The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-30
ANOTHER HARRISON.
Some Remarkable Revival Scenes in
John Street

SOAAAA N'pA Gov
New YORK, July 2S.-One scarcely looks
for the tumultuous scenes of a Methodist
camp-meeting within a pistol shot of
Wall street. But the fact that Brother
Harrison, better known as the Boy Preacher,
for no other reason that is at present dis
coverable than that he started in at this
work
Before the harvest of the beard began
To wrestle on the chin, and promise man,
has set the old-fashioned revival echoes fly
ing on John street, remains most conspicu-
GUS local novelty.
1t is bulletined every day in the papers
and the little old memorial church almost
buried in the enervating warehouses and
check by jowl with all the rush and tur-
moils of down town, is packed to distress
day and evening by crowds OF men and
women and the conversions are going on
steadily.
l cannot imagine more unlikely place
anywhere for the triumphant working OF
gospel machinery than here in this choked
and turbulent mart, whore the chnk of the
money changers and the Yawp of the news
boy mingle with jostle and rush of thou
sands of feet madly in pursuit of wealth.
You have to fancy the call of the Evan
gelist and the sweet emotional dltties OF
Zion issuing from this congested and
fighting neighborhood appeals, fervent
with zeal and rhythmic with song made to
these overwrou2ht business men to stop
and save their souls and to Tell it all to
Jesus
But there it is: the old religious phenome-
non rivaling vita its unselfisl ardor Of the
feelings the brain madness Of the mole that
makes downtown a tunult.
| have gone several ii mes to the meetings
in the old John street church, and looked OF
with puzzled Judgment, and sometimes
with bated breath; as the magnetic entiu
siasm q one man communicated it-elf TX
the asSambiage, and moro earnestnesS ex-
alted into something like frenzy swept
all the listeners away and turned the con
course into shouting. singing unit oi
emotion.
Mr.. Harrison is remarkable young mar
for one reason, if for no other 1t is observ
able in the effects he produces by the sim
plest means. In no proper sense can he bt
called preacher. So far as | have hearC
him, | do not even think that he can bC
| classed among the men that ths Methodist
call eXhOrters. | have not heard hlm ap
peal to the religious instinct effectively OF
eloquently. He does not open up to the
vision those beatific vistas of eternal love
| that have melted sinners Ct all ages to tears
| and repentance. He seems to take it tol
granted that his listeners know all about
these things, do not need any further argu
| ments or reasons, but have simply beer
waiting for the opportunity TO break out in
public acceptance. And the opportunity h'
| presents! His eagerness, his want of repose
his colloQuial familiarity, his simple di5con
nected rambling discourse make him unique
| He has reduced all the distractions o.
| spirituality to the concrete, Now, Here
| GlOryi
He moves rapidly and ungracefulIy III
and down inside the altar rail, without AM
| preconceived plan Of discourse; his speech
is therefore disconnected mass of eiacula
tiOns, bits Of conversation, personal refer
ences, bursts of emotion, narrations of hi
work, congratulations and unexpected out
breaks of song. The very impatience OF
his action and the familiar character Of
his talk have their effect. He gets very
close to the listener who is unconsciously
following the nervous action sympathetic
ally.
If he were to stand perfectly still, his
power would be lost But he makes ear
nestness take the place Of eocution and
eagerness fill the hiatus of thought. The
expression of a rather worldly friend ol
mine exactly but not very elegantly sum
med him up "Heis, said he, "a religious
hustler"
The moment Mr.. Harrison appears he be
gins TO work up the feeling of his audience
II tell you, my friends, we are going tc
have glorOus exhibition of divine power
tonight. feel it. Let it come Let il
come now Right away. There never was
better time. o, tell you, we are going
to have an outpouring here. 1t is IN the air
Hungry souls are coming in from all sides.
They are coming right up here to this altar
Why there was man converted here last
piUht n i1G thirty CpOnD6s Glory ha g..
Godl Thirty seconds only and he was
landed, safe
The effect of this kind of talk accom-
panied by impassloned gestures is to make
everybody feel that something is going tc
happen. 1t is impossible for the most apa
thetic listener to avoid the feeling that some
thing in the way of an emotional demon
stratlOn is impending. And having once
created this condition of nervous expect
ancy, the speaker plays upon the feelings of
his audience at will.
utterly refuse to attempt for the secular
reader an exposition of the psychologist
mystery invOve in these scenes | take
my hat Off TO the earnestness, the honesty
and the purpose of these workers. The
elation of the assemblages is not always con
formable to a cultured sense of propriety
But the results believe are good Ii men
are made to lead better lives TO adopt a
lofty aud unselflsh ideal, and TO lay
aside some of the egotlstic arrogance which
is the bane of modern life, for one shall
not attempt to measure the means EN-
ployed by a philosophic standard Of my
own.
One thing is certain: men of all grades
aud conditions are drawn into this little
church. Bankers, beggars, buns, million
aires, mechanics, tranps. Strange democ-
racy Of finite h lplessness. Side by side
they sit and join in the quaint ditties that
make this little old church shake.