The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-07-10
The Moody Mythology.
ALSO A PATENT MOODY BALLAD

-
Moncure u. Conway, in very clever letter
to the Cincinnati Commercial, has the follow.
ing interesting notice Of the Moody and San
key work in England The ballad is a curl
oslty, though untitled for Sabbath school use
by the levity of the air:
The most enterprising and aggressive think
er in Manchester, i suspect, is Silas Earring
ton, an American, who settled here four or
five years ago, and has drawn around him a
congregation of educated and liberal people
He is an influence. But it is hard work for
him. If Manchester is hard and bigoted,
what Is the country round about? 1t is be-
nighted 1t is really wonderful how little
impression such large cities as Manchester
and Liverpool make upon the country round
about them, Manchester is still in such a
condition that belief in witches, boggarts,
bargrists, and all manner of infranatural
things may be still found. 1t cannot be won.
dered that Moody and Sankey found this TO
be their most fruitful field in England. No
| doubt they will soon return here, as they are
almost played out at Her Majesty's Opera
House. They have not ceased to pray loudly
against the spirit of superstition and the
spirit of criticism" which have met them in
London and thus far fooled their efforts
and no doubt they long for the congenial
spirits or spooks of Lancashire. London has
begun to laugh at them. A sermon which
Moody preached there describing an auction
at which Jesus and the Devil were represent
ed as bidding for souls as Agncw and Vokes
do at Christie's for big lot of pictures,
amused the public; and another sermon ON
|"The Blood" revealing the Deity in the role
of an ogre of the tiiofum description, ever on
| , an g bIpnl Iiunnctnl nntM nJ,,
has not dared To talk in London the way he
did in Manchester, A gentleman told me
that he Moody spoke TO Il congregation of
which the larger portion were ladies, con
corning lady who had prevented her daugh
ter from going to his inquiry meeting, tina,
she woulC abe punished In hell by being
forced to stand, without ability to prevent il
and see her daughter suffering the embraces
of lewd men, My informanrs wife wrote u
letter for the press protesting against such
Language; but the papers burked it, alleging
| that they had resolved to print nothing for OF
against the revivalists There was sort OF
whisky war terrorism A Congregational
lst minister preached Il sermon against reli z
| ious excitement, calling no names, and his
congregation now has another minister.
| Cultivated clersymen found their congre
cations so much interested in Moody and
Sankey that they became timld and wcrC
afraid to criticise them. Indeed the only
Liberal minister who was courageous enough
TO grapple with the dogmatc revivaliss wa
1.-The American, Mr.. Harrington, already aliud
ed to, who has preached and printed dis
course criticising his orthodox countrymel
with great ability
One phenomenon have observed. Their
lis springing up in this provincial region
little Moody mythology. If the visit OF tn
i American revivalist Is remembered hundred
years from now, it will probably be in con
Injection with a whole crop of legends whicl
are now floating about as good storics,2 bu
lmay in that length of time have acquired i'm
lportant dimensions. The story that a maj
lwho laughed at them fell down dead ha
been explored 10 its fabulous origin, but, Xix
other fables, IT iiourishes all the same a stor.
that. when some scoiler came To Moody, ant
asked if he could perform miracles, and wa
], kicked out with the remark, IL can cast on
devils" has been told me as having occurre
lin four different regions of the country. TIL
Wild legion that while they were in Liverpool
there were no committals 10 prison has sim
llarlv taken root in various cities and canine
no Killed bg any quantity of facts. On III
lothrr hand there are large number Of fable
I of a contrary character, which show Xix
S lubiouity. On every railway you hear ia
b. anecdote that MooGy's worldly daughter ha'
ling gore TO the theatre, was met 10y her sain
lly father u; breakfast with the greeting
+ aGood morning, child of SATAN ana reptile,
r "Good morning, papa" 1t happened ,
:. Sheffield. also at Dublin, also at Glasgow
; that Moody having asked gentleman whetl
n er ne had afound Jesus was answered IN
/. have YOU lost himg But the iavoriie ane
n dote Of the worldly is that at a junction
a Yorkshire young nan entered car, swea
= ling furiously az the railway servaHts as NJ
knowing their business, and having sever
e times put him on the wrong train MOOD
d being ia the car, much shocked al the youth
10 profanity, said: young man. do you kno
,e where you are goingy' Halifax" answers