Omaha daily bee., 1892-08-01
NEWS FROM COUNCIL BLUFFS
Rev, G.. W. Crofts breaches His Farewell
Sermon.
IMPRESSIVE SERVICES AT THE CHURCH
Many People Unable to Enter the Building
So Great Was the Crowd-Ali De-
nominations Came to DO
Him Honor.
SERVICES AT THE CHURCH

| hear the farewell sermon OF Kew G w.
| Crofts, "the poet preacher" whose seven
| years pastorate is now ended by his own
resignation. Before the usual time had ar
rived for commencing service, every pew
was filed, per; pring ushers were dragging
| In extra chairs which anxious sitters eagerly
occupied, aisles were filed, the gallery was
| packed, standing room in the vestibule was
at u demand, the pulpit steps were used for
seats, and even the genius who pumps the
organ found his piuions crowded oy those
who had crept into the organ loft. And still
the crowd kept climbing the church steps,
| orlr to tina that even the standing room was
exhausted. Many turned back toward home,
being unable to get inside tue church.
Not only was the size of the crowd an indi-
cation of how great hold this beloved pastor
has on the hearts of this community, out a
still more impressive tribute to his worth
| was manifest in the makeup of this cougre-
| CATION. Here were Catholics and Protestants,
| Methodists. Baptists, in fact representatives
Of every denomination and of no denomina-
| tion. Saints aud sinners. rich and poor,
| young and old, alike seemed to share in the
| regret that Council Bluffs is to lose one of
| those fcw preachers who are too big for any
| one church TO own.
The Pres sbvterian church courteously gave
| up its morning service that its congregation
| might hear the farewell words of Mr.. Crofts.
| Its pastor Dr. Phelps, occupied place on
! the platform and assisted in the services, as
| did also llev. Mr.. Rice, the first pastor OF tho
| Congregational church Tho musical
| vice was rendered by II quartet consisting
| of Messrs Ogden and Allen, Miss Oliver and
Miss Portertield, with Mrs. Jones at the
| organ.
The pulpit and platform were beautifully
| decorated with plants and flowers and ap-
| propriately conspicuous in front appeared
| the floral word "Mtzpah."
Finally, Brethren, Farewell.
"Finallv, brethren, farewell" Sach was
the text from which Mr.. Crofts preached
sermon full of thoughtfulness and tender
| ness. He said that although nearly twenty
centuries had rollod by with their multi
tudinous events and dropped into the silent
sea, these words sJ.ll live. Criticisms may
come and go, attacks may rise ana fall as
regularly regularly as the tiaes' but the great
unmoved In tho awful grandeur
of its power and subhmity
of its silence. FINALLY, brethren, fare
WE'LL" spoken with a trembling voice. writ
| ten with q trembling hand. read with n
| trembling heart by the Christians ut Cor
inth, by the covenanters in their caves, by
Huguenots in their exile, by the pilgrims as
they sought fathers pure shrine beyond
the sea, by Christians in all ages, ana now
by US as we come to speak these words that
mark the limit of long period OF religious
thought and effort.
The word farewell was one of large mean
Ing-not merely a formal sautaton Neither
was II significant OF the END OF Joy. tho grave
of hope. 1t was not an urn to hold the ashes
of regret, moistered by the tears of despair.
There was pathos of parting in the word.
but it was made sweet as tho song of Il
nightingale with the note Of exultation.
The word meant welfare, farewell, a salu-
tation filed with the very essence of benevo-
lence, good will, charity and love unfeigned.
AS that word stands where the paths sep
paOnle 1ot IL stand for
q mere regret at parting, butle 1t point not
only backward, but forward
| Mr. Crofts In thus using the word "fare-
well' as a benediction suggested some lines
along which this coveted prosperity would
be found. Wisdom was one OF the necessaries
for faring well. "1he fear Of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom"
| Again, in order to fare well there must be
| q firm acceptance of Christ prophet, priest
and king. Then, TOO, there must be the
Holy SPIRIT. Lastly, in> the language OF
| Paul, ~ commend you to God and the word
! of His grace that is able to build you up and
| give you an inheritance among all them that
| are sanctiHed.h
The speaker having enlarged upon these
suggestive thoughts then dwet upon the
use OF the word farewell" in the
sense of a parting salutation. Casual ac-
| Quaintanccs had no use for the word, nor
those who mngle on a sordid business plane,
or in the light and vain frivolitles OF life.
1t could only be used appropriately after
|
come knit together, where voices had be-
come music and faces sunshine. So pastor
had a right to use this word as he leaves
| his flock, urto whom he has broken many
times the bread Of life, who has been with
| them In their sorrows, and not only stood at
tho open grave as tho Ambassador of Him,
"who is the resurrection and the life" but
at the marriage altar, where human bliss
blossoms into celestial beauty, aud at the
baptismal font, where the divine grace is
| seen to sparkle the brow of infancy.
Scores of such confer upon him the
right TO say farewell.
His Closing Words.
In closing Mr. Crofts said: "And SO |
speak the word TO you today, not only to the
members OF this church, out of all churches
In this community; to all OF Gods children,
my own dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
OF every name and denomination, | speak
the word TO thsi city which l have learned to
love, and which has given me large a
place in It's con ndence and affection, Ga the
retiua OF my mind is eternally stamped the
picture of these beautiful hills, where nature
has exhausted her skill in the formation OF
all that is graceful and enchanting: OF your
beautiful homes made doubly attractive by
social hmenity; above all, the pictures of
your smiling faces made radiant with the
pure light that shines from within Wher-
ever go / shall carry with me many bunch
OF forget-me-nots, gathered as l now stand
upon the summit Of mountain up which |
have been struggling for these years.
| 'On the l2th OF this month l made the
ascent of Pixies Peak. For two hours and u
half the sturoy little engine struggled with
the tremendous grade until IT had pushed its
guests two miles nearer the sky; from sum
mer to winter, fron burning sun to a driv-
ing snowstorm The ascent was sublime. A
mountain stream, clear as crystal. dashed
aud foamed and sparkled and sang AS we
rose higher and higher, view changed 10 view,
seemingly topless battlements of rock and
noun tain crest sank beneath us, and all the
| way, until we passed the timber line, beautfs
ful flowers answered smile with smile. But
only as we neared the top OF the grand peak,
as we neared the realm where winter,
crowned with its silver diadem, eternally
reigns, did we discover the delicate blue
forget-me-not 1t was then the spirit OF the
great mountain seemed to speak to me
through these flowers, so small, so delicate,
and the sentiment OF its heart was conveyed
into sweet little blossoms that IL had sacredly
Kept in the last expression of its life and
beauty. II was then that the great mountain
became to me q httle child, to be caresSed
aud closed about with arms OF affection,
yearning for sympathy aud remem brance
Its vast ruggedness disappeared, ana It's
heart of stone became as one of flesh. felt
never before that on the summit OF
true greatness is simplicity, and that
1t is only upon the great heights that
humility, gentlcness, tenderness, childlike-
ness, are TO oe found such as we ind in Hin
40 paIad