, 1890-11-13
HE'S A HARD HITTER
Evangelist Ben Hogan Squares
Himself for a Finish Fight
in Spokane Falls.
The Battle Against Sin Opened
Sunday at Concordia Hall
Monday Nights Meeting.

clOtneu IN llgnt Drown Pflnce Al
bert, and surmounted by peelS-a-
boo hat, has becomo quite n famil-
lar figure on the streets of spokane
Falls within the few days since his
arrival here.
"The only difficulty l find in
trcading the path of righteousness
up here In Spokane" no remarked
yesterday afternoon to an old friend
he knew when an oil speculator up
in Pennsylvania, "is owing to tho
distractions in the shape of piles
Of brick that are in the way Of
progress along the sidewalk. The
straight and narrow path Is of ne
cessity in the middle of the street.
But these little difficulties are only
side issues with the reconstructed
knocker-out of pugilistic champions.
Mr.. Hogan likes Spokane Falls. He
has fallen in love with its people,
with its highly moral atmosphere
and its delightful climate. On sun
day, on the platform ut Concordia
hall, he expressed his intention to
remain with us until HI freezes
over. That, according to weather
sharps, will be until about the mid
die of january.
The meetings held at Concordia
hall on Sunday were we'll attended.
In the evening number of people
the cabalistic letters "S. II. or
were displayed long before the hour
for commencement. Mr.. Hogan
told OF his past misdeeds of a life of
crime and shame. When he por-
trayed the awful treatment to
which he subjected his wife, the
lights in the hall sputtered
Ia fury, and when he told
In detail of the schemes
for the swindling of innocent people
that he had fathcred, there was n
hush in the assembly hall. Then
he told how he had turned over n
new leaf, and the fresh, white page
seemed blood-besmirched as he
looked at 1T through eyes that had
become bleary by long years of dissi-
ration. He described the Robert
Elsmere-like months of uncertainty
that preceded his conversion, and
told how he had purchased n new
Bible with big letters, and invited
lis friends to como up and read 1t to
him.
81 thought the preachers were
putting a job up on me-" he said
graphically, land that was why |
learned to read the Bible myself
Referring to charges that he was
working the religious racket for
filthy lucre he remarked: "Spokane
sporting men and those in other
places know that / can rake up
$3.50 week in san Francisco or
other places. Now, want home.
A man without n home Is worse
than an infidcl. OF course | don't
want to come down to penury in
my old age. / would like to see the
people OF this city subscribe enough
to rent hall or store in the
heart of the city. The people who
have thousands and are grasping for
more ought to spare enough to
help our cause during our stay In
the city"
Monday evening the choir at the
First Baptist church sang its pret-
test, while Mr.. Hogan and the RE-
VIEW reporter, two great Influences
for good, chatted pleasantly In n
tenant Thomas LaNery led the
singing and made short opening
address. Then Mr.. Hogan mounted
the platform, regaled himself and
sailed right into Spokane sin with
out any preliminary sparring He
made iorcible little talk OH "the
blindness OF man."
Then he took fresh hold and
scored point by pitching into the
dads of our great cities, where, rs in
Pittsburg, children from 6 to ii
years of age are allowed to work in
shops without any public school or
Sabbath school education. Then no
jumped on the parents, who, blinded
by greed, are raising children in
idleness. and ignorance and de-
bauchery. d.
'The government will eventually
suffer If it goes on raising such chill
dren in the large cities, 4" he added to
his invective against the blindness
of parents in their methods of rails
ing their olive branches.
Mr.. Hogan proved to be very
clever actor. Assuming tough
swagger, and treuding the pulpit
platform aS though his feet were
encased in baskets of eggs, he took
the character of Il Tar Flat hood
lum.
"Get onto der jay, Gully" he said.
"Kin we do him up widout er mur-
mur.n
"One good fighter could do up a
carload of such would-be toughs, "
Mr.. Hogan explained. "a real
touch man don't show IT, The
worst rascals are the ones that up-
pear to be as smooth as silk and us
innocent as white rabbits. They sue
ceed in binding people to their real
characters. How can | see when |
| have deck Of cards before one eye
and bottle Of whisky in front OF
the other. Lots of men are binder
that way.
Then there are men whose vision
is darkened by cOnceit and pride
young men especially. They all
ought to know that the day of last
account will reverse the rules, and
/ that in the great time of judgment
/ God will knock the devil out the
first pass lie makes at him. What
are you going to do, then, with
your bundle of conceit and your
packs of foolishness?
"You will be lost in the shuttle
and left out in the deal If you dom
mend your ways aud get in the
right road before it Is everlastingly
| too late"
The wonderful power of mimicry
that characterizes Mr.. Hogan'-
graphic word pictures of the haunts