Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-11-25
LETTER FRoM wAsHlNGrox.
Rev a. = Jssiyn Reviews An Oil
i'sophesic serm ON.

'S-~ -
EsiroR WoEEp:-In locking ovei
some old papers to-day came uposs
a Thanksgiving sermon that preach
ed in the old Masonic Hall Of your
city on the 24tb Of November, 1881
eleven years ago. Some Of the
passages sound little strange,
though but eleven years from their
utterance. The following are some
taken therefrom As then preached:
"What State in the Union having
been settled no longer than Idaho
could have boasted Of anything bet
ter in cultured minds, in moral lives
and Of improved homes, and in fact
in all that make people wise, hap
py and prosperous? What State or
Territory within the Republic richer
in mineral wealth. California and
Nevada may have larger scope of
mineral field land that seriously
question: but they are declining in
mineral wealth while Idaho will not
have crossed the threshold of her min
eral greatness within : score Of years
from now. The large mineral belts
lying within our domain will yet yield
wealth to thousands, who know but
little to-day, If anything, of our exis-
tence. Soon the iron horse will come
bounding over our mountains of sill
yer and gold, and flying through our
valleys that but await to-day the
breath and tramp of bis coming to
leap into fields Of waving grain and
farms of well titled soil, thus doing
away with the present appearance Of
wildness and of barrenness as the
mists recede before the rising sun
When the smoke of the smelter and
the stamp, stamp, stamp of the mill
with the morning song of the farmer
and the glad shout of ssEureka" from
the Drowned lip of the sturdy old mi
ner will all ascend in one glad cho
rus of thanksgiving and praise to Hin
who hath so bountifully blest us
These you say are fanciful pictures
but true to letter and spirit will b,
their fulhllment when in the nea
golden future a railroad shall rul
down through the valley of Boise
and another shall Chamber and CHM
the rocky sides and snowy SUBMITS Q
mountain and hill from the Woo
River region through old Stanley Ba
) sin, down by Cape Horn, over Bea
valley, through by Hot Lake, dow
, Little Salmon, over the Snake an
across Camas Prairie, intersecting tn
! Northern Pacific, where roamed, an
: in his wlldness, the Nez Perce Ind
!. an. This done and our Boise Basi
Z: country will more than surpass i
1 palmlest days in real and permaner
o thrift" SC.
: As / re read these statements
II took me back to where and anon
e whom they were spoken-Idaho Cit
with her high altitude, mineral d
n posts and warm-hearted peopl
n where sleep the ashes of the dear be
i that first went out from the ear
n home in the parsonage on the hill sit
e of your city. God bless the peop
of Idaho City and BOISE Basin. l c
/, ten think of them and always wi
le warmth Of affection Since leavil
" there have served the pastorate
A. our church in the following place
id Walla Walla, Ketchum, Halle
l. Bellevue, Shoshone, Astoria, (Oregol
N Vancouver and Centralia, (Washin
ID tony, and am now serving a pastors
to here-Aberdeen, Washington, a
ae thus now we live in view of the s
n and within hearing of her wild wav
moan.
We are now having severe sto
m of wind and rain-the first protra
ld ed rain storm of the season, this
ry ing the sixth day of its duration.
ng Ny two daughters, Lulu and Ed
er who were mere children, most bab
ne in fact, when we departed fIom L
Ia no City, are now as large as th
to mother and at the head of their cl
Ter in our high school from which tt
me will graduate next year il all g
ng well. Cora, our eldest, is MARI
in and lives in Spokane. Minnie,
lty next younger, is still at home and
a exceedingly poor health. Char
'ou as you know, became weary in ea
ays life, though not of it, and went
the live with his brother, who from
eat home in your city went to be v
uz- the angels.