The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-01-01 00:00:00

THE PHILADELPHIA REVIVAL.
(From the Neu York Tribune.)

PHILADELPHI4 December 11.
The third week of the Moody and Sankey re-
vival meeting closed to-day. The work is going
forward in a manner satisfactory to the evangelists
and to the committees of ministers and laymen
having it in charge. Many misrepresentations as
to the condition and results of the movement have
appeared in the newspapers of late. On one side it has
been stated that the attendance at the services in the
deptt has greatly fallen off, and that few, if any, con-
versions have been effected, and on the other that the
crowds at the morning prayer meetings as well as at
the evening assemblies, are immense, and that the con-
versions are numbered by the thousand. The truth as
to the attendance is that in fair weather the building
is crowded of evenings when Mr. Moody preaches,
while at the morning meeting, recently changed from
8 to 12 o'clock, the audience numbers from 1,000 to
2,000, comfortably filling the space in front of the
platform separated by a canvas curtain from the body
of the hall. On stormy evenings—and most of them
have been stormy of late—the great audience-room is
from half to two-thirds full.

As to the number of conversions it is not easy to
speak definitely. The two inquiry rooms have been
well filled after every evening service during the nest
week, and last night a third room was opened. kach
of these rooms has chairs for over 150 people. Mr.
Moody's method of persuading the anxious to go into
the inquiry rooms, and of dealing with them when once
there, is well conoeived and effective. Scattered
through the audience at every evening service is a corps
of Christian workers of both sexes, who have been
thoroughly trained in their duties by a committee of
four clergymen—the Rev. Dra. Newton Hatfield,
Breed, and Smith. The'force numbers 300'in all, and
there are usually over 100 present for duty. At the end
ef his sermon, which is always intended to act prin.
eipally upon the hopes and fears of the unconverted,
Mr. Moody asks all who would like to be prayed for
to rise. At first there are very few who have the courage
to stand up amid 10,000 lookers-on, but by dint of much
pleading and encouragement, the preacher finally gets a
goodly number on their feet. Often he says, "f 5 there
not one more who wants to be saved to-night ? " and
then as one after another rises, he counts them,
interrupting his ootmting now and then with fer-
vent expressions of thanksgiving. After several
minutes he begs all who have just got up to remain
standing while he prays. At the conclusion of the
prayer, which is always short and powerful, the
People on their feet are appealed to to go at once into
the inquiry rooms that open out of the hall on either
hand. The Christian workers approach them, second
the preacher's appeal, and escort them to the rooms.
The congregation is then dismissed with a benediction.
Mr. Moody goes into one of the inquiry rooms and
Mr. Sankey into another, and if the third is open
it is put in charge of some experienced and efficient
worker.
A description of one inquiry meeting will answer for
all, and will give the reader a knowledge of the method
employed to effect conversions. The room is Mr.
Moody 's—the time yesterday evening. Around the
great, bare apartment, dimly lighted by rude, impro- •
vised gas burners, the chairs are carefully arranged in
groups of three or four. Inquirers as they enter take
some one of the seats, without observing the purpose
of the grouping. Every group is at once approached
by one or more "Christian workers." When the
number of penitents is not too large there is a
" worker "to each. Mr. Moody enters. Alert, active,
cheerful and self-reliant, he appears to be in all
parts of the room at once, so rapidly does ha go from
group to group. Now he is at one of the doors telling
some people who have apparently come in from mo-
tives of curiosity that only inquirers and workers are
admitted, now he is assigning to duty two or three
backward workers who do not know where to
begin, and now he is talking to an inquirer who had
slunk away into a corner, hoping to escape observation.
The business of the inquiry room consists almost solely
of personal appeals from the "workers" to the uncon-
verted, and varies in character with the nature of those
who work and those who are worked upon. Here are
two sobbing women comforted by one who is herself in
tears. A few feet away are two men upon their knees,
for whom a third prays in a fervent undertone. Just
beyond a young man is addresEdng an earnest argu-
ment to another young man. The next group is
composed of a well-dressed young woman and a
wealthy merchant of New York, renowned for his
piety and his charities, who has come over to arrange
for the evangelists' visit to that city, and while here
assists at the meetings. Scarcely two groups present
the same appearance. There is an emotional atmo-
sphere everywhere, but it is not as palpable as in
Methodist class-meetings generally, and many of the
groups are so free from excitement that they seem to
be having a quiet chat on some unimportant subject.
Sometimes a cam of especial interest is taken
charge of by Mr. Moody himself, but usually
his office is to oversee .the whole work. Afte z
half an hour of a subdued Babel of talking, praying,
and singing, the meeting begins to thin out, and about
tea o'clock it is quietly adjourned without ceremony.
How many converts have been made it is impossible
to tell. Some of the workers are confident that their
arguments and prayers were successful; others are
doubtful of the result, and still others admit that their
efforts were fruitless. Wherever an inquirer is willing
to give his name, and expresses a preference for any
, n
particular church, his address is sent to the pastor of
the church in order that the work of conversie may
be completed by baptism and chunch membership.
mFs
lithe results of the revival are measured by the
number of new ember enrolled by the churches of
Philadelphia since it began, they will not appear com-
mensurate with the magnitude of the efforts put forth.
A fortnight's revival in a country town has often
.pro-
duced more fruits of this kind. It would not be just,
gauge the value of the evangelists' labour
men and women who connect them-
bhyowtehvee numberr of
selves with churches during the progress of the meet-
i to
tugs. The great work they accomplish is to awaken a
new interest in religion among the people of a whole
but some of it will take root and spring
p, stony
dp h
city. No doubt much of the seed they sow falls in
lte they
aces'harvest will be reaped months after
us to
are gone, it may be, by the churches. In the cases of
thousands of hearers the revivalists do no more than
to break up the ground, and thus prepare it for others
to sow the seed.
Almost every day large excursion parties come in
hNe
se
tretr ww elk sendY o rlka
r,
ge Chdeeslteegre, t
ileVnish:neinndgteonne
from neighbouring towns and cities to attend the
amnedepwingeest.
nTohtei
creaiilsrgoadi
yens seinll
atdicvkanetsceattortehdeurcee
excursion party will come fromthe Cumberland Valley.
dvivraalte csOmannud.ttweheeroef.
the coming of a party, seats are reserved for the ex-
cursionists, so that there will be no danger
of their
failing to get in after coming so far.

