The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-19
TOLD OF SAM JONES.

t0G0 VI SHFt JONESs
After the services at the Tabernacle a
night or two ago a policeman approached
Rev. Sam Jones and offered to escort
him to his hotel.
II think 1t advisable for an officer to
accompany you Mr.. JONES' said the
blue coat, "as the temperature of your
assertions may have aroused the wrath
of your critics"
my friend" said the evangelist I'm
not afraid of any man on earth or devil
In hell. I don't want any protection"
A Cotton Exchange man was asked the
other day what the members think OF
Rev. Sam Jones.
His severest critics are those who
have not heard him." was the reply. For
myself, I have attended several of the
night meetings, and a result my for
mer ideas of Mr.. Jones have been modi-
fed. Like many others l thought the
meetings would be more for entertain
ment than a factor for good. 1t seems
to me that any fair-mlnded person would
indorse such utterances as he has made
so far. Everybody hears something which
does not set well on their stomachs, but
II must be borne in mind that the speak
er is addressing himself to a congrega-
ton composed of classes that warrant
him In adopting as many different styles
and methods to suit"
The two met in a downtown square
and began talking about Sam Jones.
What do you think OF him, anyway"
queried the reporter of a man who hadn't
warmed a church seat in years.
Jones is all right. He said some
things, though, that thought could have
gone unsaid. While I'm not a psalm
singer, I claim some good qualities, and
one is love for my family. Jones talked
about love for his family when 1 heard
him last, and that touched me to the
heart. That sermon lined me up in the
Jones column, and became interested"
From this the man related verbatim a
pathetic story told by Mr.. Jones. With
the warmth and earnestness born of con-
viction, he was beginning to disclose IA
cial evidences of the touching effects of
Mr.. Jones story, when he turned abrupt
ly on observing an incident nearby:
well, did you see that blank blank
| blankety blank? - him, IL l were IN
reach Ia break his blankety blank head"
After cooling down, the man realized
| the abruptness of his change from pathos
to profanity. 'T'd give Sam Jones 81, 600 to
stop my swearing. You see 1 broke loose
here before l hardly knew 1t. I'm full of
| cuss words. and when see anything like
| that over yonder go to cussin' Yes, I'm
going out to hear Sam tonight"
Some years ago Mr.. Jones held a re-
| vival UP in Tennessee-at Knoxville. The
| meetings were held two males from town
at a park owned by the street railway
| company. Considering the disadvantages
| there, the meetings were very successful.
Before they were closed, however, the
good people OF that bailiwick learned what
| Mr.. Jones thought OF those who didn't
even care to help bear the expense of the
| meetings AS is frequently the case,
the incandescent lights strung to the trees
began dancing and Pickering about the
| time the speaker was warming UP in his
appeal. Added to this the collection was
small, some had contributed almost moth
| ing and many less. When the receipts
| were announced Mr.. Jones advanced to
| the front of the platform, braced his right
| shoulder against the corner post of the
platform and began Smelling the crowd.
He wondered what such a crowd expected
OF a preacher. If the whole gang had
been taken by the heels, he said, and
shaken upside down only scattering pen
MES and pocket knives would have come.
| with MIR. Jones on his present trip Is
| a gentIemanly little fellow who followed
| the evangelist thousands OF miles before
| it was discovered that he was part and
parcel OF the evangelist's party. This
| man sells the song books but at that time
| he was only handling pictures of Mr..
Jones, which found ready sale among Mr..
| Jones' thousands Of admirers all over the
country. He sells both pictures and
books now and between the two finds the
profits enough 10 keep him going.
'They say Mr.. Jones Is a money-grab-
ber," he said. "If he Is he has never
asked for any share OF the proceeds of
my sales, though he could have legiti-
mately charged me for this privilege II he
had chosen TO-"
Are any OF these song books returned
and money asked for at the close Of the
meetings.
Yes, occasionally. Sometimes a half
dozen books are bought for one family.
and when the meetings close they return
all but one or two"
'Is this Savannah meeting an unusually
large one?"
mo; all Sam Jones meetings are large.
| have never yet seen a Jones meeting
a failure, and never expect TO see one.
les success everywhere he goes. Mr..
Jones understands the people and he soon
makes them understand him. Thenceforth
it's all right"
This is why one man won't so to hear
| Mr. Jones:
Grant that should attend Jones
meeting, during which l might desire to
retire. Suppose that on my way out I
| .ha,,ld ho fnauited nv Mr.. Jonpa shouting