The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-09-03
BREVlTY IN SERMONS.

An Eastern paper remarks that ser
mons are becoming shorter The truth
of the statement Is not marred by the
tact that sermons have been gradually
shortening for a hundred years past
Time was when "A sermon lasted Tor TWO |
hours and when u minister who could
not give his congregation refreshing
sleep was looked upon as misnt'
Thirty-fve years ago the "eighthly
marked the close of the discourse, all
chapters up to the "siXteenthiy' being
Topped off for the next sermon. Tbs
made the exhortation about one hour
long. Then the time-lmit on both the
sermon and prayer began to contract
until now the whole service in an evan
gelical church takes about an hour ana
a quarter, the sermon occupying per-
haps thirty minutes.
Can the sermon still be cut down to
advantage? No doubt many sermons
would profit by the pruning knife; we
are not sure but all of them would. Inc
best sermons preached In the United
States today are made familiar To the
Hawaiian public every Saturday IN the
vviuriius vr NV go .~ttiser. lney are
those contributed to the New York sun
day Herald by the Rev. DIR. George II.
Hepworth and one of them may be
preached, with the most stately DELHI
Grafton. In less than ten minutes. Each
one of these sermons drives home some
important truth with the force and pre-
cision of a steam hammer. Not one
tries the plan of driving dozen impur-
iant truths partially home with scat
terng blows. There Is no trouble to
remember what Hepworth has preach
ed. Once heard, the whole sermon, from
text to benediction, is imbedded in the
memory. Is 1t not "a fair presumption
that a sermon so constructed does NOR"
good. or at least attains the object Of
all sermons, more certainly than the
kind which is called exhaustive? In
editorial work there can be no ques-
ton about the high uses of brevity. Few
newspaper writer's, whatever the theme,
care to exceed "A column in any given
discussion in one issue; and the ablest
Of them cover the ground thoroughly IN
that, or shorter space. The typical ser
mon, however, is two columns long or
more.
We are tempted to say that all the
best appeals to the public of this coun-
Try are briefly phrased. Not only are
the best sermons and the best editorials
short and crisp but so are the best ora
tons. Edward Everett. the Cicero OF
America in the Civil War era. was
chosen as the orator OF the day at Get
tysburg, and his address there was rs
scholarly as II was prolonged. But the
one address which outlived the day was
Lincolns, a few simple words simply
oil
touched its highest point during the fir-
teen minutes of his trial at Brooklyn
when ne answered the direct and lead.
ing question of his counsel, William NJ
Evarts. Wendell Phillips three hun
dredword Characterization of Rufus
Choate, the criminal lawyer, "of who's,
health thieves asked before they began
TO steal" was his masterpiece. Patricl
Henry set the American colonies oil
fire with a speech not ten minute
long. The history making speech which
Shakespeare put in the mouth o
Antony is not too prolonged for de
clamation at school, but Shakespeare
did not stretch the license of tn
dramatist when ne made 1t turn tn
mob. that had but now applaude,
Brutus, into a pack of bloodhOunds OF
abe trail of the conspirators
Undoubtedly brief, IL cogent dis
course, requires more ability in the pro
duction than a sermon covering tn
same points but twice or three times a
long. 1t Is easier to write a lonj
speech. long article or a long ser
mon. than a short one. Condensing 1
hard work, but the thoughtful clergy
man who acquires the habit will neve
have to ask why people don't go L
church; the orator who gets It will b
asked to speak often from the sam
platform; the well-informed editor win
has 1t needs no stronger weapon of de
bate.