Of the several publications which voice the views of the religious
world, perhaps none is better known or more generally read than is
the New York Christian Advocate. Under the editorship of the Rev. Dr.
James M. Buckley, the Advocate has become more than a mere reflex of
the opinions of its contributors. It is a power for good and the extent
of its usefulness is only bounded by the limits of its circulation,
which are world-wide. Dr. Buckley was born in Rahway, New Jersey,
December 16, 1836, his father being the Rev. John Buckley. Educated at
first in Pennington, New Jersey, seminary, he later spent a year in
the Wesleyan university, and afterward studied theology at Exeter, New
Hampshire. He became a member of the New Hampshire conference of the
Methodist Episcopal church in 1858, was called to Troy in 1863, and
to Brooklyn three years later. Dr. Buckley has traveled extensively,
and no small portion of the popularity of his work on the Advocate is
due to the wide experience of men and manners which he acquired during
his wanderings abroad and in this country. He is the author of several
books, including Travels on Three Continents, Land of the Czar and the
Nihilists, The History of Methodism in the United States and others.
Dr. Buckley’s literary work in general is distinguished by a breadth
of view and a charity of spirit which are only possible to the man of
large mind and wide horizons.