Category: Campaign

What did Billy think of the South Bend campaign?

Citation: The South Bend Tribune. Mon, Jun 16, 1913 ·Page 12

I regard the South Bend – Mishawaka revival Meeting as Marvelous. Judged by every standard and by every comparison it ranks with the best.

From now on the names of South Bend and Mishawaka will be mentioned as the cities where the great religious awakening occurred as well as the homes of world renowned industries.

I am more proud than ever I live in Indiana

Wm Sunday

2 Tim. v:15.

WHAT BILLY THOUGHT OF CAMPAIGN

South Bend Tribune headline for final day of campaign

Citation: The South Bend Tribune. Mon, Jun 16, 1913 ·Page 1

SOUTH BEND’S RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN PROVES TO

BE MOST NOTABLE IN HISTORY OF ALL INDIANA

AIR OF SADNESS PREDOMINATES AT CLOSING MEETING OF BILLY SUNDAY’S BIG REVIVAL.

“BOSS” AND “MA” SAY THEIR LAST FAREWELL

Hundreds Cheer Evangelist and His Wife on Rear of Car as They Leave City—Other Thousands Disappointed by Early Departure—Last Day of Services Proves to be Remarkable One—Over 30,000 Present.

RESULTS IN BRIEF.

Conversions.

Previous conversions ………. 5,455

Saturday and Sunday ………. 943

Grand total ………. 6,398

Attendance.

Previous attendance ………. 519,550

Saturday and Sunday ………. 46,500

Grand total ………. 566,050

Collections.

Special offering for Billy Sunday ………. $10,500.00

Collections for local institutions ………. 737.98

Fund for campaign expenses ………. 18,500.00

Grand total ………. $24,737.98

The taking of the offering for Billy Sunday was one of the features of the closing day of the campaign. Seventeen or more different people and concerns of South Bend and Mishawaka gave donations of $100. The largest was $200, given by Samuel Murdock, of Lafayette, Ind., one of the owners of the Chicago, South Bend & Northern Indiana railway. The donations of $100, which have been recorded thus far, are from the following: South Bend and Mishawaka Ministerial association; Mrs. George Wyman; Mrs. M. V. Belser; citizens of Kingston, Pa.; by George L. Newell; Folding Paper Box company; Stephenson Underwear mills; E. G. Eberhart; Stephenson Manufacturing company; C. C. Shafer; Col. George M. Studebaker; Mr. Clement Studebaker; a friend; Clement Studebaker, Jr.; J. D. Oliver; Mrs. George Ford; C. A. Carlisle and the Mishawaka Woolen Manufacturing company. The $50 donations, which have been reported to those in charge of the campaign finances, are as follows: Mrs. J. C. Ellsworth; W. O. Davies; F. H. Badet; Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Thompson; J. C. Bowsher; McBrillan & Jackson; S. P. Studebaker and Mrs. Ida M. Stull, and the U. B. Memorial church.

Billy Sunday’s seven weeks’ fight against the devil in St. Joseph county became religious history to-day after the baseball evangelist had shown 6,393 people the road to salvation and approximately $10,500 had been raised for him.

The final curtain was rung down last night and the hard working little evangelist, with his wife, said goodbye to South Bend at 10 o’clock this morning. With a check for the $10,500 tucked away in an inside coat pocket, Billy boarded at 10 o’clock Northern Indiana Interurban car for his home at Winona.

A thousand people saw him off. Hundreds waved their hats and handkerchiefs at the evangelist, his wife, and Rev. William Asher, as the car moved out of the station and down Michigan street. All three stood on the rear platform bowing and smiling in response.

It is estimated a crowd of 8,000 or 10,000 people would have been at the car to say goodbye but the evangelist, leaving an hour earlier than he expected, disappointed many. The Northern Indiana company agreed to run the car through to Winona to insure the evangelist he would be able to eat lunch under his own roof.

State’s Greatest Revival.

