The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-06-07
Eslg,ls'LakS

At the overflow meeting Satur-
day night in Cummins & Cos, store.
the hour was spent listening to Mr..
James Johnson of jamestown on
the war; it's beginning, it's present
conditions and when over the recon-
struction which must come. Mr..
Johnson is great reader and good
thinker and has many good ideas OF
his own.
The Rev. Fred Skems, former pas
tor at Eagle Lake, now occupying the
pulpit at Elysian and Madison Lake,
who by birth is an Englishman and
who failed to take out papers for
American citizenship, has been called
home by his country to fight for his
native land He preached his fare
we'll sermon Sunday evening and mas
resigned his pastorialship. He Will
soon sail for England leaving his
wife and one child to the tender
care of her friends and country.
There is no question about his max
ing noble soldier.
Mrs. K. Ewing has returned from
the far west for the summer.
The friends of Miss Louisa COOK
will be glad to know that she has so
far recovered from her sickness that
she has left the hospital and return
ed to her duties at Madison, 5. d.,
where she holds a good position in
the First National bank at that
place.
Miss Marion Cummins is spending
her vacation at home after a year at
Pillsbury academy at Owatonna,
Mimi. She drew two prizes in the
art department of five dollars and
one of ten dollars at the end of the
term.
The local mill received an order
from France for a sack of the cele-
brated Self Raising pan cake flour,
which Mr.. Cummins was sorry he
could not forward owing to the strict
regulations in getting a permit to do
so from the officials.
Cunnmins & Co., sold to H. G.
Frank last week a complete outfit
consisting of a Waterloo tractor and
a gang plow. Mr. Frank is one OF
the prosperous farmers in this sec
ton, having 240 acres Of land in cul-
tivation of the rich timber soil. Mr.
Frank, together with his father and
three brothers, began operations
each of them with an axe and very
little capital. They now have be-
tween them about 1000 acres of land
worth about $500 per acre and COM
bined value of 100000, all energy
and good management.
FALLING FROM GRACE.
Are the people backsliding. It is
a sad affair when one considers our
conditions. A little village not fifty
miles from Kato that in the early
seventies began to take on little
city of it's own, is backsliding. In
those days the business men, both
merchants, elevator and sawmill OPP
orators gave in addition to their re-
spective vocations liberal amounts
to the building of churches. Not only
when the buildings were occupied
but helped to swell the congregation
to the buildings l capacity and all
their influence was in the building
up of the Masters visable kingdom
on earth. But now most of these old
church loving people are lying in
the city of the dead. And as they
fell by the wayside, it has been very
noticeable that their places have not
been filled by their successors in
business who have neglected their
duty to. their Maker, Withholding
their powerful influence in upholding
| the banner Of the cross. And by sc
doing these once well filed churches
show decrease in attendance and
| the congregations have dwindled
down to very few who have fol-
years maintained the churches by
| their presence and the Lords day
from their meager pocketbooks. But
we do not want it to be understood
that the business men have not do
| mated theE share toward the many
means of support. Not at all, fol
! some have given literally, but theil
| presence is also needed in severa
| ways. Now we have three buildings
well built and nicely located which
were the handiwork mostly of the ole
settlers. Now their doors are closeC
with the exception of one little
church that has only faithful few
who gather at stated times for serv-
ices. The two larger churches are
closed. One has been so for severa
years while their faithful few who
| were left joined in the congregation
of the ole which was maintained.
Now as sad as it may be, the pas.
| tor of the last church has resigned
and left us without a sheppard at all
| We no longer hear the ding dong
ding dong of the sweet sounding
bell that hangs silent in it's steeples
and which we have heard for years
and on each Lords day sent out its
sound to the homes of the farmers
for miles around. Save for small
Sunday school for a funeral, the
doors will remain shut. Oh, for the
spirit of our pioneer preacher, who
for years subsisted upon corn bread