New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-13
"BlOCk System" Planned
at Meeting of Pastors
and Church Workers
PROMINENT WOMEN
TO HEAD COM MITTEES
Evangelist Will Bring City
to Its Knees" Declares
the Rev. Mr.. Walker

Eight hundred ministers and church
workers who are cooperating with the
Billy Sunday Campaign Committee in
preparing a way for the evangelist
in New York net in the assembly hall
Of the Metropolitan Building yesterday
and formally inaugurated block sys-
tenn Of home prayer meetings.
The system will be put into operation
for the first time tonight, when hun
dreds Of private homes throughout the
five boroughs will be thrown open by
their owners TO "neighbors on the
block" who will be urged to join in a
simple prayer service and also TO open
their own homes for subsequent meet
ings.
Il is planned to hold such meetings
on every Tuesday and Thursday night
until the campaign is over BY that
timc. the committee believes, meetings
will be regularly held in every block
from Brooklyn 10 The Bronx and will
be so popular that they will not be
abandoned after Billy Sunday has left
New York.
Bishop Luther B. Wilson, who was
chairman Of yesterdays meeting; Dr..
John Henry Jowett, pastor Of the Fifth
Avenue Presbyterian Church; the Rev.
James Z. Walker, advance representa-
tive of Mr. Sunday, and other clergy
men expressed themselves "a certain
that the Sunday campaign would be
successful.
Will Bring New York @to Knees
SUNDAY will bring Jew, Catholic and
Protestant face 20 face with his rela-
tionship to Gcd," said the Rev. Mr..
Walker. with Gods help and yours
he VIII literally bring this great city
Of Babylon to its knees
Mrs. j. c. !. Davis, in charge OF the
women's work in connection with the
campaign, declared that experience had
shown the members of women's charity
organizations that the most vital need
Of every toiling girl ir New York is
saving knowledge of the Gospel She
announced that many prominent women
Of the city have agreed 10 serve as
heads Of subcommittee 20 organize
prayer meetings. Among them are
Mrs. John y. Rockefeller, jr., Mrs. C..
b. Alexander. Mrs. Finlay j. Shepard,
Mrs. John Calvert, Mrs. James 5. Cush-
man, Mrs. William Borden, Mrs. z. r.
L. Gould. Mrs. Hunter McAlpin, Mrs
Warner ". Leeds, Mrs II. D. Armour
Mrs. James Colgate and Mrs. Stephen
Baker.
A warning of the opposition, which
he said undoubtedly would be encoun-
tered by the committee workers, was
sounded by the Rev. Hugh Birckhead,
pastor of Emanuel Protestant Episco-
pal Church, Of Baltimore, and formerly
rector of st. Georges, Of this city
"The first objection to Billy Sunday
will be that his language IS not the
language Of the average preacher, ne
said. ''l would remind you that Sunday
is not preaching to our kind; he IS not
thinking in terms of our own sort. he
tries 70 reach the unframed listener,
TO whom. perhaps. he will never have
another chance 10 talk.
Money symbol of Love
"Then people will attack him for the
large amounts of money he receives.
He took $4,000 from Baltimore; three
tons OF small Coins from shopgirls, er-
rand bows and tired mothers. This
money represents human gratitude, and
If 10 were refused the essential spirit
OF the campaign would be gone. In the
spirit Sunday calls forth money be-
comes merely 2 symbol Of love-
"Al' Saunders, who was confessed
ly a notorious drunkard' until he init
the trail" at Scranton, Penn, said the
spiritual faith Of New York seemed
To be dead"
The only business that's nearly
down and out here Is the business OF
The King" he declared. "Everythlng's
booming excent the churches. ! have
never seen so many empty peTs. Billy
Sunday will I'm them up If you'll give
him chance; he'll have New York
whore God wants IL IN no time
bishop wilson p.aised the spiritual
sense" Of New York's newspapers, and
declared that some Of them preached
more directly to the people than some
Of ms preachers
A. the close Of the meeting the Rev.
DR.. Charles L. Goodell prayed that New
York would not regard the peculiari-
ties of Billy Sunday, but would recog-
uile him as Gods messenger and allow
him 70 bring the Gospel into palaces
and novels.