The only American city comparable to New York with a port for immigrants, and over a half million population, and with almost 300 churches was Philadelphia. The revival quickly spread to America's second city, and it followed the same pattern.
John Bliss, a young member of the YMCA, attended the Fulton Street meetings. When he returned, he purposed that they do the same in Philadelphia. On November 23, 1857, a noonday prayer rally was inaugurated at the Union Methodist Episcopal Church. During the winter, the eminent Methodist revivalist Rev. James Caughey conducted as series of meetings and more than 500 persons were converted. By the March Jayne's Hall, a theater on Chestnut and in the heart of the business district, was drawing crowds of over 3,000. When a meeting overflowed to nearby buildings, Philadelphia claimed the "world's largest prayer meeting."
One of the most powerful and prominent speakers at Jayne's Hall was Rev. Dudley A. Tyng, a young Episcopalian minister. His untimely death in April resulted in many conversions. On his deathbed he inspired a friend Rev.
George Duffield to write a song about the standing room only crowds, when he said, "Tell the men to stand up for Jesus."
Early in May a big tent was purchased for two thousand dollars. The next four months of tent services drew a total
195
audience of 150,000 people; and the city of Philadelphia reaped a harvest of ten thousand conversions.
Everywhere reports were the same. A moving in the fall, excitement during the winter, and by March an explosion of religious activity. At first it was only for prayers, then the conversions followed. The stirring in the hearts of people was clearly and without a doubt providential in origin. The Baptists were on fire so much during the winter that they cut holes in the frozen Mohawk River and they baptized the converts in the cold water.
The divine influence touched cities and villages. It was hard to find a place that was not moved by God's grace.
William C. Conant's computations revealed revival in 88 towns in Maine, 40 in New Hampshire, 39 in Vermont, and 147 in Massachusetts. It was said that there were entire New England towns in which scarcely an unconverted person could be found. Even Boston was awakened with large crowds, intense prayer, and fruitful conversions.
The best view of the widespread movement of the Spirit on the nation was at a Charles Finney meeting in Boston. A gentleman testified, "I am from Omaha, in Nebraska. On my journey East I have found a continuous Prayer meeting all the way. We call it two thousand miles from Omaha to Boston; and here was a prayer meeting about two thousand miles in extent."
In Pittsburgh the Presbyterians set aside the first Sabbath of the new year for revival preaching, and the first Thursday as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer.
196
Cincinnati did the same. In Chicago the Metropolitan Theater was crowded daily with two thousand people for prayer. By May of 1858 most of the businesses simply closed for "the Hour of Prayer" because of the lack of customers. Methodist Bishop McIlvaine at the Ohio Convention said, "I have no doubt 'whence it cometh'....it is 'the Lord's doing." Timothy Smith recorded that "There were numerous revivals in schools, the most spectacular being in Cleveland, where all but two boys (in the Cleveland public schools) experienced conversion." The awakening in the Northern states was the same with a long list of cities and towns with conversions and a growth in church memberships.
The only place not powerfully touched by the revival in the early years was the South. Although a two year drought and epidemics hit Southern California, when the evangelists came the seats were empty, and the church bells did not toll.
The revival did not touch the South until the Civil War with the exception of the slave population. Reports came along the Underground Railroad of the revival among the
"colored" in Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. The estimates were that the black Methodists tripled during the revival years.
One glorious movement was in Charlestown, South Carolina under the preaching of Presbyterian Pastor Dr. John L. Girardeau. His congregation was mainly what he called
"brothers in black." After special prayer meetings he preached to overflow crowds of 1,500 to 2,000 blacks and whites in the nightly audiences even past midnight. The
197
eight-week period was in his words, "the greatest event of his ministry."
Another phenomenal outpouring was among the youth in the YMCA movement and the college campuses. The Young Men's Christian Association first appeared in the US in Boston in 1851 and spread to other large cities. It had an evangelical goal to win young men to Christ. During the Awakening of 1858 the YMCA did a great work in visiting 20,000 persons. Also, the organization spread nationwide to over 50 college campuses.
Historians have failed to mention the awakening on the college campuses. J. Edwin Orr said that nearly every Protestant college in every part of the nation was moved by the revival. It was a result of the special "days of prayer" at the colleges. No visiting evangelist or visiting clergyman initiated the campus movement. From the prayer meetings there was a manifestation of repentance, confession, and restitution. College historian Frederick Rudolph noticed the college awakenings in the north, south, and west in 1858.