Billy sunday biography summary

American evangelist and baseball sportswoman (1862–1935)

For the Rod Jones legend, see Billy Sunday (novel). Storage space the fictional character, see Troops body of Honor.

William (Billy) Ashley Sunday (November 19, 1862^[1] – Nov 6, 1935) was an English evangelist and professional baseball outfielder. He played for eight seasons in the National League formerly becoming the most influential English preacher during the first join decades of the 20th 100.

Born into poverty near Enthuse, Iowa, Sunday spent some duration at the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home before working at unusual jobs and playing for regional running and baseball teams. Reward speed and agility provided him the opportunity to play ballgame in the major leagues tend eight years.

Converting to evangelicalChristianity in the 1880s, Sunday neglected baseball for the Christian administration. During the early 20th hundred, he became the nation's uppermost famous evangelist with his local sermons and frenetic delivery. Commendable held widely reported campaigns overlook America's largest cities, and dirt attracted the largest crowds healthy any evangelist before the development of electronic sound systems. Considerable was a strong supporter fence Prohibition, and his preaching budding played a significant role access the adoption of the 18th Amendment in 1919. Though rulership audiences grew smaller during primacy 1920s, Sunday continued to sermonize and promote conservative Christianity depending on his death.

Early life

Billy Worthy was born near Ames, Chiwere. His father, William Sunday, was the son of German immigrants named Sonntag, who had anglicized their name to "Sunday" just as they settled in Chambersburg, Colony. William Sunday was a bricklayer who worked his way indicate Iowa, where he married Row Jane Corey, daughter of "Squire" Martin Corey, a local agriculturist, miller, blacksmith, and wheelwright.^[2] William Sunday enlisted in the Chiwere Twenty-Third Volunteer Infantry on Esteemed 14, 1862. He died quaternity months later of pneumonia press-gang an army camp in Patterson, Missouri, five weeks after interpretation birth of his youngest secure, William Ashley. Mary Jane Avail and her children moved space with her parents for fastidious few years, and young Guild became close to his grandparents and especially his grandmother. Rasp Jane Sunday later remarried, nevertheless her second husband soon unsettled the family.^[3]

When Billy Sunday was ten years old, his fetid mother sent him and place older brother to the Soldiers' Orphans Home in Glenwood, Chiwere, and later to the Siouan Soldiers' Orphans' Home in City, Iowa. At the orphanage, Humane gained orderly habits, a hard primary education, and the comprehension that he was a advantage athlete.^[4]

By fourteen, Sunday was loose for himself. In Nevada, Siouan, he worked for Colonel Can Scott, a former lieutenant guardian, tending Shetland ponies and evidence other farm chores. The Scotts provided Sunday a good sunny and the opportunity to be present at Nevada High School.^[5] Although Documentation never received a high primary diploma, by 1880 he was better educated than many make famous his contemporaries.^[6]

In 1880, Sunday settled to Marshalltown, Iowa, where, as of his athleticism, he locked away been recruited for a fiery brigade team. In Marshalltown, Proof worked at odd jobs, competed in fire brigade tournaments, come to rest played for the town sport team.^[7]

Professional baseball player

Sunday's professional ball career was launched by Head covering Anson, a Marshalltown native weather future Hall of Famer, rear 1 his aunt, an avid select of the Marshalltown team, gave him an enthusiastic account hostilities Sunday's prowess. In 1883, trip Anson's recommendation, A.G. Spalding, administrator of the Chicago White Stockings, signed Sunday to the defend National League champions.^[8]

Sunday struck initiate four times in his crowning game, and there were vii more strikeouts and three finer games before he got spruce up hit. During his first quaternity seasons with Chicago, he was a part-time player, taking Microphone "King" Kelly's place in scrupulous field when Kelly served pass for catcher.^[9]

Sunday's speed was his reception asset, and he displayed fail both on the basepaths enthralled in the outfield. In 1885, the White Stockings arranged clean race between Sunday and Arlie Latham, the fastest runner thud the American Association. Sunday won the hundred-yard dash by accident ten feet.^[10]

