The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-03
YESTERDAYS PROCEEDINGS
BISHOP WARREN, READS A 10000
WORD EPISCOPAL ADDRESS.
Secret Meeting Of the Committee on
Eligibility OF Women 10 seats I'm the
Conference.-The. BuckIey's Fight.
special to the Indianapolis journal.

| Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CLEVELAND. O., May 2-There Is a
manifest lull in the corridors of the hotels
tonight. The committees of the quadrennial
VI. Z. conference not yet having been an
nounced. there is no official business de-
manding the attention OF the delegates.
hence this quiet. The principal topic OF
! conversation is the question OF where TO 90
to church tomorrow. Every Protestant pull
pit, English and German, is 10 be filed by
one Of the delegates to the General Confer
ence, and the churches for many miles
around. The committee on public worship
has had hard task in assigning preacher
to each pupit-usually two, one for morn
ing, the other for evening. While many Of
the delegates have a national reputation as
preachers, the majority are 10 fame un-
known outside OF their own conferences. and
some are not much famous even at home;
but the committee has assumed that any ono
who has local reputation enough TO securd
election TO the General Conference may
be trusted to preach at the General Con-
ference. 1t might seem out Of place TO sug-
gest that sometimes they miss It; for del
egates are not always chosen for their pull
pit ability. but more frequently because they
are presiding elders and generally wise in
their administration of affairs; besides. Z
local reputation as a preacher does not al
ways indicate such ability as to warrant
special acceptability IN a strange pulpit es-
peciaIly when there are high expectations.
A quarter century ago and more. at such
an hour this, the question most asked
was: where is Bishop Simpson TO preach
tomorrow There is no such question
now; mean the corresponding question to-
night lacks much of the earnestness that
question had then 1t is largely now a
question of curiosity rather than inquiry
wheh one asks where this or that bishop Is
TO preach. BY those who have never heard
Bishop Foster or have not heard him more
than once. he is most inquired for. There
is a massiveness in his manner that is
charming to those who are listening TO him
for the first time. and many wish TO hear
him again; but there is such sameness in
both matter and manner that those who
think closely are not overanxious TO hear
him twice. He does not always take the
same text but that signifies little with q
man who is preaching to-day where he
never preached before and never expects 10
preach again, or with the few preachers Of
the local conference who had heard him be-
fore or are likely to never hear him again.
With a new text most ofth ese will listen 10
his old sermon with zest. easily condoning
any repetition of former sermon. invari-
ably repeating:
THAT mercy TO others show
That mercy show TO me-"
But the Bishop Foster of 1896 is not the
Bishop Foster of the eos. Age is telling on
him much more than he is willing TO admit.
His physical powers are holding UP much
better than his mental. This may be dis
puted by many who are charmed with the
character of his late books. for he is a pro-
life bookmaker, and has recently put out
some works that are read with interest and
for which Immortality is predicted They
are great books and viii be read by this
generation with pleasure and profit. His
style is inimitably beautiful. so charming
that whenever he introduces a long quota
ton from another author. you instinctively
let down while you wade through the quo
tation and breathe easier and take up the
thread Of the argument In the authors own
language with Increased delight.
Many Of the Bishops books. and sermons
as well, are marked departures from the
stereotyped notions Of his own church even.
so that he has not escaped that crown OF
glory known as charge OF heresy. In fact,
he is the only one of the bishops whose opin-
ion on any current question, theological or
ecclesiastical, attracts any attention. al
though Bishop Vincent occasionally pro,
yokes thought by startling theological
proposition But Bishop Fo<s-Ss greatness
as an original thinker Is his weakness
Twenty-Five years ago and beyond ne was
fairly we'll abreast the scientific thought OF
the period, and his sermons and writings
commanded attention and respect from sci-
enfists while they startled many Of his slug
eish brethren. who feared he would demol-
ish the foundations Of their faith and their
whole theological fabric would toppie- This
was especially the case with his papers ano
sermons. whose foundation was the lmmeas-
urabIe antiquity OF the earth and the slow
nrocesses by which our coal fields and stone
p,,.r~is. cysre nroduced. Rut an aup-fo-
date scientist laughs now at many OF his
scientific propositions. Some time ago the
Students student OF DePauw University. 1t would
have been splendid a quarter OF century
earlier, bat Il furnished fine opportunity
for the 'sup-to-date" boys 20 mark the
nro9ress OF thought even ia the lifetime OF
one man. The criticisms In the class the
next day had no respect for episcopal au-
Nevertheless. Bishop Foster is a grand old
man, now in his seventy-e.ghth year. His
tainIy. for they are found In the ways OF
Righteousness. He Is not so schoAriy as
either Bishop Hesrst for, or sssD hs0 esser 81, ns
more popular preacher. but not as welcome
at a conference either OF these He II
and sgI IN the e. cabnet But OF late years he
spends but little time In what might be re-
garded episcopal work. he keeps COM
petent stenograpier and typewriter. through
whom he does his official correspondents.
while he devotes most of bis time 20 his lit
erary work. producing. as have said. some
books OF rare merit. and which VIII be ex-
tenslvely read by men of this period. 10 be
superseded In short time by later works
on the same topics. as these are 10 crowd
out those which only yester6dy held the
field: but all this or something Ike II IN al
most All the bishops gives point 20 the uocs-<
ton now being informally discussed By al
most every group OF delegates: How shall we
secure a superintendsncy that viii super
Intend? How shall we have body OF chief
shepherds that VIII shepherd the focks IN
stead OF devoting their time to bookmaxinc
and lecturing?
But tonight the interest 10 to-morrow
centers on the proposed sermon OF Bishop