The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-10-23

New York, Oct. 20.-About 1000 per-
sons. half Of whom We're Zionists. at
ended John Alexander Dowie's early
service in Madison Square Garden to-
day. where he preached on Bias
phemy.'
He then said ne was going TO meet
the editors of the New York papers at
his totel, and requested his followers
to pray for him.
The six hundred members of he
Dowie choir will join the house vista
ton force, increasing its number to l.
440. Deacon Spicher said the work was
greater than anticipated.
Dowie's chief aids. his wifi his
son. are about to leave hin for a trip
abroad. They will start on Thursday
from this city, taking the steamer Sax
oman. Saturday from Boston. The
will so first to England, then TO Austria
liza, where Mrs. DoWie's family still
lives. They are not expected to return
to the United States until next July.
Mr.. Dowie. arrayed in evening clothes,
talked for two hours tonight before a
great throng in Madison Square Garden.
The burden of his talk being denucia-
ton of the clergy and the press.
Carrie Nation, who occupied a seat
near the front, asked "Elijah,' to ans
Wax some questions. He refused and
ordered her to sit down Dowie then
praised the spirit in which Mrs. Ma
ton had warred on saloons, but said
she used wrong methods. Mrs. Nation
again demanded the privilege Of asking
questions.
AT once the Zion guards surrounded
her and with the help of several police
men elected her.
The meeting was one Of continuous
disorder.
The Rev. DR.. Charles H. Parhurst
today sent an open letter to Mr.. Dowie
as follows:
L do not want to be presuming, but
doubt if it is any more presumptiva in
me to come and try to clarity you, than
1t IS for you to come II try to Clarity
New York, and l do not know which of
US has taken the heavier contract. l
attended you service at Madison
~ l"SA NOlI44I LII L
went determined to enjoy it if 1 could,
and to be benefited by it, and to go
away and refute some of the charges
that I had heard alleged against you.
But it was of no use; your behavior on
the platform crushed every throb of
sympathy I had with you.
l never heard from a public speaker
such a discharge of effervescent wrath
and coarse invective. l went TO hear
you preach the gospel and you preached
Dowie. Zion City stink pot. l was
ashamed of you, and almost ashamed to
be in your audience. 1t was a long
way below the standard, even of the
~circuses. that I have attended in the
same Garden. Then only consultation
1 could derive was hat it was so
abominable n so far beyond the
bounds of the respectable, 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
righteousness of the performance was
only enhanced by the immensely Of
your ~pretenSiOns. If you claimed to be
only an ordinary man, there might be
some hope for IL even with what you
call the 'abble,' but the rabble is dis
eliminating and can discriminate as
h keenest between a prophet and a
juggler: between an Elijah and a
Mountebank. l say this in no spirit of
anger. but either your head is twisted
or your heart infected. or you have
blundeved badly in your method. You
cannot bully people into Zionism nor
BLACKBOARD them into the Kingdom OF
Heaven. l hope you Will take this in
the kindly spirit in which it is offered
and that il will he blessed 10 you