The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-16
STATE MINISTER'S MEETING
GENERAL ASSOCIATION OE CONNEC-
 TICUTHERE.

VhS tAhhuhA
 MeetIng-Oficers Elected-Paper Read
 and Discussed-Address by Rev. Dr.
 Anderson-Profess Drummond's Infiu-
 ence on Modern Theological Thought.
 The one hundred and eighty-eighth annual meeting of the General Associ- alton of Congregational clergymen be- gan in this city yesterday and was at from all parts of the state. Three ses- sions were held yesterday at the United church. The work of the meeting closes with the session this moning
 The reports of the morning and after noon sessions are given in another part of the paper
 The evening session was by far the largest attended of any of the services. The newly elected moderator, Rev. J. G. Davenport, presided.
 Worship in the Congregational Churches" was discussed by Rev. Her bert Macy of Newington and in paper written by Rev. c. M. Lamson of Hart ford and read by Rev. MT. Cooper of New Britain.
 Rev. Joseph Anderson of Waterbury read paper on "The Effect of the Work of Drummond on the Religious Thought of the Day"
 The paper was largely taken up with criticism of some of Drummond's writ ings,. with many quotations from his principal books. Dr. Andersaid said, in part:
 T was not personally acquainted with Drummond and did not meet him on any of his visits to this country. When this subject was given to me to speak upon this evening I had never read all his books and had never had any desire to do so The questions which he discussed were not those which my work had led me much to consider.
 II have spent a great deal of time in studying Drummonds books and life recently and here tonight come with fresher conception of his work than I otherwise should.
 The uniform testimony of those who knew Drummond personally is that he was an impressive personality. Men testify to the high excellence of his moral character.
 His work was to a large extent among young men. One writer says that he probably brought more young men to Christ than any other man of the age. He was an evangelist with an evangel that was cheerful to a high degree. His religion was spiritual and lofty without being transcendental. He made no attempt to modify theology, for he was not theologian.
 "The influence he had upon univer- sity men must have had 8 tremendous effect upon their lives.
 Again he exerted a great influence by his books, some of which had very large sale. Of the Greatest Thing in the World ,000 copies were sold. It may be doubted if any novelist of the age has had so large number of read CTS as has Drummond.
 His writings are semi scientific and philosophical. He was more than a scientific narrator of facts he had witnessed. He was an enthusiastic propagandist, a teacher who liked to impress his own view of things upon others.
 His natural law in the physical world was at attempt to prove the sway of natural laws in the spiritual world. It is in some respects a. remarkable book, but as a scientific book it Is a complete failure and unsatisfactory. One in reading it is impressed with its laxity of definition and the futility of the effort with which it was under- taken.
 "He has used the term law in sense which every scientist must reject. He seems to affirm the oneness of all nature. He does not seem to think that the two fields of the natural and the spirit ual are so distant that the same law may not apply.
 ''He tries to show that he has discovered something new and more substantial than analogy. He is chas- ing will-O'- -the-w wisps. He presents him. self in this book as a. s1illful acrobat, equal at home in the air and on the ground.
 His Ascent of Man. written in ma ture years, in purpose and achievement IS d great WOlh dllu we'll WOTIn SIuUy ing. It constitutes a distinct and valu- able addition to modern thought in that 1t has spiritualized evolution. The aims of the Ascent of Man is to show the place of altruism in the struggle for existence. He connects with the struggle for existence the struggle for the life of others.
 Do you ask if his position will be sustained? It cannot be said, but ] can discover no essential distinction be- tween the position taken by him and that taken by the great scientists. "Drummond said that an unsound thinker was treated with less respect than drunken man. and he himself lived to realize the force of his own remarks He bore without complaint the denunciation of those who opposed him.
 "Dr. Watson said that it was signifi- cant that the finest evangelist of his day should be treated as a Samaritan As for DrummOnd, he was not scientific enough to satisfy the scientists and not religious enough to satisfy the religion ists."
 The programme for to-day is as fol lows:
 Morning, g to F. Devotional service.
 Papers, followed by discussion of top ics-
 The Bible as Literature" Prof. L. B.