The San Francisco call., 1908-03-23
TROTTER SCORES
ACTS OF THE RICH
Live Wire Preacher" Says
Girls Are Driven to Ruin
by Meanness
One Thousand Listen to His
Advice: "Flee Works of
the Devil"


with religious enthusiasm yesterday
afternoon at Dreamland rink when Mel
Vile +. Trotter. the live wire preach
er. addressed them on Something Do
ing" Banners borne on willing shoul-
ders carried throughout the tenderloin
the message painted in red naring let
ters. Union strike called against the
devil. He is unfair. Trotter referee.
The call was attended by a gathering
largely separated in social, religious
and industrial lines. On the platform
from which he spoke were seated many
of the best known preachers in the city.
A chorus of well trained voices swelled
in unison hymns of praise, and the we'll
marked refrain was enthusiastically
Joined in by hundreds in the body of
the pavilion.
There could be no doubt about the
seriousness with which the invitation
TO fee the works Of the devil, his works
and his pomps. was needed. No matter
how picturesquely Trotter dressed his
sentiments in an argot that was some
times convuIsive in its humor, that
large body preserved the same quiet
and dignified demeanor
The convocation was held under the
auspices of the San Francisco evan
gelistie union. DR.. IL. H. Bell presided.
1tVlSc EOllCl.
acted as chorus master His was the
impetus and spirit that aroused the
company to the heights of enthusiasm
that greeted the speakers address.
A forecast of what was TO be expect
ed from the older brother was given
when George Trotter. egging the con
gregation to renewed spirit in the sing
ing of Wen Work TIL Jesus Comes"
said:
I'm my town we used IN SING sE-ver,-
body Works But Ny Old Man but to-
day even the old man will have TO work
for Jesus"
DR.. E. E. Eurlingame gave the prayer,
in which he decried ''the evils that ex-
list by license and tv consent of the
government" Miss Macmillan sang a
soprano solo. and Henry j. Mccoy. sec
rotary of the Young Mems Christian as
sociation, introduced Trotter. He re-
marked that mo city has a stronger or
more able ministry than San Fran
CISCO"
BEGINS LIKE LIVE WIRE
Trotter began like a live wire. Before
his audience realized that Mccoy had
finished they We're being regaled with
the hot times they were having climat-
ically, how hot things were in store
for them, and those pestiferous fieas,
of which nothing had been said, and
BON tie SpSdhcI WAS n lSnuSIlOOL anu
was easy game for the elusive insects.
And then he began to tug away at his
collar to locate the crawling thing
tossing his handkerchief into the air
and catching it aptly again. and NOV
ing restlessly, like chip on the ocean,
all over the platform.
Straight from the shoulder he flung
his arms. with the direction, force and
action Of a pitcher delivering ball
he L.
raised in the slums, that he had no edu-
cation, and yet in all his hurried dis
course not the shadow of q grammat-
ical mistake obtruded itself, and he ex-
hibited at times fine appreciation of
the effectiveness of pathos and rhetor-
ical periphrasis.
You'd think I was preacher" he
exploded. ''the way these men," point
ing to the divines on the platform,
have been speaking about me. You
can't expect a man raised in the slums
without education to be a preacher. If
these men would write their sermons
for me would learn them and deliver
them to you. But l have as much
chance of being a preacher as a wheel
barrow in an automobile parade They
tell me that 1 use too much slang. Well,
am going to cut it out. Mind me,
from this time on am going to cut it
out" This with a smile, whisk of a
Prince Albert coat and a flourish of
handkerchief. But I am not running
for office, nor, mind me, ladies, am
trying to get married. No, God bless
you"
NOT STRONG ON FINANCE
Later a collection was taken up
IF every bank in the country" he
ratified on, was to go busted tomorrow
1 would not need a sleeping powder. 1
once told a friend of mine that if
could buy the state of Michigan for
500 I would have to borrow $50 Hello
Ellison, I didn't see you." This was
directed with a pointed finger to a men,
ber OF the audience Don't give
nickel to a sour looking cuss. Every
thing comes with a smile Look in it.
spit IN it. DO anything with it, only