Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-11-05
ATLANTA'S NEWEST NOVELTY.

| whatever blfly 6unudy nlHSelL
may think Of it, Atlanta entertainA
no such idea as that the evane elist
has been called to Atlanta to con-
vert Atlanta.-Albany Herald
Not a bit of it. Atlanta is
using Billy Sunday to bring money,
advertising and business to At
lanta. If she is not, then all signs
are wrong.-Dalton Citizen
Billy Sunday is one of the best adj
vertising mediums Atlanta has had in
long time. He will bring as many
visitors to the city as the Southeastern
fair did. He will fill the hotels for
seven weeks, give the newspapers the
opportunity of featuring something
else besides war news, and put At
lanta wildly before the people of the
state for time
The Atlanta ministers, who united
il asking Billy Sunday to fill an At
lanta engagement, were undoubtedly
slcere in soliciting his services, in
the hope and belief that he would slim
ulate greater interest in religion aul
oburoh ,,,nrIy o1d ,,,o1ro ,o,r~.. a.-,,,-.r,,.4r
for the churches.
But the Atlanta business men, and
the people generally, who endorsed
and supported the project had some
thing more material in mind They
wanted Billy Sunday for the advertis-
ing and trade-boosting his engage
ment would give Atlanta.
The writer remembers ten or twelve
years ago when the former ballplayer
was an itinerant evangelist, preaching
under a small tent in the towns of the
middle west Then he was natural,
and even more sensational-also more
! effective. He did not use any theatri,
cal tricks. He had no great chorus.
He was not accompanied, or preceded,
by corps of press agents, business
managers, and contractors. He did
not hire professional piano players.
He was simply plain, sincere worker.
Then the newspapers discovered him,
and found in him rich field for head
lines and feature page exploitation.
Eventually the New York newspapers
admitted his existence, and with that
Billy Sunday leaped into his greatest
prominence. CORRESPONDENCE, also,
his ego developed, likewise his finan-t
cial receipts, and his organization.
Today Billy Sunday is not the Billy
Sunday of old Then he preached
whatever came to his mind His WORK
was marked by its spontaneity. Now
his sermons are all copyrighted. He
knows, and the newspapers know
weeks ahead, just what he is going to |
discuss. His stuff is stereotyped, Cor
the most part 1t is stilted. 1t is
stale. 1t is only his unuual methods.
his slangy expression, his introduce
ton of the spectacul4f and the. dra-
matte, that puts it over. His sermons
and his meetings are as well-staged
as any theatrical performance Every
Eetail is planned. There is even al
system OF promoting the psychology.
ical
Billy Sunday is suggestive of Sam
Jones, but he does not possess the
natural ability, nor the depth of know
ledge, which made the Georgia revtvat>
ist such a power. Nor does he move
the masses as Sam Jones did. The
latter stirred his congregations into
furore of religious fervor. Billy Sur
day doesn't, although he does reach
them in his own way, and cause hum
dreds TO ''hit the trail"
Eminent writer's have discussed
whether Billy Sundays work has any
| permanent value Even the rather
profound Harper's Magazine has an ar
ticle on it this month. And the cor
sensus of opinion is that the cities
visited by Billy Sunday are just the
same today as they were before he
! came-just as much goodness. just as
much badness, just as much charity,
| just as much crime. And so it will be
! =,