The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-01-11
FROM THE COLD WEST.
Mrs, Simpson Writes Chorily to Tho Comet
Amidst Bleak Surroundings,
Kansas City, No., Jan. /, 1900,

Amidst Bleak Surroundings.
Kansas City, Mo-, Jan. /, 1900.
DRAR CoMHT:
Amidst oil the ice. snow, northwinds
and Christmas festivities, my thoughts
turn oftentimes to the people of John
son City, and SO l send you another
message that they may read and not
forget me.
tits q beautiful sight TO see the prepa-
ratious the merchants have made here
in honor OF Santa Clause. All the win
dows arc just grand in their holiday at
tire, 1t is claimed the amount Of goods
sold during the month of December
has never had parallel in this city. II
seems money is more plentiful than ev-
er before, and every one is joyous and
happy. / mean the masses; of course
there are cases OF want and distress
here, rs everywhere, but tho efforts put
forth to alleviate the suffering aud want
of the poverty stricken are q sure in
dex of large hearted and generous
souled people and for that reason, If
for nothing else, like these people
here. On Christmas day the Saliva
tion Army had succeeded in collecting
enough food to feed over two thousand
people, and il anyone went without a
good, warm Christmas dinner it must
have been their own fault For days
before Christmas these earnest workers
stood upon the streets and ratified a
drum and exhorted the passers-by to
contribute for the dinner for the hugry
and their efforts were richly rewarded.
All the institutions Of charity have
been we'll remembered.
When the call was made that tins
city should raise thousand dollars to
be added to the fund being raised for
the widow and children OF Col. Law
ton, in just week from the time the
call was made, the fund was com pleted.
If that had been all the money being
raised. it would not have seemed so
great; it should have been raised 30
soon, but there were 30 many others
for different charitable purposes, that l
must say greatly admire the spirit of
noble generosity this city manifests up
on all occasions.
One newspaper gave the children of
the city a theater in Convention Hall,
and the best actors Of the city from the
different theaters took part in it. There
were ten thousand children attended
it, on one of our coldest days. As it
was free for all, many little ones were
no doubt there, who had never seen a
theater before, and the enthusiasm Of
their hearty applause, was beautiful
sight. They laughed and shrieked
with delight and enjoyment, and hap
pier lot of little ones it would have
been hard to find. It was The Kansas
City World newspaper that did this.
The Kansas City Star gave each of its
newsboys q bank account of one dol
lar and bank book to flourish around.
As there are over thousand Of those
boys the gift was magnificent one af-
ter all.
When Dwight L. Moody was here,
he preached in Convention Hall to the
largest audiences he had ever had. II
was a fitting close to his great life Of
usefulness and we feel especially bless
ed and honored as people that the.closC
of his ministerial work was with us
It was q sight never to be forgotten, tc
enter that immense hall and see it filled
to its utmost capacity. So great wai
his effort to reach each heart with hi'
message of eternal life and light il
that vast concourse of souls who nigh
be in search of it, that he was often ex
hausted and nearly overcome before hC
finally gave up and had to leave. Hi
methods were very peculiar of conduct
ing the exercises. He would divide th,
congregation off into sections when {
song was to be sung sometimes, an(
the result was q succession of sount
that rolled and reverberated around
that vast room, that could not fail t
remind every heart Of the joys Of th'
redeemed where "ten thousand times
ten thousand" voices should unite il
singing the heavenly anthems. Kansas
City because of this great mans i'll
ness resulting from his mighty effort
for the conversion of its sinners, kney
an anxiety greater than any other cit,
perhaps in the universe, that he shoult
recover, and many special prayers wer
made for him in all the churches
But God saw fit to close his life witt
this last effort, and when the new
came that Moody, the world-renounde'
evangelist was dead, nemorial service
were held by all the religious churche
in the city. It could not have bee
greater had the head of the nation fall
en-, and when the Vice President of th
United States lay dead, he was not &C
corded the honor and remembrance i
our city that was given Mr.. Moody.
AS an index of the push and energ
displayed by some Of our best busi
ness men, I will tell you of an Incl
dent which occurred here not long agc
One of our merchant princes wa
burned out on Saturday night Ther
we're five or six hundred employees {
the establishment, and the store wa