Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-04-09
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| its awful curse.
But if the First church was deeply
stirred by the events of the week gone
| the Rectangle also felt moved strongly
in its own way. The death of Loreen
was not in itself so remarkable fact.
| 1t was her recent acquaintance with
the people from the city that lifted her
into special prominence and surrounded
her death with more than ordinary i'm
portance Every one in the Rectangle
| knew that Loreen was at this moment
lying in the Page mansion up on the
avenue. Exaggerated reports of the
| magnifcence of the casket had already
furnished material for eager gossip.
The Rectangle was excited to know the
details of the funeral Would it be
public2 What did Miss Page intend to
do? The Rectangle had never before.
mingled even in this distantly personal
manner with the aristocracy on the
boulevard. The opportunities for doing
so were not frequent. Gray and his
wife were besieged by inquiries as to
what Loreen's friends and acquaint-
ances were expected to do in paying
their last respects to her, for her &C
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 choked the tent
and overfowed beyond all previous
bounds. Gray had gone to Virginia,
and after talking it over with her and
Henry Maxwell the arrangements had
been made.
IT am and always have been opposed
to large public funerals, said Gray,
whose complete, wholesome simplicity
of character was one 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. [ am
sure that whatever you and Miss Page
think is best will be right. .
81 feel as you do, replied Mr.. Max
we'll ''Under most circumstances I
have a great distaste for what seems
like display at such times, but this
seems different. The people at the Rec
tangle will not come here to service
I think the most Christian thing will
be to let them have the service at the
tent. Do you think so, Virginia p
eyes" said Virginia sadly. "Poor
soul! lido not know but that some time
/ 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. I 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 1t happened that
that afternoon a noted newspaper cor
respondent was passing through Ray
mond on his way to an editorial con-
vention in 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 very unique and I'M
usual funeral service held here this aft
ernoon at the tent of an evangelist,
Rev. John Gray, down in the slum dis
trict known as the Rectangle. The oc-
casicn was caused by the killing of a
woman during an election riot last Sat
urday night It seems she had been re-
Gently converted during the evangelist's
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 [ ever
witnessed in a metropolitan church over
the most distinguished citizen.
Sin the first place. most exquisite /
anthem was sung by trained choir. It
struck me, of course, being stranger
to the place, with considerable astonish- /
ment to hear voices like those one nat
urally expects to hear only in great /
churches or concerts at such a meeting
as this but the most remarkable part
of the music was solo sung by a strik .
ingly beautiful young woman, a Miss
Winslow, who, if L remember rightly, /
is the young singer who was sought for .
by Crandal, the manager of National
opera, anu WHO 1OT SOu10 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 funeral serv-
ice, but the voice itself was one of ten
thousand. I understand Miss Winslow
sings ia the First church and could
probably command almost any salary as
a public singer. She will probably be