OCR Text |
Show A CONGREGATIONAL NESTOR i Dr. William Hayes Ward is one of tho grand old men of the Congregational Congrega-tional church, of which he lias been a minister for almost fifty years. For the last thirty-seven years he has been editor of tho Independent, a weekly lilorarj' and religious journal, in tho pages of which he has frequently expressed ex-pressed his policies and plnn3 for his church. Dr. Ward is 72 years of age, and was educated at Andover academy", Amherst collogo, and Andovor Thoolgi-cal Thoolgi-cal Bominary, from tho t last-named of which ho was graduated in 1S59. Early REV. DR. WILLIAM HAYES WARD. in hia ministerial career ho made a reputation for himself as an Oriental scholar and Ajjsyriologist, having been director of tho Wolto expedition to Babylonia, the report of which ho edited- At tho present time Dr. Ward is one of the leaders of tho Congregational church in tho union movomont, with which the' denomination has boon interested in-terested for the past decade. Of Dr. Ward it has been aptly said, as it was previously said of tho late Rev. Dr. Cavcn of Canada, that he is such an ardent advocate or church union that ha is willing that his denomination shall " L tio up with any other that will stand I still long enough to permit tho fasten- t J inga to be niado. Like nli such state- I ments. this is probably an exaggeration; but it is certainly tTuo that Dr. Ward, I J- together with tho Roy. Dt. Washing- f '. ton Gladden, the Rev. Dr. B. B. Sua' I .;, ford and 9ome othor Congregational a loaders, is bonding his best efforts to R t. bring about ultiraato union between B f tho Congregational church and the i Methodist Protestant, United Brethren, R . nnd other bodies, with which union no- 1 gotiations are in progress. I ,' It goes without saying that Dr. Ward 9 does not onjoy tho cordial affection of 8 all CougrogationaHoadere, because somo . B " of them aro not in sympathy with hjs I i' activity along this line. But in his editorial capacity he has a large congro- I J gation and wields a correspondingly ' largo influence; larger, perhaps, than J ' that of most mon in his denomination. As a public speaker Dr. Ward is not ' to be compared with some others in M ; his church. Dr. Gladden, for instance, 3 botweon whom and Dr. Ward there ox- I , ists the closest sympathy, has far moro J '. power on the platform than has the j ; Now York editor. But Dr. Ward is j . eminent iu council, committee and or- 1 , ganization work generally. As chair- H "t man of the programme committee of the R . intcr-church eonferencp on federation in R ' 1905 ho was responsible for bringing V together on the platform of that confer- U : ence the foremost men of practically t"- all thc4 Protestant bodies of America. R ' As chairman of tho committee on feder- H. ation, comity and unity of tho Congro- ft gational national council, Dr. Ward has B ( boon a potent factor in bringing to a focus tho various union movements, w omo of which, but for his work, might KV havo commenced and ended in talk. K': Tn his personality Dr. Ward is mod- K est and unassuming. Extreme "neaLr- f sightodncss sometimes makes him appear jf ungracious, in that ho does not always Lj recognize those whom he should cor- r"' tainly remember. But he possesses a I, swoe'tnoBB of disposition that is ulto- I ' gothcr charming. In controversy his I ';. strength of choraetor is ovident, for ho ; is novor belligerent nor noisy, but bases V his positions upon a groundwork of log!- cal argumont. that can seldom be over- R thrown. It is for this reason, among jrv. othersf that he holds hia leading posi- B tion in his denomination, for he sue- It ceods in retaining tho friendship even of those whose plans and arguments he jf-feels jf-feels called upon to ovorthrow. |