River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-05-14
DIVINE HEALING.
This 0ld-Time Doctrine Has Come 10
Stay.
Rise and Progress of the Mission in
Chicago.
CHICAGO. III Nav = 30

CHICAGO, ILL.,, May 7, 1906.
EDITOR JoURNAL:-The fact of
the present day reality of Divine
Healing having been thoroughly
demonstrated, it has occurred 10 me
that information concerning the rise
and progress of the Divine Healing
Mission in this city would be of in
terest to the intelligent readers of
your paper.
At the time of the opening of
the great Columbian Exposition or
Worlds Fair here three years ago,
Rev. John Alex. Dowie established
this Mission one block west of the
Sixty-second street entrance to the
+ air grounds. The buildings occu-
pied were three in number, and of
temporary character, being cheap
wooden structures, the largest of
which was the Tabernacle with a
seating capacity of about six hum
dred, by the side of this the Divine
Healing Home, and in the rear of
these two buildings was a third in
which was the healing and other
rooms used in connection with the
work. The buildings were all COM
paratively primitive in appearance,
and the press used to refer to the
tabernacle contemptuously as "the
little wooden hut"
So deeply engrossed in their search
for pleasure were the people of Chi
cago and their millions of visitors
that the Mission was conducted
during the Fair with Indifferent sue
cess, as to the number who chose to
avail themselves of the glorious
privileges there offered. Its founder,
however, kept steadily at work,
bidiEg his time, for he well knew
that when the reaction came multi
tudes would turn their footsteps
toward the Mission for salvation
and healing. As the 'sDream City"
faded from view, passing into OBJ
livion, only fleeing memory of it's
waste remaining, the
splendor of the light shining in Zion
Tabernacle shone out brighter and
brighter, its piercing rays reaching
further and further, with an ever
radiance until it has made
the circuit of the entire world.
The Home above referred to was
occupied as the private residence of
Doctor Dowie and his family, into
which were admitted as guests per-
sons coming from a distance who
were seeking healing and who while
here wished to avail themselves of
the beneficent influence to be found
in true Christian home. Within
a few months so numerous did these
guests become that he found it
necessary to provide greater ac-
commodations, which he did by
taking fine, large residence situa-
ted on Edgerton avenue near by, TO
which he removed, designating this
as Divine Healing Home No. L,
and continuing the other as Home
No. ?. Later on these two estab-
prove inadequate and
in November, 1894, fine, large
double house was secured near Home
No. and opened as Home No. 3.
During the past few months many
people who desired to become guests
in the Homes have been refused adj
for want of room. This has
been source of sincere regret by
Doctor Dowie, and he has renedied
the difficulty for the present by leas-
ing for term of years the commo-
dious 7-story hotel situated ON the
southeast corner of Twelfth St. and
Avenue, where he last
Friday consolidated the Divine Heal
ing Homes under the name of
''Zion," which is rapidly filling up.
Its location is at one of the most
accessible points in the city, and
therefore easily reached by all who
may take occasion to come.
The overflow experience of the
Home has found its counterpart in
the Tabernacle. When the Mission
was first opened but few seats were
occupied. Later on the hall was
filed, and still more people came,
necessary overflow meet
ings in the healing room. Soon this
relief was inadequate, and hundreds
had to go away, unable to gain adj
mittance. The Doctor thought this
would not do, so he went over to the
corner of Sixty-first St. and Stony
Island Avenue where he opened
No. 2, with seating
of twelve hundred. In
few months this would not contain
the throng of people who desired to
attend the Sabbath afternoon meet
ings, and then the Auditorium was
leased in which to hold the Sunday
afternoon meetings, for period of
six months. In that spacious assem-
bly, room from three to five thousand
people greeted the great evangelist
during the term of the lease, which
expired the 10Th ult. Now the
Doctor is negotiating for hall
which will seat thirteen thousand
people for his Sunday afternoon and
evening meetings, and is trying to
secure a hall that will seat about
three thousand for the Sunday fore
noon and weekday meetings.
And yet, this is the man whom
Joseph Medill of the Tribune, backed
by the entire press gang of Chicago,
swore by all that was great and good
should never get foothold in this
city, and whom he said few weeks
ago had been driven from town.
Through "Leaves of Healing"
weekly publication issued by Doctor
Dowie in connection with the work
of the Mission, the teaching of the
doctrine of Divine Healing is being
sent into nearly if not quite every
land upon the face of the globe.
Besides, nearly every tongue is
spoken here, and TRANSACTIONS en-
bodying this teaching are being sent
b. foreigners residing here to friends
in their native land. BY these means
this doctrine is rapidly and widely
spreading, and as a consequence
many are being healed through the
PRAYERS of Doctor Dowie who are
thousands of miles from him and
whom he never sees, to which let
tiers received here bear ample testi-
moly.
The work incident TO this Mission