WHY No 7—Cook (come after Situation).
"By the bye, Ma'am, is there a Rink in your neigh-
bourhood? for I shouldn't like to give up my Skat-
ing !"—Punch.

-

PUNCH'S PROPHECIES FOR 1876..
( rom Punch.)
There will be a great many births, unaocompanied
by any very large amount of rejoicing.
There will be several deaths, which will not cause
too extravagant grief.
A great many people will marry in haste, and pro-
ceed to enjoy the delightful sensation known as "re.
pouting at leisure."
A few will marry at leisure and repent it haste.
Being Leap Year, more young people than usual of
both sexes will be plunged into that state of semi- -_,Tr
idiotic bliss considered inseparable to an engagement.
Many young Ladies will be kissed under the '
Mistletoe, and will say they don't like it. t I
Many young (-old) Ladies will say they don't like .‘
being kissed under the Mistletoe, and won't be.
There will be several Hallway accidents. _
Many ships will come intomollieion. • ,
Some explosions (domestic and otherwise) may be J
looked for. a At 1 al 4
Many children will receive the name of John. ta
Lots of young men will have difficulties with their luTq Atiw
latchkeys at about two a.m. _ _
Other young men will announce their intention to, ,
give up business and go on the Stage. • IT
More young men will declare their determination to
live on their pens.
Various Parents and Guardians will view the above
proceedings with marked displeasure.
Several casualties (such as broken hearts, loss of
false teeth, separation from chignons, &a) will occur
on Skating Rinks.
CAPTAIN HA.WY Will take little PIGEON to a first-
rate place for a quiet game of billiards or ecarte.
Much money will be lost over the Derby.
Several Dramatic Authors will be led to think of
their future state by the reception awarded to their
plays by a kind and deserving public.
There will be some changes of Government in
France.
Things will be made unpleasant for the First Lord
of the Admiralty Boon alter the assembling of Parlia-
ment.
There will be a panic on the Stock Exchange.
There will be several sensational Trials, to report
the details of which the Daily Press will exclude from
their oolinnns all literary, artistic, scientific, and
dramatic news. -
Some Wives will run away from their Husbands.
Some Husbands will run away from their Wives.
There will be numerous Comic Songs produced.
No mirth will be caused by the above.
A lot of people will write bad Novels. • .
A lot more people will be intensely bored by reading
the same. -
The Farmers will grumble at the harvest. A.
The Butchers won't reduce the price of meat.
Much tobacco will be consumed; also cabbage leaves'.
Many people will send contributions to Punch,
which will be rejected. 713 1
Many people will therefore hate, abuse, and loathe •
Punch for the remainder of their lives. ,1
Last and best. Punch, the Good and the Great, ;mut
will, during the course of 1876, appear exactly fifty- 11101'"Is
three times to delight and gladden the Nations. st.i ably

