The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-11-30
BELLAMY UP TODATE
SERMONS ~ TELEPHONE ARE NOW
AN ACCOMPLISHED FACT.

Observation-Disclosures Conwell will Be
Heard by Thousands Who Do Not See
Him-An English Precedent.
And now the telephone is to be util-
lied as an accessory to the pulpit. 81
A series of highly interesting expert
ments were made a few days ago in
Philadelphia, which, when carried to
their natural conclusions, will make it
possible, and even easy, for any popular
pulpit orator to enlarge the numerical
limit of his auditors almost indefinite
~. The speaker, whose audience is now
limited to the seating capacity Of his
church, may simultaneously address his
words Of exhortation to two, three OF
even a dozen such congregations, gather
ed in separate auditoriums, and that.
too, without any extra exertion or incon-
venience on his part, provided he pos
sesses the first requisite Of the successful
~orator-good speaking power and dis
tinct enunciation.
The experiments were made in rhlla-
delphia's famous Baptist ediice known
as the Temple. 1t is one of the largest
church structures in America, greater
than any Of the tabernacles which DR..
Talmage has made famous, larger in it's
seating capacity than most Of the thea
ters and opera houses Of the world. And
yet 1t is no longer large enough.
The individual members of this great
Temple flock were brought face to face
with the ominous fact that they were
rapidly outgrowing their %sheepfold one
Friday night about a month ago when
the Rev. Russell a. Conwell, their pas
tor, in his Enthusiastically blunt way,
said to them "When 1l2 more persons
have associated themselves as members
Of this church every seat in the upper
temple will be occupied by a Christian.
IF every one of these Christians attends
service and occupies his or her seat.
then there will be no further scope here
for evangelical work. What shall we do?
Think it out. Think it out!"
What Pastor Conwell alluded to az
the upper temple is the main audi
forum, in which the preaching services
are held. Every Sunday night and
morning for years it has been crowded.
But there is q lower temple, too-a
vast, airy room beneath the other-and
for many months overflow meetings
have been regularly held there. There
is also q commodious forum in the Tenn
pie college building Immediately ad.
joining the Temple.
But the trouble is that Mr.. Conwell
Is q popular speaker, and those who
throng the Temple doors go there ex-
pecting to hear him.
When Pastor Conwell said, "Think it
out, think it out, therefore, everybody
knew just what he meant. He wanted
some problem thought out the solution
Of which would make it possible for tho
congregations in the upper temple, the
lower temple and the college forum to
practically attend the same service and
all at once to be within the sound Of
his voice.
There is q young man in the church
who has quite a reputation as a joker.
he said sententiously, "Why not run q
speaking tube from the upper to the
lower temple?
Those who heard this suggestion
thought it was only a joke, and some Of
the young women snickered. but" as
one Of the more serious minded mem
bers said, "that remark set us to think
ing, and now we have thought it out"
A competent electrician was called in
consultation, and he undertook to super
intend the task Of uniting the three
auditoriums SO as to achieve the desired
result. He was confident Of success, and
he had good enough precedent in Eng
land and Europe If not in America. He
told the Temple people how a similar
problem had been solved not long ago
in Birmingham, England, and The
Temple Magazine published this inter
esting account Of it as a stimulus to irs
own readers:
"Christ church, Birmingham, Eng
land, is q large ediice, and is blesse'!
with a rector who is not only a beauti-
full and exemplary Christian character,
but o powerful and telling speaker.
Thousands come regularly every Sunday
to listen to him. He was struck with
the unhappy lot Of the multitude Of poor
suffering creatures who were compelled
to lie day after day in the hospitals. and
he made up his mind to brighten their
dark path.
"After consulting with several emi-
nent electricians, he gave orders, at his
expense, for 4 loud speaking tele-
phone connection to be made between
Christ church and the principal hospital
in the city. After several experiments it
worked successfully, and further con-
tracts vero Dlaco6 with the electricians