Evening star., 1899-03-18

in range of her voice merely out OF curl
osity were seen to hunch up closer and
closer to the rear-end of the wagon, until
they formed part of the solid circle of her
hearers. She spoke only for an hour or So
and she probably had the largest throng of
all the street evangelsts during her ad-
dress.
OId-Fashioned Methods.
The pedestrians, who again resumed their
way westward from the rear end Of this
notably clever woman preachers wagon,
found themselves part of another throng
at the corner of 18th street and the avenue.
Here was a black-covered wagon covered
with extraordinary, white-painted signs,
which at a distance might have been taken
for signs of the zodiac. Upon a nearer ap-
proach, however. they were seen to be
quotations from Scripture, literally inter-
spersed with crosses, the whole forming
somewhat difficult tumble to decipher An
elderly man and two elderly women occu-
pied this wagon and spoke alternately
Then they sang gospel hymns by turns
and in unison. The addresses of all three
OF this wagons occupants were of the old
fashioned order and they We're filled with
somewhat dreadful pictures of the wrath
that is to surely come for evil doers. A
number of sodden-loOkng men who looked
as If they might belong to the genus hobo
apparently found the talk proceeding from
the rear end Of this cart trif1e too hot
to handle, for they wers observed to take
up their slouchng. hopeless gafts in little
or time after dismaily haiting to listen.
An DID, whte-bearded man. who looked
II life had rot dealt kindly with him, re-
manned within close range of tbs speak
ers on this wagon for fifteen minutes or
so, in order to give audible approval to
their remarks.
That's the way to talk!'' he shouted
at the end of their sentences "Give it to
EN-! Talk hell-fire to themi That's what
we were raised on, and we're all the better
for it! Religion is being mads too easy
for the rising generation! They are begin
ming to look upon religion an institution
devised for the display of their toggery!
Preach the fate of the damned to them.''
Life's PeriIous Voyage.
The aforementioned coiored preacher at
the weird fountain had concluded his after
Moons laborings by this time, and his sta
ton was Immediately taken by the evan
gelist-familar on our streets for a num-
Der of years past-who employs a large
chart for the presentation of soma of his
spoken arguments. This street evangelist
is an elderly man with a wonderful flow
OF language, which, however occasion
ally becomes involved owing to the ex-
treme length of his sentences. He, too,
takes the harder view of religion, and his
speech Is sprlnkled with descriptions of the
l1e TO come for offenders against the Word
that were noticed to have a palpably terri
lying effect upon the numerous elderly COL
ored men within the circle of listeners
painted in white full-rigged shin standing
upon somewhat uneven keel heaved to
on the bosom of an obviously painted ocean
beneath the snip are various scriptural
quotations, and below these are sundry and
divers warnings portraying the disaster
that awaits those who do not get aboard
the right ship for their yovape across The
ocean of life.
While this preacher was addressing his
open-air congregation, a man drove up to
the corner OF pennsylvania avenue and Tth
street IN a sulky, with pretty clippersh-
looking trotter attached thereto Hanging
from the rear of the sulky was big black
painted placard, bearing white-painted
warnings to sinners in sizable letters. The
driver of the sulky turned the vehicle about
so that the placard could be read by pass
ers-by, and he remained at that corner for
ten or fifteen minutes, not alighting from
the sulky Then he clucked his horse, went
down to the corner of 9th street again
turned about his sulky so the placard could
NIL the view of onlookers, and repeated this
performance at most of the street corners
up and down Pennsylvania avenue. never
saying a word himself
Two Sweet Singers.
When the wagon of the preacher, who
was arrested later on in the evening for
obstrucung the streets, made its ap-
pearance the big thoroughfare was throng-
ed almost as upon gala occasions, and
the service that proceeded on the wagon
had fully thousand passing attend
ants at one time. They were drawn
by the singing of the two lads the elder Of
whom, lad of about fifteen, sang in singu-
larly beautiful and appealing soprano tones.
Many boy soprano" has been heard on
the stage during recent years with voice
not to be compared with the tones produced
by this delicate-looking son of an evangel-
ist. His music was actual treat. He
sang number of hymns adapted to ballad
airs of the day, and 1t would be difficult
to OyereStim3te the effectiveness baa31f,r
of his singing. His brother a younger boy
with a voice hardly less sweet in quality
occasionally joined in with an alto, and then
sang alone. The father of the two lads
did the preaching, which was of no particu-
lar eloquence, and appealed to his listeners
chiefly on account of his very apparent
earnestness. The passing congregation,
mellowed by the sweetness of the two lads
singing, remained to listen to the fathers
preaching, and many Of them followed the
wagon around to the different stands to
which it was driven at the direction Of the
police. 1t was noticeable. though, that the
crowd around the wagon was largest when
the boys were singing.
None Name 1t but to Praise.
Previous to the assembling Of the big
throngs around this wagon, however, the
Salvation Army had begun well-attended
open-air service at that favorite spot near
the unspeakable fountain on the corner of
7th street The time has long since passed
IN this country when even the cheap wits
feel it safe to publicly level their shafts
at the out-of-doors service Of the Saliva
ton Army. The admirable work that has
been done and that is being done by the
organization has come to be a familiar
story to thinking people, and whatever may
be the exhibited personal idiosyncracieS of
some Of the members of the army, none but
the most careless-minded persons now
name 1t but to praise. The singing at the
7th street corner was conducted by a man
with a cornet, out of which he got some
good notes. The talking was done in the
usual perfervid, exceedingly earnest manner
by number of women members of the
army, one of whom, a remarkably pretty
young girl. did surely display an extraordi-
nary resemblance to Edna May, the young
woman who originally did the Salvation
Army lassie's part in 1.-The Belle of New
York"
The Salvation Army's service was still
going on when the big, well-known gospel
wagon, filed with well-known church
workers from numerous congregations
drove up to a stand near by and began its
regular weekly service, with a large crowd
around it.
LESE MAJESTE.
Co Trs4