The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-04-07
ANECDOTES OF sANkEY.
How the Afflicted Singer Be-
came an Evangelist.
1NTENsEsT MOMENT OF HIS LIFE.

1IOody's Famous Partner Says 1t Was
When He First Sang the Words of
"Nincty and Nine Before u Great
Scotch Observation-Disclosures with
. Swiss salesman-His Methods OF
Singing.
The misfortune that has befallen the
eyes of Ira D. Sanlkey. the famous
singing evangelist, reminds me that it
was a Pittsburger who brought him
and Moody together in revival partner
ship. says Il correspondent of the Pitts
burg Dispatch. ".le story has often
been told. but it will bear repeating.
The two men, then strangers to each
other, were both present at an interna-
tional convention Of the Y. NJ. c. A. at
indianapolis in 1870. Sankey was a
delegate from New Castle. where he
was working under his father as depu-
ty collector of internal revenue. His
wonderful singing attracted the atten
ton of the great evangelist.
!. "Who is that man over there that
sings SOP" Moody asked of the man
next to him. who happened to be H. X.
Porter. then president Of the Pittsburg
Young Mems Christian association.
"Why. that's IL of our Pennsylva-
mia young men. Ira S%ankey," replied
the Smoky City man. He has a fine
voice, hasn't he?"
II don't know anything about his
voice." said Moody. but l know this
that he feels every word he sings and
believes every word he feels. l want
to meet that man. Bring him to my
hotel"
The meeting took place. The
gelist wasted no words approaching
the subject.
II want you to come with me young
man, said he. 1--WE been looking for
you the last eight years"
Sankey spoke of his business in New
Castle.
you'll have to give that up." said
Moody peremptorily.
Sankpy took six mouths to think w
the matter and then accepted the call.
Sankey. in his work. searched all the
hymnals for suitable tunes for revival
purposes, but found few to his liking;
so he had to turn composer. In reading
a hymn Or a poem an idea would strike
him. He would paste the verses into
a musical scrapbook and opposite them
would jOt down a few musical notes,
just as an orator might make notes for
a future speech.
During the Moody and Sankey meet
ings in Edinburgh he read in a reli-
gious newspaper the words Of NINETY
and Nine" He clipped them and filed
them away. intending when he had
time to wed the poem to music. Dur
ing n of the meetings Moody closed
a talk on the very theme covered by
the verses and called upon his associ-
ate to sing something. An inspiration
seized Sankey. He seated himself be-
fore the organ. with the clipped poem
before him. and began to sing without
any definite idea of what the. tune
should be. For the first stanZa he CON-
posed as he sang. The impromptu mel
ody. united with the spirit with which
it was sung. tool the vast audience by
storm. There was a slight pause. San.
key began the second stanza and found
that he could sing it just as he had
sung the first. Afterward he described
that as the intensest moment of his
life. Certainly Ninety and Nine" Is
his masterpiece as a musical compost
ton. though eve thought out or re-
hearsed before he sang it before that
great Scotch audience.
When asked how he managed to
make his voice heard above all others
in a vast congregation of singing wor-
shippers. Sankey said:
1.-THE whole thing lies in interesting
the people with your song exactly as
an orator does with his oratory. If
you sing interestingly. they'll be quiet
as mice just to listen. but you can't do
it with music alone. You've got to
make them lear every word and see
every picture Of the poet: then you'll
get that silence of death. that quiet be-
fore God. which always comes when
good is done. have sung before TO-
600 people when the building was SO
still you could hear the clock tick. al.
most hear the heart beat"
He took good care of his throat, as
every professional singer finds it nec-
essary to do, but he never took a drug
for his voice.,
Mr.. Sankey enjoys a joke. eve If 1t
be at his own expense. else this little
story would never have seen the light.
He told it on himself. He entered a
music store in Geneva and asked to
see some music boxes. None that was
shown him filled the bill.
"Have you none that plays sacred
music?" he asked.
"Why," answered the salesman. I'VE
have some that play a kind of half
way sacred music"
n