Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-26
1000 OF CITY'S
YOUTH ANSWER
REVIVAL CALL

REVIVAL CALL
CONTINUED From Page One)
later date to be announced within the
next few days, when arrangements will
be made to take care of the three thou
sand children and young people who were
unable to gain admittance last night
Gypsy Smith lost no time in plunging
into his sermon, following the opening
numbers of the program. He chose as
his text the first to thirteenth verses of
the tenth chapter of st. Mark, contain
ing the famous lines of Jesus, Suffer
little children to come unto me-"
FRANKLY ADMITS
1T PUZZLES HIM.
After pointing out that the disciples
had made an attempt to keep Jesus from
seeing the children, he said:
II frankly admit that l never have
understood this scene between the Mas
ter, the disciples and the children.
have never understood the action Of the
disciples. They watched Him, learned
from Him, beheld His matchless miracles.
felt the charm of His wonderful person
ality and power, and yet stood in the
way and rebuked those who were trying
1
never have had a satisfactory explanation
Of this. although l have read numerous
commentaries and talked to many theo-
logtans about it.
THAT they were sincere there is no
doubt. But why should they try to
check young lives that wanted to come
TO Jesus? Were they trying to save the
Master. Why think the children under
stand Jesus more fully than others. The
young always are the first to understand,
the quickest TO respond to Him. The
very presence Of the children must have
been restful to Jesus. Some Of the most
wonderful things Jesus said and did cen
tered around young people. l sometimes
think the action Of the disciples must
have been due to their slowness to com
prehend His spirit and to understand
His message.
KNOWS WHERE TO
PUT SUCH TALK.
II have heard some people say that
they don't believe In the conversion of
children. l do. When you hear a per
son talk that way. either that person has
no children, or is not converted If the
Angel Gabriel would come down here to-
night and say to me. Gypsy Smith. you
can take your choice. but you can have
y
bringing 5000 of these children to Christ
or bringing 5000 graybeards to Him.
Without n second of hesitation l would
choose the boys and the girls. If gray
head comes to Christ l rejoice, but sixty
years of sin and waste in this world. of
things done and left undone in this world
cannot be undone in this world or the
next. Sin may be forgiven, but 1t can
not be undone.
ION the battle field of Flanders during
the world war n friend OF mine came
across an old soldier dying fast and
asked him If there were anything he
wished. He received no reply. He then
asked the dying man again and again,
and finally the soldier looked up and
said: Can you undo sin? I wagered
that l could teach a young man who
came into the regiment with his moth
er's Bible in his hand to swear, to get
drunk, to blaspheme, and l won. Not an
. hour ago l saw him die, pierced with a
bullet, dying with the curses on his lips
had taught him. Can you undo that 2
No, that cannot be undoue. 1t may
be forgiven, but not unGone. a sin com
mitted goes on. Give me the boy or girl
before he or she gets to sin. Nearly all
your preachers are saved before they
are 20 years old"
In substantlation Of this statement
Gypsy Smith turned to the preachers on
the platform and asked man after man
Of them how old they were when they be-
came converted. The ages given in the
replies ran from to 20. Not a man who
answered gave his age at more than
20 ut the time he became converted
These preachers, you see" continued
Gypsy Smith, were brought to Christ
before oh m ter
them. I myself was 1G years old when
l was brought to Christ. but made up
for it when I did start. l taught myself
with Bible and a dictionary aided by
the grace Of God. SO l want you boys
and you girls to yield yourself to God
intelllgently I want His will to be the
law Of your life. There Is no other way
so full OF Joy, honor integrity. nobility
and usefulness. He understands you as
no one else can. He viii open the doors
of eternal service to you. If all the boys
and girls in this tabernacle gave them
selves to Christ you would save our
city here. IL you would adopt for your
motto, Christ for Me- you would revou-
tionize the schools, the bones. the very
business life Of this city. Your glori-
Gus ability should be consecratcd to
the service Of Christ"
sion of his own three children, two boys
and a daughter. In no case was the
child over II and In the case Of his
daughter Zllla, only Z.
TELLS STORY OF
HIS DAUGHTER.
In connection with his daughter he
told an interesting story. When a young
girl she was put in charge of a Sunday
school class that no one had been able
to handle. In the words of Gypsy Smith:
'These boys had but one redeeming
trait, they would not quit. She estab-
lished a personal contact with each one
of the seventeen boys, walking with
them, Inviting them to the house and be
fore she had finished she had taken
every one of the seventeen into the
church and the names of every one of
the seventeen was on the honor roll of
the church during the war.
80 1t is to you young people that
want to make my appeal. Among you
tonight there may be great preachers or
a president, a Florence Nightingale, a
Martha Washington, and Christ needs
every one of you"
Row Scout troons renOrtnd an rnusualIv