The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-09-12
seth REED TELLS
OF EXPERIENCES
Carrying Christianity to Indians
Job That Had Its Perils

| Ypsianti. Mich, Sept. l2.-As thrill
ing as one of Fenimore Cooper's Leath-
or Stocking tales. the romance of the
Michigan Methodist circuit rider az
the first half of the Nineteenth century
was ,old for the inspiration uf the
| present generation ot Methodist
preachers at the conference here this
afternoon. when the patriarch of Mich
gan NJ, thodism, DR. Seth Reed OF
Flint. now i'm his 9lst year and who
| FOR 81 years has never missed the roll
call of Detroit conference. rehearsed
the story of his lfe.
For an annual salary of $5956. with
socks and mittens ami bag and oats
FOR his horse thrown in. DIR. Reed, in
those early days. lodged The poison
Gus arrow of the pagan Indian, the
claws and jaws of bears and wolves,
and the havon of cholera. to carry the
faith of John Wesley To what was
then the frontier of our western civil
ization. Even To the wigwam Of the
savage hunter the circuit rider bore the
message Of salvation by grace through
Ministers Stirred.
straight as the arrows he lodged
i'm his circuit riding days, his snow
white beard, almost reaching to his
waist. his voice filed with some of the
virilitv Of youth. DR.. Reed stirred the
churchful of ministers with mis- story
as they have not been stirred before
during the present session.
one day. while toiling through the
forest to keep an engagement on the
Maplc;on circuit, Dr. Reed came face
10 face with great she bear
The bear stood up on it's hind legs
TO study the ministry and stood
trembling on my legs, To- study natur-
al history said DR.. Reed. Il was
backing off, fearful that the beast
would at any moment spring on me-
and tear me To bits. when the bears
cub did something that diverted her
attention from me
Or. Reed described "a visit he anu
other circuit riders once made To an
Indian "ncampmcnt on the site of the
present city of Saginaw. While the
preachers were talking To the Indians.
a celebrated chief. who on several oc
casionS previous to this had spurned
the religion of Christ, arrived at the
camp arrdyed in gorgeous savage fin
cry, one Of the younger of the preach
ers went out to welcome the old chief
The chief said not a word in reply To
the preachers salutatiCu, but drawing
himself up with stately dignity, said
Go tell Your big men that | am here"
When the chief had been led into the
presence Of the company o: preachers.
he appealed To them not to send mis-
sionary. but teacher To his tribe that
could teach the young Indian boys to
wlite home vixen they wandered afar
from che paternal wigwam.
Write Heap Much.
You white men" said the old chief.
have children that You love aud when
they - from home, your hearts are
chcered by the messages they send
hack to YOU on little slips of white pa
per. We, too, have children that we
love, but no message from them comes
20 US when they travel afar Teach
them, oh. white men, To send back the
little slips of paper that our hearts
may be cheered like yours"
In response TO the appear of the old
chief, a teacher was sent them ana
ultimately a Methods. mission estab. |
lishcd at Saginaw. One had to travel J
over six miles of corduroy road to |
reach II.
In the iifties aud later in the six
ties, during the civil war days. DR. |
r. ed was pastor of the church al |
Hpsilanti, where he spoke today.
II made the prayer when the nor
NAL school here was first opened ami |
30 years after. they had mo make the |
prayer again AT the silver jubilee celc~
bration," said Dr. Reed. Il told them
that IL ! was alive 80 years hence.
they might command my services t.
deliver the prayer at the golden iubi-
Ice"