Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-08-28
TO TEACH THE POOR.
INDIANA MISSIONARIES WILL OR
GANIzE SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
Convention Planned by Field Work
ers at Winona Lake for Purpose
of Spreading the Gospel in
Rural Districts.

of Spreading the Gospel in
Rural Districts.
Winona Lake, Ind.-One Of the
most peculiar and interesting conven-
lions of the year will be held here in
August, when the Indiana field work
ers of the American Sunday School
union, and perhaps number from
other states, will hold the first con-
ference the Indiana workers have
ever held. 1t will bring together nine
men from this state, who are seldom
seen and heard by the people of cities
and larger towns, but they are men
who, in the sparsely settled regions
Of the state, are better known than
the carriers on the rural mail routes.
It is the business of these field work.
ers to go among class of people that
would not otherwise hear of the Bible
and quicken their interest in the book.
The chief purpose of the Sunday
School union is to get copies of the
Bible in these homes, and with this
purpose is closely linked that of or
ganizing Sunday schools ut points
convenient for the poor Of the rural
districts.
The American Sunday School union,
with headquarters in Philadelphia,
was organized in 1924, and it has
spent $10,000.o00 for Bibles and other
religious literature, all of which has
been distributed free in the remote
regions OF American civilization.
1t pays no salaries to its field men,
who live as best they can from free
will offerings of the people among
harder than that of the old-time cir.
cult rider, who rode his horse from
settlement to settlement when In.
diana was young. The field men seek
the crossroads points, and there open
the Sunday schools, using blacksmith
shops, granaries or any kind of build.
ing that will offer shelter from the
weather, and in these Sunday schools
are gathered the men, women and
children of the neighborhood, regard.
less of religious beliefs.
OF the men at work in this state,
]. M. Caress, of New Albany, goes
through the hill country of southern
Indiana. j. A. Carter has Brown
county in his district, and he has or
ganized number of Sunday schools
for the neglected poor in the hills al
that and Morgan county.
w. H. Hess, who is organizing the
August conference, makes his home
at Winona Lake throughout the year
and the ten northern Indiana counties
over which he travels are one of the
largest districts that the Sunday
School union has in the middle west,
The methods followed by Mr.. Hess
are typical of those of all the mis-.
sicnaries. He has q wagon similar
to that of the rural mail carrier, only
1t is not brilliant with red paint and
1t is covered with religious inscrip.
tons.
Mr.. Hess went into this Sunday
school work six years ago, with his
pockets empty, but he was fred with
the hope that seems to I'LL every kind
Of mission worker. q. A. K. Hackett
of Fort Wayne, started a movement
which resulted in good outfit for Mr.
Hess-a strong horse, good set Of
harness and substantial, comfort
able wagon, which can be driven II
all kinds Of weather and over al
kinds of country roads. Mr.. Racket
also keeps this gospel wagon" sup
piled with song books, which the mis-
sionary uses in his Sunday schools.
Il A variety of literature is stacked VI
in shelves in the Hess wagon. but TIL
chief stock is Bibles. The Bibles ar,
substantially bound in cloth, printed
in minion type and the covers are o
dark red, that the book may be NOR,
attractive to children. In six year,
} Mr.. Hess has found 500 families II
} the ten counties Of his district VIII
. had no Bible. He had found boys 1!
, years old who had never been insid,
of Sunday school.
:, ut is surprising to see," he said
what restitution there is in the wa,
; of knowledge of the Bible in this old
settled region Of the state But there
has been mission work done among
the poor and ignorant in this part o.
Indiana, for in Wabash county 1 have
found tracts which were distributed
to the humble homes so years ago."
Mr.. Hess has started sunda,
school in an abandoned countr,
church, which during its palmy day
, sent out eight ministers of the gos
pei. Five years ago he opened /,
school in one neighborhopd, and ,
girl of Ia years old Immediately be
came It's mainstay. She is now tn,
efficient superintendent of the school
In one little town of his territor,
MT. Hess found a church that hat
, been abandoned He obtained per
mission to use the structure, spen
two days in driving to the homes O
Al families, and on the next Sabbath
; opened school. When the mission
airy first entered this town the wore
spread among the people that he wa
p state fish warden. One woman
, buried her husbands fish nets in th,
ground. Mr.. Hess. few months ago
held series of meetings in this plac,
snd converted 40.
The conference Of the missionarie!
will be held at Winona lake during
the Bible conference, when some O
the best religious orators who speal
the English tongue will be here.
Great U. s. Naval Show Planned.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. have been per
iected for the grand naval pagean
which Acting Secretary of the Nav.
Newberry has announced will occu