Evening star., 1899-03-18


were out in such
force that at a number Of street corners
along Pennsylvania avenue the crowds of
halted strolers were almost as dense as
the throngs that commonly assemble be-
fore bulletin boards when the returns Of an
election or the results Of prize fight by
rounds are coming in. The news columns
of The Star on Monday last told of the
rest, along toward 10 o'clock on Sunday
night of one of these rear-step exhorters,
around whose wagon, even at that late
hour so huge a crowd was assembled that
the police could no longer close their eyes
to the ordinance (Which is usually permitted
to rest imperative in the cases of the street
preachers) that prohibits the obstructing of
streets. This particular preacher {who was
assisted in his work by his wife and a pair
of young lads, his sons, whose singing was
certainly not the least attractive feature
of the open-air service) was the only one
of the many avenue eXhorters who prolong-
ed the open-air religious work to so late an
hour. The others, for the most part, had
finished their Sabbath day labors by sun
down. although the gospel wagon which has
been stationed at the 7th street intersection
of Pennsylvania and Louisiana avenues for
many years past was in evidence at this
spot until close on to the od-time hour for
curfeW-9 o clock.
The street evangelists rarely begin their
Sunday work until after the hour of me-
ridian for even on the most beautiful Sun
days there is only the merest scattering of
pedestrians on Pennsylvania avenue during
the morning hours. The lIde of Sunday
travel during the ante-meridian period is
all toward the churches, and there are no
churches on downtown PENNSYLVANIA ave-
nue.. The stay-at-homes-that is the people
who do not regularly attend any church
seem TO postpone their appearance on
parade in the downtown district until the
afternoon is we'll under way-better until
after dinner
Collecting the Congregation.
1t is odd to watch the itinerant preacher
IN the act of setting about his work
and the gradual assembling Of his au-
dience The first of the street evangelists
to make his appearance on Sunday last was
colored man. 1t was about the hour of
half-past 2. He took up his station about
twenty feet to the southwark of that weird
drinking fountain (Which is not unlike
Buddhistic shrine, lacking only the sitting
image beneath the canopy at the corner
OF pennsylvania avenue and 7th street
Inc preacher was bulky fcolored man. not
aItogether black, whose countenance indi-
Gated Intelligence and plenty of shrewdness.
he was pretty comfortably clad, wearing
broadcloth frock coat mot essentially
ministerial in cut, black overcoat and a
glossy top nat. The space upon which he
took up his stand was quite vacant when
he took off his hat, mopped his forehead
and looked around him for listeners The
TIDE OF Pennsylvania avenue pedestrianism
was Just about beginning to dribbe. Stand
ing on the corner curbstone, about sixty
feet away from the stand of the preacher
were dozen or SO of men who looked like
artisans, summing themselves with their
hahds IN their pockets. These watched the
colored preacher curiously before he began
10 speak. They did not offer to get within
reasonable distance of his voice. however
90 ne hegan without any hearers. He had
ike a man used to public speaking He
used no Bible text, but just went ahead and
talked ABOUT the pleasure, content and hap
Pihess good people have, and the invariable
misery that falls to the lot Of the roysterer
the evil thinker and the religiousiy indiffer-
ent. The man used good English, and
While he seemed to be very decidedly in
earnest, there was none Of the impassioned
characterized the colored exhorter Of other
days, In his manner Of address. Reduced
to phrase BE good and you'll be
happy, was what he said, and he said it
most eHectiVely. He spoke for fully five
minutes before he had a single listener at
close range. The artisans over on the
street corner. though, appeared to have
eneir e ears cooked for his remarks, for they
ceased their conversation among them
selves and gazed in the direction Of the
preacher. Then four or five coored men,
pas phassersDy, strolled up within ten feet of
eneo ene evangelist. va He recognized their pres
ence by a nod of his head, but went right
on with his talk. Then two or three of the
artlsans ar slouched, somewhat shamefaced-
~, toward the preacher and leaned up
against the weird fountain In LISTENING, at
titudes Then a swagger-dressed connie
youhs people who had the indefinable air
OF strangers within our gates, pulled up
ana ana walked over to the little circle around
the preacher.
An Open Air Sermon.
Inc presence within the circle of the
"eil-ciad couple seemed to give courage
70 otner couples who had previously been
Simply stopping for a half minute OF so
listening to the evangelist's sermon at long
rafge. A number of these couples Joined
the circle, and then the speaker had quite
a little audience Well-dressed men, stroll
ing along the avenue alone, or in pairs and
tr+os, then began ito halt when they heard
uhe Well-delivered words Of the exhorter,
and then they walked over to the outlying
TANKS of the circle, probably out of GU
IIosfty 10 see the speaker. These were in
their turn henmed in by all sorts and con-
ul.lons OF people. who were simply attract
ed by the crowd, and, about ten minutes
after he began his address, the colored
preacher had a congregation Of fully 200
persons The places of those departing
After speaking for half ali hour, the preach
er announced prayer, and the hat of
every man, white and black, came off. At
tne conciusdon of the prayer, which was a
the evangelist passed around his top hat
ana when he had finished his collection
there was a contests able largesse in the
bottom OF It, Then. with the nucleus of his
crowd e,s SUI remaining with him, he resumed
his preaching % 2rH
A Woman Preacher.
Meanwhile, many of the pedestrians who
TOOK their way westward after stopping to
hear some Of the sermon Of the preacher
near the Buddhistic shrine that only lacks
the sitting image were halted at the cor
ner of sth street by the sound of clarion
clear womans voice. Glancing in the di-
rection whence the voice proceeded, they
saw g. neatly-painted, covered wagon at
the corner of Sth street and Market space.
up forward in the wagon cover was win
dow on either side, daintily-arranged Swiss
curtains screening them within. 1t was
such wagon as the writers of the Georgia
period describe as having been employed
by the perambulating English players for
their wanderings among the shrines.
Standing in the rear of the wagon was an
exceedingly weGl-favored, light-hued col
ored woman, neatly dressed in black. with
white collar and cuffs. Her voice was of
actual bell-like sweetness, and yet of ex-
traordinary penetrative powers. She ex-
h1bited none of the peculiarities of the Afro
American method of speech. Any one OF
her listeners could ha va closed his ewes and