The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1913-12-04


Early in the morning OF the next day
very much humbled group of preach
ers called at the hotel to inform MIR.
Sunday that 800 Christians had prom
ised to pray for the success of the
meetings-and the meetings WE'RE a
success.
.ngels Ring No Doorbeils.
Weeks before the actual opening OF
the campaign, while the tabernacle is N
process OF construction, visitors from
other Sunday towns begin to drop into
the prayer meetings and Sunday sery-
ices of the local churches. Sometimes
they are drummers-for almost every
drummer in the Middle West travels
for Billy-they have heard him, and
spread about the hotels before his
coming startling stories OF his success
elsewhere. Sometimes they are prom
inent business men. sometimes city
and county officials, editors OF news
papers, judges, who come to congratu
late the town on the prospect OF the
meetings and to tell of the wonders
that have been done in their own home
towns. 1t is advance work of a tre-
mendously effective character, but it 3
unsalaried; they pay their own ex-
penses: they come because Billy has
made them new men, because he has
stirred the moral life of their own
communities as no other force ever
had stirred it before. and because they
coyet the same success for him in the
new field to which he is TO go. Friends
and converts OF Billy's from the four
corners Of the earth write letters to
the local newspapers. subscribing for
the issues that are to contain reports
OF his sermons and bespeaking gener-
GUS space for the meetings. II Is \
wonderful campaign this which is car
ried on quietly before the actual cam
paign begins-and 1t hlls the taber-
nacle To its capacity on the very open
ing night AFTER the opening night
Billy himself attends to the filling.
And the Billy Sunday sermon is diff
ferent- Take equal portions Of Newell
Dwight Hills and George NJ Cohan.
add a liberal portion OF the greatest
living acrobat. whoever he may be.
and the greatest modern Biblical
scholar tfor Billy is a student and n
conscientious one; there are things
In his sermons that bespeak wide
reading and hard thought; throw in n
dash OF the oid-time auctioneer. and
saturate the whole with the spirit and
eloquence Of ST. Paul-there you have
something that will resemble Billy
Sunday at his best. He is tall. with
the broad shoulders and slender waist
OF the athlete. agile. perfectly trained;
his voice is hoarse. but 1t carries al
ways to the very farthest corners of
his great auditorium; and there Is no
art or artifice Of the orator that he has
not mastered. One who dropped in
through the roof in the midst OF one
of his sermons, finding him standing
in the pulpit. or about to swing a chair
crashing upon the floor OF the plat
form, might have n moments doubt rs
to what sort OF an exhibition was in
progress. But all doubt would be re-
moved were he to remain through to
the end. For there is sound Gospel in
every sermon OF Billy's-and truth.
clothed in the language OF the way
faring man. 10 be sure. but driven
home with the unmatched energy Of
a soul fully consecratee to its task.
Il am going to fight the things that
destroy manhood and womanhood and
homes and decent business until hell
freezes over" he announced In open
ing his meetings in Decatur. and
then I'll buy a pair OF skates and fgh,
on the ice. | ask no quarter. and
give none" II was not nice. not
chaste. not beautiful. but ii hit homo
to the hearts OF thousands who has