Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-03-25
SUNDAY AT BETHANY
Six Thousand People Try to Get
Into the Sunday School.
THEY CANE TO SEE THE PRESIDENT

Rumors That President Harrison Would
Attend the Church Attracted the Crowd.
but They wero Disappointed = The
once seekers Make sEr. wanamaker's
Eyes Sore.
PHILADELPHIA, March %. = When
Postmaster General John Wanamer ar
rived at Bethany Presbyterian church,
Twenty-second and Bainbridge streets.
where he is superintendent of the Sum
day school, shortly before o'clock yes
terday afternoon he found fully 5000
persons gathered around the various en-
frances waiting for the doors to open.
In some way rumor had been in circu-
lation for several days before that Presi-
dent Harrison intended to visit the Sun
day school with Mr.. Wanamaker. The
rumor was entirely unfounded, and not
withstanding a printed denial the side
walks in front of the church were
crowded with men, women and boys,
all anxious to see the president.
Mr.. Wanamasxer was much annoyed
at the great crowds, and after he entered
the CUHlt1 cEt1OOl 1lt lOA0 OAlc III Tic
teachers that he would much rather have
only two or three hundred earnest listen
ers than great crowd of curiosity seek
ers.
When the doors were finally opened
the large Sunday school room was
crowded in few minutes, and it was
necessary to close the doors, while sew
eral thousand persons were still on the
outside. The secretary reported that
there were 3,543 persons in the room.
This is the largest number on record on
the secretary's book for years. Fully
1000 others who were unable to gain adj
mission went into the church, where
Superintendent Wanamaker always
teaches his adult Bible class, and waited
for the postmaster general to appear.
Mr.. Wanamaker found on his desk
handsome. collection Of flowers and green's
which had been left for him by one of
the members. He thanked the class for
their kindness, and then proceeded to ex-
plain the lesson which told the story Of
Bartemeus, the blind beggar, and his res
toration to sight by Christ He spoke
from notes, and said that the moral of
the lesson was simply sscome to Jesus
and be saved.
AT the close OF the lesson the Bethany
quartet, led by Professor John r.
Sweeney, sang several hymns, and then
Superintendent Wananlaker announced
that some of the members of the class
wished to start an insurance fund.
They already had coal fund. a sea-
side hotel, bank and college and they
felt that they needed one thing more and
that was an insurance fund. He ex-
planned that the scheme was to put 10
per cent. of the collection in the class
each Sunday in the fund. When MEM
Der of the class dies all the money in the
treasury viii be turned over to his
family, whether it is SO or $1,000. Then
the 10 per cent. will be put in the fund
again each Sunday until another mem
Der dies The class resolved by a unani-
nous vote to institute the insurance
fund.
Mr.. Wanamaker dined at the residence
of his son. Thomas WanamaiSer, and re-
turned to Washington this morning.
Friends of the postmaster general are
greatly exercised over his eyesight. He
complains of pain IN his eyes, caused by
reading so many letters in his new cabi-
net position. Even with the aid of
powerful glasses he is unable to see dis
tinctly, and he says his eyes give him
considerable pain. Dir. Wanamaker does
not like to wear his glasses, and is often
careless in discarding them. His friends
are urging him to take better care of his
eyes and to consult an occulist Yester
day Mr.. Wanamaker's eyes were slightly
infiamed