One of the Paris Correspondents of the Daily News
writes :
Christmas weather. at Nice could have been hardly
finer than it was at Paris. We have enjoyed a bright
sun, a blue sky, and epen windows. Fires were
allowed to go out the greater part of the day. The
thermometer at two o'clock stood at 18 deg. Centi- '
grade. School children out for a holiday enlivened •!
the parks and gardens. According to custom, the .-.:
English churches which were well attended, were deco- Lour
rated with holly and ivy. There were two banquets
given at the north-eastern end of that city, both
by German mutual aid associations. At the
Chatelet Theatre there was Mime. Kestner's
annual Christmas tree, on which were hung 43
useful presents and toys for nearly 3,000 poor
Alsatians. When I say hung, I should explain that
gifts were piled around the trunk as well as suspended
to the boughs. A large audience admitted by_tickets
witnessed the distribution. Senator Scheurer-Kestner,
M. Floquet, and Mr. Jules Ferry, the sons and grand- - ,„:,;
sons-in-law of the Lady Bountiful presiding at the 1 i`-'''
feast, with many other members of the Assembly, 4111 T
accompanied her and the ladies assisting her on the
stage. Nearly every woman admitted to cull the
fruits of the great pine tree, which was trans-, wasuri
ported from the Vosges, had several young chiblren
hanging to her skirts. The Municipal Council -i I
of Paris w,as present. SOM3 speeches were made -„trAf
of a patriotic and Republican character, but nothing A 7,4
was said at which Germany could well take umbrage. - i-,i r
At the Servants' Home in the Avenue de Wavram ''!;4,11
there was a dinner of beef and plum pudding, to Which
the working English colony was invited. The ladies red
who served at the tables wore a sort of brown uniform
with white aprons, such as one sees on the cooks in the
Duval restaurants. No clergyman attended. It was
thour at better, as there were persons of every variety of
religious opinion present, not to give an episcopal tone ... ,
to the meeting. Ladies, when the cloth was removed,
delivered addresses of an evangelical character—.
one of them, Miss Bell, spoke feelingly and.
fluently. The Americans here having few poor ' naiii
aMOng them, limit their Christmas rejoicings to '401% '
gay dinners and evening parties. Germans, who hang
together for mutual help in a more truly fraternal
spiritthan we do, indulged in music, feasting, and
dancing, carried on in rooms hired by subscription.
Plates were carried round on which money was
dropped for the aid of indigent compatriots deemed
worthy of a helping hand. The Christmas fair was
more than usually animated, on account of the excep-
tional fineness of the weather. The toy of the season is
a variety of the jack-in-the-box. A female figure _
representing France is pushed by a soldier with a
spiked helmet down a trap, over which is written i
" banquerote." But no sooner is she down I
than up she starts by another orifices in _ i
passing through which she catches hold of a ribbon
bearing the words " Credit-epargne, bonne situation."
.„
"Seventy-five "toys with a politics signification have" my
been interdicted, under the state of siege, by General 1 rfl
Ladmirault. I have looked in vain for the Turkish
-4
Deficit and the Suez Puzzle. Men of scientific fame
do not here disdain to work for the toy fair on the
Boulevarts. The Fusionist top was the creation of a
savant of the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, and
it yielded him in a single week 20,0001. " Irrepres•
gbh) France" is said to be the work of a member of
the Institute.