Willmar tribune., 1915-09-08

ssE1l 49, -
olson 5free6 and 5af down On ths
curbing. Across the street . company
of men and women were playing on
horns. flutes and slide trombones and
some others were singing gospel
hymns. They were the very hymns /
used to hear my mother slng back In
the log cabin In Iowa when was q
child. They were the songs ! used to
sing myself in the Sunday school back
in the old church. - .
There were tears In the eyes Of the
evangelist and his voice was tender az
he spoke. Thousands Of men looked
at the speaker through dimmed eyes
and the silence In the tabernacle was
profound.
II listened" continued the ex-cham-
pion Of the diamond. "'and God painted
on the canvas of my recollection and
memory vivid picture Of the scenes
Of other days and other faces. began
to cry and sob. and my heart was, oh.
so lonely. A young man stepped out
and said. We are going down to the
Pacific Garden mission. Won't you
come with US? am sure you will all
enjoy it. l arose to my feet and said
to the other boys, 'Goodby: I'm going
down to the mission with this crowd
They saw was interested and some
laughed, others mocked, but one Of
them encouraged me. Some Of them
looked at me in silence. left them at
the corner, went to the mission and
got down on my knees and gave my
heart to Jesus Christ. l went over to
the west side Of Chicago and joined the
Jefferson Park Presbyterian church"
"Amen, praise Cod" said an old.
gray haired man near the front when
the evangelist had finished the story
Of his conversion.
II have thanked God ever since for
saving me that day." continued the
speaker. "Listen, men, the other boys
who were with me that afternoon are
now nearly all gone" The speaker
then told of the sad fates of his fel-
low ball players who were on the
White Stocking team. One of them
had died In an insane asylum in Michi-
gan, victim Of cigarettes: another
had crawled into a drunkard's grave:
another died In poverty and squalor
as a consequence Of his sins. (Which
Of those boys won out that Sunday
afternoonY he asked. Did l or did
they? Thank God. won through Jesus
Christ. am what l am through him" {"
The speaker paused and said abrupt
ly, "How many of you men will say,
Thank you, Bill, your sermon has
helped meY"
The men began to rise In scores and
hundreds and thousands. until it SEEM
ed that every man in the tabernacle
was on his feet. They sang a hymn,
and as they sang the evangelist plead
with the men to come forward and do
as he had done twenty years before
and more in Chicago.
"Who will be the first to step out be-
fore this host of men and declare him.
self ChristianT' shouted the evan.
gellst.
In a moment Reginald Nelson STEP
ped from the press table to the saw.
dust floor and made his way over to
where Mr.: Sunday was standing. As
Reginald did SO he caught sight Of
Thomas Marchmount walking down
the aisle, and the two men approached
the evangelist together, who greeted
them with a fervent '@Thank God"
As the editor and city reporter Of
the Courier were recognized a round
Of applause arose, and others began
to stream tow.rd the front Among
them was Edgar Prince. one of the
largest manufacturers Of Bronson.
The sight of their employer hitting
the sawdust trail" stirred up scores Of
the employees in his factory to follow
his example, and the front of the tab
ernacle was soon filed with the peni-
tents.
"This means a new Bronson" cried
Billy Sunday, as he saw the wave Of
spiritual power sweeping over the
audience, and men yielding to Jesus
Christ in hundreds.
Ito be continu.d)