Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-11-06
OLD FOLKS DAY
OBSERVED

Sunday afternoon, at two O'Clock
the Sunday School of ST Paul's church
held its annual Rally Day exercises
and the monthly missionary meeting.
The attendance was unusually large
and the meeting was great success.
The missionary offering was the larg-
est of any month in this year. An in
teresting address was made by the
pastor, Rev. Harry Curtin Harman, on
the work of the general missionary
convention of the Nj. E. church in
America, which was recently held at
Cleveland, Ohio. Rev Harman was
delegate from the Central Pennsyl-
vania Conference at the convention.
The program also included an address
by William Antrim on Rally Day.,
address by Frank p. johnson on Miss
ionary Giving, violin solo by Mel
son Woods, and a paper by Miss Elsie
Wilson on "What we Ought to Give
TO Missions.
In accordance with the recent ac-
tion of the Presbytery series of
evangelistic services will be held in
the lecture room of Mahoning Presby-
terian church, from November 10th, to
l4th. Rev. G. II. Bruce, d. D., of
Jersey Shore, will conduct the services.
Rev James f. Marshall, of Washing
ton, ID. G., occupied the pulpit of the
Mahoning church yesterday morning
and evening.
z Harvest Home was observed Sun
day at the First Baptist church and
both services were we'll attended. In
the morning the pastor, Rev. l.. b.
Twichell, preached from the text
:" And when the burnt Offering began,
the song of the Lord began also with
trumpets". His evening discourse was
past, the summer is ended. P"
Old Folks Day, which was observed
at Trinity NJ. +. church Sunday
morning, proved an event of unusual
interest which was enjoyed alike by
the veterans i'll the service of the
Lord and the younger members of the
congregation who more recently enter
ed the religious life.
The decorations were most beautiful
and appropriate. A profusion of chrys-
anthemums interspersed with palms,
| symbolizing the vigor and flower of
| life were grouped about the altar and
| the choir, while fastened to the rear
wall at each side of the pulpit We're
| immense clusters of autumn leaves,
rnssct and brown with here and there
deeper hue, which suggested forcibly
| the autumn time of human life.
The speaker of the occasion was an
| aged veteran in the Christian Minis
try. Rev. DR. Samuel Barnes of PhiIa-
delphia He founded his remarks u?-
on Second Timothy, fourth chapter,
18th to 1th verses
/ DR.. Barnes was Presiding Elder of
the Danvillc District of the Central
Pennsylvania Conference early i'll the
! '7O's and Is we'll remembered by many
| of our citizens of middle life and old
er He was peculiarly gifted as a
preacher of the gospel and ranked high
as pulpit orator. He was i'll his
prime during the earlier days of
| Mountain Grove and the mere an
| nouncemcnt that DR.. Barnes was to
preach invariably resulted in a general
outpouring of the people.
Advancing years has robbed the
faithful divine of none of his relig-
! ious enthusiasm. He still retains his
vigOr of thought, all the old time
magnetism and although his eye may
have lost some of its lustre and his
manner become more subdued his ser
mons still undoubtedly MEASURE up
with the best efforts of his life.
His remarks to the aged, whom he
termed the veterans, were full of
beauty and tenderness. He himself has
been Christian for over sixty years.
Upon inquiry he found that there are
none in that church whose conversion
dates that far back. He found two
who have been Christians fifty years,
seven who have been Christians forty
years. All who had been in the church
for over thirty years, he said, are
veterans" and of these he found nine
teen. In this connection, he stated
that seventeen years seems to be the
average age at which people seek re-
| ligiOn.
He quoted great many passages to
show how much there is in the Scrip
lures to cheer and console the aged
and to strengthen their faith.
| The sacrament was administered to
all who have been in the church over
thirty years after which the benedic-
| tion was pronounced.