New-York tribune., 1919-07-07
Rev. William P. Merrill, of
Brick Pre- b yterian
Church, Unaffected and
Direct in His Appeals
Pastor for Eight Years
Former Chicagoan Accepted
Pulpit Without Inquiring
Amount of His Salary

rill. then Of Chicago.
To the membership of the church he
was an unknown quantity Few had
heard him preach. He was called on
the recommendation of Henry van
Dyke and of small group of officials.
DR.. Merrill replied that he could not
accept the call unless it were ex-
tended unanimously. SO every membe r
of the parish present at large con
gregational meeting solemnly voted for
him.
Then, without knowing what his
stipend was to be-in fact, without
knowing anything about his tasks, ex-
cept that he was promised he would
be kept busy-Dr. Merrill came to New
York.
The night of his installation as pas
tor was memorable occasion. The
preacher was the three times pastor,
DR.. van Dyke. All the artistry at his
command went into the sermon. He is
not an orator as the public thinks of
oratory. But he is a great artist, and
every word that he uttered that night
was followed with the intensest inter
est
In the mean time, DR.. Merrill was
still unknown to his flock DR.. van
Dykes achievement in the sermonic
art must have done one of two things
either discouraged or inspired him.
Five years later Union Theological
Seminary, after a long search for a
new president, turned to DR.. Merrill
as a representatively successful pastor
of large city parish.
The congregation of Brick Church
gathered round him as a man-this
congregation that had called him with
out knowing anything of him except
BY hearsay-and begged him to remain.
1t was another memorable occasion
when he announced his decision. In
order to expand the work of Brick
Church and its associated churches
money was poured into the plates by
thousands of dollars. DR.. Merrill knew
then that he had arrived.
he has become great force among
the preachers of the city. Soon after
his installation he was elected to head
the Church Peace Lcague-but this
does not mean that he was a pacifst
in the now generally understood sense
of that term. In the first year of mob
ilization Dr. Merrill made tour of the
training camps. This is what he told
the men all eager to fight not because
they hate the German people, but be-
cause they hate the wrong"
One Of the members of his congrega-
tion approached him in great concern.
She knew Of the devotion of the Ger
man people to their government and
she feared that the prayers of the Ger
man women might prevail. Said DR..
Merrill: "There is no danger Of
prayers being answered unless they are
prayers for the right. The prayers
rising from this land of ours to-day are
prayers that justice. may be done to
all"
In just such manner does DR.. Mer-
rill state his theology. Some question,
like that Of the woman about the
prayers of the German women, and
the things that he holds to be great
truths are unfolded simply and con-
vincingly.
AS president of the Church Peace
League Dr. Merrill is active in sup
port of the league of nations covenant.
He will probably be heard in all parts
OF the country.
1t is seldom that his voice is heard
In support of any political measure
DR.. Merrill is in great favor as a
preacher to young men. This probably
is because he goes at all his problems
man fashion.
At New York University in 1914 Or
Merrill delivered the baccalaureate ser
mon He said: GAS you lcok at your
self to-day you must know that even
IN the midst of the satisfaction of com
peting your study you are ignorant
and undeveloped in mind. irresolutc o,
hasty in will. characterized by faults
OF temper and of sense. There stands
the unpleasant, ugly fact what you
you are"
He said further, "You are conscious
Of another fact or set Of facts about
Yourself. There are moments when
the clouds lift and you see far. Some
book, some spoken word, some strain
OF music, some fash of insight within
your soul or out of the depths of be-
ing with which your soul connects, sets
before you vision of what you might
be.
"The world of to-day is full of facts
things that are that must be brought
to naught. We are coming to see the
with painful clearness, to feel then
with painful intensity. IT is one OF tb'
most noticeable characteristics Of ou,
age this powerful realization OF the
wrongs that exist in society,
Somehow we know that our business
as men and women is TO change al
this. to set in place Of the present evi
world "A new world wherein dwc!lctt
righteousness.' But how can it b.
done? What can do away with these
tough, rooted wrongs, these things tina
are but should not be- war hctwceI
nations, strife between classes, rxplo
tation Of the children. the ignorant, thu
weak, political fraud and corruption
the deadly formalism and institution
slism Of the Church?
Let your ideal Of what yon shoult
be stand before you. Fight a ways 70
that ideal, and you cannot help thci
put to help right the wrongs that nov
beset us
DR.. Merrill is ffty-two years old. VI
was born in Orange, N. j., and wa
graduated from Rutgers College an'
from the Union Theological Senina ~
HIS hrst church was that Of the Chest
hu nh congregation in Philade lphia, e
which he went in 1890 Five years late
ne went TO the Sixth Presbytcrial
Church Of Chicago, from which churcl
ne was called TO Manhattan. Hi
church is one Of the historic congrega
sons of New York. The work was Be
gun in 1867.
In 1855 the church found itself TO,
lar downtown and decided on the NOV,
70 the present location The church
paid $4,000 for the site. Some month
ago IL refused $1,000, 900, according to
report.