The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-24
PEOPLE IN A GOSPEL TENT.
TARIED ASSEWBLAGES AT MR.. PR4TT'S
BROADW1Y MISSION.

Ranging from Shopgirls to TenderIoin
sporting Men-How Order Is Maintained
Interest in the Meetings-The Talks.
While some preachers may be disputing. even
| to the thousandth part of hairs breadth. over
questions OF doctrine there Is one place where
the work OF saving soulslin the old-fashioned
way is steadily going on. This 10 the Gospel
| Tent at Fifty-sixth street and Broadway.
| where S. Hartwel Pratt. revvalst and evangc-
! list conducts his services every night. On
| either side Of the platform. from which he adj
dresses the crowds that come there nightly.
stands n banner. Ono bears the inscription.
The Old Book" the other The Old Faith"
| They embody the spirit OF the meetings.
| Within those limts-and they are wide enough
| for almost any man-al are welcome to come
| and Join In the worship.
| When the idea Of holding tent meetings in
the summer was broached by Mr.. Pratt his
| friends thought that it wouldn't be a success.
| In summer places by the seaside or in the
| mountains 1t was very well. they said. but
| when hot weather came in the city people
wouldn't 60 to hear preaching oven on sun
| days and many Of the churches closed UP.
those that kept open having but handful Of
| worshippors every Sunday. from which they
argued that any attempt to hold meetings
| every night would DO simply to court failure.
| Mr.. Pratt didn't think SO.
People who can get away to the summer re-
sorts" said he, have time to go to church and
| think Of their souls What want Is to get at
| the people who don't have time to get away
! and think OF anything else but tho days labor
! and the nights sleep. and this Is the place to
get them. If they are to be got anywhere"
so the tent was put up. small organ was put
! in. arrangements were made to get speakers
| to come and address the people and the work
! began. The results showed that Mr. Pratt was
| right and his in fri ", q
| there assemblies in that tent every evening n
| crowd larger than any church in this city
| habituay gathers in its Sunday Congregations.
| On Sunday afternoons and evenings the great
| tent is crowded to its utmost capacity. and on
| other evenings an attendance OF 1000 persons
is not considered by any means out OF the ordi-
| nary. The services are simple and such as all
| may Join in. and. as rule all do Join most
heartily. 1t cannot be said that he low. spread
ing tent with the high board fence around it is
the most comfortable place imaginable on a
| hot. close night, but the fact remains that the
| people come and they stay there through the
two hours of service. packed in SO close that it
Is difficult to move. but all apparently entirely
content with their surroundings.
| 1t would be difficult to find any where a more
| curiously assorted audience than IS to be
| found any night under the big canvas. 1t is
| not in the least like any church congregation:
|
| Just as they were without waiting to dress up
| and in the second place because Of the very
| considerable proportion OF men. though even
| here they are somewhat outnumhered by the
| women. One very warm evening recently u
| Sun reporter attended one OF Mr. pratts meet
| ings, and getting there early stood at the en-
| trance watching the people they went in
and trying to draw some conclusion az o the
| character Of the gathering. There was no con-
|
| there was no homogeneity In the audience and
/ that 1t was made up OF every sort and condition
| OF men aud women In fifteen minutes watch
| ing at the door some idea Of the nature Of the
| crowd was gained. and 1t cannot be expressed
more definitely. perhaps, than ~ an account
no other means Of Judging them than their mp
pearance and such snatchcs Of conversation is
Gonps w yonSs sT S Il 70 % years
2T!d, Sam net t re s iour or Axe in gr0ur
dressed and and they MADE ,S
| way to the seats without n id from the ushrrs
as il they were accustomed to the place. laugh
| ing and chatterlng as they went AS soon as
the meeting opened 1t was easy to see that
each Of those groups was centre in the sing
Music 9s much as anything Else hat brought
them there. a Young couple under 30 came
seemed to be reluctant. II" was good-look-
ing fellow. apparently Of the skille mechanic
eass. put his face was red and pulled as II
There are lots Of those couples come here,
| SilIl uu uSleI VINO Stppl near inc reporter. II
she can get him here two or three nights
week she can pull him away from the drink
| 1t only makes the man sury and scares him
away TO be noticed"
Close after this rnir tottered two very old
women, who were taken by an usher to seats
far forward Then came weIl-drrss"d young
muatto with colored girl OF, his arm and
| futtered in. and thenItwo very young COUPLES.
chattcrtng and tee heeing and chewing gum.
uron whom the usher, turned by no means
welcoming visage. but that didn't disturb them
at all: and they found seats where they sutse-
| they we're threatened with expulsion. A mid
| dle-aged man came down the incline from the
street with sight stagGer. The usher at tbs
I'm all right !" said the man. Don't turn
me away Eye been drinking; | know. but
We'll take your word for it, said the usher
| as he took the man to seat.
crowd of btcyrlists. who found places for their
wheels on thu, terrace beside the tent; then
| characteristic fashion OF the Tcnderon,. and
looking half hrazen. hall -abashed, until an
| places without any sign that they were diff
| ierent In any way from tn" rest Of the congre-
fconc =" the . sort that on" sees myw Where
| on the streets hocked in in almost unhrokrn
lines then came i1 an infiyiduai out Of b" ordt-
white yachting suit, Of flannel. He took seat
at ,hs side and didn't seem to be conscious
men Of the upmistakahle style of sports
| stopped outside the door and hesltatcd.
| Come on in said the larger Of the two.
| 1T won hurt you any. and the singing's all
| right. We can buck the other games later on.
| but this isn't an al!-night show"
| WELL said mis- companion. a little dapper
| fellow. douhtiully. If they come along tho
| aisle looking for my soul ri be pretty sore. |
don't want to be made show Of
That's al right there isn't any Of that
| You're lust as safe here as you ould be rlay-
ing the wheel Nobody is going to Interfere
| with you"
As they went in the usher said to tho re-
| porter: I'd like TO know who those two are.
| one OF them was here last week.
| The reporter. who knew both men by sight,
| explained that the big man was we'll known
gambler and hacker of the prize ring and the
| other Jockey.
| Anything goes here" said the usher. smi.-
! ing. don't suppose there's half AZ much
harm in those fellows as n man lik" me might
| think. who doesn't know anything about them.
| Our large friend there put 50 bin in tho plate
| last week
Not qu!te everything goes, however. at these
| meetings, as two young touGhN discovered