St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-03-28
Gbe Californian.
~. = ohn-bury, Thursday, Mar. rs, 1859
MR.. MOODY AND THE BABIES.

During the last service which Mr.
Moody held in San Francisco, Feb
8, a baby in the audience began to
CRY. Whereupon, as related by the
Pacific. Mr.. Moody said:
Let the child cry. There is ques-
ton here about what we shall do to
get non-church-goers to go to church.
Encourage the mothers to come and
bring the babies. like to have them
come. If mothers take care of their
own children and have no nurse,
where there is a family of six or seven
children. there IS about twenty or
TWENTY-FIVE years they can't go to
church unless they take the babies
along. If there is any person under
heaven that needs the consolation of
religion, and needs sympathy, 1T Is
the mother of seven children, to train
them for God and for eternity. 1t Is
a great mistake to drive the babies
out of our churches because they
make a little noise. What would
home be without the sound of the lit
tie baby? You don't object to hear
them CRY if they amt in pain; there
are two kinds of cry, and one is only
a make-believe CRY. like to see that
baby up there We want to encour-
age the mothers to bring them. God
bless the babies a minister came to
me one day where | was holding
meetings. and he said, Mr.. Moody,
when that child cried up in the gal
lery last night thought You would
break down. | think | had better
tell the mothers not to bring young
children
said, Il will relieve YOU of that
trouble | want the mothers to bring
the babies, and if any fidgety old
bachelor don't like it he can go out;
he can tramp around and go to any
church. but Il woman who has walk
ed half mile and carried q baby
should be welcome and have all the
benefit of the service"
When | am talking to a mother |
am talking TO about five behind her.
Let me get the mothers, and | will
soon have San Francisco, for they
train and influence the children.
One of the most touching things in
regard to these meetings happenedin
Liverpool. There the poor people
cant afford to ride in thecars as you
can here. a nickel means a great deal
to them. a woman came into the
meeting carrying her baby, and,
Judge, she may have carried it for q
mile; she looked entirely worn out.
There she sat, and the child began to
cry, and it was fretful, and about a
thousand people just stared at her,
as much as to say, What did you
bring that baby here for?" There is
just as much in look as though you
had SAID so many words; you can
look woman out of church any
time. The mother Just looked as if
she wished the floor would open and
let her down out of sight. There
were 5000 people present. She tried
to quiet the child, but was unable to
do so, and | saw her gathering her
things up, and she rose to go. Isaid,
MADAM, you sit down, and let that
baby CRY just as loud and long as it
wants to; | can speak louder than
any baby can cry" | pity these
ministers that have got such piping
voices that baby's voice browns
them out | said few words about
the baby, and the baby seemed to
understand it. for it quoted down at
once, and when got through preach
ing it was sound asleep; we never
heard a sound from it, but it was
probably my voice that woke this
baby up here today.
At the close of that service | held
an afternoon meeting, and said, "All
of you who want to become Chris
tians rise The first one to rise out
of that congregation of 5000 people
was that mother, and with her arms
around her child the hot tears fell
down upon its dress, and as she stood
not many dry eyes They had been
watching that woman; their hearts
had gone out toward her When the
choir was singing the baby woke up
and began to cry again. There was
hero III that audience. A great big
manly fellow, six feet tall, stepped up
to the mother, and said, Let me take
the baby while you go into the in
quiry-rOom" He acted as if he had
never had n baby in his arms before,
but she let him take it, and, before
the 5000 people, he walked up and
down with that child and it went
off to sleep The mother found rest
and peace, and she went home happy
and encouraged.
| tell Won it is good thing just to
keep Il room open down stairs for
the mothers, and if the children get
too noisy let them just slip down
there and get them to sleep, and then
come back again. Or you can do
something better than that. Let
some member of the church say to
half dozen ladies. Won bring your
babies to me and | will take care of
them while YOU go and occupy my
pew at the First Congregational
church. This is a good way to en-
courage people to 90 to church Don't
You think the church should be inter
ested III the mothers? When a mother
feels the responsibility of mother
hood she Is going to bring up her
children i'll the fear of the Lord What
we want is to carry the gospel of the
Son of God into these homes You
Will get the churches filed if YOU will
encourage the mothers to come and
bring their children with them.
BIRDS IN THE HOUSE.