The herald., 1896-08-24
TALKING TO THE CHILDREN
Evangelist Critteuton's Mass Meeting
Yesterday Afternoon
Peniel Hall Crowded TO the Doors Win the
Little Ones-Good Aivics to the
Parents

Rarely has there been seen in Los An
geles. or anywhere else, such a sight as
that at the children's mass meeting con-
Quoted by Evangelist Crittenton at
Peniel hall Saturday afternoon. Not only
did it seem that all the children OF the
city were there, their parents and their
teachers, but vast number of others
who could not and would not miss the
service. The place was densely packed,
as never before Not only were the
seats filed, but the stairways, the choir
loft the altar rail, and every inch of
standing room. 1t was inspiring to look
over the sea of fresh young faces, so
eager, so interested, so tender, so con-
fiding, and note how easily they re-
sponded as the evangelist touched now
one, now another, of the chordS In tnelr
innocent hearts.
He first took the parents and teachers
apart and said to them: MANY parents
tell me that children are not old enough
to take the important step OF becoming
Christians till they are IS or 20 years
old, but it is my experience that when
they reach that age, they have no desire
to be Christians. They become attach
ed to the Vanities and pleasures OF the
world, and think they will put 1t OF Till
they are older God wants them to come
to Him while their hearts are tender;
before the devil has them bound with
the chains of evil habits. Bishop Simp-
son says if he ever was converted 1t was
at the age of four years. My own little
| girl, Florence, when little over three
| years old, preached me one of the strong
| est sermons by saying to me as we sat
! alone in the dark: Papa, Jesus Is here
| A young girl died recently in San Fran
| cisco. The Spirit had prompted her Sun
| day school teachers, her pastor and her
| parents, to speak to her about her soul,
hut Nff fI,nv, o1,n fha q NJ
that girl will stand at the Judgment bar
a witness against them for their neglect.
A Sunday school superintendent who
had occupied that position for years
without seeing any of the school be-
come Christians became very much bur-
dened about it, and on his knees Satur-
day night he told the Lord he would re-
sign the next day if there were no re-
suits. He continued in prayer the en-
tire night, and when he opened the Sab
bath school he told them his decision.
Then one by one the teachers rose and
confessed that it was their fault, not
his, because they had been telling their
pupils stories instead of telling them
about Christ. They all knelt for prayer,
and as they sang softly Just AS Am,
the superintendent asked all who de-
sired to seek God to come forward, and
practically the whole school, teachers
and children, came forward to the altar.
1t pays to get right with God. Jesus
says, Suffer the little ones to come unto
me-" and this afternoon he wants you
| to take your little ones by the hand and
lead them into His Kingdom.
! After returning to the main hall Mr..
! Crittenton had all the children come
down from the gallery and occupy the
auditorium, and also formed a choir of
little ones. AS the hundreds of sweet
young voices rose to heaven in the
sweet strains of There is Sunshine in
My Soul, His Yoke is Easy, and At the
| Cross. angels must have rejoiced, and
| little Florence Crittenton, in her heav-
emily home must have had an added
| happiness in knowing that through her
| death so many precious little souls were
| brought together to sing her Saviour's
| praises. After a fervent prayer by Rev.
j. T. Price, a sweet Salvation army las
sic sang Give Up Your Sins. Mr.. Crit
tenton then read Mark, tenth chapter,
and took as his text, Little chill, ,ren,
| come unto me-" upon which he delivered
| an interesting discourse.
| AT the close of this remarkable service
the evangelist asi,ed all who desired to
lead Christian life to rise and come to
the front, and many hundreds respond
/ ed to the invitation. Not only were
there children who thus came. but yoL ag
people. men and women in the prime Of
| life and those in the ''sere and yellow
| leaf" 1t is though that between 500
and 1000 expressed a desire to live for
| COD IN that meeting. Much joy is felt
! by the Christian workers because thew
| have had such a shower of revival bless
ing and they confidently hoped that
at the young peoples meeting Sunday
| afternoon, the conservation meeting on
| Monday, and the Florence Crittenton
| Rescue Home meeting on Tuesday even
| ing in Simpson tabernacle even greater
| showers will descend.
| The meetings continued at Peniel hall
| yesterday.