The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-13
SAM JONES AT THEATRE
EVANGELIST LECTURER ENTEH-
 TANNED AN AUDIENCE.
He Spoke on @Philosophy, Facts ana Fun," and Took . Fling at "Whiskey Soaked Mont
 gOmery.o

With all the philosophy, Irony, re | ligion. and fun that has made the
 name of Sam Jones famous througnout
 more than one continent. the great | tertained a large audience for over ah hour last night at the Montgomery Theatre with his lecture philosophy | Facts and Fun"
 The audience that greeted MT. Jones | was a distinct compliment to him. The thermometer registered heat thaI was on par with some of the speak- CTS remarks and tho people in going to the theatre had to pass gaily illu- minated cars bound for cool parks, ! where electric fans and cool drinks can
 be procured, while A band discourses
 popular rag-time Tho theatre was more than hot. The heat could be fa- vorably compared with the heat of region MT. Jones referred to more than once in his speech, but the audi ence didn't mind. While waiting for the curtain to rise. the members of the audience employed fans and handker- chiefs vigorously but after Sam Jones began talking the fans and nandker- chiefs were forgotten.
 He was introduced briefly and sim- ply by Dr. J. A. Rice. pastor of the Court Street Church. The speaker be- gan by thanking Dr. Rice for lis sim pie introduction.
 Every time I hear one of these fowery introductions." said he,. T think of the old negro woman, who told me after I had preached 10 col ored congregation that I was the best preacher she ever heard: that preach ed just like a niggcr."
 "'Mr. Jones' she continued. Your skin is white but your heart sho is black"
 He announced his subject as "Philos- ophy. Facts and Fun" Philosophy, he said, is the rule by which we do the best possible thing in the best possible way at the best possible time. The man who does these things is a philos- opher and if there's one In this audi ence, he's certainly lonesome. Facts have a tremendous potentiality and are far reaching. One fact Is worth a thousand theories.
 When I was a boy" continued Mir.
 Jones, T was full of theories. At 21
 years old considered Daniel Webster an imbecilic old codger and would have assigned Solomon to a lunatic asylum. Now. am wise enough to know that I
 was the biggest fool on earth at that
 time. young man is always a big fool. l don't think man should be allowed to go about unattended until
 he Is 30 years old and a woman never. The biggest fool on earth Is a man who will argue against facts and most of you will do it.
 "A man can be a merchant, a doctor, | lawyer. or a preacher on theories but to be a man he must have facts, and q man is the greatest thing in the world. That's why I tip my hat to Teddy. He's a man. If he wants to dig a ca-
 nal, he goes and arranges to have 1t done right away. If he wants to bust trust he goes after them, If he t- k@ -rKtk L l.. | does 1t. I'm for fellow that does what he pleases, if he thinks he's right, and for that reason l say that Theodore Roosevelt Is the greatest President this great country of ours has ever had and hc's the kind Of Pres | ident this country needs. He's a man
 who Is for a square deal. regardless" During this eulogy there were rip- pies of applause but the sympathy of the audience was evidently not with the sentiments of the speaker. T don't say that because I'm a Re- | publican" he continued. Thank God,
 never have been one" There was an outburst of applause, which the speak | CT quickly steamed by shouting, T was | a Democrat once but I'm well of that | now, thank you"
 'The two blanks on my platform, he went on, "are to protect our wives, our daughters, our sons, and our homes and to fight whiskey and everything that's connected with it.
 And a man who has any other plat form deserves to have drunken children and have his daughters sleep with drunken husbands. When I was a Democrat. I used to speak for the party and carry the torch at the head of the procession and burn my fingers and go home bilin' drunk on the campaign liquor.
 Poor whiskey soaked America and poor whiskey soaked Montgomery!" This reflection on Montgomery was de- livered with clouded face.
 He then discussed the dispensary question. He said that when the State assumed control of the liquor traffic, the State was debauched. Whiskey will debauch anything, he declared. It debauches the man who makes 1t; 1t debauches the man who sells it. and it debauches the poor fool that drinks it. Liquor is the worst enemy God has and the best friend the devil possesses and the deacons and stewards of our long in the same spot that when they finally get up, the seats of their brooches will look like the map of the United States
 They clamored for an educated min istry. he said. and after they got 1t, there was less real ChrtSfta nity than ever before in the history of the church.
 He said he believed in a practical Christianity, and paid his respects to people who try to rule religion with scientific principles. He told of man, who had argued that man had no soul because he had made a scientific examination of his body to locate it, and had failed.
 You can't reconcile science and re- ligion," he said. Religion Is the most unscientiilc thing on earth and science has less religion than anything I know of. Why you had just as well try to multiply two and two by faith. divide eight by four by hope and add nine and six by love. A babe knows just as much of the great beyond as the wisest scientist on earth
 He then discAsed Christian Science, Spiritualism, etc.
 Christian Science,' he said catches the women. Anything can catch q woman" and turning to the audience pointed his finger and said Look at that thing she has sitting by her"
 He said that next to religion, the greatest thing on earth is fun. A man that makes you laugh is your friend. Mark Twain Is more of a public bene- factor than Edison. He said he liked the Irish, because they had fun in them and he liked the Jews and the negroes for the same reason. He told an Irish story. Jew story and a negro story.
 He then spoke of social life in the homes.
 Why some of ynu fellows haven't had a social talk with your wives in twelve months. You cold bloOded old