Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-09

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| ligious meeting? 1t is not fair to judge any
| one after that fashion.
Besides, it makes little difference what
motive brings an audience so long as even
one man, as happened the other night in
Tent No. 2, expresses contritely wish to
become reunited with his family and give
up drink.
LAS there are no free beds or free meals
| offered as bait at the gospel tents, nothing
offered In fact, but free gospel, we are
not likely to be overrun with the profess
sional penitent on the alert for board and
bed at another's expense.
Another reason why we always get good
sized audiences Is that care is taken to get
speakers adapted to the work, who can
hold the attention of an audience. The
best pulpit orators are not always happy
in a tent, neither are successful tent ex-
horters always heard to advantage in the
pulpit
THE tent evangelist never wastes any
time preaching about the Bible. He spends
his time telling what is in the Bible, and
the Bible is the most interesting book in
the world"
At Tent Evangel, at 57th street and
Broadway. which is bounded by sober re-
specta bflity in the form of the Broadway
Tabernacle on the one hand and convivi-
ality in the shape of beer saloon and
signs advertising liquors and beer on the
other, an assistant was busy the other
day printing big sign which told in
Spanish that a Sunday morning service
In the Spanish language would be held In
the tent regularly from now on to the
middle OF September.
1T Is pretty generally KNOWN" Mr.. Nc
Pherson said, that 1t Is more difficult to
get good sized audience at a religious
meeting in New York than in any other
city of this continent. Therefore 1t is all
the more encouraging that at every serv-
ice since this tent was opened month
ago we have had large gathering in
some cases extra chairs being placed out
side. The situation of the tent is such
that we get persons from all walks of
life. the well-to-do and even the rich as
well as the poor"
HAS not your audience SO far been
composed largely of church members at
tracted by the celebrated speakers sched-
uled to APPEAR"
Il don't see how any one can determine
that. In any part of the civilized world
there are bound to be some churchgoers.
some Christian people, in every religious
gathering.
From careful statistics I have discov-
cred this much: At least 80 per cent of
every weekday evening audience is I'M
converted, and the average of the uncon-
verted at the Sunday night meetings is
80 per cent.
why these persons should pass by the
many churches in this neighborhood and
come here / can only explain by saying
that the stiffness and formality of the
average church repel more often than
they, attract the unconyerted, and that
good congregational singing is oftener a
stronger drawing card than the operate
selections given by a well-paid choir In
fact, think operate solos a positive
drawback to many q religious service.
Then, In the gospel tent no creeds or
dogmas are discussed. We are not here
to make Catholics. Baptists or Methodists.
but simply to preach the gospel and to
have the message delivered by the best
speakers, the most consecrated evange-
lists obtainable.
Here are some facts which speak for
themselves and show whether tent work
pays or not: During last summer about
"a, 600 persons attended the services here
and more than 900 have become converted
through the medium Of this tent In the
last three years and identified themselves
with various church congregations In
this city and elsewhere