_"Fagin's Meetin'"_
At eight o'clock Fagin's big bar-room was filled with people.
The crowd was mostly made up of men, although several women
had ventured in to see the fun. At the bar men were standing
three deep. Mike and Fagin were both working hard, but were
unable to wait upon the crowd.
"Here they come," cried some one at the door.
In a moment every one was quiet and still, as Morton and his
workers filed into the place. Fagin's place was known as a free
and easy. In the rear of the room was a platform upon which
stood several chairs, a table and an old grand piano.
"Go back to the platform," said Fagin.
Jimmie, Floe, Gene Dibble, Bill Cook, Mrs. Cook and Morton stepped
upon the platform. Floe went to the piano and started to play
the old song, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." Without an invitation
nearly every one joined in the singing and Morton was pleased.
As the song ended about twenty strong voices started to clap
their hands and sing:
"Monday I got awful drunk,
Tuesday I got sober,
Wednesday night I stayed at home
To think the matter over.
Thursday I went out again,
Friday I took more,
And Saturday night they found me tight
On Fagin's cellar door."
They repeated it three times, making more noise each time. Just
as they stopped, Floe and Gene started to sing:
"On Sunday I am happy, on Monday full of joy,
On Tuesday I've a peace, the devil can't destroy.
On Wednesday and on Thursday I'm walking in the light,
Friday 'tis a Heaven below, the same on Saturday night."
Without a stop they ran into Doane's greatest song, "Hide Me,
O My Saviour, Hide Me."
Whatever Fagin's plans were, he had forgotten them. Never were
two voices better adapted for this sort of music. Gene's tenor
voice blended perfectly with Floe's rich alto. But, what is
more essential in the singing of the Gospel, they both knew
what they were singing about and to whom they were singing.
The best story teller on earth can not tell a story well unless
he knows it, neither can the best singer on earth sing the Gospel
well unless he knows it. The question so often asked to-day,
Why are there no conversions in our church? could be answered
sometimes by a glance into the choir loft.
Every one stood spellbound as Floe and Gene put their very souls
into the song:
"Hide me when my heart is breaking, with its weight of woe,
When in tears I seek the comfort, Thou canst alone bestow."
Every word was a prayer and Floe was singing to God alone; she
seemed to forget the crowd and the place; she remembered the
time she had taken her broken heart to Jesus with its weight
of woe. Gene was self-conscious, but no one knew it, as every
eye was upon Floe. She stopped playing and stood up as they
very softly sang the chorus the last time. Falling upon her
knees, she said: "Let us pray. O Father, we thank Thee, that
Thou hast given us a chance to praise Thee in this room. In
former days, in this same place, we blasphemed Thy Holy Name.
We thank Thee for forgiveness, for peace, for power to overcome
sin, and now, O Father, our prayer is for the people in this
room. We know that Thou lovest them all; may they realize to-night
that Jesus is the sinner's Friend. For the habit-bound ones,
we pray, set them free, O God!" With tears streaming down her
cheeks she prayed for Dave Beach, Fagin, Mike, Ike Palmer, and
the girls that were living lives of shame; the plea she made
to God for Fred Hanks would almost melt a heart of stone. "Forgive
these men for getting poor, weak Fred drunk to-night," she prayed.
"He is trying hard, but Mr. Fagin and his helpers are doing
all they can to kill him; for Jesus' sake stop them, for the
sake of his heart-broken wife and his little boy, stop them.
May every man, woman and child here to-night be saved for Jesus'
sake. Amen."
Not a person moved during the prayer; every word went straight
to the hearts of the people; many of the women were weeping
and the men were fighting back their tears with more or less
success.
After Fagin had consented to allow a meeting in his place he
and his crowd had gone after Fred and filled him full of liquor.
At the right time he was to be brought into the room and introduced
as one of Morton's converts. This was to be the signal for the
crowd to break up the meeting.
Floe had spoiled their plans by her prayer. Fred came into the
room unnoticed while she was praying, and at the close of her
prayer he pushed his way to the platform. In his drunken way
he said he didn't want to blame the gang for his condition,
but he had tried as hard as he could and it was no use, there
was no hope for him. He began to cry and left the room by the
rear door. He pulled the door open again and, waving his hat
in the air said, "You pikers will never git another chance to
make a monkey out of me," and slammed the door.
Morton jumped to his feet and said to the crowd, "I want Floe
and Gene to sing for you, but before they sing I will ask Mrs.
Cook, one of your neighbors, to say something about Jesus in
her home." Morton was afraid to have Bill Cook speak, but thought
Mrs. Cook could keep the crowd still better than a man.
