The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-21
DOWIE TO MEET . THE N. '. EDITORS Calls on His Hosts to Pray
 for Him PARKHURST TAXES 4 HAND Writes Letter to the "EIiIah" Telling Him His Talk Is Too Coarse to
 Have Effect-PeopIe Will
 Not Be 6uIIied.
PARKHURST TAXES 4 HAND

New York, October 2O.-About 1000 per- sons, half of whom were zionites, attend- ed John Alexander Dowie's early service in Madison Square Garden today, where he preached on "Blasphemy."
 He then said he was going to meet the editors of the New York papers at his hotel and requested his followers to pray for him.
 The GOO members of the Dowie choir will join the house visitation force, in- creasing its number to 144O.
 Deacon spelcher said the work was greater than anticipated
 Dowie's chief aides, his wife and his son, are about leave him for a trip abroad. They will start on Thursday from this city, taking the steamer Saxonia Sun. day from Boston. They will go first to England, then to Australia, where Mrs. Dowie's family still lives They don't ex- pect to return to the United States until next July.
 Denounces Clergy and Press.
 Mir Dowie, arrayed in evening clothes, talked for two hours tonight before great throng in Madison Square Garden. The burden of his talk was a denuncia- ton of the clergy and the press.
 woman who occupied seat near the front asked Elijah to answer some questions. He refused and ordered her 10 sit down. Dowie then praised the spirit in which Mrs. Nation had warred on liquor, but said she had used wrong methods Another woman demanded tho privilege of asking question. At once the Zion guards surrounded her, and with the help of several policemen elected her.
 The meeting was one of continuous dis order
 The Rev. Charles H. Parkhurst today sent an open letter to MT. Dowie as fol- lows;
 Parkhurst Writes Letter. .T do not want to be. presuming, but l doubt if it Is any more presumptve in me to come and try to clarify you than 1t is for you to come and try to clarify New York; and don't know which of us have taken the heavier contract I att tended your service at Madison Square Garden last evening" and I went deter mined to enjoy 1t if 1 could and to be ben- efitted by 1t. and to go away and refute some of the charges that I had heard al- legged against you. But, 1t was of no use; you behavior on the platform crushed every throb of sympathy I had with you. never heard from a public speaker such a discharge of effervescent wrath and coarse lnvective I went to hear you preach the gospel and you preached Dow ie, Zion City, and 'stinkpot.' I was ashamed of you and almost ashamed to be in your audience. It was a long way below the standard even of the circuses that have attended in the same garden.
 No Christianity There.
 "The only consolation I could derive was that 1t was so abomirn ble and far beyond the bounds of reason, that even those in your congregation who did not know what Christianity Is, would have no idea that it had anything to do with what you were saying. Of course the ridiculousness of the performance was only enhanced by the immensity of your pretensions. If you claimed to be only an ordinary man, there might be some hope for you, even with what you call the rabble,' but the rabble is discrimin- ating and can discriminate as keenly as the keenest between a prophet and a juggler; between an Elijah and a mounte- bank. say this in no spirit of anger but either your head is twisted or your heart infected. you have blundered badly in your method. You cannot bully people in- to Zionism, nor blaekguard them into the Kingdom of heaven. I hope you will take this in the kindly spirit in which it is offered, and that it will be blessed to you"