The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-02-01
Brother Osborne, the Imported Bvange-
list, Belabors the Bloomsbury Metho-
dists.

Oi tnlS CnurCn spiritually, temporary
and numerically, Claiming as it does
to have more than doubled its numeri.
cal strength within the past few years.
yet its members are entirely too luke.
warm according to the observation of
evangelist Osborne, whom they re-
Gently engaged to warm them up
spiritually and to accomplish what
they and their pastor have failed to
accomplish toward gaining strength
and sincerity in this moral vineyard.
Evangelists, like others who appear
upon the public stage for living, find
it convenient and helpful to coin their
most impressive anecdotes, pathetic
appeals, and emotional influences, and
all except the real geniuses are apt to
mark out their routine of expressions
and actions. And not to bear down
hard upon the lukewarm to start with
would be to diverge from the general
plan and to be thrown upon ones own
resources as an evangelist. However,
the lukewarm argument fits up more
closely in some places than in others,
and a wise evangelist would scarcely
venture to call thrifty church un-
thrifty just because its part of his
program wherever he goes.
Understanding the general thrift of
this church and the sincerity of at
least some Of its members, our repor-
ter was driven to conclude from one
nights attendance at the protracted
meeting that the board of manage
ment got rather more than they bar
gained for in brother Osborne. 1t so
happens sometimes. Among his other
rather eccentric expressions, la Sam
Jones, the spirit moved him to say
that his association among such luke
warm Methodists notwithstanding they
responded to his call for prayer, &c }
was like an attempt to eat half-done
pan cake that they were but barriers
in the way of his success, &c. The
inside of such members was all dough,
in his opinion. Now we beg to differ
with the brother. He was talking to
his spiritual equals if not his superiors.
Notwithstanding all their earnest pray
ers and tears and weight of cash for
the half of an upright lifetime in many
cases, he thus belabored them and
blamed them for his comparative fail
ure.
This evangelist may have great
awakening power when he strikes the
right town and congregation but in
this case there is evidently something
wrong, either with the hired evangelist
or the Bloomsburg Methodists. His
Thursday night effort, though replete
with pathetic anecdotes from Moody,
was certainly not the most spiritually
impressive upon the saints and sinners
there congregated. Being himself a
severe critic, who has to deal with his
equals spiritually, he is no doubt for
ced occasionally to feel the benefit of
reactionary criticism from those who
were converted lorg before he claims
to have quit swearing and the other
evils known and prscticed by the un-
godly. While he is neither Moody
nor Sam Jones, proper, he makes a
pretty good attempt to simulate them
both, by a constant fuctuation from
the sublime to the ridiculous and then
back from the ridiculous to the sub
lime. He can also sing and act in
such way as to awaken emotional
feeling but unfortunately he holds
that feeling is unknown to the Bible,
and his words of course nullify his
acts. Obliterate feeling and pious
emotions from Methodism and you
leave it entirely to its reasoning facul-
ties. Reason without feeling will ap.
prove to day and reject to morrow,
while faith everlasting is based upon
feeling both mystic and divine. 1t is
the business of the evangelist, rather
than his congregation, to either gener-
ate or impart the proper feeling. II
he can do neither, he is failure. OF
course he must have the peculiar ia,
lent and proper feeling before he can
impart it to others. If he has not got
it himself then he must simulate it be-
yond detection from his audience in
order to generate it in them other
wise he is again failure as an evan
gelist. No matter how pert his obser-
vat:ons may be, or how fluent his tears
may flow as an actor, this is fact.
When an evangelist learns that if you
would have some things well done you
must do them yourself,he has acquired
some valuable knowledge. Had his
great prototypes, Moody and Jones, re-
lied upon the spiritual efforts of others
rather than in generating and impart
ing the irresistible influence themselves,
through the help of God, their names
would have been unknown to the
world as evangelists. If Mr.. Osborne
yet makes his mark in the world as an
evangelist we rather think he will have
to change his tactics and quit belabor
inc T.ithf,,l and willing workars While