New-York tribune., 1908-09-27
NEW-YoRK DAILY TRIBUNE SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27 1905

from which society is suffering The preacher must
DO his own thinking and be very sure that he is
always sensible"
Lawyers and doctors" said have changed
their methods In recent years. Wherein is preach
ing different from what 1t was when you became
q minister"
That's the trouble: II isn't different" DR. Abb
bott answered. as he smiled practically. preach
ing is SSH fellowing the rules OF antiquity First
the text Then the introduction Next an el,e,aa
ton more or less prolonged. followed by the appli-
cation Finally, the peroration Physicians know
the oones' arteries and muscles Of the human
BODY, eneir names and locations. But the man with
pain IN his stomach who goes 20 a doctor dossn.t
~ant lecture on anatomy. He is after prescrip-
tion' or. better still bottle of medicine Mr.
Beeeher preached an hour When 7 s,,ccaa5aa b,,
preached thirty minutes. Perhaps that ia ubv
stayed CT Plymouth Church for eleven wears An
eminent English 5urist when asked what the
length OF sermon ought to be replied Not over
mercy
Nothing much is done as IL used IN he excent
pFeachlng With the telephone or the telegraph
'io HieIchahI closes contract in an hour or
pOSsioiy' III Few minutes. The same transaction
would have taken his father a week We now get
the essence OF the big news in the headlines on
ms first page Editors are compelled 70 throw
away and condense. Why shouldn't ministers eban-
oon oosoiete forms and get right down to busi-
Nesss uon KNOW much about our theological
e4IiAA1Iies' OUT am inclined to think they neglect
10 teach some things that are essentiaI-the ser
InOh capacity or endurance, Of man. for instance
sun should have hard and fast rule for the
spoken word from the pulpit. One subject may
require half an hour. AT another time the mes
sage can be given in ten minutes The congrega-
ton VIII catch the thought in either instance
frequently our waste OF good language is terrific.
AN EFFECTIVE TONIC NECESSARY.
The merchant surrounded by competitors who
aoul'erate ther goods and undersen him requires
encouragement Sunday morning to stand by
his principles and to go back and fight his battle
10 the finish. The decent newspaper man, who
witnesses the seeming prosperity Of those papers
which appeal to prejudice, passion the sensation
aNsrn. needs to be strengthened in his policy AMI
oehefs Long sermons, be they dreary, or.
the contrary. beautiful with the flowers rhetoric
will do the merchant good Nor the editor An
intense and effective tonic is moral and spiritual
medicine FOR either case
Would Henry Ward Beecher's style and quail
tty Of preaching be popular IN these days?"
Probably not popular In his own time and
church. There were three in Mr.. Beecher's
preaching. When he began his sermons TO young
men in Indianapolis en- gambling, amusements,
character and kindred subjects he was strikingIy
pictorial and rhetorical Afterward, at Plymouth
Church, in Brooklyn he made pictures. usual,
but there was great central truth in seaeh ser
mon, which he hammered this way and that.
Rhetoric, then. incidental, being employed
tions home. In his last years he became more
thoughtful. would say. philosophical,
might add and. while his CONGREGATIONS from
Sunday to Sunday may have been smaller. his in
duence was considerably greater. His change of
methods gave rise the saying that he incon-
sistent. I have read all that he ever wrote, have
edited his sermons for publication in books, and
have discovered that from first 10 last his prnci
pies. teachings and philosophy were reasonably
uniform and harmonious. At the close OF one Of
his said. Mr.. Beecher, you contra |
dicted yourself to-day
When did I preach differently Mr.. Beecher |
asked
Why. only last Sunday
All Mr.. Beecher replied; that a week
ago.
was primarily an advocate He would have made !
great jury lawyer. Daniel Webster before the |
United States Supreme Court would have been a !
just the same. but there might have
been occasion in the at trial to say Mr.
Beecher also wise and farseeing Not /
his hostility 10 slavery, he would /
have withheld the franchise from ignorant negroes
without property. In the main, his views be /
read to-day the constitutions Of the various |
states at the South
Was he guilty.
mo. My brother Austin. lawyers lawyer and /
writer difficult briefs. of Mr.. Beechers
counseIlors. He made an index of the testimony |
WITH references. I studied it to get the
truth, because was writing Tor palnStaking perl
odicals- There not sctntllla Of evidence |
showing MI BeecheT's guilt his letters 20 Mrs
Tilton looked bad. I knew him and understood |
them. He was extravagant man with language
Having advised Mrs. Tilton obtain a divorce he
changed his mind and then wrote her an intem- |
peTate condemnation Of himself. That is the ex-
PLANTATION OF his letters"
How long have you known President Roose- |
velt?''
For long time He is the frankest and plainest
spoken man have known in public life or |
out OF #. He is both honest and shrewd-an IN t
usual combination. Ordinarily honest men are not !
shrewd and shrewd men are not honest
Copyright, 1908. by James 3. Morrow