The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-06-18

'Oh, Lord God of Hosts. who con-
t[ols the earth and the winds and
! me Inc storms and the thunder and the
4. Dixon, of Stroudsburg, Pa. at a
meeting of the W. c. T. u put
thy bl1ghting curse upon the brew
cry now being builded in our midst.
utterly mildew the building from cell
lar to roof. confound its projectors
and builders and, oh God cast
down the lightning of thy wrath on
| the brewery and doom it, And thine
snail be the glory forever Amen"
A bolt of lightning shot from the
SKY struck the roof of the brewery
and tore out the elevator shaft
And because of the PRAYER and its
apparent answer Stroudsburg has re-
celved the greatest excitement of its
Whole existence. the telegraph has
scattered intelligence of the phe-
nomenon all over the Western con-
unents the man who offered the
suppncatfon has received nomina-
ton for congress, and throughout
the northeastern section of PennsvI-
Vania there is much talk of a prob
able attempt of the brewery corpora
Ilon trying to hold the minister le-
gally responsible for asking and OBJ
tanning interference from Providence
with their Iegitimately commercial
enterprise.
1t is doubtful If, since the Bible
enjoined. prayer, supplication to
the Almighty ever had more peculiar
results laid at its door.
Anu Shoulu the threat to institute
legal steps against Rev. Mr.. Dixon
be carried out the queerest lawsuit
in the history of the world will have
been instituted.
1t is long story this, says the Phila-
delphia Press, that-zhas to do with the
new brewery at Stroudsburg, which, by
reason of a prayers has received more
free advertising than any other similar
11I1Ia toll inc -,
day.
The history of the case goes back to
March of 1899
Until that year the good citizens of the
peaceful yet thriving town of Strouds-
burg never knew what a brewery looked
like, except by descriptions. But at that
term Of license court a corporation, com
posed of men of Stroudsburg, Scranton
and Wilkes-Barre, made application for
license to erect and maintain brewery
within the county of Monroe and the
corporate limits of its county seat,
Stroudsburg, for the manufacture of a
matted liquid commonly known and con-
sumed under the pIebian name of beer.
Instantly the good people of Strouds-
burg set up such a chorus of protests
that the promoters of the brewery, see
ing a turbulent sea OF trouble ahead, dis
creetly withdrew their application and
executed flank movement on the enemy,
which took them by complete surprise,
and left them helpless and poWerless to
strike the brewery a blow. For Its Or
ganiZers quietly slipped away to Harris
burg and obtained there a state charter
to operate their brewery which Rev. Mr..
Dixon has chosen to dub "the Devils
Stroudsburg CASTLE"
1t was at this time, while the good
people of Stroudsburg were fioundering
hither and far on the ocean of despair
that Rev. Mr.. Dixon came to them as an
inspired leader.
"Have courage, friends he said to
them. There is. much, in prayer, and
God has told us to pray"
Thereupon the good people of Strouds-
burg decided to pray fervently for the
welfare of their beloved town, and to
this end the w. c.. T. U. organized a
public meeting, the sole purpose of which
was to ask Gods cooperation in the
fight.
At this time the foundation for the
brewery had been digged, and the walls
were beginning to rise above the earth's
level on their journey skyward.
To the meeting, held in the East
Stroudsburg Methodist Episcopal church,
of which Rev. E. E. Dixon is the shep-
herd, came all of the professed Christians
of the town, and many others, in sym
pathy with the movement. The little
frame temple was damned from altar to
doorsill.
The w c. T. U. was the moving spirit.
1t put one minister in the chair, another
it appointed to speak and Rev. Mr.. Dix
on was selected to deliver a prayer
And the prayer that Rev. Mr. Dixon
delivered was the best of his life, his
hearers told themselves at the time. Since
then, in the light of recent events, they
have had no reason to relinquish their
unanimous opinion.
Certain it was that this unassuming
servant of God, as he stood, with closed
eyes, bowed head and clasped hands in
the pulpit, seemingly never before had
put so much heart into petition to the
Almighty. Brief was the prayer but
each word contained such anguish over
the fact that a brewery was being build
ed in the town, such confidence that the
Lord, if he chose, could confound the
undertaking that with nearly every word
spoken by the minister came loud and
fervent "amens'' from all quarters of the
church, from Presbyterians and Baptists
as well as from the more emotional fol-
lowers of the Wes1eys
"Oh, Lord, God of Hosts" prayed Rev
Dixon, who controls the earth and the
| and the lightning, put Thy blighting curse
| upon the brewery now .being buiIded In
our midst. utterly3 mildew the building
from cellar to roof, confound It's pro-
jectors and builders, and, oh God, cast
down the lightning of Thy wrath on the
brewery and doom it. And Thine shall
be the glory forever. Amen
The prayer, to Pat it ia slang, was the
hit" of the meeting. E'What a heart
felt prayer %How earnestly he
prayed, What sonfdEnce he had in
God" "A marvellous prayer" were some
of the comments Of the good people of
stroudsburg who attended the protest
meeting.
And in such wise was the prayer re-
called for many 8 daN-until a certain
| day.
Monday, April IS 1900 will ever be a
| red letter day in the history of the two
Stroudsburgs, eastand swest.
On that day the weather-wise inhab-
itants of the mount ain-encompa
town, when they awakened in the morn
| ing and stuck their heads out of the
windows to pass the time of day, shifted
the air and then told one another that
| thunder storm was in the air-"the
/ first since they hogan. hlIi1diner tho l,rar-