Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, September 19, 1915, EDITORIAL SOCIETY, Image 15

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    The Omaha Sunday Bee
PART TWO
EDITORIAL
PAGES ONE TO TWELVE
PART TWO
SOCIETY
PAGES ONE TO TWELVE
VOL. XLV-NO. 14.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MOHXIXU, SHlTF.MItKH 19. VAb
sixuu: copy Fivn cents.
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HUMS?
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THE TIMS .
Knits Reserved Seat for
Hubby
The ushers meet all sorts of situations. E. C.
Wilbur tells of a stout woman who placed her hat
At her side and was holding enough space for three
ordinary persons.
He approached the woman and politely ex
plained the reasonableness of making 'room for
others. She was busy knitting and had a face
that was motherly and kind. The time was 7 p. m.
"I hare been here since 4:30 and am holding
this space for my husband, who Is not through with
his wcrk until 5:30. He expects to find me hold
ing this seat for htm," said the woman.
"How could I hare made the woman move
i-nder those circumstances?" asked Mr. Wilbur.
Just Little Hard o' Hearin'
"If a section should be reserved for deaf peo
ple, half of the people coming to the meetings
would be deaf," remarked "Billy" Sunday to A.
W. Bowman, head usher.
Bo many people plead for front seats on ac
count of real or imaginary deafness that Mr. Bow
man began to think a section should be reserved
for this class of attendants. The more he thought
of it, the more he was Impressed, until he put the
proposition up to Mr. Sunday.
One Door Still Open
The doorkeepers at the tabernacle have re
ceived very positive instructions not to allow any
one to enter the building after "Billy" Sunday
lias started his talk, and many amusing things
happen as a result. A man was seated Inside with
Lis w'fe before the services began, but after they
had started he became faint and feeling the need
of some tool air he left tho building and walked
up'and down outside for a few minutes. When
he felt strong enough he made an attempt to en
ter. The doorkeeper stopped him.
"I want to go In," said the man,
"I can't let you," replied the doorkeeper.
"But my wife Is in there," said the man.
"Thnt's too bad," replied the usher.
"And so Is my coat," replied tho Inslslent
creature.
"Is it?" atiked the doorkeeper, apparently
deeply Interested.
"Can't I get In?"' the man begged.
"No, sir," replied the doorkeeper firmly.
The man drew himself up to his full height
and looked the doorkeeper squarely In the eye.
"Then I'll go home," he said.
v
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DUbeuan rug inui Daiiisneu
An usher who volunteered to "ush" with all his
nlght was snared by George Sunday, Bitting in a
icar entry of the tabernacle the other evening
reading column after column of The Bee. "Young
man, I know The Bee Is very interesting, but you
promised to come here and usher; if you must
read, you had better wait until after the services."
"Philadelphia, won two more," replied the
t.sher, evidently hearing nought that George said.
"Where?" said George looking over his
rhoulder.
Both were lost!
- ' . t ' .if
"i
WAS sitting on the platform one night," said an
old Illinois preacher, "when "Blly" prayed. He
used one expression that made me wince; it
seemed too sacrilegious so unnecessary. Oh,
I thought to myself, I wish "Billy" hadn't said that. At
the close of the session the first man to come forward
was a state senator, a member of the legislature, and a
political leader. I met him the next day on the street
and congratulated him on the stand he had taken."
"Do you know," he said, "I had no idea of coming
forward, but that prayer got me. When "Billy" spoke
that sentence (quoting the very phrase that had hurt
me so) I Juat couldn't resist it. I said: 'That means
me; that's the call of God to me; and, sir, I went' "
As for "Billy" himself, the criticisms trouble him
not at all. "If Jesus were preaching today He would
preach in the vernacular Just like I am preaching to
you," he says. "He would say: 'Come across, old man,
before the devil's got you cinched.' He always adapted
His language and sermons to His audiences. When He
preached to farmers He told parables of sowing; when
He spoke to women He told about bread-making."
That there should be some reaction afjer a moral
earthquake such as "Billy" causes is inevitable; but
there are always some permanent evidences of his work,
ven after years, some leading men whose lives bear
witness tc the thoroughness of his work, some quickened
civic spirit "Billy" at least has no doubt about it
"They say a revival is temporary," he says; "so is a
bath, but it does you good."
No one could hear "Billy" pray without the feeling
that bis God Is a very near and very close friend who
loows and sympathizes and helps. "He is the only man
who ever prayed for us," said the telephone operators
In Decatur when they sent their mite to his offering. He
p ' fruits
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got nearly to the peak, and commenced a illd
lug descent. Ho snt down and attempted to hold
himself back with his hands, but he had gotten
too good a Ktnrt, and rapidly neared the ede.
When nenriy to the eaves hla trouBors caueht. on
a projecting nail In a vain effort to hold him back,
but the attempt only served to retard him slightly.
With a good-sired section torn from the seat of
Lis pants he reached the ert.te, thung there for a
1'ionient, ar.d dropped squarely into the arms of a
lug man who happened to look up In time to save
hlninelf from being landed on.
"Are you hurt, sonny?" anked the man.
"Naw," replied the boy, "but I bet I'll get a
llckln' for tenrln' my pants," aud he disappeared
Into the crowd.
Flag Presentation Brings
the Tears
The presentation of the flag by the Grand
.rniy of the Republic came as suddenly and un
expectedly to the audience as a bolt of lightning
from a clear sky. There had been singing and
the rendition of stirring songs by the choir, when
ruddenly end without former notice, E. W. John
son, commander of Custey post, stepped to thi
front of the platform, where Mr. Sunday was
standing and asking the presence of "Ma" 8unday,
ri-osented the flag In a neat little speecn.
