Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-03

magh. and Il year and u half ago he eX-
pected to end his life there. Then came
what he describes as tire wonderful
thing" and Il few months ago the work
of his new movement became SO heavy
that he had to resign his church and
take up his headquarters in Belfast. 1t
Is characteristic of the man that In do
ing so he took no thought for the NOR
row, but trusted in a higher power to
provide for himself and his family.
Now what was the wonderful thing
ana what have been it's results? l Will
tell the. story as nearly as possible IN
MIR. Paterson'S own words as he told 1t
to me after one of his meetings. at
which. by the way, lie enrolled nearly
every man present as Il member of his
union.
Il was in Armagh IS years.. he said,
and almost as soon as | began my
ministry there | was impressed by the
magnitude of the drink evil. 1t OPP
pressed, obscsScd and bQssed the city.
Armagh Is the most ancient Christian
city In Europe. There has been q seat
of Christian worship on top of the hill
where the old cathedral stands for 400
years. One would expect that it would
be a model of the Christian virtues. bat
l am ashamed to say that it WIS one Of
the most drunken towns in Ireland, and
! am doubly ashamed to say that 1t was
tho Professionals who furnished most of
tho town drinkers. The priests at the
cathedral looked after their own people
well. and here let me give credit to one
of them little Father Shearin. who has
done n grand work for temperance
among his own flock ! saw what he
was doing and was ashamed and de-
tcrmined to do my share
well, for years labored for temper
ancc in the old way and | soon got n
name us temperance crank. gave
M lnItr To, tl,n,, ny,lg l,,t ! l,,'t
seem much good. In fact may as we'll
confess that after a while | fairly
loathcd the sight of II man coming to
my manse to take the pledge. They
didn't como because they wanted to
stop the drink. They came because
they had lost their jobs or had got in
mess OF some sort. Often the employ
crs told n man that If he would go to
Mr. Paterson and take the pledge he
would get his lob back. OF course that
kind of man didn't keen it long. One
day l met Father Shcarin on the street
ana I asked him. Father, what's the
secret of your success In lighting the
drink
"'Fnith. Mr. Paterson he replied.
there's no secret about 1t Mt all,
expect it's just because my people be-
lieve I'm in earnest about it,
THAT set mo thinking again Was
nest rs to do the unconventional thing
and perhaps shock some OF my best
friends? Maybe ] wasn't In those days.
THE BEGINNING.
"Then came the wonderful thing. On
the evening of Tuesday. July Is. 1909.
was going home to my mansc and
noticed a group Of six men leaning
against a lamp post nearly opposite.
- n Ipi ri,,,V
named John Elliott, left the others
and walked on past me rs II he didn't
intend to speak. Then he stopped and
as I passed said, There's n whcen of
fellows, your reverence. that ought to
take the pledge.
God must have inspired me at that
moment for II flashed across ME that
here was the chance had been waiting
for Come on, John, my lad said |.
and took him by the arm and back we
both went.
John hero says you ought to take
tho pledge says I, and they agreed
they hung back n bit oh. we couldn't
do 1t tonight your reverence said
one. Don't 30 so fast there says ].
4 wasn't going to ask you to take 1t
tonight. and T wouldn't give It to you
If you wanted 1t. l want you all to
come to my manse next Friday night,
and take 1t together You see the idea
had come to mo that i'll could get the
six OF them to take the pledge together
I would be crenting n sort of public
opinion that would make each OF them
ashamed to break 1t.
well they hung fire at that and I
told them II little story. Boys says
/, what would you think of n servant
girl that had six nice dry wee sticks to
light 4 fire and who lit one Of them and
let It burn out and then ut the next,