UNIV.. ,'Y OF
SAN DIEGO
101
TAYLOR
OF ' DOWN UNDER
TAYLOR
OF ' DOWN UNDER '
THE LIFE-STORY OF
AN AUSTRALIAN EVANGELIST
With an Account of the Origin and Growth of
The Sydney Central Methodist Mission
(Ex-President New South Wale Methodist Conference ; Founder
of the Sydney Central Mission).
With Portraits, Illustrations
and Introductory Notes
London :
THE EPWORTH PRESS
J, ALFRED SHARP
First Edition, 1920
Second ,, 1920
Third ,, 1921
Fourth 1922
Bo
TWO GOOD WOMEN
(One in Heaven, one on Earth)
MY MOTHER AND MY WIFE
Whose quiet but ever-present and ever-precious
sympathy has furnished the inspiration
of my life
BY WAY OF BEGINNING
BY the votes of my brethren I had been placed in the
chair of the New South Wales Conference. The insignia
of office were placed in my hands by my predecessor a
distinguished minister of the Church the Rev. J. E.
Carruthers, D.D. Among the numerous newspaper articles
that deigned to chronicle the fact was a certain Northern
journal that paid a high and much -deserved tribute to the
worth and work of the man I was to succeed. Then
followed a reference to myself, succinct, all-comprising :
' All that needs to be said of the new occupant of the
Conferential Chair is that he is an evangelist.'
Even so ; otherwise this book would never have been
written. ' An evangelist ' that, and nothing more,
nothing less. In that fact I this day breathe the
atmosphere of a perfect content.
Again and again I have been urged to this writing by
men whose judgement it were folly to ignore. For long I
hesitated, for have not better men written finer records,
which have been published and forgotten ?
Full well do I realize that pages such as these lay one
open to the charge of egotism. Still, in the spirit of a true
sincerity, and in the fervent hope that they may prove
of interest to ministers and Christian workers who are hi
the making, I have yielded thus to tell this story of the
evangelism of my life.
At times the pen has dragged, for it has been difficult
to submerge the personal element ; at others my soul,
and, I trust, my pen have taken fire, and I have revelled in
the privilege of magnifying the grace of God seen hi the
extension of the kingdom of our Divine Redeemer. In
fairness to myself it needs to be mentioned that hi these
records I have rigidly refrained from cultivating what is
7
8 BY WAY OF BEGINNING
known as 'literary style'; here will be found no 'local
colouring/ no tricks of the rhetorician, but a story told in
simple, unadorned English, the facts of which, it is hoped,
will convey their own message to the heart of the gentle
reader.
The major portion of the book was written prior to the
declaration of the late European War ; and it was hoped
that it would have seen the light at least two years
ago. War conditions, however, rendered postponement
imperative.
With a timid heart, and yet with fervent prayer, I
launch this frail barque upon the waters. May these
pages at least prove to be a message of guidance and of
inspiration to many who this day stand upon the threshold
of their life's great work !
With a grateful heart I desire to express my indebtedness
to my friend, the Rev. James Doran, of London, to Mr.
Marshall Broomhall, M.A. (editorial secretary of the China
Inland Mission), and to others for valuable assistance so
cheerfully rendered in preparing these sheets for the
press.
'KNAYTON,' LINDFIELD, SYDNEY.
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTORY NOTES BY THE LATE REV. GEORGE
BROWN, D.D., AND REV. J. E. CARRUTHERS, D.D. . II
PART I
CHAP.
