The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-02
sT.PETER met H0D|s7s
PLAN JUBILEE SERVICE vi J !:
FTFTIETH ANNIVERSARY TO BE
- DULY CELEBRATED.
Tributes to Be Paid to Memory of Rev.
Edward Eggleston, Famous Historian
and Novelist, and One of the st.
Peter Church's Early Pastors.
Special to Tho Journal.

Special to Tho Journal. ~; "
st. Peter, Mimi, Dec. LIN few
weeks members of the Methodist
church will celebrate the fftieth ami
versary of the organization of their
congregation. Plans are being formu-
lated for the golden jubilee, and in the
course OF the ceremonies many tributes
will be paid to the memory of Rev.
Edward Eggleston, famous as a novel
list and historian, who was one of it's
early pastors. .,--
!. Comparatively few people know that
the celebrated author, who began his
career as circuit rider and became one
Of Americas foremost men Of letters,
was ever resident Of st. Peter. He
came here in territorial days and lived
in the town nearly FIVE years. The
house he occupied and the church in
which he preached both remain, but the
After serving his ministerial appren-
ticeship in his native state of Indiana,
Mr.. Eggleston. was. selected by the
Methodist Bible society as q mission
airy TO- the territory Of Minnesota. He
came out west in 1857 and was given
the passionate of the newly-establishe
church at Traverse des Sioux, one of
the first to be opened by his denom-
ination.
With St. Peter, however, it was
case of entertaining genius unawares,
taking up literary work at that time
and did. not develop his talent for writ
ing until dozen years later. While
his passionate continued he attended to
the spiritual needs of his congregation
and, forced thereto by necessity, added
to his income by selling soap of his own
manufacture. Mr.. Eggleston left st.
Peter after the Indian outbreak of
1862, and was given a congregation in
St. Paul. Eight years afterward he
went to Indianapolis to take editorial
charge Of a magazine called Hearth
and Home, and in 1871 leaped suddenly
master,' the original dialect novel,
which he first gave to the world in
serial form in his publication. A year
World" and in 1872 "The Mystery of
Metropolisville.
"Metropolisvilleo was only another
name for Traverse DIES Sioux, and. the
scene of the book is laid in that vii
lage and st. Peter. 1t is, primarily,7a
description Of the great Minnesota land
boom, the, author telling .of the mania
ing She joint resolution intRo duced Tin
the territorial legislature, which read:
tt:Resolved, That not, more than two
thirds Of the area Of this territory shall
be laid out in townsites and territorial
roads. the remaining one-t third to sbe
sacredly reserved for agricultural use.''
The plot Of the tale revolves about a
stolen deed, many of the incidents are
recorded in local history, and several
Of the characters are but thinly dis
guised, so thinly that they can : be
recognized as early settlers acquaint-
ances Of the author. 49, BIZ; -
Following the three books mentioned
came "The Circuit Rider" and
Roxy and he then wrote a series Of
juvenile biographies of famous Amer
lean Indians, In 1883 Mr.. >Eggleston
returned to, Indiana felton,. producing
ttThe Hoosier School Boy, -" ,"The
"Dgfels,, His is more at.n serious gE11e wosks a
such as .'tThe Beginners of a Nation''
and "The Transit of Civilization, -
came later, and he remained before the
death four years ago. -