Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-06-20
money enough to secure, or to pay
for should they pet them

patton requires him to stay at home
has often left his home, and oftener
written letters and sent circulars
which would have aroused the 'sseven
sleepers," but all with meager results.
Every expedient has been tried, cx-
cept visitation of the remote counties,
which could not be attempted, for
even Secretaries of State Sabbath
School Conventions must not forget
the wolf which looks in at the door.
Perhaps change in the personnel of
the State workers may secure more
satisfactory results-a hint of which
you should not be unmindful.
But the unwise selection in some
counties OF county officers whose
hearts were not in the work and who
neglected their duty, is the chief
cause of this retrogression. I'll had
such officers here would draw a pen
picture of them to be held up to this
Convention for laughter or contempt.
l know of no men less to be envied
than those who are unfaithful to an
accepted trust. But l forbear, SPAR
ing them and the Convention, being
mindful of the man Furnishing boy
who was all the while convulsed with
laughter. AT last the man said.
"What are you laughing al ?"
"Why," said the victim, syou arc
whaling the wrong boy"
have no idea that such officers as
| have mentioned have come here.
l have no ambition to whale the
wrong boy, the guilty being absent.
DISTRICT WORK.
If any work has been done by the
district workers. except in the Sd, 9Th,
9th and Council Bluffs districts, it has
not been reported to these headquar-
ters. We did hear of talk of
doing something in the I'd and Sth
districts. But in the Sd district the
way they have of holding conventions
annually is astonishing. They allure
into their sessions not only Sabbath
School workers, but many from ':the
unsanctified," who get converted and
go home to work. This year a con-
clave of newspaper editors was, un-
suspectingly, being held in the same
town, at the same time, These they
coaxed in and it did them good. I
shouldn't be surprised if it saved the
district politically this fall. But un-
fortunately those who needed it most
wouldn't come. Still there is encour-
agemcnt for the workers, who have
all the counties of their district in
working order except one.
How they manage so well in the
Sd district, this Secretary cannot say,
but lie can tell you the secret in the
5th. 1t is "clear grit and hard work" f"
This year 500 copies of the call were
sent on postal cards to 800 people, in
Guiding the publishers of the news
papers who printed it. A personal
letter was written to more than three
score of the most talented and dcvo-
ted workers in the district, asking
them them to speak or otherwise
help in the convention. More than 500
programmes, before the convention,
were judiciously distributed through
the district. In those days there was
q storm in Toledo. 1t rained Sunday
School workers. Hospitality was
faxed to the utmost. But Toledo and
the other fifty towns and cities repre-
sented got blessing poured out
from the Most High. Bro. Hazard
ran over one night from Chicago,
and we kept him till all was over.
| He liked us so well he has come again.
We had the President of this associ-
alton for Secretary-your presidents,
why we just use them for secretaries
up there, and the way l ordered him
round and his hearty obedience were
instructive to witness, illustrating
how that he who would learn to rule
must first learn to obey.
In the ninth district there were
some very warm hearts in very ac-
tive bodies, at time of very cold
weather. But cold weather makes a
mistake when it undertakes to chill
such men as the officers of the Sd and
9th districts. The workers of the
Council Bluffs district, prompted by
Sunday School love, have Ca(re)dwell
for their children and have held a
successful convention, though late,
still in season to balance all accounts
against them with something credit
ed up for next year.
/ But what have you to say of
| CLEAR LAKE?
Il Well, sir, Clear Lake was success
Those who were not there missed the
richest literary, spiritual and Sabbath
School treat ever enjoyed in Iowa
The writer hereof usually passes
among his fellows as man of verac
ity, but if you doubt his word in ref
erencc to this matter, don't ask any.
one else, but 60 this year yourself
August 22nd to September 7th, a reg
, ular campaign. Go, taking along
. your family and neighbors.-
/ You ought to be sick little wheI
, you start, so as to appreciate the lux
ury of getting well, as the bloom o.
, health is waited to you on the salu
brious breezes of the Lake. Carry
from home your bed-clothing, youl
, bible and a we'll filled pocket. TIL,
contents of the latter should not b.
heavy on your return.
This secretary was commanded
, by you, last year, to give som,
words of welcome in behalf o
r this association to the visitors II
Iowa soil, at Clear Lake. Like Gen
, Butler, who, being asked to write on
: brief statement of his military ca
) reer, said, ~ have done what | wa
: told to-" So did this Secretary. Ant
| never was troubled with doub
, that the success of that assembly wa
, due to that welcome.
After the assembly, accompanied b,
, my family, and associated with Rev
Mr.. Crafts and his accomplished wife
; our trip was continued by the chai,
, Of the great lakes, to the Internationa
Y. M. G. A. Convention, at Toronto
Canada, thence to the Sabbath Schoo
Parliament at the 1000 Islands in tn,
River St. Lawrence. Thence bidding
goodbye to Mr.. and Mrs. Crafts, th'
Journey was extended to the State o
Maine. Two days only had passed
when she who was nearest in life wa
stricken by the hand of disease. Da,
by day till the days extended int,
weeks and the weeks into months
this anxious watcher remained by tha
bedside while his work for the maste
in Iowa could not be done.
In October the work was resumed
Circulars to county Secretaries ant
others were prepared, hoping to elici
replies from them, pledging fidelit,
to the work. In part, this was sue
cessful. After that thousand circu
lars, to which was attached a pro
gramme for local conventions, wa
, prepared and sent to the Sabbatl
School workers of Iowa, with en-
, couraging results.
Looking back upon the year, nov
drawing to close, while PERSONAL
it contains period which is saddles
of life, there are many things whicl
encourage and cheer. Our ally, tn
, Y. M. c. A., of Iowa, has been pnttin
in the sickle and gathering, in th
harvest fields, the sheaves which TIL
Sunday School workers had previou.
, ly sown. Out of 1900 conversions, a
, the result of the Y. M. G. A. work,
, is safe to say 200 to 1900 were froI
the ranks ofthe Sabbath School arm,
And similar statements may also b
, made concerning the grand Spiritua
in-gathering, the reward of othe
Christian laberers during the yea
, past, not only in Iowa, but through
!, out the length and breadth of OF,