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| This photo taken from Melbourne Revival 1902, soon to be published |
In my reading travels I stumbled across some interesting articles on simultaneous revival meetings held in Sydney and Melboune early this century. There are great lessons for evangelists, city crusades, unity in the churches, revival preaching and the like.
This is the first of the articles which have been scanned and processed. The text remains as close to the original as possible, with all its many original errors in language as well. Stage 2 of the Melbourne Revival is of a more fascinating nature I think and Lord willing it will come in the near future as I work on this one too. Hopefully the pictures will be coming soon.
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I scanned it and hope it may be of some blessing, Please write back if you are blessed by it.
I will try and load photos and Part 2 of the Melbourne Revival. I will also endeavour to publish this in P
I will try and load photos and Part 2 of the Melbourne Revival. I will also endeavour to publish this in P
The articles come from a book called
Ocean and Isle, by Walter Edgar Geil by WM. T. Pater & Co., Melbourne, 1902
CHAPTER IX.
- THE GREAT SYDNEY REVIVAL
The organizers for the great simultaneous mission held in Sydney during the month of November, 1901, literally interpreted the parable of the Great Supper. Not content with inviting the lapsed masses- and that is the class the mission was specially designed to reach-by the ordinary methods, they went into the streets and lanes, the highways and byways, and compelled the people to come to the services
Preachers were heard in all sorts of unlikely places by all sorts of unlikely people, as many as 200 open-air services were held a night, with such prominent men as Dr. Dill-Mackey for preacher. Despite., the, unfavorable weather, tents, halls, and buildings were, for the, most -part, thronged. At Hyde Park View Photo, before the first service had begun, it became necessary to let down the sides of the large marquee, in order that those who were crowded outside might see inside. The unconventionality of the services was of itself impressive. There was plenty of singing, singing of the infectious order, which appeals, to the man in the street as to the regular church-goer. Park loungers, the aimless young men of the pavement, Jack Tars, soldiers of the King, and servant maids were attracted to the tents by the music, and found themselves joining heartily in the refrain before they realized where they were.
The mission up to the time it was held was the biggest thing of its kind attempted in Australia. Its only parallel was to be found in the larger effort carried out in England during the early weeks of the new century, when the Free Churches of the United Kingdom organized a network of simultaneous missions all over the country.
The whole of Sydney and suburbs was laid siege to for a fortnight by a galaxy of evangelists and special missioners. Between fifty and sixty united missions were conducted, covering the whole of the metropolitan and suburban area, stretching from Parramatta on the western line, to Hornsby on the northern line, and Hurst-ville on the Illawarra line. The missioners had been carefully selected. Some notable visiting. evangelists were included in the list, and in everv instance, through the system of interchange adopted, the missioners were practically strangers to the districts they operated in.
No less than forty united local committees had been at work for months perfecting the arrangements. In most districts every house had been visited, in some cases two and three times, as a means of stirring up interest in the mission, and inviting the householders to the services.
All the Protestant churches co-operated in the movement, so that it practically represented the entire Protestant community. That fact in itself was regarded by the promoters and organizers as an important step towards union, or, at least, to a better working understanding among the Protestant bodies. An evidence of the magnitude of the mission was given by the fact that the special hymn-book, which had been published for use at the services, quickly ran through an edition of between 50,000 and 60,000, and that the demand was eventually so great that it could not be fully met. As far as was found possible no church buildings were utilized for the purposes of the mission. The chief aim was to reach the great, non-churchgoing class. The services were for the most part, therefore, held in public halls, or, where it was considered advisable, in tents. It is interesting to mention that every available tent or marquee in the State was loaned or hired for the mission.
Without question the most notable of all the Missioners taking part in the mission was Mr. Geil, the American evangelist. He is a young man of striking presence, and a still more striking personality, an author of repute, and a front-rank orator in a land which is as prolific of orators as colonels. In his methods Mr. Geil stood apart from all he others. He is distinctly American. He chooses texts which only an American would dream of preaching from. His sermons are such as only an American could or would preach. He began one address by striking a match. While it was burning he enlarged on the fact that there were two ways of coming to a knowledge of the "flames" which are comprised in the light from a match, the circuitous, theoretical way, and the experimental method of putting ones finger in the fire. In the same way a knowledge of Jesus Christ could only be derived theoretically or experimentally. Testing Christ was the best cure for infidelity.
