Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-11-11
Countess Schimmelmann.

AS Countess Schimmelmann of Den
mark, is expected to be at the national
convention, a short sketch of her life
work may be found of special interest
at this time.
1T was summer trip some years ago,
when the countess visited the Island
of Rugen, on the Pomeranian coast
that revealed to her the state of deg
radiation in which the inhabitants lived,
spending their time in drinking. and
caring for naught else but gambling.
She determined to exile herself from all
the amenities of life in her native land.
and go and live with these semi-bar-
barous fishermen. in the hope of bet
tering their condition.
Very gradual was the process that
brought her to this resolve. so utterly
contrary was it to the methods of her
bringing up. The heiress to large es-
tates she was around the Danish court,
and her daily duties had to do mostly
with etiquette and pageant, all the
time craving for something real and
something earnest. AS processing
Christian, she observed carefully the
formal observances of the Lutheran
church, while the longing stirred her
soul for what was truly spiritual and
uplifting.
AT length a sentence in story was
used by God to reveal himself to her
heart. The author made one of his
characters say: The love of Christ is
the strongest feeling which can move
the heart of a human being" She felt
she must have this or die, and to at
tain it was the consuming passion Of
her soul.
This was wilderness experience, b.
which she was being fitted for what
was to follow. BY and by the love OF
Christ to her.-not hers to Him-came
to her as a revelation, and the court.
and what was formal in her religion,
had lost every charm to her. Then be
gan the formidable persecution, Of her
family and friends. They seques-
trated her fortune and her estates on
prctense of her being of unsound mind,
and at one time even deprived her Of
liberty A dream was sent to her in
her extremity, which started her
thoughts in the direction of soul-sav-
ing, and she said to her prosecutors:
For every tear you make me shed. for
every sigh you make me heave, l Will
seek to win one soul to God
jIenceforth this was her one object Of
life. Making use of her gifts of speech
for gospel services was turned against
i1er in country where it was unheard
of for a wOman's voice to be heard out
side her own home.
on the wild isle of Rugen there were
no such critics. The poor. miserable
haa II bar <y1o n order
to reach them she had to live among
them and so she made her home in
a little rough tavern. where she could
nave none of the comforts that she had
been used to.
In somewhat similar fashion she has
Of late years gained an entrance among
The socialists of the great north-Ger-
man cities. From out of vast audi
ences in socialistic halls, she has been
the means of leading many a soul to
Christ, the divine human brother.
From ningling with the city poor has
sprung another work to her hands, that
Of rescuing neglected street children.
The Countess Schimmelmann has a
Yacht with a number of poor boys on
board in training for more useful life
han that of the streets. She does not
ask help of men, but prays that COO
would send her, through them, the
funds sufficient for this work.
The countess has this summer been
holding evangelistic meetings in the
of Copenhagen. At Aai-
,org. two thousand assembled to hear
her. Everywhere she is instrumental
IN bringing together all who love the
ord Jesus, whatever be their school OF
{, Observation-Disclosures A. Nash in Union
Signal, Portland, Ore.