The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-25
chaplain" M'CABE.
HIS SCHEME TO RAISE A MILLION
DOLLARS FOR MISSIONARY WORK.
The Remarkable PersuRsiyeness which
the Chaplain Employs-Brief Sketch
of His Lire-From Ten Cents to
a Hundred Dollars.

New YORK Cor. Baltimore American
chaplain McCabe is a doctor OF divin-
ity, but he does not, in appearance, suggest
the popular notion of q reverend theologian
His whole expression is that of tremendous
power and indefatigable energy, holding
himself in so as to please Others He has
big, square face; dark, warm eyes; hair and
eyebrows heavy-black as night--with
closely trimmed mutton chop whislers. His
jaw is as square as Gen. Grants, and he
lco&s as determined as Grant ever did, but
with more fire in his composition. The
chaplain has q tremendous scheme on hand.
He means to employ his remarkable per-
suaSiveneSs in getting million dollars from
generous Methodists throughout the country.
He is a wonder, in his way, and there is
small doubt that his intention, unfeasible as
it may seem at glance, will be realized.
At the last general conference of the
Methodist Episcopal church the idea was
preached that the annual expenditures Of
the denomination for missionary work, in
America and abroad, ought to reach 81 900, :
900. Such thing, however, was not deemed
possible of attainment soon, especially in
view of the current depression in trade. On
Feb Is, in the Spring Garden Street church,
Philadelphia, the missionary collection
footed up $1,000 One of the contributors
said to McCabe: "Bring the collection up to
million this year and will double my sub
scription." The congregation We're told of
this, and another made the same proposal
These offers were mentioned elsewhere ani
every man approached on the subject re-
sponded favorably. McCabe at once asked
| authority from the bishops to undertake the
| feat They have consented, and he has be-
| gun the big job by writing TO every presid-
ing elder in the country. soliciting support
and making dates for his personal appeals
| to the congregation
He has spent week in figuring out what
each conference ought to give, In order to
| compose the aggregate of a million, and, like
| q six-days' foot-race, he will try to keep up
to this schedule A popularity of his effort
| will be that the special contributions shall
be payable only in case the entire million is
| pledged The bishops have been induced
chiefly by Chaplain McCabe's phenomena
success as a solicitor to back him in this af
fair. He was born in Athens, Ohio, in 1896
and he became a preacher in 1860. TIVE
| years afterward he enlisted as chaplain Of
the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth OhiC
infantry. He was taken prisoner on Win
chester battlefield, and sent to Libby prison
In four months he was exchanged. Pressed
into the service of the Christian commission
he made large collections OF money.
How does Chaplain McCabe coax money
out of the pockets of the faithful and the un
faithful He knows all the weapons of hi
art, and long skill has made him proflcien
in welding them. His voice is round AM
full, and he never tires his hearers except b,
long speeches. This is part of his art Pee
pie are glad at last to yield to his persist
ence, give their so cents or $50 and 60 home
He wanders away from the point, nppa
rently forgets all about what the people an,
he are there for, tells a story of the remark
able self-forgetfulness and sweet unselfist
ness of some struggling body of Christian
who reused in their might and paid the deb
weighing down their church, and then sud
denly he pounces on his audience with th
moral that they can raise the money he
after so easily that they will not feel it.
At another stage in his. discourse he droI
all show of art and comes out with the bar,
faced assertion that no wants money, not
10 cent sums, but $50 or 800; and proceed
ing from this he will justify himself to tt
satisfaction of his hearers. Finally, whe
the old device of the subscription of 81, 00
then $500, then of $50, and 80 on down,
brought out and made to do its part, an
the $50 bills are becoming very scarce, Nj
Cabe pumps down on piano stool an
sings a rousing song He has voice bot
powerful and melodious. Then he beeiI
/, arresh and he has never yet found an Al
dience that could beat him.