The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-06-29
CURRENT COMMENT


VIII the Hon Charles II. Taylor Of the sos
ton Globe. allow to thank and bless HIM?
He takes pity on eyes weary OF gazing at me
ugly empty mugs Of politicians. He bonors
his editorial page with portrait of Father
Taylor, once famous in this land and many
Father Taylor of the Seamen's Bethel
and the Mariners Home in Boston. the mis-
sonary, the helper the friend of sailors in the
days when there sailors, when the United
States had ships, before base mechanic steam
had conquered, Yes, here is Father -4ayior'
with his strong "old world face. his specta-
cies tucked up on his forehead, good old
collar such as Mr.. Evarts used to wear. and
ii broadly flowing. wide waving voltminous
,+aseleHt3s- antt-etericat 1ud eITgagtugtv
marine.
-@ Eatt -fs- Tayior. Methodst, SO called be-
caused all the sailors Were his boys" mem
bers Of his family He born in Richmond,
Va 1T seem. in 1893 We had believed him
native Bostonian institution. A noble one in
his day. anyhow. II memory holds her seat.
we made his acquaintance in some of Herman
MeVilles stories. The sight of his name gives
back the smell of tar and oakum and rope
and ship chambers shops and the sea: lobscouse
and oilslItns and "erog." Upon what region OF
the unresting sea is "grog" sacred any more
Grog Savory and mellow sound "A double
ration of grog served: this the in
evitable preface of victory or death both in
the great fights their history was writ
ten In The brave days of youth. If there are
any sailors now we dare say they are Drys with
money In the savings banks; much to their
credit especially the deposits: but the sailors
knew in books and those wharves over
hung by hundred bowsprits were 10 foes of
RroR earrings
Father Taylor. the Globe reminds us. was
chaplain Of the frigate Macedonian. that car
red food to ireland In 1897. He is said to
have made profound impression the peo-
pie he addressed at Cork: likewise. a harder
task, on the Glasgovians His ermons have been
described to us--and for that matter no doubt
! there is plenty written testimony to the
same effect-as real masterpieces of persuasive
speech adapted exactly to his hearers full of
the lingo of the sea, used by expert who put
his legs Z, brilliant with wit original.
humorous: bur all for the purpose OF intoxicating
morality and religion without cant on his crude
is@ee fs+tfrs4 r11tsxs RI
and to auditors Of another sort, men Of cultiva-
/ ton. even hard headed solid men OF Boston y
he was sympathetic For he was buf
foon: he was profoundly serious and reverent.
/ Some OF the French and German preachers of
the Middle Ages, the friar preachers generally
In their golden prime, the men who got their
illustrations stories from the Dialogues of
Gregory the Great from Jacques De Vitry or
Caesar Heisterbach, understood this art of
sermoning; they would raise laugh shud
der by some comic tragic example; they
new bored. they went to their aim of edif
: r'or tnat matter, We dare say that Melville and
the author OF TWO Years Before the Mast
( t'high' churchman as he was) and Clark Rus
4 sell and Stevenson. of Treasure Island" would
pick Father Taylor for the chaplain OF their
Bethel in the Blessed Isles.
/ At rate, it is refreshing to upon the
effigy of him, and this week any of sense
whose ancestors or eoateras had followed the
sea" might well prefer the squaidest sailors
boarding house to the tanning and damning at
( Batimure.--New York Sun.