Daily Republican., 1888-03-28
mnssKs N ODH AND sasKI ~

mnssKs m ODx AND sasKyv
Mr.. j. p. Mahaffy, in his 'nc.,,o..
'ssay on the Decay 'of Modern
'reaching," says Of the difficulties i.
he way OF the success f ths nrsacSer.
He is not to speak ton iond nor too
ow; he must not IA loo long or too M
'hort. II he emr loys anecdots. he is
hought familiS r: if he keens to ,oSms w
'nly, no " thought dry. In fact,
very sort OF departure from fixed
Wy ol ppeaking is resented by some
'eo.i1n ' Of his congregation" A
'.e'c' Ct the lives OF Messrs. Mosdy
an' Sankey will perhaps show that
ley have answered the question of
the right mode OF interesting men In
practical way. They have both the
advantage OF business training, and
they have carried the directness Of
business life into the pulpit. This
fact accounts for much in their meth
ods, which, though unprofcssional, are
exceptionally successful. Dwight l..
Moody was born February 5, 1887, in
Mortified Massachusetts,. At four
years of age he lost his father; the
mother, left with house and little
land. fought brave battle with pow
erty until her children became old
enough to take care of her. Dwight
must have been q hardy, self-willed
boy. He went to the district school,
but learned very little beyond some
skill in defamation.
In his seventeenth year he went to
Boston, where he was employed as q
salesman In the shoe store of his ma
ternal uncles Samuel and Lemuel
Holton. Both in Boston and after.
wards in Chicago he proved himself
to be an expert salesman. He was
brought 10 an earnest Christian lie by
the Rev. DIR. Kirk, OF the Mount Wer-
non Congregational Church. His
first application to join this church
WAS refused; there was distrust felt
in the wayward, self.willed youth,
which only time overcame. In 1856
he was admitted to membership, and
with his usual energy began to speak
at social and mission services, but
with so little satisfaction to those who
heard that he WAS requested to keep
quiet.
In the fall of 1856 he went to Chi
cago. where he again found employ
ment as salesman, and where, too,
he again showed unusual capacity for
business. In Chicago, as In Boston,
his mode of speaking in private reh-
gious meetings was SO distssteful to
his fellow-worshippers that he was
quickly sIlenced. Nothing daunted,
he next occupied himself with hunting
up street boys and persuading them 70
come TO Sunday schoel-serving, In
fact, as a sort of recruiting officer. In
this he had great success, and soon
was able to open school OF his own
In one of the worst parts OF Chicago.
Obtaining the use Of the hall over the
North Market. he brought together a
company Of almost ungoyernsble ur-
chins, disciplined them, and taught
them the rudiments of morals and re-
ligion. In this field he had the aid OF
John V. Farwell, the well-known dry
goods merchant. Before many months
the average attendance had risen to
more than six hundred, with an occa.
sional attendance of one thousand per-
sons. Mr. Moody's tact and ingenuity
were never more conspicuous than In
the management of this mission. His
success as an organizer created q de
mand for him at Sunday school con-
ventions, where again his propensity
to speak overmuch made him trouble.
some. From his Sunday school he
passed to the service of the Young
Mems Christian Association of Chi.
cago, with which his name has ever
since been closely identified, Dug;inss
the war he was one Of tho Christian
Commissions army chaplains Imme.
diately af(er the great fire In Chicago,
October, 1871, his church and school
building was replaced by q tabernacle
of rough boards, which, during the
memorable winter following, became
centre of practical charity,
Up to this time Mr.. Moody was lit.
tie known to tho public outside of
Chicago, and even in Chicago it had
been necessary for him to prove the
quality of his character, and to conquer
obstinate prejudice. In 1872, accom-
panied by Mr.. Sankey, he went to
England. Arrived there, the evange
lists found that the two gentlemen
who had invited them over were dead
AT venture. they began In the cities
of York and Sunderland, Events ran
their usual course; they were accused
OF selfish motives, were told that their
direct mode of speech was not rellshed
in word. that they were no,
wanted. In Newcastle the prejudicee
of the people and the clergy were
overcome, and from that time the
evangelists had the ear of England.
From this point the progress of Moody
and Sankey throughout the United
Kingdom is too well known to need
repeating. In Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Sheffield,
Birmingham, Liverpool and London
audiences ranging from three thousand
to ten thousand persons crowded the
largest halls to listen to this novel
combination of simple speech and in.
artistic sonp Never yUere Tho ebiaf