Category: Period newspaper coverage

Burlington, Iowa (November 9 to December 17, 1905)

​Billy Sunday conducted his revival campaign in Burlington, Iowa, from November 9 to December 17, 1905. He saw 2,484 conversions and generated $4,000 in collections. A newspaper article tells how he fell ill and his very life was deemed threatened during the Burlington campaign.

Reported That Evangelist Sunday Was Taken Ill During Meetings.

It is reported that Rev. “Billy” Sunday, who has hundreds of friends in Dixon, has broken down from overwork and nervous strain and is dangerously sick at Burlington, Iowa. Friends here have heard nothing of this but the following item is published in an exchange:

“Billy” Sunday, the famous baseball evangelist, broke down at a revival near Burlington, Iowa, Monday, and his death is feared. Sunday started to preach to a crowd of 4,000 people when he toppled over on the platform in a dead faint. He had been preaching steadily day and night for months and during the preceding week had not slept.”

  • Dixon Evening Telegraph. Mon, Dec 18, 1905 ·Page 5

Additional related newspaper coverage of the Burlington, Iowa (1905) campaign

REV. “BILLY” SUNDAY.

Burlington is now in the throes of a religious awakening, engineered by that eminent and popular ex-baseball player who now is known as Rev. William A. Sunday, but whose numerous friends still love to call “Billy” Sunday. Sunday has been preaching the old gospel in his own inimitable style for several years, and has drawn to him the friendships of a great many people of all denominations, while he has also offended many good people by his “hammer and tongs” style of argument. He has also many friends among the people outside of all churches, for there is one thing of which “Billy” Sunday cannot be justly accused, and that is insincerity. He preaches just like he played ball—puts his whole heart into the work; in other words, he “plays ball” in his present profession. That he has done and is doing great good cannot be successfully denied, and Burlington will probably be better, for a time at least, for his coming; but he has many friends who do not believe it is necessary to use the language of the gutter in condemning evil, nor that everybody is quite as bad as Mr. Sunday would sometimes have his hearers believe.

Offensiveness and vulgarity may emanate from the pulpit as well as from any other source. And it is barely possible that a religious cathartic may not prove as effective in the long run as a less drastic and more constructive remedy.

Again, those who labor just as hard, year in and year out, and just as faithfully, in the noble calling, at a salary generally less per annum than Mr. Sunday receives in a fortnight, may be doing a more permanent work. But “Billy” Sunday is sincere, and sincerity is a virtue that is not to be despised.

  • The Cedar Rapids Gazette. Mon, Nov 13, 1905 ·Page 4

GREAT REVIVAL.

Evangelist “Billy” Sunday Stirs Up Burlington—Large Crowds.

Burlington, Ia., Nov. 28—The revival services conducted by Rev. William A. Sunday have already grown to be a remarkable thing for Burlington. They have been going on for two weeks, and the evangelist is now speaking to an average of 6,000 people daily. Sunday afternoon he held his first men’s meeting and was greeted by fully 6,000 men, old and young. He swayed this remarkable audience for an hour and a half like a storm beaten ocean and at the close 112 men responded to the call for converts, and it is estimated that 50 were turned away because of the crush in front of the evangelist. Including this number there have been a total of 602 converts since last Thursday night.

  • The Muscatine Journal. Tue, Nov 28, 1905 ·Page 1

SOME “BILLY’ SUNDAYISMS.

From Burlington papers: The indifference of many in the church is keeping back the kingdom of God.

Some of you are constantly breathing out in doing good to others, but do no breathing in; seldom or never give yourselves any time with God.

If you have done your neighbor in jury, go to him and confess it, and ask his forgiveness.

The greatest barrier to the advancement of God’s Kingdom to-day is the indifference and apathy of so many of our church members.

No wonder so many of our children go to the bad; they get no guidance, no inspiration, no help for good in the home.

There are hundreds here to-night who are convinced that Jesus Christ is the son of God, but have not back- bone enough to come down the aisle and confess it.

The historical Jesus? You may repudiate him as the son of God, but you still have the historical Jesus, and you could no more write the history of the world and leave Jesus out than you could write the history of this country and leave out George Washington.

Profanity damns and curses any man who indulges in it.

What would the world be were there no restraining influence? You say “it is nobody’s business what I do.” Bu’ hear me, it is everybody’s business what everybody does.

There are certain men who scoff at religion and at preachers, but when they come face to face with death and the fearful consequences of their dis- solute lives they begin to fear and tremble.

