The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-29
MRS. WOODWORTH'S METHOD
AStudy ofthe Woman Evangelist Whose
Sermons Are Agitating Kokomo.
An Enthusiast Possessed of Great Physical
Powers. and Who Captures Her Hearers BY
Her Earnestness and Quaint Eloquence.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.


set about the arduous task of getting at the true
inwardness Of the famous Woodwork meetings
now in progress in this city The facts that
stared him squarely in the face were that tne
evangelist, Mrs. Maria B. Woodwork, is
woman of comparatively limited education.
Her schooling has, by no means. been such as to
prepare her for the powerful exposition of the
gospel with which her uniform and her I'M
equaled success proves her endowed Her
strength and breadth of intellect are mediocre
Her physical appearance gives no indication or
the ability to speak, and sing, and pray, and
actively exert herself, and the most intense ex-
element for eight or ten hours day, every day
of the week. Yet the facts are that she does
and to be willing to remain longer
with those who will stay with her.
Her lack of educational opportunities and of in
tellectual breadth are by no means sufficient to
prevent her from attracting the most tremen-
dous audiences, or of commanding the most re-
spectful attention. These stubborn facts do
exist that in the face Of so many difficulties she
has accomplished so much.
The natural inquiry follows. that in the alb
sence of scholarship and culture, what does she
offerg What are her methodist By what means
does she gain control of so many people, numbers
of whom are vastly her intellectual superiors9
In the phraseology of one of her favorite songs,
it seems that she has struck 1.-The old time relig
ion;" the religion of the time OF
Peter Cartwright and Lorenzo Dow; the
spiritual era when the Jerks were
supreme and physical demonstrations were in
separable from conversion. At least, she
depends almost wholly upon the excitement
which she herself and her assistants manu-
facture. At the close of her sermon she makes
no calm, dispassionate appeal to the sinner to
come forward and seek the way of righteous
ness, but instead she starts the congregation
to singing then she centers the old wheel
horses and her new converts around the altar
insists upon their praying loud and long. She
puts her trust, it is said, not so much in the
petition as in the noise made by them. Don't
get scared at little noise; the Holy Ghost
comes with a big noise" she says, and
sets her helpers at their petitions with
as much calmness and precision as master
workman lays out the duties of his subordinates.
Then it is that her clear, ringing voice is heard,
rising above the babel of voices around the
altar, calling to sinners to come to take shelter
from the storm of Gods wrath" to avoid the
'cyclone of the Holy Ghost" With singularly
weird effect, when the prayers lag in energy and
force, she breaks into them with song, in
which, of course. she is promptly joined not only
by her immediate helpers, but by the audience;
for her songs are all either the old-timers known
to everybody or else series of cnoruses which,
once stated are readily caught up by ALL
A large majority Of the songs are
of the same general character of music
as the negroes of the South indulge in They
are monotonous, plaintive airs that admirably
serve their purpose, which seems to be to in
crease the noise by securing the voices of the
whole congregation as well as to catch the sym
pathy of the audience while getting its support
in the work. The constant repetition tells with
wonderful effect upon a system already strung
up to the highest pitch of nervous excitement.
Coupled with these weird, monotonous melodies
are her urgent appeals for more earnest work.
In blunt and curious phrase she demands that
they ''come around the altar and get in the
working line Souls are dying" she says; 'let's
get in earnest here" etc. From song to prayer,
and from prayer to song, by easy transitions,
mingling both with urgent exhortations,
she carries her audience. With COM
mendable steadiness of nerve, her actions
and force show her. in the midst of the most in
tense excitement of those around her, to be thor
oughly self possessed and imperturbable She
directs, even to the minutest Details the conduct
of her helpers in the times of greatest noise and
Goa o11 = l.
prove her by no means the weak, nervous, vacil-
lating dream-ridden woman many of our citi-
zens expected to see. At the same time it gives
her an air of indifference, of merely posing for
effect. At times, too in tho midst of her SER
mons, her cord of sympathy with humanity
seems severed. AS if in burst of malice at
those who have not needed her invitation to
cept the gospel, she says Of the last
day, "Well rise higher and higher and
shout glory to God; the worlds on fire.
as if in fiendish glee at seeing the unfortunate
condition of those who failed to 'fee the wrath
to come"-at least so it struck your correspond
emit. She also ascribed to Divinity a character
hardly to be conceived Of for its heartless cru
elty, when she declared last night, in the midst
of her sermon, of those who oppose her meet
ings: you're laughing at God now, but the
time will come for God to laugh"
With what smacks of egotism to the ordinary
mind, she inquiries: ''Why are the ministers
not here9 What have they been doing all these
years. How many have they convertedT and
then speaks of her own great work, her unpre-
cedented success. In fact, she seems to start
out for, at least, she did at Kokomo) with the ex-
press purpose of antagonizing the people against
the existing churches and their ministers. The
evil effects of her attack on the churches crop
out already in the remarks of goddess sinners
who perhaps. have not set foot in church for
a twelvemonth; they may be heard on every
hand, "Gave it to the churches about right,
didn't shea' 'Hit 'em hard last night "She's
giving it to the preachers the way they de-