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T H E K I N D ’ S B U S I N E S S
January, 1940
When New Zealand Witnessed "Fresh Power"
An Employee’ s Remembrance of Torrey It was in Dr. Torrey’s last year at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles that I entered as a student. Having been an experienced stenographer, 'and finding it necessary to find em ployment in order to pay my ex penses at the school, I had the won derful opportunity to work for Dr. Torrey. While in the classroom stu dents stood in great awe of him (especially if a lesson wasn’t well prepared), as an employee of his, I found Dr. Torrey gracious, humble, and kindly in spirit. One remembrance that has been a great help to me in the Lord’s work, is that of Dr. Torrey’s preparation of a series of sermons for publication. He would pace up and down the room dictating, then would suddenly •top to pray, pouring out his heart to God for guidance and blessing. This practice of his impressed me with the great need of preparing messages prayerfully. I praise God that He led me to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in time to have this personal contact with a man of God who lived and preached the Word of God. Mrs. E. Rexford Smith, Missionary to the Mexicans, Coachella, Calif. Priest of the Household During my last six months as a student at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, I worked in the home of Dr. Torrey. What impressed me most was how he conducted family wor ship, Every one in the home, includ ing servants, was asked to Join, and each one was mentioned personally, by name, in prayer. Jennie Zimmerman Eymann, Los Angeles, Calif. Vacation Evenings One summer I spent five weeks with the Torrey family at Northfield, Mass. Our happiest times were after supper when we gathered in the din ing room and played games. Dr. Tor rey was always the leader in our fun. You would never believe when see ing his dignity and sternness in the pulpit and classroom that he could so playful at home. We played |s of guessing games, and I always gd to be on his side as it was usu- tthe winning one. We would play ^ibout nine o’clock, then good- jiwere said to Dr. Torrey, and gent off to bed, leaving him i. Ora Augustins Owen, % U .
By ROBERT A. LAI DLAW Auckland, New Zealand
B HE Torrey-Alexander Mission in Melbourne, Australia, had stirred the world, and the reports that 10,000 people, had been filled night after night, had awakened great expectations on the part of Christian people in Dun edin, New Zealand, which was the next city to which the evangelistic party was to come. The Mission commenced on a Tuesday night, and it continued nightly until Friday with little blessing. On Friday night, Dr. Torrey said, “We cannot run a Mission in Dunedin on the blessing we had in Melbourne. Each fresh effort needs fresh power. I call you to a half night of prayer tonight.” And, turning to the piano, he said, “Mr. Harkness will take charge of it in the Y. M. C. A. Hall.” The meeting over, Mr. Harkness pro ceeded to the Y. M. C. A. Hall, expect ing to find a dozen or so zealots willing to pray through half the night, but to his surprise the hall was full, and hun dreds of people were out on the street, not able to obtain admission. He pressed his way through, and eventually reached -the piano. After playing a chorus or two, he suggested the meeting get to prayer. A man in the audience rose and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Harkness. I believe God wants to bless Dunedin just as much as He blessed Melbourne. There must be something wrong with us, and I know what is wrong with me. I have given up my family altar, but I confess my failure and promise that by the grace of God tomorrow morning my family altar will be raised again, and we will meet to read God’s Word and to pray together.” Another arose and said, “Years ago I was a soul-winner, but have grown cold in heart, and never speak to any one now. As God shall help me, I will start out again to point men to Jesus Christ.” As one and another made confession, the Spirit of God spoke to Robert Hark ness, and he arose and, as I remember his testimony, said something like this: “I am a musician. I was converted only a few weeks ago in Australia through Mr. Alexander, but have never dedicated my life to Christ, and it may be that I am a hindrance. By the grace of God, I here and now lay whatever talent God has given ms on the altar for Him.”
The next meeting was scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 3:00 P. M., and the Spirit of God came down upon the gath ering in mighty power, and large num bers came to Christ. That afternoon I, then a youth of seventeen, was almost converted myself, but I left the meeting with a heart as heavy as lead, deter mined, however, to come back at night and make my decision for the Lord Jesus Christ. That night, the Garrison Hall, which seated 2,000 people, was full an hour before the meeting was due to start, and enough people were out on the street to fill the hall a second time. Dr. Tor rey sent out word that if they would wait he would preach a second time to them. I contrived to stay in to both meetings, and made my decision for Christ at half past ten that Sunday night Revival had broken out in earnest The total population of the town was only 47,000, and the Garrison Hall was the largest building, but it was alto gether inadequate for the numbers who now nightly clamored to hear the gos pel. On every street car the campaign hymns were sung. Some objected, but there was such a movement in the city that no one could stay the rising tide. Dozens of businesses closed down from 12:30 to 1:30 daily so that their employees might attend the midday meeting. No one who passed through that cam paign will ever forget the movement of the Spirit of God, which resulted in over a thousand conversions in a period of less than three weeks, and left be- [As manager of the Farmers’ Trad ing Company, the largest mail-order de partment business in N ew Zealand, which. has over sixty branch stores throughout the dominion, M r. Laidlaw has been honored by the Lord with suc cess in business, but even more far- reaching has been his influence as a soul- winner in gospel preaching. Having been in England when the present war broke out, M r. Laidlaw remained to serve as a field director of the Soldiers', Seamens, and Airmen's Christian Asso ciation. H e is best known to most read ers as the author of the booklet, " The Reason W h y ” of which nearly eight million copies, printed in various lan guages, have been circulated."]
the great Exhibition Building, 'seating
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