The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-13

Here is jewel of suggestion for
preachers which we pluck for them from
Charles Reade's ut is Never Too Late to
Mend" Mr.. Eden preached from notes
and to the people-not to the air. Like
every born orator he felt his way with
his audience, whereas the preacher who
is not an orator throws out his fine
things, hit or miss, and does not know
and feel and care whether he is hitting
or missing. "Open your hand, shut your
eyes, and fling out the good seed, 30
much per foot.-that is enough! No.
This man preached to the faces and
hearts that happened to be around him.
He established between himself and
them pulse, every throb of which he
felt and followed. If he could not get
hold of them one way he tried another;
he would have them, he was not there
to fail. His discourse was human; it
was man speaking to man on the most
vital and interesting topic in the world
or out of it; it was more, it was brother
speaking to brother"
-Junius Henri Brown, correspondent,
is permitted to speak for himself and for
a class he terms "meliorists" in the
Forum. The meliorist is not, we take
it, quite aware of himself. Mr.. Brown
is his discoverer as Mr.. Huxley was the
inventor of the agnostic. He does not
flock with the other birds of his feather
as yet but may do so when he knows
himself better. The description given
of him does not make him altogether
fascinating. He discards Superstition"
in his highest evolution. as he exists in
the person of Mr.. Brown. In the lower
stages he may be Christian and even
church member. His one tenet is that
the world is bettering. He holds no
theory or philosophy that requires him
to believe this. He does not come to it
by induction even; he clings to it on in
stipct. We could think of several worse
dogmas to build a sect around; but the
meliorist, it he had been consulted,
would, we must think, have chosen
less inflated and more persuasive evan
gelist than Junius Henri Brown.
One who makes even cursory
study of the rapid evolution of club-life
in our day must be superficial thinker
not to have the inquiry start up in his
mind, What is to be the effect of all
this on home life? If club life were
maintained and resorted to by the un-
married only the inquiry would still be
pertinent. For it would be question
whether such life does not unfit one
for the home even where it does not take
away the desire for it. But clubs for
both men and women are patronized
largely if not chiefly by the married.
who have echypothesei, homes to create
and administer. The disquieting thought
intrudes. that those who are making
some public noise and doing little
good ,.sfor themselves and others. by the
way of the club, often spoil the tone and
destroy the charm of the most indis-
pensable and precious institution of
civilized society. They go out to en-.
large their life; their children also go
out because their life has been cut off
at the root.
BREvITIES.
The late President of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad, Geo. B. Roberts, was
man who rose from the lowest ranks of
railroad service to the highest. He had
unusual executive ability and genius
for devising remarkable methods. We
cherish him particularly as great tenn
perance reformer. He did not intend it,
did not know it; but his decree to have
no man who drank or who frequented
drinking places, in the employ of the
road was an argument for temperance
which carried conviction to thousands of
drinkers.
"A debt of considerable magnitude
may be carried and at length cancelled
by an old and well-established parish.
Such an organization has its roots deep
in earth, its vitality is great and its re-
sources manifold. A young parish
should keep its debt small. A light load
steadies and stimulates; heavy load
depresses and at last crushes.
Intervals of church activity are not
recreative; they are more likely to indi-
cate or to induce decline. When a
church begins to have periods of sus,
pended animation it begins to bargain
with the undertaken. Thenfit is that
pupils are lost from the Sunday school,
families from the congregation. and in
terest from everybody. The life Of
church is continuous; otherwise it is
not life but death.
1t is somewhat stringent time for
churches. The disposition in many
places is to take vacation till "times
are better" 1t is, however, about as
wise as it would be to suspend daily
meals until times are better. DR.. Rex
ford. of Columbus. is multiplying him
self by two or three to prevent such
calamity in places near the city. 1t is a
timely and liberal use of himself. if he
does not overdrsw his deposit of physi-
cal energy. His mental and spiritual
resources could be used in score Of
churches.