The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, April 1885Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Philosophy
The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, April 1885
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
I know of no religious exercises better calculated to inspire the
true religious feelings of faith, charity, humility, gratitude, and
rejoicing—the distinguishing marks of the original Christian following.
But they differ from the noisy demonstrations which sometimes are
taken for “primitive Christianity,” as they do from the cold and
conventional worship which advertises itself in brownstone structures and
double-barred mahogany pews. If one wants to get a breath of vigorous
faith and wholesome humility, he should attend the Sunday evening
services at one of the McAuley Missions.
Jerry McAuley died suddenly, but not unexpectedly, last September. His
funeral, held at the great Broadway Tabernacle, was one of the largest
ever seen in this city, and was attended by hundreds of abandoned
characters who had been reclaimed through his instrumentality, and who
were probably never inside of a church before, and may never be again.
Women with painted faces, but with tears in their eyes and bits of crape
fastened at their throats or arms, stood with downcast heads beside other
women who, under other circumstances, would have shunned them. Thus
did all classes testify to the power of simple faith and devotion in a
poor, uncultured outcast. Over the platform in his chapels are his last,
characteristic words:
“IT’S ALL RIGHT.”
“The workman dies, but the work goes on.” There is no calculating the
power and extent of the influences this humble worker has set in motion.
Beside the hundreds of living examples of his labor here, the seed has
scattered to the four winds of heaven, and sprung up in various forms to
bless the world—in other cities and other lands. The Missions publish
_Jerry McAuley’s Newspaper_, which, extensively circulated, especially
in prisons and “the slums” of cities, carries the glad tidings of the
testimonies to do a silent and unknown work. An affecting feature of the
private work of these converts is their efforts to hunt out and reclaim
missing boys and girls. Letters are received from agonized parents, from
distant points as well as the city, imploring the help of missionaries to
find these estrays; and their efforts are often successful.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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