News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-03-20
CHAPTER VI.
A MEMORABLE NIGHT.

A MEMORABLE NIGHT.
The Salvation Army hall was an OLD
storage room which had once been used
for miners supplies. 1t seated about
100 people. There was very little fur
niture in it except the wooden chairs
and two box stoves, one at either end.
A flag was draped across one corner.
There was a platform about two feet
above the floor where the army was
taking up it's position for the meeting
as Stuart entered.
Although many Of the miners had
gone over to De Mott that day in antic1-
patton of the excitement when the new
men came in, there was still a large
number of men in Champion. The hall
was crowded. Not place was left for
standing room except at the rear near
the door and the aisle which by COM
mon practice was left open for converts
to march down and kneel at the altar.
The man with the big drum was sta
toned out at the end of the platform
and had difficulty to find room enough
to swing his arm as hard as he wanted
to, and once during the evening as he
flung his drumstick back to bang his
instrument on a halleluiah chorus he
struck one Of the interested spectators
who was leaning eagerly forward q
good, smart blow on the nose. This in
cident created little confusion, but it
was soon quoted.
Stuart was intensely interested in the
meeting as it progressed. He was ia
miliar with the outdoor meetings, and
he had seen the army in it's great gath
erings in London, but he was in con-
dition himself at this particular time,
in his own personal history and expe-
rience, to feel peculiar and special in
terest in this particular meeting.
He was sitting about six rows from
the front and next to the aisle, where
he could see everything distinctly. The
audience was mostly men, though sew
eral of the miners wives and some of
the younger women were scattered
about in the crowd. The service start
ed with vigorous solo and chorus.
The major, large, fine faced English
man, with a voice that shook the win
dows, started in with the song,
was deep dyed sinner,
Just deep as / could be,
and the army came in with rafting
chorus to the Bowery tune of Swim
Gut, OGradyw The verse and chorus
ran like this:
was a deep dyed sinner,
Just as deep as l could be;
But praise God for salvation,
Today know Pm free
have Gods smile upon me now;
OF hell have no fears.
When the devil comes and tempts me,
Why, l whisper in his ears
CHORUS.
Get out, Mephistol
/ have no use for you.
I'm a soldier in the army,
And to Jesus I'll be true.
Pm fighting meath the colors,
The yellow, red and blue.
Get out, old devil, get out!
There were five verses, the last one
concluding the second or final chorus
as follows:
A word about the collection,
For we want a good one sure;
The devil often tells me
That to give l am too poor,
Which makes go down deeper
When the timbre comes my way,
And my action brings blessing sure
And helps me when say:
SECOND CHORUS.
Get out, old devil!
K I've lost my love for you.
I'm a soldier in the army,
And to Jesus I'll be true.
Pm fighting meath the colors,
The yellow, red and blue.
Get out, old devil, get Quit
1t would be impossible to describe
the effect of this song on the audience
The Cornish people were great lovers
of music. Before the stalwart SOLOS
had finished two verses of the son!
nearly every foot in the audience anC
there was not a light foot in it, wa
beating time on the hard board floor
and at the conclusion of the third vers
nearly every person in the hall wa
roaring out the words of the choru
with the army, although they had no
been invited to sing on this particula
selection.
The army did not seem in the leas
disturbed, however. 1t would TAX
more than a slight incident like tina
to disturb the Salvation Army o
Champion. At the conclusion of SON.
everybody on the platform kneelet
down.
Rhena Dwight was in the center o
the little group. The audience was a
quiet now as it had been noisy be
fore. There was a smoky kerosen
lamp just over her head, and as sh
kneeled there in the midst of thos
rough surroundings Stuart could no
crowd back the thought of what thi
girl had been and what she was now
The refinement of her face was remark
able. 1t had seen a great trouble, bu
withal it was face that had seen
great victory. She prayed very muc
as she had the first time Stuart hear
her. The army broke in frequentl
with "Amenw and "Halleluiahw bu
not noisily or in way really to inter
rupt. Stuart glanced through tn
crowd and saw here and there tear
running over rough cheeks of me
and women. Then he bowed his ow
head and when the prayer was finisl