The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-04
CONGREGATIONAL HOME MISSIONS
Closing Meeting of Societies at Sara-
t0ga Yesterday.
Work in Missionary Fields Discussed NV
NJ. w. Jones of Philadelphia and 9th
ers-Reports Show Receipts of Society
Have More Than Trebled.

ers-Reports, Show Receipts of Society
Have More Than TrebIed,
Saratoga, June Sat the afternoon
session of the Congregational Home Mis-
sionary Societies, remarks on the work
in missionary fields were made by
Superintendent A. K. Wray of Missouri,
Harmon B. Ross, D. D., of Nebraska,
and E. III .Ashmore of New Mexico. Adj
dresses were also made by Superinten-
dent j. P. Broad Of Topeka, Kas., W.
FL. Thrall of Huron, S. D., L. G.. Grassie
of Ashland, Wis, and M. W. Jones of
Philadelphia.
The Rev. 7. W. Jones of Philadelphia,
formerly of Saratoga, superintendent of
Congregational Home Missionary work
IN Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District
OF Columbia, Virginia and New Jersey,
said: III
In conversing with Christian people I
lind no diminished interest in Home
Missions, but diminished ability to ex-
press 1t. l sat the other day beside a
friend at missionary meeting--a man of
athuence and large liberality in more
prosperous times. AS the plate passed by
he dropped into it dime. With sad
face he leaned toward me and said, II
wish could have dropped a check for a
thousand dollars instead of dime for the
suffering cause of missions was never
nearer my heart than today, but am
like hundreds of other business men, hold
ing on as by my eyeteeth, to keep from
sinking till this cloud passes away. I"
MOURN he continued, for the
condition of the missionary societies and
pray daily that speedy change may
come to save the faithful men at the front
with their families from suffering, and to
save the societies the necessity OF drop
ping any OF them, for our country and
the world never needed the labors of the
missionaries Of the cross more than to-
day.
= In 1706 a Presbytery was formed in
Philadelphia, majority of its members
being Congregationalists. In 1877 when
there was no Congregational church in
the state, few Welsh Independents came
from Wales accompanied with their pas
tor and planted themselves on the sum
nit OF the Alleghanies, 2,400 feet high,
and named the place Ebensburgh. 1t is
today one of the most beautiful places on
the A lleghanies and the county seat of
Cambria county, where Johnstown is
located. The county was named Cambria
by these original Congregational settlers
because it means Wales.
On the 22d of this month the State as
ISOLATION meets with the first church
planted in the state by these early settlers,
to celebrate its centennial. This church
is now strong, self supporting English
church, having for it's leaders and chief
supporters descendants of the original set
tiers and organizers. Four miles north
and south of this church are two other
self supporting churches, both Welsh un-
til recently. Now one is wholly English
and the other half English. 1t was 2s
years after the organization of the first
church before an English church was
organized in the state and that was the
church att Randolph, from which John
Browns soul began to "march on It
was from small Congregational church
in Northwestern Pennsylvania, the spir it
of liberty went forth to smite the letters
from the oppressed millions of our land
That same spirit of liberty animated the
breasts of the Welsh Pilgrim Fathers
who settled in Pennsylvania and planted
the first antislavery church in the state.
There never was pro-slavery Welsh
church and SO true and steadfast were the
Welsh Ilenpln IN fho Tor, ions oil
that neither their sense of isolation
among the Businesses Of the mountains,
nor the wooings of Presbyterianism nor
any other ism could weaken their loyalty
to the faith and polity of their fathers,
they brought across the Atlantic with
them. The Welsh Pilgrim Fathers were
as Longfellow says of the Pilgrim Fathers
who believed God and the Bible.
1t was my pleasure few years ago to
spend a Sabbath with the only survivor
of these early fathers-Rev. Daniel
Daniels of Dundaff, who soon after closed
his ministry and earthly career, after
Passionate of AZ years. The church he
served SO long and faithfully, nestles at
the foot Of the Elk Mountain, where it
was first planted in the wilderness. The
wilderness has become paradise through
the labors Of the early Welsh settlers, one
OF whom l had in my audience, hale and
vigorous, at IS years of age The church
edffce, nlodernized and enlarged, is now
the center of religious interest to large
numbers of summer visitors, preaching
being in English and Welsh by pastor
competent in both languages
Rev. Daniel Daniels told that he and
others of the early missionaries crossed
afoot, rugged sleeps through rain and
snow, cold and heat, to carry the gospel
to isolated Welsh settlements. Often he
said, he himself walked IS miles across
the mountains on hearing Of small
Welsh settlement that they might have
the gospel as soon as possible, and. like
Whitman, capture the territory for Christ
before Satan got hold of it. All of those
men were Whitmans in spirit and daring
as missionaries of the cross.
A few years ago, visited one of the
primitive churches. 1t was nestled on q
hill in the center of graveyard enclosed
by heavy stone wall. This little church
had been closed for yea1s. 1t had been
center for great religious gatherings
and great HCymanfas, of annual relig-
ious festivals, the first state associations
of Pennsylvania. TO this center on these
annual gatherings the scattered Welsh
people, men and women, would walk