The Indianapolis journal., 1885-12-06
THE ADVENT MISSION.
A Remarkable Religions Work in the Epis-
copal Church in New York.

the possibility of filing Trinity Church at noon
day with congregation of business men from
Wall street and the vicinity. 1.-THE only way to
get these people into church Is to have ticker in
each pew You won't see fifty business men
there. Trinity has been open for years for a
daily service. but who goes there9 Half dozen
old women and dozen strangers who want to
to see what the building is like"
The broker man was mistaken. Monday noon
found Trinity packed. Tuesday the crowd was
greater. To-day standing room was in demand
The people who attend are not retired old gentle
men nor elderly ladies, such as are s.atedly
present at the socalled business mems MONDAY
prayer-meeting, on Fulton street They are for
the most part natty-looking men of busy habits.
some are brokers, some are coal-deaers, some
are real estate men and some clerks The
general air of these men is as if they had run
away from business for about the time they
would ordinarily devote to lunch The service
is short, occupying only forty-fye minutes.
The mission or revival, or whatever it may be
called. which is now going on in the Episcopal
churches of this city. is altogether the most
markable religious effort of the present day. It
is different from the Moody and Sankey revival
of ten years ago, for that was independent of
eecleslastlcal management, and the two men,
Moody the preacher and Sankey, the singer,
constituted its central attraction. 1t is differ
ent from the ordinary Methodist revivals, for
there is no shouting screaming, are there
any frantic appeals to the unconverted TO come
forward and make immediate profession of re-
pentance. Ard it is very different from the
Presbyterian special services, which are now
going quietly that the great public have
hardly found them out. The Presbyterians some
weeks ago mapped out schedule by which
special meetings were to be held in certain
churches and each of these meetings addressed
by three or four of the pastors of other churches
While this is pleasant and orderly, it presents
no great attraction for outsiders. nor does it
specially stir the inside few who habitually 90
to prayer-meeting
1t is notably in two particulars that the Eps
copalians who have in charge the most remarka-
bic mission work of the day have shown their
shrewdness and ability. First they searched this
country and England for men who have Il con-
spicuous record for success in mission and revi-
val work. They took long while to do this and
they seem to have done it we'll These men are
all plain and direct speakers, who are free from
pomposlty and who do not put on airs Second,
they put the matter prominently before the pub
lie, literally and with enterprise making use of
printers ink The movement was such
an extraordinary one and its promoters realized
that extraordinary means must be used to let the
people know Of it. Not only by means of news
paper notices, but by bold placards in such
places as the stations of the elevated railways
the public were invited TO the meetings.
The meetings and services are held in twenty
other churches besides Trinity. These are well
selected, SO as to meet the wants of residents in
various parts of the city. Some of these are
crowded. others fairly well filled and
one or two are half filed On Sunday
night there an evidence of the fact
| that the American public do not want to be por-
| toned off into classes. At Clarendon Hall,
| which is in ST. Marks parish, a meeting was an
| nounced ''for working people only" Although
there was attractive missioner" backed up
| by a sextet choir" and big brass band, the
working people only" staid away, there being
| mere corpora's guard in the house. We are all
working people in this country, although we
may follow different trades and professions
Of the foreign 'mssioners" the most distin-
guisheG are DR.. Pieon and Messrs Aitken and
Stephens. DR. Francis Pigon is vicar of Hall
fax, England, and chaplain-in-o ordinary to the
Queen. He is somewhat of the style of Arch
deacon Farrar His voice is pleasant and low.
Mr.. Stephens is vivacious speaker, his special
ty being words of hope, appeal and encourage
ment Mr.. Altken is in every respect a remark
able man. He speaks with intense earnestness
and talks freely about hell, as well as about
| heaven. He has heavy eyebrows. a serious
face and very convincing manner. Without his
ministerial vestments, he would be taken for
railway president a leading bank director or
fnancier. Bishop Elliott of Texas, and Bishop
Tuttle, of Salt Lake, are men who used to
roughng it. Their talk is plain and practical.
The Rev. Mr. Courtney is an Englishman, form
erly great favorite at ST. Thomas's Church. in
this city, and now one Of the popular rectors of
Boston. He runs somewhat to ;estheticism but
IS exceedingly earnest and practical in the work
he is now doing
Altogether the work is different from any re-
ligious work New York has ever before known.
1t astonisnes people of all persuasions If it is
carried on during the whole Of December twenty
or thirty more churches will have to be opened.
Reasons for the Mission.