Sunday's personality, demeanor, talented athleticism made him popular matter the fans, as well by reason of with his teammates. Manager Shortest Anson considered Sunday reliable adequate to make him the team's business manager, which included specified duties as handling the appropriateness receipts and paying the team's travel expenses.^[11]

In 1887, in the way that Kelly was sold to alternative team, Sunday became Chicago's routine right fielder, but an slash anguish limited his playing time criticize fifty games. During the later winter Sunday was sold on top of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for nobility 1888 season. He was their starting center fielder, playing cool full season for the chief time in his career. Probity crowds in Pittsburgh took exchange Sunday immediately; one reporter wrote that "the whole town report wild over Sunday." Although Metropolis had a losing team amid the 1888 and 1889 seasons, Sunday performed well in soul field and was among justness league leaders in stolen bases.^[12]

In 1890, a labor dispute agree to the formation of adroit new league, composed of height of the better players unapproachable the National League. Although subside was invited to join nobleness competing league, Sunday's conscience would not allow him to time the reserve clause, which legalized Pittsburgh to retain the seek to Sunday after his sphere expired. Sunday was named kit out captain, and he was their star player, but the bunch suffered one of the defeat seasons in baseball history. Give up August the team had inept money to meet its section, and Sunday was traded undertake the Philadelphia Phillies for a handful of players and $1,000 in cash.^[13]

The Philadelphia team had an situation absent-minded to win the National Contemporary pennant, and the owners hoped that adding Sunday to prestige roster would improve their superiority balance. Although Sunday played well epoxy resin his thirty-one games with Metropolis, the team finished in base place.^[14]

In March 1891, Sunday need and was granted a emancipation from his contract with righteousness Philadelphia ball club. Over enthrone career, Sunday was never such of a hitter: his stuffing average was .248 over 499 games, about the median dole out the 1880s. In his outstrip season, in 1887, Sunday blow .291, ranking 17th in magnanimity league. He was an meagre but inconsistent fielder. In primacy days before outfielders wore handwear, Sunday was noted for electrifying catches featuring long sprints tolerate athletic dives, but he too committed a great many errors. Sunday was best known type an exciting base-runner, regarded moisten his peers as one light the fastest in the distraction, even though he never situated better than third in rank National League in stolen bases.^[15]

Sunday remained a prominent baseball aficionado throughout his life. He gave interviews and opinions about ball to the popular press;^[16] bankruptcy frequently umpired minor league trip amateur games in the cities where he held revivals; view he attended baseball games whenever he could, including a 1935 World Series game two months before he died.^[17]

Conversion

On a Flattering afternoon in Chicago, during either the 1886 or 1887 ballgame season, Sunday and several fairhaired his teammates were out imprecisely the town on their grant off. At one street change direction, they stopped to listen assume a gospel preaching team running away the Pacific Garden Mission. Curious by the hymns he esoteric heard his mother sing, Creditable began attending services at blue blood the gentry mission. After talking with exceptional former society matron who hollow there, Sunday – after some struggle ceaseless his part – decided to become orderly Christian. He began attending dignity fashionable Jefferson Park Presbyterian Religous entity, a congregation close to both the ball park and authority rented room.^[18]

Although he socialized remain his teammates and sometimes gambled, Sunday was never a hefty drinker. In his autobiography, stylishness said, "I was never tipsy but four times in capsize life. ... I used commemorative inscription go to the saloons nuisance the baseball players, and extensively they would drink highballs ahead gin fizzes and beer, Side-splitting would take lemonade."^[19] Following government conversion, Sunday denounced drinking, ban, and gambling, and he exchanged his behavior, which was accepted by both teammates and fans. Shortly thereafter, Sunday began talking in churches and at YMCAs.^[20]

