CAIRO BRADLEY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXII, Issue 9947, 26 February 1925, Page 3

CAIRO BRADLEY

“SYDNEY OPEN AIR CAMPAIGNERS.”

ADDRESS AT PALACE THEATRE

There was a large and appreciative audience at the ‘ Palace Tneatre on Tuesday evening to hear an address by “Cairo” Bradley cn “The Activities of the Sydney Open Air Campaigners. ” Throughout the evening lantern s ides, depxtmg the society’s work were shown. 3lie Mayer, Mr G. Wildish, introduced the speaker. Mr Bradley said Sydney had some of the roughest characters in the world, but even those men had hearts that could he turned to asp rations ror a better life. The work that he is engaged in at present cast £3OOO a year to run, hut they never asked tor <a collection at a meeting, and they always managed to get money enough to keep go mg. At one park ni Sydney whe?J 40,000 people are known to assemble the Open Air Campaigners are allowed to bung cheir caravans on to the ground. Thus the Gospel message is brought to thousands who never think ol Go J rr om one year’s end to niioclier. Many of tlieir converts in their turn were joining them in the fight against sin. At the present time a wave of immorality. was sweep ng over Sydney such as was never seen before. Ihe white slave traffic was rue. The speaker denounced the modernistic doctrines of the higher critics. His thirty years’ experience of preaching had shown him the va’ue of the -B'ble. Preachers of that dccfuue were converts to the mission; the Rev. Gould, a former modern critic, was one of the Campaigners’ best workers amongst the nrners. At a service held in the Town Hall in Sydney every Wednesday afternoon thev laid a cosmopolitan audience ; here some of the dregs of the earth assemble; outcasts from all nations; these people have a chr.nce to hear the Gospel that would never othevw’sa he afforded them, and.many tuiic-iidig incidents were narrated by the speaker. Another sphere of the work was the children’s Sundnv schools. Ooen air schools were hold ati some cf the most popu’ar l athing resorts in Sydney. Those children were influences for good amongst tinadults. Families were now being drawn to the churches thrcimli these children. Mr Bradley described how he had spoken to hundreds of prisoners m the Gonlburn gaol ; men from id! classes of life and many of them turned out good citizens on their release.

In conclusion, Air Bradley warned in's audience that the second coming of Christ was near r.t hand, and he appealed to them to turn from the pleasures o'f this world before it was too late.