The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-03
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

! a case of blues, so blue Monday has
 become fixed fact not only in words but in fact.
 l went to the ministers conference on
 Monday and heard Walter Brown talk about the way the city was doing it's
 charity work, and was pleased when the ministers took action looking to a closer cooperation with the city's plan to help
 the poor and weed out the fakes 1 An invitation was extended for the 1 conference to adjourn and attend the I Thacker revival services being held on the South Highlands by the Presby- | terians, Methodsts and Baptists. I was one to accept and made my way over ex- pecting to find handful of the faithful l was greatly surprised to find the church comfortably filled with men and women. I have been living here so long and attending so many public places that I have learned to know Birmingham audi ences pretty we'll. The gathering in
 
 representative one.
 I, of course, expected to find a number of dear old saints in black with their white lace collars looking as if any one of them might have sat as a model for Whistlers famous painting of his dear old mother. There is beauty of the child just as there is beauty of old age, and I never tire of looking into the dim pied faces of babes or the wrinkled ones l of srandmothers. But there were also g ent.
 I looked about me and there were a l done their best work, and were quietly | resting, waiting for the call to come home. Among those present was Dr. J. c. Morris. What man, and what a life, I and what memories he brought back to me of the old days over a quarter of a century ago when he was the pastor of \ the First Methodist church. He was ! power for good and greatly beloved by | old as well as young. I'll never forget, | for whom I was ordained a Baptist preacher in Atlanta he wrote asking me | to preach my first sermon in the First Methodist church in Birmingham It was like him to think of one of the boys who had loved him and wanted to show | him Christian courtesy.
 But I am rambling. I sat down to write about the revival services It was the first time I was ever on the inside of the South Highland Methodist church. I had often wondered how 1t was ar- ranged, as it's exterior reminded me of q mosque. I found it an attractive audi torium. but it seemed to me the acoustics were defective. I noticed 1t and so did pr. Frank Hall Wright, the Indian evan gelist, or I would have attributed it to myself and not the building.
 
 The church had been decorated with golden rod and autumn leaves and looked very much like setting for Thanks giving service. The sunlight came streaming through the stained glass win dows sprinkling the seats with specks Of gold. The music led by MT. Jelks, the singer, was anything but professional, and therefore attractive. The selections were old time hymns, the kind men like to sing.
 had always heard that as & rule Pres- byterian preachers were not guilty of preaching short sermons, but pr. Thacker was through before I settled down good
 
 | him if necessary. He is a medium sized, well got up, pleasant faced man, with good speaking voice, and pleasing deliv- ! cry, being free from all pulpit affecta- ton.
 l I liked his matter as well as his man. | ner. The text, taken out of the Psalms, 1 What is man that thou art mindful of 1 him?" gave him ample opportunity for a philosophic, scientific, and theological 1 display of knowledge, but he quietly side pleased and hsip me greatly by his sim plicity in going straight to the hearts of | his audience instead of to their heads. l He was particularly fortunate in his l illustrations. He used only three, but l showed that he was their master and had no idea of letting them run away with him. His first was about Daniel Web ster who had trouble to really believe that God cared for him as an individual. 1 His second was the story of the child who l climbed into his fathers lap, saying, Papa. I am such little boy want you l to tell God something for me-" The third Charley Ross, who gave his days to look | ing into the face of every boy he met in l the hope that he would find his own son. ! Now, you can readily see how he used | these to show Gods care for his own
 children.
 | Now, you can call it art common sense.
 religion or whatever you please but 1t
 was an uplifting service because the
 preacher knew God and human nature. There was absolutely no straining after effect, but in IS minutes he had won his | audience and driven home some mighty 1 comforting truths. The man who can we all need in this busy twentieth cen-
 tury.
 l I am willing to confess that went out more as reporter than as one who needed the service, but came away feeling that I had gotten heavenly vision that would stay with me through | y~,,~v Unrlxipr dav and send vna hon1a