Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-10-19

We had a splendid league convention
at Jamestown in June under the
leadership of Brother w. /. Clough,
the president. Plans were made for
a great gathering next year with the
institute feature one of the -attrac-
tons. Mrs. Roy Wolfer is the presi-
dent, F. H. Ferrand the secretary,
and Carl Anderson is the treasurer
for the next year.
Women's Societies.
The elect sisters of the church con-
tinue to do their share and in many
places bear the whole burden of
church work. Among the organiza-
tions doing great work on the home
field are the Ladies' Aid societies and
the Woman's Home Missionary So
cieties, while the Woman's Foreign
Missionary societies are giving good
account of their stewardship and the
w. c.. T. U. also. I think We could
learn something about giving from
the w. F. NJ. society of North Da-
kota that would be to our advantage.
6enevoIences.
l fear the benevolence will suffer
from the crop failure too, but how
much only the statistics will reveal
| have urged the churches to mot
fall down" on any of these sacred
causes, but to show the world that
hard times only drives us closer to
God and makes us sacrifice more for
His cause. l asked for a dollar a
members for home missions and a
dollar a member for foreign, with
proportionate amounts for the other
causes and some of the charges will
report in full-while possibly others
in place more able will drop behind.
We need more conscience brethren
on some of these great enterprises
that we are partly responsible for.
When the church loses it's vision on
missions We might as we'll quit
Church Papers.
think Bismarck district will show
an Increase in subscribers for our
church papers, the Northwestern and
Epworth Herald The key to this
part OF our work is with the pastor.
where he has urged our papers. the
people respond. All our Sunday
schools now use our own literature
and our book concern is literally
patronized by our people in buying
books. I have explaintd publicly
IN each place that We share in the
profits and the increase in interest
mas more than paid for the effort.
IN short, We have tried to care for
all the causes of God" and to give
a good accounting of our steward.
snip along every line, material and
spiritual.
The District.
Bishop Mcintyre has well called
this district "All out of doors. 1t GOV.
ers 70 counties, four of which haven't
a mile of railroad yet and few wagon
bridges, while some of them are large
enough for four or five counties the
size OF ordinary ones. Billings county
Is 70 niles from north to south line,
while Mckenzie county is 60 miles
from east to west and 81 miles from
north to south. These vast stretches
of plains and hills. rivers, swamps
and bad lands, fertile fields and sage.
brush wastes look very ordinary on
the map. but when one lives with
them like some of us have this year
they become very real and sometimes
alarming problems. The homestead
err, lured by free land and the subtle
wlles Of the "land man." has sought
to Wrest these vast cattle domains
from the old-time ranchman and to
turn them into homes and farms,
They will succeed after awhile when
they learn to adjust themselves and
their farming methods to this climate,
latitude and altitude and consider the
average rainfall of this part of the
country. Some people have vainly
tried to prove that the rainfall has
increased, but the government rain
gauge does not say so, and it will not
until somebody chops down the Rocky
mountains.
In this process of adjustment there
is much suffering and hardship and
will be more before we are through
with it. We have organized all the
churches that We can maintain for
while, I fear, unless the Home Mis-
sionary Board comes to our aid. The
country is all right and will sustain
a great and prosperous population
when We learn how to do it and get
over the crazy land speculation. l
have been here nearly 80 years and l
know the country is all right. but it
is not Iowa or Ohio, but North Da-
kota. All we ask is help and patience
with us and prayer for us while we
are forgetting Iowa and Ohio and
learning how to live in North Dakota.
In Conclusion.
Whatever praiseworthy results that
have been achieved this year are
largely due to heroic, self.sacrificing,
patient, persistent labor of the
preachers and their wives. l wish l
could mention each one by name.
Some of them have toiled amid great
difficulties and with apparently
meager results, but it has all been
for Jesus sake, and nothing done in
His name can fail. find that the
right man cannot fail, and the right
man is the one who goes forth and
takes possession of the land in the
name of the Lord, believing his prom
ises. l have seen several churches
spring up where few of us with
barred heads took possession in His
name before house was built on the
townsite.
At the conference session held in
this church rs years ago Presiding