His appeal is to
honest intelligence in whatever concerns human welfare. He has done
much to humanize theology and stimulate popular interest in modern
scholarship. Moreover, in the region of industrial, social, and civic
reform he stands out conspicuously as a bold champion of the Golden
Rule in its application to every-day activities; and though sometimes
charged with being a dreamer, he shows that the sky (to use his own
figure) is less remote than is commonly supposed, and in fact adjoins
the surface of the earth where human feet daily walk.
Dr. Gladden, who is now a little more than seventy, was born in
Pennsylvania. He prepared for college in Owego, New York, and was
graduated from Williams in 1859. After preaching in New York state for
a few years, he came to Massachusetts, where he was settled first in
North Adams, and then in Springfield. Since 1882 he has been minister
of the First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio. As preacher,
author, and lecturer he is famous throughout the English-speaking
world, and all his recent books (the latest being his _Recollections_)
are published simultaneously in England and the United States.
Pages:
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247