The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-06-23
VISITORS PRAISE
OUR HOSPITALITY
LUTHERAN CONVENTION CLOSES
VERY SUCCESSFUL SIX
DAY SESSION
LARGEST GATHERING EVER HELD HERE
Sunday Was Biggest Day When TWO
Thousand People Were In
Attendance.

The largest convention ever held in
the city of Brookings closed Tuesday
evening when the fnal service of the
annual convention of the South Da-
kota district of the Norwegian Luth-
eran church of America was held at
the Lutheran church. The attendance
reached two thousand on Sunday, the
biggest day, when visitors from all OF
the ~neighborhood for many Mise
around took advantage Of the good
roads and motored here for the day.
The number of delegates in attend
ance the full week was approximately
400, including the delegates to the Wo
mans Missionary Federation which
was held in conjunction with the
church meeting. Every one who at
tended were unanimous in their ex.
preston of the great success of the
convention and praised the local conf
mittees for the smOOthness with which
everything was carried out. The con.
vention will be held at Watertown
next year.
The delegates and visitors at the
convention, left Tuesday with the
spirit of Brookings hospitality and
enterprise imbued in their minds as
a lasting memory of the convention.
One of the speakers, who has attended
conventions for many, many years,
stated that in all his experience he
had never had the pleasure of attend
ing a convention in a city where more
consideration and cordiality was shown
the visitors than was accorded to the
visitors in Brookings. Many were i'm
pressed by the fine appearance OF our
city. the beautiful streets, homes,
churches. schools and college campus
An interesting feature of the SER
vices on Sunday, the big day Of the
convention when the college audito-
rum was filled to capacity three times
and the Lutheran church overlooking
at the same time, was the celebration
of the ffty-second anniversary Of the
first Lutheran service ever held in
Brookings county. On June 10, 1869,
the Tygstad family had just arrived
in the county and on Sunday held de-
v%otional services. They had no pas
tor so they read the service from books
which they carried with them. The
next day they began work building
their home. Cornelius Trygstad is the
only surviving member of this first
congregation and he was present at
the convention.
Last Saturday evening at the col
lege auditorium the choral union con-
cert was given. Two hundred and
twenty-five singers, representing the
best talent from all of the church
choirs in the district, were on the
platform. Prof. J. A. Berg of the mu.
sic department of st. Olaf college at
Mortified, Mimi, directed the chorus.
Sunday morning services were con.
Quoted in the Norwegian language at
the Lutheran church by Rev. H. f,
o. Solberg, president of Augustana col
lege at Sioux Falls, addressed the
large gathering that filled every seat
in the college auditorium in the Eng
lish language. Prof. Youngdahl OF
Augustana college played the pipe or
gan. Sunday afternoon the auditorium
was again filled for the home missions
program conducted by Rev. c. s., B
Hoel, secretary of Home Missions
Sunday evening the Viking male choir
and the local church choir, gave
sacred concert. DR.. w. E. Johnson
president of State college, gave a short
address. The principal speakers were
Prof. J. n. Brown Of Canton, and Rev
H. J. Glenn of Sioux Falls.
The Womans' Missionary Federation
held their meetings in the United
Presbyterian church, which were wei
attended throughout. On Monday
morning the meeting discussed genera
business and committees gave their re
ports. At three o'clock in the after
noon the local Ladies' Aid were hosts
to the Federation at a reception he't
in the church p~arlors. In the evening
a mass meeting was held at the col
lege auditorium end talks were giveI
by representatives of the variou!
church departments and a splendid ad
dress was delieverd by Miss Marth;
Kulberg, missionary to China.
On Tuesday, the closing day, Mrs
B. A. Benson entertained the wives o
all the visiting pastors. at the Luth
eran parsonage at an afternoon lunch
con and reception. Miss Evelyn Rud'
entertained the guests with a couple
of solos and Miss Olga Sveen gave
number Of readings.