Evening star., 1915-02-11
DECIDE TO invite
BILLY SUNDAY HERE
Protestant Churches Vote to
Extend Call to Hold Series
of Meetings.
SPIRITED DEBATE LASTS
MORE THAN TWO HOURS
Committee to. Organize and Conduct
Revival Arranged-Expense
Money Is Assured.

Whether or not Evangelist BILLY
SUNDAY comes TO Washington viii de
pend entirely on himself, for the de-
cision to invite him to hold Il series OF
religious meetings in the National Cap
itai was finally made at a joint confer
ence of representatives of the lrotes-
tant churches and of the laymen's or
Ianizations Of the District last night.
The conference was attended by the
pastor and one lay delegate from each
of the churches. II was arranged for
by what is known as the committee oil
ten, consisting of five members of the
Federation of Washington Pastors ana
five representatives of the laymen. ana
was held in Luther Place Memorial
Church, Thomas circle. Aoout 120 del
cgates, including n few women, were
present and the gathering was IN
charge of hev. Paul X. Hlckok. pastor
OF the Metropolitan fresoyterlah
Church. as chairman.
The question ue.oie the meeting was
short anu TO the point. 1T was
Resolved That Rev. W ~ sunday
lie iusilru Iv nOiJ a series % evan
Senst4c meetings IN this city at i t'ihe
to De agreed upon later
BY an oveIwne aiming vote IL was car
ried at lU:4o pm, after more tnan Two
hours OF spirited deUate. Inc minority
ecuuIesced graCeIuliy IN the decision,
ana Indicated, with two exceptions,
that it would cooperate IN making the
Will OIL tine majority success
Lutherans Dissent.
One exception was the Lutheran de-
nomination Its representatives ex-
planned most carefully that Its dissent
ing vote was que TO a ruling of the
Lutheran synod, which deemed such
services out of harmony with tine
teachings and usages of our church.
4 letter signed by twelve of the
Lutheran pastors of the city was sub
mitted, in which they emphasized both
their lack OF discretionary power in
the matter and their compuisIon by
the rules of their church, ana also their
own personal opposition TINS note
was signed Dy k-vs- Lutner Hess War
ing, William A W ade, Charles r. Steck,
Richard Schmidt, J. Frederic Wencnei,
Paul A. Menzei, Paul y. Leduln, ii.
Schroeder, Jonn r. ~ Doermann, l. q.
Baker. D. l. Wlseman and +. W. AL
mendinger
On the other hand, several represent
atiyes of the Lutheran faIth declared
that individually they felt impeiled to
support the extension of the invitation
even in the face of the synodical
ruling.
Hc OtEeT exception was contained
the opposition of Rev. James d. Buhrer
representing the congregations of two
reformed churches. The minister said
that these congregations Were unwill-
ing to change the method of saving
souls sanctioned by the Reformed
Church, and that their pastors not only
could not cooperate, but would have
TO withdraw from the Pastors Fed
Grafton if IL were that body which was
extending the invitation. The chair
man explained that that would be un-
necessary, as the federation as body
was not involved at all in the matter
Committee Continued.
Following the adoption of the motion.
IL was moved. seconded and adopted
that the original committee of ten"
be made the nucleus of committee
on organization" with full authority
automatically to enlarge itself by the
addition thereto of one clerical and one
lay representative of each of the Prot
estant denominations. II will be this
enlarged committee which will now
go ahead with the details of the plan
and which has power to call further
conferences similar to that of last
night
y motion to restrain the period of de-
bate to four minutes a speech was
voted down. but with one or two ex-
ceptions those engaged confined their
remarks to this limit. and many of the
briefest speeches were apparently
much the more telling. Many clergy
men and few laymen delivered their
sentiments.
Among those speaking in the affrma-
tive were Rev. Randolph ii. McKirn. rector
of the Church of the Epiphany: Charles
Il. Frooman, layman from Temple Bap-
tist Church; Rev. W L. Mcdowell. su-