Year: 1874

From the New York World


The movement for praying down the
grog shops, lately begun, and said to be
| Just now in food-tide of success in
Ohio and other Western States, is per-
haps the most singular social and relig-
ious phenomenon of our time. 1t has
its serious as well as its comic side (for
the praying Amazons are very much in
earnest); it has its prose as well as its
poetry flor these blooming Western
beauties mean business). We propose
to consider it gravely (if we have suffi-
cient power of face to avoid laughing),
and as these praying fair ones have
1.-THE spirit of persuasion" we hope we
may have the ears of profting." 1t
can no longer be said that wisdom cries
in the streets and 10 man regards her;
for she is no longer feminine by mere
figure of speech, and the syren per.
suasiveness of female tongues is very
old experience.


The remarkable feature of the new
temperance movement is that its elo-
quence is exerted in form of prayer. II
Professor 1yndalls visit to America had
been year later he might have found
reasons for revising his opinions about
the famous prayer gauge" which has
provoked so much discussion in the re-
| iigious world. The blackeyed and
blue eyed Amazons of the West
seem to have put it past contro-
versy that prayer has an objective eff
cacy-that its good influence is not
confined to its subjective effect on the
petioner, if the petitioner belong to the
better half of creation. 1t is mighty
through God to the pulling down Of
strongholds," or at least to the shutting
up of dram.shops. A cohort of wives.
widows and fair haired damsels encamp
in the street over against the enemy,
and by playing upon him the artillery of
prayer with forty-parson power" they
generally succeed in bringing the garri-
son to submission before the going down
Of the SUM- Satan's capital strikes his
colors, comes out and gives his parole
as a prisoner of war, brings forth his
stores and ammunition in the presence
of the fair rioters, slaves in the heads of
his casks and the contents stream in the
cutters, where his customers were wont
to lie. The prevailing Amazons do not
forget magnanimity in the hour of tri-
umph, but with truly feminine pity make
up o purse to compensate the contrite
dealer for the loss of so much good
! liquor, partly from the kindness OF the
female heart to all who acknowledge its
sway, and partly pour encourager les
autres. When they have made conquest
OF particularly hard case, they take
him around the country as trophy to
adorn their triumphal procession; they
have him tell his experience in the
public meetings, and by way OF compen-
sation permit him to sell his photographs
to the wondering crowd.


This stirring demonstration of the
efficacy of prayer may not, perhaps,
quite close the controversy raised by
Professor TyDdall, although it proves 50
conclusively that prayer may have a
powerful objective influence. But there
is a train Of residuary difficulties which
this experiment has not yet cleared up.
Why should the great Being to whom
prayer is supposed to be addressed,
listen with such peculiar marks of an
swering favor to the prayers of women 2
II there be any reason in the nature of
tue sex WY ITO pray NAo nave ouNA PAC-
va;ling efficacy above those Of men, it
would seem reason for changing the
order of worship which was instituted
from the beginning in which public
prayers have been offered by a male
priesthood. If the Author Of this mem
orable institution has at length discov-
cred his mistake, and If modern doubts
as to the efficacy Of prayer be a we'll
founded deduction from that original
error, there will be no difficulty in cor
recting it now that all parties to the old
ecclesiastical arrangement are in a way
TO receive so much new light on the
physiologt Of prayer as a question Of
sex. But this would seem to take the
question out Of the hands o. Professor
Tyndall and the physicists and turn it
over to the oultvators Of a different
branch Of science.


There is still another difficulty which
awaits solution il connection with the
surprising success Of the praying ANA
IONS Of the West. Il is not easy 10
understand Why the Hearer Of prayer