Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-10-04


ceived? Fifty-five years ago set of
young fellows from Andover, Massachu-
sets, came by stage, canal, lake and
farmers wagons to the territory of Iowa.
That was in ls43, three years before
Iowa was admitted to the Union. Their
ambition was 'If each of us, by his life
work, can plant one strong church, and
If all, joining hands, can establish a
Christian college, will not that be life
work worth achieving?" They invested
their lives there. OF the three survivors
to-day, two are still living in Iowa. And
what have they lived to see? Three
hundred Congregational churches in
Iowa: two colleges and several acade-
mics under our care. Attic Cross roads,
two miles apart, the little white school
house, giving Iowa the lowest percent
age of illiteracy of any State in the
Union. They have been leaders in all
battles for liberty, union, temperance
and good morals, often at great sacri-
flee, pecuniary and other. Suppose these
survivors or the surviving widows of
others who have been 80 self.sacrificing
that they have not made sufficient finan-
cial provision for their own declining
years, would handsome pension from
the people of Iowa be charity? Instant
ly your sense of justice replies, no! 1t
would be only a little interest on the
rare money value of their services in
Iowa. For there is not an acre of |
ground in her 80 counties, nor city lot,
nor mile Of railroad, nor an Iowa
mortgage owned in New England, that
will not sell for more in cash tomorrow
than 1t would have represented had it
not been for the labors of those pioneers
in helping to transform that billowy,
untrodden prairie into the Massachu-
sets of the west.
i 1t is natural that my favorite illustra.
ton should be the Iowa band, for my
first happy pastorate of twelve years,
; when went out from my Connecticut
home and from Yale College and Semi
, nary, was at Creston, Iowa, and 1 can
testify personally and sffectionately to
the worth and the work of these heroes
and heroines.
RI In a western city where spoke on
. this subject, l was entertained in the
house of leading business man. The
. next morning before 1 left he said
' There is one thing that want you to
, put into your address and never leave
: it out. Tell the people that you don't
come to ask for charity, but to give
. them chance to pay these honored
4 veteran officers of the Lords army 9
? justly earned little pension" This is g
J, business mans notion, and I pass il
along to you just as he gave it to me
+ To my mind 1t was all the more impress
f sive from the fact that he backed uI
g his opinion with his check for 800
8 his brother added 1926, and his son 1875
and before could get out of that hos
Q pltable home, his good wife came to me
f with one of my subscription cards filled
+ out in her own name for 1876, more
q making $175 from that one family cir
b Gle in support of that business mans
l. opinion that haven't left the blessed
9 work Of the passionate to go up and
+ down the country begging for anything
Is or anybody, but that this is work moi
g 80 much of charity as of justice and
kindly fair dealing.
Q The third lesson from the story ls that
# even when Christian people are disposed
II to be just and generous, they are some
q times 80 tardy about it as to amount tt
d positive cruelty. Even the good, kint
( church at Philippi had let its old minis
2 ter lie in prison and In poverty for fv'
3. long, weary years before it occurred t,
l. them to look him up and minister t,
,. his necessities.
9 The Congregational churches of tn,
l. United States have been slow to recog
l. nize the pressing needs and just claim
10 of their aged ministers and missionaries
? But now they are beginning to do SO
a. In the old and strong Congregations
p states, state boards of ministerial al,
~ assist aged ministers and their widow
Q. within their own bounds. But many
h on account of frequent changes of pas
II torate, fall through between the rule 0
le these societies. Returned foreign mis-
B. sionaries ought to be provided for an,
10 then there are the heroes and heroine
l. from the vast home missionary fields o
* the far west and south, where the worl
g is hardest and the salaries smallest, an
I'd no State societies exist.
" Therefore our National Congregation
ne al Council has asked the churches to Of
IS tablish permanent ministerial relic
IS. fund, the interest of which may be dis
81 tributed annually in little pensions, ii
b. respective of State lines. From tn
he original bequest of $40 600 the fund ha
g. been built up since 1889 to over $1l3,OO(
9 From helping six persons or families W
Is are now helping fifty-three.
81 Let me give you three illustrations Q
our work. A minister who had don
service for thirty-fve years from VIII
consin through Iowa, Minnesota an
OF Nebraska to Colorado, was called to
ne church in Vermont, where he serve
OF two years then year in Msssachusett
u then q few weeks in Connecticut wher
g, his health broke down completely. Il
lib did not come within the rules of an
State society. So on application of til
~ Connecticut society, our national fun
III helped him for two years, total of 1885,
30 By this small outlay, he was enabled t
:. return west, where he recovered hi
IN health and for seven years served
VI group of home missionary churche
an with marked succasa