The Washington herald., 1907-11-25

ceIIent Feature of the session.
More eloquent pleas may have been
made from the speakers platform of Con-
vention Hall than that which Fred B.
Smith. of New York, evangelistic secre-
tary Of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation. yesterday hurled at the heads of
almost 1900 men. who filed every seat
and stood in the gallery of that edihce
But few addresses, however, have been
more prolific of tangible results than this
one Of Mr.. Smith, when, at the end Of a
great plea for Christian life and be-
lief in God that shall actuate that life,
Mr.. Smith asked for those who desired
that the meeting pray for them. and who
were willing To show that they felt that
Jesus Christ had become a thing Of real
ity TO them, to stand while the audience
sang Il Need Thee Every Hour" several
hundred men answered the summons.
In all parts of the han men and boys
rose and showed thar the words of the
speaker were not in vain. In the gallery
above, those who already stood lifted
hands high above their heads to signify
too. their conversion 10 Jesus Christ. To
all of these the speaker. stretching out
his arms in benediction. gave his blessing
and thanks for this token of good done by
his words.
At the end Of the meeting all those who
had answered this call of the secretary
crowded forward TO the platform, gave
hpfr % r14
and shook hands with this man who had
shown them the Light Of life.
Ii was probably the climax Of the even
gelical campaign. for under the roof Of
the hall more people were gathered to-
gether and more signified their intention
OF conversion than have at any previous
meetings of this sort
Singing by Mr.. Virgo.
The meeting was a spirited one from
the start 10 the end The singing Of J. ].
Virgo, general secretary of the Young
Mems Christian Association Of Sydney,
Australia, was one Of the features. and
he was received iu the solo. Tell Me the
Old. Old story" with a long outbursJ
Of applause. Commissioner H. B. f. Mac
faTland. in the beginning of the meeting
proper. alluded to the great work dona
by the Washington association. Mr.. Mac
farland said that this local organization
has four secretaries in the field +. )
Brockman. secretary for China and Ko-
rea; Carl g. Rutledge, secretary for Hong
kong; \. II. Grace, secretary for India,
and Fred 3. Smith, Of New York. secre-
tary in the United States The prayer
preceding the talk Ly Mr.. Smith was by
To- s.F IL D. d
a prayer was made afterward by Robert
Freeman.
In beginning his address Mr.. Smith said
that he heard long since that the three
greatest orations ever uttered by man,
We're three made by Mdses. He said that
when he heard q great scholar, Professor
MoultOn, Of Chicago. make this statement,
he did not comprehend how it might be
true, but that by searching in those three
oratiOns he had found the reason. Mr..
Smith said that he would take as the
basis OF his talk a sentence from one OF
those oratious, Beware lest you forget
God"
Why Men Forget God.
The speaker said that one of the rea-
sons why the men Of this country are
forgetting God is that religion is preach
cd at them so continuously. He said that
another is because the country Is SO over
bearingly prosperous that men think wher
they have attained to wealth and power
that it has been ione by the strength OF
their own arms alone. Consequently, they
forget God, and Gs they so upward in q
material way. they grow further away
from God and religion.
He said that another reason for the
truth that men Of this country are for
saking God is that II has been so appar
emily easy TO do wrong i'm high places
and go unpunished. He said that there
were hundreds of other potential CRATER:
and thieves and criminals in that audi
ence-or would be if they did not lister
10 the voice of the Creator asking then
to be saved
THE two greatest sins which l know.
said Dr. Smith. "are not murder or rob
berry or lust or any of those crimes thai
men hold 10 be the worst. Ingratitudt
and sclhshneSs are the two worst of all
TO my mind Ingratitude I consider tho
lesser Of these. But if l were asked which
man I should prefer to trust. the saloon
keeper or the ungrateful man. I should
name the former.
SeIfishncSS the Greatest SIN,
!
selhshness for men to desire 10 live thi.
life without protesting their belief in tn,
God that is all powerful It is selfish
ness to depart from the religion Of YOU
ancestors-when that is the Christian re
ligion-and leave your children no sucI
groundwork OF nobility Of character a
your parents left to you.
Beware. lest you forget God"
Then Mr. Smith asked those who haC
professed their belief in Christ 10 stand
Thousands stood and testified TO thei
belief Then he requested those who haC
been touched by his remarks, who fel
that at that hour they had grown close
10 Christ and that they desired to com,
still closer. 10 rise. Hundreds more go
upon their feet.
After the singing Of several songs
while those who had professed their con
version hocked to the platform, DR.. Rob
ert Johnson. Of Toronto, led in prayer
the benediction was pronounced, and tn
meeting ended