The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-13
He breaches a Touching Fare
we'll Sermon.
REPEATS HIS OWN POEM
Church Crowded With Friends
and Admirers.
z. 1. BOmebrake Presides in the
Evening.

church and leaves for New York TO
take up his new work as the executive
officer of the Sunday school depart
ment of the entire Methodist church.
Accordingly the services at the First
Methodist church were appropriate to
the occasion. In the morning Dr.. Nc
Farland preached his farewell sermon
to the church. and in the evening
the services took the form of a fare
well from the church and the citizens
of Topeka to DR.. Mcfarland.
Dr. Mcfarland has been pastor of
the First church for five years. When
he came to Topeka the membership
of the church was torn with dissen-
siOns. These were speedily straight
ened out under his pastOrate, and the
church has been greatly strengthened.
among the membership of the church,
but among all its attendants and
friends, that DR.. Mcfarland leaves
Topeka, although it is generally rec
ognized that the field to which the
recent general conference in Los An
geles elected him is much broader
one
DR.. McFarlands farewell sermon
Sunday morning was a benediction.
He took as his text the apostolic ben
edfction, the last verse of Paul's sec
ond letter to the Corinthians: 1.-The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and
the love of God and the communion
of the Holy Ghost. be with you ALL"
The speaker said that benedfctions
are in daily use; that almost every
form OF parting is a benedictiOn, lit
orally a good word" He analyzed
the benediction in the text and said
that Paul hardly ever spoke of ma
terial blessings for his friends but
always of spiritual things. DR.. Nc
FaFland said he would not wish a
smooth and easy path through life for
the membership of his church, be
cause the greatest blessings did not
come through such means, but he
prayed for the greatest spiritual
blessings upon them
In closing DIR. Mcfarland repeated
snort poem, the idea of which had
Deen suggested to him on his way
nome from Los Angeles. He said that
all OF one day the train had crawled
across the Nevada desert. and the
neat ana dust had oppressed the
spirits OF the passengers. Towards
evening refreshing GOODNESS struck
the train 1t had entered the foot
Mills and beyond the snowy SUBMITS
OF the mountains were visible The
thought out of the desert into the
nils kept suggesting itself to DIR
IMscFarland, and finally inspired these
Out of the desert into the bi11si
All the day long, through the dust and
The engine toiled on with steady hear
O1 steel striking steel meath its burning
The sand and the silence and realms
of death,
And air that throbbed hot like a furnace
Then sudden climb from the bleak ard
Toward the eedared heights and the
Toward the erniined peaks and the
Up from the desert into the hills!
All life long, through dull sorrow and
The years dragging out a wearisome
Cornmonplace. travail. and labor in vain
Heartache and signing, and hope long
Clouds without water and prayers all IN
Then sudden climb. breath from the
height, -
4 peace, and a calm. a glory, a light.
a S SiSlpbt divine that breaks on the
Up from Lies desert into the hills.
At both the morning and evening
services the church was crowded. Al
the latter P. 1. Bonebrake presided
and there were five minute talks bv
persons representing various interests
expressing their appreciation of Dr
McFarland's services and tn cir wishes
for his welfare and usefulness in the
future Mr. Bonebrake himself spoke
for the membership of the First
church, telling how the church has
been built up under DR.. McFarIand's
pastorate. He also read a letter from
f. D. Coburn, as president of the State
Temperance union, expressing his ap-
probation of DIR. Mcfarland as a
citizen.
Frank Cope spoke for the Epworth
League, and J. e. Nissley for the sun
day school. Judge T. F. Carver re-
ferred to DR.. McFarland's services in
the cause of good government and
civic righteousness in Topeka, and
said that his influence would long re-
main here. Rev. H A. OFT, pastor of
the English Lutheran church. spoke
of DR.. McFarland's connection with
the Ministerial union.
Rev. J. A stavely, pastor of the
Kansas Avenue Methodist church in
North Topeka, read some resolutions
which had been adopted by his
church and its membership in the
hard days Succeeding the great flood
last year. Mr.. Stavely said Dr. Nc
Farland had touched sources which
would have been open to no one else
and had greatly assisted the Metho-
did not congratulate DR.. Mcfarland
upon his election to his new work 50
much as he congratulated the MethO-
dist church as a whole for securing
his services in that connection. Mr.
Stavely also read a poem of which DR.
Mcfarland is the author. which is il
Illustrative of the man. 1t was written
a short time before the recent gen
eGd1 conference, ana was puDnSned IN
the Daily Christian Advocate at Los
Angeles during the conference. 1t
was as follows:
THE VOYAGE
I go not where I will. but must:
This planet ship which I ride
Is drawn by resistless tide:
I touch no pilot wheel, but trust
That One who holds the chart of stars.
Whose fathorn-lines touch lowest
whose eve the boundless spaces
sweeps,
Will guide the ship through cosmie bars.