Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-20
New York Parsons Take Diff
ferent Views.
ACCORDING TO STATION
RICH DECRY AND POOR APPLAUD
HIM.
Better Glass Of Wealthy Gothamites
Avoid the Sensational Yellow
Newspapers.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK. September 10, 1902.
No less than a dozen New York parsons
addressed themselves on Sunday last to
discussion Of Col. Henry Watterson's recent
roastings Of New York's so-called 400 or
smart set. The sides they took on this sub
Ject strangely conformed to the characters
OF their congregation. The pulpiteers Of
the wealthy churches contented themselves
with mildly admonshing their oongrega-
lions for giving individuals like Henry Wat
terson the opportunity to castigate them,
while the parsons in charge Of the middle
class focks out-Wattersoned the able Louis
vile colonel in their attacks upon the swag-
ger set. The preachers to the rich congre-
cations appear to have profited by the ex-
ample which was made year or so ago of
a couple Of notable New York preachers
who had the temerity to attempt to scorch
their wealthy congregations to their faces.
These two quickly found themselves frozen
out of their extremely desirable preaching
billets, and since their eclipse the preachers
to the rich have exhibited a distinct ten
dency to refrain from pulpit comments upon
the weekday amusements and ways of
living of their gilded parishioners.
On the other hand, the preachers whose
congregations are made up of middle-class
folk have redoubled their attacks upon the
conduct OF the wealthy, and the deliver
ances OF many Of them upon governmental
affairs are constantly becoming more acrid
when they are not actually wild or foolish
They perhaps fancy that in thus dwelling
upon the sins of omission and commission
OF the rich they are tickling the preju-
dices Of their congregations but the sign
Is on 1t that the congregations thus af-
h1cted with the philippic-uttering parsons
are far from pleased with the sort of YER
bal hurricanes that are blasted from these
pulpits.
Protests to the Newspapers.
In their letters to the newspapers, aroused
by the Oyster Bay parson incident, they are
protesting that, while they like hot politi-
cal talk when the same is furnished in its
proper place and amid proper surroundings,
they decidedly object to it as proceeding
from the mouths of men to whom they look
for religious instruction and Solace Many
of the political pulpiteers. when they at
tempt to discuss governmental affairts, seem
to be SO inadequately or falsely grounded
in their subjects as to cause them to give
expression to views that are often little less
than silly. This does not help to make for
the popularity Of the preachers who NEEDLE
or entire neglect Of spiritual teaching.
Many of the more advanced political pull
piteers Of New York have easily drifted into
the habit of expressing views on municipal,
Sldle anu leueIdl matters IQdt are CalCuiat-
ed to arouse a dangerous sort of class
hatred In the minds of their less well-bal-
anced listeners. If some of the shock-head-
ed, beer guzzling "reds' of New York were
to give utterance to one-half the absolutely
violent phrases on political subjects that
compose the so-called sermons Of several
OF the more reckless-tongued parsons they
would shortly find themselves the recipients
Of the attention of the police.
And so the newspapers are being bonn
Darded with letters of strong criticism
about the political pupiteers- and the news
papers themselves are commenting elo-
quently on the subject. Preach the word,
brothers," Is about the gist of the edi-
torials. which also enter at length upon
disquisitions as to the impossible gulf
which must always yawn between the
preacher and the political spelbinder In
view of all Of which 1t may happen after
awhile that the stranger within the
gates may be RECALLED with some other men
tai pabulum, when he drifts at random
into a church, than attacks upon decolette
women in high society or fierce harpoon-
ings OF the money devil
Comment on Watterson's Philippics.
The succession of drubbings which Col.
Watterson has administered the smart set
of New York continue to form the dom
inant topic over here Some Of the men,
bers of the knouted set, among them two
or three rather clever women, have at
tempted to reply to the sharp-pronged an
imadversions Of the occasionally acidulous
kentuckian. It must be admitted that the
facts that they set forth in extenuation of
the more or less imbecile frivolities Of their
order make flabby reading when set along
side the almost unanswerabe contentious
of the Louisville editor. There Is a sort of
general impression here that in the feroc-
ity of his attacks on the 400 of New York
and Newport, Colonel Watterson is rather
wasting his brilliance and his ammunition
that, in fact he is undertaking to kill a
gnat with blunderbuss. Everybody over
here who knows anything at all about the
makeup Of New York society Is familiar
with the fact that the Founders and the
newly rich who now constitute the bulk
Of the alleged 400 really no longer COM
prise the highest and most representative
society in New York. It Is fact that the
genuinely dignified and exclusive people
of New York have gradually withdrawn
from close social association with the SEN
sational tribe of whose goings and COM
inPS and p0SSiDnps and oar