Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-12-29

Dwight L. Moody was born in North.
field, Feb. 8, 1887. He was the sixth of
family of seven sons and two daughters
His mother belonged to the sixth genera
ton of direct descendants of the Holtons,
who helped to found Hartford, Conn. His
father died when Dwight was four years
old, leaving small mortgaged farm as a
legacy to his widow and family, the eldest
child of which was Is years old Mrs
Moody, a Christian woman, early instruct
ed her children in spiritual things, and by
heroic efforts she raised her family. Mr..
Moody attended the village school winters
only, about dozen terms in all. In his
18th year he went 10 Boston, where he was
employed by his uncle, Samuel HoltOn, a
boot and shoe dealer.
The lad agreed to be governed by his
unce's advice, and to attend regularly the
Sunday school and services of Mt. Vernon
Congregational church. His pastor was
the eloquent and learned DR.. K. n. Kirk,
himself successful evangelist. Mr..
Moody was converted through the personal
efforts of Edward Kimball, his Sunday
school teacher. The seed thus sown was
found after many days when Mr.. Moody,
preaching in Boston, converted son of
that very teacher. His bashful shyness
| in the presence of cultured Christians, his
poor command of words in which to ex-
press his thoughts, and his broken, awk-
ward sentences caused his teacher to use
these words concerning him: "He is
very unlikely to become a Christian of
clear and decided views of gospel truth,
still less to fill any extended sphere of pub
lie usefulness" The youth was not &C
cepted into church membership until May,
1856, year after his first application.
! In September of that year he went to
| Chicago and became a salesman in the
shoe trade. He joined the Plymouth Con-
gregational church. He rented four pews
| liz the church, which he kept filled with
young men and boys. Offering to teach a
class in the Sunday school of the church
he was told that there was no vacancy,
but that he could have class If he would
furnish his own scholars. The challenge
was sufficient, and the next Sunday morn
ing he marched into the room at the head
of Is ragged boys, whom he had gathered
from the street. From this beginning he
went TO work as a tract distributor, and
soon set up a mission for himself in the
neglected part of North Chicago, where he
paid the rent of an empty tavern and gath
cred the rude children of the neighbOrhood
forlSunday service, while their incorporate
parents were reached in the evening meet
ing. To a friend he said: 81 have got
only one talent. have no education, but
I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and want
to do something for him" Thirteen years
afterward his friend said: "That same man
shook Scotland to its very centre, and then
when his name was known throughout
the world, his request in a letter was
''Pray for me every day; pray that the
Lord will keep me humble.
The growth of Mr.. Moody's school in
Chicago led to the occupation of North
Market hall, and John B. Farwell became
its superintendent. The attendance wa'
large, reaching 1000 scholars and go teach
ers. For years Mr.. Moody swept and
cleaned the hall on Saturday night after II
had been used until late hour for dane
ing. aud reduced his own expenses by do
ing without home, sleeping on bench
in a room of the Young Mems Christian
association, an organization which wa'
founded in 1888, as the result of a re
viyal, and which Mr.. Moody was one of thu
first to join.
Ever since that time Mr.. Moody ha(
been connected with evangelical work
and II was soon after the revival mention
ed that Mr.. Moody gave up his business
life and gave his entire time to mission
work. He told his friends his plans ant
one of them ask him how he was going II
live. He said: "Gcd will provide, and
shall keep on until am obliged to stop
This resolution was never broken, although
Mr.. Moody never received salary or en-
gagged in business speculation, aside from
| 2. a" 4.