SUNDAY READING.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 179, 15 July 1911, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

A IREMARKABLE WOMAN PREACHER. DEATH OF MRS HANNAH WHITALL SMITH. There died last May. at Court place, Iffley, Oxford, Hannah. TVhitall Smith, full of years and honour, one of the most remarkable women preachers of our time. Born of a good old Quaker family at Philadelphia, in 1532, one of the f”w old American families that remained faithful to England during the AVar of Independence, Hannah Mhitall married Robert Pearsall Smith in

;S5l. Her religious life was remarkable from the beginning. In l!K)i she published her autobiography under the quaint title ’’The T nselfishne.ss of God,” in which she relates her expericnccs. affording a remarkable picture of the inner life of the Society of Friends, their ‘ plainness” of speech, dross, and ishieation.

Both herself and husband underwent a deeper end more spiritual conversion in the sixties, and for a considerable trimo were leaders of a great revivalistic religions movement in the States. Shortly afterwards Mrs. Whitall Smith publshcd ‘Tho Ghristiiin’.s Secret of a Happy Life.” Probably no book, saving only ‘‘The Pilgrim's Progress.” has so"remarkably influenced tho religious life and thought of mir age. It has passed through more than a hundred editions, has be<n translated into every European tongue, as well a.s into C-.nin-eso. Hindustani, and Japanoso.

Mr. and Mrs. Pearsall Smith cam” to England on nn evangelistic mission in 1373-1. holding a series of remarkable religious conferences at Bradlands. the seat of Lord Aljunt lemple. Andrew Jukes was also ‘’among the prophets” on this occasion People of all sorts and conditions Docked to the;o conference’-, in-hiding French and Ger•n;in pastors from the t'ontment, many <b>( hiring that th-v formed the .most reninrkable experience of their lives. Those conferences wet-' followed by re ■ markable meetings ;it. Oxford in IS, I. rod Brighton in I*7.''. To the Litter town there flocked more tliar 8000 visitors tx> hear the great woman preacher. Aliout this time the temperance movement was inaugurate 1 in America.. Mis. Pear'-all Smith joined it, its did th • Into Francos Willard, and remained on-' of the most cnnable and honoured leader” of tho British Won> ‘n’s T.-mpemncv Asso-iation until the- dav ol her d-atb. R, th Mrs. Pou-tdl Smith’s daughter.:. Mrs. R.-renson a”d the Mon. Mrs B. Russell, married English iron. -”d for this reason the parents, removed to London in ISftS. v. b'm their house. L enme a centre of religious and pliila.iitliropie work AfIGUT PEOPLE. D-. Akod’s ontho’ieitv has ”ot dinto’j b,s.-i with I is removal to California. Gh rwnt he was preaching he 8.-weab.itri-’ ’ ■ sermon in th-' U’.i-vcr-.it'- of Cnliforrm and !'< th<' First €"<-ngr--tiomd C : ’ ’i”h w;»s t;'k-”t in ♦’ e ■''■ 'ning by the Rabhi Martin A Al’eve.’. Dr. Van Dyke i-ot-'--ntlv pro-wh-'d for a roar at his o- ch”r,-h. ihe f:im'"’< Prick Presbvtori ■ n Church in Fifthr.vonne. New A'nrk. and refused tn receive any rninn -ration. Tie would ”ot even take hk travel ing expenses. Rocentlv, at the weekly praver mo-’tinr. ho was nro-onted with a largo gold and silver loving cun and a cheque for

£4OO for certain charities in whjch he is specially interested. 'Hie Boston Kjongpegationalist yontains the following note: —“Intimations from London are to the effect that Rev. R. J. Campbell is becoming so pronouncedly orthodox as to endanger tho continued adherence of a certain Liberal and Socialistic element which formerly hailed.him a.s their particular protagonist. he have had tbo lurking feeling lor some time that not only Ills critics, but that Mr. Campbell himself somewhat over-estimated the extent of his divergence from the faith of the fathers. His Easter Sunday sermons must have been acceptable to the theological conservatives, lor noth morning an-1 evening he said that he believed the Gospel narratives of the resurrection are t trict records of what took place.” Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson, who has been appointed private chamterlain to the Pope, has proted ono of the ablest converts to the Catholic Chui ch in our time. Born in 1871, ho is still in the height of his powers as a writer and preacher. He passed from the Mirfield Community to Rome -n 1903 ; since that time his pen has worked with remarkable brilliancy on behalf of his Church; and he can hold his own with any of our novelists who write with a “purpose.” In his books ho never conceals his mission ; but none the less thev are full of power and charm and insight, and they have a value even lor those who are not of Romo.

