The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-03-17


I portant thought was the training of
the teachers in their work so as TO
hold the interest of the pupils and
! get them interested in the work
The special train that arrived yes
terday afternoon from the twin cities,
with 10 people, left on the return
trip at 1880 p. M, and carried
a large number. The train down
the Gilmore branch was held for a
short time. Those delegates and Wis.
itors who did not get away last night
took the trains today.
The eliminating event or feature
of the convention was the great or
ganiZed Bible class demonstration.
While not as many men were in line
as had been planned on, having been
detained for one reason or another.
the parade was striking feature
and was witnessed with the great
est interest by hundreds of specta-
tors.
The Big Parade.
The parade had been advertised to
start at seven o'clock, and it began
to march promptly upon the minute,
and before 1870 o'clock it was over.
The parade was in general charge
of Secretary Deerhake of the Y. Nj.
i G. A., and he was assisted by Cap
tain Rodman. DR.. Nj. II. Coulter and
Ed Kuhn. The failure of the Gus
tavus Adolphus college division to
arrive necesstated a change in the
order of formation. About 700 men
and large boys participated in all,
and marched with fluttering banners
, and tranSparencieS, giving out school
!, or class yellS as they proceeded
The line was well formed and spread
out and presented an imposing APP
pearance. 1t showed that these citi-
Zens of the state had gotten right
and were lined up against the evils
of the times from a moral and ma
terial standpoint, and were not
afraid to show their colors.
Led BY the Mayor.
Mayor A. G. Meyer led the parade.
on horse back. The only accident
occurring was when street car
ran into his horse from behind.
Mayor Meyer succeeded in dismount-
ing safely, and pulled his horse out
of danger and then remounted. The
horse was slightly injured, but not
enough to prevent its proceeding in
the parade.
The police force on horseback fol-
. lowed and after these came the
Twentieth Century band, playing
!, lively marches.
The st. Paul, Minneapolis and Du-
luth delegations followed, and then
special delegations from all over the
state.
Then the delegations came march
ing by towns, or communities, in the
following order: Redwood county,
Lake Crystal. st. James, Window,
Madelia, Amboy. Winnebago, Yer
!, non Center, Blue Earth, Mapleton,
Faribault, Northfield, Austin and
Mower county, Albert Lea. Owatonna,
Waseca, ST. Peter. LeSueur, Kasota,
New Ulm and the rest of Brown
county.
Others i'm Line.
Then came the Commercial col
lege, the First Baptist and Scandi-
navian churches of this city, the
. Christian, Congregational, Episcopal,
, Evangelical association, Lutherans,
. Methodists and Presbyterians. The
. individual delegates from further
, away came last. Scores of towns
. and villages were no doubt repre-
. scented in the column.
The banners bore such phrases as
Preach or Perish" Teach OF Tar
|, nish," "Evangelize or Fossilize, "
Everybody Goes to Sunday School
, at Our Home" Get Right With God. y
When the line of march had been
covered, the marchers divided be
. tween the Presbyterian church and
. opera house. At both places in
. teresting programs were carried out
1t was found not to be necessary
to have any overflow meetings.
Opera House Meeting.
Before the meeting at the opera
. house commenced, a large cOngrega-
ton filled the place to it's capacity.
. A. Nj. Locker presided and opened
the meeting with the singing of sew
. eral of the stirring old gospel songs,
all joining in the singing. Tele-
|. grams of congratulations from Grace
c.. Longfellow, E. J. Craft, DR.. r.
. w. Bowden of Duluth and Marion
. Lorentz, who is regarded as the
greatest of Sunday school workers,
were read and applauded by the au-
|. dience.
A. M. Locker took an opportunity
at this time to make general sum
ming up of the. convention. He said
, that this convention was the greatest
of it's kind, in the history of the
, northwest and he wanted it under
1 stood that Minneapolis and st. Paul
1 were to be included in that territory
: He felt that the business men and
5 Christian men Of this city were the
: ones who had been the hackers OF
+ the movement, and he spoke of Rev
: G. B. Osgood as the one who had
e made the convention possible. Mr.
2 Osgood was called forward and the
4 opera house resounded with applause
D and cheers. which were fitting
tribute to his work. A moment later
] Harry Iverson, who has organized
a the convention music, was called for
ward on the stage and his efforts
g in the music department were re
a warded by demonstration similar
e to that given to Mr.. Osgood
1 Mr.. Locker took special pains tC
: speak good words for the Mankatc
0 press and said that in the history
z of the Sunday school movement, he
:. did not believe that newspapers haC
g ever taken more pains to do the
r right thing than had the local press