The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-17
A SUNDAY IN ZION.
The Wrath and Language of John AL
 exander DoWie

1 nave been made agalnSJ hlm during the
 last week and to listen to his much-ad-
 vertised denunciation of the Chicago newspapers. From three o'clock until
 eight the great majority of the Zion ists sat about him in the big amphithea- ! ter, stood up when he gave the signal | obeyed every questioning infection of l his voice and listened with every mark | or approval and reverence to a mixture
 of blasphemy, scurrility and melodra- matic climaxes.
 ] If Dowieism is the cancer that it is tion of yesterday gave evidence that 1t | would be well not to underestimate the
 extent to which 1t has grown. | Fully thousand men and women, to outward appearance intelligent and
 self-respecting, after shouting acquies- 1 cence in the statements of their leader all the afternoon, reached the climax
 to which the general overseer" skill fully led them on and together openly l defled the representatives of the law to
 do their worst
 | It was near the close of his long talk | that this scene occurred. And now" | said Dowie, "I come to my supreme test. Every one in this place who has been healed by faith in Jesus will stand up.
 Over a thousand people among the
 audience rose.
 Did heal you all?"
 "No!" came every voice in unison.
 Did Jesus heal you?" "Yes."
 Are you willing to take the responsi- bility of dying without the aid of a doctor?"
 Yes"
 "Now, you vile dogs of the press" continued Dowie, fix your basilisk eyes on these, my people, who do not repre- sent one-tenth of all of us. You, MT. Traeger, and you, MT. States Attorney Deneen, I want you to understand that here are thousands of intelligent edu- cated men and women who know their rights, and by the grace of God will maintain them. They have a leader in whom they trust, and they will follow me In my fight against your filthy min ions now and always. Will you?
 "Yes" they shouted, waving hand kerchiefs, clapping hands and waving their arms.
 He repeated the question three times, and each time the answer came back louder than ever: Yes yes, yesl"
 Then he ordered them back into their seats with an imperious sweep of his arm.
 Dowie was not permitted to go through with his day of triumph over his enemies" as he styled it, without interruption. Twice men were removed by a dozen of the ushers for attempt ing to denounce him.
 Once when several women rose to leave in the middle of one of the utter anees of which he was guilty, Dowie and screamed:
 That's right. Look at these vile re- porters, my people. They write lies about me, but they dare not sit and listen while I fay the flesh from their backs. Go, you wretches!"
 One of the women, half way down the aisle, turned and faced him: We are leaving" she said, because no self woman could sit unmoved
  whipping post ought to be established for such as you You outrage all sense of decency!"
 The doctor" turned white and stood pointing and hissing at the speaker till she was out of the building. There were no other interruptions. The mem- bers of Zion had been drilled, and took their masters cue at every opportunity. At brief intervals he lifted up his hands and appealed to them to bear and almost before the words were out of his mouth came the united shout of approval.
 The choir of three hundred. composed | for the most part of little children and young girls, sat and listened smilingly | to language that shocked grown women. | Elders Speicher and Piper were on | either side of their leader and filling | the front rows of the galleries were the | seventy" the heads of the various de- | partments and deaconesses of Zion, all | ,n hand to share in the triumph and | hear their leaders "vindication."
 As was to be expected, a man of ! Dowie's resourcefulness could not fail | to turn to profit the presence of such arge and enthusiastic audience. Two were taken up, the second | ,ne, as announced "to try to help swell the first" When Dowie retired n the middle of the programme to take off his robes, Overseer Piper tiptoed nysterously on to the stage and after asking in a whisper if all the doors were tightly closed, took the congrega- ion into his confidence and told them hat a present was to be given to the general overseer on the occasion of the Wenty-fifth anniversary of his mar iage, and that those present would be Illowed as a special favor to subscribe. So, while Dowie was waiting in back oom the collection boxes were passed ound for the third time.
 When Dowie began to speak he prom sed his audience that it was about time o listed to "a death-dealing blow from which, by Gods help, the accursed ress of Chicago will never recover" Before getting into his subject he re- eated this threat several times and | fter a long, rambling talk concerning he general character of the charges hat had been brought against him, ntered into his subject. He characterized as a wicked lie the | tatement that he had left Australia in isgrace, and said that in every big city , here he had been overwhelmed with onors before his departure, one of I hese being an offer from Sir Henry { la rlyas premier ef New SOuLl Wales. I ,