Telegram-herald., 1890-07-16
REV. hrs. VAN COTT
The Noted Female RsyiValist Nov
Working II This City.
REvITAL Al TEE saES CHURCH
A Good coagresastsa Composed o.
fS0pls frosl All Parts u ths City-A
sA0Ft sketch "a ths Lsdy's Personal
Appearances AID ManBsF

A series Of revival meetings wa'
opened Ia Ames Methodist Church. OF
south Diylsion-st., Ass evening. TIE
revival IS conducted by the celebrate
Methodist reyisailst, Mrs. Van Colt.
The congregation last evening Ma
large enough u Ill the church cans-
forlably. A few persons were observed
among the worshipers who reside in
various aud remote parts Of the city,
evidently attracted ~ tue fame OF ths
speaker
Mrs. Vaa Cott IS woman of large
frame and robust carriage. Her com
plexlOn Is fair, and the dominant trait
revealed by her face is that OF .ntelh-
gent determination. Her eyes are
bright, and, when their possessor IS
under emotion, even brilliant. She was
dressed IN a rich, dark fabric, and
nothing was noted about her clothing
10 distinguish her from any ordinary
person of good taste. Her hair was
done Up IN old fashioned puffs, three
of them graclng each side OF her face.
She remained covered, during the even
ing, with bonnet, whose sty.e showed
It 10 be new summer bonnet for 1890.
There IS nothing remarkable about
the woman 20 attract, until her lip
move IN speech. Her first words are
surprise, almost shock, by reason OF
the great weight of her voice. Not
that It Is IN any sense ms sculine
voice. Ii is simply a wonderfully
powerful contraiJo, not coarse, not
harsh, but ponderous enough 10 Start.e
one with rs first syllab.es.
To say that Mrs. Van Cott IS in man
ner anything but bold and aggressive
would be saying that which would de-
preciate her gifts Is iyalist. Yetit
Il due 20 her as q woman, 70 say that
this holdness does not impress one as
lying in self consciousness so much as
IN the moral conviction lying back of
her own individuality. She is bold
not tor herself, but for Another's sake.
The first word which the reporter
heard from the lady's lips was ber an
nOuncement that she was about 10 read
the 5lst psalm. The Impressive script
ure was read with clear enunciatIon
and with occasional running comments
on the more suggestive passages.
Mrs. Van Cott announced that ser
vices would be held on the afternoons
OF today, Thursday and Friday. To-
days subject OF contemplation will be
Personal Sanctitication; Thursdavs.
"Woman;" Fridays, for the good Of
everybody, with the expectation that
the persons interested in the work will
devote themselves, tnat day, to fasting.
humiliation and prayer. "They say /
am peculiar. am glad of it, because
Gods people are all peculiar. Was il
not slid of them by the pen of the
sacred writer that Christians area pecu-
liar peoples"
The text of the sermon was from
Acts II, 4, "And they werea all filled with
the Holy Ghost and began TO speak with
other tongues as the spirit gave them
utterances." A verbal report of the
sermon would be wholly unsatisfactory,
because the action and gesture, SO large
a part OF the speaker effectiveness can
not DC put INTO type. Her language IS
ordinarily good and her dlciion pure.
Yet at times she descends into
Intentional inelegancies for the
sake Of startling effects and
moving cHmaxes. At other times her
pathOs in superlat;vely touching. The
description of her own conversion, and
also that OF an aged gentleman in CHIC
ago, drew tears from many eyes.
After the sermon, all were invited to
JOIN in payer at the altar. and nearly
the entire congregation sponded. The
opening meeting last evening surely
gave promise Of a stirring revival IN the
days Of prayer that are lC 70 low.