The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-03
fst. - GloheN


As a field OF strenuous activity
the great and growing west pre-
sents today the extreme example.
The missionary with his Bible and bun
die OF hymn books follows close on the
heels OF the prospector. When a strike
IS made and camp started he is on
the ground almost as soon as the sa-
loonkeeper and the gambler. often
the initial church service is held before
the first grand opening" of the rum
shop.
The pathfinder Of the cloth follows
the blaze of the lumber cruiser into the
depths Of the redwoods and the forests
of cedar ana fir. He races with the oil
speculator for the latest strike in the
newest oil field. He follows the digger
of irrigation bitches into the arid lands
which the first flow Of life-giving wa
ter transforms into farms. He crawls
with the railroad builders across the
waterless deserts which are at last
railing into the grasp Of advancing
civilization. And everywhere he goes
he leaves a trail of Sunday schools
which win eventually grow into
churches when the camp becomes large
enough and the new town really
bOO-ns
A year ago a statistician. after care
ful study, declared that there were a
quarter Of a million boys and girls in
the west who had no opportunity of go
ing TO Sunday school or church. East
ern churchmen who bad for years been
contributing generous sums for the con-
version Of the HottentOts and what
nots were shocked at such a showing
IN their own country. They went into
their pockets again, and have made It
possible for the church TO follow the
Kaleidoscope changes Of the restless
west.
Any OF the many missionaries at
work i'm the western field can tell in
teresting incidents of this strenuous
evangelization. To none however. have
come more experiences than to the Rev.
Arthur Hicks. who has charge of the
work Of the Presbyterian board of Sab
bath school work. under the direction
OF Rev. DIR. James r. Worden Of Phiia-
delphia. His field includes every coun-
~ of California and Nevada, and each
year he covers from 10000 to 1900
miles by stage. horse or burro back
canoe, railroad or on foot. He had just
returned from trip through the new
farming district OF Imperial, in south
err California, where the newest irri-
cation bitches have penetrated, when
seen at his home in Oakland.
For incidents Of this missionary
work we are doing" he said. Il hardly
know whore to begin. they are so many
and varied. Perhaps ] had best tell OF
a service I held I'm the redwoods Of
Fresno county last May. for il was one
of the most impressive have ever wit
messed
II reached a distant lumber camp one
Saturday morning and looked about for
a place in which to hold services the
next day. An abandoned dance ha1l
seemed 10 be the most available place.
and I set about getting il ready A
giant redwood had crashed into the
building. tearing away the roof and
three sides. leaving only one wall i'm
place. ] cleared away the debris and
spread the news among the lumber
men that there would be preaching.
more perfect Sunday. or week day.
either, ] have never seen. There was
not a rustic Of wind TO break the in
tense silence of the thick forest all
about the camp. No birds sang, for
there are no birds in the redwoOds.
Forty men and one woman appeared
for the service out of the 500 souls the
camp possessed. The others were rest
ing in the bunk houses or lOunging
about the saloon a few rods down the
hillside.
" What shall we sinE2' I asked. when
It came time TO open the meeting.
"A huge logger, his blue flannel shirt
open at the neck, disclosing a massive.