The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-30
MOODY AND MILLS.
Their Meetings and Methods Compared
and COntrasted.

Different Circumstances of Their Coming
Here-Mr. Moody Had Had More EN-
In Education-Mr. Moody Was More
Particular About Conditions Than Mr..
Mills.
To the Editor OF the PRESS:
The writer was one of those who sat day
after day and night after night at the re-
porter S table when Rev. d. NJ. Moody was
he re, and it was his pleasure to listen for !,
portion of The time the sermons of Rev.
Is. Fay Mills, and not unnaturally there
grew up in his mind parison betwee n
the two evangelists, perhaps it were better
( o say the two great evangelists.
When Mr.. Moody first entered upon his
course as an evangelist, the idea of that
sori OF work had about gone from he minds
Of men. To be sure William Miller forty
years before went through the country with
his Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand" but he was counted as madma n
by many. if as one who had special mis-
sion to I'LL by others. Mr.. Moody was GER
tainly the frs; great evangelist since
WuitobClHs tuS Outllutu puOtCSEdp u
of whom by Whittier would surely tit no
modern evangelist.
"A homeless pilgrim with dubious name
Blown about on the winds OF fame:
Now an angel of blessing classed,
And now mad enthusiast.
Called in his youth to sound and gauge
I he moral lapse of his race and age,
And, sharp as truth, the contrast draw
OF human fraity and perfect law,
Possessed by he one dread thought tLat
lent
Its goad to his fiery temperan.ent,
Up and down he world he went,
John tie Baptist crying-Repent."
Mr.. Moody had been an evangelist for
years lefore he was called to Portland.
More than that be had long before stirred
up others TO the doing of the same work,
and while they might like Whitefeld be
said 10 have felt:
Living or dying, bond or free,
What was time to eternity"
it could not be said of them as it was said
of the preac hers who followed the first evan
selist that
"And comet like, adding flame to flame,
he priests of the new Eyangel came"
or his and their work has remained to this
day, only it has grown stronger and more
enduring. perhaps even mole business like
with every year.
Mr.. Moody came bers after his system
had been tried and found worthy to be
classed among those well proven and found
to fit the age. tie came here after his fame
was we'll established, and after lie had
been for years not only proclaimer of the
word, but a receiver of secrets, a man in
whom other men had placed their highest
con tde nce. who had seen much of huma nifty
and of life, and who had grown world wise
with his experience He came here with
world wide reputation, and when he
| stepped forward and facfd his first au-
dience in City Hail. he stood not only be-
fore 2500 people, but he faced long row OF
reporters he saw as the hours passed the
coming and gong OF messenger boys, and he
knew that score of busy pencils were re-
porting more or less fully, more OF less SYM
pal heiicully, but all honestly, his words.
He talked from that platform to tine coun-
| try and he knew it.
And yet it had been but few years be-
fore when his methods had been objected to-
When even John 6. Whittier had con fes sed
to friend that he found his sermons BIZ I'd
reading. dull and embarrassing. He had
conquered the critics, be had won even
Boston over to his side. II e came here from
| great ut6blLs WutFo uuuuTeuS were con
verted. and he went from here to another
still greater meeting. He came here from
| conquests, and be and all who worked witt
him felt tnat victory was to crown his work
here, and theirs was faith that was "los1
in sight, before that wonderful closing
meeting.
Mr.. Mills came here with few of the ad
vantages that attended Mr.. Moody. There
was room for an evangelist when While
| field shock New England, and to a certain
degree the English speaking world. Then
Prepared and ready the altar stands
Waiting the prophets gu Stretched hands
And prayer awaiting TO downward call
The fiery answer in view of ALL
i. There had been n season of drouth in the
Ieligi ous world before the coming of Moody
and even when he visited Portland there
was universal curiosity to hear the nan
and to listen to Ira d. Sankey. Who's
| hymns had made his name as famous as
that of the great evangelist himself. Ii
should be said, for it can honestly be saiG
that when Mr.. Mills succeeded in holding
night after night his great audience as
he did for l6 days. the feat WAS far greater
than that performed by Mr.. Moody on the
occasion of his visit to Portland.
| There was no hesitation when Mr.. Moody
took command lie stepped out FROM The
crowd of minis ers and workers on the
platform, and stood before his audience, 4
| large man, strong and vigorous. wearing 6
| full set of whiskers and moustacEe. Not g
graceful man, wanting in all the graoes Of
oratory in fact. hut terribly in earnest.
Day after day, service after servcie he
| preached and while he repeate ed old trut his
what he said had fresh application. II
was easy to see that this man had beer
down into the yer, depths in order to hely
others up. That his theology WIS as un
compromising AS that OF Edwards, say
that he held fast TO the belief that man
and not cd must be held responsible fol
his own destiny, and for the destination b,
might reach. His illustrations were drawn
| from the narvelously rich treasure hous;