The Portland daily press., 1899-05-17
FIERY MAN IN PULPIT.
The Rev. ). G. Parker of London, who
Cursed the sultan.
Chicago Inter- Ocean


unknown In America. The Rev. DIR.
Parker came to this country In 1887 on
lecturing tour, and one of the flrst
things he did was TO try and sell to
Chicago and New York newspapers six
column article on Gladstone for the
trifling sum of 81, 600 each. The offer was
declined with thanks, and DR.. Parker
was shocked into a condition Of intense
nervous excitement. He had been told
that A meIicsn newspaper editors would
pay large sums OF money for the kind OF
matter they wanted, and he was aston
ished that they should reject his contribu-
lions. He ventured to demonstrate with
a certain managing editor on the latter's
lack of literary perception, and was again
shocked by the blunt remark:
"Your matter is doubtless very good,
DIR. Parker but we are not paying fabu
lous prices for essays. What we are after
Is news, and for good newsiwe are willing
to pay literally, but / am unab 10 TO see
any news feature In your Gladstone arti-
cle."
DIR. Parker was shocked third time
when he was compelled to refund 800
which he had charged for delivering a
eulogy on Henry Ward Beecher The
friends of Mr.. Beecher were trying to
raise a monument fund, and, as DR..
Parker was in New York, and had been
intimate with MIR. Beecher--in fact the
latter had been one Of his stanchest sup
porters in this Countrywide was invited
to step over to Brooklyn and make an ad
dress. He did so. and the promoters of
the monument fund we're astonished when
presented bill for $500 for fee and ex-
renses. The bill was paid but the press
took the matter up and made such con
troversy over 1t that the money was re-
funded The committee in turn passed n
resolution freeing him from all blame
and thanking him for his work.
A few days later DR.. Parker showed
pretty plainly that even these kind words
were not potent enough to restore his
equanimity de preached In Plymouth
church, and to the amazement of the cor
| gregation, he not only read the Lords
prayer in q strange fashion, emphasizing
the words, "Forgive us our trespasses as
| we forgive those who trespass Bgainsi
u.s." but he also hastenei away from the
churc without waiting for the be1edic-
| ton.
| CENSURES PRINCE OF WALES.
The Sultan of Turkey is not the only
public parsonage who has been roundly
berated and mathematical by DIR
Parker. He has severely oensured the
Prince of Wales and Lord Rosebery from
his pulpit because they attend horse races
And yet, despite his ecoentrioities IN this
direction, DR.. Parker is widely beloved
man and has a large and influential fol-
lowing. A son of rugged Nortbumber-
land stone mason, he Is par excellence
man of the people, fact which should lie
remmb ered by those who would judge him
rightly. He first became pastor of the
CONGREGATIONAL church at Banbury and
attracted SO much attention there that
new building had to be erected in order
to accommodate the ever-growing conHre-
CATION He WAS next invited to take the
vacant pulpit of the Cavendish Street
chapel in Manchester, but declined, as he
had promised to remain with the Ban
bury people while any Indebtedness re-
manned on their church. The Manchester
folks, however, would not be thwarted,
and so they paid of the debt, and the
popular non -conformist was promptly in
stalled in the Cavendish street parsonage:
There his reputation quickly increased
and the ultimate result was that In 1867
be WAS called t. London to become the
minister of the Old Poultry chapel in
Cheapside This old building soon pro ed
Inadequate to the needs Of his enthusiast
tic admirers and pa.ishioners, and so 1t
was tom down and the stately edihce
known as the City Temple was erected
on Holburn vIaduct
In this spacious church DR.. Parker has
preached ever since, not only on Sundays
but also on Thursdays, when special
morning services are held. His sermons
are delivered extemporaneously from q
few notes and are reported far and wide.
His elocution is admitted to be almost
perfect except on those occasions when
passion gets the mastery of him.
Brusque, too, and overlooking as he seems
at times to be. he can, when he desires,
be very tender, and his most Impressive
sermons are those in which pathos and
passion are happily interIningled
His views about preaching are decidedly
original which is not strange. since his
own first sermon was preached In saw
pit on a village green. Next century. he
thinks, there will be little or no pulpit
oratory, since people will come to under
stand that preaching is a supreme imper-
Thence, unless the preacher Is dfvinely
inspired. sis 1t posi- BILE, F" he asks, that
England can require all this preaching of
thirty thousand able bodied men every
Sunday and twice every Sunday, In the
year or. ii all this preaching is required,
Is it required in the same placer The
Master said, 60 into al the world. do
not roany of us say, Come into our nice
little meeting house and take o seat in
the front of the gallery
As a prophet the doctor frequently
posee. Thus he predicts that great politi-
cal changes will take place in Great
Britain toward the close of the next GEN.
tury. Land, he says, will no longer be
the monopoly of men who never paid for
it; character, not titles, will be the mark
of superiority; the House of Commons
will consist of twenty-five members and
the House of Lords of six referees, and
all saloons will be abolished.
Unlike most prophets, the doctor is
very practical. AS regards time, he is
especially martinez He has announc I'd
that his Thursday morning services are
to last one hour, and never yet have they
lasted u single moment longer. He tries
to order his life in the same manner. In
his sermons he says what he means, care
less whether his words offend or please.
To- l. :. ll-Av~ -, lob