Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-03-02

new-mads grave In Gods Acre, a lit
tie way out from the sleepy drone OF
Dana, Mass, two offerings OF flowers
rest side by side-one the remem
brance Of 4 friend Of Lorimer. the
star Of the drama. the other the token
q . friend. Of Lowell. the pastor Of q
flock.
Lorimer was both. He lived his
life along parallel lines. He believed
he was called to deliver a message to
mankind. But. while knowing fl
which direction his life work lay, he
was not 10 certain how he should
play his part. And 80 he told bis
story. now to a congregation In = lit
tie church with helpful voices IN the
organ loft. and now to an audience in
a theater. with orchestra In front OF
the footlights. He was dramatic In
the pulpit. hs preached from the
stage
And ut thirty-sevcn, believing that
he had failed In his mission. be hxed
= day on which 1t should end. and
died trssically.
One may not write the full story
Of this actor-preacher,s mysterious
lffe. There ara gaps In II which are
bard to bridge. as there are things In
It which are hard to explain.
May BE story Of His Life.
It may be that in the novel Against
the Tide" which ne himself psnned
during his early ministry, and which
strangely turns up Just after his
death. the story Is told. Rev. DR..
Baldwin. 4 Baptist clergyman of Troy.
who prepared the preface to 1t. says
that 1t II.
While he, whom theafsr goers knew
az Lorimer. wss sull a slip OF a boy
In Athoi. Mass. he was left an or
phan. A family OF the name OF Low
ell. 1t Cape Elizabeth, up the bleak
Maine coast near Portland. adopted
him and gavs him the name-Waiter
M. s. Lowell-by which. In turn, hs
was known.
A fund a forthcoming to educate
him fund large enough to see him
through Colgate university and per
nit him to enjoy the broadening ad-
vantages Of Oxford university, Eng
land. As 8 student he became an
idsAlist. He took i step TO the serf-
Gus.
Returning to this country he enter
cd the ministry, believing, az he said.
that whom kindly fortune had
favored with an education should~use
his talents In 4 field wherein there
was an opportunity to uplift Others.
His irst p~astoratA. as the story now
Is told. was in the arsenal town Of
W-tcr-nc : suburb OF Troy, in 1862.
where he was admired alike tor the
fervor OF his oratory and his earnest
ness and enthusiasm IN the service 81
his flock.
Ability Manifest.
At the start be gave evidence OF
ability to fill all the requirements Of
q leader among his people. but later
on. whether from insxperience-he
vas scarcely more than q ~youth--or
a failure TO realize that a struggling
church organization requires careful
financing, he became involved in
money difficulties. They were simply
the ordinary embarrassments that any
young minister 10 apt to meet. and
which some knowledge of business
would have adjusted without serious
friction. To young Lowell they were
as a milestone about his neck.
Suddenly. and scarcely without mo-
tice. the young minister announced his
intention Of resigning his charge Soon
be went away.
1t II uninlportant to set down IN
order the list OF the other pulpits
which be filled. The interesting fact
Is that his failure to achieve q real
success At the ntart did not discourage
him or turn him to other things. He
preached to the people OF the coal
mining community OF Honesdale and
later ministered to the congregation
OF the Baptlst church OF North scran-
ton. In the latter town hts sermons
shot wids OF the Baptist doctrine and
there visa 4 severance Of relations be-
tween church and pastor.
Turns 10 this Stage.
From this time on until he nuaIly
transferred his work from the pulpit
to the stage. 8 struggle was going on
within him as to how he might best
i've according 30 his ideals. The
pulpit stIEl continued 10 cali him. but
he began to have doubts as TO his own
ability to accomplish 10 his chosen
lisld the good that he felt should eone
srcr, h.s 1-crts. - wanted 10 IN
spire men to ~wall-doing in a way that
was rev. S
While he was still a minister Ia
Groton. Mass. whittier he went from
p~snnsylvania. and in Richmond Hill,
the BROOKLYN suburb. he began work.
Ing On 4 play.
All through his life he had q fond
nsss for Biblical art. II inspired him.
~ - c~1v..sss sssas isv ~susirys
and the spirit Of . great patntinK
could be given a dramatic setting and
made TO do the work he. with andirsr
ens success. bad aoughs 10 DO In tbs