"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
Some men ought to be hurled out of society; they ought to be kicked
out of lodges; they ought to be kicked out of churches, and out of
politics, and every other place where decent men live or associate. And
I want to lift the burden tonight from the heads of the unoffending
womanhood and hurl it on the heads of offending manhood.
Rid the world of those despicable beasts who live off the earnings of
the unfortunate girl who is merchandising herself for gain. In some
sections they make a business of it. I say commercialized vice is hell.
I do not believe any more in a segregated district for immoral women
than I would in having a section for thieves to live in where you could
hire one any day or night in the week to steal for you. There are two
things which have got to be driven out or they'll drive us out, and
they are open licensed saloons and protected vice.
Society needs a new division of anathemas. You hurl the burden on the
head of the girl; and the double-dyed scoundrel that caused her ruin
is received in society with open arms, while the girl is left to hang
her head and spend her life in shame. Some men are so rotten and vile
that they ought to be disinfected and take a bath in carbolic acid and
formaldehyde. Shut the lodge door in the face of every man that you
know to be a moral leper; don't let him hide behind his uniform and his
badge when you know him to be so rotten that the devil would duck up an
alley rather than meet him face to face. Kick him out of church. Kick
him out of society.
You don't live your life alone. Your life affects others. Some girls
will walk the streets and pick up every Tom, Dick and Harry that will
come across with the price of an ice-cream soda or a joy ride.
So with the boy. He will sit at your table and drink beer, and I want
to tell you if you are low-down enough to serve beer and wine in your
home, when you serve it you are as low down as the saloon-keeper, and
I don't care whether you do it for society or for anything else. If
you serve liquor or drink you are as low down as the saloon-keeper in
my opinion. So the boy who had not grit enough to turn down his glass
at the banquet and refuse to drink is now a blear-eyed, staggering
drunkard, reeling to hell. He couldn't stand the sneers of the crowd.
Many a fellow started out to play cards for beans, and tonight he
would stake his soul for a show-down. The hole in the gambling table
is not very big; it is about big enough to shove a dollar through; but
it is big enough to shove your wife through; big enough to shove your
happiness through; your home through; your salary, your character;
just big enough to shove everything that is dear to you in this world
through.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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