Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-24


Of the most prominent corners of the
city of Marshalltown, a building worth
100000. devoted to human need and
fully equipped for it's purpose--The
Evangelical Deaconess Home and Hos
pital. Marshalltown people view the
building with civic pride, those who
have been its beneficiaries with graft
tude. It's doors swing wide to dire hu-
man need without question OF class,
color or creed. There it stands a
splendid public benefaction, an oasis in
the desert of pain, an island of shelter
in an ocean of suffering, the best ex-
preston of human brotherhood, the
active principle of Observation-Disclosures
| to human need.
| So much says the hospital as it
stands and from the outside but there
is an inside story of the conception and
accomplishment of that hospital that
sets tinanciers and shrewd business
men marveling. That hospital is the
dream of a quiet and unassuming pas
tor of quiet and unassuming congre-
cation in a little church. a dream that
came true in brick and masonry and
steel Orders. that wrote itself in checks
at the banks. minted itself into money.
The hospital began without dollar.
| 1t began when Rev Karl Rest Of the
German Evangelical church came to
Marshalltown. Rest had been bred N
the work Of the deaconesses and the
charities of his and associated church
in a slightly and ample situation. 1t
had been the show mansion of the city
in its day. Its owner and builder was
dead and gone and the house occupied
by q "sanatarium" Of minor type. AS
ne passed day after day the Teuronic
minister with his inherent and acquir-
ed tendency toward human welfare
work stretched a certain command
ment by envying the site and the OPP
portunity for a hospital and a deacon
ess home. There were no proba bilities
20 base hope upon but the possibility
held and the dream was dreamed over
and over until it became constant in
its recurrence. II lay sub consciousc
under all other of his activities
Old Mr. Neisses fell sick and lay long
invalided- The minister Went 10 him
as one of his flock, sat with him, tend
ed him. And one night he told the in
valid Of the magnificent hospital and
deaconeSs home that had grown up at
Milwaukee. Why, asked Neisses do
We do not have such an institution in
Iowa ?'.Because", replied the preacher,
a more comfortable angle, Because
YOU men with money DO not give US
part of your wealth 10 assist in Great
ing it,. Then he told Neisses of his
dream OF a great kindly institution in
Iowa and at Narshalltown and when
he had told his story Neisses said. T
AZ give Sl,vvu Al lIe DtO Oh lIldl
sick man the hospital was born-no.
not there-it was born with Karl Rest
as he walked past the old Boardman
house day after day and demanded It
of the future.
This is good story. Ii is one the
writer of stories loves to make. Listen
and hear how an idea and a Christian
impulse grew into a great modern hos
pital filed today with grateful human
beings from all over central Iowa
Rest went away from the bedside
with the promise. 1T stayed IN his
mind. He had a shoeslring of thous-
and dollars. With it he tied himself 10
the star Of his project. Time came
when he discovered that the site was
on the market. Then he did a thing
that if it had been done in the COM
merctal or industrial world would have
made him a marked man among fnan-
ciers and promoters from ocean TO
ocean. He paid his fare to Chicago
out Of his own scanty pocket and
bought the site. bought it without
money in hand or in sight He bought
that property without dollar when an
offer Of $4,000 in cash lay on it's own
er's desk from Marshalltown realty
buyers who desired il for business pur-
poses: and he came away with dona-
ton Of 5000 from Mrs. Cohover, the
owner, to be subtracted from the s14,-
900 he was to pay for 1t. In his naive
way and with his German accent he
confesses that he came back and
hunted up some other men and got
enough to make his payment and hold
the property.
He had the ground. Then he wen.
about the business Of raising the funds
to put the building on the site. The
solid Gernanic farmers and members
Of the German Evangelical church,
merchants. bankers, bakers and can
vision that had walked all those
months with the preacher. They came
forward with contributions. Marshall
town did a snare. A modern hospital
building with modern equipment rose
out Of the ground. There was no need
to argue that it had been a neglected
necessity. The patients that filled It
beore the hammers had finished knock
ing away the scaffolding proved that.
But Rest refused to quit dreaming.