The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-04-01
MOODY AND SANKEI.


Every mail that crosses the Atlantic
brings fresh proof the wonderful effects
produced by the labors of the evangelists.
At first but httle notice was taken of
them by the secular press, but 50 intense
is the interest manifested in their work
that even the London Times, as we learn
from a late cable dispatch, has reviewed
their work fayOrbly.
The subjoined editorial from the Lon
don Daily 7eLegraph presents the case in
a manner that cannot fail to interest our
readers: ...
Peoplein the metropolis will soon Judge
for themselves how far the provinces
have been justified in their emotion at
the revlvalsts from across the Atlantic.
1t takes a deal to move Londoners i'll any
such manner, and many here Nill alb
ruptly dispose Of the whole business by
the familiar phrase religious hysteria." "
This success, however, appears rather too
complex, and We may add, socially use
full, to be explained so easily by the
phrases mad-doctos, 5, materi4 lists, or cyu-
les. Wherever those people come they
see.L to affect at once that which arch
bishops and rural deans and Curates from
The universities cannot do; they con
vince people of sin" they wake hun lreds
Of thousands of hearts to the considefa-
ton of righteousness, temperance, and
Judgment to come. Unless, then, we are
to call all religious feeling hysteria and
mania, unless St. Paul preaching on Mars
Hill and DR.. Vaughan in the Temple are
equally appearing to the excitable ner-
vous systems of automata, we cannot
clearly see why the churches should be
scandalized at the work done by the two
reyiyalists. No doubt it depends upon
the faculty which large bodies of men
and women exhibit to thrill with COM
mon emotion which lreacts upon the in
dividual, and produces remarkable eleva-
tions of of character But if the orator,
the general, the stage player, the music
ian, and the advocate wOrk-as they all
do-with this magneticintiuenCe OF sy m
pathy, why should those be charlatans
who employ it to raise and quicken the
spiritual side oflife to which it naturally
belongs? We cannot find a reasonable
answer to this in the slipshod explanation
given of such religious movements by
people who call themselves scientific and
yet leave the region of the emotions and
aspirations of man out of their antropol-
ogy. 1t rather seems to us that when
Moody and Sankey come to London, the
dignitaries and ministers of all the
churches would do we'll to go and see
what amazing things real genius and un.
selfish ardor can accomplish even in the
prt sent le. They will hear--peopl lie say
some pieces" spoken about this life and
the next, which delivered with nasal
twang or not, 60 to the souls of the peo-
pie straighter than any sermon bought in
Paternoster row. They will see-if Lon
don rel reduces what Dublin and Liver
pool have witnessed-congregations stir.
red with the ''Old story" told newly, as
thp seas are raised by the storm winds
And Notwithstanding all the easy talk
about hysteria, epidemics, magnetism
nervous systems, and the like, the phi
losophers and divincs have yet TO explain
to us why it is a bad thing for thest
Yankee itinerants to turn people by the
thousands to right and virtuous lives, and
good thing when a bishop or cardinal
manages to convert half a dozen.