The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-01-20


The speaker said that he had no idea
OF the magnlhcence Of the meetings OF
the Churchman'S club. or he should
probably have made greater efforts I'm
the line OF speechmaking. but ms It was
his address would be extemporaneous
and he would try TO say something that
would he IN accordance with his own per-
sonsl views upon the subject on which II
was announced he would speak. The
speaker said that he was inclined To
think that the clergy Of the church as
sumo that the Iayman asks for many
things which they have no need OF. that
they ask for sensatlonalism or upon
learned addresses upon science. art and
politics from the pulpit. The speaker
said that tho clergyman was ordained to
raments OF the church. and not 10 dis
course upon subjects OF which they know
but little and upon which their parish
oners probably know more
In conclusion Or. Chambre said: THE
people themselves know more OF these
subjects so foreign 10 religion than to
the clergy. whose business is not 10 de-
liver from the pulpit on Sunday
.conglomerate mass on a hundred topics
that Is really only rehash of the news
papers published the previous week our
Lord said: Go unto the world and preach
the Gospel. and woe unto us when we
Do not preach the gospel. and woe unto
the laity who do not want the true gos-
pei OF God In preference to the sciences
IL ls impossible for a man to he a clergy
man II he must discourse upon current
events I'm politics in social life and other
absolutely foreign subjects from his pull
pit
81 believe that We are going through
this world as Christian men looking for
ward To that other world. and I'm con-
sequence We need the glorious gospel OF
God. We DO not pass through this short
life as comet going whittier we know
not. but as spiritual beings. bearing
towards that land so far off and when we
have done with the tolls and trials OF this
world we shall find that JOY and the rest
on that promised shore What the laity
need and what believe they ask for is
the true gospel OF the living God and to
live and die as faithful sons and daugh-
tiers of our God"
Dr Chambres address was by necessity
very brief and he was compelled 10 leave
at an early hour I'm order to catch his
train for home. President Reynolds
then introsuced Bishop Burgess, an office
which he said gave him great pleasure
as II was a sort OF welcome home for
the bishop, a former Providence boy.
BISHOP BURGESS ADDRESS
Bishop Burgess address was In part
as follows:
"Mr. President and gentlemen Of the
.Churchmans club Of Rhode Island. my
object In speaking this evening is not
70 show what men require OF the pulpit.
but to put before representative laymen
what can be their own influence and
what should he their own responsibility
A glance at church history will help va
Ito better understanding Of our subject
I'm the early church. we arc told by the
Historian. women largely predominated
over men. and Of the men a very large
proportion were slaves. This fact liz
very significant The Christian ,aith
appealed first and foremost to the down
.trodden and despised II was Come
unto Me all We that labor and are heavy
laden The attitute OF the ordinary bust
ness men OF the day is perhaps rep
reeented by the famous sllversmith at
antioch as he pointed 10 the silver
ehrines which he made for Diana: 'Sirs
I've know that by this craft we have our
wealth.
But after the conversion of Constan-
tine radical change took place The
|church had become political and even
\ military influence. and consequently Il
grew more attractive 10 men without any
Especial spiritual insight or holy longngs
Theology became then a matter ~ politics
fnd statecraft Theological animosties
were now used by ambitious princes as
plausible reasons for plunder or blood
Fhed. III grieves me- said Clovis. the
great champion Of the Catholic church. to
pee the Arians I'm possession of the fairest
portion of Gaul Let us march against
the heretics and wrest n from their
hands
This remark Is characteristic Of the
type OF statesman ! refer to- Charles and
Katharine de Medici made the same kind
W appeal before the awful night of St
Bartholomew. Henry VIII played on the
tame passion when he repudiated his
faithful but aged wife and took possession
pr the monastic lands, and Cromwell and
bis covenanters were not entirely free
From this motive when they hewed down
fhe sculptured reredoses and burned up
khe organs and the music I'm the cathe-
.frals of England. The names OF two
preachers stand out in history as per-
|hsps the best examples Of this medlaeval
bower-Peter the Hermit and Savonarola
The one preached war and the other
politics: hut in both cases there was only
failure. Peter the Hermit's call 10 arms
fesulted in the saddest OF all the crusades.
Ind Savonarola's theocracy AZ Florence
was only a dismal failure. leaving the
|ity darker than before. But perhaps no
vo preachers ever held men a. they dld
5t was not a gospel for women and ohil-