The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-07
CHAPEL CARS IN TIE WET
Work Encouraged by Offci- als of Road; Free Trans
 portation Given.
MESSENGER OF PEACE
No Difficulty in Securing Attentive Congregations
 at Revivals.

A long car stands to-day on a side track at the Grand Central Depot, says the Kansas City Star. At first glance it has the appearance of an ordinary Pullman sleeping car, but on one side are printed these words: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" It Is not sleeper but q church, a "house of God" on wheels that moves from town to town, It Is a condensed reli- gious institution. There are seats fcg l25 worshippers, pulpit, organ, Bi- ble, song books, bell to announce the services and plenty of room for the preachers wife. It is named the Messenger of Peace"
 This car and five others similar to 1t are owned by the Baptist church and are under the direction of it's mission ary department They are In service in different parts of the country. The first of these chapel cars, as the Bap- lists call them, was dedicated in 1891.
 Many of the railroads are in the town building business, and realizing that a church is valuable asset to any community they encourage the work of the chapel cars. The presi- dents and general managers of many of the railroads have given money to- ward building new churches. The cars hold special meetings for rail- road employees and this Is appreciated by the railroad officials Free trans portation is extended in most cases, and often special side tracks are built for the cars when they go to new towns,
 This chapel car has Missouri for it's territory. Seventy-flve Baptist wom- en gave $1o each to build the Mes .senger of Peace, and 1t was equipped by the Warburton Avenue Baptist church at Yonkers, N. Y. The car has a graphophone, the personal gift of Thomas A. Edison.
 When Bishop Walker of the Epis- copal church was travelling in Siberia in 1887 he noticed one Sunday morn ing that an extra car was attached to the train, A Greek Catholic priest held mass in the car en route. He learned then that 1t was special car used as place of worship.
 The Bishop, when he returned to Minneapolis, Minn.. In 1889, had con structed what was said to be the first car of its kind in America. Tn order to make the first chapel car appear as much like Q church as possible Bishop Walker had small oupola construct ed on one end. But this feature was found to be impracticable. One day when the train was passing under low bridge the cupela was knocked off
 The inhabitants of small villages where there are no places of worship are surprised sometimes when they learn that during the night church and preacher have come to town and that revival meeting is to begin at once.
 After the chapel car goes to 8 town the first meeting usually Is held for the benefit of the boys and girls who are sure to collect shortly after the arrival. The children are entertained with the graphophone and then they are told to go home and spread the news that a ''meetin' house" has come and that religious services are to be- gin that night. Children make 8 good advertising medium and fre- quently there is large audience at the first service.
 The first Sunday that the chapel car | is in town Sunday school is or ganlzed. The travelling missionary carries a full supply of song books, Sunday school literature and Bibles.
 After a successful revival meeting has been held in the chapel car the preacher suggests that a permanent church should be built and he takes the lead in formulating the plans. Very frequently the chapel car re- mains until the church building Is lcompleted, which generally requires from one to six months.
 Sometimes through the encourage ment of the chapel car pastor a build Iing is purchased and remodelled for a church when it is not possible to construct new edihce. In Del Norte, Col, when chapel car held revival meeting the new congregation pur- chased a building that had been used as wholesale whiskey house and re- modelled it for a church.
 The Rev, J. P. Jacobs, now secre- tary of the Western district of the Baptist Publication Society, went to Novinger, Mo, near Kirksville, with the Messenger of Peace" several years ago He held a protracted meeting for six weeks and preached every night during that time. At the end of the period he persuaded his con- verts to take up the work of building and maintaining permanent church. The citizens held a mass meeting and elected a building committee.
 That committee was composed of one Methodist and three men who had never professed religion. But these committeeman showed at once that they were in earnest by each giving $50 toward the building. Later one of the committee gave a lot and an other the raw timber to make the llra her for tbe church Ca1-o,,4ao,