The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-01
ABOUT MYRON REED.
Concerning One of the
Greatest Preachers of America

Dr. H W. Roby was for many years
well acquainted with Myron Reed, the
celebrated Denver preacher who died
on Monday Speaking of Mr. Reed, who
was we'll known in Topeka and greatly
admired here, DR.. Roby said:
I never knew a better man, either in
or out of the pulpit He was as large
hearted and sympathetic as Reecher.
once went to Brooklyn to hear Mr..
Beecher preach and when the sermon
was over he came down from the plat
form and shook hands with a large
crowd of strangers who waited for a
touch of his hand. When he came to me
he said, Where are you from? I said
Milwaukee. He gave my hand another
grip and said: Then you know my
friend, Myron Reed And you don't
know better man. He breaches the
| gospel instead of theology. When die
want him to follow me in this pulpit
but Christian, and always preached
the simple, pure faith of the Master
He was always working in behalf of
! the poor and most needy. And many a
| big contribution has he drawn from the
/ pockets of the rich who have heard him
for the poor, whom he loved better than
any other class of people After he left
| the Olivette Congregational church in
Milwaukee he with a goodly number of
non-sectarianS organized a new congre-
| cation in Music hall, where he preached
| some time to crowded houses. For three
| years 1 was president of the Shakes
/ peare club there and Mr.. Reed was a
| very active member of the club. Once
/ a month We gave public readings from
| Shakespeare's plays, and our audiences
| were made up of the wealth and talent
| of the city. One Saturday night we
| read The Merchant of Venice and
! Mr. Reed invited everybody present to
| the Music hall services next morning.
! where he made use of many statements
| of the play in his sermon A number
/ of wealthy men were present The sub
/ ject of the sermon was Charity ORA
| matically and tenderly Mr.. Reed pic
| tured the want and woe Of three or
! four poor families he had visited the
/ day before. He paused a moment, and
| then said: If any of you magnificoes of
/ Milwaukee have any sympathy with
! Christ and His poor, hungry children
you will not let this plate return empty
! to me-
He sat down and the collection plate
| came back loaded. S. s. Merrill, gen.
| eral manager of the ST. Paul railway.
and Angus Smith, the elevator king of
| the northwest, both rich and neither
| members of any church, were there;
| and each of them laid a hundred dollar
| bill on the plate. John Plankinton did
| likewise and I think Phil Armour did
| the same, but am not sure. But as
! Merrill and Smith went down the front
| steps going out I heard Smith say to
| Merrill: Are you glad you came p
| Yes said Merrill. for I have heard a
| damned good sermon Yes said Smith
| in. his usual bantering way to his crony,
| and where is your money gone? I am
1 y
| didn't said Merrill If Reed handles it.
| it will go to the neediest people in
| town. 1t will be damned sight safer
| in his hands than in mine
| Mr.. Reed was much interested in
| politics as well as the poor. He once
! invited me to go with him to a political
/ convention. The members were in a
! very heated discussion over one of the
| planks of the platform when we entered
/ and very soon they became wild and
! boisterous; the lie was passed and they
seemed about to come to blows. In
| stantly Mr.. Reed mounted a. chair and
: called out: Mr.. Chairman At the
| sight of him a cheer went up from those
, nearest US. The tumult subsidized. and
] Mr.. Reed said: Mr.. Chairman, if you
would invite Christ into this convention
! you would get along better. Let me in
| Vite him for you Then, raising his
| hands. he called On the Master and
| prayed for peace and harmony in the
| convention; prayed that good and wise
| counsels might prevail; prayed for fell
| lowship and good will, and ended by in
| VOkinS Christ once more to still the
stormy sea That ended the row, and
| the convention was orderly and har-
! moniOus during the rest of it's session
! 4 left Milwaukee in 1875 and did not
I see Mr. Reed again for about five years.
| Then 1 went to Indianapolis to attend
I a meeting of the American Institute of
| Homeopathy. The session was opened
/ by a prayer by Mr.. Reed, who was
! then preaching in the First Pres by
! terrain church of that place, of which ex-
/ President Harrison was a member.
/ During the morning session of the in
( stitute Mr.. Reed sat by me and talked
! of old times. During the chat he said ::
| I've got a funny story to tell you Soon
| after 1 came here to preach I was
| waited on by a committee of old school
| doctors and invited to open the coming
J session of their national convention
/ with prayer I said to them 1 was a
! stranger here and it would be far more
/ appropriate to call on some of the older
ministers of the city-Some one better
/ known than I was. The chairman said:
! mo, we want you" l still urged some
/ one else to them, and he said: tn tell
| you what it is, Mr.. Reed. There are
| eighteen ministers here besides you and
| every last one of them is a homeop-
! athist, and so we want you for our man.
\ I laughed and said to him, THAT let's
me out. I am one of your despised
| homeopathists myself" With a look of
| horror he said: We'll, that beats the
/ devil; but you'H have to pray for us.
| anyway. I'll keep shady and our fell
| lows won't know where you stand till
! it's over with" So 1 prayed for them
/ and they treated me very nicely
| "Only last Christmas a friend of mine
gave me for a Christmas present a
! beautiful copy of Mr.. Reeds new book,
/ Temple Talks a series of lectures de-
| 1ivered by him in the Masonic temple
| at Denver. I wish I had known more
| of the man."