The San Francisco call., 1899-05-05

for the past few days, was htungly cele-
brated by a banquet extended by the Uni
tartan Club of California at the Mer-
chants Club last evening. About 400 were
seated in the dining room, which was
profusely adorned with floral decorations.
Toasts. interspersed with selections by
the Press Club Quartet were responded
to by Rev Stopford w Brooke, Rev.
c. ]. X Jones of Los Angeles, Chaplain
T. c. Brown, L. S. N, and Hon. John L.
Irish. Rev DIR. Brooke touched upon,
1.-THE Present Function of Unitarianism,
and Rev. DR. Jones spoke of The Power
of the Unitarian Pulpit" Both OF the
clergymen were warmly applauded ana
made the most of the subjects they han
died.
Chaplain f. c. Brown of the battleship
Iowa was heartily received when he arose
to speak The subject allotted to him
was Theological Cooperation" and he
handled it in a manner somewhat sur
prising to most of his audience. His tone
was forcible, and profound attention was
observed throughout his remarks. he be-
gan by observing that many Christian
people who were camoring for the Chris
tianizing of the black man in the Philip
pines had given little thought to the
evils prevalent at their own doors; that
no attention has been given to the correc-
ton of the thousands of crooked human
ways, or to the great absorbing monopo-
l
they were backed by wealth and power,
and created by men born in an en-
lightened land. AS an example OF the
first he referred to pathetic cases which
had come under his observation while in
San Francisco. "a woman" he said.
was sentenced to three months in the
County Jail for vagrancy; A paper IN
mentioning the case stated that she was
the woman who had caused the lmprlS-
onment of the wretch responsible for her
downfall, number of years ago. At the
Ofh hAr frcf cir hal me hand
been outstretched to save her, and now
it has come to pass that the only mes
sage the great city of San francisco can
extend to this poor wretch is three
months behind prison bars. Such thing
causes the finger of scorn to be pointed
at every church in the city.
THE idea of Christianity, as 1t is prac-
ticed to-day, is that when life has fallen
from grace 1t should no longer find refuge
in the sanctuary of the church. Only
those who have the mystic symbolism
stamped upon their countenances are fit
for the consultations of religion, and the
efforts of the Gospel to spread the Spirit
of God should be confined to far-away
blacks and not to the outcasts at home.
There are preachers to-day who plight
their troth in sensational sermons, the
titles of which reflect on the purity of
tracts and send them to foreign lands.
All of these things have a tendency to
keep people from church rather than
draw them to it. Practical and not un-
natural methods should be employed in
the conversion of sinners, and until this
thing is understood little advancement
will be made in the way of real reform at
home or abroad.
'"The theme of my remarks is 'Theolog-
icai Cooperation and by such co-opera-
ton men of the cloth will only be enabled
to execute the work they have been COM
missioned to do. Religious denominations
will closet themselves in their little shells
on Sunday discussing the particular dog
mas of their creed and denouncing some
6nnnU1i q of
fact they agree with the objects of their
denunciation in nine points out of ten.