Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-05


seamy tide of life and they don't take
any stock in sweet palaver and fine pre-
tensions but It is what you are and what
you feel with them, and not what you pro.
fess.
Pioneer Life Lively.
Pioneer life was enlivened constantly
by all kinds of incidents and experiences,
now the jovial and funny and then the
sad and tragic, and you would get to touch
man on every side OF his nature. But It
was delightful work. Notwithstanding the
roughness of it and l always found the
people appreciative for anything I did for
them
In those days l never was refused enter
tainment at any table and never found
sod house but where they could stow
me away somewhere at night. I've Travelled
day and night and in every method COM
mon in those days except horseback; I've
slept on the floors OF sod houses and in
cars, station houses and on trunks on rail-
road platforms. and I've preached In every
kind OF place on the frontier-in groves
empty store houses, sod houses. log houses.
school houses and many other places.
i've been delayed by cyclones and bliz-
yards, encountered ali kinds of weather
and battled against the elements. I've
preached In the morning and then driven
twenty-five miles through a frigd atmos-
phere to the next place and then been
ushered into a small room heated by a red
hot stove and literally packed with people.
The contrast between the temperature out
side and inside was tremendous, I've
preached in a sod school house where there
were three tiers OF seats. the first one be-
ing on the floor. and made OF wagon seats.
In those days every building would be
crammed with eager, attentive people.
Early Circuits Were Long.
when l was stationed at Grand Island
one of my appointments was 1916 miles
away My district was composed OF the
vast territory north of the Loups and
west OF the east line OF Holt county to the
state line on the north and west Then
later ! was sent TO lndianola and had
about fifteen counties in the South Platte
country. In 1880 was one of the five min
listers 10 organize the west Nebraska mis-
sion and in 1885 when II was formed into a
conference l was appointed its first pre-
siding elder.
There were about forty counties In the
conference then, equal in area to sixty or
more OF the average counties OF today. As
presiding elder I had more or less to do
WIN ueulcdlAnS ABOUT llINech CHURCHES ana
in a number OF counties / delivered the
first Protestant sermon ever preached
there ana dedicated the first church.
1T was my privilege TO train quito a
number of young ministers and II gives ne
pleasure to know they are doing such
good work now. Some OF those who To-
bored under me were Dr. Ben Hayward
now superintendent OF Methodist Episcopal
missions In Porto Rico, Rev. j. r. Gettys
present pastor at David City. Rev, r. NJ
Drill. presiding elder OF the Beatrice dis
trict. and Rev. o. T. Moore. pastor at
Harvard. Neb.
During my ministry | never took a reg
u,ar vacation. I was preaching, travelling,
visiting constantly, and Interpreted
among the other duties were marrying
scores OF couples baptising many people.
ministering TO the sick and preaching
funeral sernons."
Waif iR Great city,
Dr. Johnson was born In, Brooklyn, N, Y,
IN 1885, lbs mother died IN Isl8 and the
boy, who was left a waif in a great city
was sent TO a New Jersey mountain farm,
where he worked for his board and clothes.
In early manhood no was a school teacher
lie was converted In November. 1855, at a
revival In a mountain school house in Jer-
sey and Joined the Methodist Episcopal
church Immediately, In which he has held
continuous membership for fifty-two years,
In 1851 he enlisted at Easton, Pa, In Com
pany b, Third Pennsylvania reserves. ana
served fourteen months In the civil war.