Newspaper Page Text
Special Trains Carry Multitudes to Ottawa Revival.
God has wonderfully blessed the first week of re
vival meetings in Ottawa. Great throngs have
gathered at the meetings nightly, and already hun
dreds of men, women, and children have been saved.
The meetings are the chief topic of conversation
everywhere, and the city is stirred to its centre.
Dr. Torrey declared that the opening meetings in
Ottawa were the best we have had in America.
On two nights the attendance was nearly or quite
6,000, which is remarkable for a city of only 60,-
000 population, one half of whom are Roman Cath
olics. This means that about one in every five of
the Protesant population was at the meetings.
One of the most interesting and beautiful fea
tures of the week was the presence on Thursday
evening of a “Sunbeam Choir” of 500 boys and
girls. Mr. Alexander said it was the largest “Sun
beam Chorus” he had ever had. The boys and girls
were aranged on the rising seats at the side of the
building near the front, and presented a beautiful
appearance. At one end of the throng of children
were 100 boys with bright faces and shining eyes.
Next them were 400 little girls with equally radiant
faces and sparkling eyes. In their costumes were
all the colors of the rainbow. When, in response
to Mr. Alexander’s signal, their clear, childish
voices floated out through the arena many hundreds
of hearts were touched and melted. Perhaps their
favorite song was the “Sunbeam Song,” and it was
glorious to hear their clear, happy voices singing in
unison:
“A Sunbeam; a sunbeam;
• _ Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam ; a sunbeam;
I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.”
At the conclusion of the sermon, when the invi
tation was given about 100 of the boys and girls in
the choir stood up to publicly accept Christ, and went
down to the front seats where the Way of Life was
clearly explained to them, as well 'as to the older
converts, by Dr. Torrey. In the course of his ad
dress to the converts Dr. Torrey said:
Conversion While Young.
“In away the conversion of a child is more im
portant than the conversion of an adult. A child
saved at ten years of age has a lifetime of service
ahead; a man converted at 70 years has not much
service left in him.
“And I believe in the conversion of children” he
declared. “I have known of cases of children of
four years thoroughly converted and the means of
bringing others to Christ.
‘I prayed for 100 converts tonight, and God has
given us more.”
Another notable feature of the work in Ottawa
is the large number of boys in their teens who are
not only accepting Christ themselves but setting to
work with rare enthusiasm to win their playmates
and friends to Christ. Already half a dozen prayer
circles have been organized among the boys, some of
which meet daily to pray for their unsaved friends.
Tomorrow afternon the Sunday Schools of the
citly will gather at the auditorium for a great Chil
dren’s Meeting. It is expected that seven or eight
thousand boys and girls and their teachers will be
present.
One of the converts of the first evangelistic meet
ing was a milkman, who is so on fire with zeal that
he led his assistant to Christ as they drove along
delivering milk from house to house. This morn
ing he attended the daily morning prayer meeting
held at the Y. M. C. A. building, and was noticed to
be wearing a Christian Endeavor pin. When a
worker asked him what it meant he declared that
he had borrowed it from his brother because he
wanted to show h ; s colors immediately.
Like Toronto, Ottawa is one of the most God
fearing cities in the Dominion. The Sabbath is ob
served here with a strictness far surpassing any
thing seen in the States. By law no Sunday news
are allowed in the Dominion, A striking il-
The Golden Age for June 28, 1906.
By GEORGE T. B. DAVIS.
lustration of the prevalence of family religion was
seen this afternoon, when Mr. Alexander asked all
in the audience who had family prayers to raise
their hands. Almost every hand in the audience
was uplifted, and both Dr. Torrey and Mr. Alexan
der declared it was the largest proportion they had
seen in their tour of the world.
Personal Work By Business Men.
Numerous visitors have come from far and near
to attend the meetings. One of the most interest
ing of these is a successful business man of Cleve
land, Ohio, who makes $5,000 a year, but who has
taken three weeks off to be in the meetings, and to
spend the time between meetings doing personal
work among the prominent business men of Ottawa.
He is on fire with enthusiasm for individual effort
in soul winning, and believes that the world would
be quickly evangelized if consecrated Christian men
would urge- other men to accept Christ with the
persistency and business sagacity of- insurance
agents.
A Revival Around the World.
Said Dr. Torrey: “Take the worldwide revival
which has broken out in Norway and Sweden, in
Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England, North Erance,
Switzerland and Germany. Where did it begin?
It began in a prayer meeting in Chicago in Jan. ’99.
A lady came to me at the close of a week of prayer,
and said, ‘Don’t you think we ought to continue
these meetings and have one at least every week
to pray for a worldwide revival?’ I said I thought
it would be a very good idea, the Faculty agreed,
and we began to meet every Saturday from 9 till
10 to pray for a worldwide revival. After this had
been going on for some time people would come
and say, ‘Has the revival come?’ ‘No, not yfet.’
