billy sunday billy sunday november november american athlete popular outfielder baseball national_league 1880s celebrated influential american decades 20th century born poverty iowa sunday spent years working odd jobs playing local running baseball teams speed agility provided opportunity play baseball major leagues years average hitter good fielder known base running converting evangelical christianity 1880s sunday left baseball christian ministry gradually developed skills pulpit midwest early 20th century nation famous delivery sunday held widely reported campaigns america largest cities attracted largest crowds advent electronic sound systems great deal money welcomed homes wealthy influential sunday strong supporter prohibition preaching likely played significant role adoption eighteenth amendment despite questions income scandal touched sunday devoted wife managed campaigns sons disappointed audiences grew smaller 1920s sunday grew older religious popular alternative sources entertainment appeared sunday continued preach remained defender conservative christianity death early life born near iowa father son german immigrants named sunday settled pennsylvania worked way iowa married daughter local farmer miller william sunday enlisted iowa volunteer infantry august died months later pneumonia army camp missouri weeks birth youngest son sunday children moved parents years young billy close grandparents especially grandmother sunday later remarried second husband soon deserted family billy sunday years old impoverished mother sent older brother soldiers home iowa later iowa sunday gained orderly habits decent primary education realization good athlete fourteen sunday shifting nevada iowa worked colonel lieutenant governor tending farm provided sunday good home opportunity attend sunday received high school diploma better educated contemporaries sunday relocated iowa recruited fire brigade team sunday worked odd jobs competed fire brigade tournaments played town baseball team sunday left field team defeated state champion team professional baseball player sunday professional baseball career launched adrian cap native future hall aunt avid fan team gave enthusiastic account sunday prowess recommendation president signed sunday defending national_league champions sunday struck times game seven strikeouts games got hit seasons chicago time player taking place right field kelly served catcher sunday speed greatest asset displayed outfield arranged race sunday fastest runner sunday won yard dash feet sunday personality demeanor popular fans teammates manager considered sunday reliable team business manager included duties handling ticket receipts paying team travel expenses kelly sold team sunday chicago regular right fielder injury limited playing time games following winter sunday sold season starting center fielder playing season time career crowds pittsburgh took sunday immediately reporter wrote town wild sunday pittsburgh losing team seasons sunday performed center field league leaders stolen bases labor dispute led formation new league composed better players national_league invited join competing league sunday conscience allow break contract pittsburgh sunday named team captain star player team suffered worst seasons baseball history august team money meet payroll sunday traded philadelphia_phillies players cash philadelphia team opportunity win national_league pennant owners hoped adding sunday roster improve chances sunday played thirty games philadelphia team finished place march sunday requested granted release contract philadelphia ball club career sunday hitter batting average games median 1880s best season sunday hit ranking 17th league exciting inconsistent fielder days wore gloves sunday noted thrilling catches featuring long athletic committed great errors sunday best known exciting base runner regarded peers fastest game placed better national_league stolen bases sunday remained prominent baseball fan life gave interviews opinions baseball popular press frequently umpired minor league amateur games cities held attended baseball games including world series game months died conversion sunday afternoon chicago baseball season sunday teammates town day street corner stopped listen gospel preaching team pacific garden mission attracted hymns heard mother sing sunday began attending services mission talking society worked sunday struggle decided christian began attending fashionable congregation ball park rented room teammates sunday heavy autobiography said drank drunk times life baseball players drink beer following conversion sunday denounced drinking swearing gambling changed behavior recognized teammates fans shortly sunday began speaking churches marriage sunday introduced thompson daughter owner chicago largest dairy products businesses sunday immediately going relationships bordered engagements furthermore grown maturity privileged environment sunday father strongly discouraged courtship viewing professional baseball players wells unstable destined old play sunday pursued eventually married occasions sunday said presbyterian presbyterian catholic catholic hot trail thompson liked sunday start weighed thompson finally relented couple married september