"Right is right, and wrong is wrong -hot or cold, old or young, clear or cloudy, saint or sinner-right is always right, and wrong is always wrong, and right is never wrong, and wrong is never right." Such was the foundation proposition laid down by Mr. Geil at the outset. It Was a play upon words, but the playing was effective, and rung out as the words were with expressive variations of tone at frequent intervals, they made a great impression on the vast audience, though the people could not refrain from laughing heartily when they were first repeated at the rate of about 200 words a minute.
Mr., Geil is rich in anecdote and illustration, one of his stories was about an eminent Boston preacher, who once remarked to a prominent infidel, "Is there anything in the teachings of Jesus Christ that you can endorse?"
"Yes," replied the infidel, I can endorse the Sermon on the Mount. "Well, then, is it not the duty to the sum total of righteousness in the city where he lives?"
It is."
"Will you not then publicly announce that you endorse the Sermon on the Mount?"
"Well, that is a new way of looking at it, but-yes I'll do it."
Pleased with the progress he had made, and wishing to press his advantage as far as possible, the learned divine invited the infidel to attend his Wednesday night service.
"I'd like to have you come and speak," he explained.
"All right, I'll come," said the infidel, "but while the understanding that I shall tell the people that while I endorse the Sermon on the Mount, I deny the divinity: and deity of Jesus Christ, and believe the Bible to be full of errors."
Wednesday night came and the infidel rose to speak. "I have come here to tell you that I endorse the Sermon on the Mount. I started on my way for the purpose of saying also that I deny the divinity and the deity of Jesus Christ, and believe the Bible to be full of errors, but I cannot say that now. I do not quite know how it happened, but on my way down I became conscious of a change, and I am now, prepared to not only endorse the, Sermon on the Mount, but to declare my confidence in Jesus Christ."
Another effective story had to do with Hobson, "the most picturesque hero of the Spanish-American war, who volunteered to sink the 'Merrimac' in Santiago harbour. The day before he proceeded to his task, in the knowledge, that the bullets would rain hell-like hail on the morrow, Hobson went into his cabin and wrote out his will, an historic document which is now in the hands of his father in the States. I do not say that Hobson was the greatest hero of the war, but he was the most picturesque. This is how he commenced his will: In the name of Almighty God. Amen! For my near and distant future I leave, myself without anxiety in the hands of Almighty God.' Thats the stuff heroes are made of," shouted Mr. Geil. The most picturesque personality among the special, missioners engaged in the mission was John Watsford. "As John Watsford stands in the pulpit he is a figure, which would delight an artist- especially one of the great painters of what are called 'the Ages of Faith,' whose saints and apostles still look down upon us from the frescoes of many a time-stained cathedral. The upright figure; the deep-set, kindly eyes; the head white with the snows of over eighty years; the flowing, snowy beard, as ample as that of Michael Angelo's Moses.
Another of the prominent missioners was Dr. H. Grattan Guinness, who succeeded Mr Geil at the Hyde Park tent. He is an evangelist, physician, missionary enthusiast, and organizer, and an attractive platform speaker. His methods are entirely dissimilar to those of Mr. Gell, but striking and effective. Dr. Guinness paid his first visit to Australia in 1885, just after completing his medical education at the London Hospital. He was then twenty-three years of age, and stood over 6ft. in height. Six years later he left for the Congo River, Central Africa, and spent twelve months; investigating the conditions and possibilities of missionary service in that region. He travelled 3,600 miles on the main river and its southern affluents; visiting all the stations of the Congo Balold Mission of which he was the hon. Secretary. During the trip he suffered considerably from malarial and haemoglobinuric fever. The latter disease, commonly known as "blackwater fever," has caused terrible mortality among the brave missionary band toiling with the black millions of Western Equatorial Africa.
While in the district to the north of the Lofori River, Dr. Guinness was nearly killed by the fierce N'Gombe -tribe of cannibals, who had never before been visited by white men. The massacre of the whole party was only avoided by flight through Stanley's great forest until friendly natives were reached.
