Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-03
HOW SUNDAY WON
ALEDO TO CHRIST:
JUDGE HENRY e. BURGESS, WITH
STIRRING ADDRESS, DEDl-
GATES TABERNACLE.
$500 PEOPLE PRESENT
Takes Up Charges Made Against
Evangelist and Refutes Them
Gives Story Of His Own Con-
version - Revival Notes.

Gives Story Of His Own Con-
version - Revival Notes.
Citing the religious upheaval which
followed Rev. w. A. Sundays appear
ance in .Aledo, ILL.,, as an example Of
the great evangelist's power LOT doing
good and using his cwn individual con-
version as a specific instance, Judge
henry e. Burgess of Aledo addressed
4,500 people for over an hour last
evening at the dedicatory exercises OF
the big tabernacle which was formally
consecrated to the work of Christ.
Judge Burgess is most entertain
ing speaker. He is comparatively
young, magnetic and is possessed VI
powerful voice and eloquence teem-
| ing with humor, satire and appealing
earne stness. In the opinion of Judge
| Burgess, w. A. Sunday is the --latest
power for doing good for Christ that
ever lived He took up the charges
that have been made against the great
evangelist and one by one, refuted
them in words and manner that left
| not vestige of doubt among the vast
throng of people hearing him, as to
Sundays sincerity.
The tabernacle was full. practically
every seat in the huge building being
occupied Two hundred voices were
in the big chorus choir and an excel
lent orchestra was in attendance to
aid with the music. The Y. M. G. A.
male chorus was another strong fea
ture on the musical program. DR.. F..
G. Davies presided at the meeting.
Reverends r. j. Locke, e. j. Shook, j..
w. Pool, L. H. Otto, w. H. HORNED
and Jonathan Lee, together with w. F.
Hunting assisted in the meeting.
Judge M. A. Roberts introduced Judge
Burgess, following short devotional
service.
Hit Ground With Thump
After making a few general remarks
about the Ottumwa tabernacle, saying
it was in the first rank among all the
numerous buildings which had ever
been erected for w. A. Sundays work
and congratulating the city for the big
audience, Judge Burgess told of his
own conversion.
rive enjoyed being around these
tabernacles ever since Sunday got
hold of me In 1906" the Judge said.
I'm not a preacher nor am / related
or connected with a preacher In any
| way-not by consanguinity or affinity.
1t was in October, 1905, that Sunday
called me down out of my tree. He
says. Come down, Zaccheus,' and I hit
the ground with such a hard thump
that I've never recovered since and
never want to-"
Mr.. Burgess stated that he would
tell of Sundays work in Aledo as one
example of the evangelist's work. He
compared the city as Aledo was be.
fore Sundays REVEALS.
AIedo Had Beer Garden.
There were no saloons in Aledo
but there was big beer garden out
side the corporation limits that was
so close that the corporation line rwas
used as one side of the building They
ha that FIVE gallon law in Illinois
, then: that is, that if saloon is out
side the city limits that the propria
tors do not have to sell less than five
gallons OF liquor to any one custom
er. So considering that. guess Aledc
and Ottumwa were about on par a!
to the saloon evil"
He proceeded to tell of Aiedo's at
titude toward Sunday before the evan
t gelist had reached the city. He helt
up one Of the small hand-bills which
| have been circulated througil the cit.
: recently disparaging Sunday and hi
!, methods and said. "Thls little greer
;, dodger you've got here in Ottumw;
. is a big recommendation to Sunda,
e alongside of the stories that were cir
A culated about him in Aledo. And tn
e queer thing about it all is that at tn
!. close Of the Sunda--- meetings Their
:. was not a man, woman or child Il
; Aledo that wasn't ready to stand III
T, for the evangelist and declare them
y s-lves to be his friends.
:. He then told what Sunday found il
e Aledo on his initial appearance. Sur
0 day found about the same crowd Their
that he does everywhere-that he vii
! here. OF course there were som
e good, stalwart Christian soldiers i
: the front ranks-hen- Christians,
c call them. You know an old hen ha
o one toe sticking out straight benin
n to keep her from sliding backward an
:, that's the way these old Christian
= were. Then there we're some re-cu
rent Christians. 1t occurred to ther
o about once a week and they therefor
ID went to church on Sundays. Their
1t were torpid Christians about as a
e tive as alternating bear in white
- or a hoot-owl in the daylight. 1t is sal
"a that toad can live for one hundre
l. years In state of inertia-but let m
IS tell you right here there were Chrl
Is tians over there In Aledo that coul
: beat toad every heat when it cam
e to being inert. So Sunday found a
. kinds Of people in Aledo-backslider
= recurrent Christians, torpid Christian
and Their those who had got into co
respondence with the Standard 0
TX crowd and the devil got them all t
It gether There were hypocrites, ba
o. nacles that had fastened themselvt
onto the churches and wouldn't let G
a. Why People Came.
well, the meetings finally hega
e. Ike people attended for all sorts
la reasons. The preachers were the
because they were tired OF preachir