The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-12-28
BILLY SUNDAY CLASS
TOO BIG FOR CHURCH
Philadelphia Men Show InCreaS-
ed Zeal With RevivaIiSt Only
Week Away.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2S-Thc slim
ulatins power of a religious revival,
which one week hence viii be packing a
plain-boarded auditorium with upward
Of 5000 persons At three services to
hear a former baseball player preach,
was manifested yesterday in churches
IN every section of the city.
Billy Sunday stirs UP cities and COM
'1unitie2, partly because ne makes re-
liEion 2 popular topic of conversation.
In Philadelphia he's got thousands talk
ing about religion, and his coming is a
week away
More men probably attended Church
services and SUNDAY schools in Phila-
delphia yesterday Ihan in any single
DAY in the citys history
One church crowded its auditorium.
sisles, vestibIles. and dOorsteps with
men until the Bible class to which they
belonged had 20 adjourn and meet in d
nearby theater. A West Philadelphia
Bible class held its session in a vaude-
Nille house.
Enrollments Show Increase.
Glasses which month ago worried
along with attendances of a dozen or
fifteen men met yesterday with enroll
ments into the hundreds. Besides the
Bible classes, services, morning and
evening, i'm many churches were at
tended by the largest audiences in
years.
pulpits of about forty churches in West
Philadelphia. north of Market street.
that their buildings will be closed for
one service next Sunday on account of
the revival
The city has been divided into ten
sroups, and the churches numbered.
Churches in each group will be asked
10 close on one Sunday, and in another
group the next Sunday. Even-number-
ed churches will close in the morning
and those with odd numbers at night.
Over 800 churches are cooperating in
the revival.
While these and similar announce
ments brought home to pastors and
congregations the fact that the cam
pstgn is only week away, the actual
crowding Of Sunday schools and Bible
classes with men proved that the city
Is atire with an evangelistic zeal
SALOONS Are Doomed
Close upon the heels of a news dis
patch from Des Moines, where Billy
Sunday has just completed a campaign.
to the effect that the city probably will
go dry by the action of council on jan
uary !, came thus assertion from the
Rev. DIR. Russell II. Conwell, presi-
dent Of Temple University. YESTERDAY:
The saloons are doomed in this city
When Billy sunday comes.
The noted preacher and lecturer fol-
lowed up his statement by references to
cities which he has visited after Billy
Sunday had been there and in which he
conducted campa gns.
Il have noticed the whole morale of a
community raised and kept there by the
influence of one of this evengalist's Wis
its" he said. Saloon keepers go out of
business voluntarily. They have a con-
viction Of heart: they realize that their
business is wrong. and they quit IT,
In Columbus, Ohio. Scranton and
Pittsburgh, where / have lectured rc-
centy-an cit 'es where this evangelist
has preached have witnessed this
permanent influence for good. Billy Sun
day awakens consciences and when
a mans conscience is awake, he's at the
point where he is going to do some
thing
DR. ConwelI has been quoted as
criticising Billy sundays slang. He ex-
pla' yesterday his attitude on this
point
Il confess I don't like his slang he
said. but he's doing great things with
II. He NAV know better how to use it
than l do: I've never heard him. But
when a man accomplishes what he is
after he's beyond criticism. no matter
what he says"