The San Francisco call., 1896-04-07
Asks Methodists Why They Try
Their Strength Against
Israel.
PASTORS HEAR IN SILENCE
The Baptists Say Cutting Things About
the Useless Miracles of
Theosophy.

should you not inquire before measuring
your religious strength against that of
1srael?'
1t was to these words and others in the
same strain that the Methodist pastors
listened yesterday morning from the
mouth of Rabbi Voorsanger. The rabbi
was not down on the printed programme
OF the day; in fact, his advent was a sur
prise to most of those present. but two
weeks ago committee of pastors, DR.. w.
K. Goodwin being president indorsed
little mission to Christianize Jews, which
has been started at Cambrian Hall on
Mission street. Yesterday Rabbi Voor-
sanger went to their meeting to tell the
pastors his mind about that Endorsement.
II understand" began the rabbi. THAT
the Methodist ministry has indorsed a So
called Christian-Jewis mission. l have
no wish to interfere with your domestic
policy, but l should be extremely sorry if
that vote had been given under misap-
prehension. 1t was stated that the
strength of Israel was waning, that Israel
was ripe for the ingathering. That is not
so. Israel was never so strong as it is to-
day. | do not speak on any narrow
minded grounds, but do not believe you
would wish to lend yourselves to an un-
dertaking under misapprehenson. Israel
is 10000 strong in the United States to-
day, and | want to tell you this, that
there is not SO much to trouble about in
the spiritual condition of the Jews as there
is in the need to convert the thousands of
heather living in the United States. The
Jew is not heathen; he is what you
would call Christian in his ethics, though
his philosophy is different"
The rabbi proceeded to give brief his
tory Of Christian Jewish missions, which
he said in London, Belfast and other
towns had been the history of a set of
frauds imposing on good Christian people,
and he limited, in no yelled terms, that the
same might be said of the Jewish Chris
tian mission in this City.
IF man cannot stand an inquiry why
should he be patronized? There was an
individual in this City who said he was
descended from David. I tell you that
man lied. can give you proofs, in black
and white that every Jew converted has
been converted at the cost OF $4,000
When | know that man has lost his
character among his own people, when he
poses to you as a great high priest, it is
time TO denounce him."
The rabbi, as he descended from the
platform, hurled this Parthian shot at the
assembled pastors: There are 800, 900
Protestants in this City, and only 10000
are communicants. l am ready to help
you to gather in the rest but leave us
alone.p
The Methodist pastors had listened in
silence to the whole address. at it's con-
clusion the silence remained unbroken.
III. Chester and Charles Katie had been
the two gentlemen from the jewish
Christian mission who had sought their
cooperation, but no one asked whether
either or both of these missionaries was
= Y Of poI ~ a.
Citations. When questioned on the subject
of this silence afterward a prominent
Methodist divine said: "The fact is that
we none of us knew how to act. Rabbi
Voorsanger had the floor and was in a
sense our guest; no one liked to get UP
and argue, so we just sat there in embar-
rassed silence"
Distinguished guests with few sting
ing words to say seemed to be raining on
the Methodist pastors yesterday. After
the rabbi, in silence that could be felt
had taken his seat, Miss Susan b. Anthony
was introduced and proceeded to tell the
pastors why, from political standpoint,
munity than members of the disenfran-
chised sex,
81 am here,' said Miss Anthony, "to
talk to you in favor of having the word
male struck from your constitution.
What ask of you is to use your influence
with your party, whichever party it may
be, to have suffrage plank put in your
platform. l ask this of you preachers be-
cause-I hate to say it-but your political
influence is scarcely more than mine, as
woman; and why? Because the ma jority
of your constituents are women" Miss
Anthony concluded by begging her hear
ers to work for the carrying of the
amendment.
The paper of the day. by Rev Chandon
Fair was entitled What / Know About
Chinatown" The speaker gave an inter
esting account of the Mongolian quarter
and ridiculed some erroneous ideas respect
ing it, as for instance that which asserts
that the chief food of its inhabitants con-
ssts OF cat anddog flesh. The paper ended
with an eloquent comparison of the effects
of Christianity with those of heathendom
Baptist Preachers.
Theosophy was the subject discussed at
the Baptist preachers meeting yesterday.
Rev. G. H. Medhurst, pastor of Santa Clara,
read paper on the subject, in the course
OF which he said: "Theosophy is nothing
but modernized Buddhism, though this is a
fact which the theosophists themselves
strongly deny"
In proof OF his assertion Mr.. Medhurst
compared the beliefs of theosophy and
Buddhism to show them to be almost iden-
tlcaI. lie explained now, according to the
law OF Karma, the sufferings and woes
sometimes inflicted in this life, on ap-
parently innocent people, were explained
on the assumption that they were the ex-
plat OF sins committed in previous
state of existence, and the speaker added:
"Theosophy and Buddhism have much food
for the brain, but little for the heart
"In that respect theosophy has fallen be-
low its Buddhistic parent, for we read that
Buddha wrought miracles for the good of
humanity, and by that means converted
many people. The theosophists also work
miracles, but they are always among them
selves, and consist of bells ringing when
there are no bells. roses falling from the
ceiling and other miracles which accom-
plish no good to humanity. The people
who do these things should take lesson
from Christian miracles"
In the discussion some of the pastors
thought it was well to study theosophy, in
order to combat intelligently the argu-
ments of members OF the flock who might
have been ensnared by it's allurements:
other pastors thought it wiser to leave the
osophy severely alone, but I. D. Woods
said: "What on earth is the use of drop-
ping roses ana scratching around on cell