The Washington herald., 1918-01-14
PLEDGES
AIDTO LAST
DITCH" In WAR
Hides His Tears at Memory
Of Father Killed in
Conflict.

SOnIllCl.
Nearly 5000 persons heard Billy Sum
day preach a rafting good sermon
yesterday. but only a very few OF them
saw thetnoted evangelist shed tears
as he spoke Of his early days OF pm
walton and his school days"
The audience was busy cheering
Billy's declaration that he would
fight for Uncle Sam TO the last ditch
and 1t didn't notice that he was
cho<ed up with sobs and that tears
blinded his eyes.
Secretary of the Interior Lane. ac-
companied by Mrs. Lane and their
son. who is a lieutenant in the navy.
noted the tears. So did a few others
in the ''silk-lid'' section and the re-
porters in the press box.
Never Saw His Father.
Billy ''reminisenced'' a bit and took
his audience back to the days when he
was left without his father on the old
farm in Iowa. Billy. by the way.
never saw his own father. He died
about three months before Billy was
born. He was a soldier in the. Union
army and was ''shot up by the Con-
federates
Mother couldn't support u.s. said
Billy. so we spent several years in
the soldiers orphanages in Iowa. For
what little education ever got in
those days / have TO thank Uncle
Sam. He took care OF me in his
orphanages and he took care or
mother with dads pension"
Couldn't Hold Back.
That started the tears. Billy winEed
his eyes and tried hard to hold them
back But twas no use.
I'd be fine sort Of guy now
he declared. IF / wouldn't 20 the
limit for Uncle Sam. wouldn't Il
And you can bet I'll fight for him
! to the last ditch"
Billy was cheered and cheered.
Secretary Lane joining in the sp-
plause. He slipped out his hand
kerchief slowly and rubbed il TO
his eyes in a way that he figured
wouldn't cause any comment But
Billy didn't put il over that time.
There were those who saw-and
were touched.
Pleads for Old Religion.
The sermon was an appeal for the
"old-time religion" and a slam at
churches everywhere for their ice
box methods" of spreading Christi
anity. He didn't lose a chance TO
throw the harpoon" into Germany.
That came when the evangelist was
talking about signs of the time
and when he was emphasizing that
the world map would be consider
ably changed Following the war.
The borders of France will reach
to the Rhine" commented Billy.
and the tri-color flag will wave
over Alsace-Lorraine instead of that
dirty rag they call the German flag.
Thai Potsdam bunch won't have so
much as they've got today. you can
bet your life"
Billy slapped the foreign irnmi-'
grafton that makes OF this coun-
try "tbe backyard of Europe. into
which It is dumping its criminals
He told OF the influx OF the crimi-
nal and pauper classes from Europe
and Of their refusal TO assimilate
with the people here, and declared
! that ''if they don't like the way
we're doing doing things here, they
can beat it back TO their European
kennels"
Billy shouted:
TO hell with the divine right Of
kings"
"Gott und l." he cried, as he
hguratively spat on the platform
floor. That gets my goat. I don't
think God ever looked at the
Kaiser"
Billy declared that the church is
successful in proportion to its evan
gelism. He declared the evangelical
church is an ice house." and that
the evangelistic church is a church
on fire"
Too Many Ice Houses.
There are too many ice houses
on our street corners" declared
Billy. Amen" shouted brother in
the front row.
Yes" shouted Billy pointing in the
direction of the amen" visitor, ''snd
there are too many cakes OF ice float
ing around in the pews."
This brought cheers and applause
from the ministers section on the plat
form.
Billy denounced the 'fsms and sssms
that divert attention from the Gospel
of Christ" and declared that ''sr the
ethical culture teachings and eUgeuics
and higher criticism aren't worth q
whoop il Christ is left out Of their
doctrines"
His Gospel Best.
There are many preachers who can
preach the Gospel better than ] can. &"
declared Billy, but there isn't one
who can preach a better gospel
Billy declared he is "a halfway
house between the brown church and
the Salvation Army" In Billy's opin-
ion We need a new article in our
1 creeds.
1T should read" he said, 'I believe
in Hell-H-E-L-L, with fire and briu1-
stone and everlasting damnation for
the unsaved."
Billy declared that IL the United
States army was 'officered by sucu
men as the church is ofTicered. 'It
would be licked TO a frazzle before u
could pop the first gun"
The evangelist praisC1 the Masons.
knights OF Pythias, knights OF Colum-
bus, Woodmen of the World and other
frsternal bodies. "for their phila"-
thropy." He insisted they are doiuS
the work the church Jf the country
should do and could DO II they would
give one-tenth Of their income 70
| charity