Evening star., 1915-01-08
TALK ON "HOME"
GRIPS AUDIENCE
Billy Sunday Impresses Throng
at Tabernacle at Phil
deIphia.
COMPARES PERFECT SPOT
AND ONE OF UNHAPPINESS
Criticises Society Women and Comes
Out Squarely for Woman
Suffrage.

PHILADELPHIA, January >.-BIll!
Sunday, the evangelist, concluded his
sermon last night with story about
man who had written a song He TOTO
how more than thirty years ago MS
body had been brought home from its
resting place in Africa and had been
received with the honors of a conqueror
Of men.
The man in the coffin,' said the
evangelist, was John Howard Payne
and he had written-
Mr. Sunday got no farther. The choir
master behind him waved his arm and
nodded his head. The pianist softly
struck a note on the ivory keys and the
hundreds of male voices on the plat
form of the tabernacle burst into the
refrain, ending:
BE Il ever so humble,
There's place like home.
Out in front eyes that had been damp
became wet and hearts that had been
moved by the fervor of the evangelists
words were thrilled by the music OF the
song When the chorus was ended the
evangelist said: Good night"
There was no applause. No one start
cd to leave. The audience of thousands
of men. some of them seated, many OF
them standing in the big aisle on the
i:ing why Billy Sundays sermon 'The
Home is said to be one of his very
lest.
More Impressive Than Ever.
In none of his sermons in this city
lad he been so impressive. Never had
! spoken on subject that so gripped
lis hearers. He aroused the conscience
al those who listened to him at the
sane >.ne that he entertained them
lie told them how they should rear
t.tcir children, what they should do ana
y..lit they should not do. He shat
To- cd old, accepted theories ana ao-
NsrHced new ones.
Never was Billy Sunday more anus
ing. His command of slang, his pic
turesque phraseology, his strange anal
as funny as ever. But all who heard
him felt the power of the man as they
Lad not done before; he had something
~ tell them that lay at the door of
every one of them.
Then came the climax that trans
formed the prose of a sermon into the
poetry of song.
Drift From old-Fashioned Home.
Too many parents are drifting away
from the old-fashioned home," he said
He attacked especially society women
who spend five nights a week at the
opera or the Dutch luncheon or go
gadding around to places of iniquity,"
leaving their children in the care of
the hired girl He called them silly
and coquettish and irresponsible.
They are as bad as the drunkards,'' -
he said. with a wave of the arm and
shout that convinced those who had any
doubt that he still retained his old punch.
came Ov1f S0IareIy for woman SIlf-
frage. He made the statement indorsing
votes for women in his characteristic
way, and storm of applause followed
that lasted several minutes. 1t was the
heartiest demonstration of approval yet
offered by a tabernacle audience
He made great plea for sobriety in
the home. He asked parents to study
the needs of their children, to make the
home happy and comfortable And by
the expressions on the sea of faces in the
great audience it was plain that many
a one was making resolve to make his
home Just as he described a good home.
Mimicked and Mocked.
In between times he mimicked and
Knocked as much as ever. When he
made his plea for truth in the home he
described a typical meeting between a
woman who was making duty CALI
and her host, and displayed all the skill
and drollery of the professional mimic
But he did not mince words in describing
the effect of hypocrisy on the observing
and initiative children.
When Mr.. Sunday ascended the plat
form at o'clock at the afternoon
meeting and thundered against unbe-
lief he was facing the biggest after
noon crowd since he started his meet
ings in this city. Men. women and chill
dren packed the huge tabernacle
squeezing into every available space
standing many deep in the gallery that
surrounds the auditorium on three
sides.
Ten minutes before the time to start
the services every seat was filled Then
the police and ushers started directing
those who were anxious to hear the
evangelist into the standing room.
The crowd continued to arrive at the
tabernacle. There was no more room
and they were turned away, disap.
pointed.
As has been the case at every one OF
the afternoon services this week, there
seemed to be almost as many men in
the audience as women. Business was
neglected by many, Offices were left
IN the care Of stenographers.
Billy Still Hoarse.
Mr.. Sunday arrived with Ma Sunday
Apparently the strain of the campaign
had done Mr. Sunday little harm. He
was hoarse, but hardly more SO than
on any other occasion. The day had