The sun., 1917-04-20
2,4OO HIT TRAIL
MAKINGRECORD
Billy Sundays First Appeal
Nets Greatest Result
of Career.
EVANGELIST EXHAUSTED
Staff Acts Like Machine When
Call Comes to Audience
Of 10000.

i" .V.VVV.
A. ten minutes past ? O'Clock in the
Tabernacle last night. Billy sunday.
sweat pouring from his eager face. voice
harsh and broken from an hours preacl,-
ing Of hell fire to unrepen,ant preach
yalilted to tse top OF his table and
shreked the call 10 the sawdust trail.
vt ten minutes pasi 10 o'clock 2.i00
men and women with the men in the
great Majority had shuffled through
tile carpeting of pine shsrinss aud
fragant wood dus, to clasp hands with
Sunday. assure him OF their will TO lead
better life and to give taeir names
to the census takers o: lie churches
II was the record breaking responsn
to die trail calls OF Bliy's lively N.e. a
response greater than he had ever re-
,eived anywhere in more than twenty
years Of preaching up and down and
across the county. When the Aangrlist
escaped to his dressing room and fell
upon a couch while he painted like an
Exhausted runner. he was too excited
a. first 10 talk about the impressive re-
suit
When he got his breath and had rub
bed the pain out of his ham and wrists
taat rad been squeezed until the blood
ra,ue near to bursting from iinsertips
aoJu' all he could say was Wonder ul
Mar, clnu, Don't tell your Uncle
Fuller that Old New York is cold to
God 20
And Ma Sunday, towering over him
Ike Il hca sclictous for the welibeing
~ 'Hick. wiped the tears from her
s'cs As she patted her energetic Tish-
bie on ihc shoulder and reminded him
tha' II was time to 60 home.
summons Of tho Strongest.
The summons TO the untrod path tha;
converts must take while the curious
stand and comment came at the end Of a
sermon In which Sunday had struck with
AL of his power al the hearts Of men he
roncejved TO be faltering between God
and the devil: in which he had stabbed
at their doubts and waverings; in which
he had warned them OF the fire TO come
and had pleaded with them to empty
their souls OF secret miserics and hidden
Sins.
And Rodehcaver. with his trombone.
leading the choir Of 1000. had tugged at
hear,strings and probed for emotion. em-
nloyins all Of melody's power and inhu-
enCc.
Nobody had known the evangelist was
exactly ready to throw open the trail
which he had been blazing for twenty
meetings. but the feel that something
dramatic was to occur was In the air as
papablc as ozone after a thunder storm.
T. was the feel of the psychological
Honent for which ne always strains
The congregation sensed 1t. the members
o. B.Ny's stan were aware of 1t, the
newspaper reporters caught the t!ngle
OF IL II was an impression, a feeling,
utterly impalpablc and yet as definite
and concrete as the tense stiffness that
oppresses before lightning and thunder
s'snal and herald the approach OF a
storm
To Billy sunday IL was p'.lps hle
as a drumbeat II damned the flooding
words Of his sermon. It convulsed his
hin and worn face, tightened his lips
'i'ei his eyes to fanatic zeal. For a
moment he paused. one foot upon n
chair the other upon the tabletop. as
Do" swept the vast plain of uplifted
aces in silence that hurt ones ear
On the floor OF the Tabernacle more
han 10000 persons were waiting for
'he summons. most of them leaning for
ward as people do when they are tensed
to catch the first quick happening Of a
big moment. Then. in leap. Billy was
on top Of the table his arms out
stretched. his eyes appealing. his voice
rising to shrek:
"How many in this audience will Jump
:, their feet and come down the aisle
md ask to give me their hand ana say.
Hin, here's my heart and my hand
''one on, Come on. I've been preach
ng for two weeks and | want to see
'omething happen in this old God hating.
Aiskey soaked. sin cursed town. Come
on Hit the trail. you sinners
star Acts Like Nachine.
On the instant. as Billy sprang down
from the table, bent forward and lifted
me Platform section at his feet. the
trapdoor which gives entrance to a short
light of steps leading to his pulpit. his
san modified into action. The ushers
ran forward. some of them taking po-
stion at the foot Of the stairway, just
~ secret service men press around q
resident to hasten and systematize the
rorement OF hand shakers. An army OF
secretaries. 200 or more, that had been
sitting in the front rows Of the middle
sections. got to their feet and masse'l
'nder the caves OF the platform so trat
heir seats could be taken by trail hit
'ers and so that they could distribute
'onversion cards and get the names OF
the prOfessed converts
George Sunday. Billy's broad shoul-
fered and athletic son, ran down the
middle isle and took charge of the work
~ flling the mourners' benches. There
vas stir ami confusion. a tremendous
onstlng and rustliHs and stunning. but
'Nsre Mas almost no expression OF deep
isih wrung emotion.
IN the hour that followed, when the
'<o0 surged forward to grip B!lly,s
hdnds--he used both and could have used