Springfield weekly Republican. [volume], March 11, 1909, Page 14, Image 14

About Springfield weekly Republican. [volume] (Springfield, Mass.) 1851-1946

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14
LESTEN TRANSITION.
From feast to fast seems but a step,—
But n vowel ‘twixt words akin.
With consonants in both alike,
And difference so thin—
Yet a seeming slight transition
Doth indicate days of contrition:
The verbal’change is bur stroke of pen
In one fleet moment of time.—
Or dropt as a trifle from one's lips
Hardly noted for rbvthiu or rhyme:
But kt tables with little or nothing to spare
Of bounty, the lenten transition shows there.
So. too. in doffing raiment fine.
Yet finer with jewelry.
•And under duress that banishes pride
Donning garb of penury -
'Finis the heart may outward semblance seek
For a passing mood both lowly and meek.
Ah. deeper than matters of diet or dress.
Though involving many a sigh. -
More exacting than certain staled rites
Kept strictly as days go by.
Is the task of real self-denial
• While are wailing the lute and viol.
Good for us all is penitence
Apart while at shrines we kneel:
Better is battling all the year round
With whatever doth reveal
A foe to every impulse goad
In manhood and womanhood.
W. E. Boies.
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.
THE CHAPMAN MEETINGS HERE.
EVA BOOTH’S DRAMATIC APPEAL.
ADDRESSES 2000 IN THE THEATER
Meeting of Frida, Afternoon Proved
to be One of the Mont Sneeesnful of
the CatnpalKn.
Dramatic appeal made by Commander
Eva Booth of the Salvation Army to a
theater full of people Friday afternoon
stirred as deep emotion as at any meeting
that lias been held in the Chapman-Alex
tinder 'ampaigu. The simple blue of this
woman’s uniform dress, with the bright
scarlet of the long sash from her shoulder
to the floor, her slim form and thin, eager
face, gave a striking setting for tue rapid
tire of the emotional appeal that this
seemingly frail woman hurled tirelessly
with her nervous, constant, emphatic ges
tures. Emotion thrilled her audience.
Tited ministers watched her every quick
movement and hurried to make their ears
catch every word that she sent in n not
stream, sometimes shrill with the aban
don to emotion, and again held down to
a tense whisper. Exclamations broke out
throughout the house as she dashed
through paragraphs inipunetuated except
with emotion to a climax that thrilled her
hearers. She spoke on "The hand of
God.” Nearly a half-hour before the time
set for the beginning of the meeting tiie
theater was tilled, and others were scut
across the street to the First church, where
the overflow well tilled that auditorium.
Song swelled from the audience as Mr
Alexander, mounted in a chair on the plat
form, pulled out the tuneful sound from
2000 throats. He has seemed to enjoy
more no audience whose vocal chords he
lias played upon. Pleasure shone from
bis face as he swelled the sound till every
thing reverberated and then with a word,
a look, a pass of his hand, lowered the
sound to a harmony, faint but with the
fulness of a flood far off. Five-yenrw-old
Ruth Parrett, standing at the rail over
which her pretty little face could hardly
look, sang twice the chorus of "He will
hold me fast," and many echoed in their
thoughts Mr Alexander’s “He does" ns
the wee tuneful voice spread through the
hush of the crowd with "For my Savior
loves me." A man rose and sang a verse
of ‘‘Saved through Jesus name." The
man pleased Mr Alexander and the audi
ence. who applauded. He said his name
was Paul. “That’s a good name," Mr
Alexander said. "It’s in my Bible.’’ In
answer to another question of Mr Alex
ander’s he said lie was converted back in
his homo in Ireland when he was 17.
"You don’t need to say ‘lreland.’ ” Mr
Alexander said. “We know where you
sire from. That song did me good. If
you live as well as you sing, you’re go
ing."
Dr Chapmen called upon Rev Dr Kelsey
of Hartford to tell whether or not the ex
perience of Hartford two years ago led
him to think that the revival spirit lasts.
"If it lasts only while the evangelists are
in the city,” Dr Chapman said, "the meet
ings aren't worth while." Dr Kelsey gave
an enthusiastic testimonial to the "worth
whileness’’ of the meetings. He gave in
stances of how churches had grown. Every
one of the 230 added to his ehuri'h mem
bership as a result of the revival, lie said,
stuck just ns well as any 230 in the
church. “Of course it pays," he said.
“There's nothing like it." Then Mr Alex
ander told Ills "stick story' 1 about the
converted stock driver, husky and “uot
knowing any more than to go straight at
the point,” who answered moaning, doubt
ful worry about his sticking with "Stick
nothing! We've been stuck long enough.
Let’s climb.”
Rev E.B. Robinson of Holyoke said that
the revival there was the greatest thing that
there had ever been in Holyoke. He said:
"I am still a converted pastor. They need
it worse than anybody else,” to which
there were many "Amens" from clergymen
on the stage. Rev Dr Newton M. Half of
North ehureh was called upon. He said
that he believed that if ever there had
been y revival since Pentecost, .Springfield i
was having one.
"Not to compliment Dr Chapman, but
because I think it," he said, “I say that I
believe that the mantle of Dwight 1..
Moody has fallen ujx>u Dr Chapman. I
say it because the spirit of Jesus Christ
is upon him. J believe that these meetings
are the greatest influence for good that
Springfield has ever seem Thank God for
them."
Coin in n nil er Booth's Address.
