. lie put |
hts own personality into his works SO
that In them he lived again.
Every man who has not read one OF |
his books has missed Just that much OF |
Broadus. When he stood up TO preach. |
however, he was In full sight OF those |
whom he wished to impress. and out upon
his congregation he poured the full mea-
sure of his own DersOnality Then his