Dr. Guinness has also succeeded his father as principal of the Harley Missionary Training Institute in East London. Comparatively recently, the name "Regions Beyond Missionary Union" has been adopted to cover all the missionary operations identified with Harley Institute, and which embrace the various colleges and institution in East London and Derbyshire, where during the past twenty-seven years about 1 200 men and women from every section of the Protestant Church have been prepared for foreign missionary service, together with the Congo, Peruvian, Argentine, and Indian Missions that have been founded during the past twelve years.Many interesting incidents were recorded during the progress of the mission. One night a number of fallen girls from the streets attended the service in the Hyde Park tent and heard Mr. Geil preach. Four of them were .deeply impressed, and two professed conversion. Next day one of the sisters of the Central Methodist Mission accompanied the girls to their homes in the different suburbs. In three cases out of the four it was ascertained that the parents were under the impression that the girls were in comfortable situations in the city. In the fourth case the hearts of the father and mother were nearly broken with grief because they had not been able to find their daughter.
Another incident was related of a florist in the city who spoke to a policeman in the street about religion, and asked him if he had been to the mission. Two days later the policeman called upon the florist in his nursery and said he had come 'to settle the matter there and then.' Accordingly the policeman and the florist knelt on a heap of fresh mould, and engaged in prayer,. and in the end the policeman professed conversion.
"What rot!'
"What's the matter, Sir?"
"Oh, nothing, only I can't stand that. Rot! Rot!"
The man was dressed "like a gentleman." He had been sitting in the Hyde Park mission tent listening to Mr. Geil. Not liking the address he got up and went out, and as he did so expressed the disgust he felt to one of' the officials.
The. official watched him crossing the grass till he came under the shelter of a tree, for it was raining. Presently the man came back, went into the tent again, sat down, and heard the address to the end.
Half an hour later he went up to the official a second time, and whispered in his ear.
"I thank- God I came back," was all he said.
"I've lost more sweat inside to-night than I would at work in a week," observed one of the bandsmen outside the Hyde Park tent. "I suppose blowing a cornet at this time of the year is hard work?" interrogatingly suggested the writer. "It is so," said the bandsman. "Yet if you called playing in a band work, half the fellows would chuck it up." That facts reflects all the more creditably on the members of the Central Mission Band, who turned up in great force each evening. Every night for half an hour before the service, began Bandmaster Huegill and his associates played selections of' sacred music. They were all working men, who had to get up early in the morning and make the pace when they were up, yet their average attendance for the ten nights of the mission was twenty-three, a fact which, sufficiently explained their interest in the mission. The bandmaster lived at Hurstville, and worked at Parramatta. Without knowing this, Dr. Guinness asked him one night to remain for the service and play a solo. "I can't to-night," said the enthusiast, "I want to get home and have some sleep. I haven't been to bed since Saturday."
"As an answer to those who say this mission is only for the ignorant, I may tell you that some of the highest in the land have been brought under its influence and have professed conversion," said, W. G. Taylor, at the Hyde Park tent one night, to a crowded congregation.
"Some of you," he continued, "know Newington College, at Stanmore, where a number of fine young fellows, are being educated, and how high they pass in the university examinations. Last night Harold, Wheen went to Newington an hour before the Petersham meeting was to begin.
lt was a voluntary service for the boarders. They could all have been ordered in by the master, but the missioner desired that their attendance should be voluntary. To the surprise of everybody all the boarders turned up, and before the missioner left hurriedly for the Petersham mission forty of them stood up as inquirers.
'Before I go,' said Mr. Wheen to the, Newington lads, I want to give you a motto. It is 'Newington for Christ" Will you say it?' and the students took up the cry with great earnestness, 'Newington for Christ.' Mr. Wheen then left the meeting in the hands of the Newington theological students, and proceeded to the Petersham Town Hall. Before the service there was over one of the Newington students handed him a slip of paper, on which was written "Thirty-nine out of the forty have definitely found the Lord Jesus Christ"
A pleasing act of Christian courtesy was mentioned. 'The bells of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral interfered with one of Mr. Geils Hyde Park tent services. In fact the evangelist could not make himself heard, and abruptly closed his address. Learning that Tuesday was the bellringer's night for practice, one of the mission stewards was asked to interview Dean O'Haran and explain matters, and prefer the request that if possible the ringers would arrange their practice so as not to interfere with the service. "I am glad to be able to announce", said Mr. Taylor, "that the secretary of the Cardinal said that as an act of Christian courtesy he would speak to the head bellringer on the subject, and, he thought the thing could be arranged as desired. He was able to add that the request had been acceded to."
