The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-01-17
REV. EDWARD PAYsoN HAM.
MOND.

REV. EDWARD PAYSON HAM,
M0ND.
SpasmOdic PieIy and Conversion b.
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tFron the clueinnatl Timss 3 Chronicle j :
A shorttimeago ] CHANGED to be In
small Western city where Mr.. Hammond
was at work, and which l found to b.
suffering from the religious commissions
that everywhere result from his efforts.
had heard so much OF the magnetic pow
er of the great religious sgitator, and the
wild scenes attending his ministrat ions
that ] resolved To- go and see for myself
and analytic, i'll cobld, thesources ofthli
wonderful magnetic power oil his. So
joining the crowd that poured through the
street l soon found myself within the
church, which was rapidly filling, and be.
fore many minutes was full to OVERLOOKING.
observed that fully one.third of those
present were children and another third
women.
MIR. Hammond, red.iaced, bull. necked,
corpulent, and sleek, sal" upon the pulpit
steps picking his teeth, and, occasionally
glsncing quickly around the crowded
house with look Of satisfaction. Around
him were gathered dozen or more minis.
ters OF various denominations. The ser-
vices began with singing. Song after
song was sung Mr.. Hammond leading
off with gesticulstions that would have
done honor to a leader OF an orchestra
Then aybrother prayed, and after the
prayer Mr.. Hammond exhorted. / fol-
lowed and watched him closely, and
looked IN vain for traces Of his boosted
magnetic power" could see nothing
Of the sort IN him. He seemed to me like
caricature Of Jno. B. Cough, taken from
the platform and placed in the Senate
He Is no orator; he has nothing OF the
magic power OF persuasion, not q spark
oil the fire of eloquence. He hens and
ahaws, and gels out Of his depths, and
knocks around among inspt illustrations,
lame comparisons, unmlstakable plagisr-
isms, and beats about in verbal Jungle
generally, to the extreme bewilderment
ot-suoh- unpfej udiced -Snd commons eise
people q, he may chance 10 have in his
audience. his language Is simply that Of
an illiterate exhorter; his gestures are
those Of Q mailman. Imagine him paw
ing the ground and shouting, with frantic
gestures, such miscellany" as this:
"You see, the children Of Israel went
down there to fight, and Moses and the
Others went up on the hiH to pray; and
the fighters shouted, Put in, and pray up
there; pitch in stronger, for we're getting
licked down here Soyou are all getting
licked, poor sinners. Tho DEVILS licking
you; come, up, come up; we'll pray and
youltight, and we'll beat him yet %, yes,
boys and girls, wen get that old devil
down, and just pound him to death"
Taking position here as though he had
that unfortunate beings head in hancery,
and was punching him severely. "But
you won't come up. You are like the
men who'er.er, ahem, who.er won't come
up. You won't do anything for Jesus;
you wouldn't even .er, even carry "a
chairdoRn the aisle forhim.p
This Is specimen Of his "eloQuence."
Still, with all his fiery harangueiug, the
audience did not appear TO be greatly az.
iected, but sat, to al appearance, quiet,
calmland collected. ] beganSto wonder
when the Spirit would begin to work;
when the "powern would show itself, and
what means would be taken 10 produce
the desired result Suddenly Mr.. Ham
mond dropped his voice to a very low
key, and in an aWe-struck, melo. dramat-
ic manner began to tell dismal story of
90 poor little child who died, as all you
must die, little children, and went down
into the dark valley, and the poor, lonely
mother" and the reverend gentleman
nroke ,doWnsRIths many Hnhs.z.szzsssssz...'
Two little children placed accidental
near the bottom OF the pulpit steps,
began 10 blubber audibly. Some Others
iurther back, caught the infection. Moth.
ers began 70 weep. The lachrymal con-
uulls o. me brothers in the rear and
about Mr.. Hammond were opened; sobs
and groans arose upon all sides. and
hallelulah ! hurrah the lob Is done: the
power Is at work. The Sheppard IA seek.
ing his own. Shade Of Job Trotter INIT
that was atrick worth seeing. So here
Is the sequence little girls, big girls,
boys, women, and then men. An, Gun
ming shepherd; the secret Is out; that Is the
road BY which you reach them, and tears
are not by any means idle tears In your
business, for they are your stock IN trade.
Give Hammond an audience Of men ok.
clusiVely, and he would have his preach
Ing for his pains. But let him have some
| little girls close RbOut the nnlnii. nlantv