The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-04-30
BIOGRAPHY as EkEV. -BOiEN
e S.Nk1.N.
Originating Churches.

one preachsu the Sospel. Mr. Kan
kin made an appointment to preach
at that place on week day. More
people came 10 hear him than he
expected to come on q week day.
At the close of his discourse he
said to his audience, 81 have come
to preach TO you on week days, and
all / will ask of ,ou is to come and
hear" lie estabIishe l one place of
preaching at the house of Mr..
Christian Smedeker, near Prisons
mill, four miles distant from Deca.
tur. From that place he went TO
Russelville, and preached to the peo-
pie of that village, asking nothing
for his services. Russelyille was
six miles from Decatur; Prisons
mill was between the two villages.
Once in every Two weeks he spent
three days, preaching once at each
plaza. This he intended to contin-
ne doing during the summer and
fall. When winter came he was re-
quested to continue. He consent.
ed, and preached during the winter
as he had done during the summer
and fall.
During the second summer, near
harvest time, in the neiGhborhood
of Prisons mill, q Methodist man
requested Mr.. Rankin to give them
d discourse-on total abstinence from
the use of intoxicating liquors. He
said that whiskey was generally
used in the harvest fields. Mr..
Rankin gave consent, and day
was appointed for the purpose, and
notice of it was given. When the
day came there was a full attend
ance. His text was, "Look not up
on the wine when it is red, when 1t
mOYeth itself Alright in the cup; at
the last it biteth like a serpent and
stingeth like an adder" He point
ed out the shocking results of using
intoxicating drinks. He said "The
common use of spurious liquors
tends to create an ungovernable APP
petite for strong drink, which few
gill resist, and intemperance is the
general result. Aud that ruins
health, aud often brings on untime-
ly death. 1t often leads to poverty,
thefts and murder. 1t has led
thousands TO the gallOws. 1t has
clothed millions of families in rags,
and vast is the number of wives IL
has sent to untimely graves, and it
has sent numbeFless soHls to helI.'
Aud when the audience became
highly excited, he said, "NOw ! de-
sire to see how many of you will
keep it out OF yOur harvest fields.
All who will do SO, hold up your
right hands" Iustautaneously ali
hands rose. Some of them COM
planned that Mr.. Rankin had taken
them unawares, when they were
highly excited Whiskey was BAN
ished from the harvest fields, and
the people acknowledged tn at they
he'd never before had so pl easant
harvest.
Iley. Jesse Lockhart came from
Tennessee. He and Mr.. Rankin
were brought up in the bounds OF
Presbyterian congregation of Hope
well. lie was in search of some
q. place in which TO settle as pastor
Mr.. Rankin conveyed him to Rus
aelyille, and set him to work with
out any promise of support, lie
then took a subscription of seven
hundred dollars to build church
ut RusselyilIe. He next took SUBJ
scription payable in anything the
people chose to give to support Mr..
I,ockhart. A call was made out
for his services all of his time, con-
tanning the amount subscribed. The
Presbytery refused to put il into
his hands, because the sum was too
small, although Mr.. Lockhart was
willing to accept it. Mr.. Rankin
took it back to the church. aud it
was changed to half of his lime, aud
he gave the whole time, and was in
stalled pastor, and preached for that
church forty years, and then resign
ed his charge on account of age.
He built up a strong church. He
bad to labor with his hands to make
part of his support, and so did the
Apostle Paul, when necessary. So
ministers in many cases ought to
do in order to give tbs gospel to
The poor.
Mr.. Rankin succeeded in getting
up al RusselVille . BRICK church,
forty feet by fifty, in which good
congregation was gathered, and
worshipped in It nearly forty years,
and then put up a new church.
The people at Decatur accepted
Mr.. Rankin's offer to preach for
them on week days, aud gave good
attendance at large school house,
which was we'll flled with hearers.
II was not long until a religious ex-
element took place under Mr.. Ran
kin's preaching. A Methodist min
lister At Ripley having heard OF it,
fastened to Decatur, and formed e
class, and a Methodist church was
the result. Mr.. Rankin continued
his labors, and in process of time a
Presbyterian church was organized.
Mr.. Rankin's fret effort to get up a
house of worship failed by the want
OF effort in ,he building committee.
4 subscription of ronr hundred dol
lars vas raised, for winch, at that
lime, q church could have been pat
up aud enclosed. Sir. Rankin con-
tinued to preach at the school
house, and made u second effort to
get up q church. Ills own church
at Ripley gave one hundred dollars,
and that, with what was given al
pecstur, put up brick church, for
IL feet by fiftY. He induced 4
young minister to become thsir pas
cor, under whose ministrations the