Middletown transcript., 1916-03-04
SUNDAY SWAPS
MIGHTY CONCOURSE
breaches to $1,000 Cheering
Enthusiasts at Three Meetings.
EVANGELIST AT HIS BEST
Welcomed BY the Governor HurIs
Mighty Blows At Sin and De-
cIares BaItimore's Greet
ing Superb.

Baltimore.-Fifty-two thousand mel
and women and youths Sunday hearC
Billy Sunday on the opening day of his
six weeks evangelistic campaign il
this city.
The attendance at night broke all
frst-night records in the history Of
the campaigns, according to Mr.. Sun
day. Twenty thousand people were
packed in the tabernacle at Twenty
ninth street and Greenmount avenue,
and between 1000 and 5000 were
turned away.
Sunday came and saw and con-
quered. He launched the campaign at
1880 O'Clock in the forenoon, when he
was presented to an audience of about
$4,000 by Governor Harrington, who
gave official approval to the meetings.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon he
preached TO 1900. Enthusiasm, which
even the most sanguine among the
members of the local committee had
scarcely hoped for, swept all three
audiences. The throngs were made up
not of majority of women, but large
ly OF substantial business men, of me-
chanics, of clerks, with a sprinkling
of society folks, and here and there
city and State official, a bank presi-
dent, a big corporation oficial-and
dozens of ministers of many denomina-
tions. The Rev. DR.. Hugh Brickhead,
rector of Emanuel Protestant Episco-
pal Church, delivered the invocation
in the morning; the Rev. Dr.. R. J.
Wyckoff, of Madison Avenue Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, in the after
noon, and the Rev. DR.. H. A. Griese-
mer, of Franklin Square Baptist
Church, in the evening.
A Philadelphian sat through the
evening service, his fourth opening
night of Sunday campaign, includ-
ing the one in his home city.
''This beats anything | have ever
seen," he said, "and takes the palm
away from Philadelphia Mr. Sunday
has got 'em going already"
And the evangelist really did seem
to have 'em going" The thousands
sat spellbound through the three serv-
ices except when they applauded some
telling point made in his excoriation
of sin and his attacks on crooked
politicians and the liquor interests,
and then they applauded until the
building reverberated
with thunder. Those who went to
get new sensations had their wishes
as well as those who were
drawn to the tabernacle by belief in
the campaign and the benefits thereof.
Sunday hurled defiance at the enemies
of religion. material and intangible. |
and impersonal; he delivered |
most of the remarkable gestures which |
have made him famous.
He climbed upon his velvet-topped |
pulpit at the climax of his afternoon |
sermon, when, after he had asked all |
those present who wished to enroll |
themselves as "Christ's grenadiers"
to stand up, the great congregation
heaved itself to its feet as man.
And now, let us give God a chau-
tauqua salute" Sunday cried, and with
a spring was perched upon the pulpit
which he had been pounding with his
list
AT the word thousands of handker-
chiefs were awave, until the mass of
was changed in color on the
instant, from a general tone of dark
clothes and the tint of faces to a sea
'f white -billows. That was one of the
most dramatic moments of a day that
VAS full Of the dramatic.
There was no trail hitting. That
will come later, probably at the end
If this week or the first of next. And
is the week wears on the outside
meetings will increase, with gatherings
n shops, factories and stores and
.hurches.