Willmar tribune., 1899-10-18

UOl1CES5SHN nAGE O1QaN11S8sE6& s1QG006aG GO5
dol The Rectangles had never before
mingled even in this distantly personal
manner with the aristocracy on the
boulevard. The opporttu titles for doing
SO were not frequent: Gray and his:
wife were besieged BY inquiries as to.
what Loreen's 's friends and acquaint-
ances were expected toEsdo in paying
their last respects to her, for; her ac-
quaintance was large, and many Of the
recent converts were. among her friends
So that is how It happened Monday
afternoon at the tent that the funeral
service Of Loreen was held before an
immense audience that checked the tent
and overaowed beyond all previous
bounds Gray had gone to Virginia,
and after talking it over with her and
Henry Maxwell the arrangements had
been made. . FL. q .=s =s
'tI am and always have been opposed.
to large public funerals, said Gray,
whose complete, wholesome simplicity
Of character was sone Of its great sources
of strength, "but the cry of the poor
creatures who knew Loreen is SO earnest
that do not know how to refuse their
desire to see her and pay her poor body
some last little honor. What do you
think, Mr.. MAXWELL I will be guided
by your Judgment in the matter. I am
sure that whatever you and Miss Page
think is best viii be right. y :*z. ~: E
''I feel as you do, replied Mr.. Max
we'll "Under most circumstances !
have a great distaste for what seems
like display at such times, but this
beems different The people at the Rec
tangle will not come here to q service.
I think the most Christian thing win
be to let them have the service at the
tent. Do you think so, Virginia T. = :,
= Eyes said Virginia sadly. ''Poor
soull lido not know but that some time
I shall know she gave her life for mine.
We certainly cannot and will not use
the occasion for vulgar display. Let
her friends be allowed the qualification
of their wishes. see no harm in it. !"
So the arrangements were made with
some difficulty for the service at the
tent, and Virginia, with her uncle and
Rollin, accompanied by Henry Max
we'll, Rachel, President Marsh and the
quartet from the First church, went
down and witnessed one of the strange
scenes Of their lives It happened that
that afternoon noted newspaper cor
respondent was passing through Ray.
mond on his way to an editorial con-
vention in a neighboring city. He heard
of the contemplated service at the tent
and was present that afternoon. His
description Of it was written in graph
ic style that caught the attention Of
very many readers the next day. A
fragment of his account belongs to this
part of the history Of Raymond:
''There was a very unique and un-
usual funeral service held here this aft
ernoon at the tent Of an evangelist,
Rev. John Gray, down in tia slum dis
trict known as the Rectangle. The oc-
casion was caused by the killing Of q
woman during an election riot last Sat-
urday night. It seems she had been re-
Gently converted during the evangelist $
meetings and was killed while return
ing from one Of the meetings in COM
pany with other converts and some Of
her friends. She was a common street
drunkard, and yet the services at the
tent were as impressive as any I ever
witnessed in metropolitan church over
the most distinguished citizen. -.r.
"In the first place, a most exquisite
anthem was sung by a trained choir. It
struck me, of course, being a stranger
to the place, with considerable astonish-
ment to hear voices like those ope nat
urally expects to hear only in greak
churches or concerts at such a meeting
as this, but the most remarkable part
Of the music was solo sung by strik-
ingly beautiful young woman, Miss
:Winslow, who, If I remember rightly,
is the young singer who was sought for
by Crandal, the manager Of National
Opera, and who for some reason refused
to accept his offer to go On the stage;
She had most wonderful manner in
singing, and everybody was weeping
before she. had sung a dozen words.
That, of course, is not so strange an
effect to be produced at q funeral sery-
ice, but the voice itself was one of ten
thousand. understand Miss Winslow
sings in the First church and could
probably command almost any salary as
apublic singer, She will probably be
heard from soon. Such q voice could
win it's way anywhere. *.-:>.- & e. ..: +,
sThe service, aside from the singing,
was peculiar. The evangelist, man Of
apparently very simple, unassumine
style, spoke q few words, and he was
followed BY a fine looking man, the Rev.
Henry Maxwell, pastor of the First
church Of Raymond. Mr. NJ MIaxwell
spoke Of the fact that the dead woman
had been fully prepared to 20, but he
spoke - q peculiarly sensitive manner
Of the effect of the liquor business OF
the. ivesd men and women like this
one. Raymond, Of course, being q rail:
road town and the center Of the great
packing interests for this region, lie full
Of saloons. i caught from the ministers
remarks that he had only recently
changed his s:views ii regard to license.
He certainly made avery strikng and
yet it was in no sense an inappropriate
address for Q funeral. + s II e g.s5= 5.Es.
Then followed what was perhap.
the queer part Of this strange service
The women il the ten TIL; t,s sst least q large
part ct them up near the coffin, bega1
{ to sing ii q soft fearful way, wa
8 ndering sheer Al
ss Then, while the singingwas going
on, one row of women stood up and
walked slowly past the casket, and q