Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-13
T. D. FOSTER is
HEARD BY MANY
oTTUMWA PACKER TELLS MAR
sHALLToWN PEOPLE OF THE
WORK OF BILLY SUNDAY
DESCRIBES EVANGELIST
"The Building of the Tabernacle" is
Subject; Pays Gill Tribute
Fair Statement the
Verdict.

Where oratorical bullets of condem-
nation directed towards Evangelist
Billy Sunday are the thickest was the
battle ground of two rousing speeches
by T. D. Foster in Marshalltown this
week. Drawing the fight against the
evangelist instituted by the city coun-
Gil relative to the location of the Sun
day tabernacle and the efforts OF some
| Marshalltown people to charge the
eccentric speaker, whose campaign IN
| this city is not yet entirely forgotten,
a ''license no different from that OF
any other circus performer" Mr.. Eos
ter, fearlessly recited his opinion OF
the revivalist, the conclusion of which
brought forth from Rev James MCGEE
the statement that his words were the
| fairest statement of Mr.. Sunday Mar
shalltown had yet received.
"Mr. Foster took for his subject,
The Building OF the Tabernacle, .
says the Times Republican. HE said
that the great difficulty in Ottumwa
was the securing of site, that 1t
| seemed as if Satan had put into the
minds of the people every objection he
could rake up. The matter was made
more difficult by the fact that Mr..
/ Sunday is very particular about the
position of his tabernacles, and if they
are not located.a he wishes, the COM
mittees stand good chance of having
the great evangelist cancel his engage
ment. In connection with securing. a
building site, Mr. Foster stated that
he had not been in favor Of appealing
to the city council.
"The speaker paid high tribute to
Mr.. Gill, Sundays building superin-
tendent, as a man and worker. 10
the first call for workers sent out by
Mr. Gill at Ottumwa, fifty responded
and came armed with saws and ham
mers. OF the fifty six were carpen-
ters, and the rest were business and
professional men, Mr.. Foster re-
marked that he himself was one OF
the workers, and that every time he
struck he hit nail, though not always
a steel one But he comforted himself
with the fact that he had left some
Of his blood upon the building. While
! the work of construction was being
| carried on the ladies of the various
| churches served noon lunches for the
workers.
Touches on Liquor Phase.
"The marked feature of the address
was he holding up to public gaze the
work of the liquor interests in Ottum-
wa. Mr.. Foster admitted that he him
self had been lukewarm on the sub
ject when the meetings opened, but
after he saw the effects on the liquor
dealers, when he became aware that
they were trying to compel all
| road to discharge one OF its most
| trusted employees because of his con-
nection with the campaign, then Mr..
Foster said he put his own heart and
soul into the work. He then touched
upon the attitude Of the Ottumwa
school board toward Mr.. Sunday. He
said that at least three men on the
board either sold, manufactured or
drank whiskey, while the secretary Of
| the board was an avowed advocate OF
| the liquor interests. The young people
were indignant over the action of the
board, and as result cheered Mr.
| Sunday and Kissed when the name Of
the school board was mentioned. The
board has retaliated by declaring that
those young people shall not graduate
until they apologize to the board for
| lu6lI dCllOllS. NIL Il OolSl LllSll lhdlc q
ringing appeal to the men present,
asking them if they wanted their chill
dren under the lash of the liquor in
terests. A chorus Of Nos resulted.
"Mr. Foster gave what many in his
audience believed to be the fairest and
most impartial description of Billy
Sunday heretofore presented to the
public. Mr.. Foster declared Sunday
to be Of a very nervous temperament,
and extremely sensitive to criticism. 1t
was hard to hold him within bounds
at times, the speaker said, yet Mr..
Foster declared Sunday to be fair to
all interests at all times. Mr.. Foster
considers Sunday strong preacher,
and man thoroughly sincere and con-
sistent The Ottumwa meetings re-
suited in arousing the churches to
greater work and instilled in them
a new life"