The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-10-20
OOWIE AND HIS CITY.
Steps In the Career Of the
Zionite Leader.
HOW he WON FAME AND FORTUNE

AeHith Has neen HuAAt--HtS nnAN8
Of HIS city and Rules Enforced
There-Dowie's work In Foreign
Lands.
John Alexander Dowie, the general
overseer Of the Christian Catholic
Church In Zion, is the one exception to
the long list of religion inventors who
have launched their creeds In America,
says the New York World. He is the
exception because he has succeeded.
while the others have failed. If you do
not include Mary Baker G. Eddy and
Joseph Smith in the category with
Dowie
Dowle's inspiration came to him late
in life He was born In Scotland and
was graduated from a divinity school
there. He went to England as a strug-
Cling and faithful dominic, failed to
elicit more than the most ordinary
comment became disguised and went
20 Australia. There be labored for
many years
/ In Melbourne his utterances brought
4 about many moments Of turbulence
aud violence. He had his own ideas Of
the Apostles Creed and he revised It.
4 He was accommodated from the
Episcopal church and then sought to
hold religious meetings in Justification
of his stand He packed the halls he
rented, principally through the fame
or notoIiety which attached to him be-
cause Of the strong language he used.
On several times when his language
became too disgusting the police raid
ed his meetings.
He was arrested, but the case was
dismissed. He was finally ordered TO
leave Australia because Of his attacks
on the queens officers, and he found
refuge In New Zealand There he
started a church, but at that time he
had not thought of the faith cure at-
tachment which has proved SO sue
cessful In a financial way in his later
years. From this church be accumu-
lated two boxes Of gold, as the pa
pers described his fortune and sailed
for San Francisco with his family,
leaving the church to itself
Dowie landed in San Francisco in
1883 and soon started church fl tile
suburbs, but he was unused 10 Amer
lean customs. especially as they are
in the west, and he did not prosper
lie struggled along, preaching a pecul
lar doctrine which had little semblance
to the now well defined creed Of the
Christian Catholic Church In Zion
But the Worlds fair IN Chicago sug-
gested the inspiration on which his for
tune OF more than $15, 100000 has been
built He moved his family to Chicago
and got as near the Worlds fair
grounds as possible. Securing a piece
Of land a block from the Midway, be
built his first tabernacle, a frame struc-
ture capable Of seating 500 persons.
Here is where his faith cure creed was
launched Being Of an unusually force
full character. a hard worker and with
loud voice. he easily gathered about
him d sect who were willing to follow !
a leader.
He did cure several of the afflicted
But he made capital Of IT. Then came
his great opportunity There was at /
that time in Chicago a paper which |
made d practice OF levylng bIackmai, |
and It's peculiar hunting ground was In
the vicinity Of the Midway The re-
porters Of this sheet found a cripple I
whom Dowie had failed to cure
The owners threatened to expose him /
unless he paid blacgmail No one saw
his opportunity quicker than did Dowie /
himself, and he refused to be black /
mailed He courted exposure Really. /
what he wanted was publicity and tho
surest and most certain publicity is /
through exposure. SO the blackmailers
exposed him, and they kept on ham
mering him every day for weeks. FL
nally one Of Dowie's patients died with /
/ out medical attention and IN great /
agony from a contagious disease.
That was a news item, and an the /
other papers picked up Dowie. and the /
result is they have made him For the
last ten years he has been before tile I
/ Chicago public in the newspapers more
than any other one man. His sect grew. /
The little tabernacle in Woodlawn |
would no longer hold the crowds. and /
AtN l1et1G0 I'LL sADuAAANttNn tAuAtA& VA 1
Michigan avenue This he fitted up to |
accommodate 1900 persons. Then he
promulgated certain regulations for his
church
lie borrowed the 1.-THE system. and Il
was remarkable with what good grace
his followers submitted to the com
mand to pay him, for the church"
o4e-tenth of their incomes. Every mem
Der Of his church was compelled to pay
him one tenth Of his wages,
TO this day that IS the most rigidiy
enforced rule Of his church, and it is
the rule most rigidly observed 10y tie
adherents. The most grievous sin Is to
"hold Out" on General Oyerseer Dowle.
and If they are caught at It they are
booted out Of Zion mighty quick I'M
agine his income from 10000 believers
in all parts Of the world.
The next rules were tabulated thus