"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
There is a thorough organization of the Christian work of the
University; so careful plans were laid for the visit of the evangelist.
The meetings were made the subject of student prayer groups, and all
that forethought could do to secure the smooth running of the day's
services was carefully attended to. Students were to be admitted by
their registration cards, and a few hundred other guests, mostly
ministers and persons identified with the University, were given
special admission cards.
There is no such rush for grand opera tickets in Philadelphia as was
experienced for these coveted cards of admission to the Billy Sunday
meetings at the University. The noon meeting and the night meetings
were exclusively for men, but in the afternoon a few score favored
women were admitted. The result was that in these three services
the evangelist talked to representatives of the best life of the
conservative old city of Philadelphia. He never before had faced so
much concentrated culture as was represented that day within the walls
of the great gymnasium.
This improvised auditorium could be made to hold about three thousand
persons, especially when the hearers were students, and skilful in
crowding and utilizing every inch of space, such as window sills and
rafters. The line of ticket holders that gathered before the opening
of the doors itself preached a sermon to the whole city. As one of the
Philadelphia newspapers remarked, in the title it gave to a section
of its whole page of Billy Sunday pictures, "Wouldn't think they
were striving for admittance to a religious service, would you?" The
newspapers, by pen and camera, chronicled this Billy Sunday day at the
University as the city's most important news for that issue.
The evangelist's chorister, Homer Rodeheaver, led the introductory
service of music. He set the college boys to singing and whistling
familiar gospel hymns, and Mrs. De Armond's "If Your Heart Keeps
Right"--a refrain which was heard for many weeks afterward in
University corridors and campus.
From the first the students, than whom there are no more critical
hearers alive, were won by Billy Sunday. Provost Smith, who has the
men's hearts, introduced him in this happy fashion:
"Billy Sunday is a friend of men. He is a friend of yours and a friend
of mine, and that's why we are glad to have him here today to tell us
about his other friend, Jesus Christ. His is the spirit of friendship,
and we are glad to extend to him our fellowship while we have the
opportunity."
The three addresses given on that day were "What Shall I Do with
Jesus?" "Real Manhood," and "Hot-cakes off the Griddle."
These fragments of the three addresses culled from the newspaper
reports give the flavor of the messages heard by the students:
"What shall I do with Jesus?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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