The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-10-31
From the New York Tribune. September 2dl
The Love Feast in New York.
Wall and Water Streets Unite in the Re-
vival Movement.

vivaI Movement.
We've had a real feast of love- said one OF
the clergymen 70 John Allen. as he grasped his
hand az the close OF the danee-house prayer-meet.
ing in Water street yesterday, and IN truth the
exercises parto0k more Of the nature Of what the
Methodists call a /. Love Feast" than Of an orGi-
nary prayer meeting. The SANE mixed crowd OF
sailors, frenen, longsborenlen. clerks. porters.
merchants, ministers and street lOafers intermin-
gied, among whom were the former inmates OF
tine house, Eere and there a woman from a neigh
boring 'den'-though it is reported that the
prOpTietors of many of there places have forbid
den their employees To attend the meetinr-and
half a dozen Christian ladies. who went there TO
encourage by their presence the revival that has
been inaugurated in the Fourth Ward. crowded
the two small rooms almost 20 sufocation, and
the hot, fetid air of the place, brearhed over and
over again, and, laden with perspiration. grew
hotter and hotter as the meeting progressed.
Along the sidewalks and on the opposite side Of
tie street Were gathered many who were either
unable, on account or the crowd. or lad not the
moral courage 10 90 within. Nearest the curb
stones stood rows of dirty children from two
years old and upward, and some of the older of
theIn luggcd about III their arms infants half as
large a. themselves. and whose faces bore the
marks of disease. The wind ows of neighboring
dance-hOuses were all thrown open, and their in-
mates, with their heads thrust out. watched with
great apparent interest the crowd as it surged
around the door, while the patrons of these places
loungcd on empty barrels. or gathered in small
knots, making but few comments.
Long before noon the people began to gather,
and the time was occupied in singing camp-meet-
ing melodies, in which all present joined, and
which were often interrupted b. EXPLANATIONS of
- Amen GLORY be TO God for that, - Yes,
yes, salvation free and no questions asked. thank
tie Lord Will we all gather at the rIver?'
Allen was very assiduous in making preparations
for the accommodation of his guests, losing. as he
himself remarked, much of the meeting while he
acted the part of Martha.
At a few minutes after ~ O'Clock Van Meter
opened the exercises by reading a portion of 18th
chapter of the lst Chronicles, and exhorting the
attention of bis auditors 10 the more interesting
passages.
Prayer was then made, after which Van Meter
made an eloquent appeal tn all present 10 : seek
the Lord while He may be found \ man
whose sun-burnt face and foreign accent showed
him to be a German sailor, made n most fervent
prayer, beseeching GOd'to convert John Alien and
ms family, and to move all through Water street,
Until no more dens Of wickedness could be found
there. This prayer seemed to rouse the people,
and the tears rolled down rough, weather-beaten
checks, while the apron corner found it's way to
the eyes of nearly every one Of the women who
formerly inhabited the house. \ gentleman well
known in Wall street followed, and drew n vivid
picture of his own conversion, when" as he
said, q the Lord came TO him at hs place of bus
mess and touched his heart"
\ IOughly-dressed man, but whose face was
full of expression, aud voice trcmulOus with emo
ton, said: Years ago, when | came home
from sea, | always said TO myself, Now for "A
spree; with a pocket full of money, why shouldn't
II man get jolly drunk?' l used to wander from
one OF these houses to another, and commit all
kinds of sin, and many is the time that L have
spent the hard earnings Of months in as many
days. ! cursed and swore and blaspheIned, and
when good Christian men tried to turn my atten-
ton 10 holy things, / said that Il might as well
go to hell as any one else | laughed when n
pious sbipnate tried to turn my attention to
Christ, but he persevcred, and 1T length | was
stricken on the ships deck, in the midst Of the
Jesus then forgayc my sins, and I've
been trying To serve him ever since. / don't
drink any more rum, and l have neither wanted
for anything nor been unhappy since
In a subsequent speech this same sailor said
50 John Aliens called the Wickedcst Man in New
York, but / know that he Isn't. Tommy MADDEN
Is a great deal wickeder than John Allen ever
was. lie keeps a sailors clearinghouse, and
daughters sailors right down, and shanghaes
and don't give them a chance. Now, l
want you all to pray for Tommy Hadden, for |
believe that we shall yet have him keeping a tenn
pcrancc bOl~rdinS-bOuse.'
Dyer, who was present. started in astonish-
nent ~ the announcement that there was n vic
keder man in tie city than john Allen, and a
profound sensation WAS produced in the meeting.
Arnold, OF the Howard Mission, offered prayer
Or Tommy Hidden. and after the close of the
meeting there was a general inquiry as Ia who
his Tommy MADDEN was, and from the conyersa-
ION 1t was apparent that Tommy may soon ex-
a visit from the missionaries. Tommy has !
Dng been known az one of the desperate charac- 9
ers Of the Fourth Ward. When an unfortunate I
ailor entered one of his clearinghouse Tommy |
Ilways became his banker, informing him that it a
vas unsafe for him To keep his money himself.
)nce in the place, the poor scamcn had no chance ,
4 escape; in n few hours he was senseless from :
he bad liquor with which lie was freely piled, 7
nd with the earnings Of "a whole voyage IN the I
shark" he would awake to Consciousness ON the !
Of some strange vessel, and beyond the 5
each of aid. lie had been " shanghaed." Since :
he passage Of the Excise law, Tommy MADDEN t
az not been - prosperous in his business, as the !
commissioners refused to grant him a license, Il
nd it was necessary for him 10 conduct his opcr- :
tions more quietly. He still, however, retains
he reputation .. tie darndest scOundrel in the
'Ourth Ward"
\ well-dressed young man said that he wished l
ne minute 10 relieve himself Of a load that was
him down. He said that during the
'eninsula campaign of the late war, as one and
mother of their comrades had fallen at their :
ides. and the question was almost tremblingly '
sked, no will be next?' at twilight one a
light he said TO his companions in arms, Lets 5
% out under those trees and hold a prayer-meet- -
and about forty accompanied him. After
be meeting had been some time in progress and
he interest began to be general, he told the :,
boys" that he had IL proposition 10 make, and "
was, that all who wished To lead a better life
hould raise their hands. and every ones hand
ras up. mo one knows said he, = the good c
nat that resolution, made under those circum- j.
tances, did; - and he proposed that the same
uestion be asked in the meeting there. The in
crest in the meeting was now at its height, and
hen the question was asked nearly every hand =
the room was raised. j
\ man in the midst of the crowd, whom our
.porter could not sec, said that lac had good
10 rep0rt-that a well known rumseller,
no accompanied the speaker to the meeting on "
tuesday,, after leaving the place, announced his '
termination of giving up his business immedi-
and engaging in an honorable calling.
After the close of the meeting, the people
unwilling to depart, and many of the -
ore timid ones yentured near. Among the 4