The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-17
DIR. M'GATH SPEAKS.
Converted Jew Appeals for Spread of
 Christianity.

At 4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon an immense congregation assembled in the Court Street Church to hear Rev Julius McGath, D. D., of Atlanta, Ga. the Southern Methodist Missionary to the Jews, speak on missionary work among them.
 pr. McGath, who was a Jew, has been converted to the christian faith. He made an eloquent and stirring ap- peal for his fellow racemen.
 He read as his lesson the thirty-sev- enth chapter of Ezekiel. The Valley of Dry Bones," and from that chapter took his text. He was presented to the congregation by Rev. J. A. Rice, D. D., pastor of the Court Street Church.
 Dr. Rice said that the Hebrews have given to the world its three greatest religions, Judaism, Mohammedanism and Christianity, and for that reason he bowed his head with reverance to the Jews. The Jews as a people, how ever, have been sadly neglected, he said, by the Christian world. At dif- ferent times in the worlds history, the Jews have been ignored. antagonized, treated with contempt. and cruelty per secuted by so-called Christians. The Methodist Church had recently inau- gurated a campaign to teach the Jews the lessons of Christianity and pr. McGath was the man assigned especial Iy to this task. He presented the preacher as a scholar and a Christian gentleman.
 Dr. McGath said that he had never seen a valley of bones. but he had seen a street of human bones in Paris and described his feelings of revulsion therein. A lady. who was walking through the dismal avenue with him, asked him when would they reach the end of the terrible street. He replied that he did not know. Then ask those people in front of us," she requested. They don't know he replied. How do you know they dont?' she asked. Because if they were ever here before they would not come back again. he answered.
 pr, McGath explained that Ezekiel. in a vision, was ordered by the Lord to make a careful examination of valley of dry bones and report to the Lord whether there could again be life therein. After the examination he reported to the Lord that the bones were very dry. But can there be life?" he was asked. Thou Lord knowest," was his reply.
 The valley of bones the speaker said was the House of Israel and 1t was the duty of Ezekiel to report on the spiritual condition of the house. He reported that they had departed from the true and living God.
 There is an analogy" said pr. Me- Gath, between the dry bones Of the days of Ezekiel and the dry bones of today. In both instances the House of Israel has departed from the true and living God.
 Statistics as to Jews.
 There are from 100000 to 12.000,- 900 Jews in the world and over half of these are in Russia, where the pious Jews are endeavoring to live up to over 600 laws laid down centuries ago and are being persecuted by the Russians in every manner, shape and form pos sible. The method of converting the Jews in Russia Is at the point of the bayonet and the Jews would rather lay down their lives for the religion of their forefathers than to affiliate with the Greek Catholic Church. whose ad- herents use such means for conversion
 Tn the United States there. are l. 800 900 Jews and about third or thls number reside within the Jurisdiction of Southern Methodism. The Jewish population of the South is daily ln- creasing. Jews are emigrating from the old countries to America to se- cure religious and political freedom and they have become a problem for the Christian churches.
 The Orthodox Jews are in the same condition they were in the days or Je- sus. They are led by the same blind teachers and believe that If they con- form to a set of obsolete laws, sal vation will be theirs.
 'The Reformed Jews believe that the Bible is a book of old fables with but nttlA historical value and believe 1T