The Globe-republican., 1896-04-02
The Temperance Lecture.

Mr.. Woolever, student of Soul'
College, and young man who is stu
dying for the ministry, occupied thu
pulpit in the NJ. E. church, Sunday
owing to the absence of the pastor al
the conference.
In the morning. Mr.. Woolever de-
livered an excellent sermon on the
efficacy and benefit Of prayer. His
morning effort perhaps augmented
the congregation at the evening SER
vice, for the church was comfortably
filed.
Mr.. Woolever has voice which, il
not lifted above its capacity-as the
vocalists say, if not pitched too
high"-has deep tone and is strong,
showing the rugged and sturdy
character of the possessor. His man
ner is rather pleasant, and his ges-
lures will become more graceful with
experience; but when Mr.. Woolever
attempts to lend additional effort to
his utterances by raising his voice
above the natural key, he destroys the
effect. And yet, Mr.. Woolever has
better elocution, is more graceful in
speecL and manner, is more impress
sive and more logical than many of
the preachers who have more educa-
ton and experience.
On Sunday night, Mr.. Woolever
spoke on temperance. This is no
new subject. 1t is as old as Allan.
The modern temperance lecturers Of
fer no new means for eradicating the
evil. It is logged persistence in
framing the public mind against the
demon that will bring it in greater
disrepute. It matters not how the
subject is presented, SO that it is not
"dry," but entertaining. The writer
has listened to many temperance lee
turers, and among them the renown-
ed John B. Cough. Mr.. Woolever
reminded us somewhat of Mr.. Cough
and the resemblance goes beyond
platform manners. Cough was a
man of small stature, thin, melan-
choly face, and bright eyes-which
flashed under excitement. His fluent
language, his dramatic action, his
intense and impassioned earnestness,
his suppressed feelings, and the light
ming like ,rapidity with which he
changed the moods of the audience
with his own from the humorous to
the pathetic, took all audiences by
storm. Those who heard the lee
ture of Sunday night will admit of
some comparison.
Mr.. Woolever began his lecture
with an anecdote, and then rendered
pathetic story, telling something of |
real life, from his own knowledge and |
observation. He could speak with
4distinctness and truthfulness about
the ''joints" in Dodge City for he had
been in one of them, and in his in
cognito he WAS enabled to see the Ii
quor dispensed. Herein, he would
make good witness, and perhaps
few of his auditors were ever in q
"joint," and knew nothing from per
sonal observation, except by the odor
Is they passed by, and though they
might be lacking in the requisite aid
to disperse them-''sand in the craw"
like the preachers rooster that died
from eating too much corn and lack
OF sand in the craw-they could say
that they were perishing from a sim
liar cause-a lack Of the process of
es@mhatlon IN over feeding Ia tenn
perance talk.
The audience gave the lecturer very
close attention. The people laughed
q his anecdotes and they expressed
appreciation of his sentiments in quiet
md attentive listening; but the lee
1nrer failed to appreciate or under
ntand this fact, for he gave rebuke
Hat made a little sensation. He
called to boy in the audience to
some forward and say amen and he
pould give him a nickel. The boy
tomptly came to the speakers stand,
"a he politely refused to take the
kel. "Well. say amsn," says the