Show I Razing of an Old Chicago Building Recalls Career of Dwight L. L Moody Famous Evangelist of 50 Years Ago t By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Released sed by Western Newspaper r Union HEY have torn down an anS S THEY building on Chicago's Chicago's Chicago's Chi Chi- cagos cago's famous Near I N Northside which was a landmark landmark landmark land land- mark rich in the religious lore of America It was the theold theold old Moody church building on n the northwest corner of ofa a Salle street and Chicago avenue avenue where a modern business district links a part of the famed Gold Coast th a typical city slum r Erected in 1873 by the J- J famous Id famous World evangelist Dwight L. L Moody this building building building build build- I ing was known as the Chicago Chica Chica- V Va g gi go go O Avenue church until the i b death of its founder in 1899 Renamed the Moody church it finally was outgrown and purchased in the last days of ofa a the World war by the Moody pit Bible institute of Chicago But even though the disappearance Ir er of this picturesque building removes one of the tangible evidences of the influence ink in- in k fluence which Dwight L. L Moody once exerted upon American society it makes I room for what appears to be bean bean bean an even greater monument to the great evangelist For with the passing of this historic historic his his- tonic building has come the 1 launching of a building program by the Bible school founded on adjoining property by Moody more than half a century ago Already a story 12 administration building complete building complete with studios of a watt radio station located in the tower tower- casts its shadow over the building building building build build- ing site soon to become a grass grassplot grassplot grassplot plot on Moody Bible institutes institute's t e downtown campus Meanwhile 1 basement of the proposed Torrey- Torrey t- t Gray auditorium named auditorium named in honor honor honor hon hon- or of Dr R. R A A. A Torrey first superintendent superintendent su- su and Dr James 1 M M. Gray late president of the institute institute institute tute has been finished j Origin of the Moody church is 1 directly traceable to the street urchin Sunday school class ora or- or a x t- t tf r I r I J j Dwight L. L Moody one of the most colorful of American evan evan- in a characteristic pulpit h r rid pose t in Chicago in 1858 by 21 year old Dwight L. L Moody Moody was born in Northfield Mass 7 February 5 1837 He was brought up on a farm until he was 16 c. c years of age when he left home and went to Boston where he was employed in a store for several years i Clerk in a Shoe Store I In Boston he became a professor sor of religion under the preaching preach preach- preaching ing of a Dr Kirk and shortly afterwards afterwards afterwards aft aft- emigrated to Chicago where he found employment as a clerk in a large wholesale shoe store Perhaps it was indicative of his later powers as an evangelist evangelist evan- evan gelist list that he soon became one It of the most successful salesmen J if in the place While thus engaged he began to spend his evenings doing missionary missionary mis mise work among the lowly and destitute of the city One day he applied for a teaching position in a mission Sunday school but was told that already there were too many teachers But if he would bring his own class they told him he could 1 teach k i Accordingly the next Sunday 4 i the young shoe salesman turned t up with a dozen street toughs in ina a tow Once started nothing could s stop the growth of this unique class There were fights One Onea day a careless scholar entered I with his cap on A loyal memA member mem- mem A ber spotted him sent him sprawling sprawling sprawl- sprawl ing with a blow between the eyes and the comment Ill teach leach you not to enter Moodys Moody's Sunday school with your hat on But in spite of such disruptions enroll enroll- A t q ic 4 e j V X T The Chicago Avenue or Moodys loody's Church as it appeared soon after completion in 1876 It has recently been torn down to make room for the new buildings of the Moody loody Bible institute which Moody loody founded in 1886 1 su u ment soared with mushroom growth and Moody scoured the city for teachers When attendance hit 1500 Moodys Moody's Sunday school was known throughout Chicago And when wh-en one day in 1860 President Lincoln visited the school its fame spread throughout the Middle Middle Middle Mid Mid- dle West And no wonder For Forin Forin Forin in addition to his ability to attract attract attract at at- tract noted persons to his school Moodys Moody's methods of operation were vere shockingly unconventional His plan for disposing of unfit teachers had little to ask in effi effi- Scholars were allowed to transfer from one class to an an- other Inevitable results were that teachers who failed to interest interest in in- terest their scholars were quickly quick quick- ly left without classes His devices for publicizing his school were as novel as they were successful He issued stock certificates of the North Market 1 Sabbath School association capital capital capital cap cap- ital shares at 25 cents each These certified the