A while back a question was asked in The Wilbur Register, “Who was the first well known evangelist?” Any senior citizen that’s worth their salt should remember it was Billy Sunday. Without being biased I’ll try and give a historical account of old Billy Sunday when he was in the Northwest. He made quite a showing in the Spokane and Olympia area.
All this took place about the time I was born. But the information I have is well documented through kept articles, a family old time post card album, and my auntie Lou, who was a strong follower of Billy Sunday.
First, let’s go back and find out how life got started for Billy Sunday. As a young guy Billy played baseball with the Chicago White Socks. When he got married, he became a Presbyterian. Through the church he got a job at the Chicago YMCA. After a spell, he jumped the gun and went on to become assistant to a small fry evangelist. In 1896, Sunday picked up a song leader and began his career as a revivalist and held mass meetings in towns and cities all over the U.S. He preached a vivid version of an Evangelical-Fundamentalist, and was noted for his flamboyant acrobatics in the pulpit. In fact, Billy Sunday was more of an entertainer than an evangelist, whose flare for showmanship made him very popular. Wealthy businessmen found it financially healthy to contribute to Sunday’s support when he came to their towns.
Most Spokane churches said they would help sponsor Billy Sunday if he would preach about the evils of drink and the dens of iniquity. But when Billy was ushered into Spokane, one of his main sponsors was Jimmy Durkin, Spokane’s biggest liquor store and saloon owner.
As soon as Billy got settled, Durkin started ‘working on him.’ He picked up Billy at his hotel and took him for a ride in his carriage so everyone on the steets could see them together. For publicity, Durkin placed a sign over his saloon entrance, stating: “If Your Children Need Shoes, Don’t Buy Booze.”
Jimmy Durkin dined with Billy Sunday, and when Billy was preaching in his tent, that held 3,000 people, Durkin would sit in the front row on the platform with Billy so everyone could see him.
People came in droves to hear and see Billy Sunday because he was so powerful in showing off his display of emotions. While in Spokane he got rather hysterical and broke a chair over the pulpit to emphasize a point. In one of his sermons Billy related the story of David and Goliath. You’d have to be a fight fan to appreciate the story, but this is the way he described it. “David picked up a rock and put it in his sling shot. It hit Goliath in the coconut, between the lamps. He dropped to the mat, took the count, and turned his toes to the daisies.” The rootin', tootin' Billy Sunday was also a sharpie. A heckler, who shouted the question, (then famous in all agnostic or atheist circles), “Who was Cain’s wife?” Billy Sunday shot back the reply, “I respect any seeker of knowledge but I want to warn you, young man, don’t risk being lost to salvation by too much inquiring after other men’s wives.”
Some of the churches and Billy Sunday decided to charter a train and go to Olympia to sell the legislature on the idea of prohibition. In order to do this it was necessary to raise some dough, so Billy decided to ask for donations. He wanted to know if anyone would give $100. "If so, please stand up." Jimmy Durkin figured this would be big publicity for him, so he was the first to stand. By now, Billy was getting his belly full of Durkin. He demanded that he close his dive that was sending a lot of guys to hell. Durkin tried to sit down three times, but with 3,000 people watching, Billy made him stand up and each time he got a bit rougher with Durkin. Billy finally demanded $1,000 from him. With that kind of donation, Jimmy Durkin contributed to his downfall faster than he cared to.
Later when another evangelist, Gypsy Smith came to Spokane, Durkin didn’t look him up. He had seen the light, and the show was over as far as he was concerned.
But the reformers rolled along and went over to the Capitol and sold the legislature on the idea to give prohibition a try. It was bye-bye to all the saloons in the state of Washington. The ‘wets’ had to wait a while for the speak-easies to get going.
Billy Sunday’s Spokane crusade was partly financed by selling scads of postcards of himself in various preaching poses. They ranged all the way from thumping the pulpit with his fist, hard like, to holding a watch in front of his right leg that was parked on a chair. The caption read, “God’s counting time on you.” Whatever that meant.
Billy Sunday’s popularity waned after 1920 when his style became old stuff. He was called upon from time to time to display a little of his old fire. In 1935 he passed away in the town that gave him his start, Chicago.
"Billy Sunday" Kik-Back Country, page 88 (home) (thread)
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