With Sunday’s farewell prayer and a general handshaking all around at the tabernacle last night the meetings, which undoubtedly constituted Indiana’s greatest religious campaign, came to a close. The meetings ended quietly and with that heavy solemnity, which told plainer than words what it meant to the people to bid farewell to “Billy,” “Mr.” Ready, “Mac,” Ackley and all the rest.

Tears started in the eyes of many a man, and many a woman, as farewells were said on the platform. Hundreds crowded near the revival leaders to shake their hands and the number to about Homer Rodeheaver, director of the great chorus of 1,000 voices became so large, the people had to be formed in a line and were compelled to move rapidly as soon as they had said goodbye.

Completely worn out, Mr. and Mrs. Sunday were conducted from the tabernacle without notice to the eager thousands, who wanted one more glimpse last word of farewell. The evangelist was forced to permit, however, because of his weakened condition, to leave the building as soon as possible.

[Much more coverage in this issue.]

Big plans for the ‘final week’ of the South Bend campaign, c. 1913

FINAL WEEK WILL BE GREATEST ONE

BIG PARADES ARE PLANNED FOR CLOSING HOURS.

Male Members of Sunday Schools Will March to Tabernacle on Tuesday Night.

The most significant period, from a religious standpoint, in the history of South Bend will open to-morrow. This period will close next Sunday night with the termination of the great Billy Sunday campaign in South Bend.

The program for the final days of the campaign indicates plainly it is to be the banner week of the campaign.

Important meetings have been planned for all hours of every remaining day, and there will be parades and similar celebrations galore.

Three big parades have already been arranged for. They are the men and boy members of the Sunday schools and the farmers of St. Joseph county, both of which will occur Tuesday night. The other, which may prove the largest parade of the campaign, will be made up of factory men and women. Thousands of the employees of the manufacturing institutions of South Bend and Mishawaka will make up the parade, which will take place Saturday night.

Both parades to-morrow night are expected to attract hundreds of men. It has been estimated that 1,000 men and boys will march as representatives of the Sunday schools of this city and Mishawaka.

Prominent Church men are working hard for a good turnout in the parade and every male member of every church in the Sunday movement will be expected to take an active part in the parade or explain the reason why. The church men and boys will assemble in front of the Y. M. C. A. at 7 o’clock and will march as a single delegation to the tabernacle.

The farmers will meet at the northeast corner of the courthouse yard at 9 o’clock and will march to the tabernacle with members of the Ancient Order of Gleaners at their head.

Every effort is to be made to make the factory parade on Saturday night the biggest event of the campaign. Every manufacturing institution in northern Indiana and southern Michigan will be asked to send delegations to take part in the parade. Albert Leisure, of the Studebaker corporation, was elected chairman and C. F. Rogers, secretary, of arrangements for the event, at a meeting of delegates at the Y. M. C. A. Saturday. These officials of the parade urge that the different institutions send representatives to a general meeting Tuesday night after the sermon, to make final arrangements for the parade.

The South Bend Tribune. Mon, Jun 09, 1913 ·Page 8

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

Are you gonna ‘take the count to the Devil’ asks Billy?

THIS IS HOW BILLY FINDS OUT IF YOU ARE GOING TO “TAKE THE COUNT”

BILLY SUNDAY IN UNUSUAL POSE.

Billy Sunday in a famous pose.
C. 1908. Author’s Collection.

The above is a characteristic position for Billy Sunday to assume during one of his meetings for men only.

He bends over until his right knee nearly touches the floor of his platform; then he pulls out his watch and inquires if you are going to “take the count” for the devil.

Sunday’s sermons are filled with such unusual features as this, but they are never so plentiful as in the men’s sermons. There is no doubt about it the evangelist is at his best in these talks. He always bends every energy to the end of impressing his male audience with the truth of what he is saying, and in this he never fails.

The South Bend Tribune. Thu, Jun 05, 1913 ·Page 10