The Dead Preacher to the Living.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7027, 11 June 1901, Page 4

The Dead Preacher to the Living.

When it is remembered that the Eev. Charles Spurgeon died nine years ago, and that the publication of his sermons still goes on week by week with the regularity that distinguished them while he was alive and preaching, the casual reader may be pardoned for wondering, as a Daily News representative lately did, how it is done. The newspaper man, to satisfy a curiosity which no doubt has been felt by many, sought out Mr Passmore, a member of the publishing firm who issue these sermons. Enormous as were the congregations addressed by Mr Spurgeon for more than thirty years, they were but insignificant compared with the hundreds of thousands,, it is safe to say millions, whom bis printed words have reached. The publication of his sermons began in 1855, and has continued "without intermission ever since. Forty-six annual volumes have been issued, each containing fifty-two sermons, and the publishers have still sufficient unpublished manuscript to enable them to issue volumes for seven or eight years longgr. As to how it is done, Mr Passmore explained that Mr Spurgeon preached three sermons in the Tabernacle each week—two on Sunday, and one on Thursday evenings. The Sunday morning sermon was the one to which he devoted most labour, and it was always published during the current week. The addresses that have been printed since the great preacher's death are those which he delivered on Sunday and Thursday evenings. They were taken down by a shorthand writer, and having been written out, the manuscript was sent to Mr Spurgeon for his revision, the publishers thus securing the copyright. Mr Spurgeon always preached extemporane-' ously, his notes being, contained on a half-sheet of note paper, and it was a frequent sight to see American visitors asking him for, these notes after the service. The weekly issue of the sermons has already reached over one hundred million copies ,and though it is not known how many foreign tongues they have been translated into; it is known that many have been published in Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Castilian (for the Argentine), Chinese, Congo, Czech, Danish Dutch, Esthonian, French, Gaelic, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Kaffer, Karen, Lettish, Maori, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Servian, Spanish, Swedish, Syrian, Tamil, Telegu, Urdu, and Welsh. ". The vastest audience ever addressed by any man still listens week by week< to the words of. him who was one of the greatest preachers of his age.