Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-27

of the sporting fraternity were in attend
ance last evening.
Rev. L. E. Dwinell, of San Francisco,
was the first speaker last evening. He said
Sacramento was a town which he loved,
her people were dear to him by many ties
of affection, and he was glad to know that
there was such a religious awakening in
the capital city. He gave his own religious
experience.
DIR. Wheeler and Rev. Mr.. Fiben fol-
lowed in short exhortations.
DR.. Hammond leaves this morning for
Dixon, where series of revival meetings
will be held
The regular noon meeting will be held
at noon to-day. Services will be he'd at
P. NJ in the Congregational Church. The
usual street service will be held at P. NJ.
to-day at Fourth and X streets, and at the
pavilion at o'clock tonight.
THE EVANGELIST.
Rev. Z. P. Hammond preached an inter-
esting sermon from the text:
God so loved the world that he gave
His only begotten son, that whatsoever be-
lieveth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life"
The evangelist said: Unless you lean
on the Lord Jesus Christ you will surely
perish" He said this was message from
the Lord: Tell all the people that my
son died for them, and they can be saved
tonight if they put their trust in Him.
AN INCIDENT.
Among the many incidents related by
Mr.. Hammond during the service last
evening was the following:
While riding in the train to Denver.
where l was going to hold g series
of meetings. | met the editor of the
PnrEy lfasf,,fo;,, nd
many gamblers he thought there were in
the city. He replied, 200 professional
gamblers and 200 men who gamble. This
answer caused IL to become a question with
me as to the best way to secure the atten-
ton of these men to seek their souls sal
walton. / knew the simple announcement
that meeting would be beld in hall, and
that some evangelist would give a gospel
address, would not be sufficient attraction
TO draw them from their haunts of vice
therefore, every day after the morning
meeting company of Christian singers
and ministers accompanied me into the
street, where, upon a large flat-bottomed
wagon, We sung and preached the gospel.
One day well. dressed man said to me:
" VIII you hold a meeting for us sporting
men in my Occidental Hall?" What is
the Occidental Hall ?" He took me round
the corner to flight of stairs. There |
stood in the strangest place l ever saw 1t
was hall for dancing. Around the walls
were to be seen lewd pictures, a long bar ran
across the farther end of the hall and the
floor was covered with chairs and beer
tables.
The Americas Club, of which l am
President, danced here from midnight until
morning night before last"
What is the Americas Club p | asked
at 10 conpose6 ,nf O00 NOV, orJ
the same number of sporting women"
They never call themselves gamblers and
bad women.
1T will cost me 800 to allow YOU to
preach here next Sunday. | make $50 on
Sunday, and it will cost at least S25 TO
clear out this place to have it ready for YOU
to preach in, but will have it cleaned out.
| will have all these pictures taken down,
and | will have painting of the cruel
ifixion over the piano on the platform
You will be treated as well as ever you were
in your life"
Before / answer your question, will you
allow me to ask you this question? What
is your motive for all tlis, when you
know that / shall do all ! can to iniure
your business?"
My motive is a good one. Though l
have been considered an outcast for twenty
years, | am not so bad a man as you think.
have something left in me yet that leads
me to sympathize with you. / have seen
you day after day standing in the hot sun
preaching to us"-as he expressed it
"poor devils and my heart has been
touched and l said i will help that man.
and | can help you. l can get all those
men and women here, and this hall will be
filed in every part. The ministers and
their wives who come with you will be
kindly welcomed. You ask my motive.
have something more to say than this:
Away among the hills of New Hampshire
! have a godly old father and a PRAYING
mother. They have often with tears, |
know, prayed for me that | might repent
of my sins and become a Christian, and
your meetings have led me to think of
them and the many tears they have shed
for me. l am going to do what l can to
help you"
! gave him my hand, and said: "Mr.
Thatcher, will preach in this hall next
Sunday at five o'clock, God willing. At
three o'clock in front of the hall we have
already arranged for an open-air meeting.
Thousands will be here, and Immediately
after that meeting, those who can get in will
come to your hall"
We walked together to the office of the
Rocky Mountain News, and gave the editor
few lines stating that l would preach in
the Occidental Hall next Sunday afternoon
at p. NJ.
The next morning, at an early hour, the
door bell at Governor Evans house, where
was stopping, rang, and man came in quite
excited, and said " That is hoax. isn't it,
that you are going to preach in the Occi-
dental Hall?"
No. indeed, it is no hoax"
Why, it will ruin the revival"
Then the revival is not worth much.
If obeyipg the commands of Jesus to go
into the highways and hedges and preach
the Gospel, and 10 go to such place as the
Occidental Hall, will ruin the revival, then
il is not God-sent revival, and the town is
better without it."
When the hour for the open-air meeting
| arrived an immense audience assembled
and Immediately after it was over we ad-
journed TO the Occidental Hall Every
thing was ready for US, as Mr. Thatcher
had promised The large hall was crowded
with fallen women, and might say fallen
men. l addressed them in the kindest
manner possible, not charging them with
being the chief of sinners, but telling them
of the great love of Christ in dying on the
cross that their sins might be forgiven and
| their hearts changed.
Some of them | found had Christian
parents, and when / referred to praying
fathers and mothers, not u few were in
tears. | explained clearly to them the
great doctrine of substitution. showing how
The Lord Jesus Christ suffered on the cross,
a the just for the unjust, that He might
bring us to God"
On the platform were the ministers and
their wives. and in the room were many of
the most earnest Christians in Denver. The
meeting continued from till Z CLOCK, when
it was time to go immediately to the even
ing meeting in the Governor-G ualds' Hall
and great many followed thither The
next evening as entered the hall, man,
much under the influence of liquor, in an
insulting manner fell up against me, and