The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-22
Mr.. KR0M
RESUMES
PAST0RATE
Given a Hearty Greeting by a
Large Congregation at the
BenefiCent Church.

Rev. Asbury Il. Krom, pastor OF the
Beneficent Congregational church of this
city, again occupied his pulpit after an
absence of six months, during which time
he has been travelling in Italy, France
and Switzerland in search of change of
air and scene for the benefit of his health.
Mr.. Krom was greeted by very large
congregation yesterday and his cordial
welcome was evident in the faces of his
gratified parishioners on every side
That the journeyings of the beloved
pastor had been crowned with renewed
vigor and physical strength was also
evident to all who heard him yesterday,
and at the close OF his sermon he received
almost an ovation. Mr.. Krom returned
from abroad but recently, and went direct
TO the Adirondack mountains. where the
bracing mountain air of that region quite
restored him 10 his normal health and
strength.
The subject of his sermon OF yesterday
morning was THE Doing of the win OF
God"
II was a most eloquent discourse. being
characterized by marked originality OF
thought upon some Of the questions
which present themselves to the ortho-
dox churches Of today.
In this connection Mr.. Krom dwelt
briefly upon the question OF amusements.
He said; Il cannot tell you what the
will Of God Is In relation 10 your life.
nor the details by which that will shall
be made effective. In so far as the pulpit
has failed TO proclaim the ideal of duty
by analyzng the ideal and telling each
ma no
Protestant pulpit has ceased TO be either
logical or helpful.
A DEAD LETTER.
"As an illustration OF this Q say II
with all reverence for one Of the noplest
churches In the world; church that has
done work from which all other churches
have proflted) the Methodist Episcopal
church attempted ~ its book OF discipline
TO regulate the Individual living of its
membership by forbidding certain forms
of amusement and recreation. Today the
book of discipline in our city churches
is a dead letter.
There are always plenty of fossilized
pessimists in every institution who are
ready to declare that this is a sign of
degeneracy. To me IL Is a sign OF pro-
gress and hope.
mot that I give either my sanction
or disapproval to these forbidden things.
but because the intelligent ministry or
this church has come TO realize that the
function Of the pulpit is not to proclaim
to each individual what the will Of Co
is in relation TO his or her life. but to lead
men TO accept an ideal OF life that wli
so illumine their path that they shall see
their duty and find the strength to do 1t.
at is one thing for a church to tell a
man that he shall reject the theatre and
another thing to tell him TO accept Jesus
Christ If he finds that form of amuse-
ment consistent to and helpful to his
ideal, no church or pulpit can be honest
or consistent that denies him the privi-
lege.
A CoRRoDING VICE.
1T is not the privilege of a Protestant
church to say to a man that he shall not
engage in a social game OF cards. but 1t
is the privilege Of the pulpit. II 1t cares 10
exercise IL, to point out that gambling is
the most corroding and enervating vice
recorded in the whole catalogue of vices.
at is not the privilege of the pulpit
to say that all theatre going is vice.
For IL Is never the privilege OF any man
In any pulpit to proclaim what common
sense teaches is not true. But l believe
1t TO be the privilege, even the duty
alton is a virtue and to call the attention
of intelligent men and women to the fact
that the theatre taken as whole today
is neither a thing moral nor intellectual
inspiration. The most singing rebuke
and sharpest criticism that l have seen
in print in relation to the condition of
the modern stage is found In one of the
last issues of lne Dramatic Mirror,
where the editor places the blame for
the unmeaning plays of the present day
less on the theatre-going public and more
on the stupidity and ignorance of the
theatrical management that seems to be
utterly devoid OF any sense of the dra
matte art the one thing they are sup
posed to know
II state all this more or less by way
of preface, TO make II clear that you
are no called upon at this time, or any
other, to witness the Herculean attempt
on my part of telling you what the ind
vidual will of God is In relation to your
life or how you shall do IT, The task
is much more humble, since 1t does not
involve omniscience. IL Is rather To
impress the thought that we may know
what that Will is. and that IL Is within
the range of our weakness To do IL, and
both these things need emphasizing be-
cause very few people in the church be-
lieve it,"
ENTANGLEMENTs OF TODAY.
In dwelling still further upon his sub
ject the preacher said;
I'VE are entangled in our action to-
day because OF what we did yesterday.
Out of thel ives OF today will spring
all the possibilities of tomorrow. We eject
a president OF the United States. we
give him great authority. We expect that
he will DO certain things. Finally n cri-
SIS is reached in his administration. Ma
tional policy is TO be decided that may
effect the nation for centuries.
"Hc has the support Of n majority OF
IL H.. III
a law He does not decide the matter
as tho great mass Of people had hoped.
and as the majority believed TO be right.
Again and again Il Is said: He bad the
authority. Why did he not exercise IL
and do the rightg But did he have the
he a free man-coud he
do even rs his own conscience dictated2
Before he camc 10 the office he had
sold himself TO the political and COM
mercial interests that had secured his
election. He had pledged himself as a
man 20 support those interests. He had
e.f Il ht. "a tsrll ~.