"In what way do these mission tents differ from churches?" said a Hyde Park prowler, with a penchant for conundrums and apparently some knowledge of the subject.
Give it up," said his mate, who was lying stretched out on the grass, lazily listening to the preacher inside."
"Because there are no empty seats and any number of men," was the reply
It is an undeniable fact, in the city at any rate, that men were attracted to the tent services in large, if not larger, numbers than women. Men, moreover of the class which is generally reckoned so hard to reach- the careless, happy-go-lucky man who pays no attention to his personal appearance, and who, so immured is he to a chance existence that he would just as soon sleep out of doors at night as in a cheap lodging-house.
Possibly the explanations lies in the fact that the similtaneous mission brought in a season of hard-hitting. Ministers, many of them for the first time in their lives, preached, so to speak, with their coats off. Flowery rhetoric, aesthetic mannerisms and simpering afternoon tea style of addresses were conspicuous by their absence. Preachers were not ashamed to call a spade a spade, nor afraid to quote Scripture in the good old Anglo-Saxon into which it was originally translated. The man who preached from the text, "He that belleveth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be otherwise,"' would never do any good as a tent missioner, for the man in the street knows nothing of equivocation, while the most hardened has a pretty keen suspicion of what it means to be damned."
A distinct feature of the tent services was the. exemplary behaviour of the crowds. All sorts and conditions, from the perfect lady to the unwashed larrikin, comprised the audiences, yet none of the services were seriously interrupted. In the monster tent where Mr. Geil spoke the order was perfect. Of course this may have been due to his masterful handling of great crowds. If any went to scoff they thought better of it, and refrained, even though they did not remain as inquirers. Occasionally a drunken man found his way under the canvas and could be heard singing after everybody else had finished. Sometimes he was stimulated to the point of interjecting, and then, often as not, in pursuance of' the old adage that even the Devil can quote Scripture, it was in the form of a harmless invocation to the Almighty to bless somebody- "George Reid" or the missioner, for instance.
It is also noteworthy that the attitude of the public generally- that is, the public who did not come directly into touch with the mission- was reverently tolerant towards the mission. There was little or no sneering at the motives or efforts of the missioners, and even those who did not believe in religion, much less in missions, at least recognised that the churches had been attempting, to live up to their ideal and doing legitimate work in seeking to reech the great army of indifferents who never by any possible chance dream of going to church. As, to the practical effect of the mission, the missioners themselves had no doubt, while not exactly caring to weigh them in a balance or make an exact assessment in figures. It was counted something to have directly reached probably 200,000 persons during the fortnight's progress of the mission, without attendance to say how many of the several thousands of professed converts will stand the test of time.
'We've had drunken women sign the pledge, we've had women bring their husbands- under the influence of drink- to the services in the hope that they may be reclaimed; we've had men come under the sense of their own hopelessness-men who were pictures of despair. Many homes have been made happy, and I think that's one of the beautiful facts of this mission that many who never go to church and who never trouble the mission, have been the class who have felt their need of help, and who, largely through the discomforts of the home, have been driven to the services, and in many, instances, as we have verified, have been made better." That was the deliberate statement of a prominent missioner.
"A bit of religion'II do us good; let's go to the mission," was the over-heard confession of more than one. One case was mentioned of a man who had drifted into a loose life, away from wife and children. He went to the service, and was thoroughly broken down. Manly pathetic private letters were received by the missioner throughout the campaign, showing the far-reaching influence of the mission. A lad wrote asking a missioner to pray for his parents. "Father's a hard drinker," pleaded the lad. Another result of the mission will be to raise the whole tone and character of open-air services. "The best man will have to go out and give of their best," as one minister tersely put it. "Hitherto it has been the reverse of that, and people have judged us by the poorest, and condemned us accordingly. The people are to be reached if we go about it in the right way."
