The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-13

TO come and listen. Sam Jones has new
er lacked a hearing. 1t is hard to ana
lyZe, why this is so at first, but when you
notice that he does not pull his sermons
out of cyclopedia or concordance you
are coming close to the cause Of it. We
went the other evening to hear cler-
gyman whose sermon bristled so with
statistics and cyclopedias that he did not
dare leave his manuscript even to look
at the fair young contralto who sat near
him in the choir
The congregation fdgeted around in
the seats at last until he felt that he
must become more impassioned or lose
his hold upon the people. Then he cut
loose and carved the air with his lily
white hands. Reaching an imprisoned
squirt of eloquence at last, he balanced
himself or his toes, and cutting great
slices out of the atmosphere he closed by
saying in clarion tones:
"Oh, isn't it thankful that this is thus?"
People who have message from on
high do not make this class of state
ments. When he thought he had cali
to preach, cit was doubtless some other
noise"
eyes," said Sam Jones awhile ago,
''young men come to me and say they
have call to preach, and say to them:
What will you tell to the people? What
is the message you will deliver to the
world?' And they say, 4 will open my
mouth, and the Lord will ELL it.
eyes, brethren, and he does too. He
l.. IL 4 IL
of these old airguns going around today
with their mouths full of words waiting
for the Lord to supply them with ideas"
We went last Sunday to hear Professor
Swing at Central Music hall, Chicago.
The house is comfortable and the acous-
tics good. The congregational singing is
elevating and full of genuine devotion.
A good organ adds to the beauty of the
music, the hymns are selected with ex-
cellent taste and sense, and the sermon |
offers something to think of for weeks I,
afterward. The congregation looks in /
telligent, and even though Mr.. Pullman
was present did not see sleeper in the .
audience.
Professor Swing is very plain man,
est men of the United States. His deliv- /
cry is undoubtedly bad, and his gestures 4
do not show particle of Delsarte train 4
ing. He has only one or two gestures, I,
and they are not in good repair. He has /
a rather feeble voice, and when he speaks .
he leans against the pulpit, emphasizing 1
his more earnest passages by peculiar i
squat which dusts the dais with his coat /
tails, and yet every listener hangs upon
each sentence with the most earnest at
tention because he has message to de- .
liver. He is not hampered by the action
of convention or tied to platform. /
He is an unpledged delegate, free to say /
and do what he believes to be best.
he truly said that no man could be
thoroughly eloquent without a noble
cause to spouse and speak for. Daniel
Webster at the tent door of sideshow
could not have been an orator, but for
freedom and patriotism he could be elo-
quent.
Day before yesterday / heard a young
clergyman in the car who had very
penetrating voice, and he was telling OF
the success of bis work
Last Sabbath" said he. Il baptized
eight. and last season l saved is souls"
a man not yet 80 years of age who can
truthfully say that he has personally
saved 10 souls in one season ought not 10
be ashamed to state il on the cars, and /
think it is nothing more than right that
il should be put in the paper. So here
1t is.
/ heard of an incident not long ago
where an effort was made TO combine
politics and religion. Ephraim Taft was
o candidate in western Missouri for coun-
ty superintendent Of schools. and the
prospects were that ne would Re elected
by an overwhelming majority unless
some great coup d'etst could be worked
N the Campaign
Ernest Paddock was the opposing
candidate. and he believed that Taft was
not, as matter Of fact. old enough to
Eli the statutory requirements for the
Office. the law stating tina, no man should
be eligible wLo had rot attained the age
OF 81 years.
So PadGo-E 6ecided q make person
al inves. gat;on. BE was nos q r.
EgioT.s turn Of mind. bnt IL made mp -
q Methodist Episcopal clergyman in
search o. health a-i wendell rs way
down into the country where young
Tafts parents lived
Hs fetched I'd ct the old to-H hone