The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-23


one of the larger cities which respond
81 enthusiastically 10 the message of ths
Rev. William a. Sunday IS emhs IZing
on new venture which win b. eagerly
watched b. churches in every commuE
ity where the evangelist has worked and
wrought This city Is 20 have a BiLy
Sunday reviyal-without Blly sunday
Beginning this autumn. churches q
Scranton. Pa. scene n one of the frs,
big triumphs Of 3lr SUNDAY. wiI com
blne forces IN a revival organized after
the thorough and effective system o. q
Billy Sunday campaign.
Nr. Sunday spent two months in
scranton early in 1914 Churches allied
with him in that campaign had unusual
opportunity for studying his methods.
since only a little while before. the evan
gelist had conducted a revival in the
neighboring city " Wlkes-Barre-
Workers and converts from Wilkes
Barre came % Scranton and helped 70
prepare the field As a result, the or
ganlzation u the Scranton revival be-
fore the evangelist arrived reached a
high point of efficiency.
Besides Scranton added some new
ideas 10 the Billy SUNDAY program q
preparation. The mems Bible class plan.
which since has been Incorporated into
the Billy Sunday program. was FIRST
tried out there. Before and during the
revival. 100 classes. with a membership
of more than 10000 men. were organ
ized in Scranton and ln ueighboring
towns. MONDAY theater meetings. pro
campaign rallies in the coal mines the
railroad shops and other ceuters of in
dustry were sowing the seed Of eyangel-
ism and preparing an audience for 3lr.
Sunday By the time the tabernacle
opened. the city was already virtually in
the midst Of a revival
What Mr.. Sunday Left in Scranton.
This activity and cooperation con-
tinued while Mr. Sunday remained iu
Scranton. When he left there were H.
900 trail hitters' accounted for Three
thousand had joined the churches on a
single SUNDAY. The Bible classes were
models for other cities % follow Inter.
est was kept alive % the point where
the churches sent 800 Billy Sunday con-
verts % Philadelphia six months later
10 help prepare the way for the revival
there
But Mr Sunday left something to
Scranton besides an abandoned taber-
nacle. larger membershiD rolls and In
creased interest The churches and their
workers were trained in his system Of
organizing a revival They readily saw
that much n the success Of his cam
paigns Is based on the prayer meetings
shop meetings and the mems bible
class organization which preceded the
campaigns. The evangelist left The
plan. the Inspiration and the workers
for the revival which the churches are
beginning now for the coming winter
a Billy Sunday revival without Billy
Sunday
There will be those among Mr.. sun
days critics who viii interpret the com.
ing campaign as an Indication Of his
failure in Scranton. a sign that his con-
verts have drifted away Why. these
critics viii say. is a revival necessary in
q city where. four years ago. there were
1900 who pr0fessed a new vision and
pledged themselves 20 a new life?
Planting Before Ike Harvest.
Scranton clergymen VIII testify. no
doubt. that some of these converts win
be in the forefront Of the coming cam.
paign. They win admit. also. that only
a percentage of Mr Sundays converts
are still active IN the church. But the
best answer % these critics who see in
this "backsiiding' sign Of failure for
revivals il in the fact that the churches
of Scranton have faith TO undertake
another campaign along similar lines
or let Mr.. Sunday answer them himself.