The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-19
The Renowned Temperance Orator
at Old Orchard.
INTERESTING DAY IN CONNECTION
WITH BATES CAMP MEETINGS.
DR.. Bates, in His Sermon, Incident alIy
Mentions the Name of Congressman
Reed and the Audience Breaks Ont In
Tumultuous Applause.
ESPECIAL TO THE rRsss,1

ZOE hC1Ah 10 The ERESSI
Old Orchard, July 1s.-Today was the
liveliest day Old Orchard Beach has ex.
perinced thus far this season. The dense.
ly thronged beach and thoroughfares. the
crowded hotel verandahs and the church
at the railway station gave the place an
appearance of old time midsummer
prosperity. All the hotel people and
proprletors of the numerous places OF
business were as happy as could be.
Not few of the visitors took advantage
OF the opportunity to see and hear Francis
Murphy the renowned apostle of gospel
temperance, who delivered an afternoon
address in connection with the Christian
Workers convention, now in progress at
the camp ground, under the leadership of
Rev. DIR. L. B. Bates of Boston.
The five thousand people who attended
the afternoon services were well repaid.
Mr. Murphy spoke an hour and a half.
His address was eloquent, pathetic, enter
tanning and convincing. 1t consisted
largely in a review of his own life, his
boyhooq in Ireland, his coming to
America and his settlement in Portland,
his indulgence in intoxicating liquors till
he became wreck, his conversion and re-
formation and his after life as a temper
ance evangelist.
In introducing the speaker DR.. Bates
paid high compliment to his work in
the temperance cause and humorously al
luded to the hesitancy Boston showed in
indorsing him on the occasion of his first
visit there.
Mr.. Murphy prefaced his address with
the remark that Maine needs revival OF
temperance work. "It would surprise us
if we could know how much liquor drink
ing is now going on in this state,'' said
he, ''yet there are those who make OBJ
lection if you intimate that there is a
half gill of liquor to be found in the
whole state. Why the city of Biddeford
alone has furnished three hundred dele
gates to the Keeley cure-an awful record
You need religious revival in Maine. It
is time for the church to get up, put on
the cloak of divine faith, go to work and
give up the essay business. If you want
to catch fish you must cut bait. The
churches haven't been cutting bait suitable
for catching and reforming drinking
men.
"But we will never have such revival
till we bring the people together. A
minister needs to be surrounded by com
mon people. Church people nowadays
expect the minister to do all the convert
ing. We should every one feel it our duty
to bring friends into the-church. When
Captain Sturtevant got me to sign the
pledge he first took me to church,
Referring to the respectable drinker, -
the speaker said he used to consider him
self that kind of drinker till he got be-
yond the power to save himself from the
curse of rum. He said the private wine
cellars are the worst drunkard makers. 1t
is not hard to hit saloon keeper, but
look out for the owner Of a wine cellar
he is the fellow who is doing the most
harm.
After relating his personal experience
as drinking man, and graphically
picturing the scene of his conversion, Mr.
Murphy talked specially to the parents,
urging them if they want their children
to be good to set them good example.