Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-11-25
OUR CHICAGO LETTER.
Laying the Corner Stone Of the
l3-Story woman's Tempesanee
Temple.
CHICAGO, Ill, Nov. 8.

CHICAGO, ILL.,, NV v.
The dedication Of what will be
the largest building Ia Chicago has
taken place. The foundations are
up. The occasion was the laying
of the corner stone.
Never did Chicago witness saeh =
scene, nor has its like been seen IN
any city nor in any land. The date,
November, l, was fixed for Sat
urday, that the children might par
ticipate, and most grandly did they
come up to their privilege. AT one
O'Clock they com Eenced gathering
marshalled In bands and battalions,
several thousand strong, and were
seated in the galleries surrounding
the four sides of the great SECOND
Regiment Arniory. There their
bright faces shone, tier on tier; al
most every child carried q small
flag, while the army Of banners WAS
thickly interspersed in the shining
ranks. Time and again the child
rem Joined in the applause Of their
elders with voice and waving flags
"A billowy sea of red, white and
blue.
Meanwhile the main floor was
fast filing up. And I'LL it did; every
seat, every inch Of standing room
was taken; dense mass Of human
ity, through which it was im-
possible to wedge ones way. The
stage too was crowded, and bright
not only with grand faces, but with
flowers and banners.
Mrs. Carse introduced Miss Will
ard, who, she said, would at her
request preside. Miss Willard re-
M ,rked that she was SO accustomed
to preside with gavel lin hand that
she did not know how to do it
without. None being within reach,
. workman's battered hammer was
given her and decorated with white
ribbon, did service as q gavel very
appropriately in view Of all the
service that workmen's hammers
must do in rearing the Temple
whose cornerstone We laid that day.
The exercises opened with "Amer.
ica,n q children's chorus, and how
those children did sing! A slight,
gracious GIRL" as Miss Willard
called her, Miss Mary Hofer, acted as
precentOr, and never did any POM
pous musical conductor so well do
the part. Every movement was
grace end her face was an inspira-
tion to others than the thousands OF
children who SO faithfully followed
her leading. The Crusade Psalm
was then read by Rev. Florence Kol-
lock, pastor of Englewood Univer-
salists Church. We had hoped to
have Mother Thompson stand by
her side, but affiiction in her family
kept the dear leader at home, Many
loving thoughts went to her, and
many prayers implored Gods bles-
sing on that good gray head.
Rev. +. z. Goodwin, ID. D., pastor
Of the First Congregational Church,
Chicago, led in prayer, closing with
the Lords prayer in which the vas,
audience joined. Bishop Samuel
Fallows, ID. d., of the Reformed
Episcopal Church, then led in the
responsive Scripture reading given
on Da,-s six, thousands of v0icef
joining in the response, as the audi
euce, standing, read the slternatt
verses We doubt If ever before
that Armory resounded To the voice
of prayer aud Scripture as 1t did
that day.
Miss Willard nov introduced In
her happy fashion, Mrs. Katherine
Fisk, who sang Julia Ward Howe!
Battle Hymn Of the Republic" al
one can hear it sung only once in &
lifetime, the children in the galleries
and the audience helOw joining in
the chorus. | wish ] could make
each one OF you feel the inspiration
OF that moment. when from thous
ands of throats rolled out The refrain
"FOr God IL Marching on" How
wonderful His marching seemed, a,
we looked back over the quarter o
a century since those words wer,
written, and remembered that ther
the organization which has made
the erection Of this Temple possible
and which now encircles the globe
did not exist. even in the iInagina
tions of those who now are its lead
ers.
So high was the pitch Of enthus
iasrn that II seemed nothing coult
follow which would not produce {
DISASTROUS tumble; but when Mis-
Ames, "our Yolande." stepped II
the front and commenced Ia hel
clear, mellow voice the reading o