The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-11-05
THE DOWIE OR USADE.

The birth of new religion, it has
been observed, is strongly, if not in
delibly, associated with the Eastern
world. Generally speaking, 1.-THE
wise men come out of the East" But
the religious sensation of the moment
is the appearance of new prophet in
the West. "We find nothing remark
able or surprising says Mr.. Stephen
Bunsal, who wrote in the New York
! Herald on the eve OF Mr.. Dowie's
missionary crusade against New York,
Gin the fact that new prophet has
arisen on the banks of the Ganges or
the Jordan or the Bramputra.
But when, as now, the religious COM
| pass is reversed and the new prophet
appears on the banks of the Chicago
river, presenting himself as Elijah the
| Restorer, who has come to seek us all,
and presently and espe tally us New
| Workers, we are apt to consign him,
| Tapping wings of ermine and all, to
the region OF the comic supplements. "
| And yet, adds the same writer, "this
is great mistake. Whatever else it
may be, this new religion and its new
prophet, John Alexander Dowie, is no
joke"
"Dowie has remarkably impressive
appearance. He was clearly born TO
command, and as has been proved
time and time again, he is quite in
capable of following another.
Today thousands and hundreds of
thousands acknowledge him as their
leader, their spiritual adviser, and
their worldly guide.
"For reasons which it would be too
long to relate here he balls himself as
Elijah the Restorer. In the very few
years that have elapsed since the day
he pushed himself up above the heads
of the submerged millions Dowie has
proved himself to be church auto
crat without peer, financier who
might well venture without timidity
into Wall street. and an anti-medicine
faith healer beloved and believed in
by thousands of patients. though the
apothecaries do speak evil things Of
him.
"Tte little wooden hut in which
his call was first heard has grown into
temple so resplendent that whether
you will or no there you have to keep
your eyes shut. Dowie belives in his
own prayers as perhaps no mortal man
has ever believed before, and when
death instead of the life he prayed for
came to his beloved daughter he never
even had moment of philosophic
doubt, From the pulpit he proclaimed
that it was his daughter who had been
at fault and not his prayers. And he
works miracles not only on Sunday,
but every day in the week.
His pulpit is hung about with
crutches like the miraculous grOttO of
LouIdes. ! say he performs miracles.
l mean that thousands who have seen
him at it have come away believing
and make afiidavits to the efficacy of
his healing power. However, he has
moments of modesty, too, in which he
disclaims any great personal power,
but admits that he has unusual access
to God by prayer.
"This latter day Elijah has talent
for real estate speculation and bump
of acquisitiveness which is remarkable
even when you remember that he was
born in oanny Scotland and received
his business training in Chicago. He
has undoubtedly amassed large for
tune, but it is also true that he has
placed his church upon a self-support-
ing basis. They never would have to
pass the plate again if Dowie, in his
Unsuitable thirst for power, did not
spur and lead them on to higher and
harder things as, for instance, the
conversion OF little old New York.
''He likens his apostleship to that
of John the Baptist as we'll as Elijah,
aud when reproved, as he sometimes
has been in the open church, for his
undoubtedly luxurious mode or life,
he always answers: Who knows
what John the Baptist and Elijah
would do if they came to Chicago. 2 .