They Praise Billy Sunday at Knoxville

a a THEY PRAISE BILLY SUNDAY AT I nni I I I KNOXVILLE PEOPLE LAITY AND vnnv,. LIKE EVAN0ELI8T. . - , D,,kll. e.nera and secuiar r miiyiuH' r- cations Speak Highly of Base-Ball Player Preacher. 1 . Often criticisms of Billy Sunday the strenuous evangelist, are heard But that is only one side of the que tin A nrn ph ('' of Sunday's strenu ous mold invites criticism from thoj to whom a long face ana a "-n dignity of manner represent the bignj st characteristics of religious attaint net ' J J n i v, harp met Sunday and worked with him in the cause M t dear to 'the evangelist feel aiuereu T. j tthe, following article from the BaptJst Record shows hom he was regarded from two different view point in the citv of Knoxvllle, where f reeenti iino:! a eorfps of meetinga The article contains flrBt a report i sent In t th nopnrri'K corresnond- ent at Knoxvllle giving the view held of the nvitnmiiat hv the church people, and a clipping from the Knoxvllle Ext-1 press showing he war Sunday is tr i garded by the secular press of thai place. The article follows: They Praise Evangelist Sunday. Dear Record I have been asked to report the Billy Sunday meetings at Knoxvllle. Thev lasted 31 days. Mr.i Sunday delivered some sixty different addresses. There1 was op position to his coming but how the predudice melted away when he once got to work! Before h came ve werej told to wlthold our criticlsnjp until we had counted our converts); 1,007 signed cards: while many df those who signed were already church members others have come forward and united with the churches who had signed no card. Some W different denominations were represented on the cards. One of the converts, a man well kr.oWn in this part of the county, asked his old associates to figure up how much he had won from them at cards. a They reported $400. He refunded the I money. If this isn't religion its near I enough akin to it to deceive the vefy elect. of In one home a $3 deck of cards went up in smoke. One fellow handed M.r. j Sunday his dice as he shook hands therewith him. Should any of the la4y j readers of the Record have the good fortune to hear Mr. Sunday it will well for such of them as this applies i to to remember that he requests thejtne "fldglty, fanning, fainting females )to j sji. uwt me a.Bioa wm?ro us couier. i nv expense oi tne meeting aproxi-mated $2,700; our free will offering jto Mr. Sunday was $3,148. Total Expense upwards of $5,800. j Its a ques tion u me nuoxvuie peopio ever wot as muuu iu rciurn iur. u) iu,k , h they have ever expended. J. B. Edmonson. Billy Sunday Is a man who improves upon acquaintance. You may not like Fome things he says, or the way he pays (them; you may prefer the old-fashioned methods of church service. you may wish he was different in some minor matters or Deiin or opinion but ylou must like him if you hear him talk many times and meet and talk ; sum-with i him The Rxnress has never r - r; . j- seen any reason to change its opinion of Billy Sunday: "Born a man and ,;-eirus. i never rallen from nis nign estate. Many newspapers hava erltlcised him very harshly, but the Express Will never have harsh names to call this whole-souled, big-hearted magnetic fellow who takes you by the hand in a way that makes you feel that here Is a friend If you ever need one. During his stay In Knoxvllle his relations with ; this paper have been cordihl. Several times he has "dropped Ifa" on his way up town, and a more pleasant caller one could not ask. tie has been in so many places, experienced so many upa and downs of fortune, and known so wide a range of human nature that he Is a man of is remarkable breadth or mina ann ncn-1 ness of Information. And the Bqnfi has a word of advice to its fellow is newspaper men everywhere: Don't be afraid of Billy Sunday, no matter what you may hear of his opinions orjjjjg meinoas; ne is a man an mrougu, huu pretty nearly uDuersiauuB juui sition as well as his own; treat blm like a gentleman and he will do the right thing by you; and when he gets tn to