DIRECT ARMY APPEAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1771, 9 June 1913, Page 6

DIRECT ARMY APPEAL.

SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICES. Remarkable gatherings were held In His Majesty's Theatre yesterday by tile Salvation Army, whose first Dominion Congress/is just drawing to a close. _ Yesterday-was tlio culminating point in the personal appeal, and stirring scenes were witnessed- A. great earnestness pervaded the whole building, and. fully 1000 faces wore turned towards the platform. The bizarre of tho theatro wag forgotten;

and the flashing electric lights, gold and pink, and white decorations seemed not out of place, for every human being there had his attention riveted on tho stage, where speaker followedspeaker. Testimony after testimony followed, till speakers were limited, to five seconds. From every part of the houso rose men and women to testify to their salvation; young men scarcely out of their teens gave place to elderly nion, who in turn were supplanted by okl grey-headed men, with tears running dowa their deep-luicd faces. Ever and anon fervent cries of "Amen," "Hallelujah," _ would ring out, for everyone had been invited to give voice to their feelings, and not\display any "stiffness" or. "starchiness." # I _ Tho singing was a wonderful evidence of the sincerity of the Army people, for time after time, on tho starting of a line from some hymn, hundreds would, take up tho refrain, and the theatre would bo filled with the sound. No hymn books wero needed, for everyone knew tho words of the tune. . Thero was a repetition in the evening ot tho scenes of tho afternoon. As a resuit eorne hundred people went to tho "penitent form/' During tho week tiio Army havo had over three hundred responses. . Last night' Commissioner Bichards told tho story of the Prodigal Son, and expressed a sympathy ..for the young man. It was an entertaining parable, as told by the Commissioner. The young man had his portion and oven his fathers goods, but got no satisfaction in. the money. Tho devil never fished without a bait, "however, and thero was always the suggestion of a coming pleasure. Worldly, pleasures did not. survive, and always smashed into atoms when one tried to grasp them, Tho Prodigal Son, after his experience amongst the swine, made up his mind to return to "his father. There wero many who wanted luni to stay till he had covered his tatters. In the same respect there were many today who tried to persuade sinners to wait awhile. Tho Commissioner went on to appeal: to thoso in the Far Country to return to 1 God, for Ho alone could .satisfy the soulI hunger which was felt by everyone. A direct appeal to hundreds of people was made by officers who went about the building during tho latter portion of tho evening. . , ~ , . Spirited band music was contributed throughout the services by the Wellington Army Band and tlio Christehurch Band.