I. A STUDY IN ORIGINS . . . . . ig
II. CONVERSION, AND EVANGELISTIC BEGINNINGS . 27
III. APPRENTICE WORK 42
IV. A CALL TO WIDER SERVICE . . . 52
V. DAYS OF PREPARATION AND OF TESTING . . 60
VI. A MYSTERIOUS PROVIDENCE . . . . 72
VII. FIRST APPOINTMENT : THE STORY OF A REMARK-
ABLE REVIVAL 77
VIII. PIONEERING REMINISCENCES . . . .89
IX. ON THE TABLELANDS I MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL
ADVANCE ....... 99
X. NEW SOUTH WALES SPHERES : GRACIOUS REVIVAL
RECORDS 112
PART II
XI. THE BIRTH AND GROWTH OF A MISSION . . 127
XII. A SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE AND A SPIRITUALIZING
FORCE 141
XIII. THE REMAKING OF MEN : TRIUMPHS OF SAVING
GRACE 148
xiv. CHRISTIANITY'S UNANSWERABLE ARGUMENT :
MORE MODERN MIRACLES .... 165
XV. STILL MORE JEWELS FOR THE CROWN OF THE KING 179
XVI. AN AUSTRALIAN ' SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS ' . 195
XVII. TWENTIETH-CENTURY ANGELS . . . 207
XVIII. THE GIRL OF THE KERBSTONE . . . 21$
XIX. AN AUSTRALIAN PERIL I THE PROBLEM OF THE
LARRIKIN 224
XX. AMONG THE WEE BAIRNIES .... 233
9
io CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
XXI. EVANGELISTIC PHILANTHROPY : THE ROMANCE
OF MISSION WORK 242
XXII. AN AUSTRALIAN PHILANTHROPIST . . . 258
XXIII. A HANDFUL OF TOUGH PROBLEMS ! MONEY,
MUSIC, CRANKS, AMUSEMENTS, THE PRESS . 270
PART III
XXIV. EVANGELISTIC VISITS TO EUROPE AND AMERICA 285
XXV. EVANGELISTIC VISITS TO EUROPE AND AMERICA
(continued) ...... 295
XXVI. LATER SPHERES OF SERVICE IN NEW SOUTH
WALES 309
XXVII. QUIET DAYS 317
xxvin. LIFE'S GUIDING PRINCIPLES . . . 327
APPENDIX 333
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
WILLIAM G. TAYLOR .... Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
EARLY PORTRAITS OF MR. TAYLOR . . . . 60
GROUP OF CENTRAL MISSION BUILDINGS . . . 134
C.M.M. EVANGELISTS AT WORK. .... 196
THE HON. EBENEZER VICKERY, M.L.C. . . . 258
INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR VIEWS OF THE LYCEUM HALL 268
LATEST PORTRAIT OF MR. AND MRS. TAYLOR . . 304
A REMARKABLE SOCIETY CLASS .... 314
INTRODUCTORY NOTES
BY THE LATE REV. GEORGE BROWN, D.D.
(President General Conference of the Methodist
Church of Australasia, 1913-1917.)
THERE have been two evangelists bearing the name of
Taylor, each of whom has exercised a great influence upon
the religious life of Australia. One of these was a visitor ;
the other was a resident in the Commonwealth. The two
men represented widely different characters and modes
of appeal and work ; but they were both alike in their
burning zeal for the salvation and uplifting of men, in
their strong conviction that the only way for the accom-
plishment of these objects was by the proclamation of
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and its acceptance
by their hearers, and they have both been honoured by
the great success which they have achieved.
One of these men was a typical American, who had
graduated in the streets and slums of San Francisco
and among the rough characters who were engaged in the
search for gold in those early days in California. He was
known in after years as Bishop Taylor ; but throughout
these States the name by which he was best known, and
by which he is very lovingly remembered, was ' California
Taylor.' The success which followed his labours was of
no ephemeral character, for in many homes the direct and
indirect results which were so apparent when William
Taylor preached the gospel throughout Australia are still
manifest. Many other earnest preachers and evangelists
have continued in the same great work. Some of the
results of their devoted service we have seen and rejoiced
over, but for the full record of their triumphs we have still
to wait. In this also we only know in part. But the
times change, and we also change with them not in our
12 INTRODUCTORY NOTES
object, which is the salvation of men, and not in the
means which we adopt for its achievement, for there is
still for us ' no other name given among men whereby we
can be saved ' but the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, but
in the widening out of our aspirations and purpose. Mr.
Wesley told his preachers that they had nothing to do
but to save souls, and in the sense in which he used the
term he was right ; but we scan a wider horizon to-day,
and the Church is realizing as it has never done before
that we only fully follow Christ when we take into our
hearts all the mind of Christ, and care for the bodies as
well as for the souls of men.
It is just here where the distinctive character of modern
missions, as conducted by William G. Taylor and the
Central Methodist Missions in all the States, is made ap-
parent : no less concern for the saving of the souls of men,
no new plan for their salvation, but a widening out of our
object so as to include all that concerns the welfare of our
fellow men in the work we do, because in so doing we find
that we fulfil the will of God.