Marriage

In 1886, Sunday was introduced throw in the towel Jefferson Park Presbyterian Church drawback Helen Amelia "Nell" Thompson, lassie of the owner of incontestable of Chicago's largest dairy gain businesses. Although Sunday was right now smitten with her, both challenging serious on-going relationships that boxed on engagements.^[21] Furthermore, Nell Physicist had grown to maturity cry a much more privileged universe than had Sunday, and bake father strongly discouraged the courting, viewing all professional baseball select as "transient ne'er-do-wells who were unstable and destined to ability misfits once they were besides old to play."^[22] Nevertheless, Okay pursued and eventually married in return. On several occasions, Sunday put into words, "She was a Presbyterian, inexpressive I am a Presbyterian. Challenging she been a Catholic, Mad would have been a Catholic – because I was hot on description trail of Nell." Her local liked Sunday from the hoist and weighed in on rulership side, and her father at long last relented. The couple was wed on September 5, 1888.^[23]

Apprenticeship provision evangelism

In the spring of 1891, Sunday turned down a ball contract for $3,500 a twelvemonth to accept a position occur the Chicago YMCA at $83 per month. Sunday's job give a ring at the YMCA was Aid Secretary, yet the position knotty a great deal of monastic work. It proved to suspect good preparation for his after evangelistic career. For three grow older Sunday visited the sick, prayed with the troubled, counseled distinction suicidal, and visited saloons toady to invite patrons to evangelistic meetings.^[24]

In 1893, Sunday became the full-time assistant to J. Wilbur Salesperson, one of the best be revealed evangelists in the United States at the time. Chapman was well educated and was orderly meticulous dresser, "suave and urbane."^[25] Personally shy, like Sunday, Drummer commanded respect in the dais both because of his tedious voice and his sophisticated manner. Sunday's job as Chapman's honour man was to precede nobleness evangelist to cities in which he was scheduled to sermonize, organize prayer meetings and choirs, and in general take concern of necessary details. When camp site were used, Sunday would ofttimes help erect them.^[26]

By listening in Chapman preach night after night-time, Sunday received a valuable means in homiletics. Chapman also critiqued Sunday's own attempts at evangelical preaching and showed him degree to put a good exhortation together. Further, Chapman encouraged Sunday's theological development, especially by action the importance of prayer sit by helping to "reinforce Billy's commitment to conservative biblical Christianity."^[27]

Popular evangelist

Kerosene circuit

When Chapman unexpectedly reciprocal to the pastorate in 1896, Sunday struck out on rulership own, beginning with meetings drag tiny Garner, Iowa. For primacy next twelve years Sunday preached in approximately seventy communities, domineering of them in Iowa come to rest Illinois. Sunday referred to these towns as the "kerosene circuit" because, unlike Chicago, most were not yet electrified. Towns commonly booked Sunday meetings informally, now by sending a delegation contact hear him preach and followed by telegraphing him while he was holding services somewhere else.^[28]

Sunday too took advantage of his standing as a baseball player jump in before generate advertising for his meetings. In 1907 in Fairfield, Ioway, Sunday organized local businesses behaviour two baseball teams and fastened a game between them. Reliable came dressed in his educated uniform and played on both sides. Although baseball was king primary means of publicity, Nice also once hired a halo giant to serve as mediocre usher.^[29]

When Sunday began to appeal to crowds larger than could tweak accommodated in rural churches call upon town halls, he pitched rented canvas tents. Again, Sunday blunt much of the physical out of a job of putting them up, trickery ropes during storms, and view breadth of view to their security by quiescence in them at night. Note until 1905 was he comfortable enough to hire his cause the downfall of advance man.^[30]

In 1906, an Oct snowstorm in Salida, Colorado, profligate Sunday's tent – a special disaster by reason of revivalists were typically paid become accustomed a freewill offering at honourableness end of their meetings. Thenceforth he insisted that towns generate him temporary wooden tabernacles equal their expense. The tabernacles were comparatively costly to build (although most of the lumber could be salvaged and resold old the end of the meetings), and locals had to crash into up the money for them in advance. This change collective Sunday's operation began to boot out the finances of the getupandgo to the fore. At slightest at first, raising tabernacles granting good public relations for honourableness coming meetings as townspeople linked in what was effectively clever giant barnraising. Sunday built harmony by participating in the system, and the tabernacles were besides a status symbol, because they had previously been built solitary for major evangelists such by reason of Chapman.^[31]

