The Ely miner., 1918-06-21
lfBILLY" SUNDAY
Noted Evangelist Visits Old
Stamping Ground Monday.

"Billy" Sunday, who
played center field in Chi
cago's famous pennant ball
team, is now fighting the
devil in Ely. Mr.. Sunday
has won as great notoriety in
recent years at evangelistic
work, as he once did as a ball
player. Whatever he does,
he does with all his heart.
He realizes that the war with
the powers Of darkness is to
be no sham battle if right
eousness is to triumph over
sin. He therefore treats sin
without gloves. He prefers
Anglo-Saxon words to Latin
derivatives, because they
mean more to the average
man. -
The above clipping was taken
from the Ely Miner of June 16,
1899. Just nineteen years later
almost to the very day and week,
Billy Sunday, the most re-
nowned evangelist of the day,
visited his numerous Ely friends
and spoke to one of the largest
audiences ever assembled in this
city at the Washington Auditor
ium. Everybody and his brother
were there and listened to this
noted divine lambast sal tan for
two hours with words that were
both forcible and understandable.
1t is estimated that there were
over 1,200 people in the audi
torium who had occupied the
seats for over an hour before the
evangelist and his party arrived,
in order to get advantageous posi-
tions.
Mr.. Sunday was accompanied
by his Choir Leader Rodeheaver
and male quartette. On the
stage with the evangelist were
also Rev. Mapson of the Presby-
terian Church, Rev. Koivumaki
and Rev. Ruotsolainen Of the
Finnish churches and T h S.
Owens and daughter, Mrs. Locker,
OF Two Harbors. Mr.. Rodehea-
yer opened the meeting by asking
all to sing, he leading in the songs
with the trombone. The quar-.
tette also gave several choice Sc
lection after which Rode" gave
a short talk.
"Billy" Sunday has lost none
of his enthusiasm since being here
nineteen years ago. His appear.
ance has not altered to any large
extent and barring just a little
sign of being older, appears just
as vigorous and full Of 'pep" as
when he left the ball field for tht
pulpit, He opened his sermon
with a few remarks in which h
congratulated Ely and its citizens
on the growth of the city, its hand
some appearance and its public
buildings. He said that in all his
travels from Maine to California
he had spoken in various build
ings of every conceivable nature
but that in any Of the places h.
had not spoken in any building
that chad anything on" the au
ditorium here. He expressed
himself as most agreeably sur
prised at the appearance of El.
now and when he was here be
fore. He then launched into hi
sermon right from the jump of
and for two hours kept the larg'
audience interested and listening
with the most marked attention
being frequently interrupted witt
applause. His patriotic outburst
were particularly greeted witt
enthusiastic and prolonged ap
i plause. The prayer at the con
clusion of the sermon was a mas
terpiece.
j It seldom falls to the lot o
cities Of the size Of Ely to b
visited by men of such world
wide Importance as that enjoye'
by BILLY" Sunday. This wa
only made possible by the kind
ness of Superintendent Tho.
Owens Of the Duluth & Iro
Range who rendered Mr.. Sunda
the use of his private car, and tn
overwhelming desire Of Mr.. Sur
day to again go over his oil
s a mpin G grounds, Ely an
Tower. The evangelists part
spent the night in the car, leavin
on Tuesday mornings train fo
Virginia where q meeting wa
held at IL o'clock.