Evening star., 1907-08-24
UPON A NOBLE SITE
Attractive Appearance of nhe
Town of Mortified.
BIRTHPLACE OF D. |. MOODY
Many Visitors Accommodated at Mod
crate Rates.
ATTEND THE SUMMER SCHOOLS
Career Of the Noted Evangelist, Who
Made His Retreat in the Charm
ing Little Place.
ATTEND THE SUMMER SCHOOLS
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
| NORTHF1ELD, Mass. August IS, 1907.
| The ancient town of Northdeld, sacred to
| the memory of Dwight L. Moody. occupies
| a noble site for a city upon the east bank
| Of the Connecticut rivera long. beautiful
slope, regular and gradual and partially
covered with timber. 1t makes a pretty
! prospect from the other bank Of the Con-
| necticut, where the railway station stands.
with the white paint of the farmhouses
| g.eaming through the foliage and the twin
| towers Of the auditorium rising like a pair
| Of sentinels keeping guard upon the quiet
scene. The most conspicuous object is
| French chateau belonging to Mr.. F. r.
Schell, New York banker and capitalist.
| who was attracted to Northfield by attend
| Ing Mr.. Moody's meetings at Carnegie Hall,
| New York city, and has since made this his
| summer home His chateau is one Of, the
| finest residences in the Connecticut valley
! and offers rather striking contrast to the
| homely farmhouses that surround 1t. Mr..
| Schell is generous and public spirited cit
| fzen. He built the big iron bridge by which
the inhabitants of Northaeld are able to
| cross the Connecticut. He Is nephew and
| was the heir of the late Augustus Schell,
| railway manager, banker, putocrat, poll
| tician, treasurer Of the democratic national
committee and friend Of Samuel ]. Tilden
| and Senator William H. Barnum.
Built Along One Street.
The village Of Mortified has about 1850
population, mostly scattered along one
beautiful street, overhung with towering
elms and naples, typical Connecticut val
| ley town. Everybody lives in a big white
| house and does more or less farming, as the
| custom Is in New England, and here the
| natives have the advantage of the two in
| stttutes and the summer schools, which
practically double the population, fill their
| big houses with boarders the year around
| and furnish a profitable and continuous
| market for their milk, vegetables and but
| ter and eggs and other products. North
| field Is an ideal place for a summer home
| for quiet people, but those who are seeking
| gayety and excitement had better go else
| where. This Is a place for bees and not for
| butterflies. Many clergymen, scholars, stu
| dents and other people who are seriously
| inclined spend their vacations here regular
| ly because the society and the surroundings
| are very attractive to that sort OF people.
! They can exchange ideas with many men
| from many places; they can hear lectures
| and sermons from the best takers In the
| land, and II they wish to Increase their
| learning they can find instructors in any
| line Of inquiry that the human mind should
| follow. There is comfortable hotel, erect
| ed by Mr.. Moody in 1888 for the benefit of
those who can afford to pay for luxuries:
1t will accommodate about go people and
| is similar to q hundred other summer hotels
| in the Connecticut valley and the Berkshire
! Hills. except that it is open all the year
| round. 1t is not conducted for profit and it
has no bar or billiard room or smoking
| room.
Cheap Board for Visitors.
| During the summer months the dormi-
tories of the two institutions are placed at
| the disposition of visitors and are turned
| into temporary hotels, where those who
| come to the summer school Of Bible study
and the conferences can find accommoda-
| ton, plain but sufficient, from 81 day
| upward During the busy weeks of mid
summer long rows of tents are pitched
to coo people. who pay the same price for
| their use, and can pack in just as many as
| they please. They can cook their own
meals under certain sanitary regulations
or go to the tables in the dormitories. where
| they pay a nominal price-just enough to
| cover the cost-because this is neither a
charity nor profit-making enterprise.
| In the woods on the slopes of the hills
back of the seminary campus are scattered
| sixty cabins primitive and unpretentious
| Some Of them are as good as the average
| cottage at the conventional summer resorts;
| others are only shells< of lumber Slabs
| rudely constructed to furnish shelter from
| the sun and storm; but most OF them are
| situated in attractive locations, are en-
| D0illSNeO WITH vines anu uOWeTS ana nave
broad piazzas. upon which the occupants
| seem to enjoy themselves. This little viii
| lage has sprung up recently and is rapidly
| growing because 1t attracts people Of small
| than to board in the hotel or live in a
dormitory. They can buy or lease a lot
| from the seminary corporation or they can
have cabin erected for them on such plans
| as they approve II they do not care to take
| the trouble. Most of the cabins occu-
| pied by clergymen and teachers from the
| interior Of the country, who come here to
spend their vacations and have no money to
| waste. Three or four are occupied by mis-
| sionaries on leave and the remainder by
| sympathetic souls. The cost of living in
| one of these cabins IS nominal-probably
| less than similar accommodations can be
| obtained anywhere else. Electric light is
| supplied from the central plant in the VIII
| lage and water Is furnished in abundance
| The sanitary arrangements have been con-
| trived by competent engineers and nature
| does the rest.
Mems Camp on Notch Mountain.
The next group Of human abodes is a
camp for young men from various towns
and cities who wish to have pleasant and
| profitable vacation without spending much
| money. 1t was established by Mr.. Moody
| in 1895 as a Y. NJ. C. A. Institution, and
| has served its purpose admirably. The
average number of campers present during
\ the summer months is about 200, and they
| consist of clerks, mechanics students,
young ministers, teachers and every other
| class that could be mentioned, mostly from
| New York state and New England, al
| though you find some men who have come
| all tH5 way from the west. The camp is
situated on what is called Notch noun
| tain and the tents are scattered through
| a grove known as the Cathedral Pines,
| which have strewn their needles upon the
| ground for ages, and have made perfect
| floor. The campers live in tents and take
| their meals in a big mess hail. for which
| they pay 70 cents a day or 81 week. If
| they bring their own tents the charge is so
| cents less per week, and by special ar
| rangement any man who will organize a
| delegation of ten others for at least two
| weeks will have his board and lodging free
| as long as they remain. That is to en-
| courage the attendance of clubs from Y. NJ.
| c. A. organizations throughout the coun-
| try. While recreation is the object and
| the time of the campers is mostly occu-
pied in long walks over the mountains, fish
| ing and boating excursions the Connecti-
| cut river, base ball, tennis and other sports.
| the members of the camp have the benefit
| of the summer schools and conferences by
paying the regular registration fees. Dur
| ing the evening the boys usually build
campfires, sing college songs, roast ears
| of corn and bake pota toes in the ashes,
1 and enjOy the usual canning sports