The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-09-26


F,ome wonder how the preachers hnd
- CONGREGATIONS will no doubt brisk
nm now that the brisker weather has SCI
=p b,,t in the summer. it is not imDossi
Sible to see of pretty canary-coloreo
-oorning the sold man. dressed up fol
Sunday all except his collar and vest ano
coat living on his back perhaps in the hal
reading the Sunday papers with one o.
tho children tanning him. Then you may
500 mis- wife come along, and not wishing
IN rebuke him in front of the children
asks her spouse please to come INTO nhs
Darlor. she wishes to speak to him. NOV
Iohn.'' seq she, l know you need thu
rest. but the example to the children
honey: if you could just slip on you
coat and be in the pew, it'll be wortl
the sacrifice" Now the question is, VIII.
don't John want to go to church. is
because the Sunday papers are more III
Serest;ng than the preachers. IL thu
be true, then that is one argument a
gainst Sunday papers. NO." says John
IL don't say that" but it is awful dull
going through sermon this morning.
Is John telling the truth? Is the preach
er dull, or John dull, or both dull q
neither dull? You shouldn't speak tha
way in front of the children, say
Mama. but there are others, say
John, .'and with this he begins readin
from the Autocrat the following: 1T 1
not strange that very good people Shout
often find it difficult, if not Impossible
to- keep their attention fixed upon =
sermon treating feebly a subject with
they have thought vigorously about pr
years, and heard able men discuss scoas
OF times. = If you ever saw
crow with king bird after him. ou
will get an image Of a dull speaker nd
a lively listener. The bird in sable plm-
age flaps heavily along his straightor-
ward course, while the other sails arond
him, over him, under him, leaves I'm,
comes back again, tweaks out blck
feather. shoots away once more, nfer
losing sight of him, and finally reates
the crows perch at the same time he
crow does, having cut perfect labyrith
. of loops and knots and spirals whildhe
s.~'nw fowl was painfully working ON
one en- I'd of his straight line to the oths.
onless this be only a clever hit of BAN
ageaye n alnnder ..that is if ny
preacher be duh. what can be the saase,
and can such dullness be cured? But Il
moment-not long ago, an enquiry was
sent ont from the churches TO the work
ing men of England as to whyrmore OF
Them did not attend divine services. The
strange burden Of the answers received
was actually this: that the breaches
did not preach enough about Christ
Perhaps they were too metaphysical A
man said when the preacher didn't I'M
derstand what he was talking about and
the congregation didn't understand it.
that vas metaphysics. This answer OF
these workingmen was very suggestive.
What was the underlying principle that
should cause them to want TO hear about
Christ. Was it because religion thus
has transfused into it the human elc-
ment? If this premise be true, then|
the common people ask for what IS hui
man-intensely human-concretel hui
man. once knew a. preach-|
er-the purest man eyed
knew-a scholar, withal, accurate and
oglcal, above all, however, a man Of thd
,oor. His sermons-or skeletons--for hid
never wrote sermon-were prepared on
ong, narrow thick stiff pieces of cardI
board. can see them now, in spite oil
| glimmer between now and then, then
were beautiful to the child's eye-f
wrought out like etchings The text una
ierscored, the heads, subheads. subj
The handwriting like Greek
script The definition, exposition, iteri
ition, re-iteration, illustrations undeb
aroper headings, peroration, as logical
maj complete and exhaustive as botanI
)ook or Minors Institutes of the Conf
non and Statue law. See them? Howl
many sweet summer morning maps 4
ave had under their presentation against
the bigh-backed wooden bench Bul
emetimes | noticed this good man did
lot have cardboard, he just started
-. -''s' =. .,ssea, -hAd Just so without any
pgical scaffolding around ..sc .haaolse h}
he poor during the week to prepare
ne. His sermon that day had MOI
ONE from the study, but from the sicl
IF in the suburbs somewhere-front
miles of gratitude at a basket of brea&
hat this man had, forsootb, carried of
is arm somewhither, from pallid child
God, from chambers voiceless except foF
obs, and maybe his text had beeh
weeping may endure for a night, but
oy cometh with the morning" THERE
gas no concrete reference to his week
mong the poor, or trace OF personal ref
renee, but his sermon was rather a
fragrant exhalation Of the sorrows and
oys of men and women and children4-
omewhere-nobody knew where. ME
ard-board sermons l have forgotten-sf
ever remembered them-the others
knd so / have sometimes thought If Ia
reacher ever finds himself getting dull TO
hildren, at least, let him throw away
lis books for a week, and put in six
lays of steady work among the poor
hen Saturday morning--or maybe SIT
.rday night--let him sprinkle his heart
RELY with those simple human sayings
II Christ, and wait until Sunday morn
ng. II won't matter then about the text
my one will do that throbs-just take
t and talk, and the flowers will sprirg
I'd in his path like the blue bells of tpe
xlondyke region after night and winter,
md all because it will be human. All this
8 very presumptuous, / hear my pastpr
Jay, and yet come to think about it, IL,
Is a member of the congregation, If npt
Il the church, have right to get up Pm
ny pew and give my experience right
hat is dear to the heart of every su1e-
enough shouting Methodist.
y
Speaking about "the human as a
,ower of impressing and moving and IN
eresting people, actors and actresses ere
,hout as human as any class of people
: know. A play won't "go" unless it is
luman. These people called ''bohemien-
lds' or actresses are not half as bad as
49, ora olya1 IN IN ba yVa oa IN