The Washington times., 1917-05-14
Booze" Sermon Wins Con-
Verts at Two Services.
IN TRAIL HTTTERS
Evangelisfs Tribute to I. R. Brings
Wild Cheers.

Oh Oily CuhuAg
sermon on Booze, or Get on the
and the ears in her eyes told as
clearly Of the joy in her heart as II
she had shouted It out from the green
carpeted platform.
When Billy reached down and took
the young mans hand at the end of
the trail the woman, with the old
fashioned black silk dress, and the
cameo pin fastened at the throat,
looked up at the almost exhausted
evangelist and spoke very softly:
Hes going to ouit-he promised he
would. Thank you, Mr.. Sunday"
He was just one Of the hundreds
who answered Billy's pleadings to
get on the water wagon" last right
and yesterday afternoon. Old men,
young men, men in frock coats from
Fifth avenue and men in borr owed
coats from the Bowery, boys who had
just taken their first drinks and old
timers who swore that they had just
taken their last drink-all kinds and
classes climbed on and were promised
a ride to glory by the man who has
fought harder and longer and r7ore
desperately against demon rum than
any other Individual living.
In his two sessions on Booze" fully
$1,000 people-15,00o men In the after
noon and 1900 men and women at
night-heard Billy send Whitman to
the Presidents chair, Roosevelt to
France, liquor to hell and the ex-
drunkard home to his family with a
sack of flour, porterhouse steak and
a bolt OF calico In his arms in place
Of a quart OF cheap whisky.
Service Record Breaker.
In every way the scorching, red
hot, sizzling sermons came up to their
international reputation. Billy was
at his best and fieriest-than which
there Is no better or fierier-and II he
didn't quite preach the funeral ser
mon of booze IN America a good many
OF the $1,000 believe he got as far as
the opening prayer and the hymn.
A number who have heard Billy
preach this same sermon some ten or
fifteen years ago when he was still in
the bush league and before he had
quite reached the big time" recalled
last night that somewhere back In the
corn rows OF 'Toway," that he loves to
tell you about. he has lost a certain
amount OF the chair smashing, bottle
breaking. hair flying features OF this
famous exhortation. In the old days
Billy used to strip down like q gun
crew on q battleship, but last night
he didn't even take OF his wilted
and rundown collar. But the real
pepperino was still there, and never
lid IL show out more than 1t did last
night.
Probably the evening session was a
national record-breaker In point OF en-
thusiasm and numbers. Long before
: o'clock every seat and square inch
Of standing place was taken, and the
oors damned shut. Fully 10000 peo-
pie were turned away without so
much as q glimpse OF the hair-trig-
ger booze scrapper, and In some esti-
mates the number ran up to $1,000.
Gamers Total Of 3,I6I.
Likewise in point OF trail hitters
all existing records were smashed.
The day garnered a total OF 3.161. the
evening alone bringing 1897 to the
front In the afternoon 1903 men got
on BilIy's water wagon. and in the
morning service. which was attended
by some 5000 men and women, All
went UP the sawdust trail
Rock ribbed Democratic Dixie has
the Republican North skinned to a
FRAGILE on the booze question:" Billy
shouted early In his night sermon.
But we're coming. And say, every
lecent man and woman ought 10 np-
plaud your brave governor, who's put
up the gTandest, gRmest fight In their
behalf that any public official ever
put up. Some people think it's al
most political suicide, but I'm one
who believes it's paving the way to
the White House. Guess I'll just
nominate him for President right
now"
A wave Of applause swept through
the great hall, but little later when
Billy swung onto his own pet hero,
Teddy, a storm of cheers started that !
carried several thousand to their feet !
in a hat waving. shouting outbreak. |
IN anti-liquor quotation from Roose- |
welt gave Billy his chance.
Has Praise For Roosevelt.
AZ want to say right here that I'm |
mighty glad that Congress is big |
enough and has nerve enough to say, |
Teddy, you can go to Europe And |
I'd be ashamed II I was New York |
folk and didn't think as much of him |
Is we do out West We'd follow him |
out there until you can skate on the |
'ce."
Statistics, arguments, accusations, |
word pictures of misery and crime, |
lurid presentation of what |
liquor can and does do to New York |
and America gurgled forth from |
BflIy's lips like the whisky he so thor |
oughIy hates might flow from bot |
tie. II was an endless stream OF pic |
turesque verbiage delivered with the |
kick and the punch that only Billy |
can put into 1t.
whisky is all right in its place
but its place is in hell" he declared. |
You can no more regulate the sa
loon by high license than you can
regulate a powder mill In hell.
"Then there's Congress passing the |
buck up to the President on prohibit !
tIon. I'd like to be President for just |
fifteen minutes now. I'd start some |
thing"
A row of bright smiling boys were |
lined across the platform at the close |
of the sermon. Here's the raw ma |
terial Of the saloon" Billy shouted. |
They demand one boy from every |
Ave homes. Their finished product Is !
the drunkard. Have you furnished |
your boy yet? Well, by the eternal,
they'll only get him over my dead
body"
Billy was atop the pulpit by this
time, waving a big silk nag and be-
fore any one knew II or how IT hap !
pened the music OF America" was !
surging through the tabernacle. Then |
Billy, tired but happy, jumped from |
the pulpit, opened the little green trap |
door and in a second was leaning |
over to give the men a hand who |