The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-06-11
MERITS AND FAULTS
OF billy SUNDAY
Editor of a Well-knoWn Re-
ligious Paper Considers
What May Be Said
On Both Sides.

The Rev. William A. Sunday is to-
day thoroughly established in the ap-
preciation and confidence of the evan
gelical churches of America as pre-
eminently efficient evangelist. The
general verdict of Protestant opn-
sxcn IS: "No man can do these signs
Except God be with him." But while
the church thus confers on Mr.. SUI
uav its Endorsement, a critical world
challenges it to say whett er hy this
If approves certain much-debated idio-
svncrasies of his. To this challenge
the church can only make candid an
swer 1t does believe Mr.. Sunday to
be a man with a divine commission,
but that does not prevent it from de-
plorinc in him many shortcomings.
This, however, yields nothing to tri.
fling cavils from the unfriendly and
4 supercilious. 1t is puerile to carp at
kMr. Sundays slang, his platform an
tics and such like eccentricties. At
the worst, these things are but
breaches of taste. The only things in
which the church has need to allow
discount from its favor for Mr.. Sun
dav are such things as subtract from
his imitation and Interpretation OF
the Master he breaches.
Thus the church is bound to repu-
diate Mr.. Sundays irreverence. 1t is
rot his familiarity with his, Lord
which evokes criticism. A holy lntl-
macy with Christ is every Christian
privilege. Mr.. Sunday offends not by
intimacy, but by happy-go-lucky all
of equality with his Master-especial'
" in what he represents to he puol'
prayer. Apparently, Mr.. Sunday. new
er yet has heard the mystic Whisper
"Put off thy shoes from off thy feet
for the place whereon thou standest
is holy ground" Instead of stealing
hushed and awestruck to the carmen
of God, the evangelist bolts into tn
divine presence like a gossipy neigh
Dor dropping around" for a chat
This is not reverence, and reverence
is vital to religion. Mr.. Sunday
chumminess with his Creator IS nj
Wholesome example. 1t is pointles
to complain of the frequency AM
freedom with which Mr.. Sunda;
talks of hell. The gospel note whlc
he emphasizes with this unmistakAa IA
Bile word is note that ought to nay
larger place in modern preaching. IN
present-day preacher follows Paul
reasoning gently of Righteousness
and self-control," but evades "judg
ment to come" Mr.. Sunday put
if all in. But his fault is that j
preaching hell he breaches it wit
gusto instead of anguish and Year,
ing. - .L;o
Fthe people bestow on Mr.. Sunday |
= "free-will offerings" are nothing
be counted against him. 1t is onl
fair to recognize that he adopted IN
method for his own compensate
when the returns from it were yer
nroblematical. No sordid motive
can be traced in Mr.. Sundays orlt
inal conservation to evangelistic wor
The zeal with which Mr.. Sunday stl
maintains his financial plans again
all modification now that he has dl
covered in them an El Dorado, al
the subtle ways in which from tt
Platform he encourages eXtravagal
~ Gifts, suggest painfully that he is n
r TODAY as Indifferent to the glitter
gold as when he started on his wor
But far the most serious dete
about Mr.. Sunday is the absence
sign that he has been in that scho
to which Jesus invited his dlsclpl
when he said: Learn of me, for
meek and lowly in heart"
He knows so little of what Ma
learned at the feet of Jesus that