The Sunday Oregonian., March 21, 1909, SECTION SIX, Page 4, Image 58

r , , ..- m .:. .&re riQRE irmM
r x ? V A . S v V ssrlb AMERICA RICH IN
l - S i 1 hrviZiZf aav -
V- rr
BY JOHN fi. HIRWOOn,
r is quite customary these days, when
the cry Is abroad in the land that
the preacher Is nn lnnrpi n Eiafei
I
nan In his community, for the nn
man or -woman to look upon a preacher
even the more famous onn nn lust
Ljreachers. Yet the fact of the matter i
at toaay this country possesses
ever-widening circle of preachers who
are more than that wearers of the cloth
who are forces to be reckoned with in
fields of activity far beyond the church.
;nailng them. In numerous cases, leaders
in their extra-clerical enterprises.
Some of these preachers who are more
ithan that have attained N-uti.,oi
riience as educators. p hi ..
preacher In the so-called Rood old davs.
nd as heads of great institutions never
dreamed of In the times when the preach
er waa supposed to be at his upoxee ex
ert a potent and ,,
upon the citizenship of tomorrow. Others
c pveacnera are civic workers in
win? leading citiessome of them have
taken the stump against political corrup
tion. . Then there are preacher-editors
Treacher - authors, preacher - soldiers
---csmisis. preacher-sportsmen
preacher - diplomats, preacher - athletes
preacher-sociologists, preacher-state of
ficials, even to nreacher-ttnvern.n-. iV,
fnCt tlMflllllD. i I
, . " -- "'j' " nuu loom noticeanly
minuet every Honorable walk cf life
Russell H. Conwell. the famous Phila
delphia clergyman and head of the larg
est Protestant congregation in America
.lias built a college and a hospital, among
his other enterprises, and both are di
rected by him. Frank W. Gunsaulus. of
hlcago. can turn with equal versatility
' to either the dry. hard facts of technol-
ogy taught by the great Armour Insti
( tute of Technology, of which he is th.;
organizer and head, or to the fanciful
flights of poetry, of which he has written
several volumes.
, Archbishops Ireland and Ryan have
loucni rar beyond the boundaries of
, Catholicism against the evils of divorce
m.i intemperance, and both are civic
leaders of large influence In their respec
tive cities of St. Paul and Philadelphia.
Bishop Samuel Fallows, of the Reformed
Episcopal Church, and former Chancellor
Klieha Benjamin Andrews, of the Uni
versity of Nebraska, are men of the
cloth who have also worn the regimentals
of war as well as the mortarboard of the
college campus. And the bishop. In ad
dition, for years has been the chief re
formatory manager for the great state
of Illinois.
In the venerable Edward Everett Hale
the country has not only a preacher but
Oso the author of "The Man Without a
t'ountry.- a lecturer, traveler, editor,
newspaper man. and molder of public
thought on many of the. vital questions
of his day and generation. Then, too,
there Is Lyman Abbott, also venerable.
and also noted as an editor and an nu
' thor. both In this country and England.
Henry C. MeCook. the clerical repre
sentative among; the famous "Fighting
MoCpoks." has enriched the natural sci
ences by his patient and exhaustive stud
ies of the ant. the spider and others of
God's small and apparently Insignificant
'creatures. In Henry. A. Buchtel, the
'mate, of Colorado has a Governor who
'was called by it from the head of a great
; university, which first enticed the gen
tleman In question from the pulpit. And.
rt .course., the average American has
j heard more or less of Charles H. Fark
, hurst, whose sensational slumming enter
prises led to the exposure of New York
police graft and" the subsequent overthrow
jof Tammany Hall a world-famous Sans
crit scholar, literary man and mountain
climber, who has ever since been In the
thick of the fight constantly being waged
,hy certain persons and societies to purge
the metropolis of that which they hold
to. he unnecessary evil and corruption.
Thus the list might be extended one la
almost tempted to say to the length of a
column .or two of this paper.
