The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-30

crowd laughed, and heard voice Ca
| feminine voice, of course), say, out
in the congregation: Hes not so
bad looking at this distance"
! BY that time, it became very evident
to me that / need not hesitate to tell
anecdotes; and / didn't. ! am afraid,
| however, that although my speech
evoked a great deal of applause, it did
not entirely relieve the situation" as
| my forerunner hoped it might do:
| Nevertheless the local paper, the next
morning, was kind enough to pay me
| the compliment of CHASING me, as a
speaker with Zeb. Vance. / suppose
my anecdotes amused the editor.
To be a master of assemblies a
speaker in the first place must imagine
that he sits in the audience and is a
nearer instead of the speaker; and, in
the second place, he should under
stand that an autocrat on the rostrum,
or in the pulpit, is just as hateful to
the average nearer, as he would be as
a ruler of a State.
No class of men have a better OPP
portunity to make themselves popular
and influential than public speakers
When | say public speakers, | include
all, from the demagogue who
harangues the denizens of the darkest
corner to the minister of the gospel
who ranks highest, being the am
bassador of the Lord of Glory.
But few, comparatively, succeed
the great majority, some of them
learned and eloquent-are failures.
What's the matter? Several things.
The learned and eloquent, too often,
are only concerned about the impress
sions they are making upon the edu-
Gated and the intellectual. They for
get that human beings have souls,
that must be touched and thrilled be-
fore they can be successfully manipu-
lated; hence, though their sermons
and speeches are elegant and elo-
quent; as brilliant as diamonds; yet,
for the lack of soul magnetismg they
are as cold as icicles; benumbing in
stead of warming and cheering.
Evangelist Stewart, who's by the
way, is a master of assemblies, told
story, when preaching in Raleigh a
few years ago. which contained
world of suggestion. He said: Il was
invited to Baltimore to hold meeting,
and my son George, ten year old lad
asked me to let him go with me. mo,
George, said l, / am afraid, if l let
you go, you'll get tired and sleepy
and will wish you were back at home"
mo L won't, papa; l never get sleepy
when you preach 49," said Mr..
Stewart, II let George go. He sat in
the pulpit with me, and kept his eyes
wide open. One night, however,
bishop preached-preached great
sermon-intellectual, eloquent, logical
and convincing-but, the evident aim
of the Bishop was to establish him.
self, among the literati of Baltimore,
as an able divine. He was evidently
not on soul hunt, nor concerned
very much about experimental godli-
ness. He had the attention of perhaps
a third of the congregation; but,
among the two-thirds, l noticed
drowsiness and a very decided care
lessness. George, sitting beside me,
went to sleep, and rested well for an
hour.
AS we were going from the church
said: George, you went TO sleep
tonight, and you came nigh snoring
o time or two"
THAT was cause you wern't preach
ing. When you breaches you say it
so we boys can understand; but that
man what preached tonight, he don't
know how, like you do to preach to
boys l couldn't understand him.
Mr.. Stewards comment was: 81
learned a lesson from what George
said which is: IF I preach to please
the learned, | over-shoot the boys;
but when / aim at the boys heads,
shoot about high enough to hit their
fathers hearts, thus killing two birds
with one stone.'"
Most speakers, who are failures, try
to say too much. A little, well said
will be more effective than too much.
A mans mind like his stomach, can
be overloaded; especially when
great deal of indigestible matter,
such as higher critics are wont to
use, with which to adulterate, is be-
ing mixed with our mental food
/ know some preachers who are
capable of doing a vast amount of
good; they are learned and eloquent
and possess qualities that would make
them popular with the masses, and
enable them to be successful soul win
ners, but for the fact that they say
too much, which had better been left
unsaid. To show his learning, | know,
3n otherwise very good preacher, who
adulterates, and dilutes the gospel by
Juggling in the opinions of skeptics
and advanced thinkers, and then ar
guing to prove that those opinions are,
from a scientific standpoint untrue.
No man ever made anything by such
an argument. 1.-THE fool hath said in
his heart, there is no Cod; and all
the logic in the world can't change the
opinion of the fool" The Lord of
glory did not try to do that, from a
scientific standpoint. He said TO ills
disciples: Beware of the leaYen uI
the Pharisees. which is hypocrisy
Except We repent We shall all likewise
persist" "He that believeth is not con-
demned; but, he that belioveth not is
condemned already"
The devil is shrewd enough to know,
that, if he can keep the gospel min
istry on the notwithstanding scien-
tific questions, with skeptics and adj
Vanced thinkers, he can soon unhiRge
the worlds faith in Christ. John the
Baptist was a model preacher. He
had the same skepuicisn and quite as
much of it, to contend with, as the
preacher of today has; but, he didn't
argue with "the fools but called
them a generation of vipers, and gave
them to understand they were of
mighty little consequence, for, he
said, God is able of these stones to
raise up children unto Abraham"
The most successful evangelists of
these latter days, are they who CON
fine themselves to plain gospel talks;
ignoring the questions which the devil
suggests for questions