The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-05

were printed and presented to the members
of the congregation, and in almost every in
stance verbal changes were made by him.
The letter sent by Dr. Hall to DR.. Dufneld
and read at the meeting, shows these facts
about the resolutions. Next came the petit
ton from a few under one thousand of The
$500 members of the church. These sigma
lures were those of most eStimable people.
but by no means all of them were names
tanning the expenses of such q church as
the Fifth-avenue.
1t has been seen why the session and pas
tor reached the conclusion that DR. Hall
should retire. The reasons behind the figures
in question are just as readily compre-
hended The Fifth-avenue Church, both in
its old location and in its present one, was
made UP Of Scotch and SCotch-Irish ele-
ments. DR.. Hall, native OF Ireland and
thinker and preacher OF the Scoteh-lrlsl
school, suited these transplanted PreSDy-
terians Recall the names of some OF them.
There We're the Stewards, the one famous,
the other not There were the Maitlands.
And there were the Lenox families of Ii
brary fame, the Alexanders and the Nc
Cooks, with, perhaps, an Auchincioss In
Guided a few people bearing these names 1n.ss
preaching, the old questions, the old Scotch
prejudices, do not interest younger genera
lions, who are Americans and of American
ways Of thinking. 1t is not that these later
Presbyterians are any less sincere Chris
tians. but everyone knows that Covenanter
times are not present times, and that
church customs, like other customs, have
changed; not of necessity grown worse, out
merely changed.
The Fifth-avenue has been q one-man
church. 1t grew up around the personality
of Dr. Hall. 1t was built for him. The sum
of 81. 100000 was invested that he might have
in New York a great auditorium For al
most no other man would this have been
done. While DIR. Hall in his prime the
church prospered. When times changed, and
people changed with them, it did not pros
per. A great weakness of low-church Prot
eStantism overlook it. With the high
church Roman or Anglican Catholic the
man comes and the man goes, but the
church goes on forever. With the low
churchman, the pastor becomes the princl-
pal thing; the church the minor one. The
pastor cannot go on forever. When he cam
not trouble begins. but does not always
end. Said an old friend of Dr. Hall to-day:
II never knew it to fail that when n pastor
announced his determination to resign, and
then reconsidered that determination, mar
mony and often peace refused to reconsider.
/ greatly fear sucn will be true in DIR.
Halls case
Men like John S. Kennedy, William
Sloane and others have retired from the
church, but not on account of personal diff
sign or threaten to do so. not because they
have quarreled with DIR. Hall, but because,
having given very much time and thought
to the interests of the church, and being
overrruled, they retire with still sincere m
tent to serve the church and the cause OF
Christ The same warm friend OF DR.. Hall
quoted above said to-day: mo man can
serve as assistant to DIR. Hall. His only as
sistant must be his servant. and men who
can fill the pulpit as it ought to be filled
will not play the part of servant.