Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-04-20
From a staff Correspondent.

From a staff Correspondent.
PATTERSON, April 2O.-Many OF the
admirers of Billy Sunday are today
expressing themselves as convinced
that the destruction of Turn Hall, at
Ellison and West streets, by fire last
night is a manifestation of divine
wrath on account of the blasphemies
uttered there shortly before by Emma
Goldman and Ben Reitman at the
meeting of the anarchists. The
anarchists, however, had all left the
building more than an hour before the
blaze started.
The loss will total 100000. During
the progress of the fire several fire.
men were hurt. The most severely
injured is George Slingerland. of En-
gine Company No. 3. While engaged
in cor Meeting a water pipe he sus-
tained a compound fracture of an arm
and had a leg broken.
Six men of Engine Company No. 8
were working on the easterly side of
the building when the walls collapsed.
None was severely hurt. They were
attended by Father Hillock and taken
to their homes. This is the fourth
time the hall has been destroyed by
fire.
The blasphemies referred to were
chiefly those embodied in a prayer
in which Reitman burlesqued the
evangelist's manner of praying. He
said:
"I do not know whether there is a
God or not. Maybe there is. Oh,
God, the God of Billy Sunday, of Ger
man emporers and Russian czans, for
the love of Jesus, do something to
help the working people of Paterson.
Please make the bosses more kind to
the employees; send women and chill
dren out into the fresh air and give
the unemployed man a chance to
work. Dear Mr. God, stop this war.
Oh, God, haven't you got sense
enough to stop the manufacture OF
ammunition? Help VS. and we win be
much obliged. II you do not, we will
help ourselves, and you can devote all
your time to Billy Sunday"
Emma Goldman made an equally
blasphemous prayer" She said
Jesus, if Billy Sunday is your rep
resentative, I am sorry for you. All
this screeching and hollering indi-
Gates that something is rotten in
Denmark If Sunday is to be in
heaven and continue to screech, I'd
rather be in hell. The poor have
lived so long in hell that If they ever
got to heaven I'm sure they'd be
kicked out for disorderly conduct
While the anarchists were hurting
verbal bombs at his head Billy Sun
day was home, fast asleep after a
day of strenuous "rest." In the fore
noon he had addressed ministers and
theological students at Calvary Bap-
tist Church, in West Fifty-seventh
street. New York; had taken a run
out to the home of Mrs. Finley j
Shepard, formerly Miss Helen, Gould
at 1rvington, and then visited the
Polo grounds to witness the game be-
tween the Giants and the Phillies.
Sundays Sons Coming Here.
ma" Sunday, the evangelist
wife, today goes to Winona Lake
Ind. She will return before the week
is up and bring the two little sons oi
the family, Paul, thirteen, and Will
lam. jr., aged eight.
What with Newark. Brooklyn and
New York tugging at Mr.. Sunday tC
| conduct crusade against the devil
it is not likely that he will accom-.
modate Miss Goldman and stoI
'screeching." Not for long time
anyway He already is scheduled
for crusades in Omaha, Boston
4 INOCAlCHlCh anu OAACl IilAtos U
keep him on the job for at least two
years.
AS told exclusively In the Evening
| Star yesterday, Rev. DR.. II. Y. Murk
land, pastor of the Central M. E
| Church, Newark, president of thu
Ministerial Association, after hearing
Mr.. Sunday preach at Calvar!
| Church, extended him an invitation t
| conduct a revival at the city tha
KNOWS How" Mr.. Sunday referred
| DIR. Murkland to ma" Sunday, who
| in turn, left the matter problematical
Sunday may clout the devil In New
ark in case all the churches agre
to have him do so. At present ther
is not the requisite unanimity, bu
DR.. Murkland said he was confden
that there soon would be.
New York, too, is about to exten
an invitation to the evangelist. Di
Charles A. Eaton, pastor of the Mad
ison Avenue Baptist Church, who sa
on the platform with him at Cal
vary Church yesterday, says: "Ml
|. Sunday is surely coming to Ne1
York to conduct revival. The min
listers of the city will invite him.
would be unfair to New York If Bill
Sunday were not made to come. Me-
York needs Billy Sunday. and
going to have him."
|, In case Mr.. Sunday is invited 1t
, certain that he will as condition d.
, mand that Madison Square Garde
J be chosen as the place of the reviva
Recently, while riding past tn;
: structure, after his address to II
| newspaper men at the Press Club, |
: said to the Evening Star represent,
tive:
"If | ever preach a revival in Ne
York 1t will be only in Madise
Square Garden. No other place e,
cept the Polo Grounds, could accon
! modate half the crowds that / b
lieve this old town would turn out
s.Mav Sunday and Homer Rod