The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-10-28
HAS A BIG PARISH.
Minister Has 10000 Square Miles of
Land and Sea.

i mlHiStBl has lOpVu Squalc nnieS VI
Land and Sea.
In the "Jnteresting People" depart.
ment of the October American Magazine
appears sketch of John Antle, who is
lcalled the "Grenfell of the Pacific" He
is a minister whose parish is 10000
square miles of sea and land in Canada.
The following is an extract:
"The Dominion of Canada is bounded
on the east by Wilfrid Grenfell and on
the west by John Antle If it were
bounded on every provincial and town
ship line with apostles OF similar pur-
tpose and power, the world would stop
praying "Thy kingdom come and rest
its faith in an earthly democracy.
"Grenfell and Antle are partners,
/ three thousand miles divided The first
came into fame long since, for the one
reason that he pitied what no one else
seems to have pitied-the helpless, God
less isolation of the fisher-folk along the
| Labrador; and he made that pity the
| focus of the worlds concern. Obviously
the one way to raise money and men,
libraries and chapels, relief ships and
hospitals was to tell the story to his
generation. Grenfell became well
known because he wisely recognized
that his obscurity was a real foe to the
future of his people.
of Reverend Captain, John
or Jack differs in his plan of attack
from Grenfell across the continent, it is
in that little item of publicity lie can
match him on the btterest night peer
ing over the pilot wheel into the pitch
of Pacific blizzard, or shouldering half
the weight OF a wounded lumberjack
down the tricky staircases of the forest;
but he cannot stump the country for
finances, and he cannot even for a brief
while, walk the deck of public hall
without an unconquerable homesiekness
for the North Star and rolling sea.
"Antle is a minister, not preacher,
because the work doesn't need one de
ministers unto them and is ten hours
in the practice OF Christianity to one in
cnunciating its principles. He has con-
gregation of five thousand men IN the
logging and mining camps OF the Brit
ish Columbia coast, and ten thousand
square miles of parish made up largely
of islands
at is hard life, testing life. His
loggers are uneompromising men, sturdy
in physical proportions and solemnly
self possessed until they give them
selves over to their pay day demons.
They breathe clean air and hate deceit
and meanness. They fight with fists
when occasion calls, and reckon mans
size with curious instinct of thorough
bred animals. But strength and rollick.
ing sympathies are meant for the spend
ing, and the loggers in their periodical
jaunts to civilization spend with the
heedlessness of primordial giants. II
you want to know where the scorpion of
Eden migrated to, call round at Pa
cife coast saloon.
Antle, young, reserved. magma
tive rector OF a church in Vancouver,
said to a friend, There's no use preach
ing against this thing I'm going to
build ship and show these fellows
there is something worth living for be- !
side whisky"
He built a small ship, The Columbia,
and made himself the captain, took |
aboard surgeon, stored the bunkers
with gasoene and bandages and iodo- |
form, books, magazines, and tracts, and ,
set sail one afternoon through the |
straits OF Georgia to the north. twas I
the church's voyage of discovery. He /
found five thousand worth while men.
cast together by the worlds whirlpool
from the homes OF the great, from gypsy
carts, from the halls OF Oxford and /
Yale, from the school of a New York /
alley. Antle made these men his; and
they made Antle theirs. That coupling
pin of faith may explain why the per
centage OF alcohol in the air of the Pa
cfc coast has decreased perceptibly
with the passing and repassing of the
Columbia and her crew.
Tod they stop at the waving of a
white flag on shore and take aboard a
six-footer with a crushed chest. The
surgeon operates and Antle heads the
boat about and runs her full speed for
fifty miles or a hundred miles to one
If three hospitals that he persuaded the
lumber kings TO erect"