The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-26
REV. DIR. CONNELL'S CALL
WHY THE LONDONER WAS CHOSEN AS
JOHN HALLS SUCCESSOR.
American Party I'm the Fifth-Avenue
J. Wilbur Chapman, but Failed.

NEW YORK, March 22-Ever since the
feeling crystallized in the Fffth-avenue
Presbyterian Church, New York, concerning
a successor to the late Rev. DR.. John Hall
there have been two factions. One Of these
has favored the calling of the Rev. Alex
ander Connell, of the Regent-square Pres
byterian Church. London and at onA time
went SO far as to announce a congregation
al meeting TO extend a call, only TO with
draw the same before the date fixed. The
other party has maintained that an Ameri-
can and not a foreigner should be selected.
The Connell people acquiesced and fixed on
the Rev. DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman, the we'll
known evangelist and pastor of Bethany
Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia. Acting
in harmony the officers of the church con-
suited Mr.. Wanamakers pastor. only to
learn TO their surprise that he would not
consider call to this pastorate, the fore
most one among American Presbyterians;
and this in face of the fact that DR.. Chap
man wanted TO leave Philadelphia and pre-
ferred a New York pastOrate. The Ameri-
can party's plan having failed in this in
stance 1t acquiesced III the preferences of
the other party, with the effect that the
committee Of the whole has now decided
to recommend to the congregation the ex-
tending of call to the Londoner. The con-
gregatlonal meeting has not yet been set.
though the chairman of the Fifth-avenue
committee declares his committee TO be in
possession OF nothing positive in that par
ticular.
Gen. Thomas ]. Morgan, corresponding
secretary of the American Baptist Home
Mission Society, has just returned from
Santiago Speaking of political conditions
there he expresses himself strongly to the
effect that General Wood should be allowed
large discretion in spending money collected
at the Santiago port on municipal improve
ments, without the necessity OF submitting
to the bureaucracy at Havana. General
WOOD desires 10 construct sewer and
water system, and can get laborerS at 10
cents per day; Speaking of religious con-
ditionS there he says he was surprised at
the eagerness with which the people desire
the Bible and the English language. 1t is
fist churches at Holgun, Manzanillo Guam
tanamo and second one in Santiago He
believes the Catholic Church TO have wholly
lost Its hold, except on small portion of
the residents of Spanish descent. and con-
siGers Professionalism of the United States
to have laid at its door the most solemn
duty in its history.
To an extent unknown before holy week
will this year be observed in some form by
nonliturgical churches. This innovation is
not confined to churches in the East but
extends to the South and Vest. These
churches include the most wide-awake ones
among MethOdists, PreSbyreTi;tnS, Baptsts,
and to some extent COngreg ItionaiiS-s. The
observance will consist for the most part in
services each night, except Saturday.
with visiting preachers. Prayer meetings
will be held in some churches and in few
Good Friday passion services will be held
The board of managers OF the Episcopal
Domestic and Foreign Missions has now
formally elected three secretaries, and all
three have i'm turn declined Now it has
named committee consisting of Bishop
Dudley, of Kentucky, Bishop McLaren, of
Chicago, and Bishop Doane. OF Albany, to
administer affairs ad interim The nomi-
mating committee has been instructed to
make a further search for available men,
but the opinion is freely expressed that no
election will now be made until the autumn.
Rev. Dr. Dwight Hills announced in his
initial sermon pastor of Plymouth
ChVrch, Brooklyn, that that pulpit must
ever stand for the truth; that there is no
way whereby men and women may be saved
except through Jesus Christ. This radical
departure from the utterances of his prede-
cessor is he'd to show the liberality of the
modern congregation. Inquiry develops the
fact that Lyman Abbott stands much nearer
the mean Of modern Congregationalsm
than does this utterance of this Chi
cago recruit to the denomination, Critics
are saying that the new Plymouth pastor
deals. when in the East, at least, in senti-
mentalities, but the fact is, critics or no
critics, that it would be impossible to con-
ology that were contained in the two SER
mons which Dr. Hills has preached to
date in Plymouth.
Palm Sunday, that which Immediately
precedes Easter, has been fixed on as the
one on which ministers everywhere will
preach sermons on the subject of peace,
with especial reference TO the Car of Rus
saS proposition in favor Of a peace con-
fererce. The most conservative of people,
the Quakers a dominant social and religious
power in the most conservative of Ameri-
can cities, Philadelphia, have always led IN
the opposition TO war and the movement
toward disarmament of nations. During the
civil war an act of Congress was passed to
meet their peculiar religious notions about
not going to war, and now they rOundly de-
nource our national policy in the Philip
pines The Car OF Russia in his peace con-
ference and his proposition to disarm
Europe simply takes UP in argument what
Quakers have long preached. On Palm Sun
day practically the whole Christian pulpit
of America if il follow the recommendation,