The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-09-30
SANKEi, THE SINGER.
Tremendous Carrying Power Of
Famous EvangeIist's Voice.
ONCE HEARD OVER MILE AWAY

OiSOI Ovcn MILE await
Man Listening to His Singing Was
Converted-How He Composed the
Grand Hymn 1.-THE Ninety and Nine"
A Thrilling Incident In His Career.
There were wonderful sympathy and
earnestness In the voice Of Ira D.
sankey, the famous hymn writer, sing
er and evangelist, who recently died
at his home in Brooklyn, and 1t had
tremendous carrying power.
When Mr.. Sankey, who for many
years was the associate of Dwight l..
Moody, sang In Agricultural hail In
london to an audience Of 1000 peo-
pie every n OF them was able to un-
derstand every word that he uttered.
1t is an authenticated fact that on n
occasion his singing was heard a mile
II a quarter away. It was during
the dedication Of the church at North
field, and an immense throng was gath
cred there. Mr.. Sankey sang the
worldwide known song Of 1.-THE Nine
ty and Nine" and he lifted his voice
that all might hear. Across the Con-
necticut river, more than q mile and a
quarter away, a man named Colwell
was sitting on the porch Of his home.
He heard the song and was converted
by 1t. He fastened to Mr.. Moody to
report the extraordinary occurrence.
There must be untold thousands of
mortals today in the United States
who have at some time in their lives
heard this touching, tender hymn, and
the story of its origin Is most interest
ing. Mr.. Moody and Mr.. Sankey were
holding revival services in Edinburgh,
and while reading over a religious pa
per Sankey came across a little poem
that at once attracted his attention. 1t
later formed in part the famous hymn
as afterward sung, and he found him
self repeating two Of the lines of the
poem over and over again. They would
not stay out of his head, and they were
these words:
There were ninety and nine that safely
lay
In the shelter of the fold.
He soon saw there was in the words
the making Of a great hymn, and he
called the attention of Moody to them,
but the latter was SO engrossed in the
reading of a letter from Chicago that
he did not pay much attention. But
Sankey cut out the poem and put the
clipping in his pocket. The next day
Moody addressed a large MONDAY
gathering in Free Assembly hall, near
Edinburgh castle. His theme was
"The Good Shepherd" When he had
concluded his talk to the people he re-
Quested Sankey to sing a solo appro-
pirate to the subject of the
But for a little time Sankey could
think of nothing appropriate, when
finally the verses from the newspaper
came to his mind. He might sing them,
he thought. Then he recalled he had
no tune for them. But a moment later
he took the clipping Of verses from his
pocket, placed it ON the organ before
him, and then as though solely by the
aid Of inspiration a tune came to him,
and his rich. sympathetic voice was
raised in triumphant melody as he
sang the famous words:
lie were ninety ana nine INat S9fely
lay
In the shelter Of the fold.
But one was out on the hills away,
Far OIL from the gates of gold,
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender shepherds care,
Away from the tender shepherds care.
The vast audience was thrilled as
the singer went on with the verses
that he i%mprovised from his own mind
as the song proceeded, and the final
verse rang out in these words:
There rose a glad cry to the gate Of
heaven:
"Rejoice! I nave found my sheep!'
And the angels echoed around the throne,
"Rejoice. for the Lord brings back his
own!"
Moody crossed over the platform to
the singer when the song ceased and
asked: "Where did you get that song,
Sankey? l never heard you sing any.
thing like that before"
1T is the poem I read to you yester-
day." replied Sankey.
Moody slowly turned to the audi.
ence and said simply, LET us pray"
The meeting of Sankey and Moody
was the first Of many dramatic cpl
sodes IN their association. Sankey
had never thought of turning evangel-
list, and it was quite by accident that
he was thrown with Moody.
He had been a singer from his boy
hood, and his voice had attracted at
tention In the little hamlet Of Edin-
burg, Pa, where he was born Aug. Is,
1910, and where he lived until he was
fifteen years old. at which age his IA.
ther, David Sankey, and his mother.
Mary Sankey, moved to Newcastle.
Sankey had sung for his comrades In
his one year Of service in the civil
war, and he had led the choir in the
church in Newcastle. His position as
head Of the Young Mems Christian as |
ISOLATION in Newcastle was RESPONSE |
bic for his meeting with Moody. In
1870 he went as a delegate to the Y. |
NJ. c. \. convention In Indianapolis,