The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-03-22
A FORGOTTEN Beginning.

The Chicago Association was holding It6
annual session with one of the churches
which had grown to strength in a Gozen
years, and were happy in the completion
of its large new house of worship. In and
out among the pastors and delegates OF
a little old lady in black. Every one knew
her as the widow of a retired minister who
had died a few months before. They tive
had regularly attended these gatherings
together; a couple short in stature, andi
slender besides, whose active work lay so
many years back that only the Oldest OF
the delegates knew much of it. There had
been some little mention in The papers or
their golden wedding, and not long after,
ward there had been obituary notices not
lacking in sincere cordially, but the old
couple had gone in and out among q gener..s
alton who had small personal knowledge ct
what their lives had been.
At the noon intermission the widow app
preached the moderator of the meeting
and askedsif there would be any time when
she could read before the gathering a trib-
ute to the memory Of her husband. 1t was
an unusual thing to ask, and the more
fraught with uncertainty because she asked
for fifteen minutes and the PROGRAM was
overloaded. There was a consultation. and
it was arranged that in the interval be.
tween the afternoon and the evening SEES.
sions, Immediately after supper, she should
have the time she desired, and the reading
was awaited not without some anxiety
\ She rose when the, time came, and read
her paper in a voice that was not strong.
but did not tremble. There was no appeal
for sympathy or thrusting Of her sorrows
upon others. She gave as the reason tor
asking the privilege cthe fact that the
church where the meeting was held was IN
the district where she and her husband
had spent six wears. beginning t~hirty-hve
years before. She said;
"This is counted a new district IN tho
city, but it was both new and old even
thirty-fve years ago. An old stage route
ran out Milwaukee avenue, and there a
a small settlement here from early days:
At that time there was a movement Oh
population this way, and we came together
to organize a church. Houses were wlde.yI
scattered over the prairie, and from 3twol
miles east the parish extended tar OUT
westward across the fields"
She told how they succeeded in erecting
a church building, which was speedily
wrecked by a tornado. and how in the hot.
test of hot summers they walked through
shadeless streets, soliciting money to re.
build it. After it was done the tide OF
population turned in another direction.
Lille SeLLleLUcNI hltSuiouco Ghu
and after six years of faithful effort the
work had to be given up. Now, after years
of waiting, the tide had returned, md.
with it the beautiful church had come into
being.
Simply but touchingly she told the story
of those early beginnings, and the, picture
which she gave Of her husband, and uneon-
~sciously of herself, awoke a thrill OF admir-
alton in all who heard her. She had
brought to men the knowledge Of SIX for
gotten years of heroic service: Warm res
e%lutions Of thanks, Of sympathy and a. Of al Al.
f~ectionate memory were adopted 6y the
meeting, and the incident fastened itself
upon the mind of every one present. Then
it began to be whispered among the dele
gates that she had just given $4,000 to
various charities in memory OF her hus-
band, for although his salary had never
been large; his habits had been careful 2
his years had been many: but all agreed
that no other tribute could have beep so
beautiful as that which she read, Of the,
together before the servant of the Master
went to his reward.-Youth's Companions,