The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-16
A WEEK OF WOOLLEY
1t Begins at TOmlinsOn Hall with
an Immense Audience.
Col. WOOlley Makes Strong Speech on
Good Citizenship-iis Taking,
Original Way.

Inc WEEK VI NOOiles anu eoDu tltlEchSiAlD
began last night at Tomlinson Hall. Very
few occasions have drawn larger crowds
10 the big hall than assembled then. Every
seat in the house was occupied before
O'Clock. and then the extra chairs were
brought cut from under the stage and
placed in front and along the aisles. hese
were soon filled, and still they kept COM
ing. While the services were conducted
under the auspices of the young people, it
was very noticeable fact that those of
maturer years were as much Interested as
the younger ones. There were probably
three thousand persons present.
The meeting was opened with prayer by
Rev. Mr.. Whitney William c. Hall. SUI
perintendent of the Tabernacle Sunday
school, presided and stated the objects of
the meeting. 1t is under the auspices of
the Christian Alliance, which is composed
of the various young peoples Christian So
cieties of the city without regard TO de-
nomination. The object, stated by Mr..
Hall, is to purify the ballot by taking
Christianity to the primaries and TO the
polls. Mr.. Hall then introduced John Ct.
Woolley, who spoke for more than an hour,
interesting his hearers throughout and hold
ing their closest attention.
I'm this work." said he eve take the
Bible standard and guide. l did not
always believe in the Bible, because. as |
supposed at that time, I had such a gigaE-
tic intellect / could not accept the WoE-
derfu things contained in ii as true | had
a lot of sand and built on 1t. / built well
and prospered for quite while, but then
it rained so hard that all nv foundation
was washed away. Then L felt the walls
tooterng, and finally saw the wreck of
my home and business floating away. Then,
coward that / was, called on God 10 save
me from my own folly. Now the unbe-
lievable things in the Bible don't disturb
me. l don't attempt to explain those
things. L can't do it, They are beyond
my comprehension. So is my wife. She
surprises me every day with something
that 1 don't understand, but 1 have faith
and believe in her.
This series of meetings are not to be
temperance meetings. but as temperance is
one essential to good citizenship you may
be prepared to hear speak of the sub
ject several times during the week. The
drink question has been takn into politics
and so L may touch politics, but / shall
try TO be nonpartisan. Both of the leading
parties are afraid of the question The
great Democratic party now stands in ter
rOr because Ii faces almost certain defeat
at the polls next fall while the Republican
party is iubilant because il is almost sure
of victory. When | speak of the saloon
question l shall try to be nonpartisan, but
it is hard to do If | speak of party at
all | will be accused of favoring 1t. If
minister was to be called upon TO address
Tafnmany Hall and should choose as his
subject Thou Shalt Not Steal he would
Immediately be accused of craftsmanship.
Great laughter and applause.) came into
this business on a through train, without a
single stop at way station, and We will
run the train in the same manner jim the
future. We have no tunnels on our road
don't ring bell, blow a whistle nor stop
for anything on the track, so if you get in
the way you are liable to get hurt.
"A few days ago a New York paper &C
cused me of coming to this city to forward
certain party schemes. 1 am not working
for any political party; all ask you TO do
is 10 be true to your party, whatever 1t
may be- Do you know how to do that? Just
scratch the meanneSS out of it. (Laughter.)
Neither am | going TO criticise your preach
ers. They working for the interests of
the people as they see IT. don ma CRUCES dcn;t
want TO be impolite to you. L don't indict
the saloon keepers. You made the law that
makes it possible for them TO exist, and
they are as good as the law that makes
them"
COMMON THINGS OF LIFE.
II have chosen for my text tonight"
continued Mr.. Woolley, 1.-THE most COM
monplace and unromantic verse in the
Bible-'A sower went forth to SOW. The
reason / choose it is because / want to
talk about the commonest thing in life. n
man said to me to-day that he feared we
would have rain tonight. / told him if
rain was the worst thing we had at a tenn
perance meeting we would get along all
right The trouble is many Christians
don't want to deal with the common things
of life. They should know that by hum
BILE man this fight IS going 10 be won.
Now and then some Yankee Doodle
Christian sees a chance TO parade himself
by a brilliant rescue of some soul from
the snares of sin. After the rescue has been
applauded and attention is turned from
him his zeal lessons. What is called big
in temperance reform. You can't tell much
about a horse Christian until you see
him so. No one who knows much cd about bout
his name and tail done up in curl papers
and his hoofs blackened. The man who
buys intelligently will back him out OF the
stall examine him all over, put a boy on
him and let him go. Then he Will work
the horse in harness for couple OF hours,
speed him in a sulky listen to his wind
and give him another examination. II the
road that tells on horse and on Chris
tan If you were at church this morning
you would have thought. to see the amount
of worship that was visible, that saloons
have no chance in Indianapolis that dirty
politics have no place here kut the great
drawback of temperance or reform work of
any kind is the lack of people who pay
enough attention TO it,"
The evangelist then drew a true-to-life
picture between good, strong gong,
steady horse in prime condition, ana poor
and a pronounced desire to construe every
thing ne can into Whoa" so that he can
stop going. This contrast he applied TO the
methods of going at the work of temper
ance or political reform. He said that there
were many magnificent prayers In churches,
men who made an impressive appearance
and ferVent nVOcatiOnS who Were how
ever only splendid furniture and nothing
more for they, like the horse described,
didn't so. That's what's the matter, he
said with the temperance cause, with the
pOlitics of Indianapolis-with the politics of
the whole country, in fact. It's the corners,
the staircases, the dark places in houses
that tell upon hOuSekeeperS, Mr. Wooley
urged not the parlors. There are, he said,
beautiful lawns in indianapolis. but many
backwards are far from attractive. He
urged mothers to raise their own children.
to watch over them tenderly and carefully.
IF you carry pug dog in your barouche,
said he "and hire a nurse To take care or
your baby don't you be surprised If the
dog turns out better than the baby"
HIS FORMER EXPERIENCE.
Mr. Woolley related his experience as
gentleman farmer, telling how he left
everything to his employees and servants.
His butter cost him about $40 a pound, and
his employees soon owned the place "A
farm soon lands man in bankruptcy he
said unless he sees TO it himself There
is too much proxy in our life. We have
left our affairs too long TO the political par
ties and are slaves TO our own servants
II YOU want your boys saved,
mothers don't trust it to an
evangelist. Sunday school teacher or