Off for America – Dwight Lyman Moody

Previous to my coming across to this great country of ours, I was holding meetings in London. I took my ticket from there to Manchester to bid some friends good-by. When I got to the railway carriage I saw little groups of boys around two little fellows. Their coats were threadbare, with patches here and there carefully covering up the holes. Some good mother, it was evident, too poor to send them away in fine style, was trying to make them as neat as she could. The boys belonged to a Sunday-school in London, and the group around them were their school-mates, who had come down to bid them good-by. They shook hands, and then their Sunday-school teacher did the same, and wished them Godspeed. After that their minister came and took them by the hand, and breathed a prayer that they would be blessed. When they all had bade the boys good-by, a poor widow came up and put her arm around the companion of her son. Perhaps he had no mother, and she kissed him for his mother, and wished him good-by. Then she put her arms around the neck of the other boy, and he put his arms around her, and she began to weep. “Don’t cry, mother,” said the boy, “don’t cry; I’ll soon be in America, and I’ll save money, and soon send for you to come out to me; I’ll have you out with me. Don’t cry.” He stepped into the carriage, the steam was turned on, and the train was in motion when he put his head out of the window, and cried, “Farewell, dear mother”; and the mother’s prayer went out, “God bless my boy, God bless my boy.” Don’t you think that when they came to America, and sent the first letter to England, that mother would run quickly to the door when the postman came with that letter? How quick that mother would take that letter and break the seal! She wants to hear good news. There is not one here who has not a message of good news, of glad tidings; better news than was ever received by a mother in England from a son in America, or from a mother in England by a son in America. It is glad tidings from a loving Savior; glad tidings of great joy.