The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-03-28
RELIGIOUS REvTyALs.


Rev DIR. Gillian has commenced a
series Of what is termed revival meet
ings in the city OF Astoria. He is an
eloquent, earnest pulpit orator and
starts in, first by converting the church
and its members, SO that it viii be in
a position to encourage and keep new
converts within the fold. He believes
in appealing TO the hearts and the good
Judgment, with the result of instead
of men and not by exciting scenes usu-
ally attending revivals. with the result
of inttead of being brought within the
fold Of Christ as a permanent fixture,
they are brought within the fold
of Christ on a weeks probation, and
after the meetings are over. he is left
to follow his own inclinations witout a
helping hand to buoy him on and sus-
tain him in his new resolves, with the
result that wholesale backsliding is a
common occurrence of revival meet
ings. and the man gets religion" the
same as the boy catches the mumps.
Astoria affords one OF the best fields
for missionary work of any city or
town in the state, and the result of
the series Of meetings win depend
largely upon the ability of DR.. Gillian
to reach out in the highways and by
ways and bring, not the righteous, but
sinners to repentance. The Methodist
church is crowded every night, but not
altogether by class of people that 1t
is desirable to reach. Most cf those
attending the meetings are convinced
of the efficacy and benefits of aiding
a Christian life, and while they need
revivication, and frequently reconver-
sion, there are others who need it more
that are not reached, and cannot be
reached by revival meetings held in a
church. The church is the proper
place to preach the gospel, but the ad-
monition of the Savior to his descicples
go out into the highways and hedges
and eonstrain them to come In, that MY
house may be filed" shows that the
success Of a revival depends not alone
on DR.. Gillian, but upon the hearty
cooperation and work of those who
sare now safe within the fold
1t is safe to say, that on last Sun
day night there were more people in
attendance on the two vaudeville the
aters in Astoria, than were gathered
the Methodist church. These are
the people-in a large majority of
cases-that are ignorant Of the great
good and blessings promised those
who led a higher and nobler Cnri5-
ton life, and whose whole energies
are not wrapt up in the acquisition Of
pleasure. To make a revival a success,
the church should provide an enter
tainment that will attract the worldly
minded peopel to ten church, or else
they must carry the gospel to these
pcople. There is a strong aversion
among a large number of people to at
tend a church, whereas, hundreds of
them would be willing to go to a hall
or an opera house and listen to good
music, though of a religious nature, and
this, in the opinion of a layman, is the
only way this class of people can be
reached. There is only one class of
people that have been able to reach
this class and that is the Salvation
Army. People would not come to the
army meetings to listen to the gospel,
and the army carried the gospel to-
them. "And they went forth and
preached everywhere, the Lord work.
ing with them and confirming the word
by the signs that followed" This was
the way Jesus and His disciples
preached the gospel. 1t was not con-
fined to the temples, as people that
needed reaching could not be reached
that way. Those who attended the
temple had already been brought with
in the fold. but the fields were white
unto the harvest on the outside.
That the efforts Of Rev. DR.. Gillian
will meet with the success 1t so richly
deserves and viii be productive Of
much good, is the earnest wish Of
everyone in Astoria who realize that a
higher plane of morals and Christian
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