Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-03-21

is sought after and widely dissemim
ated. The local press has brought OF
tumwa churches under deep obligation
by it's liberality in dealing with church
news. and the wide space given to
revival efforts, missions and anniver-
saries. Very many find the Sunday
school lesson in the newspaper, and
the metropolitan press has, In these
past years, made the whole country
familiar with the sermons Of Beecher,
Talmage, Spurgeon and Parker.
The Song Service.
THE praise service has undergone
some change. Without choirs and pipe
organs and solos and other melodious
helps, 1t Is difficult for us to realize
how very plain and bare was the song
service Of fifty years ago. There was,
do not doubt, the melody Of the
heart, but 1t was not always melody to
the ear. There were no choirs or
instruments. Even hymn books were
sometimes wanting and the minister
had to parcel out the line and lead the
singing himself. Some of the names
of our non-professional vocalists OF
fifty years ago are worthy of mention.
In the Congregational church, William
Grips, father of our business men Of
that name. With the Methodists Her.
man P. Graves, father of Mrs. William
Fielder, Harrison Hammer and George
w. Bowen.
"In Bro. Coles time, with the Bap.
fists, the preacher parcelled out tho
line and lead the singing In our Pres.
byterian services, Mrs. Orr, wife of DR.
Orr, was for eight or ten years our VAL
ued leader. In the Christian church
some of the pioneer voices in praise
and worship, were those Of Mr. and
Mrs. James s. Major, Elder and Mrs.
Currier, Mrs. Hawkins and John Pums
roy.
Progress In Church Activities.
"There has been great change ana
marked progress In church activities
At first the problem was to exist. I'd
hold the fort, to maintain our position
in hope of future expansion and Sucs
cess 1t required self-denial and pa
1 tience and much hard work to do this.
But there has been pleasing success,
\ We now have many good houses on
worship and official boards, wise ana
thorough, to carry on the work. The
women individually and in their eff
\ cient societies are in the lead. The
young women and the young men ara
organized and active in their Christian
associations, and the young people are
earnest in endeavors to promote the
i Masters cause. Wherever there Is an
open door for effort and extension our
people seem to be ready Our churches
are represented on the field of foreign
missions In South America, Africa, Ins
dia, Burmah and Japan.
"In our community there is a very
J condiserable amount Of wealth, and
I the good lesson has been illustrated
: and to some extent practised that
there is no better investment than to
use our means for the uplifting Of the
needy and for the spread Of the gos-
: pei"
The Early Workers.
Editor Courier-Since reading in the
Courier the interesting sketch Of the
early workers in the Ottumwa Baptist
church by w. H. Cooper, l am moved
; to offer two or three items from per-
sonal knowledge of early Baptist hiss
tory.
Bro. Cole held services regularly
for about one year, In Leighton's hall
from the organizations Of the church,
until the spring of 1856.
DIR. Joseph T. Robert preached his
, first sermon in Ottumwa June Is. 1856,
in our small new church building on
/ Fourth street. He gathered up the
scattered flock and ministered to
: them about two years. He was an able
preacher and cultured gentleman,
and had been a pastor in Savannah,
5 Georgia. for some years. In recent
/. years he has been referred to as bear.
! ing the title Of LID. think that Is
: incorrect Doctors of that sort were
extremely rare, fifty years ago, and es-
pecially on the frontier 1t has been
my impression all these years that his
: title was NJ d.. and that he had stud.
led medicine before he became a mins
: lister.
4 Rev. S. H Worcester came in 1858.
. From the fall of 1859 for two full years
l he held services in the Ottumwa Sem
/ mary building on Second street. be-
$ tween Market and Court streets. The
: building was owned by ]. w. Dixon.
The seminary and audience room oc-
r cupied the second floor and below was
D the law office Of Dixon & Stiles.
: was personally acquainted with
most Of the seventeen charter mems
9 bers-the Harpers, Fishers, Barretts,
/ Mrs. Alcott and Mrs. Aldridge. mar
/ ried two Of them and buried one OF
I two of them
y The Aldridge home was near the
u present site of our public library. /
once called to see Mrs. Aldridge who
was very i'll. The husband followed
s me out Of the house to ask my opinion
s as to prospects of recovery. He was
l. surprised to find that was not doc
9 tor. J. M. McEIroy.
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