Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-12-06
A Remarkable Series
OF MEETINGS AT THE Y. M. C. 4,
BUILDING.

BUILDING.
LARGE ATTENDANCE OF YOUNG MEN
SCENES IN THE HALL-A SERIES OF
MEETINGS THAT CAN'T BE DISCONTIN-
UED-GENERAL SECRETARY DADMUN
THE CoNDUCToR-THE INQUIRY ROOM
THEY WILL CONTINUE NIGHTLY.
&C., &C, sc.
While the date of the formal dedication
of the Y, M. G. Association Building is not
vet fixed, its practical dedication has been
going on for nearly three weeks, in the most
remarkable series of meetings that has oc-
CURED in Staunton. They are conducted
in person by General Secretary E. Dadmun
of the Association. Every night the lecture
hall of the building, which seats $50 per-
sons, is filled with young men-the meet
ings being for men exclusively, and every
night there are requests for prayer made by
those seeking a better life The Secretary
has managed to enthuse the young men, and
the meetings may be said to be run 10y them
with him at the helm. On Thanksgiving
night Fifty-three young men rose and made
brief talks, ranging from one minute to
three minutes in length. The most remark
able part about this spiritual movement IS
that the meetings were not worked up, y
as the saying is. The Association COM
menced holding it's regular nightly meet
ing for the Week of Prayer, three weeks ago.
When that week was over, it was intended
to stop them, but it was found impossible
A spirit had taken possession of the young
men that could not be ignored. The hall
had been crowded nightly and there had
been many requests for prayers, and some
well known young men had professed con-
version The Secretary ran the meetings
nightly another week, by which time it was
thought they would close. But they could
not close them when that week ended. The
interest among young men had increased to
such an extent that the notice for the
Ladies Day last Sunday was withdrawn,
and the services were continued for men
exclusively. This week opened with the
same full attendance and with the same
good results that had attended theprevious
weeks. A picture of one of the gatherings,
as seen by a representative of the VINDI-
GATOR, will be interesting as history of
one night of series of nights of the most re-
markable religious interest that has been
aroused in Staunton. The night was that
of last Monday.
THE SCENE IN THE HALL.
The hour for the service is fixed at $50
SO as to give young men OF all aVocatlOnS
an opportunity to come in after business is
over. About o'clock they commence
dropping in. Every arrangement has been
made to welcome them. At the head of the
steps is a young man who welcomes the
conner, and at the door is another who takes
him to a good seat. Beyond, in the other
aisle is another usher. Moving about the
room before it is filled, is the General Secre-
tary, seeing that all is managed well and
giving cheerful word to visitors here and
there. For young fellow of nineteen, ev-
identity student, who suggests to him that
he ought to conduct the services from the
lecture platform instead Of down on the
floor where he stands, so that he could be
heard better. the Secretary has reply
ready. t'Ah,' he says in a kindly way,
''the fault is not in your ears; it is in your
heart You must get that heart right my
boy.7' And then he puts his hand on the
Young fellows shoulder in kindly encour-
aging way, and goes to look after some one
else. He seems to give the meeting good
deal the character of social gathering, and
there appears as the result general feeling
of being at home. among the young TEL
lows. By $50 the hall is pretty well filled
and the audience is composed of every call
ing in life. Within radius of six feet
of where our representativesat,th there were a
shoemaker, a lawyer, dry goods clerk, a
printer, merchant, a school boy, car
penter, and a gray-haired preacher. The
zyreacher was one of the few men in the hall
age.
THE SERVICES.
The secret about the management of the
services, which are made so attractive,
W UlldU CNClS ~ iOOtANNs
after with the most minute particularly,
even to dividing out the hymn books so
two men may use one book, and while the
services are run with the regularity and
punctuality of a clock, there is yet a free
dom from restraint given them that is very
engaging. The music too is a great at
traction and is a practical illustration OF
the Association S determination not to let
the Devil have all the good things. The
gospel hymns aye well sung, some of them
beautifully sung, and the singing is plen,
tifRlly distributed through the evening. 1t
sounded strangely to one used to the aver
age congregational singing, but some of the
hymns We're given Monday night by ovel
two hundred male voioes-fof nearly every
body joins in the singing-With as muef
harmony and precision as is often found IL
a professional chorus. One hymn of which
the refrain was ''Wash me in the blood Of
the Lamb and 7 shall he whittier than snow
was beautifully sung,
After several hymns are sung, the Sec
rotary calls on two persons at once to LEAD
in prayer ia the order they are named
These prayers ale not two minutes long
Then the lesson of the evening, which fol
this time was two OF three verses from
John was read, the point Of it being that
*'Whosoever cOmmiteth sin is the servant
of SIM" The Secretary commented on ii
briefly-he is brief. persuasive, and to the
point about everything he has to say OF do
and then he added ''We will hear testimony
on this line tonight. There is just twenty
minutes left of the meeting so all must be
hripf -