The New York herald., 1875-11-18
,Mr. Moody IN the Midst Of
His Great Work.
HIS RELIGIOUS COMMON SENSE.
The Proprieties Of Prayer-Sankey
as a Suppliant.
THE SERVICES, YESTERDAY.

Mr.. Moody is q short and somewhat stout man. with
n full dark beard rather small eyes and active
energetic but not nervous, habit His manner s alert
and prompt, but not graceful his voice is unmusical
aud indeed harsh his enunciation Is very clear, but
somewhat too rapid ye. be heard and understood
in every part Of the Tabernacle or the Rink In the
latter place he has spoken 900 people He gestcu-
lates but little, and his gestures are evidently
extremely unstudied His style OF speaking is entirely
conversational anu hearing him perhaps dozen times
j have never detected him in any attempt at elo-
quence. He is evidently, by his pronunciation, a
Yankee, clipping some Of the minor words in his
tences, the farmers in the interior of Massachusetts,
do; but he has no ssYankee drawLn He speaks the
language Of the people and has the merit OF using al
ways the commonest words and that he had no early
educational advantages is plain from his frequent use
OF 'done" for "didp and other ungrammatical col
loquialsms. In short, his appearance not imposing;
his figure is graceful but that Of farmer or hard
working iaborer; his voice not meoaous nor mas i
great range his language choice His externals,
therefore, are ali against him
MAGNETISM.
In spite Of all these disadvantages be has succeeded
In attracting England and here vast crowds day after
day. who at some or the Brooklyn meetings at least,
are composed largely Of cultivated people, he has, eyi
IDENTIFY succeeded in interesting these crowds what
he has had to say; for nothing is remarkable at
the meetings than the absolute quiet and order, the
attitude Of interested listeners which prevails among
The audience He has entirely controlled his audi
that all noisy manifestations OF religious feeling
have been entirely suppressed; and at the time
who has sat in the meetings the Rink or the
Tabernacle have failed TO that Mr.. Moody's
Of presenting his subject to extraordinary
degree effective in moving the hearts OF his hearers, in
stirring devotional feelings in producing profound
ff7pra of anff fha
sage he has to deliver
Indeed, it has been common remark that the
audiences were even more remarkable than Mr. Moody,
for not only they spontaneous gatherings to
Of the meetings admitance be secured only by the
presentation Of ticket and these ticket meetings,
where each person be supposed at least to have
had desire to attend strong enough induce him TO
take the trouble Of securing ticket crowded
any others Nor hours selected for the
meetings. There is from eight to nine in the
morning, which yet has the Tabernacle filed with
audience at least third Of whom men. There
Is another O'Clock the afternoon, and again
DOT less than third OF those present have been
After the Rink meeting the evening there has been
held meeting in the Tabernacle for young
clusively beginning nine O'Clock and this, too,
have seen crowded, the large auditorium being
several occasions incapable OF holding all
who Nor is this ALL Not the least remarkable
evidence Of the real and profound excited by
Mr. Moody's exhortations is in what happily
called the ''over1ow meetings, composed OF persons
who could not gain admission to the regular meetings
where Mr. Moody exhorts and Mr.. Sankey sings, and
who adjourn a nelghboring church to listen TO some
Dther preacher and TO sing the songs which Mr. sankey
has made familiar them. II any considerable part o.
The crowds who 90 to the meetings were composed or
the merely curious these "overdow meetings" could
cot exist
Nor IS even this all Mr. Moody does not hesitate to
advise people to stay away from bis meetings He has
repeatedly urged that his labors for non-church
Eoers that be desires room le for this class, and he
has taken special to exclude from some Of his
meetings all who regularly attend church-that Is
10 say, be does his audiences, but the con-
.rary you 60 hear him it must be because you
want to you 20 tho second time il must be because
be interested you the drst
RELIGIOUS COMMON SENSE.
have heard him a number or times, and always
with interest and gra.idcation; and it seems TO me
that this many-aside from the interest which
any thoughtful man may have in this subect-because
ae gives the impression Of possessing remarkable
mon sense, The clear bead of business man, and
habit of attending TO the thing which he has on
hand and making AL parts of the audience do the
The meetings are opened and closed promptly the
preapponted hour there not a minute or time
lost during the meeting by delays his prayers are
brief very and directly to the point; and bis
exhortations arc running commentary on passages
or Scripture which be rapidly always asking the
audience to turn 70 the passage. Indeed, 50 far
Mr. Moody is concerned there Is little
or no ''machlnery.n lie opens meeting
though his audience were The stockholders OF bank
70 whom he was about 70 make report he has the
air OF business TO whom time 4 extremely vaIu-
nbe and slow and cdions people are evidently trial
to him. In some Of the prayer meetings persons in
the audience take active part; and Il happened not
seldom in those that attended that earnest but
indscrect soul made long and rambling prayer Mr..
Moody knew how to bring back the assembly % the
strict object or the hour In Of the morning meet
ings a clergyman made a very long, loud and rambling
prayer full o set and stale phraseoogy. The
lie ceased Mr. Moody said, 'Lct now have few
minutes of silent prayer that will bring us back 70
ourselves and that's where we need 10 get" After
brief but Impressive silence Mr Sankcy spoke few
words pertinent pointed and iorcble, Of prayer, and
tie meeting proceeded | hope / shall not be thought
disrespectfa 70 the clergy if say that the prayers
some o them speak AZ these meetings contrast
tayoraby with the brief and pertinent petitions OF
Messrs Moody and sankey The formal and throadbare
phraseology of the former i srikngy Inappropriate
IN such meetings As these and seemed TO often 10
Nf painfully the feelings of the people around
a FANATIC
Again, n ono of the morning meetings prayers were
asked BY individuals In the audience FOR people
in whom they interested ono asked the PRAYERS
q the assembly for his sister another for her brother
one ior her mother; for fathers thers for sons
and daughters; wives for husbands; one for church
out oftown; another for church ID New York I'll
nay man shyly asked the prayers of he congregation
for himself Instantly Mr.. Moody said THAT'S rrht
Ike that Ike 70 hear people Ask prayers FOR them
selves. That's where they often most needed !,
Such incident seems to show that he Il nj an
enthusiast who has lost his possession and indeed
this is evident at every meeting Re es of course en-
thusiastic In his work. but with the sobrcty u bas
cess man or Of general In battle.
Again, he Is never In the least arad OF bis
audience. Indeed no one hear him without feel
Ing that be Is entirely unconscious, much 20 as