How far-reaching the work and aims of the Sydney
Central Mission are may in part be gathered by reading the
names of the different branches of work which are so effec-
tively conducted. How many of our people realize that, in
addition to the ordinary but all-important work of preach-
ing and visitation, the Mission includes in its effective work
such branches as Immigration and Employment Agency,
Evangelists' Training Institute, Queen Victoria Seamen's
Rest, Home of 'Sisters of the People,' Home for Fallen and
Friendless Girls, Orphanage for Waifs and Strays, People's
Central Hostel, Girls' Rest-rooms, Men's Shelter, Residen-
tial Home, Workmen's Home, ' Lyceum People's Own,'
Young Men's Settlement, Young Men's and Young
Women's Guilds of Service, Mothers' Meetings, Working
Girls' Brigade, Sunday School, Adults' Bible-class, Literary
and Debating Society, Musical Department, Social Clubs,
&c.?
It is chiefly to tell our people something of this great work
that Mr. Taylor has written this book. It does not and
cannot tell all that should be known. He can tell us some-
thing of the successes which have been achieved, and we
can thank God for them ; but he does not and cannot tell
INTRODUCTORY NOTES 13
us of the times of discouragement and weariness which he
often had to suffer, when the magnitude of the work com-
pelled the old cry, ' Lord, who is sufficient for these things ? '
A strong faith gave the assurance of ultimate victory, but
the strain to a man of his temperament must have often
almost reached the breaking-point. We and all our Church
are thankful that he has been privileged to live to see even
more than the firstfruits of the remarkable harvest, the
seed of which was so often sown in tears. The book he has
written will, I am sure, be welcomed not only by our own
people, but by all who love the Lord Jesus Christ, and who
feel their responsibility for the carrying on of the work
which He has given them to do. By a perusal of these
pages they will be led to thank God and to take courage.
[A pathetic interest attaches to the above note, inasmuch as
it was almost the last this remarkable man was permitted to
write, ere he was called to higher service.}
BY THE REV. JAMES E. CARRUTHERS, D.D.
(President of the Australasian Methodist General Conference;
Editor of ' The Methodist.')
IF there is one feature by which, more than any other, the
ministry of the Rev. W. G. Taylor in Australia has been
characterized, it is that of evangelism. He has evidenced
to his brethren the possession of abilities and gifts that
would have given him prominence in not a few other
directions. He might have excelled as a writer, with his
crisp style and faculty for picturesque and striking ex-
pression. As a departmental minister he would have been
a fortune to any Connexional office, with his masterly and
almost unique gift of organization. As a circuit minister
he would certainly have had the occupancy in succession
of the best appointments that Australian Methodism has to
give, with the variety of opportunity and the sense of pop-
ularity they afford. But he has deliberately eschewed all
these lines of service that he might ' do the work of an evan-
gelist ' in connexion with the Central Methodist Mission, of
14 INTRODUCTORY NOTES
which he was the founder, and of which, with brief inter-
missions, he was the superintendent for the long period of
over a quarter of a century. Of that work he tells the
story in these pages.
Whether or not the Sydney Central Methodist Mission
was the first of its kind in Methodism, as is claimed by Mr.
Taylor, it was at least among the very earliest of the goodly
company of such organizations, and it was absolutely the
pioneer of the Central Missions now established in all the
capital centres of the Commonwealth of Australia and the
Dominion of New Zealand.
All these Missions are avowedly social, redemptive, and
philanthropic in their scope and effort. But they are
primarily and essentially evangelistic. This is especially
the case with the Sydney Central Methodist Mission. Yet
again: all the Australian organizations of that type bear
the impress of their founder ; notably is this so with the
Sydney Mission, which for years has taken its colour and
tone from the fervid and intense spirit of the honoured
minister who laid its foundations and built up its super-
structure to its present imposing proportions. The differ-
ence between ' Old York Street ' as it was in 1884, with its
handful of people, its dispirited membership, and its de-
pleted exchequer, and the nourishing organization of the
Central Methodist Mission of to-day, housed in the well-
equipped ' Vickery Mission Settlement,' with its network
of evangelistic and philanthropic agencies, all throbbing
with life and purpose, marks the measure of success with
which the Divine Master has been pleased to bless an
agency which at the beginning of its history accepted as
its guiding motto ' A Living Christ for a dying world.'
The author of this book needs no word of formal intro-
duction or commendation. He is one of the best-known
figures in the public religious life of the Commonwealth of
Australia, and in the Southern World generally. And he
is not only one of the best known, he is also one of the most
trusted and honoured. His praise is in all the churches, and
his name is one to conjure with in all areas of Australian life.
His visits to the Homeland and America have also familiar-
ized large congregations there with his name and work.
By his friends in all parts of the world the publication of
his ' Life-story ' will be welcomed as portraying one of the
INTRODUCTORY NOTES 15
most striking and successful ministerial careers of modern
times.