(Diversified Activities or a Bishop.
Rut of all our versatile preachers, none
Is more picturesque or Influential than
Bishop Samuel Fallows of the Reformed
Jiiscopal Church, who Is now In his 74th
year. Like Dr. Conwell of Philadelphia
and former Chancellor Andrews of the
University of Nebraska, he has preached
fought mi taught, and. like Dr. An
drews, he has not bn averse to taking
part In political discussions when ho con
siders the occasion ripe for his entrance
Into that most difficult of all arenas for
ny wearer of the cloth to occupy with
ilismity and success.
In almost every respect Bishop Fallows'
career haa been varied. Not even in the
domain of religion has he been content
to -follow one path. First a Methodist
later an apostle of the Reformed Episco
pal "hurch. he- has still more recently
become an exponent of the new "faith
cure" -in the West, as Is Dr. Worcester
of the Emmanuel Church of Boston in the
-Ka-st. In this work Bishop Fallows has
th.-earnest co-operation of many of the
most- prominent physicians of Chicago
Prison reform. In the opinion of Bishop
Fallows. Is one of society's most impor
tant tasks, and. apart from his other du
ties, he has taken a great deal of time
In studying this problem, not in an aca
demic way. by reading or hearsay but
- .mingling with the inmates of prisons
confiding with convicts and obtaining
their confidence, and. later, bv visiting
them upon their return to the outer world,
that, he might help direct them to better
paths. Much credit has been given the
Bishop for the successful work of the
Iilmols State Reformatory, of whose
board of managers he has been president
olnce 1S81. Records of its inmates dis
charged during th last 13 year show
i f ! , ,
f "TC!lv' . ' jit Jf'Sf v n k:i " . 'J
1; , ; . v 4 . III -V- V ' - li - il-4 - c
that over three-fourths have been really
reformed.
In the Civil War Samuel Fallows proved
a good fighter, physically as well as
spiritually. Although he entered the
t'nion army as a chaplain, he afterward
shouldered a gun and plunged into the
conflict with such zest that for gallantry
ln action he was promoted to the rank
of colonel and later, brevet brigadier gen
eral. At no time, however, did he forget
his original calling. In one battle he was
missed from his post and the report was
brought In that he had been killed
"We thought you had cither been killed
or left on the field to die." aaid the com
manding officer.
"No," was the reply. "A young fellow
whom I shot asked me to stay bv him
and pray for him. I have just left him
In the hospital dead."
When It came time for this chaplain
general a combination considerably rarer
than that of pastor-fighter to lay down
the sword, he not only returned to the
pulpit, forsaken for the defense of the
Union, but also plunged as energetically
Into educational work as previously he
had launched bullets and troops In the
direction of the "Johnnies." The result
was that a bare year after the close of
the war he became a regent of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin, and five years later
his fight for the proper education of the
citizens of tomorrow placed him in office
as superintendent of public instruction for
the state of Wisconsin, whither he had
gone in from his birthplace In Lanca
shire. England. Later on, on removing to
Illinois, the Bishop became a university
president, holding the position for sev
eral years, or until he went over to the
Reformed Episcopal Church. But his al
legiance to a new creed did not stifle his
educational work: today his Interest in
that branch of activity is as great as
ever, and as chancellor of the University
Association his Influence is still large in
the country's higher education circles.
The Bishop Is typical of that small
class of men who do not let piling
years decrease their pile of daily work:
and his latest enterprise that of
"church healing" shows his ability to
keep pace with modern thought and
movements, though he is now more
than three years beyond man's allotted
threescore and ten. In Chicago, which
has been his home since the year be
fore the great fire when, by the way.
he proved himBelf to be more than a
mere preacher he is wellnlgh uni
versally looked upon as one of the
West's most versatile and influential
leaders In movements having for their
aim the ultimate betterment of the
race.