Several striking illustrations were given as to the united character of the mission. In the Glebe district, for instance, there was the novel sight of a Wesleyan minister conducting the services all through the week St. Barnabas' (Anglican) School-hall. At Croydon an Anglican clergyman was the missioner in the Congregational Church. At other centres the services were shared by ministers representing all the denominations.
Nothing was more noticeable throughout the course of the mission than the almost entire absence of the collection plate. Though the organization of the entire mission entailed expense to the tune of hundreds of pounds, a collection was not taken up at any of the mission services, as it was hoped to defray all the cost by private contributions. In a few cases boxes were placed at the entrances to the tents or halls, so that persons interested in and desirous of practically helping on the work of the mission might drop their contributions in as they retired, but there was nothing approaching begging from the platforms and pulpits. Everything was provided free in the majority of cases, down to the specially, prepared hymn-books.
Nobody gave himself up with greater religious abandon to the work of the mission than R. B. Hammond, the secretary for the city district. A man of untiring energy, he "bullocked" along like any negro on a cotton plantation, until the perspiration fairly dripped off him. If a missioner's voice failed him through much speaking, Hammond was ready to fill the gap acceptably, for his hearty, unconventional style of address appealed to the man from the street. In the inquiry~room he was ubiquitous, while in organizing and superintending the carrying out of the hundred and one details essential to the success of the mission at Hyde Park and elsewhere he rendered sterling service. No official was more behind the scenes throughout the mission, or knew better just where and how the mission succeeded.
"With its simple, direct, and unquestionable earnestness, the mission has shown the way to fill
any an empty church and to attract many an apparently indifferent man. We have learnt that the devil is never affected seriously by thunderings from the pulpit, but he moves along before the work of personal dealing. More open-air preaching, followed by the button-holing of individuals, is the lesson we are called to practise.
"The mission has also thrown some light on the question of the unity of the churches. It has shown the difficulty to be more in the union of the clergy than the union of the people. The tent services have been a fine object-lesson in unity, and have made many hopeful of a speedy union of all who love Christ in the service of all who suffer from the devil.
"The good done has been manifest in three directions- first, in giving indisputable proof to the man in the street that we consider him worth a big effort, and the mission must make it impossible for him to say any longer, 'No man careth for my soul"; secondly, the union of Christian workers of all denominations has been a grand preparation for Heaven, where they cannot 'rest as they do in cemeteries in denominational sections. And then last, but not least, is the result in professed conversions, which will lead in many churches to new work being taken up and fresh energy being put into existing work. The conversion of many hundreds of people is sure to lead to much lasting good.
"To put the whole thing 'in a few sentences, the mission has proved that, as of old, the people hear the gospel gladly; that, as of old, many of the religious people hold aloof from a live effort; as of old, many run after a new thing and vanish at the call for self-sacrifice; as of old, some Of the worst have been wonderfully influenced for good; as of old, the strongest condemnation has come from those who have known least of the work; and, as of old, we have been troubled by those who 'hoped' we should get on, when they should have been helping us to do so."
Mr. Geil's estimate of the mission was given in the following interview which I had with him prior to his departure from Sydney:-"I have been, very favorably impressed with the city and the business men of the city," said Mr. Geil. "There is something about the people here which attracts me, though I can't say what it is. I like the people and their general tone. Of course, they need a good dose of religion, but I think they're getting it now.
"What struck me most was the fact that strong clergymen have gone on to the street and preached the gospel with tremendous vigor, not in any go-as-you-please style, but as a matter of: enjoying the privilege. That shows the non-churchgoers that the, clergy are willing to go where they are.
