Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1884-12-04
FRONTIER PIETY.

The First Church in Observation-Disclosures
Met by the ParsOn in Organizing His SAL
walton Army.
Stanley Huntley in brakes Magazine.
In eonsecrating new church edifice
at Bismarck ID. t., recently the manager
made 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 important, and
as a revelation of what pioneer preachers
had 20 confront it is interesting.
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 the others
was getting drunk and impregnating
the atmosphere and citizens with cold
lead. The pastimes were raiding ada
cent Indian camps and tearing down the
local Opera House when the perform
ance failed to come up to the literary
taste of the audience. There was q dim
misty notion that some where on the
earth there were people who practised a
scheme called religion" but how it was
done, and what the dividends were,
round no opponents around 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
arrangements 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 sucker 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 the place in which
the exercises should be held aroused the
town to unwOnted activity. Whatever
they might prove to be they would GER
tainly prove renumerative to the bar,
and every saloon was offered the dOmin-
lie in which to exploit himself, with the
assurance that the rent should not only
be free, but his personal rum would be
without any expense to himself, Other
and equally powerful inducements were
held out until ENTERPRISE finally threw
itself into the form of finances, and the
competition bid high against each other
for the privilege of introducing the new
feature. To the hardheaded and expe-
rienced merchants, who saw nothing
but money in every venture, this aspect
was peculiarly satisfactory. They ad-
vised the DarsOn to hold off until
THE TOP NOTCH PRICE
had been reached, and even suggested a
Joint stock company in which they stood
ready to meet as soon as it should be or
ganiZed.
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-keeDing. The position
was warmly combated with much
strength of gesticulation, and not a lit.
tie profanity. The dominic was Obdu-
rate, and at the point where a riot was
imminent gambler cut the GOrdian
knot by Offering his extensive faro
rooms for the approaching entertain.
ment. 1t was the easiest way out. and
the grateful pars0n eagerly siezed upou
the offer.
1t was q peculiar congregation that
faced the dominic the mQrniRg of his
sermon. Not face displayed the slight
est curiosity, for the audience was com.