The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1914-11-25
SPECTACULAR CAREER OF
BILLY SUNDAY, EVANGELIST
Continued from page 81

1911, ana ended F'ebru2ry IL, 1919.
W. A. Ernst. Of the Canton Depos.
itory, says the accepted number OF
conversions was 1854. This excluded
large number Of youngsters, perhaps
several thousands. The free will Of
fering amounted to $4,000.
Three campaigns interviewed before
Mr.. Sunday again returned to Ohio for
active work. Wheeling, West Virginia.
had a series of meetings which started
February Is and closed March 81, 1912.
Charles e. Miner quoting from the
press of his city says "S,437 is the &C
cepted number of conversions, the free
will offering was $4,000" This was a
new record in offerings at that time.
Rev. w. s. Dysinger, pastor of the
First English Lutheran church OF
Wheeling. in a public meeting two
years after the campaign said every
church in the city had derived wonder
full results from the campaign; that
practically all of the new members
who we're converted during the re-
vival are still in the church and that
Wheeling people were benefited NOR
ally, physically and financially. Rev.
Mr. Dysinger cited three instances OF
good Mr.. Sunday had accomplished
that had recently come to his atten-
ton.
'The first" he said, twas the case of a
huckster he had met on the street. You
see that good horse and wagon and that
wagon load of producer the fellow said
to the minister. Well, that's what Billy
Sunday did for me-
1.-The second was the case of wife de-
serter who had been converted and had
returned to his family to protect and pro-.
vide for them. Another was that of a la
borer who had, previous to the campaign.
been satisfied with living in a little shack
entirely too small for the needs Of his
family. He hit the sawdust trail during
the Sunday meetings and Immediately
doubled the size Of the dwelling. Billy
Sunday and his preaching made me do 1t,
the fellow told Rev. Mr.. Dysinger, when
the minister asked him what had brought
about the change
THE minister said his own church had
received 238 new members as result OF
the campaign, and less than a dozen had
dropped out since. He laughingly ex-
planned to the audience he wished to lay
pastor of Lutheran church.
IF the people don't STICK the minis
ter said in conclusion, don't blame Billy
Sunday. 1t isn't his fault. Rather you
should lay it at the door of the ministers
and the people,"
Making another of his long jumps
Mr.. Sunday next directed his energies
to the spiritual regeneration of Fargo,
North Dakota, a community, which
according to all published reports,
stood in need of such attention. Ralph
r. Wolf, secretary of the Y. M. c. A..
defines the campaign as starting
March and concluding May IL, 1912.
with conversions numbering 3.159, and
free will offering of $5,026.
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, was the
last place that meetings were held
prior to the summer vacation Of 1912.
The Beaver Falls meetings according
to Rev. Geo. B. Laird, opened May Is.
and closed June, "a, 1912. The CONVEX
sions were over 1929 and the free will
offering was $10,35756 Rev. L. X.
Peacock, Homer A. Rodeheaver, B. D.
Ackley, Mr.. and Mrs. Gill, Fred Sci
bert, Miss Grace SAKE, Miss Anna Mac
Laren, Miss Frances Miller and Mrs.
Sunday added their energies to this
campaign.
F. S. Reader, editor of the Beaver
Valley News, which was within the
zone of the Sunday influence, writes
"He was a great blessing to our val
ley"
McKeesport, Pennsylvania, practic-
ally a suburb of Pittsburg, was the
scene of the second campaign of the
fall of 1912. The work started there
November 3 and continued for six
weeks, during which time 10,022 con-
verts were made and free will offer
Ing Of $13.43S was secured. The as
sistants were the same as those who
co-operated at East Liverpool.
From McKeesport with only a few
intervening days of rest spent at his
home In Winona Lake, Mr.. Sunday and
his party came to Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus, because of the peculiar
cosmopolitan nature Of its inhabitants
and the extraordinary importance at
tached to politics In that city at all
times Of the year. and the further fact
that. the legislature was in session.
and that the Inauguration of the gov
ernor would take place during the
period of the Sunday campaign. led to
repeated predictions. both publicly and
privately expressed, that the usual re-
suits attending Mr.. Sundays efforts
would not be forthcoming as they had
been in the past. Seven weeks were
destined to disapprove every one Of
these assertions and to establish new
high marks In all the lines of his eff
forts. most of which have not at this
writing (November 10. 1881 been
equaled.
Joe Speice. the architect. who had
taken the place of Colonel Gill as adj
vance man. builded for Columbus the
largest tabernacle ever erected for Mr..
Sunday, and the glory of the work
which he carries on. Including the
choir loft which seated over LOO peo-
pie the auditorium had a capacity of
$4,000 seats, and this with few excep-