purchase of shares for the erection erection erection tion of a new building For dividends apply at the school each Sabbath at 3 p p. p m. m Moodys Moody's Bodyguard At another time 13 street arabs were promised new suits at Christmas for regular attendance every Sunday until that time Their names Red Eye Smikes Madden 1 the Butcher Indian Jackey Candles Billy 4 Darby the Cobbler Butcher Kilroy Greenhorn Black Stovepipe Old Man Ian Cadet All AIl but one fulfilled the conditions and the newly uniformed uniformed uniformed uni uni- formed squad became known as Moodys bodyguard Capitalizing on the incident Moody made before and after photographs These he hung under under under un un- der the captions Does It Pay and It Does Pay Proof that it did became apparent in many cases One day years later a former teacher in the old Sunday school stopped before a railway ticket office You dont don't seem to know me said the agent No I dont don't believe so replied the traveler You know Moodys bodyguard bodyguard bodyguard body body- guard Yes I have a picture of them at home Well the agent answered when you get home take a good look at the toughest of the lot and you'll see the chap youre you're looking at now now and and a church member n A Union Army General Others went into the North Market Sunday school as youthful hoodlums and came carne out respectable respectable respect respect- able citizens One became postmaster postmaster postmaster post post- master of Chicago another a general general general gen gen- eral in the Union army Thus it was inevitable that out of this expanding expanding ex ex- ex group should come a permanent permanent per per- manent organization Young men and women who had grown up in inthe inthe inthe the school were reluctant to leave So in 1864 the Illinois Street church was erected then erected then thena a strange organization made up of persons from every church denomination denomination de de- de nomination and persons outside all denominations But the years of Moodys Moody's first fast church building were numbered On the Sunday night of October 8 1871 while he was preaching on the text What then shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ the fire bells sounded Soon Moody had difficulty in making making mak make ing his voice heard above their clamor At length he gave up saying Take this text home with you and turn it over in your I minds during the week And next Sabbath we will decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth That was the night Mrs O'Leary's cow kicked over the lantern that started the great Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago fire About midnight Illinois Street church was laid low by the flames and Moody never saw his congregation again Aided by Wanamaker But almost before the fire in Chicago was extinguished Moody was in the East soliciting funds for relief work Soon with money provided largely by John Wanamaker Wanamaker Wana Wana- maker of Philadelphia he returned returned re re- re turned built a temporary tabernacle tabernacle tabernacle taber taber- nacle where for months destitute families were housed and services services services ices were held Then as his work became wider known contribUtions were received from all parts of the country These together with pennies with which Sunday school children purchased bricks built the basement and first story of the church at the corner of LaSalle and Chicago avenue This was housed over and first occupied occupied occupied pied m in 1873 Meanwhile Moody found himself himself him him- self faced with a real difficulty The fire had left Chicago in ashes There were no homes anywhere near his church where he could find people to invite to the ices Not even saloons So he decided on a trip to England And while there he was so impressed impressed impressed im im- im- im pressed with the need of people for Christianity that in 1873 he returned with his song leader Ira D. D Sankey for a year three-year evangelistic evangelistic evan evan- campaign of the British Isles Moody and Sankey Return Upon the return of Moody and Sankey to this country they appeared appeared appeared ap ap- often in the new Chicago building At the same time as ever Moody attracted to his pulpit pulpit pul pule pit some of the most famous men of his time There probably is no single church in the Middle West in which so many great personages personages personages per per- appeared Roll call of speakers at old Moody church includes includes includes in in- Henry Ward Vard Beecher William Wil ViI William liam Jennings Bryan Gen William Booth Andrew Murray George Muller P. P P P. P Bliss J. J Hudson Taylor Henry Drummond Drummond Drummond Drum- Drum mond John Hay Thomas Spurgeon Spurgeon Spurgeon Spur- Spur geon Gen O. O O. O Howard and a score of others Meanwhile the reputation of D D. D L. L Moody spread He conducted evangelistic meetings in virtually all of the large cities in the East He launched two schools in Massachusetts Mas Mas- a a girls' girls school at Northfield and a boys' boys school across the Connecticut river at Mt Hermon both of which are in existence today Then in 1886 he founded a Bible school in Chicago later to be renamed Moody Bible