rimmed beard. His deep-set blue eyes sparkled with a pleasant
earnestness. Any lack of physical attractiveness was amply atoned for by
the splendid qualities of the man's soul. He was a mighty man of God. He
had an unusual grip on the upper world. He had large capacities for
moving God on his throne. A heavenly atmosphere pervaded the realm of
his personality.

When this man stepped onto the platform of the large brush arbor that
summer evening, and took his seat and faced that audience, there was a
stillness that was painful. The awful stillness was broken when the
Evangelist arose and said, "Praise God for his matchless salvation." He
made a few preliminary remarks and the corp of singers began to sing.
And such music seldom issues from human lips. It was not overwhelming in
point of its artistic qualities. The compositions were of the simplest
sort. But the singers sang from out of the abundance of redeemed souls,
and there was a heavenly inspiration accompanying the songs that simply
overwhelmed the hearts of sinners and overjoyed the hearts of saints.
One song that especially gripped the audience ran thus:

"Do you triumph, O my brother, over all this world of sin?
In each storm of tribulation, does your Jesus reign within?"

CHORUS:

"I am reigning, sweetly reigning, far above this world of strife;
In my blessed, loving Savior, I am reigning in this life."

When this and several other hymns equally inspiring had been sung,
Evangelist Blank arose and said, "Let us pray." At this the audience
began to make arrangements to stand, for it was the custom in Mount
Olivet Church in those days to stand while the preacher "made" his
prayer, as Deacon Gramps expressed it. But the Evangelist had the notion
that when the heart is humbled before God the body should be in a like
position, so he reverently and unpretentiously knelt beside the rough
board pulpit. The four singers on the platform knelt simultaneously with
the Evangelist. This placed the members of Mount Olivet in a rather
embarrassing position. They disliked the idea of being so unreligious as
to sit erect during prayer, and they could not bear the humiliation of
kneeling at a holiness meeting. A few of them under the press of the
circumstance did kneel. A few stood up. Most of them sat with bowed
heads. "Spooky" Crane easily adjusted himself to the situation and
promptly knelt in the straw, and with his face in his hands peeped
between his fingers at th