The Washington herald., 1918-01-21
TRAIL HITTERS
NUMBER 1900;
BILLY PLEASED
Revivalist Pays Respects to
Plate, Who Railroad
ed Jesus Christ.
By ARTHUR JOYCE.

1t was a great trail hitting day at
the. Tabernacle yesterday. In fact, 1t
was one Of the greatest. from the
standpoint of the number Of persons
who walked the "sawdust aisles,"
which has featured Billy Sundays
campaigns in any city in the country.
All told, at three crowded meetings,
about 400 men and women got up
from their seats in the big building at
the evangelist's invitation and walk
ed down to the platform to shake his
hand as evidence of their acceptance
Of Christianity.
At the morning session, when Billy
breaches a strenuous sermon on "The
Three Groups" about 600 persons lined
up in the ''penitential seats" in re-
sponse to the Invitation" In the af-
ternoon, at the 'men only meeting.
when the evangelist preached his IA
nous Chickens Come Home to
Roost'' sermon, nearly 900 hit the
trail" And last night, after Billy's
sermon-one Of the best in his re-
pertoire-on What Will Ye Do With
Jesus" approximately 100 men and
women responded to the appeal to
come over on the Lords side"
oHJVOp AtNChu SCENACCbs
Billy Sunday spoke yesterday to
about 1900 persons. There were about
5000 in the audience at the morning
meeting; 10000 at the afternoon ses-
sion and last night 1900 persons. Sew
eral hundred were turned away in the
evening and extra seats had to be
placed on the platform.
Many men and women sat in the
sawdust and the steps leading to the
choir platform were crowded. Even
the members OF the Sunday party were
pushed back" into the choir seats to
make room for those who couldn't
get even standing room elsewhere in
the big building.
There was a more spontaneous re-
sponse TO the trail hitting invitation"
last night than at any meeting in
the Tabernacle since the "aisle walk
ing" began. Billy made one plea to
the soldiers lined up in the choir plat
form and they came forward in a
body. Men and women crowded each
other in their desire to edge their
way to the platform where Billy was
standing ready to grasp their hands.
They came, not in single file, as has
been the custom, but three and four
rows deep.
Many of the women, and some Of
tie. men. too. touched NY the granhic
pictures of the results Of a sinful life
as painted by the evangelist, came
forward with tear-stained eyes, while
several women held handkerchiefs to
their faces. The ushers and secre-
taries had q hard time of 1t trying
to get records of the name, address
and church preferences of the trail
walkers and Rody Kept the great
choir singing long after the evange-
list had stepped out of the pit" back
to the platform so as to give the Of
fetal recorders more time in which
to collect the statistics. so vital to
the follow up" work OF the revival
Secretary of the Navy Daniels and
his son and the Minister from Bel
gium were on the platform at the
morning meeting. The Secretary
hasn't missed a Sunday morning serv-
ice since the campaign started. In
the evening platform seats were oc-
cupied by Representative Baker, of
California, and his wife; Mrs. Thomas
r. Marshall. wife of the Vice Presi-
dent; United States Attorney John f.
Laskey and Mrs. Laskey, and Mai.
De Monti, of the French army.
In his evening sermon Billy mic
tured the trials of Jesus before PLATE
and His subsequent surrender to the
mob by the Roman governor In the
evangelist's opinion, "old PLATE was
CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX.