Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-02
THE GREAT EVANGELIST.
Mr.. o. L. MOODY AND HIS HOME At
NORTHFlELD, MASS.
The Preachers Aged Mother-Tn the Gen.
erous Home Circle-A Supply OF
Bibles-Driving Over Rough
Koads-The Schools.


Roads-Tbe Schools
The house in which Mr. Moody and family
now live they bought seven or eight years
ago, and have since remodeled and extended
until it now has the proportions Of modest
hotel But it is summed and shaded by bay
windows and yerandas, and looks very
hone-hke, surrounded as it is by well
kept lawn, with tennis ground, broad car
| riage way, and beautified by gnarled and
branching apple trees, under which are
rustic seats Entering the low hall from the
little front piazza of the house, at our right
opens the library with its well filed shelves
of theological and kindred books. Over the
mental hangs portrait Of the white-haired
mother who lives with bachelor son q
square away in the house where her children
were born and her husband died forty years
ago She is now past 50, but is hale and
sprightly, riding great deal and receiving
daily calls from Mr.. Moody's many visitors
She never tires of talking Of the evangelist
and his work, though she refused to hear
him preach until after she had passed her
roth year, when she was converted from the
Unitarian faith, in which she had lived and
reared her children
IN THE GENEROUS HONE CIRCLE.
But one can see the generous home circle
better in the spacious summer drawing
room in the north wing of the house, which
We enter through broad archway between
it and the dining-room- Here on cool even
ings there is always a bright CRATE fire,
which filings its beams over a full-size
crayon portrait of Mr.. Moody which hangs
just opposite over the piano. There is much
III,
by the family in their travels, and here in
the drawing room is large scrap-book con-
tanning all the little newspaper items pro
and con on the work in London; also sam
pies of the meeting tickets used there, Of
which 1900, 600 were distributed While we
look at these we talk with London lady Of
noble rank, who sits by the fire knitting
long black stocking
In the room are people of all stations and
nationalties- teacher from Switzerland,
missionary wooing young lady protege, a
rustic student people of wealth, and a
Christian editorial drawn together by the
broad sympathy and genial kindness Of the
host and hostess There is no formality in
the circle, and while we talk and sing our
attention is suddenly arrested by the shrieks
Of the ladies at a huge centipede which
Master Will exhibits as he enters the room
and gingerly lifts the lid Of the box in
which he has captured it
He shows us his dozen or more we'll
marked Bibles which have been lined and
interlined by himself and his friends. One
of these he calls his sermon Bible, as it is
his Oldest and the one he always uses in
preaching. In speaking of the advantage
of systematic Bible study he says: 1.-The
Scotch people are all great Bible students;
every person carries one to church and fol-
lows the preacher as he carefully expounds
the Scripture; and it wasn't an uncommon
thing when first went there for some old man
Or woman to come up and tell after preach
ing that hadn't quoted such and such
passage right; it was this way or it wasn't
that way"
IN THE LIBRARY-oN THE ROAD
In the midst of the merriment at this he
says, Excuse me, must write some" and
is off to his library, soon followed by his
wife, who is his chief amanuensis and coun-
selor at all times He usually writes until
midnight, but is up in any kind of weather
for his morning ride, accompanied by some
friend or his little son Paul Breakfast with
the family at is followed by devotions
I'VE always hear the news in papa's pray
ers, for he prays for everything and every
body, and we often look at each other in |
amazement at hearing of the death of some |
friend, some ones work, or at the develop |
ment Of some new scheme Of his own"
II not too busy after devotions the Dublin |
jaunting-car which an Irish friend presented |
him, or his carriage, but oftener the great |
mountain wagon, is brought out and the |
whole family, with friends enough to fill it, |
are off for half a days jaunt Mr. Moody's |
l~Sx- -, @H.l Co. III
as he takes the reins we rattle of over rough |
mountain roads so narrow that our heads |
and faces are in constant peril of being |
scratched by the overlapping brush, while
the apples and nuts come tumbling down |
into our laps, and the whole party often |
alight to walk up some steep hill But on
we 60, in and out by lanes, up and down
hill, through mud and water, Mr. Moody /
stopping now and then to point out some
pretty shrub or berry, or ut farm house to |
say, How do y do, how are you getting
along, when did you build your new barnf''
or when did that tree blow downl III |
come over and preach to you some time"
Mr. MOODY AND BIS SCHOOLS
At last the horses are stopped on some
beloved schools, and this is generally the end
Aiiu gill VI VIC itucS, - AAIA
his heart is in them At any rate. he never
iozes when going to them, as he does in
some of his drives The Mount Hernon
boys school, as it is called, is three miles
from Mr.. Moody's house, on the west bank
Of the river. 1t was founded in 1880 and
now has half q dozen fine buildings, de
signed to accommodate 800 boys The farm
in connection with the school affords the
boys opportunities for earning their way as
hey so, Tough this is optional During
he summer Mr. Moody gives the boys Bible
'eadings every morning much to their graf
fcation; also practical talks on speaking
md Christian work in general
The Mortified girls seminary, founded
IN 1872, stands on the hill just back Of Mr.
Aoody's A. Use, which has some times been
thrown open to accommodate the overflow
It the halls These provide for less than
40 girls, and this year almost 100 appii-
ants were refused admission from lack Of
'ooIn- The aim of the schools is similar.
his being to fit young ladies for practical
Christian lives But thes. schools are only
par: Of his home work. He has held for
hree summers Christian conventions, whose
influence on Christian laymen and ministers
an scarcely be overrated Cor Chicago
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