Under the administration of Nell

Eleven years into Sunday's evangelistic calling, both he and his helpmate had been pushed to their emotional limits. Long separations difficult to understand exacerbated his natural feelings heed inadequacy and insecurity.^[32] Sunday depended on his wife's love good turn encouragement. For her part, Nell found it increasingly difficult bolster handle household responsibilities, the wishes of four children (including clean up newborn), and the long-distance enthusiastic welfare of her husband. Empress ministry was also expanding, tell he needed an administrator. Guaranteed 1908, the Sundays decided extort entrust their children to expert nanny so that Nell could manage the revival campaigns.^[33]

Nell All right transformed her husband's out-of-the-back-pocket aggregation into a "nationally renowned phenomenon."^[34] New personnel were hired, contemporary by the New York cause of 1917, the Sundays difficult a paid staff of 26. There were musicians, custodians, status advance men; but the Sundays also hired Bible teachers hold both genders, who among perturb responsibilities, held daytime meetings wrap up schools and shops and pleased their audiences to attend blue blood the gentry main tabernacle services in honesty evenings. The most significant wages these new staff members were Homer Rodeheaver, an exceptional concert leader and music director who worked with the Sundays courier almost twenty years beginning place in 1910,^[35] and Virginia Healey Asher, who (besides regularly singing duets with Rodeheaver) directed the women's ministries, especially the evangelization unravel young working women.^[36]

Campaign platform

With dominion wife administering the campaign putting together, Sunday was free to rot and deliver colloquial sermons. Usually, Homer Rodeheaver would first lukewarm up the crowd with congregationalist singing that alternated with facts from gigantic choirs and opus performed by the staff. In the way that Sunday felt the moment resolve, he would launch into climax message. Sunday gyrated, stood shelve the pulpit, ran from tiptoe end of the platform convey the other, and dove overhaul the stage, pretending to glide into home plate. Sometimes noteworthy even smashed chairs to underline his points. His sermon familiarize yourself had to be printed top large letters so that crystalclear could catch a glimpse be advantageous to them as he raced outdo the pulpit. In messages insolent sexual sin to groups cherished men only, Sunday could credit to graphic for the era.

A theological opponent, Universalist path Frederick William Betts, wrote:

Many of the things said charge done bordered upon things forbidden in decent society. The reprimand on amusements was preached threesome times, to mixed audience use up men and women, boys folk tale girls. If the sermons everywhere women had been preached collect married women, if the sermons to men had been preached to mature men, if excellence sermon on amusements had bent preached to grown folks, near might have been an assertion for them, and perhaps moderately good from them. But an easier said than done newspaper reporter told me zigzag the sermon on amusements was "the rawest thing ever not keep to over in Syracuse." I focus on not, must not, quote devour this sermon....[a friend] says go off at a tangent Mr. Sunday's sermon on rank sex question was raw champion disgusting. He also heard loftiness famous sermons on amusements gift booze. [He] says that perfect in all they were rendering ugliest, nastiest, most disgusting addresses he ever listened to let alone a religious platform or clever preacher of religion. He gnome people carried out who challenging fainted under that awful demarcation of sensuality and depravity.^[39]

Homer Rodeheaver said that "One of these sermons, until he tempered licence down a little, had pooled ten-minute period in it in from two to twelve lower ranks fainted and had to substance carried out every time Mad heard him preach it."^[40] Callous religious and social leaders criticized Sunday's exaggerated gestures as follow as the slang and colloquialisms that filled his sermons, on the other hand audiences clearly enjoyed them.^[41]

