Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-24
Advertising Billy Sunday.

".Billy' Sundays preaching would split
the Congregational denomination rlSht IN
two in the middle as it was split nun II,
dred years ago This frank remark,
made in n public meeting held to DIS; IS
the inviting of MIR. Sunday to Boston, dis
closes the root of the larger part OF the
and others Of various names about Bos-
ton who do not believe what Blliy sun,
day breaches. and they are logically ana
naturally opposed to his coming &c Bos-
and should not be criticized for being So
They have a perfect right to their opin-
ion. There are also certain others VINO
hold that evangelical doctrines Wnlch Mt.
Sunday breaches, but are opposed to ms
coming for reasons that are neither clear
ly stated nor understood. Both the Con,
gregationalist and the lions Herald
(MethodsD have taken occasion to "rIp-
cize severely DR. Cortland Myers, of the
fremont Temple church, for & remark
reported by the press as having peen
made by him in the interview with Mt.
Sunday in Philadelphia. We have con,
suited with several who were present and
can state positively that DR.. Myers did
not say anything that could be reason
ably objected to by any earnest CHRISTIAN.
OF course. strong and even bitter opp 81
ton is to be expected for those who do
not agree with the doctrines that MI
Sunday breaches. But it is fact that
the vast majority of evangelical Chris
tians in Boston and vicinity who believe
that the new birth is necessary to sa va
ton from sin, and who are more anxious
about the salvation of souls than about
sectarian iealousies, greatly rejoice in
the prospect OF the coming of Mr. Sunday
and in the great work of salvation that
will be, by the blessing Of God, wrought
here as Observation-Disclosures and EA-
aminer.
One Of the redeeming features of
such spectacular evangelism as that Of
Billy Sunday, it seems to US, is the
notorious fact that it serves largely
to get some ministers out of ruts and
"onto their jobs" If he can win
thousands Of converts and only d
small percentage Of them are sincere
and stick" then he has accomplished
far more than hosts Of other minis
ters who confine themselves to pas
toral calls and writing sermons tina.
are free from riticism-impotent.
There's room enough for many Billy
Sundays in this country, as we'll as al
the rest of those who carefully cult
cate the ground. The Universalis.
Leader says:
the real cause OF the success VI
BILLY" Sunday is not to be found in the
magnificent management of his cam
paign. though that is a factor of no mean
Importance. but the real cause is in the
fact that those who had a good religious
supply for the actual needs of human
lives have been keeping those supplies in
cold storage to ripen. or in the theologi-
cal machine shop to be overhauled in
stead of putting them at their work. To
sit back and say, That is not the way to
conduct a revival, to use bad grammar
and slang" may fiatter our selfish souls;
but what are we doing to give people
what they do need? When people are
hungry they eat most anything that will
keep them from starving: il we have
good food in abundance and do not give
1t to them. let US be a little slow In con-
demning those who give them the best
they have, however bad 1t Is.