spring sunday turned baseball contract year accept position month sunday job title assistant secretary position involved great deal ministerial work proved good preparation later career years sunday visited sick prayed troubled visited invite patrons meetings sunday time assistant best known united_states time educated meticulous personally shy like sunday commanded respect pulpit strong voice sophisticated demeanor sunday job advance man cities scheduled preach organize prayer meetings general care necessary details tents sunday help erect listening preach night night sunday received valuable course sunday attempts preaching showed good sermon encouraged sunday theological development especially emphasizing importance prayer helping reinforce billy commitment conservative biblical christianity popular circuit unexpectedly returned sunday struck beginning meetings tiny garner iowa years sunday preached approximately seventy communities iowa illinois sunday referred towns circuit unlike chicago electrified towns booked sunday meetings informally sending delegation hear preach holding services sunday took advantage reputation baseball player generate advertising meetings iowa sunday organized local businesses baseball teams scheduled game sunday came dressed professional uniform played sides baseball primary means publicity sunday hired circus giant serve usher sunday began attract crowds larger accommodated rural churches town halls pitched rented canvas tents sunday physical work putting manipulating ropes storms seeing security sleeping night hire advance man october colorado destroyed sunday tent special disaster typically paid offering end meetings insisted towns build temporary wooden expense comparatively costly build lumber salvaged end meetings locals money advance change sunday operation began push finances campaign fore raising provided good public relations coming meetings townspeople joined effectively giant sunday built participating process status symbol previously built major administration years sunday career wife pushed emotional limits long exacerbated natural feelings product childhood described series losses extremely dependent wife love encouragement found increasingly difficult handle household responsibilities needs children including newborn long distance emotional welfare husband ministry expanding needed administrator job wife suited sundays decided children manage revival campaigns sunday transformed husband pocket organization nationally renowned phenomenon new personnel hired new_york campaign sundays paid staff musicians advance men sundays hired bible teachers sexes responsibilities held daytime meetings schools shops encouraged audiences attend main services evenings significant new staff members exceptional song leader music director worked sundays years regularly singing directed women especially young working women campaign platform wife campaign organization sunday free best compose deliver typically homer warm crowd singing alternated numbers gigantic music performed staff sunday felt moment right launch message sunday stood pulpit ran end platform dove stage pretending slide home plate smashed chairs emphasize points sermon notes printed large letters catch glimpse raced pulpit messages attacking sexual sin groups men sunday graphic era theological opponent minister wrote things said bordered things prohibited decent society sermon preached times mixed audience men women boys girls women preached married women men preached mature men sermon preached grown folks excuse good experienced newspaper reporter told sermon thing syracuse quote sermon awful definition hit trail watch fireworks friend says sunday sermon sex question raw heard famous says addresses listened religious platform preacher religion saw people carried awful definition said tempered little minute period men carried time heard preach religious social leaders criticized sunday exaggerated gestures slang filled audiences clearly enjoyed journalist complained sunday preached old old doctrine getting results inspiring fear hearts spite conviction truly religious man religion gets results inspiring fear hearts fear death intensified examples salvation late mighty menace drives fold sunday told reporters ill concealed annoyance certainly contemporary comparisons mid nineteenth century camp meetings famous drawing sunday told reporter believed people converted sunday meetings instances fits caused far crowd noise especially crying babies significant sunday preaching wooden live instructed audiences provided forbidden sunday appeared rude rid hall noisy children slipped floors covered noise feet pleasant smell ability hold dust dirt floors coming forward invitation known hitting trail term sunday campaign washington apparently hitting trail pacific_northwest describe following home trail previously dropped uncut forest metaphor coming sunday words lost condition saved condition sunday began conduct meetings usually longer month small cities like denver finally major cities philadelphia syracuse kansas_city detroit boston buffalo new_york_city 1910s sunday page news cities held campaigns newspapers printed world war local coverage campaigns surpassed war sunday subject