Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-08-08
Uplift at Lake Geneva

We are spending the summer on
Lake Geneva, a beautiful sheet of
| water, about 10 miles long, that twists
between forested banks, upon which
wealth has worked it's magic. At one
end Of the lake lies Geneva City, at
| the opposite end, Fontana, while Will
Iiams Bay, a town named for the bay
on whose shores it is built, faces off
toward shining pearl, half a mile to
the north, called Como Lake. These
three towns supply mail (and half
soles!) to the thousands of campers
around the lake.
Everywhere the dream-like summer
homes of Chicago's millionaires CLEAN
through the trees. Each park-like
lawn tries to outriva1 it's neighbOrs in
beauty. Behind the homes, along a
magnificent boulevard, decorated with
the fountains and Conservatives in
the back-door-yards of these brewers
and packers from Chicago, auto
mobiles spin around the lake dis
lance of 90 miles. Everp few minutes,
boats Oarge steamers, small steamers
| launches highpowered motorboats,
| rowboats, canoes,) pass along the
shores in front of the stately summer
homes, while on placid afternoon the
| lake is white-dotted with sail-boats.
Interspersed among these homes lie
various Camps among which the
more important are: The Northwest
ern military school, having several
fine buildings and long tent-bordered
streets, with a Y. M. G. A. "hut," "
the whole fanked by miles OF
main trenches" communicating main
trenches" trench dug-outs," all built
| Just as in France" College Camp,
property of the Y. M. G. A. under the
auspices of Chicago university, with
numerous large buildings, among them
a. diningroom that seats 900, the whole
surrounded by hundreds OF floored
tent, where the guests are housed;
| Olivet Camp, (summer plant OF the
great institutional work of the Olivet
PRESBYTERIAN church, Chicago) where
| from 100 to $50 are boarded from June
! till September, and as many more are
accommodated in housekeeping cot
tages, while eighty poor boys and girls
are entertained for ten day periods
throughout the summer; Conference
Point Camp, where great interstate re-
| Iigious conferences are held in rapid
succession during the summer Ga big
Epworth League convention opens
there as soon as the "Club" girls now
there leave;) Holiday Home, an in
stitution kept open during the sum-
mer months for "fresh-air work" and
supported by the philanthropy Of the
millionaires around the lake,-nearly
one hundred wan, underfed children
are to be found at the Home all the
time, each group changing after two
deliriously happy weeks; and many
other camps. These | have mentioned
are typical.
| Last summer l was at College Camp
where assisted at the M. E. M. con-
ference. The Missionary Educational
| Movement is observation-disclosures and
| international. It's slogan is "informa-
ton, inspiration, recreation. The
finest talent in the United States and
| Canada is sometimes secured for these
| conferences, which are regional. Be
sides this annual conference here at
Lake Geneva, others are held at Sill
yer Bay, in the Catskills, Estes Park
Colo, Palm Beach, Cal. and in North
| Carolina, in addition to five points in
Canada The manager of this con-
ference is a Methodist from New York
City, and the leader, a prominent
Presbyterian, also from New York
lCity. The Presbyterians are favored
this year in having present also, the
financial leader of their church,
dwight H. Day, of New York, while
college presidents, returned mission
laries, great leaders in city problems
land in home-mission work are teach
ing classes and leading discussions.
1.-The Episcopalians, I believe, have the
largest enrolment, as they had last
iyear.
Bible lectures and detailed study
{of missions in class-groups is the pro
gram for the forenoon. Afternoons
lare given over to watersports, track
meets, tennis tournaments, boat rides
: land picnics. Evenings are devoted to
: missionary plays, concerts, marsh
Imallow roasts and Stunts" The lat
ter are very funny, and as everyone
has to participate in them, everyone
enjoys them.
Rev Williams and 1 are helping out
at this conference, although we are
not at College camp this summer, but
/ at Olivet, which adjoins College Camp
/ The day before the opening of the
5 M. E. M. conference, the months ses
sion of the Y. NJ. G. A camp came tt
| a close. There were but seven-hun
Idred and twenty men here this year
| a decrease of nearly three hundred
from last years enrolment. Thest
men were trained under expert Leader:
in things spiritual, educational ant
] physical. French and military drills
(before breakfast) were the out stand
| ing features this year, as most Of Ties
men are going overseas in Y. M. G. A