The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-04
AN EVANGELICAL CRUSADE.
The Remarkable Results of the McAll
Mission Work Among the French.
UnionMeeting of Christian Workers Listens
to Recital of the Accomplishments
of the Famous Movement.

country. ne prloHy Sketcnco the WONDERFUL
work that has followed the very humble and al
most insignificant effort of Mr.. McAll in Paris
fifteen years ago. His necessarily brief history
Of the mission awakened the earnest attention Of
his hearers, experimenting what he has already
done during his short stay here. During the
afternoon be addressed the children of the Tab
ernacle Sunday school on the same topic, an d
in the evening spoke to q union
meeting Of several organizations at
the. Second Presbyterian Church. Notwith-
standing the disagreeable night the audience
was of good size. Mr.. Newell prefaced his re-
marks by reading portion of the second Psalm.
from the second to eighth verse inclusive. He
began by referring to the revocation of the edict
of Nantes. Rome and Louis XIV said now
heresy shall be banished from the country and
the people shall never more read the Bible.
Through the ages, though, the people have been
waiting for the irrevocable decree of God. A
tized by Rome for announcing his belief of the
earths revolution on its axis. The Church
of Rome said 'the earth does not turn
upon its axis" But the gospel
moves on in spite of the edict of Nantes. and
Rome can no more stop 1t than she can stop the
earth revolving on its axis.
A French lawyer who had visited this country
with Mr. Dodd on behalf Of evangelistic work in
France, met the speaker one day in Paris, and
invited him to go in his company the next day to
provincial town some distance away. You
will find there something to interest you," he
said. They went, and their time of entering the
town was about the hour of high mass at the ca
thedral. They entered the building, and found
there but q few young women and old men, with
the priests performing the service. But
their meeting was TO take place in spacious
ballroom fronting the public square, that Sun
day afternoon. A fireman's parade was the at
traction in the square, and people attired for
holiday focked thither in crowds to take part in
the gala scene The deputy Of the department
presided at the meeting of the evangelical work
ers There was an audience of very few who
had come in out of curiosity. "The people"
said the deputy, have no idea Of the religion of
the Bible" AS the exercises went on the PEG.
inch groups Of Il 'n's room ana ' in 0 the
hall was filed OF the large crowd
only thirteen were women. The others
were men of business, men Of trades, and all
voters. They came in to thoroughly look into
hope for France is the gospel" said one. A
month later the deputy who presided was can
didate for re election 70 the French Chamber.
Atheists and Catholics Joined their forces against
him. but he stood up boldly to face their perse-
eution and calumny. He eaid II am not re-
ligious man, but one the Catholic Church calls
an infdel. France must have religion, and the
best for her is the religion Of the Bible" De-
spite the strenuous efforts OF atheists and Catho-
lies, who left nothing undone by which they
could defeat him, the deputy was reelected. and
by majority larger than the one received be-
fore.
While all atheists and infdels do not believe
that France must have religion, many express
done 80 much for England and America, they
say. can do as much for France. 1t was his
wish from few in Belleville who asked Mr.. Nc
All to tell them about the Bible that led him to
give up his church in England and throw aside
the salary he was receiving. He did
among the Socialists. His plan was
simple but effective small room
was rented. It had the simplest furniture and
no decorations, except scriptural quotations in
by the women, and put on the walls. A little
musical instrument, upon which Mrs. McAll
played was on the platform, and at the door
stood man distributing to passers-by simple
printed invitations to come in and hear. Chill
dren's meetings and mothers meetings were or
ganized. At all the crowds increased until the
small quarters could not accommodate them.
Station after station was organized in different
parts of the city of Paris, and then the spirit
spread to other places, inspiring the need of
these little stations and Marseilles, Toulon,
Bordeaux, and other cities in France.
In Corsica and Algiers, too, they
were established, until now there are over thirty
stations in and around Paris. and over a hun
bred throughout France This is the result of
fifteen years work. There is beautiful blend
ing of denominations in this interest, and there
is o unity among pastors in assisting il. With
out their help the mission staff would be unable
to man the many stations. Presbyterians. Bap-
fists aud members of the Church of England
alike ENGAGE the spread of the gospel in France
without knowing or asking about differences IN
sect. The McAall mission has no controversy
with Rome Except in prayer the Pope is never
mentioned, nor is the Virgin Mary referred, to
only as the mother of Jesus It is against the
principles of the mission to use the term Prot.
testant. His friend, the Rev. Rowell Hitchcock.
once said: There are three Americans one is
historical, the other two are not; one is prosper
ous the other two are not; one Is Protestant,
the other two are not" In using this illustration
mission workers viii change the word Protestant
to evangelical. Again, the people knew Mr..
McAll but not Moses It did no good to speak
of Moses but when the Bible history of this man
was read to them and explained, they could
understand the verse in the third chapter of
John, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even 80 must the Son of Man be
lifted up" People are coming to these missions
by the hundreds, thousand and hundreds of
thousands. They are charmed by what they
hear, and no longer are the stations confined to
the quarters where the poor aud ignorant, the
vicious and the criminal dwell; they are on the
boulevards gathering in the pleasnreseekers
from theater and cafe. These, too. are crowded
with interested listeners, Tor the people of
France are becoming restless under the Church
Of Rome. The stations are managed on the
most economical plan, the barest necessities be-
ing used, while salaries are compressed to a
minimum. There is. also, humaneness in the
work. Mr. McAll. at the close of each service,
runs down from the little platform to personally
greet his hearers and shake hands with them.
The people love him and have faith in him.
NJ Alan was converted and he became
worker. He desired to go into disreputable
section Of the suburb where no religious
services had been held because the people would
not allow them Receiving permission from Mr..
McAll to undertake the venture, M. Alan
went there one Sunday evening. The small
room was crowded, but from the beginning dis
turbances of eat-cai.s and the noise of shutting
feet came from the audience. During the sing
ing everyone sang on key of his own, and
when the monsieur began to read the Bible q
great part OF the crowd, headed by burly
ruffan, left the room. The rufian, on reaching
the door turned and said. ttWa want M