The New York herald., 1875-11-01

The strange reli aous phenomena ~ brook
1 lyn shoEld not be forgotten IN the noisler
events ofthe political canvass. This religious
work, especially under the supervision Of
Moody and Sankey, concerns thousands OF
/ Christian men and women No doubt these
\ meetings iii the Brooklyn Rink and the
\ Tabernacle are largely attended from motives
Of curiosity. People 60 to them because Of
their European reputation, because they like
4 good singing and because they find a novelty
in tie rhetoric Of Mr.. Moody Many 90 from
religious motives, and it is impossible not 70
respect the depth Of these feelings when We
read Of the petitions Of various worshippers-
The wife who would reclaim an erring hus-
! band; the mother who mourns wayward
child; the father whose son is burden 60
Il him; the sister who would win brother iron
| the way Of worldliness- these and other
touching requests show true spirit 81
devotion. Nor is there any narrowing senu-
ment of sectaranism in Mr.. Moodys mind.
When stubborn Ligot the other
day asked him to pray for tie con
version Of thirteen friends who were
declined, saying that there were as many
Catholics who were Christians as Protestants
and that the Catholic road to heaven was as
sure Is any other if people only kept IN it.
AS most Of our Protestant reyiyalists feel that
their main duty is to denounce the Pope and
to invoke the bitterest memories Of gloomy
and terrible past, this evidence Of charity
and fair play GA the part Of the Brooklyn re-
yiyalists is praiseworthy
As will be seen from the interviews printed
in the HERALD yesterday and to-day, giving
the opinions Of our clergymen on the Moody
and Sankey movement, the general scnti-
ment Of the churches is in its favor. or
thirty-eight clergymen in New York and
Brooklyn who gave their views few had any
words Of disparagement Two Lutherans
were afraid the work was too sensational"
for their Church, forgetting We are afraid,
that Luther himself was among the most SEN
sational Of preachers that ever moved the
spirits Of men Rev. DR.. Bellows feared that
the revival was like a straw fire, which gave
more light than heat, and he thought that
men served the Lord very well in daily labor,
which true religion should not disturb. Rev.
Dr. Chaplin had the same opinion, feeling
that religion was more of life
than an emotion Mr.. Frothingham
would not encourage the movement, be-
cause it was eyanescent and would in the
end do more harm than good. Revival ex
elements, he thinks, result in positive evil.
"People," +" he says, suddenly and violently
aroused 70 religious enthusiasm do not keep
up the fervor with which they commenced,
and when relapse comes it leaves them
worse than they were at first" With the ex-
ception Of these dissenting opinions the gen
eral feeling Of the clergymen is that the two
evangelists arc doing good work and need
the encouragement OF all Christian men.
The same feeling is shown in Philadelphia,
where services are to begin at an early day.
The clergymen of that city have united in a
request to the evangelists to come and lead
4 these services. In Boston there are indica-
/ tions Of colder feeling. The clergymen
propose o revival, but it viii be without the
I aid Of Moody and Sankey The ministers Of
! the various congregations will have their
meetings in their own churches and make no
general demonstration. Other churches
here ana elsewhere, who are not in sympathy
with Moody and Sankey-mainly the Catho-
lies ana the niyersalists-propose special
meetings Of prayer and praise and religious
inquiry So that we seem to be on the verge
Of .'great awakening"
The more we see Of Moody and Sankey
the more we are puzzled to account for their
success. Neither Of them have special gifts
Mr. Moody's sermons are grotesque, but they
have no positive value. lie deals with sacred
themes like an auctoneer selling his wares.
He celebrates the beauty and subimity and
holiness Of the Saviour as though it were
watch or picture which he was anxious to
knock down to the highest bidder Peter
and Paul and John, Moses and Abraham and
Daniel, names sacred to every deyout mind,
are tossed about and handled as though they
were mere men of our own day, Congressman
or tragedians or candidates for Office.
To be sure these saints and teach
ers were men once, even as we
are now, and fertile fancy might easily
place them in human, contemporary atti-
tude, and so deal with them. Nor is it an
offence against any law but that Of good
taste But nothing is more becoming to true
religion than good taste This constant vio-
lation Of it is one Of our grayest criticisms
upon Mr. Moodys endeavors. The songs
and hymns Of Mr.. Sankey are o powerful in
/ auence. Mr.. Sankey has an expressive, sym
I pathetic voice and. as he believes what he
says, his music is a prayer. Nay, we arc told
that the utmost pains are taken to have the
congregations sing in certain tones,
in a shout, or whisper, so as to give dra-
matte ''eGsct" to these manifestations. In
other words, the tricks Of min5trelsy and
IL -. J. z -.