MOODY AND THE SLUMS.

Second Address by Rev. Ira W. Kimmel Before the Young Men’s Christian Association.

One hundred and twenty men attended the meeting in Association hall Sunday at 4 p. m. The meeting opened with a spirited service of song, followed by prayer, vocal solo, responsive reading and reading of the Scripture.

Mr. Kimmel introduced his subject by relating the incident of Galileo’s trial and sentence for teaching that the world moved, and then spoke in brief as follows: This world is moving onward and upward to the final day when all the elements shall melt with a fervent heat. Every great movement in the world’s progress has been individualized. Every great religious movement, centers around one man. Luther started and kept moving the great reformation. So Moody is the centre of Northfield. He is the inspiring power which calls together the 800 students, teachers and preachers yearly at these great conferences. At the close of each conference this spiritual energy is carried out to the four corners of the earth. Moody, like Joshua of old, seems to be able to accomplish whatever he sets out to do. He possesses the power in a rare degree to bind men to whatever he believes in. He has established an institution which has grown during twenty years till now there are $3,000,000 invested and which is destined to become one of tho greatest educational centres of the world. The first secret of Moody’s success is his humility. You do not think so much about Moody as you do about the Christ-life that shines through him. When Moody dies the work will go on. He is not a cringing, mealy-mouthed man, but he knows enough to depend on God. His afternoons are spent daily in the study of God’s word and prayer, and he is not open to calls at this time of the day. If he hears that some one is feeling slighted he goes and says, forgive me for Christ’s sake.

Although a man of very positive convictions he holds the friendship of men who know him because he is man enough to confess a fault and make it right. The second secret of his power is his prayer life. When about to start for Europe some one asked him if he was going. He replied that he expected to go, but the money had not yet arrived. A half hour before the steamer left a friend came in and handed him $500 in answer to prayer. The third secret is his generalship and knowledge of men, and the fourth secret is his familiarity with the Bible and absolute dependence upon its teachings. Moody may be said to be one of the four great men of this age. He is the equal of Gladstone in financial ability. His power to achieve equals that of Bismarck, while his knowledge of men is equal to that of Blaine.

After leaving Northfield we came to New York city, and started immediately to visit the Jerry McAuley Rescue Mission, where, under the wise leadership of Colonel Hadley, 2,000 men were reclaimed from the slums to lives of sobriety and good citizenship last year. Then we went to the Salvation Army Slum Mission No. 1 and after that we visited the Chinatown Mission. It is impossible to describe the effect produced by witnessing tho wonderful transforming power of Christ as evidenced by the results seen in these various missions. Oh! It is wonderful, very, very wonderful; all Christ’s love and grace to men. It would have done you good to see these reclaimed men surrounded by their wives and children, clothed and in their right mind.