Dr Chapman presented Miss Booth with
a fine tribute to her mother, to her father,
Gen Booth, to her forces all over the
United States and to herself and the work
she is doing. As she rose to speak the I
footlights were turned on. She made a I
striking appearance, and fascinated with I
her personality mid unusual gestures while
she thrilled with her words. A realistic I
impression of her appearance ami effect is '
li.ud to imagine. She is rather tall and I
slim, lithe, with long arms. Her thin face ।
IS almost framed in the curly hair drawn
low on the sides. Her simple blue .-oat
with its red shoulder straps, military cd-
Inr open a little nt the throat showing
the scarlet underneath, and th-' plain blue
skirt added to her appearance of highi
earned out still more by the bright s.nrht
sash that hung from her right shoulder
down across her body to the floor. She
told ol the years of her early life that liad
led to the imiKisxibility for her to sec life
except from the point of view of the work
winch she has taken up.
She took ns 1 er text "Behold tile Lorii's
hand is not shortened that it inmiot save,
lieitbcr liis car heavy that it cannot bear.'*
Hhe said that people overlook the remark,
able blesslugn wrapped up in tin. biuuaii
l“rni She soared into positive tributes to
the human hand, the foot, the eve. tin.
lifart, anil asked if anyone ever thankel
Dod lor these parts of themselves. She
I told a -lory of mi insane man reaching
I through the bars of the fence of an asy-
I hint, grasping her father's sleeve ami
। snipping him to ask if lie ever thanked
| God for his reason. Gon Booth stopped
I right there and knelt mid gave thanks
for the reason that he had had so long
I without giving thanks for it. "If you
I li iven't a heart to fed don't go out of
I this meeting until God has given you one.'
I fi r you're one of the most to bo pitied
; inilwidtmls in existenoc." She drew re
' alistic pictures of the work of human
! hands with striking contrast*; strength
I and skill that guide the, ship across rue
I sea. yet gentle enough to take tile pulse
j of the dying infant: it molds and makes
i tile shot that it guides and drives into
I the breast of its enemy: puts on a cold
! gray sheet of canvas the picture that
। men can hardly turn their eyes from:
■ brings out of the cold, hard stone an
! image so warm and tender that men say
| surely it must live; it brings divine mu>io
I from the mute strings of the harp; it
I helps, caresses, slays, destroy,-..
Thou Miss Booth came to her real su:>-
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EVA BOOTH.
[Salvation Army commander*, who addressed Court Square theater meeting.]
jeet, “God's hand.” Like a theme in a
long musical study, ever recurring, now
high, now low, now loud and then faint,
-she brought in again and again those two
words. “God's hand!” “God's hand!”
“God's hand!” repeating it over and over,
burning it in. She told in her fiery way
the story of Israel crossing through th“
waters of the Red sea. “God's hand.”
She to!<t of the los- of Phnrnoh's troop*
trying to trail through on Gml's blessing.
"God's hand." She mentioned other mi
raculous events given in the Old Testa
ment. ending each with the words. “God's
hand.” When his children complained that
it was "Oh. so hot,” God hung a parasol
a mile long in the sky. When it was
dark and they could not see their way, he
hung a lantern in the sky: when they were
suffering for food lie scattered the manna
for them: when they cried out in thirst
he brought out of the. cold, hard rock the
streams of living water.
Miss Booth testified to her absolute be
lief in the Bible. “Yes,” she said, "I am
sensible enough to believe the whole
thing.” If a man came to her and told
her that he had made a watch, she thought
that she would believe that he could make
it stand still. God made the sun, she said,
and she guessed that he eould make it
stand still. She told a story of a conversion,
a man who was lost, lost, wandering in a
forest of siu. adrift on the sea. going
down, down: losing hope, losing health,
losing character, losing reputation till he
saw something, a hand crimson red from
its own blood, with a hole in its center,
reaching down, down till it enme into the
pit tbe man's soul was in and lifted it up,
up till his foot was on jlm eternal rock
of ages. That mail testified, tliiit the hand
was not shortened so that it could not
save. She urged every one to take some
one witii them to heaven. She said that
one would feel awkward if he did not
have some one to take in with him.
Sometimes Miss Booth crouched in car
rying out ihe realism of her words. Her
long arms and finger* were active, falling
to her sides onlv to get new vim with
which to start again to hurry along with
tlie fast, sharp words that she tired forth
like an inspired prophetess. In closing
she made "It's a tender hand” the per
vading theme, which »he said and re
p■: le.l effectively. She told of a little
girl who on a wrecked ship waited in tlie
cold, tierce wind as load after load was
taken away by tbe lifesaving boat. Then,
calling. "Please, kind sir, siivq me next!”
the little girl jumped into the sea.
"Throw yourself into the sen of God's
mercy." she urged. Though she might
send four ships in four directions carry
ing all their canvas, they would come
into tlie harbor of heaven before reach
ing the shores of God's mercy. Angels
with the six wings that Isaiah saw might
fly for 10,000,000 years and come back
to say "There are no shores to God's
mercy." After the address a collection
for the Salvation Army was t»ken. Thore
were many answers of “I will” to Dr
Chapman's invitation to those who would
begin living I,otter lives to say it. Many
hands were raised for special prayer. Mr
Naftzger sang "Bearing His cross.” and
Col Damon, field secretary of the eastern
department of the Salvation Army, pro
nounced the be nediet ion.
DAY OF SPECIAL MEETINGS
For Men, Women nnd ( hihlren—-Many
Com erMfonN at Each.
