The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-05
7tratsd tsaod,l, in the great services of Dwight
Moody and sankey.

L. Moody?
 Moody and Sankey.
 No Intelligent man can study the work or America greatest evangelistie preacher unless at the same time he fol- lows the wonderful career of Ameriea's most wonderful gospel singer. What do you think of the work of Ira D. Sankevq'' l asked one of the greatest and most in fuential ministers of the west He is emphatcally the messenger of gentle ness. This fact was never better illus trated than by comparing the work of a Moody and a Sankey." Great team. that" I said, ''Yes, a great team" Nhy2 Because each mans work supplemented the work of the other man. Moody was an earnest, conscientious preacher. Moody would stir an audience until men and women could see their sins marching be- fore them in an appalling procession, and they would realize the peril of their con dition. Then Sankey would sing of the life line of the ninety and nine and the love of God touched the hearts of men until the whole audience would be melted into tears. Moody was essentially the blower and the sower Ira D. Sankey was the reaper He was the one who could soften the heart and make sinners feel the love of God by the power of gospel
 
 man supplemented the work of the other man. Moody. and Sankey formed the most potent evangelistic team of the past century.
 But there is another reason why gos- pei singing has been baptized by the Holy Spirit for the salvation of men. Gospel singing stimulates the worship CT to do something for Christ. It is his part of the church service. The minister may be praying, but the mem bers of the congregation may not be following him in his prayers. While the minister is preaching the solemn faced elder sitting before him may be plan ming how he is going to run his busi- ness the next day. That was @ quaint and beautiful compliment which Mark Twain gave to his minister some time ago. The great humorist met the preacher at the door of the church af-- CT the sermon and said My dear doc tor, you will have to make your ser mons more uninteresting or I cannot afford to come to church any more. Sunday morning in church is the time l always expect to plan my week z work. You are preaching such inte-- esting sermons that I have to pay at tention, and you must become more stupid or else I shall have to stay away" But, alas, what Mark Twa:n spoke in jest is only too true of soElc hearers. Whether it is the fault of the minister or not, one fact is certain: Many a merchant has planned out h,s business deals during the Sunday morn ing sermon, and many q tired mother has taken short cat nap during the prayer of the Sunday morning service. But it is so different during the time of gospel singing. It is the difference of doing something for Christ and sit- ting passive in your pew.
 The Group About the Piano.
 Why did your mother have you chiI- dren gather around that piano to sing What was her chief reason? 1t was to get you to do something good to keep you from doing something posi- lively harmful. o friends, do not think that the time you spend with your chi.- dren singing is wasted time. If some parents would do a little less scoldiag and little more singing with their children perhaps they might have just the same spiritual influence for go ,d as had your sainted mother when sho gathered the children about her every Sunday afternoon to sing the gospel hymns.
 But there is another truth which comes surging over me with overwhelming power when I think of the divine pur- pose of sacred song That is the thought that the great hymnologists have always been the gospel teachers who have been able to overleap all the barriers of sec tarian bigotry and narrow-minded creeds. If the great hymnologists have accom- plished no other good at least they have taught us that Christ has many other