The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-03-18
BILLY SUNDAY
A sermon by Rev. stephen ;. Wood
Of Peru. VI.
Concluded from last week.

ahead Of time, and great preparations
are made for his coming The city he
II TO visit is divided into districts, and
these are again suhdivided into many
little districts. In each Of the little
districts cottage prayer meetings are
held and personal work is done, so
that many conversions are usually
reported before the evangelist arrives,
Sunday always has temporary
building erected for him in each city
which Is called "The Tabernacle" 1t
usually seats about 10000 people and
Is SO arranged that everyone can see
and hear him. The speakers platform
Is raised about six feet and earpeted
with green. His pulpit is little table
and his scat a wooden chair Over
the platform there is a great sounding
board which helps to send the speak
or's voice into the farthest parts of
the building. Everything is arranged
for safety. At the end Of each isle
there is door leading to the street.
No board at the sides Of the Taber-
nacic is fastened with more than two
small nails, so that in a panic a man
could kick his way out with the heels
Of his shoes The floor is covered
thiekly with shavings and sawdust
which keeps the feet warm, and avoids
the noise which walk on floors or even
carpets would make.
Sunday has several helpers, includ-
ing an assistant preacher, music
director and secretaries. Much is said
concerning his finances He requires
that the people pay all the expenses
of the campaign and half the salaries
of his helpers. On the last day he
receives a free-will offering, which is
his only compensation and out of this
he pays the other half of the salaries
Of his helpers. If the offering is large
it is because the people believe he IS
worth it and want him to have it.
At the opening Of each service a
great choir well drilled for the occa-
sion, leads the singing, under the di-
rection Of the chorister, and they sing
for more than half an hour.
Billy tells the Bible stories in the
language Of the city streets, and prays
sometimes in the terms of the base
ball diamond His sermons however
are almost free from grammatical
errors, and in them he often rises to
charming eloquence. This is the Billy
Sunday version of David and Goliath:
All the sons of Jesse except David
went off to war; they left David at
home because he was only kid. After
while Dayid's ma got worried. She
wondered what had become of his
brothers, because they hadn't tele-
phoned to her or sent word. So she
said to David: "Dave, you 90 down
there and see whether they are all
right" so David pixies off to where
the war is, and the first morning he
was there out comes this big Goliath,
big, strapping fellow about II feet
tall who commenced to shoot off his
mouth as to what he was going to do.
soaked Goliath in the coco between the
game of talk ?" asked David of his
brothers. ooh, he's the whole works;
he's the head cheese of the Philistines.
He does that little stunt every day"
"Say," said David, you guys make me
tired. Why don't some of you go out
and soak that guy? You let him get
away with that stuff" He decided to
90 out and tell Goliath where to head
in. So Saul said: You'd better take
my armor and sword" David put
them on, but he felt like fellow with
a hand-me- down suit about fous times
too big for him, so he took them off
and went down to the brook and pick
ed up a half dozen stones. He put
one of them in his sling, threw it, and
soaked Goliath in the coco between the
lamps, and he went down for the
count. David drew his sword and
chopped off his block, and the rest OF
the gang beat it."
Now | will give you few sentences
from one of Billy Sundays prayers.
Please treat them reverently, and no
tee how child-like his faith is, and
how he communes with God as with an
earthly friend.
20 Lord, there are lot of people
who step up to the collection plate and
fan. And Lord, there are always
people sitting in the grandstand and
calling the batter NUT. He can't
hit thing or he can't get it over the
base or he's an ice wagon on the
bases they say. 0 Lord, give us
some coachers out at this Tabernacle
so that people can be brought home TO
you. Some of them are dying on
second and third base, Lord and we
don't want that. Lord, have the
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