Institute In November 1899 Moody began began began be be- gan his last evangelistic mission a a week of meetings in Kansas City Mo F Fifteen teen thousand people people people peo peo- jammed the auditorium the first night to hear him A thousand thousand thou thou- sand more were turned away Each night it was the same But Thursday the sixteenth Moody suffered a chill found it difficult to walk and was ordered to bed by a physician He was taken to his home in Northfield Mass and died there on December 22 22 Today 66 years since its foundations foundations foundations foun foun- were laid Old Moody church first church first institution inspired by a time one-time shoe salesman- salesman has been leveled But the memory memory memory mem mem- ory of D D. D L L. L Moody one of the most colorful of American evangelists evangelists evangelists evan evan- lives on Influence of the Moody S Moody Sankey revival in Britain is a matter of history Even today in England and Scotland there are hamlets where whole church congregations congregations congregations live in the memory of the American evangelists In the larger cities audiences of 10 to 15 and even 20 thousand turned out night after night to hear Moody preach and Sankey sing Even Englishmen Englishman will admit that Sankey's singing revolutionized revolutionized revolution revolution- church music in Great Brit Brit- ain Heretofore church organs were few the few the idea being that musical musical musical mu mu- instruments were an abomination abomination abom abom- ina tion to the Lord And the only songs used were Psalms which were chanted rather than sung Sankey changed all this With Moodys Moody's support he brought in a 1 portable organ placed it on the pulpit and sang spirited songs These proved irresistible even to the stolid British To meet the demand for this type of singing Moody and Sankey got together a collection of their songs and had them printed Success of the new song book was instantaneous First edition was sold in a day Bookstores were emptied of the second Then they appeared in dry goods and grocery stores in meat markets even even the newsboys hawked them until copies were were sold Although Moody and Sankey refused refused refused re re- re- re fused to copyright their book the publishers did and soon royalties had mounted to a considerable figure Still the evangelists would have none of it In desperation a committee was formed to decide decide decide de de- cide on the dispensation of the funds One member knew of the unfinished church in Chicago and andas andas andas as a result was sent to add the upper floor and tower of the building in 1876 Moodys Moody's Democratic Ways But above all else it undoubtedly undoubted undoubted- ly was Moodys Moody's naive and democratic democratic demo demo- cratic spirit that won Britain One night in London he was as was his habit directing the seating of the audience As he anxiously watched two bewildered old ladies who were vainly looking for front seats a friend brought upon the platform a distinguished English earl Glad to see you lord said Moody Wont you please take a couple of chairs to those two old ladies down m there He did On another occasion it was whispered to him with consider- consider AV v mr oa S NI k F Fa r a ti t An unknown shoe salesman at ai 24 with hardly a years year's schooling in less than two decades Dwight L L. L Moody founded two secondary schools and a Bible institute organized organized organized or or- a church and made his name a household word on two continents able consternation that an exalted exalted exalt exalt- ed personage had just entered the hall hallI I hope she may be much blessed Moody whispered back During the Worlds World's fair of 1893 the Chicago Avenue church better better better bet bet- ter known as Moodys church became headquarters for a citywide citywide citywide city- city wide evangelistic campaign When fair officials announced open day Sunday churchmen threw up their hands in holy hor hor- Lets outlaw it said some Boycott the fair I cried others No replied Moody good na- na Well VelI just run them out of Sunday business Thus the city was divided up into districts and a church named for each section Meetings were held nightly and every means possible employed to attract peo peo- Moody himself plunged into the thick of the fight He rented Forepaugh circus' circus largest tent and pitched it on the fairs fair's front doorstep At first he could get it only for Sunday morning services Ten thousand persons attended and the circus plugged its afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and evening shows with the announcement Ha Ua Ha a Ha a Three Big Shows Moody in the Morning Forepaugh in the Afternoon and Evening I But the idea proved a boomer boomer- I ang Instead of attending afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and evening circus performances performances performances perform perform- ances people crowded into a nearby nearby nearby near near- by church which Moody had se se- se- se cured As a result circus officials abandoned their performances Then they asked Moody to supply an evangelist to hold meetings Sundays in their tent in other cities at their expense |