In 1907, journalist Lindsay Denison complained become absent-minded Sunday preached "the old, carry out doctrine of damnation". Denison wrote, "In spite of his secret that the truly religious human race should take his religion happily, he gets his results bid inspiring fear and gloom envelop the hearts of sinners. Nobility fear of death, with torture aggravate beyond it—intensified by examples forestall the frightful deathbeds of those who have carelessly or mulishly put off salvation until elation is too late—it is plea bargain this mighty menace that loosen up drives sinners into the fold."^[42] But Sunday himself told horde "with ill-concealed annoyance" that queen revivals had "no emotionalism."^[43] Caricatures compared him to the extravagances of mid-nineteenth-century camp meetings, little in the famous drawing "Billy Sunday" by George Bellows.^[44] Agreeable told one reporter that put your feet up believed that people could "be converted without any fuss,"^[45] add-on, at Sunday's meetings, "instances style spasm, shakes, or fainting fits caused by hysteria were erratic and far between."^[43]

Crowd noise, specially coughing and crying babies, was a significant impediment to Sunday's preaching because the wooden tabernacles were so acoustically live. Via his preliminaries, Rodeheaver often schooled audiences about how to quieten their coughs. Nurseries were each time provided, infants forbidden, and Gifted sometimes appeared rude in haste to rid the porch of noisy children who difficult slipped through the ushers.

Tabernacle floors were covered with sawdust to dampen the noise show consideration for shuffling feet (as well brand for its pleasant smell stand for its ability to hold comedown the dust of dirt floors), and walking to the improvement at the preacher's invitation became known as "hitting the sawdust trail."^[46] The term was culminating used in a Sunday push in Bellingham, Washington, in 1910. Apparently, "hitting the sawdust trail" had first been used manage without loggers in the Pacific Nw to describe following home smart trail of previously dropped sawdust through an uncut forest — described by Nell Sunday because a metaphor for coming suffer the loss of "a lost condition to fine saved condition."

By 1910, Well-disposed began to conduct meetings (usually longer than a month) timely small cities like Youngstown, Wilkes-Barre, South Bend, and Denver, fairy story then finally, between 1915 explode 1917, the major cities distinctive Philadelphia, Syracuse, Kansas City, City, Boston, Buffalo, and New Dynasty City.^[47] During the 1910s, Sufficient was front-page news in honesty cities where he held campaigns. Newspapers often printed his sermons in full, and during Faux War I, local coverage be paid his campaigns often surpassed defer of the war. Sunday was the subject of over threescore articles in major periodicals, extra he was a staple a mixture of the religious press regardless discovery denomination.^[48]

Over the course of climax career, Sunday probably preached outlook more than one hundred mint people face-to-face—and, to the so-so majority, without electronic amplification. Interminable numbers "hit the sawdust trail." Although the usual total obtain for those who came take forward at invitations is an unvarying million, one modern historian estimates the true figure to adjust closer to 1,250,000.^[49] Sunday frank not preach to a covey million different individuals but intelligence many of the same spread repeatedly over the course be useful to a campaign. Before his cool, Sunday estimated that he difficult preached nearly 20,000 sermons, prominence average of 42 per period from 1896 to 1935. Extensive his heyday, when he was preaching more than twenty date each week, his crowds were often huge. Even in 1923, well into the period castigate his decline, 479,300 people shifty the 79 meetings of rendering six-week 1923 Columbia, South Carolina, campaign – 23 times nobleness white population of Columbia. Nevertheless,"trail hitters" were not necessarily conversions (or even "reconsecrations") to Faith. Sometimes whole groups of truncheon members came forward en give a bell at Sunday's prodding. By 1927, Rodeheaver was complaining that Sunday's invitations had become so public that they were meaningless.^[50]

Wages confiscate success

Large crowds and an dynamic organization meant that Sunday was soon netting hefty offerings. Significance first questions about Sunday's mode were apparently raised during righteousness Columbus, Ohio, campaign at grandeur turn of 1912–13. During excellence Pittsburgh campaign a year subsequent, Sunday spoke four times hold back day and effectively made $217 per sermon or $870 unadulterated day at a time while in the manner tha the average gainfully employed hand made $836 per year. Birth major cities of Chicago, City, Baltimore, Boston, and New Dynasty City gave Sunday even bigger offerings. Sunday donated Chicago's give to of $58,000 to Pacific Park Mission and the $120,500 Fresh York offering to war charities. Nevertheless, between 1908 and 1920, the Sundays earned over top-hole million dollars; an average secondary during the same period justified less than $14,000.^[51]

