The Washington times., 1915-01-18
SUNDAY MAKES 1899
HIT TRAIL" IN A DAY
Ninety Per Cent Of the Converts
Won in Meetings Yesterday
Were Men.

PHILADELPHIA. Pa. Jan. 1s.-
Billy Sunday sewed the seeds of Chris
tianity in the hearts Of some $1,000 per-
sons Yesterday and reaped harvest
Of I,2S9 trail l-hitters In three great meet
ings at the tabernacle.
Ninety per cent Of those who walked
down the sawdust aisles morning, after
noon and evening were men. or the
total the 551 In the afternoon and the
SIG again at night, we're all men. These
two meetings were for men only. In
the morning there were 162 trail-hitters.
Tho tabernacle was packed to its outer
doors almost from the minute 1t was
opened in the morning until the evan
gelist stepped from the platform last
night The rain during the day made
no difference In the crowds. Those
lea wing the tabernacle after one meet
ing met thousands at the door clamor-
ing to get in for the next.
And the sermon he gave them after
noon and night brought l.l27 men down
the sawdust trail at the two services.
There were 476 in the front benches
when the secretaries began their count
last night. but at least 100 more pressed
forward to shake Billy's hand after
stop stop the patter Of the rain on the taber.
nacle roof. or endeaver to sweep back
the oceans tide with broom, as to
stop that steady stream of men to the
front.
Preached Three. and a. Half Hours.
So much for the days crowds. That
isn't half of the story.
Billy Sunday himself. preaching away
for three hours and a half. shouting
at his highest pitch, stamping up and
down his narrow platform, coatless
part of the time, collaress nearly all
Of the time. was a far greater marvel
than the thousands who came ou'
through the driving rain to hear him.
His voice grew. husky under the
strain, his neck. bare to the second
button of his shirt. bulged with blood
| vessels and tendons like ropes and
rain. During the last part OF his ser.
mon he hal his eyes shut, shaking his
head gropingly like a blind man. and
| making up in gestures what he had
! lost in strength Of voice.
When it seemed as though the last
particles Of reserve force In his mar.
velous makeup had been utilized. he
leaped down into the pit in his plat
form and began greeting the trail
hitters. He gripped hands to the
and they came like water from a mil
race. During the height of the might
stream to the pulpit, he shook hands
with fifty-six persons In one minute
by the WatCn.
| Then he ran off home to bed.
Little Weeping or Hysteria.
There was little weeping or nysteria
either afternoon or evening. In fact
there has been little of 1t since the trai
hitting began. Critics Of the evangelist
who say Billy Sunday brings the peni
tents down the trail under the spell o
emotion. are either radically wrong. o
~
different from the generally accepted
1t was so yesterday afternoon an
last night. During his sermon ther
thousands Of quivering lips as h
punctuated his appeals to manhood
with q pathetic anecdote or story. Blu
they marched down the sawdust tra
| with smiles on their faces, as thoug
some one were passing out gold pieces
and Sunday, as he reached over tn
platform to grasp the upstretche
hands. smiled as If he were holding
reception.
to Roost." reached their backbone
rather than their tear ducts.
Appealed To Many Instinct.
He plowed through a long list o
boozing, swearing. lust-loving sins; h
ratified through statistics and report
on booze and crime SO rapidly tina
many could not follow his words. The
may not have known what he was ga!
ing. but theq knew what he meant.
He sneereG at those who preach ''pel
sonal liberty" He dug deep into tn
innermost souls Of the men until tn
sinner felt like g. bug under a micro
scope He was az. intimate as fathe
confessor. and as informal as an agits
tor speaking from a soapbox on stree
corner. At the very beginning Of h
sermon he ripped off his collar. ar
when the trail hitting began he peele
off his coat and flung 1t behind hi
on the platform.
Il want to ask you" he shouted {
the close Of his sermon, "how man
men there are here who will say.
think it is manly to lead a Christia
..fa and my the help Of God Ill &
J The same appeal to manhood whic
set the men to thinking on his sermo
, now set their feet in motion down II
sawdust trail. In an instant every ais
was moving mass of men.
But Lord" he switched his addre!
again. II am sure they must be hilario,
up III glory over this. II there's Joy I
~ heaven over one sinner, Ia ike
8 know. what language thy've. got f.
q this sweep from Philadelphia to 9th
:, ?cities, to New York, to Trenton to Ba
: tmore, to Wilmington. and on out We
q TO other cities. to Chicago. to St. Pal
: ty Milwaukee,
= And Lord when You get Milwauke
. SQUIRE going some. Maybe we'il e
!, Peoria and ST. Louis before long. Lord
e ne corner oe his WEI, bedraggled han
kerchief was In his teeth. his colarle
shirt in his coat again, and Jack Ca
n diff, watching Billy like nurse a few
$ patient wrapped his overcoat about h
u shoulders an dthey were off the pla
" form.
=
IS .. ..s-s ss,.~