The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-26

Were Moved to Tears.
There has been considerable specula-
ton in st. Louis as to the motive and
identity Of the man who on a recent
night, after the second act,of Ezra Ken
dall's play, THE Vinegar Buyer" at the
Century in st. Louis, arose in the bal
cony and requested the audience to
Join in singing Nearer, My God, to
Thee" In memory Of the Iroquois thea
ter fire in Chicago.
The audience of LOO people imme-
diately complied with his request, ev-
cry one from pit to gallery joining in
the hymn. The singing of a hymn by
an entire theater audience is said to be
without precedent in st. Louis.
The man, it was later learned, who
made the extraordinary request was G.
Fl. Congdon Of Chicago, who is con-
nected with a firm of publishers in
Chicago.
Mr.. Congdon. when seen by u repre-
sentative of the st. Louis Post Dispatch
the other day at the Southern hotel.
said:
II do not know why l did it or what
the impulse that prompted it was. 1t
was on the spur of the moment. am
no public speaker, and the idea Of get
ting up before an audience. and such
an audience as was at the Century, is
most distasteful to me. 1t took nerve
Years spirit and all on pleasure bent
and call them back to the serious things
Of life, but, as l said, it was on impulse
and was done perhaps before l had
time to think.
81 was not in Chicago at the time Of
the disaster, but arrived in st. Louis
from there Friday. The contrast be-
tween the merry crowd at the Century
and the assemblies of breaved ones that
I had left in Chicago, still hardly able
was too much for me.
1.-THE second act had just ended. and
the small talk between the acts was
just beginning when l rose from my
seat in view of all and said, Ladies and
gentlemen
"Ihe talk through the house died out
as l continued:
con this, the browning night of a
season of enjoyment and pleasure, l
am sure you will all join me in giving
a moments thought to the u~nfortunates
OF Chicago. Let us remember the dead,
the suffering and the bereaved ones.
When the lamented President McKin-
ley died certain hours of the day of his
burial were set aside in all the towns
of the country to the singing of his ia
vorite hymn.
"'Can we not do the same for the I'M
fortunate ones of Chicago who persisted
in the midst Of pleasure such as we are
now enjoying? Let us all join in sing
Ing Nearer, My God, to Thee
II asked the orchestra leader to sound
the G chord, and he did so. At first
only a few Joined in, but as the audi
ence fell in with the spirit of the occa-
sion the volume rose ard-swelled until
the theater resounded with the notes
of the hymn.
"All were singing. Pit, boxes, bal
cony and gallery all Joined to render a
requiem to the victims of the Iroquois.
The thin treble of the gallery gods
blended with the deep PASS and the
soft contralto of those below. and. al
though l am not what you would call
a religious man in the stricter sense.
1t was one of the most striking and i'm
pressive things l ever witnessed. 1t
was beautiful"
Many of the audience were moved to
President Cook of Dekalb, ILL.,.
the head Of the national board of ed.
ucation, was in the audience and pro-
nounced the rendition of the hymn ex-
cellent.