The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-12-17
The First Church in Bismarck.


In consecrating a new church edifice
at Bismarck, Dakota, recently, the man
ayers made a mistake in emitting all
reference to the start which religion
made in that town in the flush times of
early days. AS bit of history it is inn
pOrtant, and as revelation of what pi-
oneer preachers had to confront it is in
teresting.
Bismarck has not always been the
law-abiding peaceful city it is now, and
when it was young-literally on wheels
"a class of denizens crept in who were
not at all particular what color the town
was painted as long as it was painted
red. One of the chief industries of the
village was gambling, and others were
getting drunk and impregnating the at
mospilere and fellow-citiZens with cold
lead. The pastimes were rading ada
cent Indian camps and tearing down the
local opera house when the performance
failed to come up to the literary taste of
the audience. There was dim, misty
notion that some where on the earth
there were people who practced a
scheme called "religion," but how it
was done, or what the dividens were,
found no opponents about Bismarck,
wherefore it was with great surprise,
that the busy village learned one Satur-
day morning that a parson had arrived
and was busily engaged in perfecting ar
rangements to hold divine service the
next day. AS new kind of game
they were naturally interested in it, and
all hands prepared to take hand if they
saw any chance of winning on the in
vestment. There were some men in the
town who naturally believed that the
pious name concealed some new gamb-
ling device, and they were anxious to
be posted, that they might 'place suck
er" to the next man who turned up with
it, and thereby win his money while he
should think that he was dealing to new
hands.
The question as to fireplace in which
the exercises should be held aroused the
town to unwonted activity Whatever
they might prove to be they would GER
tainly prove remunerative to the bar.
and every saloon was offered the dominic
in which to exploit himself, with the as
surance that the rent would not only be
free, but his personal rum would be with
out any expense to himself. Other and
equally powerful inducements were held
out until enterprise finally threw itself
into the form of finances, and the COM
petition bid high against each other for
the privilege of introducing the new
feature. To the hard-headed and expe-
rienced merchants, who saw nothing but
money in every venture, this aspect was
peculiarly satisfactory. They advised
the parson to hold off until the top-notch
price had been reached, and even sug-
gested a joint stock company in which
they stood ready to meet as soon as it
should be organized.
The bewildered preacher scarcely
knew what to do. He wanted money!
for his church, but he shrank from tax
ing the "wages OF SIM as he called the
profits OF saloon-keeping. This position
was warmly combatted with much
strength of gesticulation and not little
profanity. The dominic was obdurate,
and at the point where riot was immi-
nent gambler cut the gordian knot by
offering his extensive faro rooms for the
approaching entertainment. 1t was the
easiest way out, and the grateful parson
eagerly seized upon the offer.
1t was a peculiar congregation that
faced the dominic the morning of his
sermon. Not face displayed the slight
est curiosity, for the audience was COM
posed of men accustomed to conceal their
emotions behind impressive visages, and
IHeg ull HOC propose UUaC Jno Stfan-
ger should find them prepared for any
exhibition of surprise by any kind of a
show that he might open. The-faro table
was offered him for pulpit; and spread
ing his notes on the ''lay-out," he went
in in spite of some natural nervousness.
Parson Miller was man who had seen
good deal of the world, was good
Judge of men, and had the peculiar fac
ulty of adapting himself to his surround
ings. All this enabled him to preach a
sermon that applied Immediately to the
understanding and appreciation of his
auditors. Whether it affected them or not
could not be gathered from their looks,
but the frequency of the applause testi-
fed they knew what he was talking
about.
At the close of his prayer the parson
announced that he wanted his congrega-
ton to select hymn and sing it. Per-
haps his object was to learn whether his
discourse had aroused any "reminiscences
of early youth and possible religious
training. But the effect on the audience
was startling. Natural politicians. they