The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-05

the number of protesting Christians in our community, Then, too Q great work has been done in reawakening dormant church members" Unques- tionably also the meetings held at the armory have reached extensively Q class of people who are not usually, perhaps never reached by the regular church services, Many were no doubt attracted to the armory meetings out of curiosity. Many went merely 10 pass away the time and see what was going on. Of these. reports say, many became touched by the earnest words of the speaker and the melody of the hymns and were led to seek religion. It is this class in our great communi- ties which most needs moral and Spirit- ual uplifting. These are the people by whom the doors of the churches are seldom entered Not all who attended the armory meetings were of this class, but very many were.
 The Mills meetings will long be re- of notable and unusual religious activi- ty. Another notable awakening, fresh in the memory of thousands of New Haven people, and one which, per- haps, was more profound, was that ac- complished by the Moody meetings. Many hundreds were added to the churches and the simple, direct, forcible and magnetic preaching of MT. Moody, coupled with his wonderful illustrative power in talking. are still recalled in hundreds oa New Haven homes, There were giants in those days" says the old adage and in New England's theological records stand out in bold relief among other notable religious events, the Whitfield awakening far back in the history of the land, and the Jonathan Edwards awakening, which have long been cited as most memorable events, far reaching and wide spread in power and influence Jonathan Edwards and Mir. Whitfield were indeed remarkable men. Yet it is to be remembered that where meetings were attended by hundreds in those earlier days, the Moody and Mills meeting have drawn their thou fJe. xe lot times meetings have not been strictly on denominational lines. This unity of feeling in these days among Christian people, all of whom are headed for the same ''harbor,' is a most gratifying thing, and in striking contrast with the state of things existing only a few years ago, comparatively speaking, when denominational lines were very tightly drawn, and union meetings were scarce, if not almost unknown. The unity of Christian endeavor among churches and clergyunen of various de- nominations in the Mills meetings work was charming fact, and this spirit seems to be growing and thriving viz orousiy among church people in all parts of the land. People who are all fighting under the same banner and one King ought, of course, to unite in onslaughts upon the common enemy whenever practicable And on this subject the following from the Brook lyn Tines-Union regarding a concert of action just taken by fourteen Brook lyn churches of different denominations and headed "An Important Religious Gathering" is of interest:
 Those persons who mourn over what they deem to be serious denominational divisions among Christians should find comfort in the fact that fourteen churches of various creeds, located in the central portion of the city, have united in movement intended to se- cure a revival of interest in religious matters. These dencminational divi- sicns, it may be said in passing, are not as important as they are sometimes made to appear. Churches of differ ing creeds sing precisely the same hymns, read and teach from the same Bible, and transfer members from one church to another The movement above referred to shows conclusively that whatever denominational differ ences there may be can be ignored when it is shown that the success of a great religious movement depends up- on a union of forces.
 These fourteen churches have not only united for the prosecution of these special services, but they have secured the help of men whose experience and training especially fits them to bring home to men the most convincing truths of religion. The efforts of the latter will be reinforced by vocalists who have the ability to exert spiritual influences by means of song, and who will act as leaders for the musical part of the services.
 The meetings are to be conducted simultaneously in several churches, each of which is to be made a center