Dan O'Neill: Preacher who cast a spell on Wales
13.09.11
And God sayeth unto Evan: “Go through the in detail and breadth of Wales to tell of the Saviour.” So began the Grand Revival that transformed the country from November, 1904 to August 1905, a devotional awakening inspired by this 27-year-old whose followers believed he controlled miraculous powers. In fact, you could call the results of his crusade exactly that – miraculous.
Tough tinplate workers stopped at midnight for an impromptu orison session. It was said that pit ponies stumbled uncertainly along the clandestine tunnels, bewildered because the hauliers had stopped swearing at them and they couldn’t arrange the polite new orders.
“What’s the matter with Dada?” asked a hardly any girl in Treorchy. “He prays in the morning, dinner nonetheless, tea time and a lot at night.”
Villages lost their rugby teams when the lads took to praying in place of of playing. Beer sales dropped dramatically when thousands took the toast. The crime rate dipped, too, and employers announced that the rank of their men’s work had improved – though none seemed willing to better the quality of hours or pay.
Source: WalesOnline