Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-10

Neither the Clergyman Nor the Con
verts Take CoId-Women the Mos
Courageous.

Neither tho Clergyman Nor the Con-
vsrts Take CoId-Women the Most
Courageous.
READING, PA, April 5.-Rev. job Mus
selman, pastor Of the Evangelical Men
MONTE Brethren'of this city, has achieved
quite n reputation for baptising converts
in the icy waters Of the SchuylldH river
in midwinter. He was asked to-day
whether he overlook cold in wading waist
deep into the water and standing there
until as many as a dozen converts had
been bapdsed lie replied that he not
only never took cold, but never expert
enced any symptoms of rheumatism or
other INJURIOUS effects thereirOm. Mr..
Musselman is "A handsome and intelligent
young man, nearly six feet tall, with rosy
cheeks and long brown hair, parted in tho
middle.
"When l enter the water,'' he said, ST
have no thought upon it's condition. That
is dismissed from my mind, because my
entire attention is fixed upon the convert
and our faith. our converts are not to
think Of the ice-cold water in the sense
that IL is ice cold. They are to think only
OF water and baptism and the form Of i'm
mersion which our faith requires. It
makes no difference whether the water is
cold or warm. All the penltent need
know is that it Is water Converts who
postpone their baptism until summer are
not very strong IN their faith. II men or
women profess conversion In winter and
ask that their baptism be put of until the
water Is warm, we have not much faith
in that conversion. our soldiers OF the
cross have got TO face the music, be IL
summer or winter. The women folks are
generally the most courageous. They
Will come 20 the river bank unmindful OF
the floating ice cakes, ana, clad In appa-
rently thin apparel, VIII confidently walk
into The stream waist deep and enter into
the full spirit Of tho baptismal service
unmindful of the cold. They viii walk
out and frequently remain on the river
bank until all have been baptsed, and
then walk 20 the nearest house and change
their clothing. OF course, am not super
stitiOus, nor do / claim for baptism any
thing unnatural, but ] will relate an incl
dent that happened IN my circuit IN Bucks
county not long ago.
"a young lady prOfessed conversion In
midwintcr. She was M, and many be-
lieyed she would die from an affection
Of the lungs. She expressed "a desire 60
be baptisCd in a ueighbOring stream,
along whose banks she had played ia her
childhood. The water was covered with ice
six inches thick and was some distance
away. Her friends protested, saying she
would take cold aud surely 0ie, possibly
before she could reach home. She, how
eyer insisted, and would listen 10 moth
ing but our consent that she should be-
baptlsed. She mad her own way. The
sabbath was piercing cold, the ice was
cut and a passage made into the stream.
She walked brayely into the cold water,
and ! immersed her backward three
times, completely covering her frail form,
and she went through the service hero
! ically. She reached home safely eXpe-
rienced no ill effects, took no cold, but, on
the contrary, she AZ once regained
strength, her lungs healed, her weight
increased, and to-day enc h. one of the
hcalthieat and lOyeliest young women m
that county. Many supposed that such
an ice-cOld baptism as That Ia tie open
air Of winter would kin her; but IL had
the opposite effect. There are many who
shy she'd have died had she not been bap-
tispd. don't say so, but It ~ a remark
able case, that's all, showing that our
baptism is not hurting any one. never
knew OF n single cold ever contracted in
that way. On very cold days put on
tall rubber boots, especially n have many
converts WAC compel me 20 remain IN the
water, waist deep, for an hour or more.
Our faith does not require us 70 take un-
necessary risks. But where the ceremony
is not TOO long do not use any extra ap-
parel.