St. Paul daily globe., 1891-06-29
FRENCH'S NEW SCHEME.
Outdoor Religious Services Tried
at Centenary Church.

Outdoor Religious Services Tried
at Centenary Church.
Many are the ways in which preachers
| attract attention to themselves and
| their discourses. Some advertise in the
daily papers. Some distribute about the
city posters that rival the three-sheets
of a spectacular show. Some at
tack the city administration. Some
write letters to the papers.
Some roast the grand jury. Some
entertain actors. Some embrace radi-
cal political views and talk about them.
Some-a very few-attract attention by
attending strictly to the business of
J looking after the spiritual welfare of
their congregations. None of these be-
long to Rev. Ii. III. French. 1t re-
manned for that gentleman to invent a
new system. He tested it last night.
In one way it was success; in another
what the theatrical managers call a
frost" He held open air services.
Instead of taking his congregation
| into stufTy church, where every atom
of air is laden with somnolence, Rev. ii.
Ii. French took his people out on the
lawn last night, and chairs were set on
the turf between Centenary church and
the parsonage. For those who attended
| the system was all right. They could
| breathe the pure air. and, during the
dull moments of the sermon, could let
their ears feed upon the musical notes
of the electric street car gong. But
| the people of Centenary church are
singularly modest-much more. so thar
their pastor. They could not bear the
thought of being stared at by vulgar
desecrators of the SABBATH, mere pleasure
seekers while at their devotions. So
few of them attended the services last
evening. But Rev. III. Ii. French's sys-
tenn has some advantages. People who
ride in carriages can drive up to the
curb and drink in the words of spiritual
admonition without disturbing them
selves. In this way. too, the preacher
can reach those who he would not
otherwise reach. Last night an old
resident of Eden Prairie drove up just
as Mr.. French was warming to his
work.
Gosh, Betsy he exclaimed, excit-
edly, "here's a reg lar old camp meetin'.
Les see whut th'r doin'."
He pulled up his nag and listened.
He would not have stopped had the
preacher been inside the church.
Hey, Swipsey," one bootblack called
to another, "'ere's bloke watts crazy,
an 'e's maxim riglar out zen out ser
mon in the street."
There were two more who would not
have attended had the sermon ibeen in
the church. A GLOBE reporter saw still
two others. They were Eddie-no mat
ter about the rest of his name-and
Mamie-same to the rest of her name.
Mamie'S father objects to Eddie. But
Mamie's father is strict Methodist.
He does not object to Mamie's
going to church. She went last
night. She and Eddie sat away
back in the shadows and whispered
of stern parent with chin whiSkers
and No. IL boots. Still others were
compelled to listen to the discourse.
Those who visited the little ice cream
parlor across the way for the purpose of
showing their contempt for the laws of
hygienic philosophers listened perforce.
There are several boarding houses
within two blocks distance, on all sides,
of Centenary church. Small collections
OF young persons are wont to sit on the
trout steps of these boarding houses,
smoke cigarettes and talk about ''our
store" They had to listen to the ser
mon. And so the enumeration could
run into the hundreds. Even the peo-
pie who so far forgot man made creeds
as to at attend the Grand opera house,
were not allowed to forget the conse-
quences of sin. Brother French has
wonderful voice, by cubic measure.
This outdoor preaching is a great
thing. While good many of Centen-
ary'S own people did not hear the pas
tors sermon last night. nearly all of
the city's population-those who went
out of doors at least-did. At late
hour last night couriers from Keegan's
lake brought the news that several con-
verts were made out there.