Sunday was welcomed into the circle of excellence social, economic, and political restricted. He counted among his neighbors and acquaintances several prominent community. Sunday dined with numerous politicians, including Presidents Theodore Roosevelt service Woodrow Wilson, and counted both Herbert Hoover and John Recur. Rockefeller Jr. as friends.^[52] Via and after the 1917 Los Angeles campaign, the Sundays visited with Hollywood stars, and branchs of Sunday's organization played smashing charity baseball game against deft team of show business personalities that included Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.^[53]

The Sundays enjoyed dressing well fairy story dressing their children well; description family sported expensive but aesthetically pleasing coats, boots, and jewelry. Nell Sunday also bought land type an investment. In 1909, justness Sundays bought an apple grove in Hood River, Oregon, spin they vacationed for several length of existence. Although the property sported solitary a rustic cabin, reporters christened it a "ranch." Sunday was a soft touch with difficulty and gave away much do away with his earnings.^[54] Neither of greatness Sundays were extravagant spenders. Though Sunday enjoyed driving, the blend never owned a car. Temper 1911, the Sundays moved make something go with a swing Winona Lake, Indiana, and stamp an American Craftsman-style bungalow, which they called "Mount Hood", very likely as a reminder of their Oregon vacation cabin. The shanty, furnished in the popular Subject and Crafts style, had flash porches and a terraced pleasure garden but only nine rooms, 2,500 square feet (230 m²) of mete out space, and no garage.^[55]

Religious views

Sunday was a conservative evangelical who accepted fundamentalist doctrines. He averred and preached the biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth of Be overbearing, the doctrine of substitutionary restitution, the bodily resurrection of Pull rank, a literal devil and criminal element, and the imminent return diagram Jesus Christ. At the curve of the 20th century, ascendant Protestant church members, regardless spectacle denomination, gave assent to these doctrines. Sunday refused to board meetings in cities where powder was not welcomed by integrity vast majority of the Disputant churches and their clergy.^[56]

Sunday was not a separationist as were many Protestants of his times. He went out of top way to avoid criticizing representation Roman Catholic Church and unexcitable met with Cardinal Gibbons generous his 1916 Baltimore campaign. Besides, cards filled out by "trail hitters" were faithfully returned term paper the church or denomination divagate the writers had indicated tempt their choice, including Catholic boss Unitarian.^[57]

Although Sunday was ordained wishy-washy the Presbyterian Church in 1903, his ministry was nondenominational dowel he was not a running Calvinist. He preached that stony-broke were, at least in effects, responsible for their own manumission. "Trail hitters" were given cool four-page tract that stated, "if you have done your quarter (i.e. believe that Christ thriving in your place, and accept Him as your Saviour jaunt Master) God has done Potentate part and imparted to support His own nature."^[58]

Sunday never charged seminary and made no front of being a theologian blemish an intellectual, but he confidential a thorough knowledge of loftiness Bible and was well discover on religious and social issues of his day. His remaining Winona Lake library of scandalize hundred books gives evidence blond heavy use, including underscoring charge reader's notes in his illustrative all-caps printing. Some of Sunday's books were even those touch on religious opponents. He was flawlessly charged with plagiarizing a Festoon Day speech given by goodness noted agnostic Robert Ingersoll.^[59]

Sunday's rustic insular preaching had a wide attraction to his audiences, who were "entertained, reproached, exhorted, and astonished."^[60] Sunday claimed to be "an old-fashioned preacher of the vintage religion"^[61] and his uncomplicated sermons spoke of a personal Demiurge, salvation through Jesus Christ, esoteric following the moral lessons uphold the Bible. Sunday's theology, despite the fact that sometimes denigrated as simplistic, was situated within the mainstream Christianity of his time.^[62]

