Evening journal., 1915-02-11
SUNDAY AGAIN
replies TO CRITICS
Punches Imaginary Enemies
About Tabernacle Pulpit
in Boxers Style
HITS SIN IN
HIS SER MONS

orously punching an imaginary accuser.
Billy Sunday replied last night to the
charges, real or imagined set up against
the sincerity OF his work and his inten-
tion.
While declaring that he had been Of
lercd $1,000 a day for lecture engage
mcnts he wouldn't IN for $4,000 and
that the movies had made overtures 10
him that he wouldn't accept for a hum
dred million dollars. the evangelist
demonstrated some really excellent
shadow boxing and some unimpeachablc
footwork upon his red-carpeted rostrum
last night.
Driving an unseen compurgator before
him as a winning pugilist drives a beat
en- opponent and az the last finishing
him Of with a consunmate right hook,
the evangelist made short work of his
unnamed critics and sent an audience Ct
$4,000 persons into howls OF delight lie
finally turned TO his hearers
People say Pm a CRATER; but | could
make more money outside here in a
month than ! could make preaching a
year"
Sunday last night sprung upon his
people "a surprise by discussing before a
mixed audience matters which he has
heretofore mentioned only in the pres
ence of men. Calling spades spades and
less mentionablo things by their com
mon names, he once more brought be-
fore his hearers the doctrine that that
which ye SOW. ye reap
"lf men and women would stop COM
mitting sin. there would't be much dis
ease left la Che world If you knew
that a certain sin would produce certain
results you'd be big fool TO 90 and
commit it, yet that's exactly what you
do.
my warfare here Is not against
your manhood and your womanhood.
but against sin. II the doctor comes
to your house. he isn't against You,
only your malady. II you could get
men and women TO stop committing
| Gin, you'd be surprised to learn how
much disease you'd stamp OUT
Two hundred and siXty-three per-
sons hit the trail last night these,
with 81 during the afternoon, made an
even 800 for the day. Reservations
were heavy at the night service. the
Strawbridge and Clothier store alone
sending 1000 persons, and the Second
Regiment a company or two.
Gifts to the evangelist were brought
] by most of the delegations, the first
mentioned bringing a bronze bust Of
/ Lincoln, and the others In turn a huge
box of stationery, a baseball and ped
estal carved from jetty anthracite, $40
in gold, a soft cushion bearing the
flags of nations, and a half a dozen
huge floral pieces. which were turned
over to him one by one and taken out
of their wrappings with appropriate
thanks and comments.
Fifty or more of the militiamen hit
1 the trail. with number of marines
from League Island. the khaki-color OF
the soldiers coming down the aisle and
sitting side by side with the red-piped
service blue of the marines.
The League Island men brought the
evangelist message with their giit
which read.
From the best fighters on Gods
dirt, to the best fighter against sin
upon earth
Four hundred morning newspaper
carriers and their sweethearts and
wives occupied the place OF honor, the
middle front reservation, at yester-
day afternoons service They pre-
scented Sunday with a travelling clock
in travelling case. Much laughter
ensued when he insisted upon com
pairing IL with his watch and making
wry face over the announced fact
that it would remind him that he had
TO get up in the mornings.
The following poem, written by
. Charles W. Johnson, accompanied th'
gift:
Dear Billy, we feel it is good to be
here
"To get from your lips word Of gooC
cheer;
eve have strapped you and carried
you through rain and storm,
eve have thrown you and knobbed yol
on many a door;
b awe are not tired yet, through W.
know you can't stay,
$50 God bless you and keep you Will
you are away
I Other delegations included one from
2 Chestnut Hill and one from the War
muth Nursery about one hundred per
sons between the two.
Al Eighty-seven of the audience chos
the sawdusl road to forgiveness. Per
haps the odd seven were the mos
y sadly in need of this form of grace
for exactly seven persons made vi
the most promising group Of down
- and-outs" that any afternoon servic
= has yet brought forward.
4 The remaining eighty were incon
spicuous. One young woman crosse
her hands upon her breast and rocke
back and forth, sohbing and. almos
y breathless with the violence of he
=" emotions. and one of the familiar RI
peaters of the services appeared
~ the front row for the tenth time %
actual count, beyond these two pei
~ sons the penitents of the afternoo
! were those upon whose faces the "a
vine discomfort could be looked 7,
", IN vain.
OF Two women, who appeared lor
m before the ushers came to the tabe
nacle, took up seats in one of the r
10 served spaces and persistently stu'
IT. TO them throughout the afternoon.
ne virtue. of their long stay they we
ny conceded "squatters' rights" aft
several brushes with the tabernac
~ authorities.
{. Among the afternoons visitors Nj
BESSIE Dobson Altemus appeared wi
to a half dozen society women as pc
ne sonal guests.