BILLY GRA No Fire and Brims By RICHARD TAUB AFTER THE chair of more than Daily staff Kriter a thousand people, all volun- B1ILLY Graham! That name in- teers, sang a hymn led by Shea, P " spires for many a vision of one Graham began to ureach. of those renowned fire and brim- The world is wicked, he said, stone evangelists of another day, Just read a newspaper and you one of those legendary men of the can see the world is rotten. It has soap-box who were able to work always been rotten, because man themselves and their audiences is naturally sinful. into a frenzy, and by so doing ac- complish the work they set out to. 1 IS figures were simple ones. - Graham, however, doesn't fit The soul was like air. Christ into this picture at all. was for us as sap is to the petals Certainly he gesticulates amply. of a flower. The sap brings life to At times while he was in Ney the flower, and Christ brings new York's Madison Square Garden, life to our soul. Environmental e mchange can't solve our problems. e falmost shouted. His voice was "My watch is running slow. If I forceful, on the excited side of take it off this arm and put it on rhetorical, but never frenzied. my other arm, will it start run- There were never uncontrolled ning right?" No, it will not. It's shouts to heaven. . the inside, the workings that are Instead he delivers with a voice all wrong, and it's the same thiig moderated by deep sincerity, a with the soul. Atd the oly way force carefully controlled. the soul can be cured is thrar:'uh And yet Billy Graham - this the Lord Jru is no news - is successful. Madi- Uis vocaulary gas limited son Square Garden was packed for Hs the his appearance, fuller than it has Then he ae t peop e so be'en f or the Rangers in a hockeycoedwtsan fr li geem or the Knicks in a basket- pulpit if they wished to make the m ,r fheuKlerks in a aas sdDecision for Christ." He empha- beall beencontest, ye r ni ssized that it wouldn't be he who been in recent year for Ringling was making them come down, but Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Cir- rather the Lord. It was the Lordi 'us. talkins in their e r. Every seat in the house was He admitted that for some it taken and people were standing, ' would be a lon walk, but "He toot If Graham used mob psychol- alked a mighty long way for ogy, as many critics of evangelists ., maintain, it is of a rare and subtle y kind. HERE would be other battles E WAS effective. That night 1 head. The neighbors might atk, it might affect somebody about 1,500 people decided, at busiesswise, and relatives misht least tentatively, to make the "De- exert pressure. Tlis walk vas cision for Christ." They came nothing by comparison. But the fromt es'erywh r n the Cardi E people who decided for Christ from the ground floor to the third should get used to sacrifice. balcony. The 1000-voice choir began to Young and old, crippled and sing quietly and slightly off key, strong, white and colored and or- as Billy gently exhorted people to iental, poor, middle class and ap- come down. "I know you're fight- parently wealthy walked across ing with yourselfes right now," he the floor of the hall to the edge said softly, "But you'll decide of Billy Graham's pulpit. And right. Some people have even they made the walk despite the walked out the door and decided 20,000 pairs of eyes aimed curious- to come back." ly at them. For many of the people Griam And then the people started to as a secial hero. T Gy ad rome come. At first only a trickle - one to ' a 'rvici hers. nIby after 0t from the back; two from the right, to his services night after 114,1t, hnfv rsxfo h ak again and again, and wanted still then five or six from the back. " more, When Graham spoke, mne an tote endlssly poured from Garden was still. Twenty-two the doors and stood with be a thousand people weie silent. thed a s o wit And they listened hard for eg, ' bo- e t the ulpit. ery word and were eager to re- G epond whenever possible. Excited GREAT many of these 'ople laughter greeted his feeblest joke weren't converts at all. Many (which was rathc_ feeble.) came down already carrying Hi- At thelyic giwasnratbe thfeeble.) bles and hymnbooks in their arms. At the beginning of the pro- Some had crosses about their gram he commented that some necks. Some came from the group woman had written in praising attending the Baptist convention. George Beverly Shea (he sings These people apparently felt like hymns for the group) and sug- Nicodemus; they had never really gested that he should sing with been reborn to the Lord Jesus. the Metropolitan. The crowd eagerly applauded -- -"And he does do a fine job," Gra- - -- ham said. And the crowd ap- plauded. "And so does our pian- i st," Graham said. Ad again the crowd e erly applauded. "And our organist," Graham said. Adj''~ this time there were even a few A N rather guarded whistles. GRAHAM talked down to his audience. "How many of you people have been here before?" A great many hands .raised. "There's a Baptist convention in New York, Bow many of you TEAHOU people are Baptiste? Raise your TEAH U hands." A great many hands went HATFUL up. "There certainly are a lot of H T U Baptists here tonight. How many G A of you people are something else?" GUYS A A great deal of excited laughter MIA Ml and more hands. I He sounded like somebody ad- OH! ME dressing a Sunday school class - lower grades. "Do you folks know what's go-~ p n i ing happen latr this month?" Tryouts Open T (silence) "That's right. We're holding our closing rally at Yan- what? Some people don't believe kee Stadium. And do you know SEASON that New York with all of its people can fill Yankee Stadium MAIL OR for a religious program. But we think it can. I want all of you to Director be there for that closing service ,and tell your friends and relatives about it too. Now don't forget!" - Monday, September 16, 1957-Page 1 LHA, CR USADER tone, Just Sincerity and Publicity Herein lies part of the secret to 1UDGING by 'he crowd who evangelist. Hell was mentioned Graham's success. Many of the only once that night. teople who "make the decision for made the decision, his picture ont one thrgh t ofcontntmet, o surende of But itesd, through what ap- Christ" are church goers, and may of contentment, of surrender 5f pears to be real sincerity, through ven have considered themselves the soul to the Lord Jesus Christ, an amazing publicity build-up, 'eligious. appeals not to just a few isolated and through the ability to paint But Graham is able to paint individuals or special cases. simple, clear pictures of inner graphic pictures of how good it No Billy Graham doesn't ap- satisfaction through Christ, Gra- eels and what it's like to receive ' ham is eminently successful at Christ into one's heart. pear to be a fire and brimstone his vocation. - _- _ - -_ _ _ W COM E thUDENtS * Latest Popular Records " Classical Records * Sheet Music * library of Books on Music * Convenient to Campus 312 S. Thayer ... Across from Hill Auditorium ... NO 2-5552 4 ARBOR CIVIC THEATER reer Vt3alit 19357-38 Seajon s SE OF THE AUGUST MOON . . . October 3, 4, 5 OF RAIN . . . October 31, November 1, 2 ND DOLLS . .. January 16, 17, 18 NE (Original-Hopwood Winner) . . . February 13, 14, 15 N OH! WOMEN . . . March 6, 7, 8 Everyone Civic Theatre Reserves Right of Changes TICKETS Thursday and Friday $6.00, Saturday $7.00 ZDERS ACCEPTED: to Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre TED HEUSEL Phone NOrmandy 2-4373 i ______________ .11