Chicago also is the adopted city of
another versatile preacher whose fame
is equally as widespread as that of
the bishops. This preacher Is none
f ' y ' tf? vV - . ?M
other than Frank Wakelev Gunsaulus
si years the Bishops Junior who.
by a sermon of extraordinary elo
quence, all unconsciously opened up a
new field of work for himself. In which
he has made a name as great as that
which came to him as head of Chicago's
famous Plymouth Church during the
years stretching, from 18S7. when he
went to the Western metropolis, until
1S99.
The sermon that gave Dr. Gunsaulus
his chance to qualify as one of the
country's technological experts -was de
livered one Sunday morning; back in
the panic year of 1893, when not even
a multimillionaire was supposed to
have in his head even a remote thought
of founding a great educational insti
tution, let alone heavily endowing any
established seat of learning. Never
theless, Dr. Gunsaulus. on this partic
ular morning, spoke with unusual ear
nestness and emphasis on the crying
need of an -institution in which poor
youths could be trained for various
trades. Such an educational enterprise,
he contended, would iro a long way
toward solving the pauper problem
with which Chicago at that time was
peculiarly afflicted.
He said what lay. on his heart and
said it straight from the shoulder,
Gunsaulus fashion; and then were the
man's innermost feelings known he
probably was seized with a certain
kind of sorrow that such an institution
as he had preached for was not in im
mediate prospect of establlshment-
The last hymn had been Bung, the
benediction given. the congregation
was wending its way out of doors, and
Dr. Gunsaulus was preparing to leave
the pulpit, when up to the pulpit steps
came a rather portly man, who held
out his hand and shot this question at
the preacher:
"Could you carry out your ideas Just
expressed if you had the means?-'
"Most assuredly," was the quick - re
sponse. "Well, then," said Philip D. Armour
"if you'll jrive me five years of your
time. I ll give you the money."
The beef baron kept hU word. Out
OF THE CLXTM,PI?OMHNEMTi
LIFE
n V v J f -s. T III)' - - vV 3r f
Institute of Technology, and when Dr.
"uiisaums accepted its presidency
Armour advanced him t50,000, his
ary for five years, in one lump.
Mr.
To
enlarge the scope of the Institute's
work. Mr. Armour subsequently gave
over two millions. The need for more
funds has been incessant, because of
the various organizations which Dr.
Gunsaulus has built up from the Ar
mour Institute and the Armour Mis
sion, as. for example, the Doremus
School, the city kindergarten and the
industrial school, on the 340-acre farm
at Greenwood, where 200 boys are
trained in body and brain for the real
tasks of. life.
But Dr. Gunsaulus is more than a
preacher-educator; he also is a preach
errpoet. and, moreover, a preacher
politician, and a very active one at
that. It is to poetry that he turns to
free himself from the burdens of the
institute, and he declares that he finds
an ever-increasing delight In mounting
Pegasus for more or less lengthy
flights Into the realms of fancy. As
tangible fruit of this recreative work
he has given to the literary world sev
eral volumes of verse, which show a
wide range of poetic thought and treat
ment. As a preacher -politician using ' the
word politician in its best sense, of course
Dr. Gunsaulus is no mean adversary, as
many a Democratic leader of the Middle
West knows of his own experience. Nor
does the strenuous doctor confine his
political activity to his city of Chicago,
In whose civic problems he always takes
great Interest: he has also delivered
stump speeches for the hosts of Repub
licanism throughout Illinois and the
neighboring states of Indiana and Michi
gan, where he is in sreat demand as a
star speaker when politics get particular
ly hot.
Possessed of tremendous energy as his
Various activities 6 how Dr. Gunsaulua
MAT
UTtl&R MAlAiS OF
i
further increases his capacity for work
by means of a thoroughly trained corps
oT assistants. To them he leaves smaller
details. His secretary keeps track of ap
pointments and correspondence. Every
hour of the day is strictly accounted for.
