The evening times., 1899-12-02

NEW YORK, Dec. From the way
things are going now. 1t looks as IL the
Rev. A. L. Simpson. the president OF the
International Missionary Alliance. is tG
have trouble. Mr.. Simpson has probably
been the most successful co lector Of money
for missionary purposes that ever offered
up petition. but there are those who say
his distribution Of the same has not been
equally satisfactory. Grumbling and NUT
terings among the missionaries of the al
lance has been heard for some time, it is
said, and there has been talk Of mission
aries left destitute in far-off regions. while
the newspapers here were telling the tales
of vast sums of money flowing into the
Golfers of the alliance.
The leader Of Mr.. Simpsons opponents
is the Rev. Mr.. Olsen. a Swedish mis-
sfenary of repute, who resides at 80 West
Eighth Street and boards at the Hotel
Bradford. in Eleventh Street near Broad
way. Mr.. Olsen was formerly secretary Of
the alliance, but a year ago, he gave up
the position and separated himself from
the alliance altogether. owing to dissatis-
faction with the methods Of its PRESIDENT
Mr. Olsen said: 1T is quite true that
/ and may of my brother missionaries are
not pleased with the manner in which Mr..
Simpson has handled the funds of the al
lance. We are actuated by no spirit OF
animosity against him, but at the same
time there are some points which shou
and must be cleared up. In all probabIl ty
the courts will be asked to order an ae-
counting In fact the case is now in the
hands of my lawyers.
The Alliance owes me considerable
sum of money for services performed In
the missionary field. l find it impossi-
Bile to recover. l am not the only one
aggrieved The dissatisfaction is wide
spread The alliance has missionaries in
every part of the world. These men toll
hard for the cause, and they expect
little in return. merely enough to support
themselves and their families. Obviously
IL they are not paid. though they may
have the best intentions in the world. they
cannot work In many cases they have
been left in most undesirable positions.
They have been stranded in distant
countries without means to pay their way.
and often have had to run into debt with
the very people to whom they were preach
ing. TGis is obviously not the way to
make the movement respected and to in
crease its influence.
Several missionaries have been left in
this position in Sweden and Norway, and
some have actually been close on a star
vstion.'
Mr. simpsons career as a collector of
money has been of a remarkable and SEN
saticnal character. The most extraordi-
nary scenes have been enacted a. the
meetings over which he has presided, both
in this city and elsewhere. His habit, it
ist said. has been to depict the benighted
condition OF the heather in the most NOV
ing terms, and then to pour forth an
impassioned appeal for aid. The response
has usually been tumultuous. Men and
women have rushed to the platform with
money. watches, chains. and jewelry.
Men have again and again literally givei.
the coats of their backs while women have
torn of their fur capes to aid the same
cause But the largest contributions of all
have been in the way of Il. o. U.s." and
promissory notes the amount of which. at
single meeting, has been known to reach
five figures
Mr. Simpsons home and headquarters is
at Nyack, n. Y, where the Alliance has
built handsome tabernacle for him to
deliver his eloquent discourses in. Some
nave charged that the promissory notes
received by Mr.. Simpson were not good
Tor money. They have even said he had
distributed the notes beforehand among
his followers. Further. it has been charged
that he instructed men and women to de-
liver up their gold watches, shirt pins and
jewelry, all of which were to be duly re-
turned. However absurd these inslnua-
tions might be when put forth against a
minister and orator of the reputation of
Mr.. Simpson, they must have had some in
fluence with the credulous throng. for at
the last meeting which he held at the
Gospel, tent in this city, both the enthusi-
asm and the funds were conspicuous by
their absence.