Billy Sunday ‘makes almost 2,000 moves in a single talk’

The movements and gestures of Billy Sunday have never failed to attract attention everywhere he goes. He is probably more active in the pulpit than any other preacher in the world to-day. Many try to imitate him, but none entirely successfully.

It has been figured the evangelist will make 1,700 or 1,800 moves in the ordinary sermon and in some of the longer ones, he moves 2,000 or 2,500 times, or even more.

In a recent sermon an effort was made to keep tally of every move the evangelist made. He gesticulated with one or both hands 884 times in less than one hour on that occasion, this being the most numerous movement of any one kind. He struck the pulpit in front of him with his clenched fist 826 times, and he swung from one side of the pulpit to the other exactly 229 times. On 121 different occasions, he paced from one end of the platform to the other, and 68 times he waved his handkerchief, either in the air or by his side.

The South Bend Tribune. Sat, Jun 07, 1913 ·Page 6

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Author: Kraig McNutt

Email me at tellinghistory[at]yahoo.com

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