  • Muscatine News-Tribune. Tue, Dec 05, 1905 ·Page 6

Ten thousand people sought to hear “Billy” Sunday preach at Burlington last Sunday, 6,000 succeeding. Converts in his revival services in that city to date number 1,279.

  • Quad-City Times. Wed, Dec 13, 1905 ·Page 2

Closed by “Billy” Sunday.

Burlington, Ia., Dec. 20.—The wave of reform in Burlington, growing out of William A. Sunday’s revival meetings, resulted in the formation of the Civic Reform league of 150 members, and the issuance last night by Mayor Caster of an order closing all saloons on Sunday.

  • The Grand Rapids Press. Wed, Dec 20, 1905 ·Page 9

2,500 Converts

Secured by Rev. Billy Sunday in Burlington

Burlington, Ia., Dec. 19.—The Rev. William A. Sunday has closed his series of evangelistic meetings here. There were 7,000 people packed into the tabernacle, with at least 5,000 outside unable to get in, last night. The results of the meetings are 2,500 converts. The people of Burlington have given him a free-will offering of over $4,000.

  • Marion News-Tribune. Wed, Dec 20, 1905 ·Page 9

Post-Wilkes-Barre campaign results (published May 1913 in The South Bend Tribune)

WHAT SUNDAY DID AT WILKES-BARRE [February 23-April 13, 1913]

OFFICIAL OF CAMPAIGN MAKES STATEMENT ON RESULTS.

CITY BETTER GENERALLY

Business Was Improved, Politics Was Elevated and Social Life Was Raised to Higher Standard Says Man in Interview.

The Tribune’s Special Service.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa., May 6.

The Sunday party has gone from Wilkes-Barre to South Bend, Ind.

Exterior view of the Billy Sunday Tabernacle.
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. Friday, February 21, 1913.

The tabernacle is being torn down day by day. The thousands who gathered beneath its roof to hear the greatest winner of souls in this generation have scattered and gone about doing the duties of their individual lives, but Wilkes-Barre and the Wyoming Valley will never be the same as it was a few months ago, before Billy Sunday came to this city. The moral and social life of the community has been given a new moral tone to the extent of which cannot be estimated for years.

This is the statement of Rev. J. W. Parkin, chairman of the Wilkes-Barre Ministerial Evangelistic committee, which had charge of the recent campaign in this city.

Moral Awakening.

“The most conservative,” he declared, “will admit that there has been a moral awakening the like of which has never been experienced here before. It is absolutely impossible to measure the immense amount of good that was accomplished, but I am sure that there is not one that regrets the hours and time and even money spent in planning for this campaign.”

“What,” he was asked, “do you consider the result of this visit on business here? You know it was prophesied that he would injure business.”

“An honest business could not have received greater help than came through the Sunday campaign,” was Mr. Parkhurst’s opinion. “A moral awakening such as we have had could not help but improve business. This has been evidenced in many ways, but particularly in the fact that people now realize more keenly than ever their obligations to each other and to the community. Hundreds of merchants have stated that accounts which they had considered closed because of inability to collect have been paid. There is a greater feeling of mutual respect now between employers and employes.

Politics Elevated.

“And politics; what about that? Do you think the campaign will have any influence on the politics of the country?”

“Well, I’m not much of a politician,” said the campaign leader, “but it seems reasonable to me to suppose that when a man finds himself in the position of a candidate for office he will be more careful in the future than ever before that there will not be any question about his private or business life.

There are many men in this city who have never been heavy drinkers for years who have bound themselves to abstinence. Hundreds of others who have been more or less indifferent or lukewarm in their opinion of intemperance have been aroused to a more active interest.”

“The moral wave,” he declared, “has been given a refining influence that is going to raise the standard of the community. Wilkes-Barre needed just such an indictment to make it realize where it was leading. I know hundreds of young people who have ‘cleaned house’ since Mr. Sunday came here.

‘You consider then that the people who criticized Mr. Sunday and his methods have been answered by the results which have been attained?’ was asked.

‘The critics have had nothing to offer that will accomplish the same amount of good that has been accomplished by Mr. Sunday.’

February 22, 1913

“Immediately following Columbus, Mr. Sunday opened a series of meetings at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., the farthest east of any district in which he had ever worked. The campaign opened on Washington’s Birthday—February 22—1913. Rev. W. M. Randles, pastor of the Bethesda Congregational church, gives the number of converts as 16,348, and the free-will offering as $23,527.66. In only this one respect did the Wilkes-Barre campaign exceed that of Columbus.”

  • Frankenberg, 1917: p. 132.