Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-06-03

| cluded Mr.. Bcauchamp read posta'
| from Rev. DIR. A. Coke Smith. who was
TO have been the speaker OF the evening.
announcing that, owing 10 the death OF
| one OF his parishioners he would be
unable to leave Lynchburg.
| Mr.. Beauchamp then presented Rev.
| DIR. starr az a substitute for the Lynch
| burg preacher. and he. after saying that
| he feared the gathering would like TO
| swap him Off for rose-geranium ana
set him out, made a most Interesting ana
instructive and intensely humorous adj
dress on the purposes OF the literary de-
partmcnt OF the Epworth League.
WANT AN ALL-ARoUND MAN.
| In the outset the minister laid down
| the proposition that an all-around mar
| Is like n buzz saw. and II made OF true
metal. was sure to be heard from when
| In action. Dr. Starr then dlscuss.d
psychology. and at length described 'hc
genus known as "cranks.' drifting o',
| in his speech. he told OF the needs OF
| the church. and said that its greatest
need was n goodly number OF young
men and women with vigorous minds ana
| ip,elIectual culture. This, he said, was
what The Epworth League Literary Dc
| nartnent was striving TO supply tne
| Church with. and read the OBJECT Oh ,he
| denartment as set forth In It's constitu-
| tor. ,.., A.
Dr Starr elorified the constitution to
| come Ittle extent and addressing nm
| self directly to the leaguers, sald IN
most emphatic manner that any league
unwilling 10 stand TO that constitution
should withdraw and disband. lie thei,
reverted TO the literary department, ana
smoke of the refreshing influence of the
RibIe. II Is a great mistake. he saln'
for people to imagine that young folks
can't be interested in Bible talks. They
would all revel In it, If properly edu-
Gated therefor. and he illustrated his as
sertion by detailing several unique
schemes for attracting interest III inc
Word which had met with great success
GET THEM STARTED.
All that is necessary, said DIR. Starr
is TO get people started In reading the
bible. They are bound to get interested
I'm IL. and when they DIG, the truths VIII
flow TO their hearts and minds so fast
as TO make il hard for them to cease
reading it. AS an illustration OF tne
necessity for Bible study, DR.. Starr tod
of several amusing answers given to
biblical questions by Sunday-school chill
dren.
The speaker touched on ecclesiastical
history at this juncture In his address
and told incidentally how greatly ne
honored all denominations. Growing
humorous. he said all Christian denomi-
nations are somewhat similar. but
cannon and telescope are, too. 1t is
dangerous. though, he said, to look down
the muZzle of cannon, even thousn
ones object may be to make selehlihc
discoveries. If perchance the cannon
should explode, something a telescope
wouldn't be guilty of, the investigator
might be rewarded. He might see stars,
but again he might not have time TO see
them.
DR.. Starr defined the difference between
the Church militant and the Church tri-
umphant: eve are all members of the
Church militant and ! venture to assert
that few of us desire just yet to become
members Of the Church triumphant. Wed
rather stay here for awhile. l bless God
FOR that earthquake OF the other day,
for | can use il tonight. III God can
send an earthquake to shake down
everything that we built yesterday, we
must agree that this isn't the best world
10 live in after all. We will hardly have
any quakes over yonder-1 mean IN
Heaven. | don't care for another quake.
/ am 1uSI Il Hlllt StlilSil, i'hAs bNN - -
His good providence God decides to send
another earthquake. l hope hen send
IL over across the sea. l don't imagine
much harm would be done If spain were
given a little shaking up"
DOWN ON NOVELS.
Reverting to his theme. DR.. Starr spoke
of books, and decried the too free use OF
novels, saying that they were sappins
away the Intellectually of our young
womanhood. "rhere hasn't" he said.
been in the past twenty years a single
romance written which is fit to be intro
duced in our households. The drama is
simply romance on dress parade, and i'm
order to make the drama attractive, ii
is now necessary TO so down into the
Sums to get stars to draw the audience"
DR.. Starr concluded. as he started, with
the assertion that the Church's great
need was an all-around man; the rounded
Christian, and he showed how a million
and n half Epworth Leaguers were
striving to supply this need
"Cling to the Bible" was sung by the
entire congregation. when DR.. Starr took
his seat, and the congregation was dis
missed with the benediction. pronounced
by Rev. DR.. Brown.
There will be three sessions to-day and
aE of them will BE devoted to the dis
cussion of Epworth League work. Bishop
Granbery will make an address tonight.