Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-18
$500 WOMEN in WILD
SCRAMBLE FOR SEATS
AT BIG TABERNACLE
Confusion Reigns When
Large Crowds Holding
Tickets Are Denied Ad-
mission-26 Faint-Only
105 "Hit Trail"

Confusion relgned at the BILLY" Sun
day tabernacle today when conflicting
orders were issued and $500 women, hold
ing tickets to reserved sections, were
denied admission to their sections at the
hour appointed for the opening OF the
doors. Twenty persons were injured, none
seriously, and had to be cared for at the
tabernacle hospital. Many OF these
tainted. They were all revived and later
attended the service.
The entrances to five public sections
in the rear of the building we're opened,
however, and many of the women holding
tickets entered, thinking that they might
reach their seats through these doors.
Their tickets were taken and they found
themselves forced to enter the sections
intended for the general public.
Many excited arguments ensued, and
finally upon each OF the ticket holders
Identifying themselves, the pasteboards
were returned and the women allowed to
take their proper places.
SUFFRAGE BANNERS GALORE
Prominent among the delegations pres
ent this afternoon was the w. G.. T. U.
with 1900 women; the suffragists, 1900
strong, and So other organizations coming
from this city and the suburbs within a
radius of 25 miles and represented by
from five to a hundred women each.
Nearly all carried suffrage banners.
Among those who appeared on the plat
form as champions of the suffrage cause
were Mrs. Rudolph Blankenburg, Mrs. e.
C. Grice. Miss NJ. A. Burnham, Miss
Caroline Katzenstein, Mrs. s. NJ. Shepard,
Mrs. j. A. Rulon, Mrs. NJ. G. Morgan,
Mrs. r. T. Finley, Miss Mary II. Ingham,
Mrs. L. w. Martin and Mrs. Wilfred
Lewis. president of the Equal Franchise
Society.
Although the trouble which occurred be-
fore the women reached their proper
places had rather dampened the cheerful
atmosphere, this was offset by the many
gay suffrage flags and banners hanging
from the rafters of the building, which
added q decidedly cheerful touch to the
scene.
Before starting his sermon Mr.. Sunday
welcomed the womcn's organization and
paid special tribute to the woman suffrage
cause.
Among the trail hitters" this after
noon were half dozen women suffragists
and almost a score of women wearing the
white ribbon of the w. c. r. U.
Although the majority of the audience
which overcrowded the building today was
composed of women. at least half of the
converts were men. There were only lO5
persons in the glory rows when BILLY"
rather disappointing, since the evangelist
preached one OF his strongest sermons.
Before and during the services many
women tainted. The emergency hospital
revived them. Once when the audience
became excited when an usher was seen
carrying a woman "Billy" stopped In his
sermon, and after telling them that there
was no need for worry he became uneasy
as the audience continued to gaze in the
direction of the fainting woman and
shouted:
III you'd get as excited about this old
town going to hell as you are about some
body fainting you'd have saved 1t long
ago"
Il am not standing up for woman suf-
frage because 1t has become popular" he
said. IL stood for 1t before 1t became
popular I've never been able to under
stand why bleary-eyed, good-for-noth-
ing old lobster should have a right to
vote and a bright. intelligent and ener-
getlc woman should be kept from II be-
cause she happens to wear skirts.
There's nothing right about IT, And
If l wasn't for 1t for any other reason
ia be in back of the movement because
all the opposition to votes for women has
wrlggled out of dirty rotten old saloons
and breweries. That good-for-nothng
crowd knows very we'll that they're
doomed II ever the women get chance
at the ballot box.
never mlnd-the women VIII get there,
They have always been on the firing line,
and II 1t wasn't for the women l don't
know what the Lord would do. The
women have always figured in history,
both the good and the bad"
Billy Sunday took the Main Line by
storm this morning when he delivered one
of his characteristic sermons TO nearly
1000 residents OF the fashionable towns In
the home OF Lir. and Mrs. william p.
Simpson, Jr., lancaster Pike, near over
brook.
Mr. Sundays seFmon OF this after.
noon on "a Bessseh We" was printed In
the EVENING LEDGER on Thursday,
January II, 1914.