The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-13
CONGREGATIONAL CLUBS
FIRST FALL MEETING HELD AT SECOND CRURCH, FAIR HAVEN.

An Eloquent Address Delivered Last Evening by Rev. Frank k. Goodspeed of springfield-Subjeot, "savonaro1a."
 The first meeting of the New Haven Congregational club since the summer vacation was held at the Second Con- gregational church. Fair Haven, last evening. There was large attend ance. Supper was served at 6:S0 by the ladies of the church, and 14S sat down to the fine spread. The ladies who had charge of the tables were as follows: Mrs. Willet Hemingway, Mrs. Herbert Barnes, Mrs. Nelson Linsley, Mrs George M Baldwin, Mrs. John Hatha- way Mrs. Allen Huntley, Mrs. Orrin Doolittle, Mrs. George Augur, Mrs. Ed ward Barnes, Mrs. R. G. Davis, Mrs. John Parker, Mrs. J. Clogstone, Mrs. L. P. Mallory, Mrs. R. B. Farren, Mrs. Fred Foote, Mrs. Charles Kelsey, Mrs. John Hemingway, Mrs. Edward Easter. The president of the Ladies Aid society, Mrs. L. F. Deming, was in charge.
 Alter LHS SuppSl, e1uJouA Noo had to the church, which was filled with people. The president of the club, Rev. MT. Luckey, presided, and w, M. Parsons was the secretary Prayer was offered by Rev MT. Clark of Whitney vile. New members were elected as follows: James Totham, George s. Deming, Edward w. Baldwin, J. N. Woods M. D., s. N. Rand and James A. Miller.
 A solo was sung by Miss Klock and a duet, When the Day Breaks" was given by Misses Loveridge and Klock
 An interesting and eloquent address was made by Rev. Frank l.. Goodspeed of Springfield. Mass "Savonarola; Hero, Saint and Martyr" was the sub ject of the address, which was in part as follows:
 "The fifteenth century of our era, coming after the dreariness and winter of the dark ages, has been well de- scribed as the April of modern history. But possibly better description would be to say that this fifteenth century is an Easter resurrection following on the Good Friday of the middle ages, when the altars were dressed in mourn . hushed, the Saviour entombed the cross the dreary symbol of defeat rais- ed above the universe darkness upon the face of the earth, angels weeping and the only music 'Miserere filling the darkened air with tears. But on this new day, this Easter after Good Friday, we can almost celebrate the second nativity in which Christ rises from the sepulchre, ascends to His rightful throne, among the Te Deums and hallelujas and merry peals of bells and angelic hozannas.
 Tt was 8 period of transition, this time known as the Renaissance, this dawn of modern history. The intellect of Europe was waking, from the long slumber of the middle ages The ave- nueS of business proper had been barred more or less for a thousand years by the blighting reign of the papacy; but TOW, at last, in every sphere of life, there were manifest signs of restless ness. The winged and living creature was about to burst forth from the chrysalis. Men could no longer accept the traditional faith, or be content to take things on trust.
 "Girolomo Savonarola, like Livy, was born in Ferrara, in Padna, September 21, 1452 He was from a line of cele- brated physicians. Girolomo was in- tended by his family for the profes- sion of his grandfather, who was court physician of considerable fame, but as in many instances, the future lay wrapped in the disposition of the boy and not in the proposed mould of the parental purpose.
 ''No doubt moral influences which moulded Savonarola came largely from his mother, who was remarka ble wo- man, combining elevation and strength of mind with sweet and gentleness of character. It so happened that these came to live in the house next his own home family of exiles from Florence. There was one beautiful daughter. He asked the hand of the refugees daugh- ter. He was scorned. A Strozzi could never descend to wed a Savonarola. Pride of birth was equally strong in him and the refusal turned his love to hate. God had other purposes for him. So he turns back once more upon him. self and his future.
 His opportunity comes in an invi- tation to preach the Lenten sermons in the Church of San Lorenzo, but before the course is finished less than forty persons remained to listen to the new preacher. As 8 pulpit orator Savona- rola broke every homilitcal rule of his day.
 But he kept on preaching. He championed the liberties of the people. At last Savonarola is supreme in Flor ence. With the departure of the French army the Medici are expelled. But the crowning marvel was to see how one man, simple friar swayed all Florence from the pulpit and al- ways swayed it for good.
 Jesus Christi" he says, shall be the only King of Florence
 For three years he yields benefi- cent and unprecedented sway. But the downfall of Savanarola was pre- cipitated by an appeal made by his en- emies to the ordeal of fire. The great est service Savonarola rendered to the cause of the reformation was the use he made of the word of God. He ex- alted the Bible, and in so doing he sup piled his ungrateful countrymen with a weapon that was one day to lay the pa- pal fabric in ruins and spread the bless ings of civil and religious freedom