The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-10
ESCAPED DISASTER
Fire Alarm Almost Causes d
Catastrophy in the Ocean
Grove Auditorium.
STAMPEDE
Chaplain Mccabe's Sermon and
Lecture ON Prison Life
Dedicatory Services.
STAMPEDE

OCEAN GROVE. Aug. 10 1Sef.-Ihe
first of the three days dedicatory eAer-
cises of the new Auditorium opened yes
Lterdays gloomy and threatening, but iohs
before the time for the first service came
around the clouds dispersed and the sun
beat dow upon the grove with an energy
which, despite the stiff breeze winch
blew, made the vast building a veritaple
sweat-box. That, however, did not ae-
ter the people from foeking to the SER
vices, and when in the morning Chap-
lain C. C. McCabe arose to preach the
first sermon of the exercises he faced d
congregation which would nave filled 10
suffocation the largest building in Jersey
HCity. The Chaplain took for his text
Isaiah vi, At will go before thee and
make the crooked places straight; VII
break in pieces the gates OF brass anu CUT
in sunder the bars of iron.
His subject he TO De me
Soldier and and Mission, saying thdt
his sermon would be a missionary one
as he never preached any other KIM,
Incidently he wove into his discourse a
sketch ofbthe growth of Ocean Grove, a.
stated in Yesterdays Jersey City News.
Mr.. McCabe drew from his text a les
son of tolerance, and declared that "a
these DAYS nations and individuals should
exercise the same virtues. In many
countries, Italy, France, Austria and
Mexico, for example, where three ae-
eades ago there was religious 1ntolef-
ance. there is now religious liberty. This
great change, he declared, had been Ine
work of Christian missionaries. me
sword mad been the instrument USED IN
the spread of liberty, but civil and re.
ligious liberty was now brought ABOUT
by the spread of the Gospel. The only
fault he had TO find with Methodists was
that they did not AXE up COLLECTIONS
The Rev. C. e. Manderyille of Chicago
conducted the services in the afternoon:
and delivered the first of a series OF
Churches of Asia Minor" the immediate.
topic of the day being Ephesus. Or.
Manderyille began the exercises Dy nay
ing the audience read responsibility with
him from Revelations tx, 7. He then
suggested the inquiry why the reference
10 the writer of the Revelations IN the
passage just read was simply John,
without any titles? He answered his
own question by saying it was because
| the Apostles had grown beyond all titles
Just a. today. We speak of the Father Of
his country simply as washington.
~EPHUSES A GREAT CITY.
The reason why only seven CHURCHES
were mentioned, when in fact Paul
founded four more in Asia MINOR, was
because the seven included all other.
Ephesus was a great city. Paul always
sought the great centres of population Tor
the planting of his churches but at Eph-
esus he stayed three years ionge tnan
at any other place., and The eplStie, so
spiritual in it's nature, showed that Eph-
,stls was to him a very dear place.
Ephesus,t with its mighty. temple, had
passed away. Its ruins laid IKE a souicc
less carcus under the leaden heal OF
Turkish misrule. but the epistle lived,
for Christ had said:-"My word shall not
pass away
III Ioda1,hi yUapa 11fnPRthnr- commenced
while those of Sardis and Laodtcsa were
wholly condemned, and three, Fergalnhs.
Thyatyra and Ephesus are spoken OF
with mingled praise and blame; praise OF
the Ephesian church was for the great
amount of good she had done; her IN
%tllerance of evil; her proving of teachers,
| whether sound or heretical, and last, her
motive, 'for My Name sake" Her fault,
| however, was a rational one. She mad
grown cold, and Christ's remedy for that
was a return to first works and hrst
love.
DIR. Manderville closed his interesting
( discourse by drawing lessons from the
| Church of Ephesus and applying them to
| the church of the day.
BY far the largest audience winch mas
| yet crowded into the Auditorium hiled al
| most every one of the 1920 seats in the
evening when Mr.. McCahe leetured on
| Prison. The mammoth building was one
solid mass of human faces, all turned in
| one direction, and the spectacle 1t pre-
scented from the platform was one long
directly in front of the speaker were NIL
| ed with members of G, K. Hall Post,
GAR, of Asbury Park, in uniform,
| row upon the platform holding a large
| American flag Of silk which he waved al
| various points in the lecture.
The Chaplain told OF the capture OF
| himself and the surgeon of his regiment
while they fingered on the field after a
battle caring for the dying and wounded;
They were taken before old General
| Early, who, upon learning what DR.. Nc
Cabe's position in the army was, ordered
| him sent to Richmond, saying that the
| parsons had done more to stir up the war
| than any n else.
When the Chaplain expressed a pre-
| ference for Harper's Ferry, where the
| Union troops were, old Early progressed
| much surprise and said that the Chap
lain and his side had been shouting t'0n
to Richmond" for some time, and now he
proposed to give him a chance TO go
there. Accordingly he went to Rich
mond and to Libby Prison,
Before being committed to the prison
pen they were searched and their goof
| greenbacks were taken from them, fol
The surgeon had 500 with him, and wher
the guard asked him IL he had any money
the chaplain said he trembled lest tht
to Jdigress while he discussed the prob
LEM whether it was ever right to, lit
under any circumstances. After quoting
prominent authorities of the church t.
Show that It is newer light to lie. he made
an exception and loudly declared tina
there was nothing in, the book to pro
hibit a loyal man from telling a. lie t.
a rebel under such circumstances. The
remainder of the lecture was devoted t.
"reminiscences of prison life and alter
nately moved the vast audience to laugh
ALMOST A CATAsTRoPHY.
The first days exercises narrowly .es
capped ending in an appalling catastrophy
AT nightfaH dark clouds obscured tn,
moon. A brisk wind sprang up from TIL
ocean and the surf pounded the beacl
with a roar which filed the timid witt
dread and apprehension. About 8:3
O'Clock the fire bells sounded an alarm
and the shrilI whistle of the Asbury Parl
watefworks blew its unearthly fire sigma
which In itself is enough to strike terro
to the hearts of. n who would resen
being called either timid or nervous.
There was q slight fire in the West En-
Hotel, Asbury Park, which was quickl.
extinguished, Chaplain Mccabe was il
the midst of an Interesting reminiscent
when the fire bells began to ring a.
ltalarm for Ocean Grove. In a moment
commotion arose outside the Auditorium
Men were heard rushing by and shouting
A and eoon altar tho jipgln of tho bells n,