Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1897-08-19
BACK FROM CANADA.
TORONTO: OR SOME LEAVES FROM
MY NOTE BOOK.
Rev. E. P. Newsom Returns From the
International Epworth League
Conference.
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national Convention was recently helC
in Toronto. To attain mem bershil
of nearly two millions in eight years
and that too in single church, is ;
! record that is little less than phenOm
| email. The first International League
Convention was held at Cleveland, IL
1898, and was attended by abou
eight thousand delegates. The seconC
convention was held at Chattanooga
when the attendance was swelIed II
fifteen thousand. At our recent con
vention in Toronto the attendance
was estimated at twenty-five
thousand.
Great good was accomplished by
| this convention in that religious Ell
| thusiasm was generated and the three
great bodies of Methodism in AmerIcs
were brought into closer union anC
fellowship. The Methodists of Cana,
da have already united into one body
and there are those sanguiue enough
to believe that the time is not far dis
tant when the Methodism of the
North and of the South shall become
io-a. The addresses delivered and
/ the papers read at Toronto should be
COlltClSO lOStlASl 1IlN III UOOh
form, and then would the influence o.
this great ASSEM- blage OF young people
touch the Leagues throughout the
world.
1 believe nay last paper closed with
the mention of the Sabbath services.
Monday morning the Leaguers began
to scatter, some to their homes; some
to other portions of Canada; while
others remained in Toronto, not yet
content with what they had seen. l
was very much Inundated before
leaving Toronto in that one of our
Texas party, Bro. Sontield, of Calves
toD-so it was reported-in trying TO
mail letter in the fire alarm near the
hotel, and not understanding the
com bination of the same, succeeded in
calling out the fire brigade 1t is
sufficient to state that the fire COM
pany found neither the hotel nor Bro.
Sonfield on fre-and so no damage
was done.
We all had heard so much of the
quaintness Of Montreal, the beauty
and picturesque grandeur of the st.
Lawrence, with her thousand is
Iandn and her rapids" that quite a
large party of US determined to invest
portion of the fragments of our
change-left over from the convention
in a trip down the river to the above
city. Words, Mr.. Editor, are limp,
lame; and impotent to express the de-
lights and pleasures of this steamer
trip. 1t was superlatively utterly
ut" if [ may be permitted to use
slang. There were two hundred and
fifty delegates aboard our steamer,
the Algerian, sixty of whom were
Texans well travelled and "up-to-
date.p We proceeded to take charge
and have everything our own way.
Having feasted our eyes all day upon
the beautiful scenery of quaint towns,
hamlets, forts, churches, farms, and
summer residences that dotted in
endless succession the banks of the
river as we sailed rapidly along
sometimes where the water was
smooth, at other times where it was
exceedingly choppy by reason of the
rapids-we at length grew tired and
repaired to the spacious cabin of the
upper deck. The evening shadows
had fallen upon the hill-sides while
the moonbeams had now begun to
dance and play "hide-aud-seek"
among the waves of the water. With
such poetic surroundings. what else
should we think of but music-patri-
otto and religious Nature makes pa
triots; she also inspires devotion.
Miss Bradfield, of Dangerfield,
Texas, was called to the piano, while
Miss Adami, of the North Texas Fee
male College, Mrs. McCord, of Bas-
trop, and our inimitable Bro. Green, of
LAGRANGE, led the singing. A strsn-
ger could easily have told the section
OF country we were from by the songs
we sang; such as, Dixie "Massa's
in the cold, cold, ground, u "Old Ken
lucky Home, and others. Nor did we
forget to sing Columbia" and "My
Country 'Tis of Thee.n Then came
some touching religious songs, fol-
lowed by a Prayer and Testimony
meeting, conducted by Miss Nina
Tucker, city Missionary, of Atlanta,
Ga. Many touching talk was made,
and many were the hearts affected
and many were the eyes bedimed with
tears of JOY, as different ones related
his or her experience. The meeting
proved that the Leaguers could enjoy
themselves and at the same time keep
religious. The testimony meeting
over, Bro. Green was called upon to
preach, which he did in q soul-stirriug
manner, not forgetting to ask the IRE
ligious to come forward for prayer.
AS our end of the boat could not ac-
commodate the entire crowd, Bro.
Monk, of Macon, Ca, was called upon
to conduct a service at the other end,
when Bro. Green had concluded.
Kingston was reached at IL O'Clock
.. IN. Here we disembarked to take
quarters at the hotel, where it was
understood he Navigation company
had made all the necessary arrange.
ments for US, and where we were to
remain for n larger and more substan-
I tial steamer, scheduled to leave at the
early hour of a r. Much to our
discomforture and perturbation OF
mind, the company had failed to
make the arrangements promised
with regard to hotel accommodations
So we had to distribute ourselves III
small parties about over the town. Sc
curing sleeping places wherever pos
sible. BY > o'clock a. NJ, | myself
was gJIe TO 50 ne sleeping space on
the deck of the steamer-auChOred at
the pier-but had no covering save
the atmosphere and the canopy of the
heavens. / was rewarded next morn
ing with n severe chill. This chill
was prolonged somewhat by the IN