Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-08-30
THE SIMPLE LIFE OF A COMMONER

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

annual missionary sermon at Cedar
I.apids, but a felon on my thumb
had put me out of business at that
Conference, SO the Rev. DR.. Charles
Wentworth, missionary who had
served several years in China had
taken my place on the program,
which was happy thing for all con-
cerned. for he preached magnIf-
cent e, non, which delighted the
preach% ID no doubt accomplished
much goI%, the cause. I had
for my subje> >ee Usage, Christ. the
Light of the w d. l was by no
means satisfied WI, ee effort, and
/ am inclined to thin, ID plenty
of company in my estih, e of the
sermon.
1t is well known fact that there
is no jollier class of men in the
world, than a Conference of Metho-
dist preachers, for while they have
great many problems on their
minds, serious enough to sober the
most frolicsome among them, the
annual reunion at Conference is a
time of real joyous hilarity, often
mingled with deep religious fervor,
which is very helpful in providing a
new equipment for the unknown ex-
periences of new year of toll and
care, and often of pain as well as
triumph. So there is little wonder
and no cause for regret that occa-
sionally a few harmless pranks are
INDUCED in and once in a while a
practical joke is perpetrated upon
some brother who is known TO be par
ticularly sus ceptible to such things. At
one of our conferences a good broth
er who had for some time been an
enchanted listener to the Presiding
Elder bee which had been loudly and
persistently buzzing in his bonnet,
was considered by some of the wags
as legitimate prey and inasmuch as
he was thought to be an easy mark,
three or four of those blithesome
humorists got together and upon sew
eral sheets of foolscap paper made
out a list of appointments for the
coming year. The list contained some
very remarkable adjustments but no
matter for that, tie chief thing about
it was that the name of the brother
who had been selected as the victim
was set opposite one of the principal
districts as its Presiding Elder. Then
the list was carefully rolled up and
rubber band placed around it. 1t
was given in charge of the chief con-
spirator who shrewdly dropped it
near the house where the bishop was
being entertained and where he knew
the victim would find it, 1t all hap
pened as planned. The would-be
Presiding Elder soon approached the
place where the document had been
dropped and espying it where it lay,
he eagerly pounced upon it and then
seeing his own name at the head of
district he fastened away with it
to the bishop to whom he presented
it with the remark, Il think, Bishop,
you have dropped something here
which is of great Importance.
found it on the sidewalk, near the
house" The bishop took the papers,
and glancing over them, saw at once
that the brother had been made the
unconscious subject of practical
joke, whereupon, with one of his
kindly smiles he handed them back,
saying as he did so, mo, my brother,
l never saw these papers before
there must be some mistake" 1t
was really an inexcusable jest, but
no harm was intended and doubtless
in the long run it bore good fruit.
| Just before Conference / had re-
quested my Presiding Elder to ar
range for our removal to new
fielG of labor for the ensuing year,
This was because l was far from be-
ing satisfied with the results Of the
year at Nashua, and also because the
family, for other reasons, desired a
change. My Presiding Elder said he
could do no better than TO send me
to GAINESVILLE, small village down
the road. every WELL" said.' lei
it be Janesville.'
We were not long in getting moved
and from the first we were made tc
feel that we had fallen among
friends. Our congregations were al.
ways good, and each year witnessed
the addition of considerable numbers
to the church. While the town was
quite small, the population was much
above the average of country place.
in intelligence, indeed it would be
difficult TO find a community any,
where that could make finer show
ing of bright young people than the
village of Janesville and the sur