The Portland daily press., 1896-02-03
"A MAN IN CHRISTI
DIR. Parsons Address ON Theodore
RunyOn.

Runyon.
| He Was Four Years Pastor of the Late
German Ambassadors' Church in N ew-
ark, n. J.-His Tribute Very Interesting
and EIoquent-Incident of His Incor
ruptibility as Characteristic Story OF
His Remarkable Conversion.
At the Chestnut Street Methodist
church yesterday afternoon, Rev. DR.,
Parsons, the pastor, delivered an address
upon the life and character of the late
Theodore Runyon. For four years from
'Ss to 1872, DR.. Parsons was pastor of
Judge Runyon's church. 1t was st.
Paul's church in Newark, the largest
and richest church in New Jersey.
DR.. Parsons took his text from Second
Corinthians, 1879. GOA man in Christ. -
He said in substance:
believe this to be the highest title that
may be bestowed on human being and
the wonder and glory of it Is that every
man may have 1t and every man ought to
have it. With 1t, life may not be count
ed failure, without it, life may not be
counted success. Upon no man in this
generation can this title be conferred
more worthily than upon the distinguish
ed citizen and Christian who last Mon
day morning finished his course in the
distant city. But beside this supreme
attainment there are qualities and in
endowments possible to..one which make
for success and renown and Righteousness.
These also our brother possessed in an
even astonishing degree. leading up
to my main point will speak of these
incidentally. TIE first thing that i'm
presses one in the life of Theodore Run
yun is that he was well born. The an
cestral line may be traced for nearly 300
years. The paternal ancestor was a
French Huguenot. He married an Anglo
American and the blending of these
strong races gave to the country strong
and stalwart citizenship.
The best blood, Drawn and brain of
our viIile people were united in Theo-
dore Runyon. In this respect he was
marked contrast with some famous
by inherent force climbed to the top. His
surroundings were never crude Or rude
Educated in the best schools he had a
splendid start in life. He made the most
of it and for this, honor and admire
him.
DR.. Parsons here gave briefly an out
line of munyon's life, such as has so re-
Gently been published in the press Of the
county. He continued as follows:
Fifty years, almost to day, Of active
life. from 1916 to 1896, and he crowded
them full
Theodore Runyon was absolutely an
honest man. Everybody thought so, and
everybody said so. straightforward, un-
eluiyocal. upright. downright, with u
directness in speech that amounted to
yea, yea. nay, nay-this is undoubtedly
true of him.
His mind worked in perfectly straight
lines and SO did his Judgment and con-
science. He had the will of "a Cromwell,
the tenaoity of Grant and the heart of
child. In versatility he was exception
al; in public speech. he was a marvel
on the bench, cool, calm, deliberate, re-
lentless but logical but on the public
platform, on any great occasion he famed
into passion of fiery eloquence. If a
philosophical address was needed or a
scholastic GRAFTON, no one so fitted to de-
liver it as he, and in mood and temper
exactly adjusted to the demands of the
case. And he could preach the Gospel
He had the even balance Of symetrical
endowment. He absorbed knowledge.
The photographers plate is not more SON.
sitive to impressions than was he.
"What are you reading CHANCELLOR
said brother lawyer to him one day on
the train.
sob, I'm just amusing myself with
Horace
He read the classics as other people
read mag azinos and the latest books
One Sunday morning after preaching,
he stepped to my side in kindly greeting
and said, "There is another point I W ish
you had brought out today in your sub
jeot and that is a thought suggested by
the Greek te1t," and when he mentioned
IL, u W0Oi0 ucOu OIL llRuL UuTSb Oh bll6
subject. Any minister with an auditor
who knows the original languages Of
the Bible so perfectly, that when the text
is announced, he can repeat the original
from memory, will be very careful not
to make careless statements.
Yet a more kindly and appre ciative
listener preacher never had. Alert,
wide-awake, sympathetic lis face was a
mirror of how The sermon was moving.
AS a lawyer he held the first rank in
his profession. The largest rewards of
legal practice were ready for him, but no
fee was big enough to enlist his services
in all unjust cause
He was not a graspins man. He gave
his state the beet fourteen years OF his
life on the bench for salary not one
fourth MS much of the fees Of his practice.
The New York Tribune i'll an almost
extrayagant editor ial says of him:
Theodore Runyon was without doubt
one of the most cautious, able and mod
est jurists in the country. He seemed
at times to be almost unconscious Of his
marvellous power as pleadcr and often
ignored rich cases when their acceptance
would interfere with one that he was
conducting with all the power of abso