The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-09
NEWS AND GOSSIP OF LONDON TOWN
Evan Roberts, Exhorter, Is Changed Man = Coal
Miners i'm ParIiament-The Countess of STRAIT.
fords Dance-The Tweeddae Function
Special Foreign Service

U~ONDON, April S.-The followers OF
Evan Roberts, the Welsh revival
~ ist, are concerned at the strange
change that has come over his DISPOSE
ton since his week of retirement and si-
lence. He is no longer the exurbent
young man who made the buildings in
which he spoke ring with laughter. His
nights and days or prayer and intro
spection have aged him greatly and
changed his brightness into something
approaching asceticism, and his ad-
dresses are now marked by strange
outbursts of feverish excitement. One
of the most extraordinary incidents of
his mission occurred this week at
Blaenarnerch, in Carmarthenshire,
which place he suddenly and unexpect-
ediy decided to visit after resting for
a period at his home at Loughor. At
the commencement Of the service he
accused a youth in the gallery of mock
cry, and then broke down in agoniZing
sobbing. Three boys thereupon rose
and confessed" but the missioner de-
clared that the mocker was not one Of
the three. Later another strange in
cident occurred. "The missioner's soul, ;"
TO quote my observer, seemed stepped
I'm agony" because he said a man in
the chapel was denying the divine in
spiration of the bible. Nobody rose to
confess, and after an interval of the
greatest tension Mr.. Roberts leaped up,
saying: God has revealed the name
and the age of the man. He is aged
%. Oh, Lord, forgive" A few minutes
later the evangelist smiled joyfully, for,
he said, the man had changed his views
and there was no need for him to con-
fess publicly. Mr.. Roberts, after speak
ing briefly against the sin of skepticism
startled his hearers by declaring that
there was a man present who had
committed sacrilege. This created a
painful sensation, which was brought
to an end by the missioner saying that
the man must make three-fold reSti-
tuition and confess to his church. Later
he threw out challenge TO one who, he
said doubted the revelation of God in
the scriptures. If the scriptures were
false then might he (the missioner) be
removed; if true, then might the doubt
er. suffer removal. Nothing of miracul-
Gus nature happened, but the evange-
list who by this time had worked him.
self up into a state Of great excite
1nent, concluded a memorable service
by predicting terrible times which the
people would understand a month
hence. The Rev. Tudor Jones' Unitar-
ian minister at Swansea, discussing the
ances in an interview said: Il cannot
find that these fits of Mr.. Evan Roberts
have taught him any Of the virtues
found in the gospel. / think that the
supernatural pretensions which the
past few weeks have revealed will do
more harm to religion than any good
the revival may have done"
Coal Mining M. Ps.
Vivid word pictures of life in the coa'
mine were given in the house of COM
mons this week by members who have
themselves welded picks and pushed
trolleys. They were asking parliament
to fix an eight hour day for the pit
boys under Is years of age. Mr.. Thorn
as Richards, who represents the late
Sir William Harcourts old constituen-
cy. supplied an impressionistic account
of a boys day in a Welsh colliery. He
depicted him leaving his cottage home
in the darkness of a winters morning:
he showed him brushing away with his
cap the snow from the seat of the oper
railway truck that was to carry him tc
the pit brow, and then, one of, perhaps
thousand other boys and men, walk
ing, bent almost double, through the
dark. noisome roads to the place ol
his labor. ''There the poor lad recline:
on his side, hour after hour, every
stroke of his pick releasing a breath o.
AiOhiOoo ScoJ CNNAy PcloSlIi6 POny
ing a cloud of brittle, stinging dust
It was Mr.. Richards maiden speech
The house listened to him with Wrapt
silent interest. There is no glamor o.
eloquence or fine phraseology to It'll
late the ear. Mr.. Richards had a story
to tell, founded on actual experience
and he told it with a blunt directnes!
and in homespun words that took tn,
house captive. you are doing vel, >
once cried an enthusiastic member, a.
Mr.. Richards faltered in the grip O
nervousness which he quantity asked
the house to excuse. 1t was with a feel
ing akin to relief that the house seizet
an opportunity to laugh at a story re-
lated by the miners member.
On one occasion he occupied a sea
IN the strangers gallery when a union.
ist member described the Golfers lif,
as rather enviable." Mr.. Richards
asked miner who accompanied hin
what he thought of that description
and the attitude of the house. at wa
the most profane silence ever listened
to-" was the reply. Much was made b,
al the miners representatives of phys
zeal deterioration caused by workin,
under ground. Unfortunately for tn
strength of their case, the member
who themselves thus worked in thei
early days are acknowledged to pos
seSS the Sturdiest frames in the cham
representing the home office, quotet
statistics showing that the health O
the miners was above the average l.
other arduous occupations. The bill
providing for an eight hour day in tn.
case Of pit boys was read a secont
time.
Countess of Stratford's Dance
Cora, countess of Stratford's dance OF
wednesday night was the last one sh.
will give at 46 Grosvenor street. 70
her tenancy expires in another tel
days. It was a great success. TIL,
two drawing rooms were thrown int,
one for dancing. There were yer,
few decorations beyond some fern
and Towering plants, but on the sup
per tables there was novel arrange
ment of daffodils. The hostess, in ;
silvery net and lace dress, wore a few
diamond ornaments. and Miss Colgate
her daughter, was in pale blue. Mrs
Harry Lawson, in black, brought Mis-
Lawson, in plain colored chiffon Mrs
Moreton Frewen chaperoned Mis-
d.