The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-10

revival n the hope that IL would tend
to prevent further suicides by students.
1t should be borne in mind that on
Provost Smith some of the most i'm
portant institutions Of learning in this
country and Europe have bestowed de-
grecs and that he Is a member Of a
number of the leading scientific soci-
cites of the world Wei. Sunday re-
spondcd to the call. and much fervor
was shown at the meetings" Also the
suicide wave instantly subsidized, Bible
classes were organized among various
groups Of undergraduates. some being
formed even in fraternities for carry
ing on study Of the Holy Scriptures
How did Billy Sunday accomplish
this? His friends say it was because he
was mbued with the spirit of God.
Others are inclined to think that with
marvellous magnetism he works power
fully on the emotions of those who
hear him; that audience after audience
/ is carried away by the resistless sweep
Of his eIoquence, crude and shocking
| though it I've to sensitive ears.
Not a few there are who have seen
something Of the same cmot ional cx-
citomcnt in war time; at great political
convent ons such as that which in 1912
/ nominated Roosevelt rs the Progressive
candidate for The Presidency; at gath
=, erirgs in other moments of tense eN-
element when the very air was cleo
/ trio with prCsaCc for good or Ill., What
was there about Napoleon Bonaparte
which for twenty years made The SOL
dicrs OF France believe in him with
such blind faith that they swept Eu-
rope from end to end? What was
. the psychic force welded by that short,
! squat man with the eye Of an eagle?
. He believed in h!s cause. he believed
I in himself; and he got results.
! There are those who think they see
in Billy Sundays Philadelphia cam
! paign an intention to move upon New
! York. These persons recall the fact
that for two decades Sunday has been
gradually incr, asing his sphere Of work,
| holding revivals in larger and larger
cities, facing larger and larger multi
| tudes. II Is Sundays deliberate inten-
! ton, they think, 20 make his next
great spectacular appeal here on Man.
haitian Island; but this opinion is open
to question.
There is little doubt that Sunday
! would attack New York If New York
showed him Enthusiastically that he was
wanted here. But he knows, as does
! the level headed wife whom he con-
stantly consults, that New York is
about the last place on the continent
where such religious campaign can
he successfully conducted The poDu-
lation is composed OF such diversified
elements speaking so many tongues,
the people themselves are so burdened
with engagements, they are so busy dav
and night in thousand undertakings
that an evangelist could not expect here
| such a response as might he expected
elsewhere.
Yet there is this to he said. 1t is. only
about ten months since Sunday was
| prevailed upon 70 come to New York for
| single meeting. The newspapers an
nounccd that ON the evening of Mon
day, March ., 1914 he would conduct a
meeting in Carnegie Hall: and when
that evening arrived to the astonish-
mcnt of the police. a crowd of 1000
surged against the doors Of the building.
dlzen men and women were
knocked down, bruised, trampled on.
| After being open a few minutes. during
which human avalanche poured inside,
the doors were closed, and Sunday him
self was locked out while for half an
hour the police vainly tried TO carry
him To the entrance. Before that time
a call for help had been sent u head
quarters, and reserves commenced to
arrive in patrol wagons drawn by gal
Looping horses. Finally a squad Of husky
bluecoats succeeded in buffeting a path
through the mob 50 that Sunday could
get inside the hall, and the meeting
proceeded.
one week later the question Of bring
ing him to New York for n regular six
weeks campaign was debated at length
u by Methodist preachers at their usual