"I have been impressed, too, with the fact that the printing of readable addresses is appreciated by the masses. I would rather have men pay for the printing of readable religious matter in the newspapers than buy tracts with their money, although I am perfectly in sympathy with a wise use of tracts. We had evidence in Belmore Park of working men reading your article on 'Fools,' and talking about it among, themselves. It was read by the class of men who are not to be found in church on Sunday with good clothes on, listening to quartette choirs singing 'Amen'
"As to the organization of the mission, taking into consideration that the whole plan was a new one, it was well carried out. No doubt the leaders, if they have to organize another mission, will modify their present plans considerably. More attention might be paid to the laymen. Clergymen have done magnificently, but there seemed a lack of prominent laymen at strategic points. A little more attention might also be paid to Children'; while there should be a little less talk amongst Christian. people as to whether these converts will hold out or not when the movement is for that class of people who have not received religious training.
"There are two ways of keeping converts. One is to freeze them up, and the other to feed them up, and let the life-forces from within be sustained, and so become the preservative forces. If the new converts are taken with suspicion they will smash up, but if they are taken in the spirit of Christ they will hold out. They will, however, need some assistance besides being taken in to make quilts for the heathen. Lazarus would have been a queer-looking man had his grave clothes not been loosened. He would have had an awful time getting round, though alive.
"I have been thinking that it would be a, great thing if some of Your citizens were to present this city with a memorial building to be used by the Young Women's Christian Association as a place which girls and young women might resort to, and know where they were going. The city is large enough for such a work. Instead of a man sticking up a fine granite monument away on the hillside that would give a man rheumatism for the rest of his life if he got his spinal column against it, let him do something for the living. Boss Tweed, the notorious New Yorker, was once waited upon by a deputation in the district in which he lived, and asked to subscribe towards erecting a stone wall round the local cemetery to replace one that had been blown down. He finished up that deputation in two minutes, 'I'll tell you straight,' said Boss Tweed, 'I don't believe in the business. It's useless. The people inside cannot get out, and the people outside don't want to get in."'
A unique Closing in connection with the mission took place at the Centenary Hall. In place of the noonday service for business men, Mr. William Dixson entertained a large gathering of prominent city men at luncheon to meet Mr. Geil and Dr. Guinness. The gathering included the Mayor of the city (Sir James Graham), Sir Arthur Renwick, M.L.C., Senator J. C. Neild, Senator Pulsford, Messrs. E. Vickery and W. Robson, Ms. L.C., J.A. Hogue, M.L.A., Hugh Dixson, J. H. Goodlet, J. Barre Johnston, J. P. Macarthur, William White, William Buckingham, Jacob Garrard (president of the Water and Sewerage Board), Quong Tart, W. Cooper, R.T. Sandy, John Kent, R. L. Lukey, T. M. Tinley, R. H. Ducker, Archdeacon J. D. Langley, Archdeacon Henry Langley (now Bishop Langley), W. G. Taylor, Dr. Brown, W. Allen, F. C. Boyer, E. Price, G. T. Walden, and many others.
The secretary explained that the whole cost of that tremendous mission in the city proper had been met. They had been extremely fortunate in securing the services of the missioners present without any obligations, except to pay their expenses. (Applause.) He made the statement because he thought that the interest of business men in the mission would naturally lead them to inquire as to the financial aspect.
Mr. Geil, who was received with great warmth and enthusiasm, said he was in as odd and uncomfortable a position as Mark Twain when he visited Honolulu. On retiring to bed, Mark was greatly troubled by mosqitos. There wore mosquito curtains to the bed, but the insects squeezed their way through the meshes, and gave Mark a very lively time. After enduring it as long as he could, Mark had related, he got up, and cut a big hole in the curtains. Thereupon the mosquitos simply swarmed in. When Mark thought they were all inside he set to Work and tied up the hole in the curtains, and then quietly slid from under, and slept in comfort on the floor. (Laughter.) He then threw himself with customary vigor into a powerful and highly appreciated address on the spiritual life a business man can live. Referring to the mission, Mr. Geil said it had a world-wide significance. Under the blessing of God the world would hear of it, and be influenced by it. The mission was having, a tremendous influence on the city if he had eyes and ears. lt was of untold value from the moral standpoint, and what blessed the city morally blessed it ultimately socially and commercially. (Applause.) Every pound spent in that mission was a good investment. Mr. Geil closed with a strong appeal to the company of prominent men present to more vigorously support foreign and domestic missions. A splendid close to a great work!