As Mr. Sunday unfurled Old Glory and flaunted
Its bright colors out toward the vast assemblage,
aud as the cheers went up, it was noted that both
he and Ma Sunday had recourse to their handker
chiefs to wipe the tears away from their eyes. This
was noticed nnaln when, immediately after the
flag Incident the tholrj and most of those in tho
HUd!enre Jnlned In singing the "Star Spangled
Tanner."
As the slnglnp of the sonj progressed, not only
did tears appear in the eyes Mr. and Ma Sunday,
)iit they coursed down the iheeks of many of the
old vet-erans occupying the seats in the front sec
tion o( the hou.io.
Bargains on the Road to
Heaven
That feminine fineries have their appeal for
women of the "Billy" Sunday party was evidenced
the other afternoon when Miss Grace Saxe, in
charge of the Bible study work, passed a millinery
fchop on her return from the tabernacle.
MIbs Saxe went Into ecstacies over a rakish
little dove gray toque with a crown of burnt
orange velvet.
"Isn't that a dear!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, but I guess it baa a $25 price tag on It,"
paid her companion. '
"No, indeed. I priced it this noon and it's
only $7.60. Isn't that a bargain. I'd bar bought
It only It Is too small for me."
When "Billy" Sunday Prays--He Just Gets 'Em
Good and Plenty-That's All '
prays for everyone. Take these paragraphs, for in
stance, out of a ten-minute prayer:
"Well, Jesus, I preached longer than I thought I
would. I thought I would be home and in bed by this
time. But I am glad to help them; they are a very ap
preciative crowd here, Lord; Vou know that We have
been here in Wllkesbarre a week. Lord, and we have
learned to admire and love them, Lord. Bless them all,
Lord. Bless the mayor of the city; I do not know IT he
is a Christian, but he Is a good, kind fellow. Lord, to do
all the things he has done for us down here. Bless the
chief of police, Lord, and the cops who are down here
helping night after night. Bless the fire chief and the
fire laddies.
"Bless the street car crews, the motormen and the
conductors, and bless the men who own the trolley lines;
bless the fellows In the electric light plant who help us
get our lights down here; bless the bunch up at the
eourt house. Lord, the auditors and the treasurers and
the recorder, and the county clerks and the superin
tendent of public construction and the county commis
sioners; bless all the jailers and all the prisoners there
in their cells.
' "Lord, don't forget the bankers, we pray bear us;
don't forget the doctors and the lawyers; O Lord, there's
a bunch that need a lot of help! Don't forget the news
paper men; help everybody, from the editor to the devil
in the office, and the newsies. Lord, who help spread the
news. Lord, help us all, we pray!"
Call him what you will John the Baptist, as two
men in widely separated cities have called him within
my hearing, or say he hath a devil, as other men have
said to me the fact remains that he delivers the goods.
He Is shepherd to those who have no shepherd. His
thousands are the great nia&s outside the church the
thousands, as he says, "who never darken a church door,
but who say 'Come on, let's go down to 'BlU'a' shack.' "
Bruce Baxton In Collier'
Takes "Billy's" Name Not
in Vain
When Magistrate Charles Brltt was asked
what he thought of the evangelist, Just as the lat
ter mounted the platform, "Walt till I have heard
him and Ml tell you," he replied with true Judgely
tpirlt. "I'll tell you what, though; I never hear
the came, 'Billy' Sunday, nowadays but what It
puts me in mind of an incident that occurred to
me in Spokane early last summer.
"I was walking down a side street toward
duuk, when a man appeared from the shadows
and accosted roe, "Bay, bo, can you give a fella
the price of a flop." 1 replied with my usual
finawer to such requests, 'Who are you, and where
are you from?'
"Just then we passed beneath a street lamp,
pad the fellow slapped his hand on my shoulder
and sald.N'Say if anybody ought to help me, you
had! You're Judge Brltt of Omaha.'
" 'You've got me pegged all right,' I replied,
'But why should I help you?' I continued.
" 'Say, I'm the 'Billy' Sunday that you gave
ninety days' suspended sentence to, with the pro
vision that I get out of town. And this is how far
I have got,' stated Billy.
"I tbu remembered that but one week back I
had given such a ' "Billy" 8unday' just that sen
tence, and upon closer Inspection recognised the
luan. So I came across with a half."
xx
X
" '" I
Not HurtNo, Not Yet
The crowd at the tabernacle the other night
a as so great that the overflow formed a solid
ring around the building for ten or fifteen feet
from the wall. Several bright lads, who could
not see or hear the extraordinary talker from the
ontaide, conceived the idea of climbing up on the
roef and looking through the renUlatara. They
scrambled np and ran arwnnd the roef, creating
cults an nproar until oae of them slipped, whan
Case of Mistaken Identity
Half a dozen idlers were standing in tho tab
ernacle watching the carpenters work, several day 2
lefore the opening.
"Well, tomorrow's the big day or BillH' he
f;ettln' the sinners on the run," remarked one,
just by way of saying something.
"Yep," absently answered one of the others as
he gave his attention to a big bug that waa halt
burled in the sawdust trail and was vainly trying
to get out.
"Ho! All the other churches clow when 'BUT
starts. Gotta stay closed, too," volunteered an
other. "Everything closes when 'B1U' begins,
"Gotta stay closed? Who'll close 'emf
sharply asked still another loiterer.
The man who bad been absentmlndediy
watching the bug looked up for the first time, the
remark "everything closes when '"Bill" begins
being the only one that stuck with him. "Why,
the raiding squad will close 'em, of course,' Who
else did you think would?" he demanded, with a
show of bored exasperation.
"Say, fellow, we're still talking abont churohes
not what you think wo are," aprotdtfc man
ho started tho mall-taUt,
ana