The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-04
Mixed Meetings ut


The last sensation for the pious people OF
New York and Brooklyn has been the widely
advertised conversion by ''the Wickedest Man.
of his dance house into q MONDAY prayer meet
ing house and a Magdalen asylum. To give him
his due, "the Wickedest Man" is honest
enough not to pretend to have been himself con-
verted. He is reported to have said that he
does not deem it expedient just ye: to join any
church. But he relates his experience"
and gives out hymns and otherwise generally
assists at the daily prayer meetings which are
held in the two small, ill-ventilated rooms at
his den in Water street. These rooms are.
crowded to suffocation by the most mixed
congregation of parsons and pugilists, ''Chris-
tan ladies" and painted prostitutes, Wall street
brokers and Tommy Haddens boarders,
thieves, drunkards and members of the
Young Mems Christian Association. The pro-
verbal eagerness of good folks to visit bad
places is abundantly illustrated by the rush of
John Aliens new set of guests, and his old
guests are still welcomed, although to a differ
ent class of entertainments.
Wecann approve of these mixed meetings
at dance houses. The origin of the excitement
that has led to them has too mach the sir of
dubious speculation. Like the spectacular
Black Crook drama which has lately been the
rage in some Of our theatres, and like the
high-colored descriptions Of Righteousness and
other phases of vicious life In some of our
magazines and pictorial papers, all this
fuss and noise about 'sthe Wickedest Man in
New York" we must regnrd as demoralzing.
repenteth" but in the present case the part Of
the repentant sinner seems to have been omit
ted The work of the truly pious and intelli-
gent city missionary is equally necessary and
noble. 1t is sometimes rewarded with signal
success. The diver in the West Indies found
in the sunken wreck Of the Spanish galleon and
from the depths brought up bags which were
covered all over with hard incrustations but
which, when cut open, were found 30 be full Of
gold and silver bullion. So the missionary
may find in the lowest depths Of city life more
than one soul incrusted with sin and yet full of
innate wealth of mind and heart. Such souls
are worth saving. Any soul, however har-
dened and however impoverished, Is worth
trying to save But there are limitations to
human responsibility. II was o wise counsel
to young and Jealous preacher when at hin
ordination an aged brother charged him to re-
member that not he, but quite another Person,
had been sent 10 save the world. The most
successful efforts to do all that man can do in
the work of saving souls have been made by
humble, patient silent workers in the Lords
vineyard Such workers would never think Of
blowing their own trumpets and would never
the contrary, they would expect and teach the
sincere penitent ito put his hand on his
mouth and his mouth in the dust" But the
injudcious spiritual advisers Of the so-called
ssWickedest Man in New York" want to make
an exhibition Of him. as they would like to
have made an exhibition Of such notable con-
verts as Awful Gardner, Maria Monk, Lola
Monies and the Menken. They have already
made him more popular for the moment than
Henry Ward Beecher, even with the Plymouth
church people in Brooklyn. If they really
wish to reach and affect the consciences of the
ignorant and degraded they must learn to talk
to them in language which can be understood
by their hearers and then they must preach
the Gospel as well ss pray and shout and
sing. Let them do this work In their own
churches. IF there are not churches enough,
let more be built. The two hundred churches
in town hardly need such ''chapels Of ease" as
the dance houses in Water street. 1t isa
morbid excitement which impels the pous to
seek those filthy resorts. Moreover, their
curiosity to see ''the wickedest Man in New
York cannot be satisfied by seeing John
Allen. He is not 'the Wickedest Man in New
York" Il 10 not certain whether even hs