The Washington times., 1916-03-27
SERMON ON BOOZE"
WINS $4,000 PLEDGES


Ony campaign III
At both the afternoon and evening
services the evangelist preached 70 men
only his famous sermon. Booze. or Get
ON the Water Wagon" and the re-
sponse he got was n pledge from roo
men and boys TO vote for prohibition
Mt their very FIRST opportunity.
II likewise was n record breaking day
for trail hitters." The tabernacle con-
verts for the day numbered 7so; and
Mrs. Sunday. speaking elsewhere. lined
up others, as did various members Of
Sundays party; bringing the days trail
hitting total to S61.
Fifty-six thousand persons attended
the three tabernacle services. making
the second largest total for any day IN
the Baltimore campaign. and bringing
the total attendance so far past the
quarter million mark.
Does His Hardest Work.
Never had Sunday worked so hard or
preached so long. The delivery OF the
sermon afternoon and evening con-
sumed a total OF more than three hours,
and the revivalst managed to make
every minute of that time fairly tingle.
He preached until his voice was
husky until his collarless shirt was
soaked with perspiration; until his coat
itself was moist through until his face
was drawn with an almost overpower-
ing weariness. his hair disheveied, his
gestures forced to the point OF painful
ness.
Pledge BY Thousands.
Only one woman was in the multi
tude Of 5000 who took the pledge. rnat
was Ma Sunday. who went to the cven-
ing service TO look after her husband.
The balance of the two audiences was
made up principally of men OF voting
age The cne of the forenoon, at which
there were ninety-seven trail hitters,
consisted of men, women. and children.
Sundays "Booze'' sermon came fully
ur to the expectation OF most of those
who heard II. II bristled with statistics.
Il was electric with startling assertions
as to the damage wrought by the liluor
traffic. II was an arraignment ano trial
OF strong drink. and tne sentence, In
the words of the evangelist. was "eter-
nal damnation in bell
ANY man In the church not against
the traffic-6amn him." he anathema-
tiZed; "if re IL preacher. damn him;
IL he In a priest. damn hirO:'
He paused to let this sink in, then,
when the applause had stopped, asked
his hearers to walk down the streets
OF Baltimore and see the palatial homes
OF your brewers and distillers. then see
the novels In which the men who drink
their stuff l,ve-and II you would see
more, then &c to tho penitentiary.'
That brought another burst OF applause:
The man who votes for the saloon"
he Continued. Votes TO help the devil
drag his boy tc a drunkard's grave.
The person who does not believe In nell
has never teen in n drunKard's home"
Tears Off His Collar.
He interpolated some statistics
anent the tremendous amount OF
money spent annually for strong
drink, paused to tear off his collar
and necktie. took a fresh hold on his
pulpit and plunged in with renewed
energy.
I'll try to help some of you devils"
ne cried. but I'm frank TO tell you I
have no sympathy for you while I'm
on the job. You're so low down. you
men who let money stand as an ex-
cuse for the liquor traffic against tho
untold human misery II produces, that
the devil himself is digusted with
you"
Again he went back to his statistics.
declared that money spent for drink
In year would Rirdle the world ten
times with ribbons OF dimes. laid one
to another: that in eight years the
money would build a solid silver auto
saloon corrupted the nation. was al
lied with the disorderly house. with
gambling and with Doodle politics;
He sprsng to the top Of his pulpit.
low-down, God-forsaken. accursed
gang, the Personal Liberty League,
has its agents to try to defame my
character. l throw II into your teeth.
you hog -1owled. weasel-eyed. lying
"They have speakers at-Tn tell
you. the Maryland Theater Is the one
In which the job is done. ICharles A.
sonal Liberty League in the Marylai 4.
Theater] But I'll tell that whis
gang their doom is sealed.
The man who sells strong drink
worse than q thief, worse than
traitor, He's traitor to his country.
Dares Them To Stand Up.
II hear howl-'personal liberty!v
You God-forsaken anarchist, listen to|
me. II any of you are here, stand up.
l want you to know what think OF
you. Personal liberty!' To hell with
your personal liberty!"
Came more statistics, more anathe-
mas, more counts in the indictment OF
booze" and eXcoriations of all who up
held It, lie said many men believed in
way to regulate the traffic, but you
might as well try to regulate a powder
mill In hell as to regulate the liquor
traffic with high license"
lie fiayed the men before him for not
advocating woman suffrage and told
then that IL they hadn't nerve enough
themselves to vote down liquor ito give
your wives the chances and they'll send
1t to hell. out of which 1t wriggled."
Every man who favored the saloon, he
said, was traitor TO something that
Is decent"
Marches With Flag.
He threw his sermon into a higher
notch of fervor when he snatched up
a big American flag marched backward
and forward across the platform with
L. over his shoulder, and headed an
imaginary line of men who had 'Rone
down TO hear Bill and decided to get on
the water wagon"
This multitude went to the butcher
shop, to the grocer and the drygoods
merchant, and ordered so many thous-
ands of dollars worth OF food and an
parel that Baltimore had to send rush
orders for supplies to Chicago and New
York and the country at large. And the
answer of the Baltimore merchants to-
the amazed queries of the wholesalers
was that the whole damned bunch
here has got on the water wagon,
Then he reached the climax of his re-
markable sermon. He summoned 10 the
platform eleven little boys, "the raw
product of the gin MILL" asked the null
titude whether they should be permitted
to become drunkards; wound Iip with a
declaration that tho saloon would have
10 march over his dead body to get
them, and on the saloon hurled this
final curse: MAY Gods curse and dam
nation be on 1t, sirs!'