The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-16
EVILS BEGIN AT HOME
REV. G. r.. STUART TELLS OF GAM
BLING AND DRINKING.
HEARD BY CROWDS OF PEOPLE
REV. SAM JONES AND MRS. JONES
WILL ARRIVE TODAY.

That Gam bIcs Is n inner AT HeArt."
Nominal Members of the Church
Held Up as Devils Decoys"-StOry
of the Educated Turkey, and Its
AppIicatiOn-Many Penitents Went
Forward and Asked for Prayers.
Numbers of Men Voluntarily Prom
Used to Drink No MOre-Rev. Mr..
7 Stuart Thinks 1t "Great Meet
ing"
In the absence Of Rev. Sam Jones, Rev.
| G. r. Stuart preached last night in the
Park. Tabernacle, although he had con-
Quoted both of the other meetings, one
in the morning and the other in the aft
ernon telegram was received from
Rev. Mr.. Jones saying that he had found
Mrs. Jones somewhat improved in health
and that, together, they would reach Sa-
vannah this morning.
! Last nights meeting was almost as
| large in numbers, and certainly quite as
| good in attention and visible results, as
any that have been held during the pres
ent series. Not only was the Tabernacle
completely filled before the service be-
gan. but miscellaneous crowd gathered
| on the outside of the building where,
eight to ten deep, they listened to the
entire service. The section of seats re-
| served for coiored people was filled by s
o'clock, though the service did not be-
gin until sometime after that hour.
| Before beginning the service MIR. Stuart
announced that to-day and on succeeding
days until further notice, the meetings
will be held at 1920 o'clock a. M, at 4:SO
p. m. and at p. m, either himself or
Rev. Mr. Jones conducting them, as the
strength of each and as circumstances
may determine He tod his audience also
| that a minister of Savannah had been dis
cussing with an old member of his church
the results that so far had been accom-
pnshed by the meetings, and had been
told by the old man not to be surprised
as he had hong been praying to God that
the ministers might be given the power to
| accomplish much in Savannah In con-
| Guiding the story Mr. Stuart tod his hear
ers to remember that in Georgia there are
| thousands praying for like result, anu
| in the United States by tens OF thousands
The evangelist announced his text as
| Psalm xci 3: Surely he shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler" and SAID
| that ne was going 10 pISdCll oi tAC NANFS
of the devil in Savannah, and, he contln-
ued I'm a-going to stay at home with
YOU" He then exemplified his text SO
| that there could be no mistaking ITS
| meaning Surely he-that is God-''shaIl
| deliver thee'-that is yourself-from the
snare of the fowler-that is the devil.
Here David has pictured the devil as
a bird catcher, and as / tell you OF your
own life YOU will DE surprised to see how
~ first of these
snares that l mean to talk about is the
decoy" Here Mr.. Stuart gave a most
graphic description of a duck hunt when
he had seen for the first time a decoy
duck used lie and his companions lay In
ambush, he saiu, while the decoy-a
thing of wood and paint had led the
ducks to their doom. He was i'm
pressed, he said, that he has since asked
himself if the devil too, has a trick like
that with which he, likewise draws his
game to its doom. yes" he answered.
"the devil has, and its the nominal MEM
Der of the church covered with ecclesias-
teal paint. but spiritually as dead as
that old wooden auckland Savannah S
full of them.
There's not a vice in the world so
gross that the devil hasn't something like
it in the church. The devil knows that it
won't do to ask a man to take a big
Jump, all at once, and so he leads by easy
graditions, step by step to the lowest
depths-the first step in this downward
grade begins right at the church's door.
Church members will. in a milder form
commit sins that the most absolute man
of the world will. I'd soon be saloon
keeper as to keep wine at home. There S
more danger at the top than there is at
the bottom. There is no Difference in the
worlds ball room and in the social dance
at home. Gambling in a den is no worse
than gambling at home. A young man
or woman can be as low as he or she can
fall and have started that very fall at
home.
Gambling's gambling. What is the
difference between gambling for money
and gambling for things. Why, 1 have
heard of a woman who gambled for
things" cut glass and so forth and
she was for some reason so successful
in winning things that she'd take them
to dealers and sell them-turn them into
cash. What's the difference between that
and gambling for money itself. This town
is noted for its gambling from top to
bottom, and it never will be stopped I'M
til it's stopped in your homes; it starts
there and ends downward.
Hunt out the drunken men and the
gamblers and ask them where they took
their first drink or played their first
4 game and thousands of them will tell
"Occa sionally the devil has for a decoy
colonel, or a major; judge or some
other big Ike in town. Well can tell
you what they are like by telling you a
story-it happened in Merdian-this Is
a big tale and whenever l tell a big one
I'm careful to give name and addresses
so you can verify it. Well, as I was say
ing was in Meridian when friend asked
me IL l wanted to see an educated tur-
key. An educated what said IAN edu-
Gated turkey gobbler. he answered, he's
trained to hunt. They turn him loose
on ridge In the woods and he goes about
gobbling until he calls the wild turkeys
in reach of the hunters gun. Well said,
I've met that same kind all over the
country-Col. Gobbler. and Dr. Cobbler:
Mai. Gobber and Judge Gobbler."
Now | want to tell you something
Same Jones and George Stuart have been
all over this country we know all of its
organizations from top to bottom and
whenever you hear us jump on anything.
although there may be some good men in
II. the institution itself is pulling men to
hell. You may talk of Masonry and of
Odd Fellowship. but you can rest assured
that they are founded on the spirit OF the
teachings of Jesus Christ or they
wouldn't have lasted and nothing can
last that isn't founded on good
Take the club, and God save ms from,