Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-23

held on the evening of october 81 In
the Madison Avenue Presbyterian
church under the direction Of the Kew.
Henry Sloane Coffin, pastor.
Dr.. Abbott's children are Lawrence
+. Abbott. president Of the Outlook
Publishing Company; Ernest Abbott.
-ccretary Of the compan%,: Herbert
Abhott. professor OF English at smith
College: DR.. Theodore Abbott. a ply
sici,n of this city Mrs. Francis Jor-
dan Of Rrooklyn. and Miss Beatrice
V Abbott. who lived with her father
and n niece in his home in Lexington
avenue. ,,,
In 1857 DR.. Abbott married Miss
Abhv Frances Hamlin. daughter Of
Hannibal Han.lin. She died in 1907
while she and DR.. Abbott we're on q
trim TO Germany, six weeks before the
roiden anniversary OF their wedding.
DR.. Abbott's last public appearance
was last May !. when he occupied the
pulpit at the morning service In st.
Georges Protestant Episcopal Church
in Stuyvesant Square. 1t was in that
sermon that he made the following COM
scribrd by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
and the vision Of St. John the Divine
as presented In Revelation:
Il shall get no courage to live from
this shadow on the clouds. which Is
but a faint reflection of this life with
its people, the same az those on earth,
clothed as we are and filling their days
as we fill ours. But from rhe other
vision-the vision Of purity and love
and of sacr!fce-I will get courage to
look across the river. y
Or. Abbott was born Mt Roxbury.
Mass. December IS, 1885, and was
the third son Of the Rev. Jacob Abbott,
a Congregational clergyman and au-
thor.
Or. Abbott gave up the editorship
Of the Illustrated Christian Weekly TO
become editor of the Christian Union.
on which he had been associated with
the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.
The lives Of DR.. Abbott and Or.
Beccher ran parallel in many respects.
After the death of DR.. Beecher, DR..
Abbott, in 1890. became pastor Of
Plymouth Church In Brooklyn, and re.
mained there until 1899. when he re.
signed to take UP his later work as
editor Of the Outlook.
DR.. Abbott and Or. Beecher were
among the first prominent clergyu.eu in
the United States to take the position
the social and civic problems of the
time. He and Colonel Theodore Roose-
welt were close friends. and during all
the colonel's years in public life Or.
Abbott was one Of his warmest sup
porters. At the end of his second term
as President, Colonel Roosevelt became
an associate editor on the Outlook with
Or. Abbott.
1t was while he was pastor of Ply
mouth Church that many OF DR.. Alb
bott's opinions brought upon him the
charge that he was 'heretical. In
one sermon he said that evolution was
not merely the Darwinian theory of the
survival of the fittest, but rather the
doctrine of growth applied 10 life. and
that all life proceeds by natural proc
esses from lower to higher forms by
forces acting from within. He described
himself as 'theistic evOlutionist. -
In another sermon he originated another
quotation which gained wide circula-
ton: He who denies the brotherhood
Of u.an Is as much an intidel as he who
denies the fatherhood Of Cod
DR.. Abbott's physique was slight.
but the amount of work he was able to
do was prodigious. He was interested
in an aston lshingly large variety Of
subjects. and took a leading part in
scores OF movements for civic and social
betterment.
In his early youth, after graduation
from the University Of the City Of New
York. DR.. Abbott studied law and was
admitted to the bar, and afterwards
practiCed in partnership with hil
brothers. Benjamin V. and Austin
Abbott. Giving up the law for the
ology, he studied for the ministry OF
the Congregational Church, with his
uncle, 5. G. Abbott, and was ordained
at Pennington, Me-, IN 1890 His irst
charge was in Tcrre Haute, Ind, where
he remained five years.
As editor Of the Christian Union.
which was later to be known as the
OEtlook, hi6 work marked him as n man
of great promise and one who saw re-
ligion, not too narrowly convention.
allied. but overlapping and spiritualiz-
irg many OF the socal and civil prob.
lens of the time.
Those who were nenr him say that
extraordinary working power was one
~ his chief CHARACTERISTICS. Modcr0tior
and sanity were the chief notes of hIs
temperament and attitude. He com.
manded attention by his transparent sin
cerity and by a gift Of clear persuasive
statement.
The range Of DR.. Abbott's connection
with civic enterprises was wide he had
intimate association with betterment
work in many fields. He held office in
at least score OF organizations for city
State and national, and even interna.
tioual reform, ard was actively Inter.
ested in many others. including socie.
ties for child, civil ana prison reform,
charity organizations. forestry associa.
ti"ns and the American Red Cross So
clety.
DR.. Abbott was known not ONLY 70
his friends and co workers but TO the
public as we'll rs a rational optimist;
one who sees clearly present obstacles
and evils, but IL confident that the cre-
ative forces in society are making for
the freedom and happiness of man, and
must prevail.
Before starting on what might be
called his ministerial career, he, in COL
laboration with his brother, wrote two
novels: Gone cut Corners and
Matthew Caraby."
His most important volumes are.
'"rhe Result of Emancipation In tho
United States" "Old Testament
Shadows Of New Testament Truths -
"a Layman's Story" Dictionary Of
Religious knowledge" "a study in
Human Nature" "The Theology Of nm
Christianity" "SSciai Problems" and