"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for ChristEllis, William T. (William Thomas)
Religion
"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for Christ
Ellis, William T. (William Thomas)
Baseball players -- United States -- Biography; Evangelists -- United States -- Biography; Sunday, Billy, 1862-1935
How little he thinks when he is nursing that lust that he is nursing a
demon which, like a vampire, will suck his blood and wreck his life and
blacken and blight his existence. And if any little children are born
to him, they will be weak anemics without the proper blood in their
veins to support them. Our young men ought to be taught that no sum
they can leave to a charitable institution can blot out the deeds of an
ignominious life. You don't have to look far for the reason why so many
young men fail; why they go through life weak, ambitionless, useless.
Common Sense
Let's be common folks together today. Let's be men, and talk sense.
As a rule a man wants something better for his children than he has
had for himself. My father died before I was born and I lived with my
grandfather. He smoked, but he didn't want me to. He chewed, but he
didn't want me to. He drank, but he didn't want me to. He cussed, but
he didn't want me to. He made wine that would make a man fight his own
mother after he had drunk it. I remember how I used to find the bottles
and suck the wine through a straw or an onion top.
One day a neighbor was in and my grandfather asked him for a chew. He
went to hand it back, and I wanted some. He said I couldn't have it. I
said I wanted it anyhow, and he picked me up and turned me across his
knee and gave me a crack that made me see stars as big as moons.
If there is a father that hits the booze, he doesn't want his son to.
If he is keeping some one on the side, he doesn't want his son to. In
other words, you would not want your son to live like you if you are
not living right.
An old general was at the bedside of his dying daughter. He didn't
believe in the Bible and his daughter said, "What shall I do? You
don't believe in the Bible. Mamma does. If I obey one I'm going against
the other." The old general put his arms around his daughter and said:
"Follow your mother's way; it is the safest." Man wants his children to
have that which is sure.
I have sometimes imagined that young fellow in Luke xv. He came to
his father and said, "Dig up. I'm tired of this and want to see the
world." His father didn't know what he meant. "Come across with the
mazuma, come clean, divvy. I want the coin, see?" Finally the father
tumbled, and he said, "I got you," and he divided up his share and gave
it to the young man. Then he goes down to Babylon and starts out on a
sporting life. He meets the young blood and the gay dame. I can imagine
that young fellow the first time he swore. If his mother had been near
he would have looked at her and blushed rose red. But he thought he had
to cuss to be a man.
No man can be a good husband, no man can be a good father, no man can
be a respectable citizen, no man can be a gentleman, and swear. You can
hang out a sign of gentleman, but when you cuss you might as well take
it in.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account