He i up In the morning as early as a
day laborer, and by 7:30 A. M. he is at
his desk at the institute. From then until
9:30 A. M. he and his secretary and
stenographer attend to his voluminous
mail. Then until noon he receives and
talks with all who seek his help and ad
vice. After luncheon he devotes the rest
of the afternoon to reading and study, or
consulting with his assistants who are
reading and studying for him. The bulk
of all reference and research work he
turns over to some one else, and then
quickly digests the fruit of the subordi
nate's labor.
In appearance, as well as In his meth
ods of work. Dr. Gunsaulus differs from
the stock-cut clergyman, of tradition. To
Illustrate the former point, his friends
are fond of telling of an experience
which.- they say. befell him when he had
gone out to Arizona to inspect some prop
erty held by him in that land of deserts,
rattlers, gila monsters and uninterrupted
sunshine. Being fond of red neckties,
and believing that they would awaken no'
criticism in the desert, as they might in
State street, Chicago, the doctor dressed
his neck one morn in an especially bril
liant cravat of his favorite hue. - The
flaming Ascot, the owner's wide-brimmed
black felt hat, his heavy dark hair and
bushy black mustache fairly startled the
conductor accustomed though he was to
strange habiliments as he asked for the
passenger's ticket. Out came a pass, on
the back of which was the legend, "Rev.
IT. W. Gunsaulus."
The "cagey" son of th desert bored the
nasseneer with iiMiv
"No, vou
don't," he exclaimed, decisively.
"You
don t play that game on me. You're no
preacher. I want vnu. .. T
want It quick!" It was in vain that Dr.
Gunsaulus protested; he was told that he
would have to pay or get off. And pay
he did.
An hour or so later, to the great relief
of the Chicagoan. the Mayor of Santa
Fe boarded the train and identified him.
But not until His Honor swore legally
and otherwise, and picturesquely and fer
vently, that the red-necktied passenger
was a clergyman, did the conductor re
turn Dr. Gunsaulus' money.
Preacher-Editor of Xattonal Kame.
Among the preacher-editors of whom
there is quite a noticeable company
none today exert a wider Influence than
Lyman Abbott, who, curiously enough, is
practically the same age as Bishop Fal
lows, belnj? only five days younger than
that famous Chicagoan. Since 1669, when
he resigned from a pastorate to engage In
literature. Dr. Abbott has been one of the
country's noted magazine and newspaper
editors and all that time. too. he has
been among Its better known men of
God, as -well as a lecturer of no mean
reputation.
As an editor Dr. Abbott will go down
in the history of the American publica
tion field as one who was extremely for
tunate in his editorial associations on at
least two occasions first, when he was
colaborer with Henry Ward Beecher . in
editing the, old Christian Union, and sec
ond, when he end Theodore Roosevelt
shared the editorial chair of the magazine
which Dr. Abbott now heads editorially.
But though he is best known as a
preacher-editor-lecturer. Dr.. Abbott has
in his possession a license from the state
of New York to practice law -therein; and
u,, uiu-wiin me ammtjon before him
of gaining fame and fortune before he
was influenced by Henry Ward Beecher
sermons to enter the pulpit. Lyman Ah-
bott Was 'L-i vlmn In t Ha V. . i.
- . ... . . i j 1 1 j i n iii,.
?ivll War broke out. ho was ordained a
Congregational minister; but though he
niuift wuv. ius smngie. irom that
day to this lie has remained a member of
the Brnplre State bar. and. according to
las friends. Is as good a lawyer today as
many of the well-known active members
of the metropolitan bar.
Because of tho great volume of his lit
erary work. th impression has long been
abroad that Dr. Abbott dictates to a
stenographer and then recasts the spoken
words into final form. Nnt long since lie
took occasion to correct this impression,
when he made this rather interesting
statement; "I have to write out every
word with the pen." he said. "I think I
was born with a pen in my hand. I do
my own writing because, as I alwava
speak extemporaneously, if I should also
dictate my literary work I should he In
danger of becoming slovenly in form
Besides, I think all work needs some
active physical expression, and the us
of the pen affords this necessary exer
cise." While Dr. Hillta can claim authorsbia
of a historical novel, the honors in thin
line among the younger preacher-writers
of the day doubtless belong to the Rev.