"Everybody here knows me," said Mrs. Cook. "We've lived here
in this town for thirty years. All that time, until a little
while ago, we've had a drunkard's home. Jesus saved me one night
and my husband came the next night and we're havin' the blessedest
time yer' ever heard tell on. Bill don't drink no more and I
ain't been mad fer two weeks now, 'cept when Fagin and Mike
tried ter git Bill ter drink. I don't see fer the life of me,
what they want ter git Bill back inter the gutter agin fer"--Morton
trembled--"they oughter be satisfied; they've had all his money
fer years. I wouldn't do that ter them er their families if
they was tryin' ter git along like we are," and she began to
cry.
Before she could go on with her talk, Morton arose and said,
"Floe and Gene will sing." The song selected was the duet, "They
are Nailed to the Cross."
"There was One who was willing to die in my stead,
That a soul so unworthy might live,
And the path to the cross, He was willing to tread,
All the sins of my life to forgive.
"They are nailed to the cross, they are nailed to the cross,
Oh, how much he was willing to bear!
With what anguish and loss, Jesus went to the cross!
But he carried my sins with Him there.
"He is tender and loving and patient with me,
While He cleanses my heart of its dross;
But 'there's no condemnation,' I know I am free,
For my sins are all nailed to the cross.
"I will cling to my Saviour and never depart,
I will joyfully journey each day,
With a song on my lips and a song in my heart,
That my sins have been taken away."
After the song Morton gave an invitation. Mike stepped out from
behind the bar, untied his white apron and walked up to the
platform. "If you people think that I kin be fergiven I want
it right now," he said. "I did try to get Bill to drink and
I got Fred Hanks drunk and I'm an awful sinner, but I'm done
with the whole business; I'll never sell nor take another drink
in my life if God will forgive me the way I've used Him." Mike's
wife pushed her way through the crowd and they both bowed in
prayer at the old saloon platform. At least twenty-five men
and women came forward that night and prayed to God for mercy.
Fagin stood with his elbows on the bar and watched everything
that was going on, but he said nothing.
At nine o'clock Mr. Morton said, "We agreed to get through in
this place at nine o'clock and our time is up. I wish to thank
Mr. Fagin for his kindness to us, and before we close I wish
to ask God to bless him and his family and get him out of this
business."
Fagin bowed his head as Morton prayed, and as they passed out
he shook hands with all of them and invited them to come again.
The next night at the Mission the first man upon his feet to
give a testimony was Oily Ike Palmer. "I was in Fagin's bar-room
meeting, and before I went to sleep last night Jesus saved me.
Every one in the First Ward knows me and they know very little
good of me. I was educated for the ministry and expected to
be some one in this world. Everything was bright before me;
my parents were both Christians and well to do. Every one, in
the little place where I lived, pointed me out as a model young
man. A so-called doctor gave me morphine for pain one day and
told me to carry it with me always. Some of you know the rest
of my story without my telling it; it soon got the best of me.
For fifteen years I have been a drug fiend. I have tried every
known remedy and they have all failed. With the drug I began
to drink whisky. In order to keep myself in these things, I
became dishonest. For ten years at least I have made my money
in a crooked way. My family have suffered everything through
my sin. We were not raised in the slums, but have drifted to
the very bottom because of my vicious habits. My brothers and
sisters never mention my name, and in the old home my picture
has been turned toward the wall. Last night, when Jimmie Moore
came to my home and invited me to the Fagin place, I could not
refuse him. He told me that Jesus could help me and that you
people here would be my friend. I went to Fagin's and heard
of my way out; I left that place determined to find God if I
could; I spent half of last night upon my knees, and to-night,
although very weak and nervous, I know that I am saved. I've
been twenty-four hours without drug or whisky and I could never
do that unless God was with me. I just want to say one more
thing before I sit down. Jimmie Moore came to my house again
to-day and invited me to this meeting. When I told him I had
no clothing fit to be seen in a place like this, he took every
penny he had, thirty-seven cents, I believe, and bought these
pants from Rosenbaum. He has promised to leave an evening paper
there for sixty-three days to make up the dollar--the price
of the pants. I did not know that until this evening, or I should
not have allowed him to do it. Jesus saved me, but that boy
did his share of it and under God I want to thank Jimmie for
my salvation."
Mike and his wife both spoke and thanked God for salvation.
Bucktown was well represented at the meeting and several professed
conversion. After the meeting Jimmie said to Morton, "When we
git Dave and Fagin, Fred Hanks and Doc Snyder saved, Bucktown
will be just as good as der Bulevard ter live in. Jewey got
pinched ter-day and he'll git a ten spot, 'cause dey found der
goods on him."