A still further instance of the King’s kindly interest in his Nonconformist subjects, and of his persistent courtesy, is seen in a letter which the Free Church Council received from Sir Arthur Bigge. The council had prepared a Free Church Coronation service for use on Coronation Day, and t copy of this in English and Welsh was sent to the King. In acknowledging these on behalf of His M:\jesty. Sir Arthur Bigge savs: ‘I have laid before the King the specially prepared copies in English and Welsh of the Form of Coronation Service to be used throughout the kingdom on the 22nd of June, and I am commanded by His Majesty to convey to wi the expression of his best thanks for tho same.” At Bergar.. in Norway, there is a chinch built of paper, capable of accommodating 1000 people

The General Assembly of the C'ilvinistic. Methodist Church o f Wales mot in Liverpool thin vear. One fe-i--turo of the gathering was the report of tho Parliamentary Committee, v.hi-’h contained, a manifesto of th-' Connexion on tho I’rnort of the Clinreh Corva : * sion and Welsh I)is r >sta’ilisbm-'i>t. Ti — statistical report ’bowed ;• docrea*-? 1 close upon 700 in th-’ number of o------municants. but tlto is accounted for by tho fact that over IGtiO mc--l'<'rs have left tho country for th'' United States. Canada, and other foreign countries. A new and serious problem of Chr'-t--ian apologetics was discuss--,! at tho annual conference of the Christian Evidence Society at, Sion Collng-'. in Tendon. Canon Hobhouse opmwd tlv- discussion with a n.rx'r on “The Mo—-J Ideals of Some AT ide't Anti-Christian Movements.’’ F -o. ’’-'• •■:_ ■! the ethical cod- of C’-••:«tto.nitv wa« generally received, even liv dish'diovo-s in Christianity, but to-dev a totnTJv different attitude wss becoming increasingly common. Tlv- most extreme instance was that- of Nietr.'-'he. Wo might doubt the last tow results of b?” teaching, but he h.nd h-xn acclaimed as a prophet by manv: in England ho inspired the blank atheism of the Info John Davidson, and through Mr. Bernard Shaw’s brilliant cynicism his ideas

wera filtering down to large classes of the British public. The Y.M.C.A. in America, like the English associations, admits all young men of good character —including Jews and Catholics— as associates, but it wid only accept as members, with power to vote and hold office, “ members in good i standing of Evangelical Churches.” J Mr. Roosevelt has created quite a seni sation by his demand that “as a mat- ■ ter of simple justice” this .should be i changed. Ho is convinced of the ad i mirable type of work done by the j y.M.C.A.. but ho wants the association ! to broaden its basis. He thinks it is I unwise and ungenerous to bar CathoI lies from admission to directorships on ! Y.M.C.A. boards. ‘‘l feel, ho says, i “that it is of tho utmost importance j to this country that our people who | arc straight and do ent should assaj ciate together as much as possible without regard to theological differences. I cannot see why such a di-- * rimination as that mentioned should bo continued. Wherever <> Catholic priest or layman is in hearty sympathy ! as I know many Catholic priests and i layman are, with the purposes and i work of the Y.M.C.A., I believe they j should be admitted to directorships and i to every other position of influence j ’list as freely as Protestents.” Some i time agm the Atlanta A ALL’.A. nppeal- ! cd for £l2(‘/i()(.) for a forv.ard moveI m«nt. Catholic priests advised their i people not to contribute, but a letter i was published from Archbishop Ireland : uarmly praising the -work of the association. ’Hie Archbishop is rote this lelI ter and contributed £’sO on the proi miso of a A .M.C'.A. official that the : National Conferen -e would remove the | icstrictions against Catholics Tho Nai tionn! Conference, however, refused to ; clia-npe the Protestant, basis of the i association.