The Portland daily press., 1895-10-12
PLAYING BALL
To Establish a Western Sunday
School.
INTERESTING EPISODE IN "UNCLE
BOSTONS" WORK.

As Related by Him in His Address Here
Last Sunday-Significant Illustration
of Tact in Missionary Work.
In his address in Portland churches
last Sunday in regard to the "chapel
cars" OF the West and his own work in
establishing Sunday schools in the great
new States. Mr.. Boston L. Smith related
the following interesting experience.
The facts are SO characteristic of "Uncle
Boston S" methods of securing success
and so significant of the value of doing
the best possible under the circumstances
that this story is of special interest:
He was going to attempt to establish a
Sunday school in a little town in Mime.
sofa that was ten miles from the railroad.
The minister of the town met him at the
station with team. 1t rained hard and
they were wet to the skin when they
reached the town. 1t was Thursday.
Mr.. Smith said to the minister. HI'm
going to hold meeting here tomorrow
night
The minister was good man, but the
success of his church in that new town
had not been satisfactory. He was dis
couraged. He was man with long
face, about yard long, if Mr. Smith s
illustrating gesture was accurate He
said: 'sIt's almost impossible to get any
one to attend church here on Sunday
you can't get anyone Friday night
Mr.. Smith thought that he could. and
the minister persisted that he could not
81 can have the church, can't Is'
"Of course you can, but that's all you
will have" said he of the long face.
"You'll give me your help?''
eyes"
"Well, there's one street in this town,
Tomorrow you go along one side of it,
and call at every house and tell the peo-
pie that the Sunday School Missionary
is going to hold meeting in the church
here I'll do the same on the other slde''
The minister agreed, and the next
day they started out. MIR Smith had gone
to but two or three houses when he came
to an open field, where the boys were
playing base ball Now if there is any
thing that "Uncle Boston" likes it is
base ball He was a good player in his
youth, and he is not very old now lie
stopped and watched the boys, and in a
little while he had to step into the field
and say, "Boys, won't you let me take
a hand in this?"
"Sure.'' said the boy who had the ball,
and he threw it straight at Uncle Boston
with the force of a cannon ball.
81 put up my hands," said Mr.. Smith,
Hand oh. didn't that ball Jingle. But I
held on to 1t. I wouldn't have muffed
that ball for $780, ]. began ito play with
them, and we batted and caught and
threw and ran for hour after hour, and
before I really knew it the sun had gone
down and it became too dark to play.
The boys were the members of the vii
Iage club They were prasticing in an
ticipation Of a match game at the neigh
boring town the next day, Saturday. AS
they were putting on their coats the cap
tain of the club said to Mr.. Smith !:
"Leok here, stranger, you play ball first
rate Now it's like this. We'rel going
over to B tomorrow to play the team
there. They've beaten us two or three
times, and we don't like it. Our short
stop is sick, and it's bad for us. Won t
you go along with us and play short?"
Mr.. Smith was Of course surprised at
this turn of affairs. But he asked them
to wait ten or fifteen minutes for his an
swer. He wanted to see what the min
lister had been doing. The latter soon
came along and his face was fairly beam
ing with satisfaction. He declared tn at
everybody he had seen was coming to the
meeting, and that there would be good
attendance. "What success have you
had?" he added.
'Well, to tell the truth" said Uncle
Boston, 81 haven't had much, because
I've been playing ball with the boys here
all the afternoon.
The minister's face changed like a
flash. 1t became long again, longer than
ever before Before he could say any
thing Mr. Smith added, "The boys
want me to go over to B and play
with them tomorrow. This was too
much for the minister. He burst out
with some words of strong disapproval.
Mr.. Smith continued coolly, "Oh I'm
going with them. just thought I'd tell
you about 1t. !"
At this the minister declared that he
would report Mr.. Smith to the Baptist
headquarters, and that he wasn't fit for
his position. "Don't report me till after
the game" said MIR. Smith. "Just
wait till Them And the minister
grudgingly consented.
They had successful religious meet
ing that night of the church people, and
the next day Mr.. Smith got into the
wagon with the boys and they drove off
over the prairie to the scene of combat
ut was a splendid game,'' said Mr.
Smith, land best of all, we beat them.
never played any better in my life
never made better stops or got the ball
over to first better -
After the game the captain said, "Say,
stranger, we'ro IL UGH obliged to you.
You've done us a good turn. You may
be out of practice, but If you can play
like that now, I'd like TO SEE yer play
when you' re in Dracica -