The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-24

Union Pacific station. followed by the company.
They walked 10 the ticket window and planked
down $500 for round-trip tickets TO Lancaster.
Pa, nearly taking the agents breath away. They
have kept II up ever since. In September. whtn
the crops are gathered they make their pilgrimage.
There is great strife among the railway agents
TO secure their patronage and all the travelling
passenger agents visit Abilene TO set II. all but
one; he knows better. Three or four years ago
he loaded party into chair car "a Pullman is
an undreamcd-of luxury and when they reached
Kansas City, in order that the other lines should
not secure them. as they had not yet purchased
tickets farther east he locked the passengers in the
car When the long haired pilgrims found what
had happened they were indignant Two Of them
crawlcd out OF the window and bought tickets for
the crowd over another line. The road represent
cd by that agent has been boycotted ever since
The Brethren seldom return without bringing
with them Pennsylvania friends, and the Kansas
colonies are constantly increasing in numbers
Other colonies have been started in Arizona and
southern California. but none has been a success
In Kansas and Pennsylvania and Ontario. Can
ada, have they prospercd most and these con
stitutc the churchs centres
They do great deal of missionary work, sup
port two gospel tents. and have started q mission
in the slums OF Chicago managed by sisters from
the plains OF Kansas who are doing their best
TO rescue the fallen They have also a mission
in South Africa, where the venerable Bishop
Enge and his wife, with half n dozen others
who were farmers in tn community, are living
In hus and trying TO convert tho heather One
or two are in India, and a wealthy farmer and
creamery manager left for there last fall He
did not stay long. he found IL too hard to learn
the language He went on around the world
and then settled down to look after his business
here as usual.
About the only nroads made on their numbers
have been by the Fire Brands. q denomination
which has preached radical religion and directed
much attention To the customs Of the Brethren. II
held camp meeting in this county last summer
but the ncighbors thought so much Of the Brethren
that they turned out and ducked the preachers
in stock pond and stopped the proceedings
The Fire Brands then went to Pennsylvania
The River Brethren are good advertisers for
Kansas They write letters praising the coun-
try To their Eastern friends. and never say any
thing derogatoty OF the State. They know nothing
of the downcast laboring classes" for they are not
downcast They pay little attention to the tariff
or free silver for they ore too busy to study the
questions The women read little except the
Bible, belong To clubs and take no papers
besides the local journal and the religious organ
OF the church. devoted to essays. They have
never heard of the coming woman. and their idea
| Of complete acknowledgment is chance TO eat
at the first table and not wait until their husba nds
and the other male members Of the family have
finished as they generally do. They do not
try To reform the world, but 10 b-ing up healthy
boys and girls and make yellow rolls Of butter
and white loaves Of bread.
As a class the River Brethren careful man
| ayers, shrcwd at a bargain. and stand by each
| other through thick and thin. The church has
eleven bishops. all farmers and serving with
! out remuneration. They preach all the ser
mons. though any member may talk in meet.
| ing II he feels himself inclined They hold
| three council meetings each year. a harvest
! thanksgiving meeting and general Internal ional
| conference, all marked by an extreme conserva
| usm somewhat aggravatng 10 the younger
! generation. But their religion makes good cit
zcns Of them. and in all their twenty years in
Kansas there has not been a single pauper and
| only one criminal among them. That is a good
, record for 5000 people for two decades