The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-06-21
n Tent Meeting.

The Tent Meeting.
DR.. Tracy has been continuing his lectures,
and the exhibition OF his moving pictures
seems to have afforded pleasure TO a large
number of our people. He has been here
now long enough for people to begin 10 find
fault or TO pick flaws in his proceedings.
and be has learned, too, that Abbeville 10 not
In the highest state OF perfection.
DR.. Tracy's snow, as some people insist
upon calling 1t, is all right, but lhere are
differences of opinions as 10 the merits or de-
merits of his lectures, which are interspersed
between the canvass scenes. md Ge thinks II
very hard for the tow council to charge "a
license fee for preaching the gospeI" Of iem-
perance. On this question there may be II
difference of opinion among our people.
Some may regard the Doctors performance
as a business Proposition, while others may
think that he is travelling around the country
solely In the interest OF sinful creatures who
take a drink, or dance, or play cards. The
Doctor seems 10 be in earnest in his talks,
however misguided be may be as 10 facts
about the liuuor bus IN ess in'this State. II Is
plainly to be seen that he has been lnspiied
more by the license people than by the lem
PSAp NV i've ttSb ttN> ''S ''S
tionisls that are 10 be found in different paris
Of the State, seems 10 look entirely TO the sa-
| loon element for his facts and his arguments.
If he brought forth a single statement hat
did not originate In the saloon element or
which had not been repeated times without
number, It escaped our notice. While we &C
cord to the Doctor the best and purest mo
| lives, yet we think we have never before
heard a speaker who did not say something
| which we had not heard before. We have
not given much thought to the suggestion
that he was sent out by the Law and Order
League In a crusade against the dispense
~. While he quotes from authorities which
we presume come from that quarter, We can
not ,hink that DR.. Tracy is doing anything
| worse than trying to support himself and
family. The making of speeches and the ex-
| hibition OF pictures Is a legitimate business,
and we think that be is entitled to any mon
ey that may be paid to him. His show is
worth from Is cents 10 so cents, to say moth.
ing of his lectures, which are thrown in as good
measure, 30 TO speak. He charges nothing
tor either the show or the lecture. He pre-
pares a great number Of free seats. and for the
chairs he charges only 5 cents on which, the
occupant can rest during thes show.
But instead of charging an admission fee,
he allows 'zealuus and interested friends an
occasional opportunity to make a "silver
Offering" This is right. Nothing wrong In
that. And then the town council gave him
an opportunity for giving a 1--we dollar OF.
fering at the Clerks desk. Nothing wrong
In this, either.
The Doctor didn't seem to like the giving
OF the silver offering which was required OF
him by the council. He asked the preachers
and others 10 intercede with the council to
stop the license lee oiS5 This was the only
town, with q single exception, where be has
been required TO pay a license for preaching
the gospel Of temperance. On this subject
his hearers were nearly Of one opinion, but
he kept up the talk and criticised the action
of the city council of AbbeVille until we
think he had nearly converted the whole OF
his hearers to the opinion that the town
council did exactly right In requiring daily a
license fee for conducting an alleged religious
show.
While we think the Doctor is a tenn
perance Zealot, yet as a preacher Of the gos-
pei he lacked something OF coming up 10 our
ideas of the proprieties and the refinement
which should characterize the action OF a
public speaker. A speaker should avoid
coarseness, vulgarity and profanity. We
thought that the Doctor several times came
too near 10 these things, For instance: The
story about the old maid and the owl was
suggestive both Of irreverence and vulgarity.
His reference TO "hugging. by music" was a
vulgar expression which no gentleman
should use and few gentlemen would use.
His repeated use of the name: Lord God
Almighty" was irreverent, If not positively
p~rofane.
After speaking of "hugging by music" and
allowing the owl TO answer the old maids
prayer to the Lord. and after his profanity in
the use of the name OF 1.-The Lord God AL
mighty" 1t seemed shocking that he shonld
close a performances of this kind by a prayer.
A show wherein such expressions as W
have quoted may be heard should not object
to the license fee.
But whether his lectures were good or bad
his pictures were good, and carried captive
the greatest assemblies Of people. For two
weeks his great tent was filled every night.