The San Francisco call., 1896-03-19
AT PRAYER-MEETING.
Pastor Brown Read Feelingly From
the Most Beautiful OF
Psalms.

There was one member of the Congrega-
tional church who had the courage of his
convictions sufficiently strong within him
to rise in his seat and move that the inter-
ests of the church would be best served by
pastor whose reputation had never been
called into question.
John Chase, the mover of the motion,
was alone in his expression of opinion,
save for the solitary second which he re-
ceived from some one who was not no.
ticed. And when the vote was taken to
table his motion John Chase of the Chris
tian Endeavor Society of the First Con-
gregational Church arose alone to vote
against the tabiing of vote which if car
ried would have forced Pastor Brown to
hand in his resignation.
Nothing remains of the Brown Overman-
Stockton-Davidson-T Cooper Turk
ish Tea and organ-loft incident except
what aftermath may lie on the ground,
now that the harvest has been gathered
The Congregational churches which sent
pastors and deacons to the ecclesiastical
council may have something to say in
reply to DR.. Browns criticisms of its
methods and in response to his open de-
fiance OF the council by his blunt refusal
to accept its censure. AS was stated bv
Moderator Mclean last Tuesday night,
there is no appeal from the findings OF the
council, but should the churches repre-
sented in the council feel that their voice
has been unheeded or treated with dis
respect, it is in their discretion to with
draw from fellowship with the offending
church.
But of these disagreeable aftertastes
there was no token last night. The inter-
est of the congregation in the incident was
shown by the unusually large attendance
at the prayer-meeting many of the oldest
and most enthusiastic Christians having
been wall-howered.
The pastor looked better than he had at
any time since he placed in the palm of
the Davidson hand those 500 good Ameri-
can dollars in gold and honest currency.
His old aggressiveness, perhaps over
stimulated by his battle of a month, had
become more or less latent, but when it
awoke, as it did when he detied portions
OF the verdict of the council, it was as ro-
bust and ss eager for the fray as a young
pugilist before his first battle.
He again made defense of some things
charged against him. but the keenest and
most receptive ears in the congregation
did not hear even. the dying ghost of a
whisper, not even the rustling of leaf il,
denial or explanation of the untruthful
dispatch which he bad attempted on the
night before to palm off on the San Fran
cisco agent of the United Press. But it
may be that Pastor Brown had so manv
things of so much more Importance on his
mind last night that he forgot to mention
the dispatch and TO explain it in his char
acteristcaIly plausible and eloquent way.
His style of elocution resembles yerv
strikingly that of Actor Stoddart in the
role of the honest old clergyman in
Saints and Sinners" The trick of the
uncertain rising infection at the end of
the short sentences was very apparent last
night. Tender emotion vibrated gently in
the tones of the pastors voice as he made
the opening prayer which was eloquently
worded, and which breathed of confidence
and hope. 1t was just such prayer that
could dovetail perfectly into the hymn
which followed, Rock of Ages" one of
the <grandest, sweetest hymns in Christian
literature, and hardly had its last pathetic
chord ceased its pulsing upon the hearts
which throbbed responsive to its rhythm
when the pastor began reading from the