St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-04-08
st. Charles City, Iowa, April s. 1853.
THE GREAT AWAKENING.

THE GREAT AWAKENING.
From almost every portion of the
Union do we have intelligence of the
great religious awakening of the pco-
pie. 1t is not limited to single city
or even state, but has spread like a
fire in every direction. Scarcely a i
city, town or village, from Maine to
Iowa, but is at present the theatre of
agrcat and powerful religious awaken
ing, such an outporing of religion as
has not been known before, since the .
days Of Edwards. Commencing in
the larger eastern cities, in the very
haunts and dens of vice, it has radia-
ted in every direction, encouraging the
feeble and faint hearted, reviving
dropping churches, and laying the
foundations of newly awakened NOR
ality and more vigorous and earnest
religion.
Another popularity, attendant upon
the awakening, is the class of men it
has acted upon. Callous-heartcd busi-
ness men, whose hearts had grown
well nigh as hard as their silver and
gold; spendthrift clerks !; profane and
vicious tiremen professional pugilsts
and bullies and adopts in almost every
species of crime, have been checked
in their hcadlong, downward career
their hardened consciences have been
touched as by magic wand, and
they have undergone wonderful
transformation through the workings
of the mysterious divine agency.
1t may not be known to all our
readers that Burton's Theatre in New
York has been changed from theatre
to a place for prayer meetings. At
the first prayer meeting there, Rev.
+. l.. Cuylcr alluded to the conversion
of the Chatham Street Theatre into n
church in 1881, and then said:
To day, for the second time in the
history of New York, we set apart q
disused play house for house Of wor-
ship. Oh !! what soul tragedies may
have been enacted in this very build
ing, From yondcr pit" how many
have gone down to the pit Of ever
lasting despair. Let our services
here be as solemn as eternity Let
US invoke the presence Of Gods spirit
and may this former habitation of the
tcmptcr be the very habitation of God
the very gate of heaven to souls
seeking after Jesus?
f The audience then joined in singing
. three verses of the 10th hymn
Come, sinner in whose guilty breast
. 4 thousand thoughts rcvulye;
Come. with your guilt and fear oppreSt,
/, And make this firm resolve:
I'll go to Jesus, though my sin
Doth like a mountain rise
/ know his course, | IL enter IN,
Perhaps he'll hear my cries
1t was stated before the close of thu
e exercises that Edwin Forrest, th'
4 great American tragedian, had beel
= converted, and was now protcsso
It of religion. This announcement wa
gladly received.
At Il subsequent meeting in th'
Burton Theatre, Rev. Henry War,
Becchcr conducted the proceedings
An immense audience assembled
many more pressing at the doors to
admission than the house could posS
bly, accommodate. All the pit, ga
leries, the proscenium boxes, even th
skylight in the peak of the theatre
showed denscly packed mass c
heads, all turned intently towards til
stage, where for some time Mr.. Bcecl
- cr sat alone. Hardly square inch I
y the theatre was unoccupicd. In tn
- palmiest days Of Mr.. Burton, thel
was never crowd to compare wit
this. The deepest interest was man
tested. Among the three thousal
ms persons collected, there was not tt
w. least confusion or disorder. Morcove
3D. very decided disposition to stay a
Ia day became manifest as the hour Fl
@ @es, closing the ceremonies approache
ng Mr.. Beecher was invited to continu
: but declined, on the plea that bus
: ness mems meeting should be pun
. tual
On opening the exercises of Il
day, Mr. Beccher read a long list
'ses petitions from fathers, mothers, hr
; bands, wives and brothers, requestil
- that prayers might be offered for L
reclaimed relatives and fricnc
Among these petitions was enc from
rs, mother, requesting an interest IN t
prayers of the congregation for h
DDS son, who had cursed her on the pl
vious night. Mr. Beecher, as he re
is. these requests, kept up a runnl
!. comment upon them, presenting
salient points of each, and pointing
moral with great effect. In the cou'
y, Of his remarks, delivered i'll the int
w.., walls of the exercises, he dwelt up
the value of instantaneous convict
fing of sin. Hesitancy in religious matt
Jsrs I he looked upon as sin-not to sa.
D. meanness.
1,c, Several affecting narratives w
Lc given One elderly gentleman
most claring he was "a happy father" t
the story of the conversion of
Is son, a Young gentleman of ninet