The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-01-28
SAM JONES IN KANSAS CITY.
REV. s. HULL.

Sam Jones has been in our city just
one week conducting revival meetings
according to his usual style, and yet
he has declared time and again that he
was not a revivalist and utterly dis
pissed the professional revivalist who
was tramping over the country to drive
people into the church and there leave
them 1t is the honest opinion of the
writer that when Sam Jones has visit
ed any community and performed his
mission, no living mortal can duplicate
his work or follow in his footsteps.
He stands isolated nd alone, the only
"Sam Jones" God ever made; bundle
of antagonisms from head to foot.
In preaching at one time his thoughts
are grand and his style pure. At an
other time neither are fit for decent
bar-room. Think of his irreverence in
representing God as going along with
bis hands in his pockets He says that
down in Georgia the preachers Endorsed
him in the following manner:-"Re-
solUed, that there is but one Sam
Jones. Resolued, that we have no use
for but one Sam Jones. ResolUed,
that if there was another Sam Jones
we should not know what use to
put him to' And how is it that the
most cultivated and refined people of
our city will flock out by the thousands
day after day, night after night, to
listen to this low miserable stuff
In his preaching refinement and purity
are the exceptions, and the reverse the
rule; modesty is allied with egotism and
reverence and piety with buffoon-
cry and low ribaldry that if uttered
anywhere else but in a meeting called
religious" where God, through Sam
Jones, is building up his kingdom and
saving souls, it would be called bias
phemy. The fact is, that religious
excitement is like the rushing torrent
fed by thousand tributaries as onward
it rolls; and whoever is caught in this
stream, wise or ignorant, good or bad,
will drift with the current. To show
you the estimate which our leading
daily paper places upon the efforts of
this revivalist. L will quote from to-
days Journal:
'Sam Jones has expressed desire to
hold his meetings in an Opera House
instead of a church. 1t is possible
that Mr.. Jones himself has been struck
with the fact that his harangues are
decidedly out of place in a church."
1t is said that Jones has been very bitter
in reference to Universalism. Thus
far during his meetings he has made
but one reference to our faith, and
this in very uncomplimentary manner.
This is his language. eff Universalism
is true, you would have to sleep with
your breaches under your head every
night inHeaven or they would rob you'll"
see that the Unitarians take this
low fling as applied to their church AMI
one Of their leading members writes
the following to the Journal: 1--WE
Unitarians have heard no intimation
from our pastor, Rev. J. E. Roberts,
that it will be at all proper or necessary
to be broken of our rest in heaven to
keep an eye on Sam Jones, lest he steal
our pants" The next day in his sermon
Jones paid his respects to this Unita-
rian preacher (who few years ago was
Baptist clergyman in our city, and
compares him to a rat terrier running
after locomotive. Sam Jones may be
all which this comparison implies-but
let his works praise him. If he is a
locomotive, 1 will say this; he will run
on more tracks in single sermon, and
that, too, in opposite directions than we
have railroads in Kansas City. To-
day he tells us that Christianity is the
only religion that ever came down from
God out Of heaven; to- morrow when
lashing Indifferent professors he brings
paganism to the front and makes it
outshine the Sun of Righteousness.
China has far better society than this
land of churches. He says: 81 wish we
had some of the good elements of the
heather Chinee. I should think they
would send missionaries from China
to this country, pretty soon. If they do,
will welcome them with open arms.
They are more industrious, honest,
faithful and reverent than our people
ever WERE"
Now hear Sam Jones on the love of
God. On this question he is truly
sane and gives one of the best argu-
ments for the truth of Universalism 1
ever listened to. If he would agree to
preach this every day in the year he
would be just the man for the Uni
versalists to send as a missionary to
China. His text is in these words:
''For God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son." 'No text
in the Bible" said he, $50 inspires one
with hope and confluence as this. God
loved the world; it makes every man
his son, and every woman his daughter.
He is indeed the father of all; every
man is my brother, and this text takes