The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-18


minister: and that minister saw no
good In sermons 10 men only, and adj
viscd against them" Indeed. he took
sides with the critics. and against the
evangelist.
Another evangelist. who is Familiarity
called 10 Mundy visited one OF our
Southern towns. AMI there met a Bap-
fist pastor who had known Mundy nj the
Seminary. What are YOU doing Mum
dyY' said the older preacher.
''i am preaching. Doctor. / am going
10 preach on Sunday afternoon 10 men
only"
Don't do It, Mundv. Preaching 10 men
only IS evil. top. bottom and sides. IT
you have something you can't say before
ladies'. don't say IT,"
n is difficult 10 see any rational AMI
proper motive that should induce q man
70 announce a sermon to men only"
Wnen such an announcement as made
the crowd that attends win 20 10 'he
meeting expecting 10 hcar-often desir-
ing TO hear-someihinr that a. not clean
enough TO be uttered in The presence OF
women. and go the preacher puts himself
m the serious disadvantapo ~ being un-
der n quasi pledge % talk uncIoaulv.
DOCS anybody know Of a efaid. sober
minded. solid and settled pastor m middle
age. large experionc and established repu-
iaiion' who breaches sermons To men
'nI]i we cannot now remember that
we over heard Of any pastors preaching
such sermons. So FAR ass we have heard
or such sorm0ns-for we have never heard
one-thoy have been preached by travel
ing evangolists; and they arc not easily
defended from the charge that they are
tricks 20 draw a crowd.
Even when no notice IS given OF any
separation Of the sexes. and when. there
Tore, the congregation IS mixed one,
such ovangeiists do not always condne
themselves within the limits Of decent
speech. Rev. Dr. Pritchard. Of Whining
ton, man of tho sweetest and gontlest
| spirit, published "A most able and admiTa-
bic criticism upon the performance ~
the most notorious OF the sln-Chiding
evangelists who held forth FRI Whining
ton. According 90 DR. Pritchard this
mans preaching was so coarse. vulgar.
obscene and profane. that the editor OF
the daily paper could not venture 90 give
verbatim report o. the sermons, and
even sO mild-mannered. and kindly. and
! lOvable man as Thomas II. Pritchard
publicly denounced the evangelist as a
BLACKBOARD
Now, as a matter Of fact, the great
body OF such preachers rs we have been
describing make 10 their special business
10 preach against the vices OF society.
rather than against the sins of indlvd-
uals. and DO small part of their immense
popularity is due TO this circumstance.
! When the preacher denO-lces the vices
of what is called society" The great
body of his hearers ia any promiscuous
congregation can say with Hamlet. Let
the gallcf jade vince, our Withers are
& 81 90
not society people" and hence they can
feel perfectly comfortable. and even be
greatly delighted. when Sam Jones throws
hot shot into progressive euchTe' and
the german" To mako plain people
laugh at the foliios. or even at the vices.
OF the leaders of "the ton" is easy and
cheap. but we ooubt whether it viii do
much good. either 10 tho plain people
or 90 the society people.
When Mr.. Talmage made his tour
among the siums and dcn5 and dance
houses OF New York. in order to ret the
material for preaching "a series of sermons
against the prevailing vices OF the great
metropolis 10 Is clear 90 us that the
preacher was taking too much uuneces-
sary pains 20 hunt the Devil Besides. the
very people whose lives Dee was depict
ing were not there TO hear the sermon
and the people who were there were iu-
PRODUCED altogether too Familiarity 90 core
tain forms of vice of which 30 would have
been far better 90 remain ignorant N0r
is minute familiarity with AN the details
of vice "a good thing f0r the preacher him-
SELF when the preacher from his pup it
shows that be rs well vcrsod in these dee
tails. he runs "a very serious risk OF AIDE
vertisiag and apOlogizing for the Devil
Familiarity with vice i5 not necessary 90
the teacher OF virtue. nor is 10 even "a help
10 him generally. Tt tends 90 dull tie
edge Of Lls conscience, ana is usually
hurtfu 90 preacher and hearers.
Again The preacher must remember
and. if he be "a thoughtful student of his
Bible hs viii hardly f0rget-tLat the
vices OF the world are but small part OK
the sins of the WOrii, and that g. ls quite
easy FOR "a man % so 20 the Devil without
ans "viccs" ut au The rich man in the
parable may have been "a refined. culu-
waited liberal. Weii-lehaTei honorable
gentleman. bat he died and went straight
TO he'll. and SD may thousands OF people
whom Dr. is sauderous to call vicious.
Now. when OBJ. preacher finds DO easy Oh
draw great crowds of people. and TO enc
terrain them. ly drnOuncinr tho vices ~
society, The temptation tO indulge in such
diatribes is strong but the conscientious
and intelligent preacher should carefully
guard q point at whth he finds himself
weak.
People win often applaud what they
know ought not to be said Iacauay
said that every body ought 90 know by
heart those polished lines I'm which Pope
liheled Addison end yet Doe condemns
Pope very decidedly for saying the things
contained Ga those lines.
Addison fs accused Of "d1mn.nr with
faint praise" and Macaulav takes pains %
j j. d.