The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1909-06-24
BAND LEADS EN-
ON TO CHURCH
PREACHER TRAPS SUNDAY DE-
LINoUENTS WHEN HE I'M
PORTS 35 MUSICIANS
TO PLAY.
GOING TO KEEP 1T UP

Chicago, June 20.-Maywood still is
good deal excited about the kind OF
Sunday the Rev. P. Barker. the
hustling new pastor of the First Con-
gregatlonal church, gave it recently.
haywood, as Rev. Mr.. Barker ex-
planned, is not a community of church
goers. AS a village 1t is fond of golf
and gardening and on the Sabbath 1t
has been in the habit of giving itself
over almost riotfously to those diver
sions.
But ii is going to stop that now. Mr.
Marker points out. He has arranged
to make going to church twice as ex-
citing as playing golf and lot more
amusing than planting peas or wedding
the radishes.
About $50 O'Clock Sunday afternoon
Camps Concert bank of Chicago
dropped off train at haywood. Rev
Mr.. Barker was at the station to meet
it.
There were 80 players, every one
of them," MIR. Barker subsequently
declared rather proudly, "a good Chris
tian man. When they marched to the
Fifth avenue restaurant with Mr.. Bar
ker at their head they created some
thing of a sensation.
Crowd Soon Gathers.
About the time they had finished
the excellent meal that the preacher
had the restaurant prepare for them
all the residents of haywood who
weren't busy gardening or golfing
were gathered in front
At $50 o'clock, after the band had
been thoroughly dined, 1t started VI
South Third street. There were zoe
persons in the crowd that followed
and they kept time to Onward
Christian Soldiers" until the bant
reached Madison street, one mile away
BY that time all the golfers and
gardeners in the south end of town
| had joined the cavalcade. Golf and
gardening somehow lost their charms
with the music of that band ringing
in their ears. Then the band turned
and marched to the north end of the
village, the serried ranks of the gol
and gardening squad gathering new
recruits at every step. By the tim'
the banl halted in front OF the church
fully four hundred golfers and gar
deners were gathered in it's wake, anC
all followed into the church.
He Trapped About 300.
"Oh yes" said Rev. Mr.. Barker af
ter the meeting, 1T was big success
| Between seven hundred and eigh
hundred people were on hand. | start
ed the services about 7:15 o'clock by
giving them a good, strong prayer
Then the bank took hand and CAV,
| them grand sacred potpourri-pot
pcurri, get that?-of music.
after that we all rose and sang
Praise God From Whom All Bless,
ings Flow Like it? Well, | guess
Say, / don't want to seem overconfi
dent, but | think that one service pu
the devil and Sunday golf and gar
dening on the run.
After the singing l gave them {
good, straight gospel talk about th'
rich young ruler and showed then
| how gold came between them ant
Christ. / showed them how material
ism was the menace of our future ant
how it was crowding even into GU
religious life.
Then l lit into them on the sub
! ject of dress. l told them that peopl
should dress for comfort, not for dis
] play. | said that you Oftenest flint
the $40 hat on the 10-cent head.
Similar Parade Every Sunday.
II told them that the church wa
not a social club. 1t has a mission
in life. and that mission is to teacl
folks about religion. If it can't &c
at folks any other way then it's tn
church's duty to go out after them
That led me naturally up to the sub
ject of the band, and promised ther
that l would have one out here ever
Sunday this summer"
Mr.. Barker said that at first ther
had been some opposition to hi
scheme among the members of hi
church.
"They all came over to my way o
thinking, though" he added. "Severa
persons spoke to me and said that /
/ needed money they would be glad I
subscribe ii"