life was left to take care of itself.
But now, something had happened; here was a change. Even the organ spoke
with a new voice; the prayer book meant more than it had in the
past--everything spoke with a new tongue. Here was an amount of emotion
that was new and strange, and the responses in the services were more
prompt and fervent. The bishop ceased to read his sermons and talked as
one who had authority. His voice was more distinct. The audiences heard
him as never before. Several of the professors who had always been spoken
of as unattractive and uninteresting became exactly the reverse. Young
men were found praying in their rooms. In one of them the bishop was
heard leading a score of young men in prayer. Old-fashioned and old-time
hymns were sung, fervent responses were heard, and scores of persons from
roundabout professed to have found Christ. During six weeks this
wonderful influence was felt. It extended for miles throughout the
country. During that time four hundred persons took upon themselves the
obligations of the Christian profession and Monastery Church became a
great power through the county.
Mr. Keyes, the organist, had died in the hospital, and Carl had been
appointed in his place as organist and musical director. He very soon
organized a choir of forty persons. And this was not all that added
responsibility to this young man's life. The bishop, realizing the
growing responsibilities of his work, appointed him his private
secretary, which necessarily took him away from all the work on the farm;
but even this did not separate him from the farmhouse. He continued to
sleep there in "Carl and Tom's room," and, excepting during school hours,
wherever you found Carl Tom was not far away.
The grand old man, Dr. George Thorndyke, who gave three hundred acres of
land for a "school for prophets," little dreamed that his gift was to
develop to such proportions, and become, also, a great influential
church, a great center of religious influence, whose power would be felt
miles around.
But the college chapel was neither fit nor large enough for the demands
which were now pressing upon it. They must have a building capacious and
suitable in which to worship. And now the true character of the great
revival was seen in the prompt responses of the people; more generous
were they than the ancient people who built the temple, and in the course
of a few months a large and beautiful church was erected capable of
seating twelve hundred people. As this building neared completion the
building committee began to prepare for its dedication. The chief
clergyman to be invited was an old friend and classmate of Bishop
Albertson--Bishop McLaren, of Durham, England. There was to be, of
course, select music; the singing must not be inferior to that which
Bishop McLaren listened to in his cathedral home. Carl was told that the
Durham singers were known throughout the kingdom as superb, and he must
do his best in drilling his choir.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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