Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-09-23

c for me. I came to the conclusion that spiritually I was destitute. This verse certainly set me to thinking deeply. I said to myself. Harry 1 James, here you are. your show l houses are bringing you in goa mon ' ey and you are trying to get more. But what about your soul? Oh, my i friends. if you do not feel interested in anything else I say tonight take that verse home with you and think about it. God had been trying to speak to me a few months before when the little child of ours went out of this world. I did think a little about my soul then but would not really hear God when He was trying to speak to me. I want you to think tonight, not of James but of Jesus Christ He has followed through through these years. l am so un- worthy to stand before you. I do not know why God lets me work for Him but out of His goodness He does. When I had heard Sunday a while longer l walked down the aisle and gave him my hand and I have been trying to live Christian life since that day.
 "I discovered I could not live a Christian life and continue in the show business. For in the show bus mess I had to put OH the very stuff that would damn the souls of men. That is true of all the shows in Pine Bluff. I tell you this city needs a city censorship board. What kind of films do these children like best? They like the ones that have fighting and killing in them. Their hearts are taught to be blocdthirsty by tae damnable stuff they see in the shows. There are mothers in this city whi will send their children to the shows rather than send them to the taber- nacle. You go to see the stuff that is put on in the city and then call yourself Christian. The theater is damning souls today The Bible says, Love not the things of the world when you give your time and money to the theater. Cod knows if you patronize these places you need genuine revival in your heart. l had a show house just across the street from church that had membership of 1,20O. After the eve ming service was over those church people would come over to my theatre and pack the house. I used to judge Christ and the church by those people, as the world is judging them by you. Jesus walked the way to Calvary for you and me and it is an outrage against God for you to patroniZe such places as that.
 'I visited the prison at Joliet, H., one day and was permitted to ask some of the boys howsthey happened to be in prison. Eighteen out of S6 said they were there because of their trying to initiate the things they had seen in the movoes. There are things in the theatres of your city that are a disgrace. Picture houses are worse than saloons.
 "When became Christian prom fsed God that would fight that damn able business to the last ditch. Je- sus Christ bushes with shame be-
 cause His followers patronize this
 ruinous business. I went to my show houses, got my help together and told them that I was done with the business forever. paid them off. turned the key in theSloek and walked out resolved to serve Jesus Christ in reality or not at all. By HIS grace have been able to keep out of the the atres ever since.
 q needed a job when I closed up my business. There was nothing which I had ever learned to do except my music. went to the Pennsylvania shops and asked for joo. There seemed to be nothing doing there for me. At last l was given the job Of wiping the grease off engines. l WorK- ed at this until one day l was brought face to face with Rev. Jas. M. Gray of the Moody Bible institute. l was told that I could go there to prepare for the ministry, which had been my ideal since I became a Christian. l had been holding street meetings. Many times show people and others tried to have me arrested for holding these meetings, but they were not sue
 cessful. In some way MT. Gray mad heard of me. We'll, the result of our meeting was that l went tO the MOO 0Y BSUlc 1uSJlIuCC III SHANNSO' | "OAAS alone for a while and then my good wife came. We rented room on the third floor of building at the corner of Chestnut and Clark streets. Oh, what a room! We had but little to start with and our funds soon were
 used up. One cold night we had spent all our money, and it looked dark for us. My wife whom God gave
 to me and who has stood by me in all the disappointments and privationss told me there was just enough food for the breakfast next morning. We prayed there in our room. She went sobbing to bed. encouraged her to trust in the Lord for He has said He will provide. The next morning the last food was eaten, On arriving at the postoffice I found two letters con taining $37. Oh, how God answers al