Crusade for Scotland

"Welcome, Billy," they shouted as the train from London chuffed into St. Enoch's station. Then, as a chorus of Scottish voices sang the 23rd Psalm, the men and women of Glasgow, many of them weeping, surged toward the slim young American. Grey hat in one hand, leather-bound Bible in the other, Evangelist Billy Graham joined briefly in the singing, then made his way through a forest of outstretched hands and drove to his hotel. There, under his window, another crowd waited. Said Billy: "We have prayed for Glasgow all the way across the Atlantic."

Flames Over the Highlands. ius last week began Billy Graham's "All Scotland Crusade." It was, as usual, well-organized. First there was a press conference, next a civic reception, where Glasgow's Lord Provost accompanied ermine-cloaked dignitaries in a round of gospel-hymn singing. That night Billy met 7,000 well-briefed stewards, counselors and choristers, waiting for his instructions. "I believe the flames that burned in Scotland centuries ago can burn again." he told them. "A spiritual awakening in Scotland will encourage the entire world at a very critical period."

Billy had chosen Glasgow (pop. 1,100,000) to start his new crusade because it is Scotland's biggest city and because of its reputation as "the most sinful city in Great Britain." Compared with Chicago, Glasgow's crime statistics make it seem like a haven of peace, but in its twisted cobblestone alleys and dingy, Dickensian slums lurk hundreds of drunks, thugs and pickpockets. London's Sunday Pictorial warned Graham what to expect: "These thugs prefer the knife and the knuckleduster to Christ and crusaders."

Man With a Message. In reply, Billy offered the spiritual knife of his preaching and the high-pressure knuckle-duster of U.S.-style evangelism. Five thousand special buses and 83 special trams stood by.Graham's advance guard placarded all Scotland with his picture. But the Scots needed little urging; they flocked to hear him. Said the Rev. A. Nevile Davidson, Minister of Glasgow: "God has sent a man with a message at the right moment."

Graham delivered his message from the flower-decked platform of Glasgow's huge Kelvin Hall. Sixteen thousand Scots sat in sirence before him and hundreds more were seeing him and listening over a TV relay near by. "I don't want anyone talking or moving for the next half hour," Billy began. Then, with voice vibrating and eyes raised toward heaven, he besought them to have faith and make their peace with God. He ended with the command: "Come to Christ." All told, 470 Scots came forward that evening to make "decisions for Christ."

"The Lord was here," said Billy. Next day he told the crowd: "One out of every four persons in this great hall will be dead ten years from now. if statistics run their normal course. There may not be time for another call like this." Again, hundreds came forward. Most of Scotland's papers praised Billy to the skies. There were some scornful dissenters (wrote a columnist in the Evening News: "The final scene nauseated me."). But night after night the people in Glasgow thronged to hear Billy Graham speak, because he told them, and they believed him: "More people are praying for Glasgow tonight than have ever prayed for any city in the history of the church."

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