The times., 1899-04-26
EVANGELIST MOODY
PLEADS FOR PRISONERS
An Address to Washington
Religious Workers.
Mount Vernon Place NJ. E. Church
Packed to the Doors.
Trashy Sermons and Lack of Bible
study the Cause of Back
sliding.

Standing on the edge of the speakers
rostrum, closely surrounded on all sides
by clergymen, laymen, women, and reli-
gious workers of all denominations Evan
gelist d. L. Moody held nearly 1000 people
in interested attention for two hours last
night in the Mount Vernon Place NJ. E.
Church, telling them of his evangelical
work in the prisons of the United States.
Mr.. Moody was master Of the meeting
from the moment the house began TO fill
until the dismissal of the audience. He
directed the ushers from the pulpit, and
would interrupt the preliminary hymns to
ask group of standing men or women to
come forward and occupy seats on the
platform, even to the extent of having
the edge of the rostrum and stairs Oceu-
pied.
No sermon was delivered. Mr.. Moody
does not preach. He told in a simple con-
versational style of many instances where
the work he had done in prisons had borne
fruit. After spending an hour on this sub
ject, concluding it by having & collection
taken up for the purpose of disseminating
among prisoners little religious book
he has had published, he talked for an
other hour on suggestions for the study Of
the Bible.
Mr.. Moody's visit to Washington was in
response to an invitation OF the board OF
managers of the Young Mems Christian
Association, and members of that organi-
zation acted as ushers. The singing was
led by Percy S. Foster; Harry G. Kimball
was the organist.
Il was in prison and yc came unto me-
was the basis for the first part of the
discourse. Prison work was taken up by
Mr. Moody a little over four years ago,
and during his nearly forty years of evan
gelical work he said none had yielded
greater and more lasting results for the
work done. He declared that in many of
our prisons today there were large socie-
ties Of godly men. He cited numerous
cases OF individuals he had kept track Of
after they had once more become free
One OF the most notable Of these was VAL
entine Burk, for twenty years desperate
burglar, who, while serving a sentence
in st. Louis, was converted by reading a
report of one of Mr.. Moody's sermons. At
ter being liberated he continued his good
resolutions, was given a position in the
sheriff's office, and in time became the
treasurer of that Office Burk became noted
for his good deeds, and when he died a
short time ago he was given the largest
funeral ever held in st. Louis.
At the conclusion of his experiences Mr..
Moody appealed to all those whom he had
interested in prison work to hold up their
hands. He then requested that the hands
be lowered down into their owners pockets
and q contribution taken.
In the study of the Bible the recommen-
dation was made that some one of the city
churches be set apart for an evening meet
ing each week for an undenomipational
Bible class.
He criticised the popular preaching Of the
day as "chaff.' The people needed the
Bible If they were to be kept from back
sliding. The discontinuance OF the family
altar was also a very discouraging sign.
He recommended studying the Bible by
topics: taking UP faith, assurance of con-
version, the return Of Christ, etc, and
exhausting them. This would ground the
student so thoroughly that the new isms
would have no effect on him.
Mr. Moody goes TO Richmond today.