The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-09

~ II L III I'D l, -
or tenants.
"NIGBTY RELIGIOUS FORCE.
Baltimore Sun
At Associate Congregational church
the pastor. the Rec: Dr. Oliver Huck-
ell, who visited Philadelphia and
heard the Rev. William A. Sunday |
last week, spoke yesterday of Billy
Sunday-My Latest Impressions of
the Man and His Message"
DR.. Huckel said, III part:
whether we like Billy Sunday or
not, whether we enjoy his slang, sar-
casm, methods, finances or his partic-
ular brand of theology, his is the
fact-devils do get cast out under his
preaching, the devils of intemperance.
immortality and Indifference. We re-
member what is said in the gospels,
Master, we saw one casting out dew
lis in Thy name, and We forbade him,
because he folioWeJh not with us.
not
Billy Sunday follows not with
some OF us in special convention
| alities of speech or forms in the
churches, but / have found on wv
visits to Philadelhia that he is STIR
ring that staid old city to its founda-
tiOns, and casting out devils.
DolltNc ludL Oily outlay dOcS
some harm and a great deal Of good.
The harm is in vulgarizing religion,
and in his slangy paraphrases Of Scrip
lures, and in his narrow, bigoted
judgment Of people who do not hap
pen to agree with him or his ideas Of
religion. The good that he does is in
awakening the churches, in stirring
up a city from it's religious indiffer-
encc, in striking some strong blows
for temperance, in bringing sinners
to the truth, and in perSuadinfi thou
sands to begin to lead new lives.
81 sincerely sympathize with those
who do not like Billy Sunday. A yea
ago 1 felt shat way. But new light
came to me after I heard him. Nc one
cal give a true estimate Of hin unit
they hear him.
Il found everybody in Philadelphia
talking about him. The huge taber
nacle built for him, and holding 20,
900 people, is crowded twice a da,
and three times on Sunday. All elias
ses and conditions Of people are en-
! thusiastic over him. His sermons, q
!, least every one of the four that
heard, were excellent, full of plain
strong truth. real sense and the gen
? ? uine Gospel. But, of course, the
were different from all ordinary ser
, mons. They were punctuated wit
y the latest slang of the street; the
{ bristled with humor and sarcasm
:, they were Illuminated with baseba-
! and other stories, and all was de
livered in the most startling acrobat
o style of gesture, leaps and dives.
: but / got the impression of down
right sincerity and Whole-heartec
earnestness in Gods service. Some
US ma call his theology mediaev;
|. and obsolete in spots. Bnt 1t is res
h theology that matters. His e~ssenti;
| %~,,tI ;r oil riobt His CnCnal 1C r
Le everlasting gospel Of Gods love an
d power. He calls men to forsake 81
L. and follow Christ, to consecrate II
e life to God, to hate sin and o RICH
N eousness, to let the Holy Spirit lea
y. BILLY Sunday holds to his slaT
and sarcasm because it is his very n;
=. ture and he enjoys it, and also h
n cause the crowd likes it. It catch
r the crowd. It's novelty for religif
- and it's r~aciness pleases both the con
IN mon people and the college men.
20 is one of his peculiar attractions t
the people whom he wants. Tn
understand it thoroughly.
p Il did not find him irreverent. VIII
- reads in the newspaper as %irrevere
us often sounds very different from +
ne lips. Even his ~denunciations Of
~ classes of saints and sinners are n
so whitening from his lips as they a
es pear in cold type. He is a most Ii
able man-bright, good natured. ge
II uine-a thorough American, a bree
lal Westerner.
n IF Billy Sunday ZONES to Bal
lot more, / predict that he will stir II
lr- CITY as it has never been stirred /
to fore. l believe that God is using h
ter for special and unique service III I
world. He is certainly doing 81
ley work and accomplishing suc.4 resu
he that he must be reckoned with as G
let Of the mlghtlest rellSlouS FORCES VI |
ny century,"