, 1889-07-07
SMALL ONCE SMILED"
How the Evangelist Went From the
Bar-Room to the Pulpit.
A Fine Lecture to a Big Audience
Last Evening.
Vivid Descriptive 0ratOry and Pa
thetic Recital.

paper writer. for years a politician, her
an electric revivalist and now evangelist
and lecturer, delighted a big audience at
the Methodist church last evening with
the story of his journey from the bar room
to the pulpit. Mr.. Small is a Georgian
and a typical Southerner in manner and
appearance. His delivery is peculiar,
always pleasing and at times his earnest
ness reaches rare eloquence. The sensa
tionalism eliminated. Mr.. Small would be
perhaps the very best pulpit orator in
America to day. His eccentrIcity is that
of genius and while at times just a trife
disagreeable is of the sort that takes. He
soon becomes acquainted with an audi
ence and all admire the man while he
speaks but afterwards the thinking audi
tor is likely to wonder at the audacity of
the orator. Once a slave to alcohol he
is now a rabid prohibitionist and his
abuse of all who handle liquor is very vio-
lent. He calls saloon keepers the spawn
his splendid power.
Mr.. Small is tall and erect but of ply
sique anything but robust. He wears a
well trained moustache and would be
called handsome anywhere. Eyeglasses.
careful brushing of brown hair and. the
broad forehead give the lecturer a profess
sional appearance quite pleasing.
Speaking of himself Mr.. Small said:
II think and speak strongly on the drink
traffic, but no one has a better right. l
had a mother who was a christian and a
father whose character had not a blemish.
They i%nstilled the book OF life into my
heart as long as 1 renamed at home. l
went out into the world to gain an educa-
ton and then to enter a profession. L
graduated with honor as a lawyer
and was admitted to practice in the
courts of Tennessee. l had ample means,
was admitted to the highest social circles
and my future was bright. Being invited
to indulge in the pleasures OF life and see
that among those who did this were the
aged and respectable l was lured to ruin.
l would draw back from time to time and
God would put warnings in my path,
which | did not heed. | would see some
strong and lusty youth, like myself, go
down and leave not a bubble to mark the
disaster, and l would say to myself,
These men are not strong; no such thing
will ever occur to me; l have too much
will power Right there l almost made
the greatest mistake of my life. No man
can restore himself TO sobriety by mere
human endeavor. When | attempted it
| found that my will power had been
overestimated. During these years | was
blessed with q good loving wife. Though
she sought with prayers and tears to win
me from my path laughed at her fears.
| told her that it was necessary for a
Young man who was Just building him
self up to be a hale fellow well met. God
sent little children to my home, but | did
not look from the cradle bars to the hOri-
zon Of their lives. So | vent on until
father and mother passed away. | was
filled with mad ambition and was fighting
enemies within and without.
In one of my lucid periods, when re-
morse had done temporary work, | yield
ed to the entreaties OF wife and friends and
began medical treatment for what /
thought an i'll of the flesh. | took their
prescriptions and for a time was cured,
but | could not withstand the tempta-
tons and again fell. A change OF scene
was advised and | was sent abroad by the
government. In London and Paris | de-
bauched frightfnlly. An eminent French
specialist told my wife that the suicides
knife or pistol, were the only
things that would divorce me
from the liquor disease and she brought
me back to Atlanta, where l accepted a
lucrative position. and soon commenced
to drink again. My wife enjoined saloon
keepers from selling to me and had a de-
t~ective shadow me, but | got whisky cas-
ily."
Small was converted by Sam Jones,
another Georgia revivalist. At first th,
struggle made him miserable and for q
time he became more reckless than ever.
Il thought there was no rest but il
suicide" said he, ''and carried my revol
yer for that purpose. While standing Al
the bar with a drink before me a frienG
came in and persuaded me tt
go in a carriage with my wife, whose grieI
was gaining the sympathy of all. | went
home locked myself in my room and the
fumes of LIQUOR seemed to pass from me