The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-12-13
new DEAN MAKES
GOOD IMPRESSION
REV. c. DEWITT BOWLING
PREACHED ELOQUENT AND
FoRcEFUL SERMON ON FIRST
APPEARANCE IN FARGo-FoR-
MALLY INDUcTED AS DEAN.


The new dean of Gethsemane cathe-
dral was formally indicted as dean OF
the diocese Of North Dakota Of the
Protestant Episcopal church by Bishop
Mann yesterday morning. The large
sacred edifice was welf filled by a
congregation which extended the most
cordial welcome to the Very Rev. G.
Dewitt Bowling, recently appointed
dean and rector of the cathedral
parish
The morning service was wholly
conducted by Dean Bowling. The
short office of induction and the
benediction were said by the bishop
sThe dean has splendid voice and a
manner towards people that is at
sence noticeable for its charm and
wholesomeness. He made very
favorable impression. The dean
preached at both the morning and
evening service. Immediately pre-
cedfng the sermon Bishop Mann fol-
lowed the usual announcements with
a short but very appropriate intro
duction of the dean TO the Pensioners
of Gethsemane PARISH and Dean
Bowling made suitables response.
1t being the season of Advent Dean
EDowling, in the mornings preached a
distinctively Adven'r sermon, taking
for his text, Isaiah XII 1885,. 1.-THE voice
of him that crieth in the wilderness,
prepare we the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert highway for.
our God. Every valley shall be ex-
allied, and every mountain shall be
made low; and the crooked shall be
made straight, and the rough places
plain; and the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed and all flesh shall see it
together; for the mouth OF the Lord
hath spoken it."
Prefacing his sermon, the theme of
which was, Advent of the Golden Age
the dean said: I'm the lost past of
history there have been many herald
voices to break the stiffness of some
dark night in mans life, bringing
with them the luminous spirit of hope
and bright prophetic vision, the night
of mems sorrow and suffering and
despair has fed before the light of
better things ceen. The voices have
been voices heralding the advent of
the golden age. Thank God for the
men who have been His voices, the
truly great men, whether known to
history or not, who are like eternal
suns that never cease to send out
their light unto the uttermost parts of
space"
Continuing the reverend speaker
spoke of the historic periods of re-
ligious conquest realizing christian
ideals. Pre-eminently we must of
course, turn our thought to the are
when Christ himself lived and taught
as the period of greatest religious
conquest" The Cean next spoke of
the great historic characters who
have promoted theu christian ideals
i'"All athe prophets of Israel were men
for whom the age cared little. The
experience of the prophets Of IsreaI
has been repeated since that people
as a nation ceased to have an exis-
tnce. India cared little for her Qua
tama while he lived. China spurned
her Confusius. Jerusalem turned out
to cruelty her Christ The square in
Florence echoed with the shouts of
the molly crowd that danced before
the funeral pyre Of Savanorola. And
so 1t has been with most of the great
men who have done most for the
bringing in of the golden age of man
kind. 1t is a strange picture. horrid
in its aWfulness-men gloating over
the tormenus of their best friends.
scorning those who would most helm
them, But above the agonizinR
cries of torture the voice of peace and
cheer is still heard, though the haze
of smoke and flame a halo is seen,
and as the winds of truth blows the
atmosphere clear the saint is beheld
with outstretched arms In the atti-
tude of blessing, urging men to yield
themselves to the influence of Him
who will bring In for them the golden
age.
Closing, Dean Bowling eloquently
and forcefully spoke of the silent in
fuences promoting the advent of the
golden age.
1T is conn aratively easy to single
out great periods in the worlds his
tory, and to fix on great names as
ISOLATED with big things in making the
world better. In so doing we are apt
to overlook the silent influences at
work in every day life, and which are
just as surely making for the same
great end. These influences may
seem to be working under cover, but
that is rather apparent than real. The
silent influences are just as potent as
those that are under the gaze Of the
public eye. After ALL / believe. it is
the silent influences that are most po-
tert-most effective in effectively
creating conditions that are to evolve
the golden age in this world. / mean
by this that the influences, and char
acter, and purposes that are common
10 the routine life, are what win be
found, in the end, to be most effect
i've. If you ask me why, 1 can only
answer, because / believe here is to
be found the pulse. of humanity It
is not SO much what the great men
are doing mot so much what the great
periods of our history have written to
it's credit, but what are the common
people of today doing. 1t is as their
life is that the life Of today will be
fashioned. They are the hope of the
world. The great men and the epoch
making periods are but prominent
points where the sweep Of the tide Of
humanity is seen.
Things today give promise of to-
morrow. The voices that cried in the