The Washington herald., 1915-02-01
SUNDAY AND INGERSOL L
Evangelist Used AEnOstic's "GOOd
Stun'' without knowing 1t.

Philadelphia, Pa, Jan. a.-"If stopped
to heave rocks at every yellow cur that
barked at my heels. I'd be throwing
stones all the time. It's the same old
low down flock of booze-hoisting intidels,
the same old crowd of freethinkers that
try to start something wherever ! so.
You can tell the whole dirty bunch TO
come on. I'm here. and I'm giving hell
the best kind of a run 1 know how"
In this strain Billy Sunday, lying in
bed at the Spring Garden street revival
Headquarters, while his trainer, Jack
CardifT." was putting him through a
course of rubbings and poundings, voiced
his scorn of an article in the Truth
Seeker. Franklin Steiner. the author OF
the article, charged Sunday with stealing
a part of one of his most effective ad-
dresses verbatim from Robert Ingersolfs s
works. Sunday branded the charges as
''trumped Up lies"
The evangelist explained that he had
been told he was using a part of lnger-
soils famous speech. but that he had
never read line of Ingersoll. People, he
said, sent him clippings. among which
was Some good stuff which he used.
Afterward he was informed it was from
the Ingersoll speech.
I'm weary of explaining that sermon.
I've tOlu the SlOIN S1OltS VI blllACS o4iN-
still they keep coming back with the old
chestnuety warn that | stole by thunder
from Bob IngersolI.'' Sunday snorted.
The exhortsT explained that nearly all
his sermons were written from material
sent him by persons, many of whom he
did not know.
Il get hundreds of clippings during
every campaign, and I read books and
magazines, and whenever 1 see anything
I frlPLr II for ref
erence." he continued. Every speaker
does that. Why. I've had a whole bun
die of fine sermon material and illustra-
tions come to me since we've been in
Philadelphia.
''They say that 1 lie when I tell in
one Of my sermons that Ben Franklin
told Thomas Paine in letter not tc
publish his Age of Reason ]. c. Abb
bot. the historian, is my authority for
that statement In history. Abbot tells
of Paine's visit to Franklin and his
submitting the manuscript and of Frank
Inns letter to Paine, advising him not to
give the Age Of Reason to the public
They say the Age of Reason wasn't pub
lished until two years after Franklin
died, but just the same Franklin wrote
that latter, for Abbot says So"
The Truth Seeker is weekly puolica'
ton printed in New York and its first
page bears the heading, "A Freethoughi
and Agnostic Newspaper
After accusing the evengelist of mis-
representation in stating at a reviva
meeting that Benjamin Franklin wrote
Thomas Paine a letter advising hin
not TO publish the Age Of Reason.
the writer says:
II have another charge against the
Rev. Sunday. He is an unblushing lit
erary thief Some might say this Is q
strong statement. but wait until 1 pre-
sent my evidence. which, as In the case
of the Franklin letter. will be first hand
We might forgive him for stealing from
Talmage or Sam Jones. but what dc
YOU think Of his stealing from Ingersoil
whom he would blackguard in the ueXi
breath2 On May 81 1912. BIZ delivered
an grafton before the Old soldiers in Bea'
yer Falls. Pa The people OF that burn
had never heard the like before. The
local press said his eloQuence was tipped
with the fire OF God and should shame
! his enemies. when 10! every word OF Il
worth hearing was. stolen verbatim from
IIngersolrs great Decoration Day ad'
dress delivered In the Academy OF Music
New York city. on May 50. iSS2 Tbs
evidence lies before me. II consists Of
! The Beaver Daily times for Monday