Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-12-28
ONE MORE UNFORTUNATE.

ance COMPANY is over, and the Doctor,
thank Heaven, was found guilty, and will
| doubtless wear stripes in few weeks. He
will of course delay justice little while, bat
there is cell for him in Sing Sing, sure.
| This il especially encouraging, for more
| rotten concern was never permitted to exist
1t was honey-combed with perjury, and
worm eaten with imbecility and msmauage-
ment. 1t was sink into which the peo-
pies money went, the president and dlrec-
tors each holding his sack at the outlet. 1t
will teach these swindlers lesson that will
| be remembered There are others to follow,
and Justice cannot get on their track too
| soon. Yours. ALTON.
Freeing u Church from Debt.
| OVER SEVENTY SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS RAISED
IN EIGHT HOURS.
Eight months ago. Mr.. Edward hlmbali,
the travelling agent for a Chicago him' be
came interested in the subjec; OF church
debts and determined to make effort for
the relief of one or two poor churches IN San
Francisco. where he was then. business
man, he attacked the problem in a business
manner, and his efforts were crowned with
complete success. Before leaving the Pacific
coast he had emancipated thirteen churches
from debt. He has continued this work
in every city that he has since visited, inelud-
ing New York city, where. one week ago yes
terlay, he completed the task of raising
debt of Sll0,00 from the Presbyterian Mem
orial Church on Madison avenue and FIFTY
third street. Sunday he made his first effort
of the kind in New England and, after
working in the Shepard Memorial (Congre-
gational) Church in Old Cambridge, Tor near
| " eight hours, left it virtually
FREED FROM THE DEBT OF EIGHTY-FIvE THOU
SAND DOLLARS,
by which it had been brought 80 the verge OF
ruin, thereby completing his twentysixth
| task of the kind. 1t was the hardest strug-
gle and the most signal triumph that he has
| yet encountered, and by it the prophecy OF
certain New YorKers. that he would only
| meet with failure among the hard-tisted New
| Engianders, has been completely refuted.
| Mr. Kimball had, however, perfect faith that
| he would succeed, for he was a Boston boy
| himself, and knew upon whom he could rely.
| More then 20 wears ago he was a Sunday
| school teacher in DR.. Kinks church, and in
his class, and through his instrumentaliiy
| Dwight L. Moody. the Evangelist, became
| Christian.
The Shepard Church, in which he worked
Yesterday, is one of the oldest III the conn
| try, being now in the 243d Year of its exist
ence. Six years ago its members lett the
| old-fashioned. square-towered. wooden build
ing in which they had worshipped for so
many years, and moved into beautiful stone
edifice. To erect this building they incurred
| a heavy debt, which has been their curse ever
since and, instead of being reduced. the
| debt steadily increased. Last week Mr..
| Kimballs business brought him 20 Boston.
| He heard of the distressed condition of the
| Shepard Church, and at once determined
| upon an effort for its relief. On Friday he
visited the pastor, the Rev. Alexander Nc
Kenzie. and. only making his intentions
| known to him and two or three other OF the
officers of the church. decided, with their
| consent, to make the effort the following Sun
day morning.
The day was bright and clear. and, at half
past 10 O'Clock, Shepard Church was well
filled Mr.. Mckenzie occupied the pulpit,
| and Mr.. Kimball sat in front pew. Not
| more than half q dozen persons IN the whole
| congregation knew that anything out of the
| ordinary course was to occur. As the
pastor made the opening prayer he was very
| pale, and his voice trembled He prayed for
success in what they were about to under
take, gave out the usual notices, and then,
| instead Of the usual sermon, made short
address to his people. He told them that
ain men were always raised up for special
work, as the occasion demanded. He told
| the story of Mr.. Moody's conversion, through
| the fundamentally of mis- Sunday-school
teacher and that that same Sunday-school
| teacher was now with them, having plan TO
| propose to them, wonderful that he felt
| compelled to allow him to make 1t known
| himself and would therefore introduce and
| resign the conduct of the mornings service
| to
Mr.. EDWARD KIMBALL OF CHICAGO.
