Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-17

about the prayer that proves its value-I
had almost said its immortality--it is that
no matter how vicious or how wicked a
man or woman may become. the text OF
that prayer Is never forgotten after 1t
has once been committed to memory
Later In his life. as most young boys do.
he was of much aid To his mother In run
ming errands. But. he says after time
he became wayward and uuru!y and OPP
posed his mother, who would plead with
him TO attend school more regularly and
also 10 go to Sunday school each Sabbath
morning. Mr.. Walls says:
Il wish to say that the most fatal mis-
take that can possibly be made by boys
girls is to neglect whatever school priv
ileges may be offered them. to my
knowledge nine-tenths of the beginnings of
crime come because Of the shiftless, aim
less and degrading hours brought about
through failure to go to school,
AS boy young Wills went to New York
city. where he took up selling newspapers
upon the streets, and there, with the new
sizes" he says. he learned many of the
tricks of the street He was afterward "A
bootblack. and here his devlltry' com
menced. Upon one particular occasion he
says gentleman was walking down tne
street near the shoe-blacking stand where
young Wills was employed, and as soon
he noticed the immaculate attire of the
approaching man a desire to ruin the color
of the garment manifested itself at once.
In moment he seized a bottle of shoe
polish, and as the passerby approached
Wills threw the contents of the bottle over
his coat and ran away at top speed in
order to escape his wrath, glorying in the
Inconvenience he had caused him. AS
boy about twelve he obtained a position
in a theater In New York chore boy.
1t was here, he states. that he received
much good advice from the eminent ira
gedian of his day. John B. Scott. Later
Charlotte CuShman and other noted ac-
tresses gave him much sound advice, but
to this the boy approaching young man
hood paid but little attention, as his after
life MAINLY shows.
When he stepped later into a life that
lead to the Jail and other places of con-
finement Mr.. Wills says the reason was
that the devil was my master, and he was
determined that / should n0 see and know
that these kind souls were my friends. The
devil was my master [ had to obey him:
he lived in me- he was stronger than L
and made me do his will.
Then began, according to Mr.: Wills. his
record a sneak thief convict, soldier,
a bounty jumper, faker and ward heeier
and a plugugly, and lastly his CONVEX
sion to the gospel of Jesus Christ and his
subsequent life for the gathering of souls
into the vineyard of his Master. When he
reformed after accepting the teachings OF
God, Mr.. Wills says:
For nine years / had been known in
Detroit as a tough as wicked as the worst
of them, ready to fight at the drop or a
hat; absolutely shameless in my devotion
to vice: drunk most of the time. and dis
graceful the rest of the time In brief i
was a faithful servant of the devil, doing
quickly and to the best OF my ability what
ever he told me to do. Consequently. you
may be sure no cannon-ba train or fast
mail service was required to quickly spread
the news of my conversion all over every
part of the beautifulscity OF the stfaits?",
"Then began to catch it. Then | learned
the force of Have you counted the cost
There was hardly a block on any street
of the city that l did not hear, come.
Wills, have drink. and l thanked God
not one of those invitations from that time
to this has received from me any other
than a negative answer When l would
say to my old cronies that l would not
drink that l was through with beer and all
liquors, then they began to call me "a
crank a crazy bigot and a Salvation Army
lunatic. Crank. crank. was the most ire
auent cry, and l could only say: Well
crank is something that turns a thing
round and upside down. and | thank God
he has seen fit to make of me crank to
do my share of upsetting the devil and all
that Is his.