Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-15
VAST CROWDS
HEAR SUNDAY
THOUSANDS ARE UNABLE TO
OBTAIN ADMISSION
EVANGELIST WEARS HIMSELF
OUT TALKING
Flags IrreIigion and Vice with APP
parentIy InexhaustibIe Energy,
but Finally Is Compelled
to Stop

Evangelist Billy Sunday preach as
only BILLY" Sunday can. They listened
with deep interest to the fercible SER
mon, told in plain but expressive
language.
Crowds began to arrive early, and
long before it was time for the noted
evangelist to appear every seat was
filled and standing room was at pre-
MUM. Several thousand persons were
turned away, and hundreds who were
lucky enough to obtain entrance were
compelled to leave when the aisles were
cleared by officers from the University
station.
Sunday was greatly troubled by the
noise caused by those who were stand
ing and changing their positions fire.
quently, and it was with the utmost
difficulty that he spoke loud enough to
make himself heard.
After contending with the interrupt
tionS for more than an hour he began
to grow hoarSe, and finally ended his
talk by saying it was impossible for
him to continue, as the strain on his
throat was too severe.
The evangelist asked all to bow their
heads in prayer, but before he had
spoken a dozen words many began to
leave. They made so much noise that
the prayer was stopped, Sunday raped
for order and when at last he could be
heard severely condemned those who
had proved so inconsiderate of others.
Insurance on His Soul
81 am a Christian and have lived
according to the teachings of the
Bible said Sunday. Il have insur-
ance on my soul. Suppose death ends
it all. That is all right. l have not
lost anything by living a good clean
life. Persons say, We'll, L may die, but
there might not be a hell Now, if
death does not end it all and there is
a hereafter 1 am prepared because 1
have lived a Christian life.
"a merchant insures his store against
fire. The store may never burn down.
but if it does burn down he is prepared
Ships are compelled by law to carry
certain number of life preservers; the
vessel may never be wrecked, but if it
is wrecked the passengers and crew are
prepared for it.
81 was in Chicago some time ago and
met a fellow on the street l went UP
to him and said: Look here, my friend
are you a Christian% He replied that
he was, but said he never went to
church or read the Bible. talked with
him a short time and then noticed he
was wearing. a Masonic emblem.
asked him if he was a Mason. He said
he was and then l said to him: Sup
pose you asked me if 1 was a Mason
and | told you [ was, but had never
been inside lodge or paid my dues,
and knew nothing of the secret work,
but was Mason simply because 1 be-
lieved in Masonry. You would say that
l was a liar He replied he would
Then 1 said, you say you are a Chris
tian because you believe in Christianity
and yet you never attend church or
roc 1o 1;o-
as l would be should 1 tell you 1 am
Mason simply because believed in it,"
Sunday told numerous stories and
from time to time evoked great ap-
plauSe by his earnest endeaVOrS to show
his audience the simple path to travel
in order to become a Christian.
He spoke with difficulty at times,
but his enthusiasm never left him and
he went into the most minute details
when telling a story to illustrate a
point.
Every Meeting Crowded
The auditorium was crowded to suf-
location at the morning and afternoon
services, and Sunday was obviously
much inconvenienced by the noise He
declared he would not speak unless
there was absolute quiet, and when
one woman, enthused by his remarks,
shouted several times Mr.. Sunday
asked her to "cut it out"
The service yesterday morning was
for both men and women, and Sunday
took for his text John, 3-9. He said,
in part:
Many church members are so doubt
full about their religion. They hope
that they are Christians! How would
it sound for a married person to say
1 hope that am married?' Why not
be able to say squarely that you are
Christians?
''You have no right to call yourself
a child of God when you have booze
on your sideboard and drink it with
your friends. 1t is surprising how
many women of wealth are booze
drinkers. They are mere shells of hot
air. If plague should wipe them out,
not much would be lost.
L do not propose to cry peace when
there is no peace. Tear down the false
prophets.
Il have no kick against education,
but 1T should not take the place of
rock-bound, good common sense, which
is often apt to be the case.
With Fistic Vehemence
ST allow no man to sIander my
Christ any more than my earthly
friends. L would smite him with the
same fistic vehemence. | had rather
lose my soul in hell than lower the
standard of the religion of Jesus
CHRIST. L must preach the gospel as
understand it.
when man is thoroughly of God
he will not need to carry his religion
in his vest pocket. It should show
itself all over him.
Woe: to the man when no one
speaks word against him! He is a
weak specimen of humanity. If a man
is a fighter in good cause he will
come up against his enemies.
Il may not suit many of you in my
talk, but I shall preach the gospel to
you as I understand it and in nv own
way, if I have to move my family back
tc Chicago on a wheelbarrow. This
gospel is as old as the hills, and not
my get-up, and many a better man
than has preached it ahead of me.
Never mind if you don't know the
how of everything before YOU, pitch
into it and do some good. You know
the wind blows, but you don't know
how it does. Any fool knows how to
dig a hole in the ground and plant an
orange tree, but he cannot make it
grow.
Dollars Hard to Get
when a circus comes to town and
takes many thousands of dollars away
with it you think nothing of it; but
when a few thousand dollars are called
for for religious work it mounts up
high in the minds of the people.
There is more damnable heresy in
Los Angeles than in any other city
know Of"
The afternoon service was for men
only, and for the second time the
building was filled with an interested
congregation, it being estimated that
5000 men were in attendance.
Sunday early evinced his intention