It was William G. Taylor's privilege to exercise his
ministry during an interesting and important era in
Australian history. He has witnessed marvellous material
growth ; he has seen wonderful political changes ; he was
more than an onlooker in the establishment of the Com-
monwealth of Australia and the resultant birth of Austra-
lian nationhood. During these stirring and eventful times
he has been at close grips with the inner life of the largest
and most influential city of the Southern World, and has
combated the forces of materialism and sin which are
the bane of city life to-day. But amid all he has been
unwaveringly loyal to the supreme allegiance. He has
believed in the applicability of the gospel message to
modern times and conditions. He has never doubted
the power of the evangel of Jesus Christ ; and right in
the heart of a city throbbing with life, steeped in
materialism, and, alas, saddened by much sin, he has
adhered to the old Apostolic message, ' Christ the power
of God and the wisdom of God.'
Who can wonder that such preaching and such work
have been as salt in its antiseptic and healing influence ?
By such means William G. Taylor and workers of like
spirit and aim have rendered a service of incalculable
value to these Australian States, already great and
prosperous, and destined yet to play a part of vast
importance in the great drama of modern civilization.
PART I
\
A STUDY IN ORIGINS
The charms of Cleveland Great men born there Ancestors and
John Wesley My mother Village Methodism Early
Christian influences A preacher a hundred and five years
old.
I WAS born on January 18, 1845, in the quaint little
village of Knayton, four miles from Thirsk, Backed
by the Hamilton hills, surrounded by tree-clad knolls,
verdant valleys, and running trout streams, it is as bonnie
a little spot as can be found in the North Riding of
Yorkshire.
Two years ago I revisited the old home, and found it
almost untouched by the ringer of time the same quiet,
out-of-the-world spot it was seventy years ago. I preached
to the few old folk who gathered for worship, one of whom
remembered my father living in ' the big house ' at the
time of my birth. The house still stands, though
the grounds have been shorn of their glory five noble
poplars that were wont to give dignity to the dear old
homestead.
Knayton is one of the many outposts of the Thirsk
Circuit, famous in the past for its wonderful contributions
to Foreign Missions, and for the character of the men it
sent into the ministry. It is situated at the southern limit
of one of the finest rural districts to be found in Yorkshire.
Who has not heard of the rich vales of Cleveland, surrounded
on the south by the well-known range of the Cleveland hills,
on the east by the North Sea, and on the north and west
by branches of the River Tees ? Eh, but it is a lovely
spot to have lived in ! I count it no small honour to have
spent my boyish days amongst its sturdy, honest farmers,
19
20 AN AUSTRALIAN EVANGELIST
within sight of Roseberry Topping and of the famous Cap-
tain Cook Monument ; to have been educated in one of its
Grammar Schools, and saturated with the blessed revival
influences that, in those days at least, were the joy and the
boast of our Methodist folk.
I know of no rural district in England that has sent into
the ministry of our Church a larger number of worthy mes-
sengers of the Cross (see Appendix). The world is a
better place to-day to live in, and the Methodist Church
is a long way the richer, for that galaxy of worthy in some
cases distinguished men who here found the Pearl of great
price, here received their divine commission, and hence have
gone forth to every part of the world as ambassadors of the
Cross.
If ever a man had cause to be grateful for his forbears
and for the friends of his youth, that man is he who holds
this pen.
I come of healthy Yorkshire stock. As far back as can
be traced, on both sides of the family-tree, ours has been
pure North Riding blood. On my mother's side I come of
long generations of stalwart yeomen of the soil. One
branch of the family has been in possession of that pictur-
esque old building the loved resort of the North Country
archaeologists Leak Hall, near to Knayton, as far back as
the days of Charles I. It was here I spent my boyhood
holidays, helping in the fields, feasting in that ancient
kitchen, and wandering through those awe-inspiring
wainscoted bedrooms.
My mother's father, Thomas Morton, was of Kilvington
stock. Their farm was situated within a mile of Knayton.
They were good Methodists, with only two children, a son
and a daughter. My mother was educated at a boarding-
school in Knaresborough. She was early brought under
deep religious influences, and as naturally as the flower
expands before the morning sun her heart opened to the
transforming power of the grace of God. My grandmother
must have been a saint. One of her letters, written in the
early thirties, and addressed to my mother, lies before me.
