The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-06-25
ANEoporEs oE sPuRoEoN.
He Gould Not Preach with His wife
Looking mt Him.

He Gould Not Preach with His Wife
Looking mt Him.
Among the cloud Of apocryphal anec-
dotes concerning Mr.. Spurgeon, let me
record two for which can personally
vouch. At the Surrey Gardens Music
hall, il mistake not, in the year 1856,
where heard Thaclseray's four lectures
on the Georges, and where Spurgeon
preached regularly before the taber-
nacle was built, there were French
windows opening out into the grounds.
The place was crammed one hot Sum
day morning, an d these windows were
many of them left open, 80 that fringe
OF the congregation was standing half
in and half out of the great building.
Newcomers gradually edged some Of
the others on TO the floor, some of whom
remained covered, as they were justified
in doing so long, and no longer, as their
standing ground was in the gardens.
These unfortunates Mr.. Spurgeon spoke
nt thus from the pulpit before begin
ming his sermon, in an easy, friendly
manner, but in those magnificent tones
which vibrated through the building:
II regret to see that there are some
present who are so unaccustomed to at
tend public worship that they have
quite forgotten it is the practice to take
off their hats" This heard, and shall
never forget its effect in the immediate
doffiing of male hcadgear and in a sort
of smothered hum of amused approval
from the crowd
Another personal experience of Mr..
Spurgcon was at the Crystal palace,
where he preached to $4,000 people.
Seated near to the pulpit, observed
Mrs Spurgeon take her place just be-
fore her husband appeared, and that
she was visibly affected by the mighty
concourse of souls, all with upturned
faces and fixed gaze upon one man, and
all about to be thrill led to the core by
that mans impassioned appeals to them
to be saved alive. While Mrs. Spurgeon
was concealing her emotion as best she
might-in other words, dealing furtively
and shyly with her pocket handkerchief
1 saw the pastor becllon far off witk
his forefnger to one of the deacons, q
stout and solemn grayhaired man, of
rubicund complexion, and with defect
in one eye, which remember made me
speculate whether it was natural or ac-
quired. He was in the very glossy
black which was the orthodox dissent
ing uniform in those far-off days, and
walked with a limp which made his
progress up the pulpit, or rather plat
form, stairs tantalisingly slow. Some
brief but evidently important instruc-
ton was at last whispered by Mr.. Spur
geon in the lame mans ear, and %, 900
people were at once agog with curiosity
to know what this could possibly be
at such time when the whole vast
place was quivering with anticipation
and suppressed emotional excitement.
| happened to be seated so near to Mrs.
Spurgeon that when the worthy deacon
made for her" in his crab-like, ponder
Gus way, it was unavoidable that /, at
least, out of that vast and silent crowd
| of eXpectants, should hear what had de-
layed the pastor, and what the urgent
matter was he had, at such critical
moment, to communicate. In hoarse,
fleshly whisper / heard this: "Mr.
Spurgeon says" could help listening?
the interlude was serious, and even
dramatic, and my ears craned that way
| whether l would or not)-"Mr. Spur
geon says, please will you change your
seat so that he will not be able to see
| you; it" (''it" was doubtless Mrs. Spur
geon's obvious emotion) "mates him
nervous;" and the lady moved imme-
diately to another seat not visible from
the preachers place.-Edmund Yates,
in London World.