'This has been a great day,” said Dr
Chapman Sunday night, when he had fin
ished his last meeting; “a truly wonderful
day.” And it surely was. It was the greatest
•lay of the present evangelistic campaign,
and probably it was the greatest day of
any religintm increment errr made her»\
Tully 13JKMI people attended the 13 serv
ices held during the afternoon and even
ing. The thousands flocked to the meeting
places in the proper spirit, too. They had
been worked up to a pitch of keen untici
pation by the rousing services of the days
past, and from appearances they left the
meetings yesterday keyed up even higher-
All tbld nearly 4<M> pe&ph> publicly said
that they wen* ready to accejrt anJ live
conversion. It is to be expt'Cted that many
were quickened to better living who did
not publicly^ admit it. ami in every meet
ing emphasis was laid on the necessity
among the eburrh people of mon^ or less
long standing, for (he giving of. themselves
more Idly to the advancetnent of tin*
'Kings business.”
i he question is. ‘Wlmt an* you going
Iu do from now onF ” said Dr Chapman
THE SPRINGFIELD WEEKLY REPUBLICAN: THURSDAY. MARCH 11,1909.
at the (lost* of liis third meeting of the
day. that at Trinity church late in trie
evening. “If yon will live out Christ in
your lives during the time to come the
I church work and all activity in your city
> will be mightily move<l with an imnasing
I power. Will you do it?” h<» continued.
; And that was the slogan of the day.—the
i carrying on of rhe systematic enthusiastic
‘ Christian work after the evangelists have
i ’eft the city.
’ Sunday xxa* a day of special meetings.
• There was a gathering of little people
. from three or four to 10 years of age at
j the State-street Baptist elmrch at 3 o’clock
I with about 400 present. A; the same time
’ meetings for men only were held at the
: Court Square theater ami in tin- First
• Congregational church, with a total at*
’ tendance 1 of about 2000. Meetings were
• held also at 3 o’clock at Trinity church for
; Women, witii 1200 present, and at the
. AVesley Methodist church for young peo
! pie from Io to 20 years -hl. with abmit SOO
1 in attendance. Over 200 of the young pt^o
ple professed, conversion. In the evening
two general meetings were held in the cen
tral district, one at the theater and the
other at the First church, with 3000 pres
ent at the two. The evening meetings in
the Memorial church and the Park Me
morial Baptist church crowded the church
buildings to their capacity, and the First-
Highland Baptist church proved entirely
too small for the Hill meeting.
A BRIGHT DAY FOR THE POOR.
Fuel and Food Distributed by ‘‘Day of
Rejoicing” Workers.
The day of rejoicing of the Chapman-
Alexander evangelistic campaign for those
with whom circumstances have dealt
harshly during the past few months, came
Saturday, when bounteous baskets of pro
visions and quantities of fuel and some
gifts of money were distributed among
about 300 families which were in dire
need. It is estimated that over 1200 men,
women and children were made happy by
the gifts. Those who carried the tidings
of good cheer and the means for furnish
ing the cheer found many a pitiable home
scene. In some homes the damp chill of
rooms that had been tireless for weeks
and months was changed to cheerful
warmth by the baskets of coal or the bags
<4 Huirrmil. and in many a home where
a Aut of bread was to be the meal for
to-day, and for the days to come, the table
will be*set for plain but substantial meals
for a t few days at least. The causes for
<he distress were many, but in "every case
they were beyond the help of the sufferers.
Here was a mother with four children,
whose Jmsband had run away; there was
a family with many children, where the
father has been sick for months and the
mother lias done her little best to keep
the souls and bodies together, and again
there were ntred people who were doing all
that, they could to feed themselves and to
keep from calling on public charity during
iheir declining years. No family was aid
ed that had not been recommended by some
pastor or regular charitable agency as
worthy of the help.
DR CHAPMAN ADDRESSES 400 BOYS
InterextiiiK Meeting in Trinity Church
Ooe. Xot Entirely Quell BoyUh
Spirit*.
Dr Chapman conducted his only service
especially for boys at Trinity church Mon
day afternoon. It was only a moderate
success? Probably 400 boys, nearly all of
them young enough to be in knee trousers,
attended, and they looked lost surrounded
by tbe rows of vacant pews. The only
success of the meeting was the large num
ber of boys who went to the front of the
church at the close, presumablv to profess
convei'Hion and to begin to live earnest
( hristian lives as boys would live them.
And this success seemed tempered with
• ,p S^'ldest failure of the entire gather
ing. After his brief talk the evangelist
gave the invitation for those who were
determined to start the Christian life to
go to the front of the church. About 15<)
boys went to the front and knelt on the
floor of the aisles and in the empty pews.
Dr Chapman had urged them to make
March 8 tin* great dav in their lives, and
b‘Hh Rev Dr B. D. Hahn and 4<ov H M.
Antrim had. told of their conversions when
tlmy were boys like those present. As the
evangelist prayed and the penitents were
supposed to be bowing their heads, scores
of the lads were grinning and pulling and
poking their fellows who happened to be
within reach. A few seemed to l>e much
in earnest, as thoroughly so as the many
seemed entirely careless J
The arrangements were incomplete, ami
there was no one to play the piano. Nei
ther was ?»h Alexander present to lead tbe
singing. Dr Chapman started up “Nearer,
My G<><l, to Thee,” and the boys labored
through a single verse. The texts were
read amJ rei)<‘at<«l by the boys, as follows:
“Behold uov is the “accepted time, behold
now is the day of salvation,” “Seek ye
the Lord while he may Im? found, call ye
upon him while he is yet near,” and John
iu: 10. .Dr Chapman urged that.the boys
avoi< sbi because it is not only against
God. but hlmf against theinselv«*s. He told
of :in incident whvre a father went away
from bonn for a few days and asked his
son to <k» right hk best he could. He said
if you do wrong <|rive a nail into the barn
door pich wrongdoing. The father
<aino hmiff, and h<* found the door filkl
wity many nails. He forgave tbe lioy for
the wrong<loing, aml he told him that lie
coiffd th^n pull out the nails. The nails
were pulled uut, but the boy found that
.-voles of holes were left iu the dour,
where the s!u nulls Imd been.
