New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-14
LETTERS TO THE EDTTOK
IN DEFENCE OF MR.. MOODY.

WORK BY sTATIsTICS-THE EFFEci o "
c,,,,pcurs AND ON THE UNCHURcHED
To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir-There have appeared Oh axe ~ VIZ ',a IN
nancrs many criticisms of the meetings he'" :"
Corneg,e Hail during the past winter by MI
Moody As pastor of the church lying nearer ''
anv other TO Carnegie Hall l have fe' 'i'd'
should not hold my peace especiaNy no ~ .-
Judgment upon the matter diners 81 49, -
that OF my brethren In the ministry VIZ 70
spokeu have waited, however, uh''i oe.'a
suits of these meetings could be and
VIVA, might say should be said thoughtiuiS anu
accurately. .oL o.,
IN. church am privileged to serve TOOK 20
names of those who had signed the ihqu'leis
cards I'm the Carnegie Hall meetings. anu "'o ~,
I'm our neighborhood. for the purpose VI 'a''.''
upon them Up to this date ia have been 'epo''e w
unon to the committee having this WORK III ','
OF this number "a gave wrong addresses az"
not he found 50 professed to be members oi so''e
go. T., aooa Standing some of whom had put
,hn,r names down for the purpose OF getting one
~ Mr. ,Ioodv's hooks while Il had no church hoi'ie
whatever out of this AZ. % once had pee" mem
bers of the church. but had drH'eo ""a'
rarely attended now. while % were Absolutely nun
attendants $780,, 49,, roo,
In almost every instance IL was iou'" U
oftentmes deep religious impressions hau oee
,cor,ed Those inauirers seemed to be In earnest
Many Of them testified to new -hapts vi p'''o
reading and church attendance. VI the MY ~
VINO claimed to he members already III s'ou
ing II was evident that some, AT ieas'' "d'
creaty auickened and revived py u'e
I was much interested In two Cathohc yo",s '''
who had almost given up going 10 chuien' ""'
bo were influenced by Mr. Moodys meeting "
90 70 their priests with promises of changed hFes'
drossos Il soems probable that they had been really
r,oyod nv the services and that their very uh"I-
lngness to be found or interviewed !iu'N"''' ~'
feeling upon the subject OF Religion.
Now 10 tabulate these results, II these NAMES
we have investigated are representative Vi "'' Wv
following things are evident a., ,,.a,,
First-That A per cent OF those whom MT MoouS
reaches belong to the unchurched masses u ','e
citvthose who have been lost overpoard lroni .''e
churcbes Every Christian ought to thank "oo
thar there are influences which can reac" '"o
whom the churches fail utterly to touch'
second-That 80 per cent are members OF inc
churches many of whom greatly neeo the qu'oN
ening which these services org ye 10 testified to re-
osvinp real help and blessing from Mr.. Moody
Mr. Moodys critics dwell upon the disadvan,ages
of his work 1t Is true probapy lhn nea r Carnegle
Hall have been cut down from 20 TO . per Gem
while those meetings were being ned ar pu, Cos
n nn ppeachDg Of Mr. Moody is doing far more for
the Kingdom OF God than 80 judge snin ro' work of
some Of those churches could ever accomplish ;
Possibly too there may be more NEEDY e,uS
that central and beautiful hail where people are are
accustomed to go draws from every 81 Of
large work The criticism that these meetings
were oney-makng tor S the large
dehcit which is known TO exist .o.,.,ooa ,berc
a.. ,,,ch be all
ings have already united with our cnurch' o'T r
are number OF others Tn rbn ,hare are few ac-
cessions to the churches from such work Inc
reason primarily lies in the fact that the churches
critcise instead Of cooperating We should re;
member that Paul the young s G0 nrr Of Rerna
bas. WHO introduced him to the warm circle Of the
Apostles This is just the work when me cnurt h
adhered into the churches when the church III,
stead OF critcisng, co-operates with Mr. MOODY
and by earnest personal work "compeis them 10
But let it be supposed tina, they MEYER unite Ie
busy parish work am surprised every day 6s
ians who love prayer and their Bibles who have nave
no are too Ths Nary e
they have little money or dress 100 snao cg
for more than another 1t is the evidence mat the
Kingdom OF God is far wider than the l,ts an 0i
in fact to all the unchurched. constituting fully
one-half of the population that evangeists Ike
church will go TO Carnegie Hall. ! for one am
more than willing 10 sacrifice little In my SUNDAY
evening services in order that some who are ac-
customed to hear may hear what may prove
TO he helpful preaching. and especially IN
order that those whom pastors or Fifty
seventh-st can never reach may hear the inspiring
message from man so thoroughly owned OF God
az Dwight L. Moody
The opposition of some of these brethren may
from disbelief in REVEALS. There is no
space discuss that question here. other than to
say that 10 take revvals of the history Of the
Church would take It's heart out 1t would take
away Pentecost the Reformation thousand other
great advance movements of the Church. 1t. would
take one, least of the Fifty -seventh-st pastors
out OF the ministry.
Fifty per cent OF the population OF this city is
practically unchurched, beyond the reach OF the
churches as they now constituted. or with
their present methods Of work. Let us be most
thankful for any work which reaches this portion
OF our popula ton. and which also is truly quick
enng and stimuative to the Church Of God
WILTON MERLE SMITH.
New-York, May H. 1887.