Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-04-16
OF THE NINETY AND NINE"
HISTORY or TuE FhHots TINE ny
fTs COMPOSER.
Ira ". snnlscy. the singing Evangelist
Tells How lie Found the Poem
In Edinburrh and Impro-
,iscd the Music.

An audience which crowded the body
gallery, atsles and ioorways of calvary
Baptist church last night heard th, his
tory Of the Gospel song "The Ninety and
Nine' from the lips ~ Evangelist Ira j..
Sankcy ana then heard him sing % After
praieinE the WORK of the Young Mems
christian Association throughout the
world. and relating how DE first cam. TO
meet Dwight l. Moody in Indianapolis. be
said OF the song.
Its getting warm again. so III have 20
eet 20 work. have marked in my book
OPPOSITE" This hymn lS7i ana l~f-thut
makes difference Of twenty-five years.
doesn't itr when We were leaving Glas-
gov Tor Edinburgh. ! went TO th. news
stand 10 got "a paper or something that
would tell me about home was getting
l.ne some when ] left the little hous, iu
isht 10Y lhf'e months in advance and gave
the KEY to % ueichhor. told him l'a Uo
watch nv stufi' VIII. i d49'H;' cc, f''n p,ik
our STUN Tomorrow. when I'm ih chi
Lr&oin ssrF sT W"n M snts 2'. P''., Mar sS
something American 10 read They DON'T
papers, though The London Times some
times has something abpuf tho United
Christian nNlE NrS irTt ini rog tss'' S4s rds. tbe bS
water gni I bought a. When I was ON
m ear goi 90 reading and In one corner
There were nlnety-ani nine that safely
In the shelter Of the fold
"Now I read great deal Of poetry which
mo t,il YOU. unless the n'st line OF poem
y good one | never read the second line.
U tho rtS' lin. ls a poor one thar settles
the poem for me ! reai this poem through.
2na WAS Wa, eearmgl ! cried ,o,ut TO Mr.
said he. Read ~ 20 me- I commenced to
read To- him but Moody began reading a
time. and The letter got TO- best " H.
tor" the little poem out ~ thc corner % was
SCRAP hook ls the fa,het and mother of al.
most al tho Gospel hymns that have sung
,,rtgii E,E g1Ihy tnt Y21ll SiG s,,l no
this later lie dii f0r on tho SECOND sun
day Of tho great farewell meeting IN Edin-
Good sEerherd rhc Ss'' lasi t 70 sreak ak wss ss
thai venerable ana splendid man The Rev
y Heard the ,Ng,g" Of Jesus say ~. man
who wrote I Was e Wandering sheep
sing ! often used 60 wonder how Il could
Doe that such e man as hn wouldn't sing
any of the SONGS he wrote. because ho was
afraid W offending one Of the least ~
when he had finished speaking, doath-iiko
stiffness settled on the meeting, u was as
Moody soii 90 me. Mr. sauksy, have You
anything Go sing" Ana for tho life of mr
ooul1nt ;hlnk % anything but the Tw,n-
times already ana dllu', believe We want
.,I .f any mote. The thouEht came to me.
sIns about The Good Shepherd But then
without tune didn't know what tu do
Was In a terrible case. The meeting WIS
a. still a. death, for the Spirit ~ God was
there. Then ! took and opened my old
scrap book ! always carried 10 with m,
IN those dayS-anl ] tork ont this poem.
There were Ninrty auI Nine | Ntt,I
rFl "a I I
GOD ~ help m. 10 speak through that
poem When / started ON the FIRST liu" ~
10 didn't know what was coming next
but | went on mote hy note. until III g't
through the first verse Tho cloud had
rolled from my mind. but 10 came back
arlin directly, f9r ] sai7 tl mysclf can
another hyhn ans having twp tunes going
uf once. hut ! knew that NuHllu't DO. I
loaned on thc Arm tnat had leaned on
tu ta iu -uliug Gospel hymns. Never
mind what MIR Sl-ant-Sa urd fhi- or that
psrs9u says hy way of criticising. Go r'sht
4 sang The poem through Just as had
SUNG the first verse. ami Nv, never been
able io Dhaure % note since. My my. when
] . -i.pp great 5'gh went up from that
Scotch audience Hhl ! could 500 the tears
flowing down che fI.r- ~ many 81 choose
p" pi, ] vas ws"p.uE myself Mr. Moody
lii ypu @"f that" said. through mv
tears THAT WIS the poem ! r,4 N.g 1u
the train. ana ~ MOODY lifr.l ap h.-
hand --p-anI said tho heurt.af,uu, ir-
hreU yr.ti iz'i-thIt song has uNer ana .
over again. hut Gai's Dressing ra- always
Following rhg-. Mr sarEay raIa. fau Pc
v E= written 20 hy fh, sister nf rlr aurr.r r
NJ De-, poem. Shr Was scotch a IS. whh |
Ir fn'3 several remarkable incidents, r,ls- |
tive tu th. influence 0f fh" hymn. It's title .
really ''TEa Lost sheep. Igf Mr. Moody .
sr- stvd in calling IL THE Ninety and f.