East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-04-19
OOW|E WAS DECENT
JOURNALIST HAS
MEMORIES OF HIM.
When Dowie First Began His Career
at Zion He Was Pleasant. Sane and
Impressive-He Afterward DeyeI-
oped the Insane Tendencies Which
Have Made Him the Laughing Stock
OF Christendom.

/ met John Alexander Dowie in
Chicago in the spring of 1898, just as
he achieved the first success in the |
meteoric career that eliminated in |
the erection of Zion City and its vast |
industries, said Spokane newspaper
man to a Review reported recently.
Dowie had arrived in the Windy
City about eight months previously.
l believe, and had progressed from
open air meetings to a tent in the
Hyde park district, and in early spring
occupied his first tabernacle, neat
wooden edifice, on Sixty-second street
east, between Stony Island avenue
and the Illinois Central tracks, half
a block from one of the entrances to
the Columbian exposition. He had
gathered about HIM dozen or Is
faithful adherents, each ready at all
times to testify with the utmost can
dor and earnestness to recovery from
one or other of a series of painful az
flictions through the laying on of
hands and amounting with OIL" In
each case credit for the miracle" as
the devout were wont to call it, was
given to Dowie under the divine pa
tronage.
The tabernacle was near my home
and l was frequently one of the little
handful that gathered there on Sun
day. / cannot recollect any meet
ing at which more than two score
were in attendance. Dowie knew all
the attendants personally making il
his business to ingratiate himself with
all newcomers by a handshake, a
pleasant, genial word and sincere
invitation to attend subsequent serv'
ices.
/ have always found it difficult tC
account for Dowies wonderful care r
When / knew him personally he eX
hibited many kindly traits, his Ian
2 guage was pure, heartfelt and ex
: pressive, his personality was attract
ive,' combining genialty with patri
archaI exterior that enlisted one
? confidence and esteem He had littl
r of the overweening conceit that after
= ward became so marked character
istic. His voice and manner wer
gentle, and he won hearts through
i appeals to the tenderest emotions
The cult OF divine healing was hi
/ drawing card, and was admittedly tn
g handspring of his success.
1 One little scene in the tabernacl
has always fingered in my memory
d It was sacramental service follow
: ing the usual sermon. About a tabl
g in the center of the tabernacle wer
:. grouped the dozen participants wit
d Dowie in the center. the idea bein
presumably borrowed from the Lord
supper as described in Holy Wr.
Dowie prayed in low, even, distinc
e tones for possibly 10 minutes, breath
n ing a message of devotion and suppl
a cation such as / have seldom hear
d paralleled; then with the briefes
a pause he sang in a low, charmingl
e modulated voice a sweet gospel hymn
r "Closer to Thee The effect wa
y wonderfully impressive.
le But even at that juncture the vltu
ia perative, since so strongly develope
in In the modern Elijah, was slumberinl
ID One morning I attended the tabel
= nacle with several business men, whoi
,r had persuaded to hear Dowie preacl
The founder of Zion made an appe;
= for funds to pay a pressing indebted
ness on the tabernacle, and his el'
quence impressed my friends to II
extent that three of them dropped 81
bills into the collection basket.
/ thought they had performed az
mirably, but Dowie didn't. That nigl
he devoted a strenuous 10 minutes
a' a verbal castigation of the busine
r men at the morning service who he
on contributed paltry $40 bills when asl
- ed to help the people OF Zion In the
~ extremity. miserable, shrvele
IL stingy soulless, callous apologies f
human beings whom God should bla
lse with his vengeance for their penul
'er ousness," was one Of his expressions
That closed my acquaintance wi
John Alexander Dowie and his fiji
Zion In Chicago.
~ The state Of education in Russ