Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-19
The Criticism.

The Criticism.
Evangelists have recently come in
for some severe attacks from William
r. Moody, son of Dwight L. Moody, at
the head of the institutions founded by
his father and Ira D. Sankey in East
Mortified, Mass, out of the enormous
contributions they received in their
evangelistic work. The attack is the
more surprising since the evangelistic
talent is exceedingly rare, it being
possible to count the few notably sue
cessful evangelists in the United
States on the fingers of one hand In
Mr.. Moody's magazine, DR.. Arthur T.
Pierson says:
Modern evangelism is increasingly
| costly. Sometimes it has fixed price
and does not hesitate to announce it.
To invite campaign, with all Its aids
and accessories, may involve an eX-
penditure of $1,000 a week. in some
cases $4,000 month. Single
churches cannot assume such bur-
den, and whole city must marshal
it's forces to lift the load. The worth
Of one soul outweighs millions of
money; but when avarice bats the
hook the fisher may get caught rather
than the fish, and whenever money
gets hold of an evangelist his spiritual
power is gone"
DR.. Pierson adds: Modern evangel.
ism makes much of numbers, parading
statistics, and often with a reckless
mode of reckoning. 1t is easy to secure
show of numbers, but such numeri-
cal estimates are very deceptive and
misleading"
in an editorial commenting on this
article Mr.. Moody goes even farther
in his criticism of modern evangelism,
saving:
Unless a preacher can count his
converts by the hundreds, or even by
the thousands, he deems that his eff
forts have failed. In consequence ev-
cry effort must be exerted 'todraw'
a crowd, and then desperate attempts
made to induce as large numbers as
possible to sign cards, or rise, or
make some outward manifestation of
desire to be a Christian Telling pa
thetic, not to say impossible stories,
and continually widening the basis Of
appeal, often results in a multitude Of
decisions which have in reality de-
cided nothing.
"To prostitute the sacred work of
evangelism. to the methods of the cir
Gus and vaudeville was in older DAYS
an unheard-of thing. But now the
press agent is engaged to supply the
secular, as well as the religious, press
with highly colored reports of the
work. The evangelist is the object of
adulation, and only too often the mes
sage is less reported than the mes
senger."
Among all the evangelists there is
probably no one more successful than
Mr. William A. Sunday and probably
none of them have been more gener-
ously rewarded by the people they
have helped. Mr.. Sundays answer to
our inquiry is not what might be
called direct reply to Mr.. Moody's
attack, but it is well worth reading
by all who have not given this subject
the attention it deserves:
Results More Important.
refuse to be drawn into news
paper controversy hence must refuse
your request to answer the revival
| critics think men should be thank
ing God that more people are being
won to Christ now than ever before.
Why should they be harping about
the methods when drunkards are be-
ing made sober, saloons closed by the
hundreds, men walking home sober in
stead of staggering, Keeling, jabbering.
mauddering down the streets, homes
of squalor turned into abodes of peace
and happiness. thieves to steal no
more, liars TO speak the truth, dead
beats to pay their debts, Ratchet
faced, weasel-eyed gossipers to stop
lying about their neighbors, libertines
made pure and cursing men made to
pray All this and more is being done
by the vaudeville" method, as some
designate the present revival work
One day the disciples met some men
casting out devils, and they wanted
the Lord to bring fire down upon them
because they were not doing the work
their way. They decry the expense.
yet last year there was spent in this
country:
s2,200000,000 for drink
900000,000 for tobacco
$S00,000,000 for amusements.
s2O0000.000 for dogs.
s7S,000,000 for candy.
s24.000,000 for gum.
Nothing is said about that A prize
fighter stands In the ring for fifteen
~ 4