So it is iu our lives. We nmy be for
given for our sins, but we suffer the pain
of them and they are bound to leave their
scars. He urged that especially such sins
as idleness, impurity, dishonesty, drinking
and gambling, no matter on how small a
scale, be slimmed. He said that the great
est men of all walks of life in imslern
times ha.) been Christians. “If you Would
grow into stiong nmiilmod and betamie
powers for right then begin to-day to live
the Christian life,” said the evangelist,
'file boys who were members of some
liiureh were asked to raise their hands
and about 50 said that they were partak
ers of the communion. Then the invita
tion to start <m the new life was given.
THE NEW ST PAUL'S OPENED.
Sermon 1»> Rev G. C. Baldwin. Jr
I ntversalist Society oC This City
Moves Into the Old First Baptist
Church, Which Has Been Entirely
Remodeled.
"Introductory services." tbc first held in
tbe old First Baptist church at the coiner
of Spring and State streets in this city by
the members of St Paul's Universulist
vhurili were held Sunday morning, after
noon and evening. The ehureh was in tit at
tire for the opening services, for it had been
entirely made over inside, and looked like
new. In the morning a special musical
program was rendered by the choir, with
many present at the first service. The
pastor. Rev Dr C. E. Rice, preached a
special sermon in honor of the opening
day. He took for his text. Joshua iv :6,
"What mean ye by these stones?"
There have been considerable improve
ments made in the First Baptist building
in preparation for the occupancy of St
Paul's society. The interior and exterior
have been renovated, at a total cost of
about SSOOO. The building is now em
phatically a church home. It lacks some
of the rather cold formality in appearance
which is often in the atmosphere of a
church. The most apparent changes are
those which admit additional light into
the auditorium «n<t vestibules and the re
decoration of the interior. Tbe walls have
been changed froni terracotta to a soft
olive green, and the ceiling has been
changed from blue to cream. In many of
the small windows the glass has been
changed to a different color to admit more
light, and now and additional glass ha,
beep put in some of the doors. The most
expensive single item of tire improvements
was in fixing the roof. The covering of
tbe flat portions of the roof has be“n
changed from slate to tin. and gutters have
been replaced with new copper ones. The
attractive Sunday-school moms and par
lors are furnished nicely, and contribute
much to the decidedly "home?'" air qf tile
cliureh. An improvement which the n*6m
en would perhijps vote the best of all is
the putting in of a dumb-waiter from the
kitchen to the floor above, so that light
refreshments can be conveniently served
without the many trips up and downstairs.
Workmen have put lots of time into re
pairing and tuning the organ, so that it
will be in the best of condition for to-dav's
services.
SPOKE ON THE REVIVAL WE NEED
Rev A, P. Receord's Sermon nt Church
of the Unity,
Rev A. P. Reccord preached at the
church of the Unity Sunday morning
on “The revival we need,” and took
his text from Romans xii: 2, “Be not
fashioned according to this xvorld, but
be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind that ye may prove what
is that good and acceptable and per
fect will of God.” He made no reference
to the criticism called out by tbe sermon
of a week ago, except to correct the mis
taken impression Unit be was opposed to
any appeal to the emotions. “Every true
sermon," he said,“is-just such an appeal.
Wliat we condequi is,not the appeal to
emotion, but the lisp, of appeals which are
illegitimate iu their-nature, demoralizing
in their results and which succeed just in
proportion to the completeness with which
they silence the reason and stimulate im
pulsive action.” The fallacy in the pres
ent movement is the idea that there is
one type of religious experience which is
necessary for all men and that any means
are justified which help to reproduce this
type. As a result many have had their
lives saddened because they could not look
back to any such emotional crisis, any
cataclysmic surrender to God and accept
ance of Christ, and were made to feel
that their religious life was incomplete.
According to such a theory, Paul was a
Christian but Jesus was not; St Augustine
was a Christian hut Phillips Brooks was
not; and yet every sane man knows flint
the hope of the world lies in the multipli
.catioii of the Jesris and Phillips Brooks
type of character. If a man has not
rebelled against God. why should he sur
render to him? If he has not rejected
Christ, why should he make formal pro
fession of accepting him? «
REV S. R. MAXWELL’S STAND.
Believes Unitarians Will Be Justified
in Withholding Support' From Pro
posed Y. At. C. A. So Lons as They
Are Allowed No Vote in the Organ
ization.
Rev S. R. Maxwell of All Souls' church
at Greenfield Sunday prefaced his sermon
xvith a few words relative to the proposal
to form a branch of the Young Men's
Christian association in Greenfield. He
believed Unitarians would be justified in
withholding their contributions from inch
a movement so long ns they are not given
a vote in the organization. He commend
ed the work of the Young Men's Christian
association, but believed there should be
an organization in town for Romanists,
Jews mid all faiths. He referred to the
fact that the present armory standing in
the rear of All Souls' church will be avail
able for other purposes within the year
Dy expiration of the lease, and suggested
that it could be used for young men's club
purposes. If it should not be feasible to
form an organization for young men of
all creeds and faiths in town. Mr Maxwell
suggested that one for Unitarians lie
formed. There is opposition on the part
of the uinnufaetnrers in town to starting
an organization for workingmen and boys
on narrow and sectarian lines.
FEAR OF HELL AND DREAD OF SIN
Tn the Editor of The Republican:—
I trust you will find space in your pa
per for these few words of mine. I am not
a preacher: I am n layman, but. like many
others. I have been greatly interested iu
the revival meetings that have been held
in Springfield the last two. weeks. I at
tended th<. Tharsday-noon meeting mid nt
the conclusion of the service a prominent
clergyman said to me. "We ministers
could not draw a crowd like this.” His
remark was true. They could not do it.
