Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-21
rHs MURPHY MEErINGs.
The Largest Crowd of All at the First Bap'
tist Church, Last Night.

ABOUT the Iar5e5L auulSnce the CTSl D1p
list church ever held within its venerable
walls assembled there last evening to greet
the second appearance of Mr.. Edward
Murphy. the son OF the great Evangelist.
The sisles all over the house were either
flied with chairs, or so crowded with people
standing that working ones way from the
front door to the platform was something
like the familiar experieo,e of trying 10 Sc.
cure q u p~asteboard for admission to a pop
ular circus and mensngerie.
The entry Of Mr.. Murphy, at ten minutes
Of eight, was the signal for great clapp'ng
OF hands, probably q thousand people
Joining in the demonstration. When the
orator of the evening had reached the plat
form, Rev. Mr.. Shot made a short explaua-
ton az 10 the collections taken up at these
meetings, saying that, after the payment OF
incidental expenses, such as gas, coal, and
~ianitors fees, the remainder of the money
was turned over to the committee in charge
of the meetings, and used in the prosecution
of temperance work. The reverend gentle
man also took occasion to clear the people
away from the main aisle in front ofthe en-
trance, SO as to leave something like a clear
way IN ana out OIL the mouse.
While the collection was in progress Miss
Kate Land sang a solo, after which Rev.
Shot announced that Mr.. Edward Murphy
had kindly consented to deliver a benefit
lecture in the church at an early date, here
after to be announced, the subject of which
lecture would be: John Bull and Brother
Jonathan"
PRAYER was offered by Rev. DR.. Smith,
and then Mr.. Murphy was introduced, that
gentleman thanking his hearers for the
hearty welcome accorded him, but regretted
that he was suffering from a severe cold.
He had arisen from his bed TO come to the
church, that be might fill his engagement.
He had met his father for a few moments
during the day, and had been told that the
work in the Nail City was progressing Won
derfully we'll, and he was heartily glad OF it.
The speaker alluded to the great good
when meh in humble circumstances might
accomplish, if they only would put their
hearts in the work. In a little hut in a
back street in an English town, a cobbler,
poor and struggling, pegged away and sewed
away at his work. One day he saw from his
window a number of ragged, outcast boys
running about the street. He said to him
self, If those boys are not watched and prop
erly trained, they will grow up to be the
criminals of the Kingdom. And so this
poor shoemaker inliced the boys into
his shop with candy and sweet.
meats; by and by, when he had
gained their confidence, he taught them to
read and write, and from that he started a
little school; the little school grew into a
big one, and then into a dozen, and that
poor man gave to the world the reform
school system, and the name OF John Pound
is famous all over the world. 1t was so
with John Howard, it was 80 with Father
Matthew, and likewise with scores Of other
poor men.
Referring to intemperance, he said the
Grunkard was not the greatest criminal 10
the world. He would rather be honest and
sober, and die thus, than be a drunkard
and go TO the tomb with q kingly crown in
his coffin with him, bat the drunkard
was a king beside the being who
stood about the corners of the streets aud
slandered the virtue Of women or the good
name Of reputable citizens.
Some men would be found saying it was
no use for the drunkard to sign the pledge;
they would not keep it. What il they did
not keep 1t? That was no argument
against the principles of temperance. A
great many people got married; the men
promised to love, cherish and protect their
wives but they didn't always do it, but tor
all that you never saw people going up and
down street crying: Don't you get mar,
ried; awful bad thing, you know; friend OF
mine Just gone back on his wife"
He did not believe in coercion; it was a
bad plan to drive men into heaven. 1t put
him in mind of a story. An old Scotch.
man, who was somewhat given to drink,
was married to a lady who was very mus
cular; she was quite a pugilist in her way,
and often when her lord came home drunk
she you'd pick BIN up and set him down
rather heavily. One day this good lady
thought she would scare her husband into
being sober. So she arrayed herself as q
ghost one night, and met her husband, at q
lonely place. '"Gude mon" said he, who
are your I'm the Evil One" said she
Mon aliver' said the Scotchnan; "hoR are
you; I'm married to a sister of yours"
luIuluk " LuO lOuuS mCh hAS ouutSuSC
he appealed to them to give up the habit Of
drinking. One would.Say: Il don't drink
very often" No druuksrd did when he
started. Another would say: But / never
90 into a saloon" No drunkard ever did
at first. Another would say: 81 never was
drunk in my life" Every druDkard had
said that at some time in his career. Still
another: I'm only a moderate drinker, I'll
never so far forgot myself as to get drunk
That was the fond delusion which that bril-,
liant genius, Edgar Allen Poe, had Rugged
to his bosom; that delusion wrecked Charlie
Lamb; hat boast resulted in the ruin Of
Coleridge; that curse of moderate drinking
had killed the most brilliant of Americas
orators, Tom MsrshalL Those men filled
d~runkards graves, and could he call their
! dry bones from the sepplchre to night, and
put one more light into their eYeless sock
cts, and speech in their ~tongueless mouths
they would bear testimony to the habit
which had sent them to ruin.
Mr.. Murphy continued to speak in the
most eloquent manner for over an hour, la
boring throughout to show the great con,
trast between drunkenness and sob-iety-
between the man who spent his money for
drink and the man who spent his money in
( providing for the wants of his family-hiS
words being often interrupted by loud and
long applause. He appealed to the audience
to stand by the Woman's Christian Asso.
citation, and never let the work go down I'M,
Ill the evil had been overthrown. But some
people would say, lob, you are an en-,
thusiast-s dreamer Thirty years ago.
he had read, men and ONE had been
placed upon the auction block, the
man sold to 60 to Virginia,
the mother sold to go to North
Carolina, aud the little child to 90 to South
CaroEna-never to see each others face
again. And this public sale of human be.
ings was legalized by the Constitution of the
United States. But the law Of God had
triumphed over the laws of man, and to-day
the idea of human slavery was utterly re-
pugnsat to every man in the country. That
showed what might be accomplished by
tLI-ao .. ~. " 81 L. I1-aI A.. Hl -.-lI