Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-05-13
MINISTERS TRY
FOR UNISON ON
B|LLYSUNDAY
Opposition of Local Clergymen
to Evangelist Is Slowly
DwindIing.

Local ministerial opposition to ex-
! tending an invitation to Billy Sun
now conducting revival campaign
in Paterson, to come to Newark and
! fight the forces of the prince of
Darkness" is rapidly melting away.
A census of the. objecting clergymen,
taken today by the Evening Star, in
dicates that outside of clergymen of
the Episcopal churches of the city,
Rev. DIR. William j. Dawson, pastor
of the First Presbyterian Church, will
be the only member of the ministerial
Association to hold out against the
coming of Mr. Sunday.
| 1t is generally believed in church
circles of the city that members of
the joint committee will visit the OBJ
| jecting clergymen and endeavor to
| induce them to withdraw their op-
! position before making definite ar
rangements for calling upon Mr.. Sun
| day in Paterson.
| If this is the plan of the committee
its members will probably not make
any definite moves for the present, al
| though it is believed that members
of the congregation of some of the
churches whose pastors object to in
viting Sunday here are themselves
in favor of the invitation.
That the hopes of the committee of
bringing the objecting ministers into
| line will probably be blighted is in
dicated by the attitude today of Rev.
DIR. William j. Dawson, pastor of the
| Fir t Presbyterian Church. When
asked if he would change his attitude
| If called upon by the committee, DIR.
| Dawson said:
I'm not going to be a party to Civ
ing any invitation to Billy Sunday. +
am not a member of the joint COM
mittee, was not there and do not
know what the members intend to do
They may try, but | don't know
whether they can win over the OBJ
jecting ministers or not. We have had
our day and that is all there is to it,"
Mr.. Dougherty May Change.
Rev. George p. Dougherty pastor of
old st. Paul's Methodist Episcopal
Church, when asked whether or not
he would withdraw his opposition If
called upon Dy HeHnDeTS Ol lie coli-
mittee, said:
~ don't think could answer that
question. I'm always open to any ar
guments that might be presented to
me- | would be glad to see any mem
Der Of the joint committee who might
desire to call upon me. ] can't, how
ever, say what | might do In the
future
Rev. C. B. Condit, pastor of Trinity
Reformed Church, said:
well, I'd rather not make state
ment just now. | haven't been ap-
preached by the committee. If they
are going to approach me I'd rather
they'd see me first
Rev. J. j. Moment, pastor of the
High Street Presbyterian Church.
when asked whether he had changed
his attitude regarding Mr.. Sunday,
admitted that James p. Dusenberry
and William Bittles, members of the
Joint committee, had called upon him
this morning and had urged him to
support the invitation.
81 won't tell you what l said to
them" said Mr. Moment, "but | will
say this for myself:
MIR. Moment viii Help.
81 simply refused to have any part,
as far as | was concerned, in calling
Mr.. Sunday to Newark. I have not
opposed Mr. Sundays coming to New
ark. / simply refused, as far as am
concerned, to invite him here. l shall
not change my attitude. OF course,
can't"
'Tf he comes here, will your church
help in the revival campaign was
asked.
"I can't speak for the church;
have not consulted in any way with
the church MEMBERS, was the reply.
How about yourself?"
'I will help"
Rev. DIR. III. Y. Murkland, president
of the Ministerial Association, which
recently indorsed the project to
bring the revivalist here after bitter
opposition from Rev. DR.. w. j. Daw-
son. Rev. Mercer Green Johnston and
few other leading ministers of the
city. admitted today that an exec
utive session had been held and that
some Interesting things" had livened
the meeting, but that he would have
nothing to give out for a w-days.
He was unable to say just how soon
the Joint committee would go to Pat
erson to invite Mr. Sunday to come
here.
VIII Not Abandon Plans.
s. Leroy Smith, secretary of the
Ministerial Association and also OF
the mems evangelistic committee,
both of which have indorsed the
move to secure the baseball evan
gelist denied positively that there
was any intention to abandon the
invitation plan.
While the ministers and laymen are
keeping quiet regarding their meet
ing of yesterday, it is pretty gener-
ally understood that they are up a
tree" regarding Mr.. Sunday, as the
evangelist is never willing to go to
a city in which some of the Protest
ant ministers refuse to Cooperate
with him in his campaigns. There
were eight Newark ministers who
voted against the proposition to
bring the evangelist here at recent
meeting of the Ministerial Associa-
tion. Two of that number were Epis-
copal clergymen.
it is understood that Mr.. Sunday
always expects opposition from the
Episcopal clergy, and Is willing to
overlook it. 1t is different when op-
position is shown by the spiritual
heads of other churches. such as the
Presbyterian or Methodist churches.
The Methodists, in particular, are
supposed to be in favor of revivals,
at all fines, and yet Rev. George r.