But why is it Dr Chapman Ims such
power to draw the people? Granted, he
is a magnetic speaker, but bis words are
simple, his manner easy and he is not
over-einotiorinl. I believe it is because lie
stands up there on the platform and
makes people afraid of sin. We have lost
completely the element of fear in our re
ligion. I mn young enough to have been
brought up under the new dispensation.
That is, I never heard of a God of wrath.
1 never was taught that Christ died to
appease an ntigry God. I never heard of
hell, but, furthei-niore. J was never taught
that “The wages of sin is death."
Ministers have been so busy lately tell
ing of the love of God that they have fur
gottcu to warn their people of the disns
troit* and permanent effects of sin. But
Dr Clnipmnn does just this. We cannot
get away from the fact that sin m deadly,
and that if we do wrong we will have to
stifMl' for it. some time, somewhere; but
thin fact Ims been lost to view by the
rsople of to-dny.. In the town where I
live many of thh young people of good
families, both boys and girls, have gone
astray. Why? Because they had no fear
of the consequences. I know, because
many of them were my personal friends.
Why are so many of the .voting people of
to-day weak and degenerate? Why are
homes broken up by divorce? Why me
business men dishonest? Why is society
rotten? Why is there wrongdoing in high
places and low?
Because we no longer fear sin and the
consequences thereof. We do not fear
God in the old-fashioned way any more;
we have no hell of fire and brimstone; but
is not the pendulum swinging too far in
that direction, so far, in feet, that we are
fast losing sight of the enormity of sin?
As fear is the primal instinct which pre
serves the life of the animal, should not
fear of that which will injure the soul
preserve us spiritual beings?
If tlie ministers of Springfield and vi
cinity would denounce sin as firmly as Dr
Chapman and preach as simply and clear
ly that life and pence are obtainable only
by right mid true living in God's sigin
on God's earth, they would have as great
a following as that eminent evangelist.
Chicopee, March J. 190l>. o. p.
Rev 11. L, Bussell Accepts Call.
Rev Herbert Leslie Buzzell of Wind
sor, Vt„ has accepted the call given him
by the First parish church (Unitarian) of
Barre to become their pastor, mid he will
take up the work the first Sunday in
April. Mr Buzzell is a native of Med
ord, Mass., and a graduate of Bates col
lege mid Meadville theological seminary.
He was ordained in 1803, and his last pas
torate was at Hyannis, previous to go
ing to Windsor, where he has preached
the past year. The First parish has been
without a minister since last autumn,
when Rev Alvin F. Bailey resigned after
nearly 30 years of service and at the last
parish meeting it was voted unanimously
to call Mr Buzzell, who had preached as
a candidate for three Sundays.
Bev F. J, Fairbanks Resigns.
Rev F, J. Fairbanks, for 15 years pastor
of the Royalston Center Congregational
cliurch, and a man well known in Athol
and throughout this part of the state,
read his resignation at the close of the
service Sunday morning. It created con
siderable surprise in the parish, as no
intimation of his intention was known
previous to his action. It is not known
where Mr Fairbanks is to go. The resig
nation takes effect April 15.
Clinton I’nntor Resigns,
Rev James SheeriD, rector of the church
of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal) at Clin
ton, has resigned to become rector of
Christ church at Warren, O. Rev Mr
Sheerin represented the diocese of West
ern Massachusetts at the pan-Anglican
conference in London last year.
A meeting of the members of the Uni
versalist chuTcl); of Middletown, Ct.-, was
held last week mid it was voted iimini
monsly to extend a call to become pastor
to Rev Elliott Bates Barbour of North
Orange, Mr Barbour is a graduate of
Tufts college mid Tufts theological semi
nary. He lias held pastorates at Nor
wood and several other places. It is
thought that Mr Barbour will accept the
call. .
GARRISON’S FIRST ADDRESS
Ajralnst Slavery — Some Park-Street
Church Associations,
To the Editor of The Republican:—
The recent centennial of the Park-street
church of Boston brings to mind some fa
mous events associated with the historic
and stately edifice, bearing upon public
affairs. Here in ISIS Charles Sumner
gave his great address on the war system
of nations, at the first annual convention
of the American peace society. It was here
that "America'' was first sung al a patri
otic Sunday-school celebration July 4. 1832.
Lowell Mason being musical director. Still
earlier. July 4. IS®, William Lloyd Gar
rison delivered here his first antislayery
address. If somewhat less objurgatory than
some of his later utterances, it was a
trumpet note of warning, bold, clear and
itisistent. This was nearly two years be
fore the birth of the Liberator, tbe first
number of which contained the memorable
words in the address "To the Public’’—"l
am in earnest—l will not equivocate—l
will not excuse—l will not retreat a single
inch—and J will be beard"—a promise
which he lived literally to make good.
The address is of special interest as
showing the condition of public affairs at
the close of the first half-century of our
national history. After alluding to the
significance and dignity of the occasion,
the orator proceeded to lament the grow
ing evils of the time, among which he men
tioned “the prevalence of infidelity, the
desecration of the holy Sabbath, the ravages
of,intemperance, the profligacy of the press
and tbe corruption of party politics,” as
sources of danger and causes for alarm.
In taking up the subject of slavery, he
admits that it is “a delicate subject, sur
rounded with many formidable difficulties."
bue he handles it fearlessly and with
prophet-like vehemence. In the course of
his strong plea for gradual emancipation—
for this is all that at the .time he seems
to have hoped for—he speaks of politics
ips “‘rotteil to. the cope." of the nation as
"in the. hands.of unprincipled jugglers." of
the people as going “shackled to the polls,
year after year, by tens and hundreds of
thousands.” of "selling their birthright for
office while prating of integrity, virtue and
independence.” His aim throughout is to
arouse public sentiment by representing
the dangers of the slave system to the
nation, and to lend his hearers to view it as
John Wesley had pronounced it as “the
sum- of all, villainies," No one can. read
the address without being impressed with
the high moral ground taken by this great
antislaverj- leader; it seems strange to
us of the present day that he could have
been so opposed and vilified: that'so many
good men arrayed themselves against him.
forcing him at last into an attitude which
made him appear as the enemy of the min
istry. of Xhe church, of society, of order
and peace.