It is the letter of one who li ved in the presence of the Lord,
the production of a cultured mind, yearning for the highest
good of her only daughter. It was from such stock my
sainted mother came. During one of my visits to England
A STUDY IN ORIGINS 21
curiosity led me to the old Kilvington homestead, now in
the possession of strangers. On mentioning my mother's
name, the good farmer's wife said, ' Morton ! Why, you'll
find that name engraved on a window upstairs.' And,
sure enough, on a tiny window-pane in a cosy little room,
I found inscribed by a diamond ring the loved name ' Mary
Ann Morton, 1828,' written in my dear mother's beautiful
handwriting when only fifteen years of age. Here I stood
as on holy ground. In this house my mother spent her
girlish days. In all probability in this room she first trusted
her Saviour. It was easy to imagine mother and child
closeted in this spot in blessed and holy fellowship. In
that room were generated forces whose uplifting influences
follow me and her other children to this day.
I am thinking at this moment of the sayings of epoch-
making men, telling of the influence their mothers have
exerted over their lives. I can endorse them all. ' A kiss
from my mother,' said West, ' made me a painter.' Sir
T. Powell Buxton, one of the champions of the West Indian
slaves in the British House of Commons, once wrote to his
mother : ' I constantly feel, especially in action and exer-
tion for others, the effects of principles early implanted
by you in my mind.' How noble the words of Lord Lang-
dale, one of England's most brilliant Chief Justices : ' If
the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother
in the other, the world would kick the beam ! ' And better
still is the boast of Abe Lincoln : ' All that I am,
or hope to be, I owe it to my angel mother, blessings on her
memory.' And certain it is that, but for the remarkable
influences generated in that homely Kilvington home, I
should have had a different tale to tell this day. It was
my mother's example that, in my earliest days, threw a
spell over me ; her prayers follow me still. Her reproofs
made me tremble ; her patience and her self-abnegation won
my heart.
I shall never forget one pathetic incident that marked
an epoch in my strange young life. At a Sunday-evening
service in the old Stokesley chapel, when I was about
eleven, I was deeply impressed by a sermon preached by
an old friend of our family. His homely appeal reached
my young heart. I tarried to the prayer-meeting, and
in my corner earnestly sought the Lord. After the service
22 AN AUSTRALIAN EVANGELIST
closed I still retained my seat in real distress of soul.
Passing towards the door with hat in hand, the preacher
noticed my troubled look, and, putting his hand upon
my head, said, ' William, my boy, what is the matter
with you ? ' Amid my sobs I managed to let him know
that I was in trouble about my soul. Instead of going
with me in prayer to God as he should have done,
the good man patted me on the shoulder and said, ' Go
home, William, my lad. Be a good little boy, and it will
be all right.' Well do I remember how my young heart
rose in revolt. This was not the answer I needed, and,
hastily leaving the chapel, I ran through the streets,
sobbing as I ran. Reaching home, I burst open the
door and rushed into the arms of my mother, and cried
out, ' Oh, mother, I want to be a Christian ! ' There
were visitors present, but what cared I for that ? With
her arms pressing me to her heart she told me of a Saviour's
love, and comforted my tumult-tossed spirit.
It was ever thus ; there seemed to be, somehow, a
peculiar bond of sympathy between her spirit and mine.
We knew each other. I still possess scores of her letters
written to me in my youth. They are still my benediction.
What love she lavished upon her children ! How wise
were always her counsels ! How, in the many deep sorrows
through which she was called to pass, she poured out her
heart in giving to and in creating sympathy in others !
On my father's side I am a Methodist of at least the
fourth generation, probably of the fifth. My father's
birthplace was Skelton-in-Cleveland, then (before the
discovery of ironstone) a lovely straggling village, two
miles from the coast, at what is now the fashionable
watering-place of Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Skelton was
several times visited by John Wesley. Although we have
no record of his having preached in the village, yet on
nine occasions he preached with remarkable results follow-
ing in the adjoining market-town of Guisborough. On
Sunday, July 8, 1759, Mr. Wesley writes of his first visit :
' From Stokesley ' (where he had preached on the green
in the morning) ' I rode to Guisborough, at the foot of the
mountains. The sun would have been insupportable
but that we had a strong wind full in our face for the
greatest part of the day. At twelve we had a lovely
A STUDY IN ORIGINS 23
congregation in a meadow near the town, who drank in
every word that was spoken as the thirsty earth the
showers.' That same night he preached at Robin Hood's
Bay, sixteen miles farther on, passing through Skelton
en route. It was probably at this service that some of
my forefathers (the Taylors and the Shemelds) first heard
the great evangelist. At any rate, about that time several
of them were converted. My great-grandfather,
Thomas Shemelds, was born at Skelton in the year 1763,