The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-01-30
BILLY SUNDAY AND THE NEWCASTLE,
Pa, REVIVAL" BY DIR. GRAFTON s.
BROOKS; PAPER READ BEFORE LIONS
CLUB AT REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY

church was upon its knees. The .
local organization was as complete
and perfect as could be Imagined. We .
had trained choir of a thousand of .
the best voices of the city. New
castle is largely WeIch and they are .
wonderful singers.
We built a tabernacle seating 1000 .
people and they We're altogether ia
one place The acoustic properties !
OF that rude structure were marVe-
lousy perfect The evangelist brought !
with him trained corps of eight |
heh,ers, each 1t specialist in his line /
After all this is said, it must be
frankly stated lnat the greatest force. |
humanity speaking, was the preacher
himself. He cannot be described, nor
analyzed. Was Blind Tom an un-
account able prodigy as a musician!
So l. William A. Sunday as a preach-
er He addressed the masses in their
own ,pinacular. Abstract theological
themes he clothed in the language OF
the street. With fiery invection he
denounced sin in low places rs in
high. Righteousness, the church ana
Christ Jesus he exalted. He is a close
studen. of men and the Scriptures.
An omniverous and voracious reader
te makes everything contribute to his
Sc mons His courage is reckless and
his faith is daring. Original, spectac-
ular and sensational, he is beyond per-
al senture. And yet he preached the
fullest, sanest, safest gospel | ever
heard in u union revival. With pitt
| less fury and terrible energy he fought
the liquor traffic, giving no quarter
1 and asking none. He entertained,
/ amused and convulsed his hearers,
convinced them, convicted them and
moved them to forsake sin and turn
to God. Touching the Holy Spirit,
his personality, office and methods oil
work in the world today. He is in
substantial accord with the best
thought among the people who are
evangelical. There was no supersi-
! ton or mysticism here. !
He preached faith and repentance
but invariably placed repentance be-
| fore faith. He preached baptism as
one OF the great commands Of Christ
but confessed that in n union meet
| ing he could not and would not dis
cuss the mode
He can sling slang with the fluency
of John l.. Sullivan, but with such
evident earnestness Of purpose that
the most sensitive soul is scarcely dis
turbed. Toward the first OF the cam
paign he performed incredible aero
batic stunts, indulged in much classic
slang and employed sensational tao
tics, but after he had the ear OF the
county through entire sermons his
grammar would be faultless and his
diction flawless. His fourteen years
/ of travel and experience have gwen
him an inexhaustibe fund Of illustra-
ton from which he draws with prodi-
eality and with fine dramatic effect
for he is a real genius as an actor;
comedian or tragedian as the thought
demands. Not the least important
result of his work in this staid COM
placent community Is that conserVa-
ton is gone. Steroperfunctky' the
curse of thousands OF our churches, Is
utterly destroyed. He simplifled ana
popularized Christianity and made II
the natural theme or the homes ana
the streets and the shops and the
mills.
The power OF the press must not
be forgotten. Columns of bright anu
newsy stories about the revival were
printed every day and the sermons
More puhlished In full and read 10y
thousands who never saw the tober'
naclc.
'IIe interested the best brains OF
the city and counted among the con-
verts men in the highest business anu
professional walks Of life. Eight
thousand men packed the taoernaclc
six consecutive Sunday afternoons 10
hear his great speeches TO men ohSr
and the mixed audiences would o'teh
show n majority OF men. Among inc
converts during the campaign anu
afterwards. ~ 1t was continued ]"
thc churches by the local MINISTER'S
the mon had 4 clear majority. lie
appenlod especially to men.
"Tho criminal classes heard him
GLADLY. During one Sunday evening
service at the tabernacle. u Iorth.'
detective and Lieutenant oil police call
cl attention 10 the ushcrs 10 the iac'
that In one section. with sea'ihE
capacity or nincty-eight persons inc
following classification might "'
made:
seven. professional gamblers; oigh,
professional prostitutes; twenty dfntN-
ards; one saloon proprietor; Tour "N'
tcnders and fifteen men ana women
who had served time rs convlcts IN
Z institutions other than lock-ups OF
county jails.
As result Of the meetings, i've
i of these professional vunblcrs, thrr'
nf tho prostitutes. nearly all OF IN,
drunkards. two ut the baricndcrs' anu
five o' the former convois, oohicsS''
MDr iaith In Christ
' "Nn half way decision satisfied h'i"'
, To merely sign "a card was no'n'nE d,
y him IN, invitation was simple "n'
direct NJ lengthy appeal was m"d.
An tho orthodox cyangelisuc laws WIN
y r.sn.c, to the Invitation were hrok."
0Ittu WIN nv NhNh A'i"
audience seated hc would call Tor con
=, ycrts to RISE and come forward a"0
they promptly responded By scoros
y somctltncs the audience stool ah'
% Gang softly. sometimes with fuil pow
y or. II hundreds LETT the building du'
81 ing the invitation It seemed to max
X M difference IN the results nor di'
.s II lar tho ycnslbnlues OF the evan
x pclist. There wUs "a marked ireenou
r and spontanlety about the entire ser
d vlce. but especially he invi'@uo'
period
"onen when some we'll known MAJ
be- wen, forward or when group wen
ld in body the audience would ef'h'
is into applause There was real j"
u -. .,.., a.. tu hrnNVt over on