The address is instructive, as showing
how long a distance we have traversed iu
four-score years; it reminds ns that the
former days were not better than these; and
it inspires gratitude to those men who
sowed the seed whose harvests we now reap.
The grand old church has stood in all its
history by tbe great reforms of the age.
nnd it still stands after 100 years a mon
ument to n heroic past, and with its tall
nnd graceful spire lifted to the skies re
minding men whence, their help cometh.
Newton. March ». IM)!). n. f. l.
nn CUYLER’S ANTI-IMPERIALISM.
[From the Century Press Bureau.]
A notable instance of Dr Uuylcr’s inde
pendent personal spirit was afforded by
Lis course during tlie presidential eanvnss
ot IIMXI. With some of the principal na
tional leaders of the republican party
men like Senator Hour, ex-Senntor El
nmnds, ex-President Harrison, ex-Speaker
Ri,ed. and (‘lmries Francis Adams—lie
was nimble .ouseientiously to approve the
so-called “in>perial»tic” policy of the Mc-
Kinley ndmiinstratioii, nnd indeed his op
position to that policy had been very de
cided. Feeling, however, that the emer
gencies of the politiial situation demanded
t'le re-election of Mr McKinley ns n re
sult infinitely to be preferred to the tri
i.mph of the Bryan democracy, he enme
cut with einphusis in favor of Mr McKin
icy. But this was done with a clear in
cidental nvowul of his continued nonaccept
cnee of the imperialistic progrnm, and nil
equally strong rHsertinn of the unalterable
determination of republicans of like think
ing to work within party lines for a r>-
versal of the imtioiml pdlhv of acquiring
by bloody conquest dominion over relm--
tnnt peopk't: beybtid tlie sens. L’ew devcl
opmeiits of the cniivnss in New York city
were received with greater public atten
tion. or contributed a’more nuirked influ
di;ee tawnrd tlm ultimate result, than. Dr
Cuvier's published deelnrntion of his atti
tude.
If Nevada really succeeds in nbolisliitig
gambling, she will abolish about her only
claim to fame these days.
। THE MISSION OF THE UNITARIAN.
I
SERMON BY REV J. T. SUNDERLAND
: Preached at the Church of the L'nity
| Sunday EveniuK —Seventh in the
i Denominational Series.
’ Kev Dr Jabez T. hunderfand of Hurt
: ford, Ct., preaclied at rhe church of the
I Unity iu this city Sunday night the seventh
i in the series of sermons upon the dciiom
i illations. His subject was “The mission
‘ and message of the Unitarian church.”
Shelley’s cantata, “The Pilgrims,” was
: sung by the choir at this service. Dr
: Sunderland said in substance:—
| 'l'he mission of the Unitarian church,
; like that ut ah other churches, is saiva
‘ non, and ns uiessage is the proclamation
'. oi whac it tieneves to be the way of sai
i vatioii. Us aim is to save men; and its
‘ gospel points out tne means by whicn, in
' ns view, salvation may be attained. These
J statements raise at once the questions,
wnat is snlvauun? What do we mean by
saving men ? I here are two radically dif
ferent views of salvation prominently be
iorc the Christian world in our lime. One
is the orthodox view; m a sense i may
call it the old view. As a fact, however,
I do not think it so old as the other; i
uo not think it was taught by Jesus; 1
think it was born considerably this side
of Jesus; out inasmuch as for some
centuries it has been generally accepted by
the Christian world, 1 will call it not
only orthodox but old.
JI he other is the liberal or rational or
Unitarian or new view. As a fact, 1 do
not think it is really new; 1 think it goes
back to Jesus, and indeed further still,
to the prophets of the Old Testament.
But for centuries it was covered up and
hidden out of sight by the theologies and
eyclesiasticisms which grew up in the
Christian church, and only recently has
it begun to come clearly forward into the
light again. So that we may call it in a
sense new. Let us try to get clearly in
mind what these two different concep
tions of salvation are, so that we may be
able to judge intelligently between them.
In order to do so we may look first at the
orthodox, or (hat which is generally
thought of as the old.
According to this conception, the first
man and woman from whom ail mankind
have sprung were created about GUUO
years ago, and placed in a paradise gar
den. There Satan, a fallen angel, or at
least a being hostile to God, came to the
mexi»erH‘nced and innocent pair and per
suaded them to eat of a certain fruit
which they had been forbidden to taste.
By their disobedience they fell from their
condition of holiness and happiness, all
their unborn descendents falling witii
them. Thus the whole human race came
under the wrath and curse of God and
were made liable to everlasting perdi
tion. From this perdition there was no
escape except by the special mercy of
God. But in his goodness he provided a
means of escape, or salvation, for such as
could, and would avail themselves of it.
I Ihe scheme was this: At the end of about
| 4000 years of time the eternal Son of God,
the second member of the divine trinity,
would leave his place in heaven, come
down to earth, become incarnate in the
person of Jesus Christ, in Palestine, be
born as a babe, grow up to manhood,
pieach for a time to the people of Galilee
and Jerusalem that he was a Savior, suffer
crucifixion at the hands of enemies, be
buried, rise again, and be received buck
mto heaven. His death would be in soim?
way propitiatory and sacrificial, he would
take the place of men in such a manner
as to pay their debt, and make it possible
xor God to forgive and save them. This
is what is called “the plan of salvation.”
According to this plan, who are saved?
