The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-29
BILLY SUNDAY CAN'T
SAVE N. Y. TILL FALL
Gets Invitation Of 800 New
York Pastors, Then Attacks
Their Churches.
WINS OVER DELEGATION

PHLAprLPHiA. Jan. 2s.---A delegation
OF 800 New York ministers. representing
almost every denomination, who came to
this city to-day to urge Billy sunday TO
conduct revival meeting In New York
sat In the Tabernacle this afternoon and
listened while the evangelist launched a
verbal broadside against the wealthy New
York churches which move up town and
ALLOW all the unsaved souls they leave
behind to go TO hell"
There Is no blinking nor lodging tho
TACT that IN drawing the masses to Its
doors the church Is facing a crisis" Sun
day said. Take a walk down Fifth ave
nue. through the districts OF wealth and
refinement and you find church spires a
plenty. But as you walk eastward iowa ri
the river what do you find? You Nes
York preachers know what Is there. The
further down town you go the less is the
number of Gods steeplcs. As the popu-
latlon becomes more dense and poor the
church becomes a thing OF the past. 1t
is disappearing.
Gradually tho older members OF con-
gregatons have moved into the suburbs
and with their Withdrawal the support OF
tho downtown church becomes more difl-
cult In board and trustee meetings Of
such churches you hear talk like this
cut your clothes to n, YOUR cloth-cut
down expenses to tally with receipts
Great God - he shouted. rs this a
cause and a time for retrenchmcnt or Hd-
vancemcnt? Does wise General reduce
his force in the presence OF tho enemy?
Instead of adding 10 the funds u help
save the unfortunates IN the deusely popu-
lated sections what do you do In most
cases? You sell your old downtown
churches for enormous sums of money to
commercial institutions and then you take
the money out into the quiet, peaceful sub
urbs and put It into fine. costly club
houses. And then YOU forget all about
the unsavcd souls back In the old town
and let them go to he'll in lunches
When Sunday gave the call FOR con-
verts and the people fiocked down the
sawdust ases the visiting clcrgyinen
stood on the benches and gazed in won
derment. Many Of them had never seen
anything like II.
Tho delegation arrived at the Reading
Terminal on special train at II :i5
o'clock. The Rev. Or $. Edward Young.
chairman Of the Clerical Conference Of
the Federation Of Churches OF New York.
as spokesman for tho delegation, adj
dressed the evangelist Immediately before
the sermon. Dr. Young said:
~ mighty host IN the metropolis are
entreating Evangelist Sunday to come
to our city"
Sunday in reply said;
"Fiist OF all, before ! could even CON
slider the question OF going to New York.
| must be assured positively that there
is genuine demand on tho part OF the
Protestant clergy.
Under proper, conditions a great work.
in my opinion. can he done In New York.
but I tell YOU and mean e, that
would not cancel an engagement In Sque-
dunkville, IL J had one there. to hasten
the time | could or would go to New
York. It's not a square deal
My conditions for "A campaign in New
York would be and will be exactly the
| same as they were for this campaign In
Philadelphia.
This talk OF my holding campaign
in New York this spring or summer is
rot ! couldn't possibly do II 10 soon.
~ hold "a camnaign at all the time will
be after next fall some time. have at
present no defnite idea AS 10 what the
time would be. ] have a very definite
idea it cannot well be until after next
| fall"