Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-02

IgOOd as tne Otner. very SOOn LHe WoIlu
will begin to notice you. Soon after
to condemn your actions, life and doc
trines. Then IL o have ordinary abfl-
ity, you will become famous from
Maine to California. Sam Jones, we
beg his pardon, the Rev. Sam Jones,
found out early in his ministerial life,
that pulpit %vulgarity was catchy" was
taking" so he began to outrage the
pulpit decencies. For many years
when he found his national reputation
waning he would utter some Sunday
morning a blasphemous or vulgar SEN
tence that the press reporter would
Immediately send out as news. and thus
Sam would again be elevated to the
heights of fame.
Right here in Iowa every winter. GER
tain communities engage the services
of an evangelist who is a weak imita-
tor of the Rev. Sam, paying for such
Christian CD work 500 to $500 a week.
This famous or notorious (Which?
evangelist starts his revival work, and
the crowds fail to materialize. About
the third night he says in the pulpit,
the women of this town who attend
dances, are no better than street walk
ers." That settles 1t. Men get mad
and threaten him with a horse whip
ping, and from that time on h revival
is q success. Hundreds are brought
to feet of Jesus" He collects his $500
or 5000 in some cases $1,000, n can
not stay longer than Friday night be-
cause he has engaged to go to Blank
town for a series of meetings there
There he repeats the performance. One
other plan is, If the newspapers of the
town where he operates refuse to notice
him or his meetings, to call some
editor or reporter by name from the
pulpit, mention that he is a bold bad
man. and the paper is controlled by
gambling and whisky interest. Then
the paper proceeds to cheer him up"
and once more the revival is a sue
cess. Still another way to draw the
crowd is to circulate a p asking
all stores to close every evening. Then
when some refuse, to state from the
pulpit, that this is the wickedest town
he ever vas in. That the business men
are gamblers and worse. That the
mayor was elected by the saloons and
houses of illfame. This is sure to draw
crowded houses, and scores are drawn
to the mercy seat" Meanwhile, seated
"a NAAS PAoNA0 VIVA tAAlo li6 dkG
the faithful ministers of the town who
receive hardly rs much salary In a year
as this famous evangelist does in a
month. While they do not exactly
approve of his methods and language"
still 1t must be admitted .'the result
of his work here was to add several
members to u church." The end
with them, seems to Justify the means.
Nothing succeeds like success.
Now there Is another kind OF repu-
~tation, which comes to some men in
a different way. It must be admitted
that the Beechers the Surgeons and
the hundreds of lesser, tho prominent
lights, use a little of this clap-trap.
But with their eccentricity they have
abilities that are born. not acquired.
Archbishop Ireland owes his promin-
nee to his brains. Just where such
men get such brains has not been dis
covered as yet. OF course there is the
argument with many. that Beecher
and Sturgeon w thier piety to their
singleness of purpose In preaching the
gospel of Jesus. This argument seems
to have but little weight, when ona
knows of the thousands of other
preachers, full OF this same zeal, and
full IS anxious to do work for the
Master. This whole screed could be
summed up thus: II a preacher
has brains Of a certain quality he be-
comes famous by no conscious act of
his own. II he lacks these peculiar
thinking organs then all that is nee
essary is to follow previous directions
In this article.
incidentally 1t a be mentioned all
OF this argument applies to editors,
authors, college professors. lecturers
and all Of the learned professions. This
referring to all who gain a livelihood
by word or pen.
Room at the top? Yes sir! Only
there are several tops these days.
M