The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-11
MOODY AND SANKEY.
The Opening Of the Tabernacle at Chicago.
The Chicago Tabernacle for the great

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The Opening Of the Tabernacle at Chicago.
The Chicago Tabernacle for the great
Moody and Sankey meetings was open.
ed with services at a. M, on Sunday,
Oct. lst. One Of the Chicago papers
thus describes the crowds in attend
ance:
The doors were opened at O'Clock.
A very few people were already on
hand. They had their pick Of seats.
Every minute after o'clock the num-
bers increased, and the people came
faster and faster. At 1915 ali the front
seats On. the floor and the first row or
two Of seats in the north gallery were
occupied. For the first Is minutes
people trickled along lrregularly.
From 7:l5 to 1880 they came in streams
the intermittent action of which indi-
Gated that horse.cars were running.
At 1870 all the body chairs and all the
lower gallery chairs were taken. The
ushers on the south side of the build
ing were having a pretty easy time of
it, but the ushers on the Monroe-street
side were hard at work. The crowd,
from Franklin street and found the
south entrance sufficient, began to come
also from Market street and fill the
middle and west entrances. At 7:20
several private carriages drove up and
contributed representatives of the
elite to the audience. At 1870 non.
ticket holders were admitted. By this
time people were coming by scores,
and at each of the MOnroe-street en-
frances there was a pretty steady flow
inwards. At 7:45 nearly every chair
forward of the east gallery was taken,
and the north and east galleries were
full. The singers arrived early, and
every chair on the platform was full
some time before the services began.
Till o'clock people poured into the
Tabernacle rapidly. After that hour
the doors were closed most of the time
They were opened at intervals before
the sermon, but the audience was not
greatly increased after the services be.
gan. When Mr.. Moody began to
preach there were over 5000 people
present. The main floor will seat
4,500, and the vacant chairs under the
galleries numbered considerable less
than 1000. The galleries seat 1900,
and not over 400 chairs were empty.
The sea of upturned faces, rs Daniel
Webster would have remarked, was a
fine spectacle.
The congregation of the morning
gave a feeble idea of what would be
the attendance in the afternoon. The
doors were to be opened at o'clock.
but the crowds began to gather at all
the entrances long before that hour.
From every door, as soon as it was
opened, a dense throng Of humanity
pushed and jostled it's way into the
Tabernacle, down to the main floor,
and up into the galleries. Men and
women of all ages and even condition,
the devout and the undevout, the
church-goers and the Sabbath-break.
ers, Sunday school children and hood
lums, without regard to age, sex, OF
previous condition or servitude, all
passed into the Tabernacle and the s..
900 chairs disappeared from view like
a field OF wheat under a visitation of
locusts. BY 20 minutes of 4 O'Clock
the building was full. upstairs and
downstairs. The crowd filled Monroe
street, sidewalks and driveway. The
sidewalk on the south side of the
building was full. The crowd at every
entrance was so dense that a person
could hardly work his way up to the
door. Scores and even hundreds OF
people were going away in all direc.
tions. Inside the spectacle was one
not often to be seen. Chairs were
placed up to the platform, and in the
aisles so far as prudence would per-
NIT. Every available inch of room
was utilized, and everywhere were
human beings packed so closely that
they could hardly rise' to sing. Mr..
Moody had before him about 5000 per-
sons. Long after clock the crowds
fingered around the entrances.
WHY THEY sEpARTE THE SEXES.
Mr.. Moody made announcement of
future meetings. He said they did
not wish their meetings to interfere
with the regular church work. Next
Sunday afternoon at o'clock they
would have service for women, and
at 8 o'clock service for men. A
great many people wondered why they
kept the sexes apart in thesey. Sunday
meetings. Had they one gospel for
men and another for " omen? The
reason for this arrangement was that
they wanted to do the most good to
the most people. They wanted to give
everybody a chance to attend the meet
ings. There were great many good
brethren and sisters who seemed
bound to attend every single meeting.
They were always on hand promptly
and always occupied the front seats.
When he and Mr.. Sankey were in New
York there was one man who always