Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-12-30
and Ia pseeent. taught that the EMIL.
dYen from ths kihderpardAn and tba

dten from the Kindergarten, and the
Young people from their athletic sport
as we'll as the middle aged and the
old were always welcome 10 this hap
py family church home 1t il; hardly
possible that church SO full of hope,
and of faith and of good works could
always be at high tide. II, no doubt,
has its times of depression but such
conditions cannot long exist for the
women of st. Luke's keep their minds
and hearts constantly. on the pulse of
st. Luke's, and IL the work at any
time seems to be dull and spiritless,
it is Immediately announced that the
Social Union will give social in the
parlors of the church at which Mrs.
Eighmeys chicken pies will be served.
This always insures an incoming of
the tide, and a mingling of young,
middle.aged and old.
ut was my pleasure only last week
to attend conference called by 1.-THE
Committee on Country Life appoint
ed by President Roosevelt only few
months since, to investigate the rural
conditions of this country. was es-
pecially interested in their social eff
fort to ascertain the social conditions
CT country life.
"Only few weeks since l Vas
shown through an annex to the First
Methodist church of Vicksburg, Mis-
sissippi. which had just been COM
pleted at an expense of $4,000 and
was devoted to athletics, reading and
writing rooms, bathing facilities, etc,
and found the pastor of the Presby-
terian church bowling with some
young men, and everywhere about
the building was an air of Christian
sociability, which the churches are
beginning TO recognize. But l am
free to say on this, your diamond jub-
lice, that nowhere do find more de-
voted emphasis put upon social life
in the church than at ST. Luke's.
81 wish it were possible for. me to
call by name the scores of men and
women who, in the past seventy-five
years, have gone out for this society
to bless the world with their we'll
rounded Christian experiences. They
would be found upon judges benches,
occupying all the professions and bus.
mess avocations of life. Some of
them are filling Methodist pulpits,
scores and scores of them are super
intendents of Sunday schools, hun
dreds of them are Sunday school
teachers, who in Kansas. Oklahoma,
California, Nebraska, the Dakotas NJ l
every state west of the Alleghanies.
are teaching u pure and practical re-
ligion such as they learned from the
.ithful pastors and eachers in ST.
Luke's.
"All hail to the present pastor, Sun
lay school superintendent, teachers
and officers of st. Luke's! Your rec
ord shows that never in its history
was the membership 50 large and l
am sure that never in its history
was it's Influence SO great in this
community.
my thought gees out tonight TIC
the thousands of men and women
throughout the United States who at
one time were members of this So
ciety. and while we are SO pleasantly
gathered about this banquet board,
let me in conclusion offer the follow
ing sentiment:
ITO the absent members of St.
Lukes, may you be blessed in basket
and in store. and may the memories
of st. Luke's be constant inspira-
ton, spiritually, intellectually and
socially to be at your best"