LAKE SEES DOOM OF AMATEUR PREACHING

"The day of preaching is drawing to an end," said Professor Kirsopp Lake, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the annual dinner of the Phillips Brooks House held last night.

"We have fluent and eloquent men in our pulpits, now as formerly," continued Professor Lake, "but they are men who have no professional qualifications. They are amateurs. A preacher who speaks to a congregation of business men on the relations of capital and labor must do so as an amateur. He has never had any capital and little experience in the matters which he is discussing, and he knows less about his subject than his hearers. Either one of two things will happen: preachers will either return to subjects of philosophy and theology, in which they are professionals, or will have to stop preaching.

"Mystic Can Endure the Blaze"

"There is something we call mysticism, which is a very real thing in life. Science makes us look closely at every aspect of our civilization and in studying out each separate problem, we find ourselves working on diverging lines, each logically and scientifically founded. Most of us can only look one way and see the lines diverging; the mystic is the man who can turn around and see the center. He finds himself and his work to be one; he has found the unity of life. The highest degree of mystic is he who can look at the centre and endure its blaze and can come to the realization that he and God are one. To turn around and see the center--that is the problem for you to solve."

Dean Briggs Gets Ovation

An impressive ovation greeted Dean Briggs, the guest of honor at the dinner, when he arose and was introduced by Dean Delmar Leighton '19, who presided. The entire company rose to its feet in token of respect to the former Dean.

After the reading of the regular annual reports by the heads of the various departments of the Association, the Secretary read a resolution in regard to the late Arthur Beane, who was long and intimately connected with the Phillips Brooks House. The resolution was proposed and passed when the guests stood in silence in sign of their approval.