The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-13
M00DY'S LIFE, BY HIS son.
NEW IMPORTATION ABOUT THE
EVANGELIST'S CAREER.
His sense OF Humor shown In Practical
Jokes when n Boy-A Successful Business
Man before lie Became an Evangelist
"Reminiscences Of Ills Religious Work.

-Geminisceuces Of His Religious work.
The volume of "reminiscences OF Dwight l..
Moody by his son. william X Moody. which has
Just been published by the Fleming II, Revell
Company, supplies a lot Of information about
the evangelist that has not before found its
way into print. Many incidents ure given OF
Mr.. Noody's life before he took up the busi-
ncss-for IL was nothing else, apparently.
In his own opinion than Il busiHess-oi making
converts 10 Christianity. That Moody was
once n successful a salesman Of shoes as he
became Inter n preacher IN not familiar To
those who have not particularly interested
themselves in the work which he spent the
greater part Of his life doing. He began his
Ike away from home with the ambition to make
10000. lie was well on his way to achieve
hi' purpose when II became clear TO Inn that
his duty was the saving OF sinners, He turned
his back on n salary Of 5000 n ycaf and began
his cnreer IA IN evangelist without any deilnit"
idea how the work or his personal needs wer"
10 be cared for, farther than that the Lord
would provide. lie lived in lair comfort from
that time on. except TINT h. always insisted on
overworkiny himself. But nothing ever dis
cournged him or hurt him so much as the in
situations Of cynical people. which frequently
came to his notice, that he was making money
on his own account out Of his spiritual activity.
II appears from the memoirs prepared by
his son that Mr., Moody was not one OF whom
II may b. said that he was set apart and con-
secrated rom his earliest youth for the labors
Of his later life. lie war the son Of plain New
England work people. His ialher was a stone
mason. His name when he was baptized was
Dwight Lyman Rythcr, but the r"ighbor who was
hon0r"i by tn" bsstowing OF the name liyther
on the baby did not give u present to the child,
according 10 the custom OF thr tine. and the
Moody, were 80 much hurt by The omission that
they dropped the name before the individual to
whom il belonged had any use for it.
His mother was lei, a widow when Dwight
was a very small boy, She brought rp her
children with a due regard for the traditional
value OF the birch a. a means TO righteousness
The writer Of the memoirs quotes MIR. Moody
as saving about his whippincs: Mother
would send me out for a stick and ] thought |
could fool her and get a dead one. But she
would snap the stick and tell me 10 get another.
She was rarely in a hurry and certainly never
was when she was whipping me. Once ! told
her that the whipping did not hurt at all. !
never had occasion to tell her SO again, for
she put it on SO that it did hurt" That the
boy deserved the whippings is established
in great snflciency by the traditions of his
boyish inclination toward mischief which are
written in the book The following extract
relates one or two of them;
The Closing Exercises IN the di triCt school
WIS an event Of great local importance to the
younger element and Dwight VAS not the
6 S9y,s to lev ~ p c,sm ..,Gh an On oI dSS mix for 0Gco ssme
he was 10 give as n recitation Mark Artonv's
recitation over Julius Cesar aud 70 add, AZ
was supposed TO the dramatic cfact, intro.
| dlppd "a -fnnl hoy IN rnf resent the PONln M
the illu,trious dead. The Teachers desk
served as a bier upon which ~ rested, and
as the sloquoncc of the orator found added
expression the I'D Of the box was knocked
off ard out jumped a very frightened old tom.
ca, Tis -cene that follow.d had Just ths
aimed at, for though The, stones Of Rome did
not rise, every animate being in the room did.