Thomas D xon. Jr.. wliose novels dealing
with problems and situations peculiarly
associated with the South have given
him an international following. But th
preacher-writer t.t today whose name la
iield highest aa a writer of fiction la ha
who probably Is the best loved man o
God of this day and generation the ven
erable Edward Everett Hale, who, on th
3d of next month, will have passed his
87th milestone.
It was while he. was still in his 20g that
Dr. Hale was greatly Impressed with the -remark
of a then famous preacher that ,
every man should have an avocation, as
well as a vocation; and to the Influence
that this remark had upon him the coun
try is Indebted for 'The Atan Without a
Country," and many of 'the other good
things that Dr. Hale, as ha haa gone
through life, has showered upon us In Ills
one ambition to do good to one ana all.
Famous Disciple of Iiaak Walton.
To every true lover of the great out-of-doors
and especially to every de
voted follower of Izaak Walton th
name of Henry Van Dyke is a house
hold one. Indeed, a vote of all the en
thusiastic fishermen of the country on
the question. Who is America's leading
expert with the rod and reelT would
undoubtedly show an enormous major
ity for Dr. Van Dyke. To preach, to
hsh and) to writ constitute a true in
heritanc for Dr. Van Dyke; for when
he was a mere lad ha was accustomed
to spend whole days fishing with his
father, who also was a Presbyterian
minister and writer.
It would seem that Dr. Van Dyke has
the ambition to fish in the waters of
every country under the sun. With his
father he spent long vacations whip
ping the streams of Canada He has
hauled In the gamey salmon off the
Hebrides, and he haa fished In the Holy
Land, In the very waters where the
apostles once cast their nets.
Among the preachers who have
fought for civic righteousness the Rev.
Dr. Charles It. Parkhurst is till best
known to fame. His thunderlngs
against police-protected crime on that
memorable April Sunday in 1892 when
he startled the entire Nation by his ut
terances started a political revolution
which all the forces of vice and iniquity
have not been able to smother. Twice
Tammany has been defeated on this
Issue, and- never since has crime flour
ished so openly in the metropolis.
Dr. Parkhurse once told the writer
that he was led to take up arms against
corrupt police and graft-levying city
officials because of his Interest in
young men. He had discovered, after
12 years of preaching in the Madison
Square Presbyterian Chruch, that he
was unable to reach the sons of many
of his wealthy parishioners. Conference
with certain men of the world caused
him to learn of an alarming prevalenc
of certain forms of dissipation which
were ensnaring the youth of his own
congregation. This discovery led him
to Investigate deeper, with what result
all the world knows.
Another preacher noted for his clvio
activities is the picturesque Protestant
Episcopal bishop of Albany, William
Croswell Doane. who might be called
the best known of the country's
preacher-lobbyists, for in his long fight
for special legislation that might p-uard
society against certain evils, which, he
says, particularly menace It at the pres
ent time, he was accustomed to appear
before the New York State legislative
committees in support of his pet meas
ure, that of making the viofation of the
marriage contract a crime. His labors
were at last crowned with success two
years ago, when the, famous "anti-affinity"
law was enacted.
The bishop's visits to the state Capi
tol will long be remembered, because he
was almost always attended by an ex
traordinary bodyguard, a huge St. Ber
nard, which he had named Cluny after
a noted canine ancestor. When the bish
op would lay aside his cloak and hat
Cluny stood guard over them; and at
his roaster's call he would carefully
bring them to him. Tho dog at last be
came so old that,' when accompanying
tiie bishop up State street hill, he would
frequently rub against the churchman's
leg. as a signal to stop that he might
get his breath.
(Copyrighted, liioo. by tlie Associated Lit-
rary lres.)
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