The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-12
SIDE LIGHTS ON DowIE.

The Chicago newspapers have led the
ander Dowie, who calls himself Eli
jah." and mixes religion, divine heal
ing and the sale of building lots in a
most peculiar and. TO himself, profitable
way, is either a shrewd mountebank or
a lunatic upon all subjects save money
making. Dowie, it will be remembered,
runs Zion" in Chicago, with college,
tabernacle and large home" and
Zion City" some forty miles from Chi
cago, where he has established several
factories and is selling building lots,
at an enormous profit to his followers.
In both of the "Zions" Dowie drives
brisk bushes in healing" never fail
ing to turn his cures" to pecuniary ac-
count. All of the cases that Dowie re-
ceives are not healed. Those in which
there is failure are taken no account
of by the prophet and his followers.
A correspondent of the Independent.
of New York. recently visited Dowie's
institutions, and learned something of
them and their founder. The corre-
spondent says il is an error to think
of Dowie as a crank or the victim of
incipient paresis. He is a healthy
well-developed man of strong mental
ity. 1t is to his strength of mind that
the correspondent attributes his power
for healing" and his domination over
his following. AS to his claim to being a
reincarnation of the Prophet Elijah,
Dowie has seen so many demonstra-
tions of his ability to sway and domi-
nate the minds of weaker natures that
he has actually come to believe, hon
estly, that Elijah has reappeared upon
earth in him. Twenty-Five years ago
a Jewish gentleman witnessed one of
Dowie's cures, and suggested to him
that he must be Elijah. The idea lodg-
ed in Dowie's brain, and has finally
grown so large that Dowie believes it.
Dowie is a Scotchman. He was born
in Edinburgh, and was student under
the celebrated Drs. Blackie and Cal
derwood. He became student of the
ology and attended the lectures of the
gifted Lindsay Alexander. After his
preacher for twenty years, until his
views on the matter Of healing the sick
made 1t impossible for him to remain
with that church longer. Then he came
to Chicago and established his new re-
ligion. 1t has prospered, and he is now
worth several millions of dollars. All
of the church and other property of the
H.. -.
There is something of local interest
attached to the fact that the official
hymn book of Dowie's congregations
is the revival hymnal compiled by
Charles D. Tillman and used at all of
the Sam Jones revival meetings. These
hymns and songs recently became ia
miliar in Savannah at the tabernacle
services. In addition certain hymns
of the Established Church of England
are used; and many of the vestments
and services are very similar TO those
of the Established Church.
After a careful investigation the In
dependents correspondent reaches the
conclusion that, while Dowie is not a
gifted or inspired man and may be
open TO criticism, he is not deserving
of the vitriolic condemnation that has
been poured out upon him In certain
quarters. HE promises healing only
where the heart is really given to the
Saviour and a sincere prayer is offered
to the Lord of All. Unless this condi-
ton exists he declares himself helpless.
And the morality ne insists upon is
strict and pure. worthy of his old
teachers in Augustine Chapel Edin-
burgh. l left the tabernacle with re-
spect for the prophet and his followers,
as men sincerely DESTROYS to act and
live according to the teachings of the
Scriptures"