The Washington herald., 1907-03-10
SUNDAY MORNING CHAT
BISHOPS AND POETS-STORIES OF FAMOUS
UNITARIANs-E E HALE AND LONCFELLoW

Bishop Gambler is the youngest and wit
test Of the Southern Methodist bishops.
He has many admirers IN Washington.
having filed pulp.ts here on a number Of
memorable occasions. As will be remem-
bered. he was presiding bishop when the
Southern Methodist annual conference
met at Mount Vernon Place Church. Ia
this city. several years ago. When he
presides over q conference, the hours
spent in the dun detail and routine work
incident 10 such a gathering are so en-
livened by lis many anecdotes and droH
comments that there are no vacant seats.
He is an original. vigorous. and eloquent
preacher. and is much more apt to point
a moral by some bright thought or a story
that brings smiles than by recitals which
draw tears I recall the following char
acteristic story told by him. in a section
Of the South where Bishop Gambler was
going 70 preach. there had been hard
rains, the roads being in some places en-
tirely submerged. He finally ache0
SPOT where it seemed impossible 10 go
/ farther He asked an aged woman. whose
cabin stood near the road whether there
was not some other way he could take to
reach his destination, to which she re-
piled.
well, I guess not stranger; but. see
) them tracks? a man with load Of boards
drove that way this mornin'. Just YOU
follow them tracks. and you'll come out
whar he did-ef you come out
/ From his point Of vantage, the pulpit,
number OF things during Il church service
/ to make him laugh out loud to himself
( % quote a small boy 1 know. Here Is a
story related 20 me- By Rev. Robert l.
Jones, we'll known and popular. especially
/ in the far West. While preaching one
morning he, coughed once or twice. as he
had a slight cold. There was a benign.
Misunderstanding woman. with her three
daughters and one son, seated in a pew
not far from the pulpit When he
|coughed. a look of concern passed over
the kindly face and after a numer OF
/ shall I. or shall / not?' looks down
deep into her pocket went her hand, and
l I'D came several cough drops Then her
/ face took on q How shall / get them
to him?" expression. Finally, she leaned
over to her daughter, plUcked her sleeve
TO cali attention, and by much whisper
ing and lively poutomime let her know
that the cough drops were TO be passed
along to the pulpit The drops were
slipped into the daughters hand. In Ike
manner they went down the pew TIL the
1 small boy was reached. But against all
the evident circumstances and entreatie5.
he was obdurate. and shook his head
when his mother. with solemn face.
mn cod
preacher. Closing his lips with boyish
obstinacy and with one final vigorous
shake Of the head. he shut his hand
tightly as the cough drops were passed
/ toward him. and thus the incident closed.
There IS a belief on the part of many
people that Robert Browning was not a
churchgoing man. This mistake has
grown. probably from the fact that his
father was q nonconformist, and that
the son followed in the footsteps Of the
father. preferring the simple service of the
chapel. rather than the more magnificent
and formal service Of the Church Of
( England. Throughout his life, wherever
/ he was, IL was his never-faiiing habit
\ once on Sunday to attend divine service.
! 1t is recorded that during the many years
I spent by MN IN ltaly ne hunted uD Ine
little out-of-the-way churches, and in
some obscure chapel, where the simple
hearted common people met for praise
and prayer; Robert Browning was a de-
yout wOTshipeT.
do not think TIE Unitarians receive
the recognition due them for their spir-
itual and religious qualities. But credit
has always been given them for their in
tellectual and literary leadership. An
interesting and beautiful service, often