| Mr. Kimball stepped to the little reading
desk beside the pulpit. read chapter from
| the book of Exodus descriptive OF the giving
of the children of Israel OF their worldly
goods to the Tabernacle, and proceeded to
| unfold his plan. He told them the amount OF
their debt was SIS, 900 /; that it was sapping
the life of their church and their pastor. He
reminded them that they had already paid
more than SAL, 900 interest on it, and asked
| them if they were not willing to make one
strenuous effort to remove the incubus. lie
| then asked Mr. Gilman to act rs Secretary OF
the meeting, and called for ten subscriptions
OF So, 900 each, to be made upon condition
that the whole amount OF the debt be pledged
within week and paid within a year, and
|
| provided the other nine were pledged that
morning The people looked at one another
in Arrangement until Mr.. Whitman offered to
take the second So, 600, and they saw that an
| earnest effort was i'll reality to be made.
| Then they began to pledge themselves for
the required amount, and within an hour
THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS HAD BEEN PROMISED.
MIR Kimball taking the last as well rs the first,
$1,000 upon himself. Ten pledges of 81, 600
each were then called for, AID began to come
| in slowly Another hour saw eight OF these
taken, but the next hour passed without any
progress being made. Again Mr.. himball
| offered to take one OF the remaining S2,OOO,
if ANYBODY would take the other. This offer
being accepted, he began on smaller sums,
81, 900 $500 and $3.50. and then called upon
all who were willing to pay TO- %. 30 cents
or 81 per week for the ensuing year to hand
their names to the canyassers. Sixteen hun
dred dollars were raised i'll tins way, and
people became enthusiastic MS they saw that
the money for the payment of the entire
debt WAS really being pledged. and that the
| plan by which IL WAS being done was so SIM
ple, and vet SO comprehensive, that the hum
blest might contribute to its success. In
their excitement they instinctiyely clapped
and appiauded each large gilt, ard many OF
the smaller ones, when they came, as many
did, from those known to be of limited means,
or from outsiders Charlie. Theodore Rus
sell made II stirring address. reminding them
that for the honor OF New England, they
must carry this thing through. and illustra-
ted his theory by generous contribution.
| Men and women left their seats. and can
| yassed the matter with their neighbors.
Some left the church, but most of them re-
turned, ready for increased efforts.
THE CHOIR SANG INSPIRING HYMNS,
and sent down its contribution of money.
| The pastor left the pulpit to work among his
| pnrisnioners. The Harvard students III the
church talked among themselves. and sent
| in IA generous sum. Teachers pledged for
their Sunday school classes. former sub
scrptions were doubled, and the work went
bravely on.
But they had undertaken heavy task, and
| hours passed before its completion. Sunday
school time came and, rs the teachers could
not be spared, the scholars were added to the
congregation. where they first stared in won
derment at the scenes Transporting around
| them, and then began to contribute their
| mites Daylight faded and the gas was light
ed Members OF the congregation, who
| lived near the church, threw open their
| houses, and spread their tables Mt which the
workers would take hasty lunches aud return
| to the church. Members Of other churches
on their way home from afternoon service
finding the morning congregation OF Shepard
| Church not yet dismissed. stopped to soc
what WAS going on, and gathered in curious
| throngs about the entrances. At half past )
O'Clock $4,000 had been pledged, and Mr.
Kimball asked if lie should stop. and let
them finish the work some other time. lie
was answered by cries OF "No no go on.
We can stay il you can"
At 6 o'clock SIG 900 had been raised. The
pastor said he knew where there were $1,000
more. Several gentlemen were reported To-
be out of town who could and would give the
rest when they knew what was being DONE
| and SO the work was declared finished Mr.
Kimball said that he wanted one more pledge
from them before they left. He wanted all
| those to rise, who would soemnly pledge
| that. from this time forth, they would DIS