‘ls there any sign of its coming?’ ‘Don’t see
much.’ ‘How long are you going to keep on pray
ing?’ ‘Till it comes.’ It was two years before
there was much sign of its coming. But it has
come. And there has been a revival in Australia,
New Zealand, Tasmania, India,' China, Japan, Ger
many, North France, Switzerland, a wonderful re
vival in Norway, in Wales, England, Ireland, Scot
land, Canada, and the States.”
There seems to be more praying here in Ottawa
in proportion to its size than there was in Atlanta
or Philadelphia. One indication of this is the num
ber of requests for prayer which are handed in at
each night service. The other evening prayer was
asked for a husband who had been away from home
for two years, and who had not provided for his
wife and six little children for over a. year; for a
brother and husband addicted to strong dpnk; for
a husband who had taken to drink and who was
perfectly indifferent, and for the salvation of one
of the cleverest men in Ottawa who had fallen
through drink.
“One of the best letters I ever received,” declared
Dr. Torrey was from Ottawa, and was written by a
man who was converted through reading a ser
mon of mine. That man is Mr. Durie, whom no
doubt many of you know.
“Are you here, Mr. Durie?”
“Yes.”
“Did God save you?”
“Yes.”
“Can He save this man?”
“Yes, —and anybody else.”
The Results in Atlanta.
rhe work in Atlanta is still going forward glori
ously. In a recent letter to Dr. Torrey Ex-Governor
Northen told of the conversion of a prominent law
yer in Atlanta who was a leading society man of
the city but has now thrown himself heart and soul
into the work of soul-winning.
At an afternoon service Dr. Torrey read a letter
from a sixteen-year-old girl, telling how she had been
rescued from Satan’s grasp and her life transform
ed through attending the Atlanta meetings. She
wrote;
“Dear Dr. Torrey, I want to write and tell yon
how much good your meetings have done me. It
had never occurred to me that I ought to do per
sonal work; whenever I heard a minister preach on
personal work I would always say, ‘Well, that’s
for somebody else.’ But when I heard what you
said in one of your sermons I knew right then that
I would never be happy until I did do personal
work; so I am trying not to let a single opportunity
go by.
“I was out of the city most of the time you were
here. I left the day before you came, just on a
pleasure trip, and stayed three weeks. Mama
kept writing and telephoning and telegraphing for
me to come home; she didn’t want me to miss all
of the meetings, so I came back the last week; and
oh, I just wish she hadn’t let me go at all, I missed
so much. If I got so many blessings out of one
week what would I have gotten out of four weeks?
I never regretted anything so much in my life.
“This winter I would go to the theater, though
mama didn t want me to. I went to nearly every
play that came to the Grand Opera House. But I
will never go to the theatre again, because I see now
that I couldn’t have gone to the theater and while
I was there have asked somebody if they were a
( hristian; and when I was off, while you were here,
it just kept coming up in my mind that I must
either play cards, go to the theater and dance all of
the time, or come right out for Christ. I realized
that there was no half-way. While I was off I was
asked to card-parties and dances (I was asked to
a dance the very first night I got there the devil
didn’t give a minute to think) and I believe I
would have been gone if I hadn’t got back for that
last week.
“1 have been a member of the church for two
years, but this last year it looked like the devil had
me, but he hasn’t get me now. For the first time
in my life I was willing to pray, ‘Thy will be done,’
and oh, I am so happy now.”
Unanswered Yet.
Unanswered yet? the prayer your lips have pleaded
In agony of heart these many years.
Docs lai th begin to fail, is hope departing,
And think you all in vain those failing years?
Say not the lather hath not heard your prayer,
5 on shall have your desire—some time—somewhere.
Unanswered yet? though when you first presented
This one petition at the Father’s throne,
It seemed you could not wait the time of asking
So urgent was your heart to make it known.
1 hough yeais have passed since then do not despair,
Ihe Lord will answer you—some time—somewhere.
I nanswered yet? Nay, d© not say ungranted,
Perhaps your heart is not yet wholly done
I he work begun when first your prayer was uttered,
And God will finish what He has begun.
II you will keep the incense burning there
His glory you shall see—some time—somewhere.
I nanswered yet? Faith cannot be unanswered,
Her feet were firmly planted on the rock,
Amid the wildest storms she stands undaunted,
Nor quails before the loudest thunder shock.
She knows the Omnipotence has heard her prayer
And ciies, It shall be done—some time some
where.” —New York Herald.
Among the most beautiful pe-uls are those found
on the gulf coast of lower Colifornia; they are of
various colors and possess a splendid lustre as well
as a most perfect shape.
A neaier spot, however, where there are also suc
cessful pearl fisheries is near Carthage. Tenn., at
the junction of Duck and Cumberland Rivers, and
also at the famous Caney Fork in Tennessee.
7