The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-03-06
ALL A DREAM.
Dixon's Farewell Sermon Full
of DenunciatiOn.
Aband0ns New York to Flesh
pots and CrOkerism.
GLAD OF THE RELIEF.
Felt Like He Should Have Be-
come an Anarchist.
Hates the Great City For Its
Evil Corruptness.

New York, March 6-Two farewell
sermons We're delivered by the Rev
Thomas Dixon yesterday to his con-
gregation-the Peoples Church. one
was in the church and the other IN tne
Grand Opera House, where concert
was given in the evening.
In both sermons he spoke frankly OF
his failure here, and his words expressed
almost disgust when he referred to the
financial end and the smash-up OF all
his hopes and aspirations. He said he
wouldn't preach again for fVe years
but would travel and study all that
time. He had a bad cold, and the
miserable weather and half filled opera
house made the affair a melancholy and
depressing one. He said:
I'm leaving this work 1 shall say good
by to the highest dreams of my soul L
left a rich church in Boston, with all
that a minister could wish, to come TO
New York. I came here and dreamed
of building this great free church. wise
people say 1 was foolish, and that 1
should take churches as l hnd theh'
But it was my dream.
IT WAS ALL A DREAM.
ct hoped to build a free church-free
in it's pulpit, where the minister could
say what he thought. L dreamed OF
church free from petty jealousies. One
York is spent in wearing out shoe
leather in getting people to attend their
churches and leave others. had hoped
to build a church of the faith OF my
fathers I had hoped there to tell the
old truths in a new light-hoped could
states the old truths so sweetly that IL
would touch the hearts that had passed
them by.
"A preacher who tries to apply re-
ligion to the politics of today needs have
a salary besides his contributions He
has a hard road to travel. 1 hoped II
was possible to present moral issues in
politics. Yet in church as free as THIS
I found 1t next to impossible. People
who said they were as liberal as am
afterward said things l had said made
them so mad they could hardly keep
their seats until the sermon was over.
The people who were the most liberal In
theory were the maddest.
THE WEATHER AGAINST HIM.
But this dream as I sketeched it is
not for me. 1 shall return to the Bap-
fist ministry, not because I believe it
higher than this, but it is the only prac-
teal thing for me to do was born
Baptist just as I was born with black
hair, long legs and raw-boned. In leaV-
ing you there are some things that
make me sorry, others that make me
glad. 1 am glad that I am not to be
worried with the financial details of a
church. For four years 1 have carried
it, and worried to make both ends meet.
] have sat down on Sunday and watched
the storms come, knowing it would keep
the people away. 1 have gone to bed
on Saturday nights, hearing the rain
beat on the windows, feeling that every
rain drop that was falling would cost
me a dollar the next day. l have had
seven Sundays in succession Of storm.
1t never did happen so when when 1
was pastor of church on a salary, and
when the weather did not make so aw-
full much difference. 1t has stOrmed
three Sundays of this month. If it had
been a decent night, we should have had
this house filed, and thus enabled US to
pay off the last dollar we owe. AS it is
there will be a deficit of only $57, and
that need not worry any one.
WANTED TO CRY OUT.
st shall be glad of the relief of the
worry and pain of those out of work. A
man to live in New GYo rk and not have
unfortunate of his kind needs a heart
of steel. At times when 1 have seen