The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-02
Glen Elder Woman BeQueathed
$4,000 to Congregation.
Made Condition That Entertain
ments Must Be Abolished.
HIT MONEY CHANGERS
''They Should Be Driven From
Temple"-Mrs Lundy.
Time Was When House of Wor.
ship Fell Down Financially.

Glen Elder, Kan, Jan. 2.-There
was time in this little town of Glen
Elder when church entertainment and
sales constituted just about the sole
social life of the place. But that was
ten years ago, before Mrs. Sidney
Lundy thought of way to change
things. In those days. before the year
1900, there was no "opera house" in
the town of six hundred inhabitants.
There was no opening for one, for the
two churches, the Methodist Episcopal
and the Christian, arranged to house
most of the Shows that appeared in
the town, besides the occasional per-
formances by local talent. Lectures,
dramas concerts as we'll as socialS
and fairs, were the usual forms of en-
tertainment in both churches. SO far
as can now be ascertained, everybody
in the neighborhood was satisfied with
the arranS -ment with the exception
of Mrs. Sidney Lundy.
Mrs. Lundy, ten years ago. nVed
alone on farm of ESQ acres two miles
north of Glen Elder. People said she
was peculiar but nobody doubted
that she was rich. 1t was well known
that she had brought securities for al
most thirty thousand dollars from
New Jersey when she settled in Glen
Elder in 1871. 1t was also equally
well known that Mrs. Lundy had
brought with her from her former
home in the East some emphatic
notions about using church building
for making money She had joined
the Methodist Episcopal church al
most Immediately upon her arrival,
and made no secret of the fact that
she was shocked at the free for all
use of the building for mercenary pur-
poses.
She Disliked Entertainments.
''The money changers should be
driven from the temple. she mad
said I'm the East such wholesale
PROCLAMATION of a house of God is I'M
But religious funds were scarce in
Glen Elder, 1t looked impossible for a
church to pay expenses without the
revenue from entertainme nts. None of
the one hundred members of the Meth
odist Episcopal church could quite
grasp the logic of Mrs. Lundy's argu-
ment that the money spent in enter
tainments was simply so much with
drawn from contribution envelopes
that if entertainments were abolished
the money that had been spent in the
church would be given to it.
Paid $500 for the Open Door.
So for twenty-nine years Mrs. Lundy
argued i vain, and the money
changers remained in the little tenn
pie of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Then one day, Mrs. Lundy, who was
10 years old, decided to make will.
The Pound brothers, Eugene and Law
renee, were both trustees of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Acciden-
tally, or designedly, it will never be
known which, Mrs. Lundy asked the
Pound brothers to witness the sign
ing of her will. They saw the be-
quest to the church.
Will and an Entertainment.
That was on Wednesday. BY Thurs
day at noon it is safe to say that every
member of the church. as well as
every one else in town. knew of the
conditional gift of $4,000. Now, again,
as it happened, the congregation had
wished for long time for a new
church building. The old one was out
debt but efforts to obtain subscriptions
for the erection of a new edifice had
been futile. The opportunity appeared
providential. So an announcement
was hurriedly made that the pro
posed party advertised to be given by
day night would be indefinitely post
poned And from that day to this no
form of entertainment for a price has
taken place in the Methodist Episcopal
church
They'll Build New Church.
Mrs Lundy died September 3, 1910.
When her will was read few days
later. contrary to the predictions of
some of the skeptics Of the town, the
church clause was still found embodied
in it. The money mas not yet been
paid the trustees of the church, but
there is every indication that they
will get it soon, and then-you can
watch for q new Methodist Episcopal
church in Glen Elder. And it will be
church without paid entertainments
even though lawyers have said that
after the money is once obtained, and
spent it cannot be taken away If the
condition is broken.
s'The system of not making money
on the church properly is a success, -
the Rev. L. NJ. Alexander, pastor of
the church, said. I'm the ten years
it has been used the church has never
fallen behind in its finances. So we
will observe the conditions, whethe
we have to not"