Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-17
LOCKER ON in IOWA.
For the Times Republican.

Glrnnell, May 1G.-Rev. Mr. Brown.
editor of the RAMS Horn, lectured here
| last week. on Sunday evening he spoke
for an hour end a quarter in the Bap-
fist church, simply giving an account
of his life. 1t was interesting Possibly
it will be to the readers of this column,
| even if boiled down to the column
| space used here. He was one of a large
| family of children whose parents were
| literally poor, SO poor that food was
sometimes actually wanting in sufti-
| cient quantity. His parents were mem
bers of the M. r. church of the dismal
wing of the church in those days
| Family affection there was, but not of
the showing kind. He did not remem-
Der of seeing his parents kissing one
another, or any of the children. 1t was
only after he had been reported killed
in battle, and coming home six weeks
after that his mother broke thru the
| icy reserve and kissed him. His parents
believed in not sparing the rod and
spelling the child, SO that his boy.sh
life contained an impression of Solo
mon and punishment. Cause and eff
feet, as it We're. Then, too, he said he
was always philosopher; wanted to
know the why of it every time. This
somber religious life. this Old Tesla
ment kind of religion, combined with
his inability to accept all of the state
ments of the Bible, made him at u a
confirmed infidel.
Bob Ingersoll became his guiding
star. He actually hated the Bible. If
he went to church he was pyeaered in
advance to controyert any statements
of the preacher or any reading from
the Bible. He located in business i'll
oberlin, and the severe religious tone
of society there forty years ago in
and church people. And to an unpre-
JUDGED listener he seems to retain
little animosity directed Oberlinwise
to this day. But business prospered
with him At 40 years of age he retired
to an Ohio farm. built a $4,000 resi-
dence and spent thousands more on
barns and all of the latest modern I'M
provements. The writer understood
him to say that his income at this time
was $4,000 year. He was now salts
fled to live ION the hired mans sweat
of his brow fight the churches, swear
at the sermons and be the best hated
Neligiously speaking) man in that
part of the state. He was not ambitious
to get rich, didn't want to go to con-
gress, or to church: was satisfied to
yegetate for the balance of his life. But
God had other ends for him to carry
out. He Went to Chicago to spend the
winter, to oblige his wife. Moody was
holding his big revival meetings there
that winter. This was where Saul be-
came Paul Mr. Brown almost used
these words.
Other philosophers will be interested
In an account of the conversion OF
Philosopher Atheist Brown. He told
us that on the first occasion of hearing
Moody the revivalist preached on the
love of the Divine Father. For the
first time in his life Atheist Brown
heard of love In the Christian religion.
The home of his childhood, where any
outward expression of love was frown-
ed upon, the implied absence of the love
doctrine in the theology at oberlin. the
hard doctrine he had heard preached in
his boyhood days. all this in such direct
to the Moody talk. was too
much for his hardened heart. He took
the 1rSt step, ana lOudS lie IL, ~ III raw
or and editor of the RAMS Horn. The
Lord pointed out to him she need OF
such a paper and. as much as he dis
liked going into business again, he felt
a divine call and needed it. Now he
knows he's saved. knows that every
word in the Bible is true, knows that
his name is enrolled on high. One can
not listen to his plain. simple story
without being convinced that Paul is
lust as much In earnest as Saul was
while In the prosecuting business also
that, while enacting the role of saul
Fob Ingersoll found in him congenia'
spirit. His religious talk smacks OF
worldly education, terms and phrases
can believe the stoT OF Saul
and Paul after listening to the editor
of the RAMS Horn.
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