Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-04
STIRRING UP VERONA.
Novel Crusade Begun in That Quiet
Village by the Free Methodists.
SINGING THROUGH THE STREETS.
Men and Women Kneel to Pray in the
Dust Of the Highway.
THEY SEEK To AWAKEN THE UNGODLY

The quiet little suburb of Verona, up the
Allegheny Valley, had religious sensation
last evening. 1t stirred the village from
one end to the other. 1t set the older resi-
dents to talking of the days of the Women's
Crusade and others to wondering if the
spirit of the Salvation Army had descended
upon the place.
There is at Verona small congregation
of Free Methodists The members Of this
peculiar sect, which is go years old, are few
and far between in the United States They
reject the governmental plan of the
Methodist Episcopals, but retain all their
shouting proclivties, multiplied to several
diameters. The members of the Church as
sembled last evening in their small frame
church and spent an hour in praying and
singing. There was present minister Of
of the denomination from abroad,
fervant exhortationist, who aroused
the congregation to a high pitch
of enthusiasm. The Church, he said,
was sleeping, while the devil walked
abroad. Christians must be up and doing
if the world was to be saved. Urgent
measures were demanded to call the wick ed
to a sense of their danger. The people of
the Church must not sit idle in their houses
of worship. 1t was their duty to go abroad
into the highways and byways and sound
the alarm to all people.
Singing Throu III the Streets.
Acting on his words, the congres alton
formed in line, with the preacher and some
of the most forcible singers in the lead, and
issued from the church. They marched
down the middle of the street, singing a
psalm. They proceeded to the business
part of the village, where the wild young
men of the place congregate in the even
lngs, and where on Saturday evenings there
are sometime particularly boisterous scenes.
There in the middle of the street the band
of Free Methodists halted, in front of the
office of Harry Moore, and again lifted up
their strong voices in a ringing old tune.
1t was something that Verona had never
seen before, and men, women and children
gathered from all quarters A great crowd
and listened and looked with respectful at
tention.
Praying In 'h> Straet Dust
The hymn being ended, the men and
women knelt in the dust of the highway,
PRAYER that the ungodly might be aroused
and turned to the way of salvation. Another
hvmn was sung with renewed fervency,
and the minister then addressed the
crowd. His exhortation was an earnest
one. He told them they were lost
in the depths of sin, that they were hourly
descending lower into the valley of the
shadow, and urged them to seek the path of
salvation before the fatal moment came for
one or all. After a stirring address the
preacher urged all who heard his voice to
come to the services of the church on the
and hear the words of the gospel
Another hymn and another PRAYER and
the line reformed and proceeded back to the
church, singing on the way. A great crowd
followed them, and some entered into the
house with the little band There, after a
few words of aivice, the preacher dismissed
the people with benedlction.
The services to-day are likely to be we'll |
attended, largely out of curiosity to see
what new move the Free Methodists will |
make to excite religious interest in those |
W no do not attend church.