The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-28

was an Indiana man, who had been
brought up TO the dry-goods business.
Formerly he had been wholly indifTer-
ent TO religion and was a Freemason,
a sect abhorred by the prophet. To him
true religion meant that which was
taught by DR.. Dowie.
To see the prophet himself it is best
10 visit the Tabernacle at an afternoon
Sunday service. At three o'clock
punetually the lady organist begins to
play on the modest Instrument, driven
by hand, both she and her assistant be-
ing clad in white surplices. Up the
main aisle marches a long procession of
surphced forms, wearing college trench
ers and singing a well-known Church
of England professional. At the head
are two little tots, and the size of the
choristers gradually increases until the
last of the two hundred are weil-grown
young men and women. They are fol-
lowed by deacons and deaconesses, by
elders and by overseers, the tassels of
their trenchers being significant of the
differences in their rank There are
many coiored folks to be seen among
them, children and adults. Last of all,
following four blue tasseled overseers
comes the chief overseer in a silk gown
lined with blue, puffed lawn sleeves
like bishop, college hood lined with
a combination of blue, white, and yell
low silk, and a trencher with a tasseI
having the same triple combination of
colors.
DIR. Dowie is a short man of five
feet or Whereabouts, broad-shouldered
and portly. To many he gives the
idea of height, but the impression is
deceptive. When seated, however,
owing to the shortness of his legs, he
appears like a large man. His feat
ures are very Scotch, and Celtic Scotch
at that-as his name would lead one
to expect. But he has not the soft
Highland tongue; his intonation is
pure Edinburgh, the Saxon city where
he was born and received his educa-
ton. He was a student under Blackie
and Calderwood, and attended the the
illogical lectures of that sanity and
highly gifted divine, Lindsay Alexan-
der. As a Congregationalist he was
brought up, and Congregational min
lister he remained for nearly twenty
years, until his views on the matter of
healing the sick made it impossible
for him to remain longer with them.
This record of his is thoroughly in har-
mony with his whole conduct and
D6dI1IS. ne IL 1lOC QIlCt4O0S VI
tiona1y persuasive. Those who ex-
pect to hear from his lips any outbursts
of the Celtic hywl will be sadly disap-
pointed He is intense, argumenta-
tive. fiercely logical; a good Biblical
exegete, a fard-headed Scotch thinker,
fond of sarcasm, fond of inveighing
against sin and sinners, priding himself
in his outspoken fearlessness. He IS
the embodiment of physical vigor.
Some one has suggested that his claim
to be the Prophet Elijah is a symptom
of incipient paresis; but this is a mis-
take. Exuberant health and extfaor-
binary power oyer his fellow men,
which increase as he gets older,
growing sense of his ability as an
organizer and a love of exercising
these gifts, with possibly strange pow
ers affecting the physical condition or
weaker natures,-these things have leu
him to consider that his own old per-
sonality has given place to greater
and that the power and nature of Eli
iah have come upon him. He does not
meet inouirers into his assertions with
wild rhetoric or mystical rhapsodies.
He tells them plainly that, twenty-five
years ago, when Jewish gentleman
witnessed a wonderful case of his heal
ing powers. and insisted that he was
none other than Elijah who must nrst
come he scoffed at the idea. But
now he can no longer resist the con-
viction that after all he is Elijah
careful student of the New Testament
finds no difficulty in understanding the
peculiar position of DR.. Dowie, VINO Is
steeped in the atmosphere OF Gospel
times. Neither from him nor from
his followers did 1 listen to any inter
nretation of the New Testament thae
was f1imsy or ridiculous. On the otner
hand, missed in him any indications
of lofty spirituality such as might
tempt one to think that Elijah hao
really come again in the flesh he IS
man of signs and wonders, ana
horn leader and organizer; but hardiy
more. 1t is but just to state that ne
does not magnify himself in his teach-
ing He promises healing only where
the heart is really given to the savior
and a sincere prayer is offered 10 the
Lord of ALL Unless this condltloh VI
mind exists, he declares himself heip-
less. And the morality he insists upon
is strict and pure. worthy OF his ola
teacher in Augustine Chapel Edlh-
burgh. I left the Tabernacle with
respect for the prophet and his foiioW
ers as men sincerely DESTROYS 10 ael
and live according to the teachings Oh