Before the coming of Christ into the world
a few were saved in Palestine by mirac
ulous faith in his coming. Since'he lived
such have been saved in various parts ot
the world as have heard of him and have
accepted him as their Savior. The rest
of the world are lost. Just how does this
plan of salvation become available? Ae
already said, by faith. Precisely what
this means, it may not be easy ‘to sar,
but the most common statements are that
men are saved by "accepting Christ" as
then- "propitiation,” as their "sacrifice ”
as their "atoning Savior,” as one who has
J’i 1 " ,’'T d 01 * 1 : l, "‘ v “"T-" as one whose
blood cleanses from sin.” What is the
object of this plan of salvation? li mav
have other objects that are secondary or
incidental, but its great and primary and
all overshadowing object is to undo in
part the ruin caused by the fall of our
first parents, and save as many of the hn
man race as may avail themselves of its
provision, from a hell of endless suffer
ing, and give them admission to a heaven
of eternal bliss.
So much then for what we may ea'l
the old view of salvation,—a view born in
dark and unscientific ages, incorporated
into creeds and theological systems in
those ages, but clung to still by the vast
majority of the Christian world. Uni
tanans reject it. All who call themselves
Lil eral ( hristjans reject it. Increasing
-lumbers of thinking individual persons
even m the orthodox churches are reject
ing it. But to reject it is to reject ortho
doxy. Orthodoxy everywhere fights the
new view of salvation and supports tlie
? 'l' ESDeeni-Ily is the modern revival a
bulwark of the old view.
And nmy let us try to see just what the
new thought ,of salvation is. We shall
find it differing from the old in almost
every particular. The new or liberal or
t nitarian conception of salvation has in
mind primarily the present world, and
seeks to make much o f this world in all
possible ways. I do npt mean that it is
imlißereiit concerning the world to come.
On the contrary, it cherishes the thought
,15 "'" r m as a constant inspiration,
i:* 1 * ' s ^ ru t : K' e>i , trials and sorrows ot
liijs. If a pupil iu school would tit him
self tor a higher grade, the way to do it
I s ° all< l diligent where he is
Is not lite a school? Are we not now in
Ine primary grade'' And will not our tit
aess for whatever'God may have lor us
in the rooms or grades beyond depend
upon our fidelity here?
the new thought of salvation does not
conceive of the primary conditions of safe
ly tor men as being external, but rather
;ii‘<'rnal It sees that it would avail a
man little to be in any possible external
heaven, unless his internal conditions were
I ' z. does not cobh’ from
ynhout. Ilie aim of the new salvation is
two-fold, namely, salvation of the iudivid
nai and salvation of society.
. What is salvation of the individual? It
is salvation from everything that can
Hinder Ins growth and development or
prevent the attainment of his highest
possibilities as a mon. It includes salva
tion of his'body. Mau Ims his physical
I basis. He is a spirit housed for the' time
being in flesh. It is important that his
; body shall be well and srrong, for if it
is not. every other parr of liis nature will
I be liable to suffer, anti the achievements
j of his life will be curtailed. Hence the
i need of proper food, proper clothing, proper
I shelter, light, heat, air, exercise, physical
! training of a kind to develop tbe'body
; into vigor, symmetry and health. There are
ninny signs that the future is going to pay
, more attention than the past has done to
| the salvation of the hotly. But the body
; IS only II basis for n structure higher than
; itself. Snlvntiou of tlie individual in
। eludes salvation of the mind. From what’'
> From ignorance, from fear, from super
stitiou, from whatever can cripple its
i powers or limit its attainments. What are
■ the agencies by means of which this snl
, vatum is to be achieved: Schools, book*
■ intercourse with ipeu. intercourse with
' Nature ; work, travel, whatever brings knowl
■ edge, mentnl discipline and command over
| one's faculties and powers. Salvation of the
| individual means also salvation of the
i conscience. from whatever tends to
dull or weaken it. or to prevent
it from being the strong an<| coni
i manding moral guide of the life. It
। mentis salvation of the heart, from all low
। ami imwurthy affection*, and from all base
■ anil selfish fnsliiouH and desires, and the
cultivation of love for nil that is high and
pure nnd beautifiil. and aspirations after
all that is above us.
Thus salvation is not something ohtnln
<•<l from without, it is something attained
from within. It is growth. It is develop
ment. It is education. It ia the unfold-
1 mg of all the powers which God Has given
; us. It is discipline. It is character. It
is manhood. He is lost who is lost to his
possibilities and his ideals. He is saved
; who is saved to the best that is in him.
Ibus we see that salvation is a present
I !.' n . n 7' 11 gradual thing, something never
finished, a process lasting through life. It
I IS rn, s broad and inclusive as life itself,
j Ibe creed of the future is certain to
nave this article central in it. “We believe
in salvation by character.” All other kinds
, ot so-called salvation are imperfect if not
unreal. Salvation by election is n theo
logical dream of the past. Salvation by
substitution, by relying upon the merits
of another, is an echo of what men once
could believe, but cannot much, longer, if
they are intelligent and thouglitful. But.
salvation by character stands every pos
sible test. When one hns attained virture,
character, manhood, he has attained the
highest, he has attained all. In a uni
verse where moral law reigns there can be
no hells for such as he. He carries the
very conditions of all possible highest
heavens in his own soul.
I said. :he aim of the new salvation is
twofold, —not only to save the individual,
but also to save society. In this it dif
fers radically from the old. The old was
selfish. The new is unselfish. The ap
peal of the old was to each man to save
himself; to flee from the wrath to come;
to make his own calling and election sure;
to accept for himself the offer of salva
tion while he might. The appeal which the
new makes to men is not so much to save
themselves as to make themselves worth
saving, and to join the company of those
who are trying to live for others and do
some good iu the world.
