Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-13
SUNDAY SPENT
EARLY LIFE IN
ORPHAN S HOME
BereaFed Of Father When a Child
Evangelist is Nutured by DaT-
export Institution

city not as a stranger, but as man
returning to the place that he long
knew as home. When small
child he lost his father who was
called away to the service Of his
country and his mother, unable to
support the growing boy, placed
him in the orphans home in Dav-
export. Here he remained until IA
years of age, from there going with
his brother Edward to live with
their grandfather on farm near
Ames, Iowa. Their grandfather
was a man characterized as big
hearted and Billy was his favorite
grandson. 1t is recorded that on
one occasion the old man addressed
the lad in some such terms as,
listen to me, son; at is not what
YOU wear on you but what you have
in you that makes man. Be hon
est and do your work with all your
might and then some day you won't
have to wear a white collar to make
folks look up at you "a prediction
that has been abundantly fulfilled.
1t was while employed as driver
of a delivery cart for firm in
Marshalltown that Captain Arson,
manager of the famous White
Stockings Baseball club of the Ma
tional league, heard of Billy Sun
day. who had been giving indica-
tons of his ability as a baseball
player while a member of the local
. club. Arson, ever on the lookout
Nor new blood, became interested in
him and at once planned a baseball
test. This proved so satisfactory
that Sunday gave up his job and
came with Arson to Chicago and
commenced training for profess
sionaI baseball. Many interesting
stories are told regarding his life
as a player.
OF the story of his conversion
Billy Sunday says:
"Thirty-one years ago 1 walked
down a street in Chicago in COM
pany with some ball players. many
of them famous the world over, and
we went into a saloon. 1t was
Sunday afternoon and we got filled
up and went down and sat by a
vacant lot at the corner of State
and Van Buren, streets (the spot
now occupied by the Siegel Cooper
store). Across the street a COM
pany of men and women were play
ing some musical instruments
while others were singing the Cos
pei hymns that l recalled were
sung in our little log cabin and
Sunday school back in Iowa. The
meeting was led by Harry Monroe.
God painted on the canvas of my
recollection a vivid picture of the
scenes and faces of other days. It
was friend Harry who came and
invited me to attend meeting in
the mission which was only two
blocks away. l arose and said to
the boys, 1 am going to hear about
Jesus Christ This was the part
@ng of the ways, and two or three
days later in the mission rooms,
while listening to the sweet, per
suasive words OF Mrs. Clarke wife
of the sanity Colonel Clarke,
founder of the mission), L took
Christ as my all-suficient Savior.
Sunday continued to play profess
sional ball for some time after
ward. Mr.. Messer of the Chicago
Y NJ. c. A. tells the story of how
Sunday frequently came TO the as
sociation rooms, and / could not
but notice how very anxious he was
to talk to men and boys at every
available opportunity. l gave him.
continued Mr. Messer, letters to
Y. M c. A secretaries in cities he
was to visit on his baseball tours,
and on Sunday afternoons and eve
nings he would make addresses in
the Y M c. A. auditoriums. His
fame as a player was SO great that /
crowds invariably attended Oh |
every occasion. Returning to Chi /,
cago, Billy Sunday came TO me, +
adds Mr.. Messer, and said he had /.
decided to enter Y NJ. c. A. work. /
I talked matters over. placed before |
him our financial position, which /
would not then permit of our pay
ing more than $1,000 a year salary. +
Billy, however, took the position /
and became a most devoted |
worker"
Once Book Agent.
1t was shortly after this that /
Billy Sunday came in touch with |
DR.. Wilbur Chapman, who showed |
him much kindness, and with whom
he eventually became attached, his
work being to sell hymn-bOoks at
the evangelistiC meetings. On one
occasion Doctor Chapman called
upon Billy to give his testimony.
1.-THE simple statement so impress
ed me-" relates Doctor Chapman,
that l remarked that a man with
such a message ought to preach.
On Doctor Chapman accepting the
call to the Bethany Presbyterian
church, Philadelphia, Billy Sunday
became associated with Charles
and NJ. b Williams,
who were then holding evangelis-
tic services in the middle west. Will
liams made a profound impression
upon Sunday and it was from him
he learned his present methods.
Leaving these men. Billy Sunday /,
decided to launch out as an evan
gelist himself, and from that time
to the present day he has steadily
grown in power and influence. His
his personality
are unique in every respect, and of ,
those who have sought to initiate
him, failure might be written con- F.,
corning the majority. Resultant
from his campaign tens of thou
sands have hit the trail" 1t may
be of interest to explain the signif1-
canoe of the term the "sawdust
trail" Billy Sunday refers to It ]
in the following manner: ''Imag-
inc, he said, "a lumberman lost
in the big woods. He has wan .
iered bewildered for days . Death
stares him in the face. Then, spent I
l. .