Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-31
GETTING RELIGION.
OUR SAN FRANCISCO CORRESPONDENT
AT REVIVAL.
What she Thought of What She saw-
Religious Excitement.

SAN Francisco, January 2S, 1882.
As it was weekday night l had no
idea that houseful would be called out
by the revivalists who have lately come to
us from the East via Sacramento. But
when we came TO the doors we were warned
away from two because those aisles were
full, and we were finally ushered under
the gallery and fixed seats let down for us
and number OF other late comers. The
pulpit was filed with choir of ladies and
gentlemen by far the most respectable part
Of the audience, in appearance at least. l
made the text to be: "And the door was
shut. Mr.. Whittle, the evangelist. was
speaking in pleasing voice. and as he re-
ferred to the gospel the ministers near him
industriouslY turned the leaves of their
Bibles. / noticed that during the address
THE WORD HELL
Was used but once, though it was often
insinuated. By and by the people sung.
It was words and tune that all knew, and
as we sat way off to one side we could see
whole pews in profile, mouths opening and
shutting in perfect time, and hundreds of
cheeks sinking il and putting out in time
to each other. Looking at it in that way
the people were not poetical. Whispered,
"This is not dressy audience, is it ?" and
received for an answer, 81 have always
understood that your Jesus came for the
L t. u
line l observed smooth. faced, complex
ionless young man whose hair with great
care had been drawn about his forehead
almost to his eyebrows and held there
with the palm of his hand while the ends
were carefully brushed back. The result
was the whitish plat of hair upon his fore
head which made him beautiful. His COM
panion was a sweet little bird of girl
about II, and the two had religion very
bad. They held hands under the hymn
book and sang together they breathed
together, listened together, smiled together,
and by and by he tucked his arm under
hers and
THEY ROSE FOR PRAYERS TOGETHER.
Just then Mr.. Whittle called out, 60 Y on
young man in the gallery, you had better
be praying for yourself instead of looking
about to see who else rises for prayers"
and plunged my face into my handker-
chief, afraid of being caught myself. A
man near me rose and called out deter
minedly, '' Pray for me p which elected
pious "God bless you, my friend p from
the .revivalist. An individual, very much
in need of soap and water, came into view
g. A
stood holding little girl by the hand. The
child looked wonderingiy about her, and
the woman was weeping, then in moment
said Mr.. Whittle fervently, "and another,
was invited to pray his own little prayer
by himself, the song revivallsts sang, 81
have never known you" A silent attention
fell upon the bowed audience more i'm
pressive by far than any speak
er had called forth. It is al
ways go. l have noticed it with
many assemblages. Music touches the
hidden spring of emotion, especially If it
be the song of the human voice, more
surely than any other appeal can do. l
have been interested to observe the differ
ent revivalists as they succeeded one an
UlHsI III tOa4 IIdACieCO, Auu nave SSSh DOM
Hammond moved one person, Sankey or
Moody another, Harrison third man, and
now these people others. Did one try
logic, another eloquence, and did logic con-
vince you and eloquence convince the man
of each have been but series of anecdotes
strung on thread of talk, and | conclude
that it is but the different way each man
L., 81 Ill @bo4 l.
lar with one class of individuals. To be
sure it is not exactly the same story, but
they are all about the same, and they are
of the wicked man who cried out in his
sins, the little child who converted her
father, the son who was saved by his
mothers prayers. And
FROM DAY TO DAY
They tell of the cases of the day before,
giving reports, as it were, of the tears shed,
of the hearts in mourning, of the heaving
souls and the sighs sighed. Strange to say,
these have great effect. Let me imagine
that great and awful weight of woe on
account of my wickedness suddenly de-
scends upon me, and / long, oh ! how 1
long to get rid of it. / say to myself,
'' Here is man who has had years of ex-
perience in such cases as mine, and perhaps
he can tell me how to be happy again. |
will, therefore, conquer my reserve; l will
tell him my fears l will show him my
heart And l do SO hold converss-
tion with him--a conversation all filled
with tears and stamm erings on my part,
with diguifed and kindly comfort en- his.
The next night how am I Mortified to
La1l - H.
met me on the stairway" says
the preacher, and see the audience sitting
in breathless interest, "a woman well
dressed, just as well dressed as you, my
sister, who are dead to your sins, and with
the tears stream ing over her cheeks and
her voice broken with feeling, she said to
me, clasping her hands as she did so, Mr..
Moody, or Harrison, or Whittle, do not
see how can be forgiven, but | want to be
Christian. Do you think there is hope for
me? My life has been g good life enough,
but have been dead to Christ can you
help me a little along the way to him ." |
shrink and / shudder as ] see myself held
! thus to prominence, the feelings / had
thought so sacred peered into by the public
| eye, the conviction it had been such a
world of effort to me to reveal told over to
| hye hundred, and zee my own dissected
and
QUIvERING SOUL
Exposed while the preacher stands by and
calls upon every man, woman and child to
come and gaze. think if it should hap.
pen as I have related it, 1 should waylay
that man on the stairway again, and l
should put the case to him just SO, and as
/ had thrown aside reserve before, should
do it again. "You have betrayed the
most sacred confidence" l would say to
him ''you have broken down my hope in
your power to help. am ashamed now
that came to you go humble, SO fearful,
to open my thoughts TO you. What can
you cay to make this thing right with your
own conscience ?'' What do you think,
now? Would he see the matter as saw