Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-04-01

drop into place, often unannounc
ed, and gather a handful of hearers
together where they preach and
pray and sing a hymn or two and
then go away and you don't see OIL
hear anything Of them again for g
month maybe; what good does tha
do?"
'Of course" replied Petrie, Il
the United States of America wa.
made up of big towns and cities anc
there were no little villages, or rura
communities your notion Jasper
about a settled ministry would bt
all right and all that would be nee
essary, but as things are in thi.
sparsely settled section, the timer
ant preacher is a Godsend in m!
thinking and men like the one whe
was here just now are laying founda
tons for future builders that are
bound to last for all time; don't yol
think so John?"
Certainly" responded Mr.. Arm
strong. Il don't believe that any
class or body Of men in all the land
have done more in the past or are
doing more at the present time fol
the moral, spiritual or temporal we'll
being of the people than these same
travelling preachers. AS a class
admire them very much.
We'll, I'm sure I've nothing
against them, as men, said Ezra
Finch, but say. What great things
have they ever done that they should
have so many admirers? l happened
to fall in with one of them about
four weeks back I guess it was, {
little sickly looking sort of a chap
that ought to have been at home
and in bed and he told me he was OF
his way to Burr Oak where he wa,
billed to preach that night. Nov
look here! | says to him-says l.
what's the use of your going to Burr
Oak to hold meetings l says, Their,
amt people enough up there to max,
1t worth while, l says, besides you
amt in no condition to stand it / say,
but it didn't do no good, he went OF
and held his meeting just the same
it turned out just as l expected-onl,
about dozen there"
That was pretty good turn ou
Ezra, for such thinly settled com
munity as Burr Oak, and on a weel
night too" said Petrie," and as
figure it, each one present could &c
Just as much good out of the meetin,
as though there had been five hun
dred there
"Oh I'm not saying anythin,
against the general need of religion
services even in sparsely settled sec
tions of country. What | have m
doubts about is whether the time an,
money and labor expended, coul
not be used to better advantag
where more people could be got to
gether," replied Ezra.
why! as to that" responded
John Armstrong, 1.-The proposition i
a very simple one; in the cities AM
larger towns the churches are CORE
spondingly large and wealthy as /;
general thing, and therefore hav,
little difficulty IN providing a com
Portable support for the preacher ant
his family; but in the country, espe
cially along the frontiers and in the
little settlements it is very different
We have more than we can do I.
raise enough to provide anything like
a decent living for the preacher; the
only thing we can do is to be associ
ated with several other villages anG
country school houses, and even wher
this is done the preacher receives buI
a meagre support, but he cheerful,
does the best he can under these con.
ditions, and will continue to do sc
until the population is greater and
the people are in better circumstan.
ces; and let me tell you gentlemen
that the day will come when the his
tory of the settlement of this great
western country is written up, the
itinerant preacher will be accorded g
place in the front ranks of the splen-
did men and women who delved and
spun where the footprints of the In.
dian were still fresh and the bear
and the deer were their nearest
neighbors. If, as the bible says OF
the olden times, There were giants
in the earth in those days. why, the
same thing may quite as truthfllly
be said Of the pioneer preachers OF
the west; for no people have ever
displayed greater heroism or more
cheerfully endured the deprivations
which have ever been inseparabie
from their lives, than they. These
wonderful men of God have gone
about their work, toiling day and
night, suffering cold and hunger and
thirst, threading their lonely way