The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-14
CONGREGATION FILLED GREAT
 HALL TO HEAR DR. WHARTON
l0cmething had touched the hearers of |the revivalist. Their hearts were full.
 Persaasive Quality of speakers.

(Ocmething had touched the hearers of |the revivalist. Their hearts were full.
 Persuasive Quality of speaners.
 If there was one. thing more than another felt by the hearers of pr.
 Wharton it was the quality of sympathy Iand love which had part in all that
 he said. He came to preach Christ to
 them, he said, and he urged all those who have not yet acknowledged their allegiance to the Lord, to come to Him now. In tones, soft and persuasive, yet filled with strength arg wonderful de- scriptive power, he addressed his near CTS, and while he spoke, he swayed the hundreds with his words. Throughout his sermon was felt the magnetism of strong personality, which, even tnose who might be inclined to disDeheve, could not but acknowledge.
 One feature of the evening services,
 which 1t was announoed. VIII pc con
 tfnued throughout the revival series,
 was the sineinE. choir of fifty voices
 helped with the service The hymns
 sung were of the old and familiar class
 Rock of Ages. Blessed Assurance,
 among the churches of all denomina-
 tions. Leading the singing himself
 keeping time with waving nanos' tns
 reyfvaiist sang himself, with ioud
 clear voice which was plainly heard
 hi9h above the volume of sound which
 vast congregation gathered to hear
 tba first of the revival meeting series
 in the City Auditorium last night.
 Twenty minutes before the time set for the opening of the meeting, the
 people began to file into the vast au-
 aience hall, and the stream of new corners continued to flow into the
 room for some time after the appoint
 ed hour. Twenty or more ushers found seats for the people. When at last, the opening hymns had been sung, and the preacher arose to address the people. 1t was estimated that fully two thousand were in the seats Tn the
 hall. Every seat was occupied. ana near the doors still more stood, drawn to hear the man who has brought his message to the Capital City or Ala bama.
 Invocation for Divine blessing upon lthe meetings were pronounced by Rev. lC. A. Stakley, D. D., of the First Rap- |tist Church, and Rev. John Bass Shel- ton, of the Adams Street Baptist Church.
 pr. stakIey's Announcement. Tn a short address, the former ex- plained the subject of the revival ser lies For more than year. he said, he had been believing that the city was lin need of a special Divine blessing. Felirion has been at low ebb In the entire community. He believed, now ever, that we are now on the verge or a revival of religion which will spread lthroughout the country and throughout the world. I've want revival of Christian vir- Itue. of Christian sympathy. and of Christian spirit in the whole Capital lCitv of Alabama" he said. T want the city to stand for holiness, righteous mess, and grace when Dr. Wharton arose to speak. he selected as his text. the verse. Who is on the Lords side?" Exodus. xxxvi 26. ssThere are only two sides, he said "the Lords side and the devils side Jesus Christ says: He who is not with me is against me- There is no half fway position"
 He illustrated his sermon at this point with an aneedote of the civil war. A man living near the Potomac and subject to visits from the sol diers of both armies made 1t his pol | icy to be in sympathy with the Fed eral and Confederate causes in turn. as occasion demanded. One day, when outposts of the two armies were sur reptitiously exchanging tobacco fol coffee and other luxuries. a party met | in the old mans yard. The question was put to him squarely. to declare fol which side he stood. T ain't nuthin | and I ain't much of that" finally de. ciared the perplexed old man, "and that" said the speaker, 'ts the condi- | ton of the man who tries not to bt 1 on the side of either the Lord or tho | devil"
 Graphic Illustrations.
 | pr. wharton believes in the strength and value of illustrative parables, Dur | ing his talk last night. he made use o | a number of such illustrations. shor | stories, most of them, but always pithy applicable, and with a point
 "suppose you were to go out iron | this meeting tonight" he said he hat l asked one young man. ana were U !. ! Ana in the street two companies il