The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-01
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

ueal Tn the papers about crime waves but at present it appears that reli- gious wave has struck Birmingham. It cannot be justly charged that the dailies do not feature the churches and their services, for they have been most liberal in the amount of space which they have given to the different meet irgs.
 It will not be necessary to go further back than the Bob Jones revival to prove the case. He got a large amount of publicity and he deserved all he got, and he went away from Birmingham carrying the prayers of many whom he helped to better life.
 > Then came pr. c. Campbell Morgan. intended all the time he was here to write story around him. but every time I would get in the notion I would read the one Mrs. Carolyn B. Elliott wrote and give up the idea, for I did rot see how I could add anything to her splendid account of the grea. preacher and Bible scholar.
 
 Dr. Morgan, being an international figure in the religious world, was much in the public prints. and while he did rot court notoriety, he made what the newspaper boys call good copy" and so they played him up, for the people wanted to hear what he had said and " hat he had done, although he himself was not what is known as a good sub feet to be interviewed.
 
 Then pr. George R. Stuart began in a quiet way series of revival services in the First Methodist Church, and while he is one of the best known re- were not played up as much here in his home town as they would have been in some other city; but George has the ability to get crowds without having to call on the papers to aid him.
 M
 Then some of the other Methodist churches in the district decided to hold evangelistic services, and they pro- ceeded without much advertising. The Fresbyterians. to do their part con cluded to hold short midday service at the First Presbyterian Church, with rr. John McNeill. pastor of the South Highlands Presbyterian Church and a world famed evangelist. to do the preaching, while Dr. John MacSporran presided. I was told that the Fairfield Presbyterian was also engaged in a. series of revival services.
 The Baptists, however, in their simul taneous meetings which touch nearly forty churches in the district, have put on what is considered to be the best organized evangelistic campaign ever not in the preliminary conferences lave any idea of the immense amount of detail work necessary to be done before before such a widespread move nient can be inaugurated successfully.
 
 The Baptists have shown that they believe in printers ink and have used display advertising and gotten all the reading space they could get. But they utu not Slpp Wlln the use VI lHe dailies, but placarded the streets and stores and put up signs in the down town district which have attracted much attention. But more, they used handbills by the thousands and got them into the homes through laundries and parcels from the stores.
 graat pun,har If evanpeIists used ir the various churches are known as Home Board evangelists. This is department under the supervision of the Home Board. of Atlanta, Ga. of which Dr. B. D. Gray, formerly pastor of the First Baptist Church, Birming ham, is the corresponding secretary. Dr. w w. Hamilton is the head of the evangelistic forces and is here in person in charge of the forces
 But in conjunction with the preach CTS lis band of gospel singers and accompanists, for it has been found that it is hard to have good meetings without special music adapted to evan gelical methods. Besides the regular
 
 irgs a trio of quartets. and their singing is feature of the morning and evening services at the First Bap- tist Church.
 But among the preachers are num- Ter of well-known pastors in Alabama and some from other southern states. To give a further idea of the organiza- ton, each day there are held nearly a score of monday services in the shops. The scheme is to send the local pastor nearest the plant in company with an evangelist and singer and any vol unteer workers who may care to have part in the meetings.
 downtown meetings on Saturday night. This gives the singers. as well as the evangelist, an opportunity to reach many people who do not attend church. The Home Board treasures among it's archives a series of pictures made here some years back taken on the street corners. which show the crowds and the interest in the serv- ices. There are men in Birmingham to- day who date their conversion from the open-air meetings.
 Personally, think the idea of simul- taneous meetings good one. but in- stead of being limited to one denom- nation I wish that all the Protest-