articles major periodicals staple religious press regardless course career sunday probably preached million people face face great majority electronic vast numbers hit trail usual total given came forward million modern historian estimates true figure closer sunday preach million different individuals people repeatedly course campaign death sunday estimated preached nearly average month preaching times week crowds huge period decline people attended meetings week columbia south_carolina campaign times white population columbia trail hitters necessarily conversions christianity groups club members came forward sunday complaining sunday general meaningless wages success large crowds efficient organization meant sunday resident orphan home soon offerings questions sunday income apparently raised columbus ohio campaign turn pittsburgh campaign year later sunday spoke times day effectively sermon day time average employed worker year major cities chicago philadelphia baltimore boston new_york_city gave sunday larger offerings sunday donated chicago offering pacific garden mission new_york offering war charities sundays earned million dollars average worker period earned sunday welcomed circle social economic political elite counted neighbors acquaintances prominent businessmen sunday numerous politicians including presidents counted friends los_angeles campaign sundays visited hollywood stars members sunday organization played charity baseball game team business personalities included sundays enjoyed dressing dressing children family sported expensive coats boots jewelry sunday bought land investment sundays bought apple orchard oregon years property sported cabin reporters called ranch sunday soft touch money gave away earnings sundays extravagant sunday enjoyed driving couple owned car sundays moved indiana built american style called mount hood probably reminder oregon vacation cabin furnished popular arts crafts style garden rooms square feet living space garage religious views sunday conservative evangelical accepted doctrines affirmed preached bible virgin birth christ doctrine resurrection christ literal devil hell imminent return jesus christ turn 20th century protestant church members regardless gave doctrines sunday refused hold meetings cities welcomed vast majority protestant churches clergy sunday era went way avoid criticizing roman_catholic_church met baltimore campaign cards filled trail hitters returned church writers indicated choice including catholic sunday ordained ministry strict preached individuals responsible salvation trail hitters given page tract stated believe christ died place receive master god nature sunday attended seminary theologian intellectual thorough knowledge bible read religious social issues day surviving library books gives evidence heavy use including reader notes characteristic caps printing sunday books religious opponents later charged decoration day speech given noted sunday preaching wide appeal audiences entertained sunday claimed old fashioned preacher old time religion spoke personal god salvation jesus christ following moral lessons bible sunday theology simplistic situated mainstream time social political views sunday lifelong republican espoused mainstream political social views native midwest personal discipline opposition government regulation writers attacked sunday tool big business poet called sunday sided issues example denounced child labor supported urban reform women suffrage sunday condemned private lives good public lives bad pick pockets man fingers hand pick pockets eighty million people fingers monopoly commercial advantage lost sympathy poor tried bridge gulf races jim crow era occasions sunday received contributions sunday passionate supporter world war said tell kaiser bill germany america hell heaven sunday raised large amounts money troops sold war bonds recruitment sunday ardent champion earliest days ministry given hand experience destructive potential alcohol sunday famous sermon water wagon preached countless occasions emotion mountain economic moral evidence sunday said sworn eternal enemy fighting dirty rotten business power command sunday played significant role public interest prohibition passage eighteenth amendment tide public opinion turned prohibition continued support repeal sunday called sunday opposed recent immigration southern eastern europe teaching evolution criticized popular middle class dancing playing cards attending theater reading novels believed baseball healthy patriotic form recreation long played sundays decline death sunday popularity waned world war people revival audiences attracted radio broadcasts moving pictures instead sundays health declined continued drive rounds smaller fewer staff members assist tragedy marred sunday final years sons engaged activities preached sundays paid blackmail women scandals relatively quiet virtual member family died sundays daughter child actually raised died multiple oldest son george rescued financial ruin sundays committed suicide crowds declined years life sunday accepting preaching speaking effect early mild heart attack doctor advised stay pulpit sunday ignored advice died november week preaching sermon text saved
Billy Sunday