The herald., 1896-09-28
POLITICS IN THE PULPIT
Preacher Parkhurst Gained
Ideas in Europe
HIS CHURCH WAS FILLED
But Not All Stayed to Hear the
Sermon
New York's Sensational Preacher Still
Aches for Notoriety and Seems
Very Likely to Obtain 1t.
Associated Press Special Wire

Very Likely to Obtain 1t.
Associated Press Special Wire
NEW YORK, Sept. 27.-Rev. Charles,
II. Parkhurst signalized his return from
Europe to the pulpit of Madison Square
Presbyterian church today by preaching
a sermon on the political situation. The
church was filled, number of silver
men who disapproved of the doctors
views, being in the congregation. and
some of these made unflattering COM
ments on leaving the church after the
sermon.
When the doctor was told Of these COM
ments he remarked: "There is more In
this thing than the silver question and
some Sunday in the near future I am
going to speak my mind about the treat
ment of labor by capital. will not
mince words either"
One of the visitors to the church was
Treasurer William P. st. John of the
Democratic national committee. He did
not wait to hear all that the doctor had
to say.
"Mr. st. John is one of our deacons,"
said DR.. Parkhurst, after the evening
service.
The preacher led up to what he had to
say about the campaign in an argument
In which he tried to show that it was
impossible to make anything without
material and npossible to build struc-
ture without / foundation. Among
other things +, said:
I'VE are building forward into the fu-
ture without knowing what we are
building upon or knowing whether we
are building upon anything in particu-
lar that contains in itself the indispen-
sable elements of permanency. Material
commodities in the shape of stocks and
bonds, products Of the soil and manu-
features have the same intrinsic value
in the United States as they had six
months ago. But the idea is in the air
that all is presently to be dumped upon
foundations to fictitious to sustain
the enormous weight of national econom-
les that 1t is proposed to place upon
them. There is a feeling that there are
eternal principles that it is proposed to
mix with an alloy of chiefly human H.
vention and that this incoherent con-
glomeration is to be used in mortaring
up underneath the terrific weight of our
national veal and destiny, and stocks
go down. OF course they will go down
and they will continue to go down till
there is restored the conviction that the
government is to set upon bottom that
will not give.
IT am not here to argue financial ques-
tions, but the present situation in our
country Is an illustration on a porten-
I, T -,
drive home that you cannot move with
vigor, nor strike with effect except as
you feel on the instant the everlasting
fixity of the rock your foot is planted
upon.
National prosperity will come back
when confidence comes back and conf
dence will return when the nation gets
it's foot out of the quagmire and back
to granite. Traffic not only, but all the
relations of our great communal life are
conducted on the credit system, on a
system of mutual confidence, and today
that mutual confidence does not exist
That is the secret of our disquiet. And
attempts are being made deliberately
and in hot blood to crush out all linger-
ing remains of that mutual confidence;
this altar of God as thoroughly false to
the spirit of the gospel and accursedly
reasonable to our collective interests
and national destiny
TALMAGE'S TALK.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27-Rev. De-
Witt Talmage in his sermon at the First
Presbyterian church, today made the
following allusion to the presidential
campaign:
During the last six presidential cleo
| tions I have been urged to enter the po-
litical arena, but never have and never
will turn the pulpit in which 1 preach
into political stump. Every minister
must do as he feels called upon to do
and l will not criticise him for doing
what he considers his duty, but all the
political harangues from pulpits from
now until the Sd of November will not
in all the United States change one vote,
but will leave many ears stopped against
| anything that such clergymen may utter
the rest of their lives''
This statement was followed by a ref
erence to the depression now prevailing
throughout the country, and he said
that never within his memory had 80
many people literally starved to death
as in the past few months"
He believed the country was better off
after every crisis and that the Almighty
would settle the controversy between
the metals.