Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-09-16

winter Sabbath, and Reginald Nelson,
who had remained faithfully at the
press table night after night, sat on
the platform and watched the regi-
ments of men throng into the taber-
nacle. When the multiplied thousands
| filed the broad arena he said to him
self, This is an army"
After the opening singing and prayer
Billy Sunday began his address. At
the opening sentence he caught the at
| tention Of all.
81 am going to hit right out from the
shoulder today, men," he continued.
God knows L feel kindly toward you
and that / have no other aim than
desire to help you. Before you leave
the tabernacle hope shall have con-
WINGED you that / did not come here
today to pump you full Of hot air."
Here the speaker unloosened his col
lar and tie and laid them on nearby
chair and also removed his coat.
81 am trying to practice what !
preach" he exclaimed, "for i throw
too many rocks at other people to live
In a glass house. l am trying the best
/ know how to tote square"
There was burst of applause from
the audience, and Mr.. Sunday contin-
ued with increasing animation:
| 81 know what it is to work. lived
| on a farm In early life, and from nine
years of age have been doing mans
work In the world. My father died in
the war, and my mother was left q
widow with q family Of small children.
l tell you have crawled up out Of the
sewers of poverty
The great army of men were now lis
tening intently, and the evangelist
plunged into his theme.
| 81 have been told good many things
about some of you fellows here In
Bronson" he declared, walking up to
the edge of the platform and glaring
out over the throng. 81 know that
some of you go home at night, you old
devils, from places where you wouldn't
think of taking your wife for all the
world. And you young bucks, know
about you. too. Some of you go down
| to the haunts of vice. and II some one
asks you to go to the tabernacle and
hear Bill you answer, oh, no, he is too
id vulgar You miserable. little.
low down wretches, some of you are
so low down that you would have to
reach up to touch the bottom, and you
are so crooked you could hide behind
| a corkscrew."
| These statements evoked roars Of
laughter and applause. but Reginald
could see number of young men flush
as the speaker made these biting re-
marks, and among them was Roland
Gregory, who had attended the meet
ing for the first time that afternoon.
II know the fellows who will find
fault with my talk today" continued
| Billy Sunday. Every fellow that Is
not toting square, every fellow who is
iecherous, false, dishonest and mean
will go away from here and cuss me,
but you men who believe In what Is
right and who want to see Bronson
cleaned up, you men who are trying to
live the right kind Of a life, know you
are with me. don't expect to please
either fools or rascals, and l never
try to.
christianity appeals to strong men,"
he shouted. 1T Is the weak man who
is the sinner. Sin is too much for him.
The Gospel makes the weak strong"
Many Of the older men in the audi
ence could well remember when the
speakers name appeared daily in the
papers as the fastest runner in one of
the champion baseball teams In Amer
| lea over twenty years before, and their
interest was intense as the former ball
player referred to his life on the dia-
mond.
when / was playing ball." he said
in colloquial tones, 81 could run one
hundred yards in ten seconds. made
the circuit of the bases I'm fourteen Sec
onds. After l became a Christian l
was just as good ball player as be-
FORE"
The audience was now completely
under the power Of the evangelist's
personality, and he became more per-
sonal In his address.
'What are you living for?' he asked.
Some Of you are living for money,
and have no objection to wealth If it
is honestly acquired, but remember
this, gentlemen, there will be no pock-
cts In your shrouds and IL there were
your arms would be too stiff to get
your hands into them. When Commo-
dore Vanderbilt, who was worth $780,
100000. died some one In Wall street
asked how much he left. and the an
swer was that he had left 1t all. These
words are true of every one of us. We
came into the world without a dollar,
and we 90 out without dollar. If all
the millionaires in hell could pool their
money they couldn't buy drop Of wa
ter to cool their parched tongues. Re-
member that, you old reprobates.
roared the evangelist. "You can't take
your gold and silver with you when
you leave this world, and it wouldn't
do you any good he added parenthet-
ically, IF you did take it, for it would
all melt"
] A smile rippled over the audience at
! this remark.
Some Of you are living for lust"
cried Mr.. Sunday. Here the speaker
launched into a discussion Of the So
cial evil and Of its effects ON society.
He made a strong plea for single
standard of morals. "You cowardly.
contemplate young houndr' he shout
ed, directing his attention to crowd
Of younger men. "You betray the trust
Of an innocent young girl, and society
still recognizes you, while the umpire
shouts, The girl Is out i tell you 1t
does not make any difference to God
| whether you wear a plug hat or hair