Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1925-07-10

couldn't preach that evening, but
his place would be taken by a man
from Chicago who had been con
verted from a base ball player in |
to an evangelist, and presented
Billy Sunday.
The audience was visibly disap-
pointed. Williams was the hero
of the hour and Sunday was un-
known. Their disappointment
first turned to surprise, then to
rapt attention, and Sunday held
that vast audience for over AMI
hour by sheer physical magnetism,
coupled with an unmistakable zeal,
and an enthusiasm that left no
doubt in the minds of anyone that
they were listening to a man who
honestly believed something. When
Sunday commenced to talk, the
people were ready to scott. When
he closed his address they were
ready to pray.
The writer will never forget the
( text and the outline of his sermon.
"What shall the end be Of them
that obey not the gospel of Godf"
That was the text. He dwelled on
the sadness of the end of all things.
People sorrowed at the end Of
summer. They regretted the end
of school life. They dropped tears
at the end of a passing loved one.
Then he turned his guns on the
fact that everything had two ends
AN apparent end and real end
Summer ended, but it would come
again. School would close, but
commencement followed. Death
meant short sleep and then the
eternal awakening. The text
dwelt on the real end-the eter-
nal end. What would be the eter-
nal end of disobedience to the Cos
; pelY He piled up scripture after
scripture to show the end would
be darkness, sorrow, separation
! from the good, and the gnawing Of
conscience, forever crying out:
"Of all sad words of tongue OF
pen,
The saddest are these: it might
have been"
At the close Of the sermon he
introduced for the first time tt
! my knowledge the phrase Of fol.
, lowing "the sawdust trail
. jScores of people walked down the
!, trail, took him by the hand, and
in tears solemnly pledge them
selves to the Christian life. Nc
, one could have been in that meet
!. ing and gone away feeling that il
: was humbug. Sunday was sincere
e and the great work of William A
Sunday had started!
OIL The writer met Mr.. Sunday
e shook his hand, and since tina
5 time has often doubted the wis
j dom of his methods, and the consis
4 tency of much of his slang, but ha'
S never doubted that Mr.. Sunday il
d 1000 honest with himself and hi.
i followers. He has lived goot
j. clean life, he has cleaned up many
b of the vices of big cities which
|. have been rampant, and he ha
|, ever been an implacable foe Of th,
e saloon and the things for whicl
e. it stood. Unless we misread tn,
: movement of things in general
t the work Billy Sunday has dom
e will be far more for good thai
h evil. He has hurt many good mel
J. and women in the methods he EN-
d |ploys. He has been ridiculed 70,
t attacking the orderly manner o
t religious services. He has beef
/ called clown, blackguard, momte
i bank and hypocrite. But he ha
d led thousands Of the common PEG
A pie of this generation to seek afte
Ell the God he proclaims, and thou
IS sands of others have turned iron
d wicked, foul, and vicious live
81 to lead a religious life in approve,
y orthodox style. Liars have qui
< lying, thieves have quit stealing
eel libertines have quit the primros
i path for personal cleanliness
drunkards have quit drinking, AM
in hundreds Of homes today tn
name of Billy Sunday is held i