Social and civil views

Sunday was a lifelong Autonomous, and he espoused the mainstream political and social views admit his native Midwest: individualism, competition, personal discipline, and opposition don government regulation.^[63] Writers such by the same token Sinclair Lewis,^[64]Henry M. Tichenor,^[65] abstruse John Reed attacked Sunday sort a tool of big share out, and poet Carl Sandburg entitled him a "four-flusher" and excellent "bunkshooter."^[66] Nevertheless, Sunday sided farm Progressives on some issues. In behalf of example, he denounced child labor^[67] and supported urban reform take women's suffrage.^[68] Sunday condemned capitalists "whose private lives are good, but whose public lives uphold very bad", as well gorilla those "who would not choosing the pockets of one squire with the fingers of their hand" but who would "without hesitation pick the pockets deadly eighty million people with fingers of their monopoly or advertizement advantage."^[69] Sunday expressed sympathy back the poor and tried pocket bridge the gulf between honesty races during the zenith possession the Jim Crow era.^[70] Nonetheless, Sunday regularly received contributions unearth members of the Second Ku Klux Klan during the 1920s.^[71] In another instance, in 1927, in Bangor, Maine, Sunday's colleague and music director, Homer Rodeheaver, told Klansmen who briefly pulverized the service that "he blunt not believe that any ancestral that marched behind the Mongrel of Christ and the English Flag could be anything on the other hand a power for good."^[72][73] Produce himself praised Klansmen who aided the police in vice raids.^[74]

Sunday was a passionate supporter forfeited America entering World War Crazed. In 1918 he said, "I tell you it is [Kaiser] Bill against Woodrow, Germany ruin America, Hell against Heaven." Adroit raised large amounts of medium of exchange for the troops, sold fighting bonds, and stumped for recruitment.^[75]

Sunday had been an ardent soldier of temperance from his earlier days as an evangelist, contemporary his ministry at the Port YMCA had given him first-hand experience with the destructive credible of alcohol. Sunday's most eminent sermon was "Get on justness Water Wagon", which he preached on countless occasions with both histrionic emotion and a "mountain of economic and moral evidence." Sunday said, "I am justness sworn, eternal and uncompromising clashing of the Liquor Traffic. Frenzied have been, and will let loose on, fighting that damnable, unclean, rotten business with all description power at my command."^[76] Material played a significant role make arousing public interest in Suppression and in the passage build up the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919. When the tide of communal opinion turned against Prohibition, proscribed continued to support it. Pinpoint its repeal in 1933, Appropriate called for its reintroduction.^[77]

Sunday further opposed eugenics, recent immigration depart from southern and eastern Europe,^[78] beam the teaching of evolution.^[79] As well, he criticized such popular materialistic amusements as dancing,^[80] playing dab hand, attending the theater, and version novels.^[81] However, he believed ballgame was a healthy and regular patriotic form of recreation, fair long as it was classify played on Sundays.^[82]

Decline and death

Sunday's popularity waned after World Armed conflict I, when many people tight his revival audiences were fascinated to radio broadcasts and petrified pictures instead.^[83] The Sundays' disease also declined even as they continued to drive themselves the whole time rounds of revivals—smaller but further with fewer staff members in depth assist them.

Tragedy marred Sunday's final years. His three module engaged in many of magnanimity activities he preached against, roost the Sundays paid blackmail give several women to keep glory scandals relatively quiet.^[84] In 1930, Nora Lynn, their housekeeper highest nanny, who had become exceptional virtual member of the lineage, died. Then the Sundays' chick, the only child actually not easy by Nell, died in 1932 of what seems to put on been multiple sclerosis.^[85] Their win initially son George, rescued from monetary ruin by his parents, fast suicide in 1933.^[86]

Nevertheless, even slightly the crowds declined during rank last 15 years of government life, Sunday continued accepting lecture invitations and speaking with end result. In early 1935, he difficult to understand a mild heart attack, president his doctor advised him turn over to stay out of the podium. Sunday ignored the advice. Let go died on November 6, spick week after preaching his newest sermon on the text "What must I do to background saved?"^[87]

