Norwich bulletin., 1919-12-15

gregatIonS of l,500, filling the Central Baptist church, Sunday afternoon and evening, brought to an end the series of union evangelistic meetings held in this city since Nov. 16, under Gypsy Smith. Jr Every available seat in the church auditorium, in the prayer meeting room and in Bushnell chapel was filled at each service and a line of people stood at the rear on the main floor and in the gallery.
 In the evening the service began at l : o'clock and Mr. Smiths sermon was from the text, He went away" It was a special plea for decisions for the Christian life while Gods spirit was moving upon the people. As on | the other eve7.--S uhen the invitation
 has been given in rEe .otter days of the campaign, seoFea answered the evangeliSt's appeal, pressing their way i up the. aisles to grasp MT. Smiths i hand as the pledge of their purpose. The big chorus choir of 100 voices un- der the leadership of Charles F. Allen sang verse after verse of Where He
 Leads Me, changing to Just As I Am and then shifting to Jesus Is Tender | iy Calling and with each new appeal l by MT. Smith other scores kept push l ing to the front until over 200 had made their pledge.
 As the closing hymn of the cam 1 paign, Mr. Smith asked the congrega- ton to sing Why Do You Wait, Dear Brother, and there were again re- l sponses so that the service continued for another fifteen minutes.
 Rev. Dr. S. H. Howe of Park Con gregational church made the closing prayer. which was followed by the Doxology before Gypsy Smith pro- nounced the benediction that brought
 the service and the series of meetings
 to a close.
 For half an hour after the meeting
 closed. men and women were filing in
 front of the pulpit to shake hands
 with MT. Smith in farewell and wish
 him God speed in his work. as he goes
 to his next series of meetings at the
 University of North Carolina for two . weeks.
 MT. Smith, MT. Allen, the chorister and Miss Hoagland, the accompanist
 were taken to New London shortly af , ter the meeting in automobiles b, James L. Case and Allyn L. Brown st
 that they might catch train for tht
 south.
 At the services on Sunday a ire, will offering was taken in en velopes, that had been distrib uted last Thursday and Friday . This will be MT, Smiths compensa t ton for his services in the evangelis
 tic campaign. What the amount wa l could not be learned Sunday nigh1 t The expenses of the campaign e amounting to about s1.6o0 had previ e ously been secured by collections talk : ell at,the meetings and by pledges. l The seven churches which hay
 united in the campaign-Central Bap i-H D.. f : s Methodist, First Baptist Federate s church, First Congregational and Fir. . Methodist-all voted unanimously 0 Q Sunday to secure Gypsy Smith, ST e father of the evangelist who has con
 ducted this campaign. to come her for a series of meetings a year frof - now. A committee from the Norwic e churches is expecting to go to Ne T York on Wednesday to see Gyps d Smith, Sr, about the date when |
 can come here next year.
 Story Of His Fathers Life.
 At 3.30 Sunday afternoon the evar 5 gelist told the story of his fathers Ii 1t from his childhood days. the even l. which led to his conversion and h ,- preparation for the ministry. The COT 1. gregation was one of the largest of u T entire campaign, numbering fully 5G fI llC tiQI Cll duNlLOTluIll anu SdIle . were crowded to capacity.eas were all d. the prayer meeting room and Sund. s, school room, which were thrown opi B to accommodate the overflow. Son h 50 or 75 people, unable to find sea Q stood throughout the service. PeoI IS came from many of the surroundil
 towns and villages to hear from t ut lips of his son the life story of Gyp 1e Smith. Sr.. who has won in Englal Si the title of Our Own Gypsy" A cou on showed between 60 and 70 automobil e- parked in front Of the church, city hi I ] building and Otis library
 1t HardshA misery and privation we d, vividly depcted by the evangelist. w o'l spoke in an interesting vein for f
 hour and a half. His talk was fiber;
 iv sprinkled with dry humor and W
 1clsms and so intense was the intert ss on the nart of the large congregati
 that hardly a person stirred throug eo ont the entire recital Pathetic inde ay was the picture of five motherless cl1 ENe dren depending upon the unskiIled fl ne gers of a grief stricken father " p through dire necessity was forced sa cut and sew clothes for his you an family
 Sa The evangelist began with the chi ,nl hood days of his father. born in -or gypsy tent in England and leading
 life of nomad. He went on to tell ", the death cf his fathers mother ng was uado fo, narnoissio,, "a h,r,. dle in the village churchyard. the clers ger man refused to allow her to be laid 'ee rest in his churchvard because she V ol "onlv a gypsv" But when inform " of the fact that English law prohibi itn nrivate burial he reluctantly consen ,lS to allow the body to be buried ir ne corner of the churchvard where, ed is spnn n,isb ,.t'n Tts s Il, zton at
 midnight. according to the gynsv q
 tom. and Gypsy Smiths nranafatl ES te~n. was tho only monrner.
 w. The death loft tho evane eeli ral grandfather stricken with grief { of with five young children to care try alone.
 ,ng From the day of his wifes fune
 he was a changed man not in a rel Id ious sense, however. for he knew no ate ing of Jesus Christ nor the Bible. ese he bad>decided out of reve-ence for .Se dead wife to lead better life. T 3ve load was too heavy; there seemed ron be something lackinr in his life, 2 , a he determined to find out what 5t " mt. 1 One day in a barroom he told the b sed maid of his troubles and asked her Hill she could help him. She renlied | ig- she couldn't help him but that she lail upstairs q book which she thou var might aid him. And she handed o .91. the bar a copy of Pilgrims Progrt ind Neither he nor any of the sypsies
 the band could read. but they fol