Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-01-12
M II. C.. FIELD.

Lay :. ~
This question was directed to me
Eeveral years ago soon after tho evan
sel.st had finished revival meeting
il Western Pennsylvania, My answer
hen was ''he Isl the greatest force
yielding :udgel to drive sin and
corruption from the land and make
9,nis country better piace in when
live By bringing to the average !nan mar.
a consciouSne that. although ne ma!
hot be his brothers keeper. hc can
III, least aid him In living a ire ac.
y G Gh '
Having covered" as We say in news
>aper par,ance. three Billy SUNDAY re.
I'iVais, and observed the results sine
hen. have as set found no valid
eason for changing my mind.
IN ILLINOIS CITY
Ny frs. encounter with .r, Biil ~, sun
on it made upon me ] shall never
PtEet. was with the SUNDAY partE
the special train on the Watas sa
Is way to Wiuona where sunday in
ENDED resting up a few weeks before
tartlng on ANOTHER big meeting. .n .e
ned on both sides Of the tracks Tor
mile or more thousands OF people
tho accorded him the Chautauqua sn :
lite as the train gathered speed. This
:enc can far better be imagined than
described II impressed me profoundly.
The next time ! met Billy SSiu ,;,;
"A. AS Is the case in most every city
e visits. there Is an element that pre-
tets that now that Sunday has come
he town Is sure TO go 10 the DOW
THAT was what they said In sharon
nd for the first few weeks there were
wv to be found outside OF the churches
Sharon who did not share that be
cf Here is a concrete illustration.
ne Saturday afternoon. week AFTER
Inday opened, his meetings. | walked
ito a barber shop. A casual remark
as made that caused a storm OF pro
sting voices from. the crowd gath
3: EIt's all off now. the town Is go
to be so .Eoody-good that there
II be no living in 1t "Sunday Is
bringing him here will rue the
~, There were others, and ! frank
admit some were OF Il more bolster
rs character.
EMINENT CHANGES
QUICKLY IN SHARON
when Sunday had been there three
eks. ! again entered the same place
4 Saturday afternoon. TO test the
cling then prevalent. opened the
|nversatiop with an abuse on Billy
hnday. although much mildcr In form
an had listened to some weeks be
re. lima CINE my sui? prise when the
oprietor stepped UP. TO me. and. Win
arms akimbo. informed me hatly
at any man who said such things
out Billy Sunday could find no space
that shop.
This same condition prevailed also
the restaurants and wherever men
ere wout'to congrcEate.
The most striking Illustration Of the
ectiveness OF Sundays influence. vas
ftttcularfy noted one sunday after
on after the revival had been under
s. for four weeks. sunday was
kchinE his noted sermon on booze.
tabernacle was built TO hold l.e9n
selves into the building. Every
of the audience was over sixteen
of age and Of the male le. gender
notice given. and none appeared.
WAS in this sermon that Sunday
es the most striking illustration on
|edinS the booze mill" that il known
the history OF temperance work.
1SS 500 CONVERTS ~
HIS SINGLE SERMON
When ne had finished. 54e men
alked down the center aisle and took
nday by, the hand. piedging to live
seotiers have ae!iga,ed in saying:
rect" /, mi sht sn;eres, them also ITO to
te. that IN that 542 men VINO walked
wn the sawdust trail that SUNDAY
ere lawyers. doctors. the Mayor OF
%, city. the manager OF the traction
stSn., the head OF TWO Of the larger
ESk DtdHtS In the NaltcN, as Wen
astenders of both the Eagles and
IS. Club. Another. man had handed
.pnddlers." as the steel men, call
pssf ass bt1 r@T SGm ns ihIty
knowing that he was out OF Il job
t aus Of his his step; STEP The las, ! heard
ono OF he large Industrial plants,
ID was still a consistent church
During the early weeks tina, Sunday
il, hu ~
sought By divers means TO belittle
efforts, Such expressions as: "Oh
he can sway those blatherski,es
he NJ iddle West and get them all
led, but the East is different.
where he meets his Waterloo"
maj count showed that he had
HINGED more than 5000 persons they
L with God" ~ - SCI
6S THAN TWENTY-FIVE
r TURN OUT "BACkSLlDERSn
q ting back TO the question of the
inning; II was yea: later when
church paper requested an opinion
n the result of the revival. took
mater up with the various pas
than twenty-five mad ''backslid."
eund that the Presbyterian Church
s. stu packed TO the doors and that
r;mcrsasinr msmb benifs II! Thc NJ Il:
Church was forced to build on an
enhance, while the United IresLv
ian Church halted the building IL
under construction when Sunday
PIC, renodeled the plans and pro
ed an exceptionally large addition
the building. Every church in the
chad added from $50 to 900 ne.y
Ybers. while many of the churchcs
New Castle. Youngstown and tho
HoupdiDg towns had dozens OF ac-
4ons as a direct result Of the re-
6me time later was again in De-
pr. ] found there spirit dominat-
two years fter Sunday had left.
e was just as fervent as when BilIV
da was shaking the hypocrites bv
nap OF the neck aud arousing those
rch members who had fallen into
nthargy from which had eventuaiiv
ed themselves into a self-compia
;y that threatened the ruinatinn
he Congregations, On the Sabbath
-; the people held their individual
vices In their churches. while in tho
rneon they all gathered in the
ic park where the Sunday choir
py an enthusiastic leader. sang
onSs OF the tabernacle days and
spn}st minister gave sermon
lbli5g ,as closely as possible those
bred by the evangelist. Happi.
was expressed upon Their coun-
AnCos. i... e''i