The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-06-05
Various Religious Boats Are
Tied Up to Safe Wharf;
Victory in Sight.
EvangeIists Have Worked Un-
der Difficulties, But Sue
cess Has Followed.

Many and various happenings have
taken place in this village in the i'm
mediate past
The town, as everybody knows, is
just now in dry dock and undergoing
rare and vast repairs morally and re-
lgiously speaking. Any day those who
the emporiums of John Barleycorn
look wistfully at the "has been" rum
shops and look glum but make shift
with other beverages other than in
toxicants, so far as Iowa sales of a la
public are concerned-this may have re-
paired their morals some.
Then again, special effort has been
and continues to be made in the
christening of such as need it-Lake
Crystal is by no means a town where
there is need to send around the bell
man to tell the villagers when it is
Sunday-for everyone knows that it is
not only law abiding-but law respect
ing-human and divine and few vii
lagos or towns can be found where
public worship-Sunday school and 9th
er religious exercises are better or more
universally observed.
The various religious boats have,
however, tied up at the same wharf
and are making special effort to re-
cuperate their passengers and take on
new in a monster evangelistic effort
which has been held under disastrous
difficulties on account of weather con-
ditions the large, tents in which the
meeting were held have twice been
down from one cause or another. Con-
sequently the services have been re-
gretably interrupted-but they have
been prosecuted with arduous zeal and
undaunted courage by all concerned.
The various committees have worked
necessarily and rain or shine the good
work has gone Ion, although doubtless
the success would have been somewhat
more visible if the weather had been
better. The people of the country
that on such occasion show up in
goodly number have been conspic-
uously absent on account of bad roads;
nevertheless, the tent and the churches
have been filled nightly.
The pastors of the various churches
have worked like Trojans leading on in
executive committees the various divi-
sions of the work.
Of Evangelist Clarence G.. Smith, and
his colleague, Mr.. Roper, too much can
not be said in praise of their fidelity
to the work which has been grievously
hampered-yet much good work has
been done and it may be hoped that
the churches and the town will feel
the benefit of spiritual uplift by
these worthy efforts
Space would scarcely admit of giving
the names of the various committees,
but we have noticed among the pas
tors and preachers who have seconded
the efforts of the Evangelists, Revs.
Edwards, Hitchings, Simmonds, Det-
wiler, Mathew, Jones, Roberts and
Griffith of Cambria.
The Evangelists are both able men
for their work, robust and strong ply
sically. Rev. Smith is fluent and
versatile speaker and Mr.. Roper a sin
ger and choir master of considerable
ability. Both have had much ex-
perience and pilot the services with
fervor and facts
crowds have stood up Tor special
blessings and if all who have manifes-
ted strong desires to avail themselves
of the high and divine inspirations
are only true to their vows, the flu
ture must have much in store for that
edification of saints and conversion of
sinners.
The special gathering of Memoria.
Sunday and Decoration day must be
highly spoken of. TheNold soldiers were
warmly greeted and the address of
Evangelist Smith and the solo by
Mr.. Roper was enjoyed by all who
have a taste for the truly beneficial
in time and eternity.
1t has been a lively and interesting
time in the schools. The Rally of the
Sunday schools MAS been a truly era
tifying and wholesome event. The una
nimity between the various denomi-
nations brotherly in the extreme and
all together last Sunday morning pre-
scented happy spectacle when they
filled the large tent in gladstone
throng, and their voices blending in
those psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs which lift the souls of men to
higher heights of divine love and unity