The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-06-16
The REVIVAL AND BILLY SUNDAY
Marshalltown Times-Republican.

Billy Sunday has come to Marshall
town and gone. 1t is the proper tim
for a estimate of the mans work.
Mr.. Sunday came to his old hom,
under suspicion of many minds. Mucl
had been said. written and read agains
him and his methods. 1t was at frs
freely predicted that Marshalltowl
would not build tabernacle. Mel
who are not accustomed to see larg,
enterprises prosper or succeed without
their aid and approval waited to re-
fuse assistance. The street sentimen,
was that the church crowd couldn't d.
It alone. Delay added to this senti-
ment. Then the church crowd simply
got together, ignored all assistance
and bought the lumber. The archi-
tect came. The corner at Third and
Main swarmed with busy men. Soft
handed Office men. merchants. clerks
and professional people handled rough
lumber with hands unaccustomed to
toll. The ring of hammers drowned
the knockers chorus. The tabernacle
rose - by an incarnation. It heaved
its bulk into being in less than q
week. It blazed with lights and the
tabernacle was ready for Sunday.
Sunday came. The big tabernacle
was crowded but the prediction was
made freely that Sunday nor any
Other man. could raise the money
pledged by the churches to lumber
men. electricians and others. Men
opposed to Sunday. others not in con-
science opposed but who foresaw loss
Of gain and deprivation of just and
inimical privilege; others who honest
II and in sincerity differed from the
evangelist and the evangel he bore,
were certain that the revivalist would
fail to raise the money to settle the
current expenses Of the meetings.
The result astonished. friend and cri-
tic. One morning meeting brought
the money. The best men in the city,
the lodges. the church organizations
shouted their contributions. The aft
eEnoon saw men who had stood aloof
and waited hurry to 'sget in"
Money! Why, the community trod the
scandal, the dirt and the utilization
Of the evangelist under 10, 600 feet and
men outside the churches and who laid
no claim to the christian hope wrote
On checks good as gold their apprecia-
tion and faith in the movement that
had come to Marshalltown.
Night after night. Sabbath after
Sabbath the great tabernacle filled,
emptied and filled again with congre-
cations that sat rapt and listening.
It Was as the one of the splendid
prophets Of the elder time had been
reincarnated. From far and near
men and women came crowding. drawn
by the force of the movement, the
power Ut the preacher. The spirit
that moved them widened it's circle
about Marshalltown. There " ere
times when thousands turned away
from the doors Of the tabernacle I'm.
able to find standing room. On one
Sunday afternoon 6, 500 men the grand.
eat audience of men in personnel.
intelligence and general character tina,
any man ever faced, gathered to lister
to Sundays Jeremiad against tn,
saloon and the liquor traffic. They
heard the strongest protest agains
BOOZE ever uttered by any man an,
of what vast congregation eight mel
out Of ten Endorsed the sermon b.
publicly rising to pledge themselve
never to sign again petition Of ga
loon consent.
Day by day, night after night. me-
and women came forward and accept
ed the christian life. The meetin,
drew to ITS close, q successful revival
The last night came and with it
sight that few of that congregatio
will ever be permitted to view again
The atmosphere was tense with til
sense of elimination. When the in
( vitation was given people rose il
every part Of the building and starte
toward the platform. The aisle
filled. but the purposeful faces cam
{ crowding through the jam with hand
Outstretched toward the evangelis
and 9 new life. Here and there il
the vast audience little eddies Q
Z humanity marked where one an
smother rose. Still they came.
husband and wife gray with year
/. rose, looked at each other and fel
weeping into each others arms an
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