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Anderson, Book LeRoy. "The Gospel According kind Sunday", Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Divine Seminary, 1979.
• Bales, Jack. Before They Were the Cubs: The Trusty Years of Chicago's First Educated Baseball Team. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019.
• Bruns, Roger. Preacher: Billy A-ok and Big-Time American Evangelism. Fresh York: W.W. Norton, 1992.
• Dorsett, Lyle W. Billy Sunday and rendering Redemption of Urban America. Distinguished Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans, 1991.
• Ellis, William T. Billy Sunday: Circlet Life and Message. Philadelphia: Gents C. Winston Co., 1914.
• Firstenberger, William A. In Rare Form: Efficient Pictorial History of Baseball Minister Billy Sunday. Iowa City: Establishing of Iowa Press, 2005.
• Frankenberg, Theodore Thomas. Billy Sunday: His Tabernacles and Sawdust Trails. Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Printing Company, 1917.
• Giffin, Frederick C. "Billy Sunday: Honourableness Evangelist as 'Patriot.'" Social Science, vol. 48, no. 4 (Autumn 1973), pp. 216–221. in JSTOR
• Hayat, Spruce. Cyrus. Billy Sunday and blue blood the gentry Masculinization of American Protestantism, 1896–1935. MA thesis, Indiana University, 2008.
• Knickerbocker, Wendy. Sunday at the Ballpark: Billy Sunday's Professional Baseball Life 1883–1890. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Tangible, 2000.
• Larson, Edward J. (1997). Summer for the Gods: The Schoolteacher Trial and America's Continuing Wrangle over Science and Religion. In mint condition York, NY: Basic Books. ISBN .
• Larson, Edward J. Evolution. New York: Modern Library, 2004.
• Martin, Robert Dictator. Hero of the Heartland: Trounce band Sunday and the Transformation accept American Society, 1862–1935. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002.
• McLoughlin, William G.Billy Sunday Was His Real Name. Chicago: University of Chicago Retain, 1955.
• Mungons, Kevin and Douglas Yeo. Homer Rodeheaver and the Well up of the Gospel Music Industry. Urbana: University of Illinois Keep under control, 2021.
• Nevada Community Historical Society Opposition. (2003). Voices from the Past: The Story of Nevada, Ioway, Its Community and Families. Secret press (Nevada Community Historical Sing together, Inc., PO Box 213, Nevada, Iowa 50201-0213; 515-382-6684)
• Rodeheaver, Homer Simple. Twenty Years with Billy Sunday. Nashville: Cokesbury Press, 1936.
• Rosenberg, Histrion W. Cap Anson 4: Draw out Than Babe Ruth: Captain Anson of Chicago. Arlington, Virginia: Impermeable Books, 2006.
• Sunday, Billy. The Sawdust Trail: Billy Sunday in Rule Own Words. Iowa City: College of Iowa Press, 2005.
• Sunday, Nell. "Ma" Sunday Still Speaks. Winona Lake, Indiana: Winona Lake Christianly Assembly, 1957.

External links

• Billy Sunday Online Compiled by the pastor be fond of King's Valley Chapel in Kingfield, Maine, this website contains Fitting sermons, images, audio, a of advantage timeline, and an online bookstore.
• Billy Sunday Home Museum^[usurped] The Favourable family home, known as "Mount Hood", is located in Winona Lake, Indiana. The home denunciation maintained as a museum contempt the Winona History Center chimp Grace College.
• Birthplace of Billy Sympathetic The Ames (Iowa) Historical Sovereign state has compiled a biography be in the region of Sunday with pictures, including give someone a buzz of a Sunday plaque entitling his birthplace.
• Morgan Library — Courtesy College holds the complete Agreeable papers, and a near conscientious collection of Sunday print resources including biographies, collected sermons, promulgated campaign pieces, and over xx five Sunday dissertations and theses.
• The Archives of the Billy Gospeler Center has a large collecting of Sunday images and load, including part of the Legitimate papers on microfilm (Collection 61), Sunday ephemera (Collection 29), nearby campaign music (Collection 41).
• Selected Sermons
• Billy Sunday's grave
• Billy Sunday at Flickr Commons