The Pavilion in San Francisco.
Our “Progress” department having gone to press when we received the following from Bro. Butler respecting the tent-meeting now in progress in San Francisco, Cal., we give it in this place:— As soon as the camp-meeting was over, the large tent, one hundred and twenty-five by sixty feet, was moved to San Francisco, and pitched in a very eligible place. Meetings commenced Friday evening, Oct. 16. Thus far, nine discourses have been given upon the themes usual in our lectures. The weather has not been as favorable as is usual at this season. It has rained considerably, and threatened rain just before meeting time in several instances. But the interest has increased thus far right along. We commenced with about four hundred. The congregation Sunday evening was upwards of eight hundred; and last evening, I should judge, there were from a thousand to twelve hundred. A large number of these give us as good attention, and manifest as much interest, as any I ever saw. Last night the subject was spiritualism. There was a great desire manifested that the lecture should be repeated. All the books on the desk, treating on the subject of the discourse, went in a twinkling, and many more were called for. Ministers of other churches came forward to the desk, and said if the lecture could be repeated, the large tent would be filled full, they were certain. A few nights since, at the close of the discourse, a man who called himself an infidel, a stranger to us, arose, and wanted to speak. He commenced to urge those present to use their influence to get men to come to the tent. He said it was a shame to the place that the tent was not packed full every night. He said he should work all the next day to get others to come. He thought no such discourses had been given in the city, and many should be there. He gave a very earnest exhortation to bring all possible to the meetings. This same man has no doubt distributed two thousand bills of the meeting for us. So far everything looks favorable for a good work being accomplished. There has never been so large an attendance in this city or in the State before. While it is impossible to tell the final result, it is most encouraging to see the people coming out and listening to the truth of God, night after night. We hope God will guide Bro. Loughborough and Canright through this meeting, and that great good may be done. The eighth number of the Signs is just being issued, which makes, with the business connected with its change of hands to the supervision of the Cal. Conf. Committee, much to be done. The paper will then be removed to Woodland, Yolo Co., Cal., for the present, until it shall finally be decided where to permanently locate it, and organize an Association to hold the property according to law. It will be issued weekly as soon as possible. I shall return immediately to the East to help in the great work there, and Bro. Cornell will doubtless return with me. My friends can write me to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, or Battle Creek, Mich. San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 23, 1874. The following additional particulars respecting the above-named meeting we find from the pen of Bro. Loughborough, in the Signs, of Oct. 22, 1874:— “We advertise daily in three daily papers. The combined circulation of these papers is over 100,000 copies daily. The subject is announced for each evening. Brethren, it pays in the shape of increasing our audiences, to invest considerable in advertising. “One of these papers, the San Francisco Morning Call, says of our meetings, in its issue of Oct. 21: “The tent meetings on the corner of Jones and Tyler streets are nightly attended by large and attentive audiences. The speakers are earnest men who believe what they teach. The subjects thus far introduced have been the Earth's History as noted in prophecy; the United States as described by the prophets; the Signs of Christ's Second Coming, and the Doctrine of the World's Conversion. This evening Eld. D. M. Canright, one of the ablest speakers of that denomination, will speak on Modern Spiritualism. “On Wednesday evening, notwithstanding it rained up to the hour of commencing meeting, there were about 500 interested hearers. Last evening our big tent was nearly full to listen to Bro. Canright on the subject of Spiritualism. There was profound attention. What books we had on Spiritualism went off like the dew, and there was an earnest call for more, which will be taken over from the Signs office for to-morrow night. “As people are going away from the tent, many who were hearing this course of lectures for the first, were heard to say: “They have the truth at that tent, if there is any truth.” We hope for glorious results from these lectures.”