Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-19
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Argument With George Wharton
Pepper Arouses Doubts az to the
Actual Necessity Of sun
day Sermons
BY SARAH ID. LOWRIE

|
BY SARAH ID. LOwRIE
T HAD a very instructive argument with
Mr.. George Wharton Pepper week or
two ago on the subject Of sermons in church
on Sunday as an integral part of the OBJ
servance of day of rest and worship
! Or, rather. IL was not 80 much an argu-
ment as a quiz on his part and a standing
UP for conviction on my part. do not
| know what his court manner may be like
but found myself squaring myself on my
seat as though l were on a witness stand
and concentrating my mind on my answers
as though something vital depended on my
reasons for the faith that was in me.
IL was an odd enough background for
| serious bout of words. A cabin, in height
breadth and primitive furnishing not unlike
the great log hut in which Siegfrieds par
ents meet for the first time in the first act
on the hearth. and three of us--AIrs. Pepper.
another guest aud myself--were seated on
rough settle before the FIRE. while Mr.. Pep
per. after throwing on another log or so.
enseonced himself on sort of shelf quite
high up against the wall, from which he
called down his questions. Every now and
| then there would be murmur of dissent
| from our audience of two, but for the most
part he subjected my rather radical position
mons on Sunday to slow encirclng fire of
| deductions and consequences that put me
at my wits end to hold my ground
Apart from the interest of the subject,
there was great interest to me in the fact
| of its happening Mt all in the holiday condi-
tions of the day and place and occasion.
| OUR host had spent long day in rough
| " tramp over miles of mountain and
| forest land of Mount Desert, and arrived
only few minutes before his guests at this
remote cabin of his on the edge of de.
| rtn Ia =.
Young birches and balsam trees. with here
and there larger pine. The waters Of the
sound Tapped three sides of the point Of
land. and the receding tide left brown rocks
and yellow scaweed against its inevitable
and ground pine. Two boats--one n scow
and the other canoe-rode at the end Of
their tethcr by small wharf the sole
means OF communication with the world Of
telephones and motors, United States mail
and time tables.
Whatever was cooked in the cabin was
cooked by one or another of the four who
ate it. and whatever was tidicd up or
washed or swept or burned was done by one
or all Of MS. There were no servants. no
callers. no engagements. Yesterday could
we'll have been today and today tomorrow.
There was nothing particular to be done.
ana there was ample opportunity of an un-
trammcIed Kind in which to do what turned
up. There was swimming off the floating
dock. there were swatheS of young trees
hiding the distant reaches of the sound that
could be chopped down, there were clans
that could be dug, and there was just sit
ting anywhere - in or out of doors - and
talking.
MIE THREE women had reached the rem
w devious by motor drive across from
the Pepper cottage at North East IIarbor
we were in Il holiday mood as well as our
host from strenuousness of another kind
than his tramp involved; but there we werc
with the world of our usual occupancy echo
ing very family for us across great reaches
OF forest and water. hard at il discussing
an institution that for one reason or an
other more than one of us was popularity
supposed to have treated with scant rever-
encc--thc religious observance Of the first
day of the week.
Since the argument turned on sermons
and their place in worship it is unnecessary
for me to give here any report of either
premise or conclusions. since Mr.. Pepper
confined himself only to his quiz and I to
answering his questions. What struck me
then and has remained as interesting since
was the clear. telling logic Of those ques-
tionS and the web of unacceptable conclusions
that dcitly enmeShed me. 50 that | was
Stccrcd away from the non essentials and
propelled slowly and with genial ease toward
an inevitable goal.
TT WAS a great lesson in logical sequence
L drawn out by that littlc-used art of
comDrehending questioning. Not unique
experience. of course. but perhaps the ease
and serenity of the Untrammelcd atmosphere
made the enjoyment Of it more or less unique
for listeners and participants
| fancy Mr.. Pepper enjoys his mower to
concentrate on simultaneous subjects
have seen him in hi office dictate n letter.
converse over his Office phone keep n client
before him modified in spite Of these inter
ruptiOns, and jot down on n convenient pad
some data that were pertinent TO none Of the
three other occupations claiming his atten-
tion. without losing his ceremonous and
sympathetic appearance of concentration on
any Of his four lines Of thought. But that
kind Of a tour de force s actually not as
characteristic Of him a. his power to take
holiday and r"laT completely. yet not sag
mentally from n swift efficiency Of keen in
tercst i'll subject about which he Is still
open minded e.. Cad of new data or
Of the clash of an opposing idea.
CTRANGELI enough, ! came down from
- that verbal bout freshly self -buttrcsscd
in my contention th0t there was nothing in
the teachings of the Founder of Christian
worEhip to compel the Use Of sermons as n
part of religious Worship or Of n Sundpv
Observance. to find the following notice and
lrttrr in my accumulated mail:
II nCoEe II calendar Of the Rryn Mnwr
Presbyterian Church, and hone II will he
possible for you to come 10 some of the
additional Sunday morning services because
the men we are now going to have are cx-
reedingy strong men. Dr. Thompson is one
of the most noted Of the Congrogationnlists
| who attended the CONGREGATIONAL Council
| ast year. IIC preached in the Fifth Ave
nue. Presbyterian Church yesterday and the
| rr,viouS Sunday
DIR. Jones il ono Of the leading Welsh
ministers, and the two ministers from Edin.
| burgh are leading ministers in that city
If you can let your friends know Of
their hC.mg here and Nou can come Yourself
| II would well repay either you or any of
| your friends who ran come
| IJERE was som" 0ur church member and
! II some one church congregation tbot hoL
a frln faith in the enioyahlcno,s Of sermons
Perhaps it is because the minister of this
! Presbyterian body is II Scot>man who really
can preach that the knowl"dgo makes them