Even simpler tricks delighted him. Once
in his wagon, Dwieh'. vho was then working
on the farm, intending, indeed. to 60 homo in
that very wagon, waited only until the lug
SO That their sudden jump unseated the driver.
who fell back into the bottom OF the wagon
unable 70, rise and equally unwilling 70 re,
lInuuish the jug. which would have drenched
him had he taken il from his lips,
DIV ght's busy hand and brain were al.
ways occupied and he wanted TO see others
busy, TOO. In his younger DAYS he seemed
10 love the excitement Of a crowd and once
when an unusually. uneventtul winter had
dragged by he decided that ',oln"thing must
] I've NV HIS Nv "lhi-'A e N'I'
/ ference with any one, not daring 10 trust hs
dearcgt irI"rd. Writing oGi an announce:
m"nt for a TEMPERANCE meeting to be addressed
by an ont-of-town lecturer. he posted II on
the district schoolhouse door. On the oven.
ing announced there was quite n gathering NJ tho
schoolhou--. which was warmed and lighted,
i%s ~ %' WITH The p Others saaooldrdP ' t6a %rrac, pipdI
Joker. whom no one could discover"
William, T. Mo1dy. draw from th.se n.
q conclusion that II was his fathers Irresistible
scnsc Of humor that made hin so successful
in later wears in dealing with men. Another
in which he wa. cmrloved was a cobblor.
One day in his absence, soyr the memoirs.
Young Moody with a shRrp knife made : clean
Sit in the leather seat Of The c%obhlcr's box.
Then taking n nan Of water he sct Il under
tho box so that the cobhlCr's weight would
bring the seat in contact with The water. Nh'ch
Of course would rise through tho, cit. Hay
ing act this trap. the Joker awaited the result.
Presently the cohhler came in and sat down,
The. victim took his seat only to iurnp up hlr;
I riedly. but as soon ns the leather was relieved
Of he weight tho hole closed. and nfter win.
ing IN" seat dry again he again seated himself
or Sonrth time that he discovered the trouble
ard MOODY had to make a hurried oscare"
Another characteristic, dwclt upon q some
length in the book was the Young mans encr-
gv as a salesman. he was rs devoted 10 the
interests Of his employer rs later ne was de-
voted to the eail which he felt he had received
11bIl Nfll III u wv A'NhN ~ - 80 AAAAAN
into practices which those who are familiar
with conditions in BAXTER street and Park. row
would hardly eYpect to find IN the life of one
who was 10 become n CHRISTIAN evangelist,
He was not satisfied. sHNs his Sun, "to follow
! tho ordinary methods Of the snlrsm0n. md like
tho merchants Of old he cried his wares before
the door and actual, went out into the street 10
persuade unintercstcd passers-hy hat they
wanted 10 buy. Nothing delighted him 30 much
rs success Of this kind, and that he had many Is
not surprising"
! His uncle's mothods o, carrying on the shoe
business were altogether too slow for Mr.
Moody. and he went out 10 Chicago 70 find
broader opportunities. He soon found EN-
nloyment there In WiswHlls shoe store. His
remarkable success brought about his uromo-
ton 10 be q drummer for the establishment
na found no difficulty. he used 10 say. In keep-
ing his dnrds as n drummer in harmony with his
rrofes,ion Of CHRISTIANITY which he had ALREADY
made. and his Sunday school work, 10 which he
had devoted himself with much energy. some
times he had to be, as his sons say. reannrcefil,
One time he was sent to collect a bill from a
creditor Of his firm who was slIsneCted OF bong
on the verge OF b~ankruptcv. The law in that
day WINS such that the only recourse 10 be had in
such caScS was 10 be the first Of tue creditors 70
have a collector in the field Moody discovered
on The train on which he was hurryinC 10 the
man from a rival house apparently hCNt on the
same errand. Moody 5 religious principles were
such that he could not conscientiolSlr travel on
SUNDAY. and he knew the other man had no
| such compunctions Moody knew that he could
not reach his destination before. SUNDAY and
| had planned to spond SUNDAY somewhere on the
| road. He persuaded his rival 70 co for q drive
with him al q station NJ which they had 10 wait
for al hour or two for n connecting tram. and
80. a. n,alTA hiyn tniaG tho tTnNn Than