The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-03-14
The Famous Evangelist Does Lot Of Plain
Talking, and is Far From Being Ranter
Sunday Was Sorry He Was Not Present When
the Roman Soldiers Spat i'm the Face of Jesus
Christ---He Pulls Off His Coat and Declares
He is Ready to Die for His Master.

saying in "The Workingman." He
grasped a paper from the pile and
turned to the expected " squelcher."
He realized what had been done to
He realized what had been been to
him by somebody, and he sprang for
an iron bar that had been left near
the press. He intended to throw it
into the press with the hope Of
breaking the machinery; but he was
overpowered, and 1.-The Working
man " went forth to its subscribers
with it's astonishing message. That
was in the good old days when many
a newspaper carried over its editorial
column in every issue this sentiment:
Here shall the press
The peoples rights maintain,
Unawed by influence,
And unbribed by gain"
At Last We Reach
The Tabernacle.
In the middle of the next block be-
low South street and Landmessers,
on the left, or east side of the street.
is located the tabernacle where the
Billy Sunday services are being held.
From every direction people are COM
ing towards the structure. They
are coming in automobiles, on street
cars and afoot. The young, the old,
the middle aged-men, women and
children, are gathering. We are
early. 1t is not half past ten, but
we fear that we shall not be able
to get an advantageous seat, possibly
no entrance whatever; but our fears
are groundless, so far as entrance is
concerned.
We find the immense tabernacle
nearly filled, and people are stream
ing in at every entrance. We tell
the usher that we don't hear very
well, and he agrees to find us a
good seat. Then we tell him that we
represent The Citizen, of Honesdale,
and have come fifty miles to hear
Billy Sunday. 1t makes difference
whether you are a newspaper man or
not. Great is the power of the press!
He marches us right up to the speak
er's stand and finds us seats in the
place reserved for reporters. To our
right, not six feet away is where
BILLY" will soon be talking. Right
back of us is the mammoth choir that
in this mornings service is compos-
ed of mixed voices, represented by
hundreds of men and women and
children.
Somewhat Descriptive of
The Will1es-Barre Tabernacle.
The tabernacle itself is worthy of
special mention. In size we estimate
that it is about three hundred feet
square. 1t might be a trifle smaller
than that, but not much. If we
hadn't left our measuring pole -
up on the beech woods lot by the
bend in the Middle Greek, at Hoad-
leys, we might be more exact; but we
are not far off in our estimation.
Three hundred feet square would be
about twelve city lots. They just
took twelve city lots and rooted them
all in! They support the roof with
eight rows of wooden posts. The
roof seems low, but it is high enough
to keep the air plentiful and sweet.
They took cloth-red cloth and white
cloth-and covered every bit of wood
that was exposed to view, thus rob-
bing it of the harsh exterior that
otherwise would appear. Then they
strung electric lights up near the
roof, put in as many hemlock
benches as the place would accommo-
date, and that was all there is to it
no fuss, no feathers, no finery-
just a plain place for doing religious
business.
How 1t Seems to Look
Into Thousands of Eyes.
From the speakers stand one
gazes away and away, on either side
and to the front, into a sea of faces
sea that seems to oVerwhelm one
unused to such a spectacle, but sea
of intoxicating inspiration to the
one who has become accustomed to
face a battery of human eyes. AS /
looked out into the sea of eyes un-
consciously there began a search to
see if there was anybody that could
be distinguished with whom l was
acquainted. Perhaps you have tried
that trick when pressed by the
throngs of New York or some other
great city. Seldom, if ever, do you
meet a familiar face. / have won
dered if, in the time to come, should
/ be permitted to be present with that
throng which no man could num-
ber," would it be so hard to dis
tinguish the faces of those known
amid the scenes of earth-faces of
those we have known in Honesdale,
in Hawley, in Dunmore, in Scranton,
in Hoadleys.
AS our eyes slowly take in section
after section of the immense audi
ence we note several interesting
facts. First, the earnestness of the
faces. Everywhere you observe that
there is a marked absence of what is
known as the curious stare" 1t is
evident that everybody is in earnest,
there is no spirit of levity or light
ness to be seen. Second, everybody
is bare headed. Every woman has
removed the covering from her head.
CONTINUED on Page Three.)