The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-12-13
Moody and Sankey in Oxford.


evening of Monday week, by general
meeting in the Corn Exchange. The
crowd speedily overlooked that building,
and more than filled the Town Hall close
by. Mr.. Moody preached in the former
place, and Mr. E. w. Bliss in the latter !;
while Mr.. Sankey found scope for the
potent exercise of his special gift in both
Without going into detail, it may gene
rally be said that the townspeople, aug
mented, no doubt, by goodly contingents
from the country districts, have in the
same way focked to the services each
night during the past week. The spirit
of hearing and of expectation on the
part of the people, joined to the Spirit
of wisdom and power that has rested on
the preachers, have brought about the
results that have been so often seen in
other places, and so often recorded in
these pages-men and women convinced
of sin by the Holy Spirit, and by the
same Spirit led into the conscious accept
ance of pardon and peace as the free gifts
of God, who was in Christ reconciling
the world unto Himself So far, there is
nothing unusual to tell of the compaign
in Oxford.
MIR. Moody and the Varsity Men.
The work among the University
undergraduates, however, constitutes
one of the most remarkable chapters in
the whole history of this revival move
ment. Meetings specially designed for
the Varsity men have taken place each
evening at the close of the service for
the general public. On Monday evening
the undergrads" were invited to meet
in the Assembly-rooms of the Clarendon
Hotel. A considerable number respond
ed, and it soon became evident that the
youthful effervescence and boisterous be-
havior that appear to be indigenous to
University soil were to manifest them
selves. What happened on the first three
evenings may be described in the words
of local chronicler:
"On Monday evening there was a
large attendance of local clergy, and Mr..
Sankey sang several of his hymns Mr..
Moody selected chapter from the Book
of Ezekiel, and began reading it. Some
of the audience commenced stamping and
shouting, hear, hear, in very impious
manner. Mr. Moody Immediately closed
his Bible, and in scathing tones of rebuke
said he would rather play with forked
lightning, or NEEDLE with the most
deadly diseases, than trife with the
Word of God. He then asked those
gentlemen who wished him to continue
to rise, and the whole assembly, with the
exception of few, instantly did So The
result was very striking and effective,
there being no more interruptions during
the evening.
con Tuesday evening the Assembly
room was again crowded.
On the third evening there came the
turn of the tide. Having set in motion
he machinery of the after-meeting, Mr..
Moody found himself in the midst of a
group of young students, most of whom
had been among the disturbers on the
previous occasion. With that intrepidity
and readiness of resource which have so
often stood him in good stead, he seized
the opportunity, and proceeded in the
plainest, though most courteous terms, to
tell these young friends what he thought
of them and their reprehensible conduct.
Addressing them simply as those who,
like himself, would lay claim to the title
of gentleman, he said they owed him
an ample apology for the treatment he
had received at their hands They as
sented to all he said, and readily rendered
verbal apology for having transgressed
the rules of common civility. Mr..
Moody accepted this amende honorable
as far as he was concerned, but said he
considered they ought to make further
reparation by taking prominent seats at
the meeting the following evening, and
listening quietly to his remarks.
The results fully justified Mr.. Moody's
line of action, and showed that there is a
chord in the most unlikely of human
hearts that will respond to a friendly,
firm, and skilful touch Having thor
oughly earned their personal respect by
his manly candor and courage and sane
tilted good sense, he succeeded in gain
ing hearing for the message he had
come to deliver. On Thursday evening
some of the very worst of these malcon-
tents sat on the front seats, and were
patterns of attention and good behavior.
There may have been an outside fringe
of latent scorn and opposition, but its
back was completely broken as far as
outward manifestation was concerned.
Mr.. Moody addressed his young brethren
with wonderful power on the barriers
that oppose themselves to frank accept
ance Of Christian life. Some of those
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