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Seven Years' Street Preaching in San Francisco, California
Seven Years' Street Preaching in San Francisco California Author:William Taylor Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. FIRST PREACHING ON THE PLAZA. On the third of December, 1849,1 announced to the congregation in " Our little church on the hill," that at three... more » P. M. of that day I would preach in the open air, on Portsmouth Square, known more familiarly as the Plaza. It was regarded by most persons present, if not all, as a very dangerous experiment ; for the gamblers were a powerful and influential party in the city, and the Plaza was their principal rendezvous, and Sunday the best day of the seven for their business. The Plaza was nearly surrounded by gambling and drinking houses. The gamblers occupied the best houses in the city, and had them furnished in the most magnificent style. Each house employed a band of the best music the country could afford. R. Beeching, a member of our Church, being a good musician, was offered thirty dollars per night to play in one of them, which, as a true man, though poor and out of employment at the time, he declined. The walls of these houses were hung with splendidpaintings; "the tables" contained "piles" of gold and silver; the musicians occupied a high platform in the rear end of the saloon; the "needful" was served out by " a gentleman of the bar," in one corner, near the entrance, where many a jolly circle drank to each other's health the deadly draught. These places, especially at night, all night, and on Sunday, were crowded with moving masses of humanity, of every age and complexion. So powerful was this class of men in the city, that I do not remember of ever hearing of one of them, in those days, being arrested, even for murder. Now, should a poor preacher presume to go into their midst, and interfere with their business, by thrilling every house with the songs of Zion and the peals of Gospel truth, he would be likely to wake up...« less