There is an order of Buddhist monks in
('llina whose members take a pledge never
to accept salvation for themselves so long
as any other persons are unsaved. This
is the spirit of Jesus, who said: “I came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
and to give my life a ransom for others.”
This is the spirit of the new and true
salvation. Thoughtful and earnest men
who look deeply into these matters are
beginning to see that the man who cares
only for himself cannot be saved, but must
remain in that awful hell which selfish
ness always creates, until he learns to care
for others. Society must be saved or else
every individual is imperiled. Says Her
bert Spencer; "No man can be fully moral
until all are moral. No man can he per
fectly happy until all are happy. No man
can be perfectly wise until all are wise.”
There can be no heaven of bliss for a part
of tlie human race with another part for
ever shut outside.
Fen things are more promising for the
future of humanity than the rise of the
study of sociology, a science which is now
being taken up with great earnestness by
a large and growing body of students in
all the leading civilized nations. It is
especially encouraging that a number of
theological schools of different denomina
tions have established chairs of sociology,
as applied to religion, and that many lead
ing preachers and thinkers are emphasiz
ing sociological work as an important side
of Christian effort. This is a significent
step forward in the direction of the new
conception of salvation.
Sociology throws great light upon the
manner in which salvation is to he ac
complished. It shows the importance of
education, and the training of the young.
It shows the value of preventive measures.
Not the cure of crime, but the prevention
of crime; not the cure of intemperance, but
the prevention of intemperance; not the
cure of the thousand evils that afflict
society, but their prevention,—is the motto
of sociology. Sociology is teaching us the
importance of child-saving work, prison re
form, social settlements, intelligent systems
of charity, which aim to prevent pauperiza
tion. and to promote self-help, self-respect,
and character in those to whom charity is
extended. All these are agencies for the
promotion of social salvation. By and by
the Christian churches of the world will
wake up to the fact that they too ought
nil to be engaged in this kind of work.
Then shall we see such progress in the
salvation of society as has never been
known.
Nothing is so important in the religious
progress of mankind as the growth of this
new and better conception of salvation.
Everything depends upon it. The serious
thing about so-called revivals is that they
tend to arrest this growth, they tend to
set back this progress. ’l’he salvation which
they hold up before men is not the new
but the old. the medieval, the outgrown.
One of the leading pastors of Chicago at
the time of the last great Moody and
Sankev revival there said that that revival
pushed back the progress of religious
thought in Chicago at least 10 years. Un
fortunately that is the effect erf the ordin
ary revival everywhere. One of the anom
alies of our time is the fact that so many
ministers of somewhat advanced views and
somewhat liberal thought, who are sincerely
endeavoring by their preaching to educate
their people and carry them forward, are
yet willing every three or four or live
vears to bring revivalists into their com
munity. to preach the very theology which
they themselves have been trying to lead
their people away from, and thus to undo the
work which with so much labor and pains
they themselves have been trying to ac
complish. When will t this strange con
dition of things cease?
I have only one. more point to mention.
It is the relation of Jesus, to the new
salvation. Whether we consider salvation
of the individual or of society. Unitarians
believe that to succeed we must press for
ward in essentiall.y the path marked out
by the great founder of our Christian faith.
The aim of the new salvation is not to
get away from Jesus. It is to got away
from the unreal and impossible thelogical
Christ of the creeds; but it is to get back
to Jesus, the real Jesus of the earlist gos
pels. It seeks to save men by essentially the
methods and inHiuwes which. Jesus em
ployed. He gave constant effort to the
work of saving individuals. How did he
do it? Not by mysterious ecclesiastical
rites or ceremonies; not by teaching
dogmas based on myths; not by excite
ment or any form of sensationalism; not
by appealing to men's fears: not by atone
ment schemes. How then? By realities; by
truth, bv knowledge, by love, by sympathy,
by personal contact, by drawing men to
I himself, by appealing to their best selves,
bv holding up before them high and worthy
ideals, by revealing to them the possibilities
that slumbered in their own souls, by tell
ing them that they were children, of God.
These were Jesus's methods of saving men ;
Unitarians believe that they must be ours.
EVANGELISM IN THE NORTH.
iiliiNtrnted Lecture in Christ Church
l v ariMh House by Kev John W. Chip
man of Anvik, Alaska.
Kev John (V. Chipman of Anvik.
I Alaska, had a jjood-sized audience for his
illuslrated leetnre in Christ ehureh parish
house in this city Tliursday evening,
when lie spoke on the native life of
tlie Yukon 22 years ago and tn
: dav. Mr Chipman went to Alaska in
1887 and. though twice returning to tffl»
States, he has spent most of flint time
doing) missionary work in tlie north coun
try. His mission is about 400 miles from
tlie mouth of (lie Yukon river, and covers
a radius of 50 miles, including not much
over COO natives. The Roman Catholic
mission and the dccasiohal visit of a
Greek priest is tlie only chance the big ter
ritory Ims to become evangelized. The
speaker returned from (lie field last fall
and was able to present in a graphic way
the work which lilts been done during his
nenr qiuirter-eentury of service.
Tlie talk was illustrated by 50 stereop
ticoti views showing Ilie methods of gain
ing tlie native food supply, clothing and
the building of Imuses. There were sev
eral pictures of domestic life and nniusc
iik ut. ineltulhlK an iec race. There are in
(his special events for women, and interest
in tlie particular view shown lust evening
was enlivened by tlie fact that the con
testants were among those who Have be
come ChfiKtinns under the missionary's
influence, and the winner was a maid in
his familyAwtui died Inter. It was inter
eKiing to trace the development of Yukon
life as first seen by the American pioneer
of 25 years ago ami eoiupure it with the
progrwis made to-day since the adoption
of Christianity iu that section.