NEGenWeb Project
On-Line Library

279

certain Sunday school in Chicago, and asked that they would send to me a box by freight, such things as they would consider suitable for each individual.

Mr. Switzer did his best in charge of the school, the interest increased and a goodly number enrolled. Christmas drew near and the tree was set up in the schoolhouse; the people wondered what would follow. When the day before Christmas arrived and the Sunday School Missionary had not shown up and there were no presents in sight for any one, Mr. Switzer told me that he felt like finding a hole somewhere to crawl into and not to come out of it before "ground-hog day". The noon hour came and the missionary hove in sight with a box about four feet square in the back part of his gospel wagon, full of presents from the Chicago Sunday school. The afternoon was occupied in putting on the tree (which was not half large enough) part of the nice things, the others were put on the floor beneath the tree. At length Christmas Eve was at hand. All the people came, but two-thirds of them could not get in the house. Songs were sung, prayers of thankfulness were made, and then the presents were given out to those both inside and outside of the schoolhouse, not one person was missed, from Grandpa and Grandma to the youngest child. There were suitable presents for all, even expectant mothers received bundles of clothing for their unborn babes. At last all the people had been served, the old threat was forgotten and my untiring effort for them realized. Then I knew they could not say "No" so I announced a meeting for the next day, Christmas. The same was well attended and services continued for several days.

A Prayer Eighteen Miles Long.

On the evening two days before New Years an old veteran of the Civil War, Father Nye, who had been an inebriate for many years came to me and asked if there was Salvation for him. I read to him the declanation (sic) of Jesus as found in: John 6:37; Matthew 10:32; 1 John 1:9. He accepted Christ, then he told me that he and his aged wife were in need of eatables to live on. In

answer to my inquiry he said the only thing he had to sell to buy food was a shoat of about eighty pounds. I told him that the next morning at four o'clock I wanted him to get out of bed, feed his team, load the shoat in his wagon, eat his breakfast and start for town, Battle Creek, eighteen miles away, at five o'clock; that he should pray all the way there, sell the shoat, buy his groceries and other necessities and get back home in time to be at the three o'clock meeting in the afternoon, that I would be in prayer for him until the time for him to start for town in the morning.

He consented. I continued in prayer throughout the night for him. Shortly after four o'clock, from a home nearby where I was stopping, I heard the shoat squealing and when the clock struck five I heard the wagon moving off. I praised God!

Promptly at three o'clock, time for meeting, Father Nye was at hand, his face shining and he related his victory saying, "I prayed all the way to town, prayed until I sold the shoat, prayed until I purchased the groceries, prayed until I got by the saloons and out of town on my way back, then I could pray no longer but began to sing, "Hallelujah!" until I reached home." An eighteen mile prayer followed by an eighteen mile song. Praise the Lord! Seemed to me it was sufficient to regenerate any soul.

New Years day Brother Charles Rouse, a devoted man, who desired to enter the ministry came to assist. My duties demanded that I should go. I left the meetings in his care which continued for a time. At the close he organized a church (Methodist Episcopal) having thirty or more members and he was appointed their pastor.

Fifteen years afterwards I revisited the Emerick settlement and held services for the people in their church building. I walked through the little cemetery back of the building and counted sixty graves in which lay the mortal remains -- in most instances those whom through the help of God I got into the Sunday school as mentioned.

Visiting Frontier Homes.

It was my practice to visit every home in the communities and villages where Sunday schools were needed and might be organized. Often it took more work to harmonize the discordant factions of a place than it did to start a Sunday school. The location for schoolhouses, roads, bridges, etc., were objects of neighborhood strife. Again, I found individuals that were firmly opposed to anything of a religious character being established in their neighborhoods. Such instances required both tact and talent. The account given of the Emerick settlement shows much of the adversity which had to be overcome.

Mead of Meadville.

Visiting the several homes in the vicinity of Meadville, Brown County, Nebraska in the hopes of organizing a Sunday school for the community, I was advised to steer clear of a prominent person of the settlement, one Mr. Mead, being at that time postmaster and road supervisor, who also owned the ferry across the Niobrara river at that point, and ran a road-house. Mr. Mead formerly had studied for the ministry, but afterwards denounced the calling. In his infidelic talk he influenced several of the community. He took pride in arguing with any person in the community or any person who came there to establish anything of a religious character.

Notwithstanding, I found those in the settlement that were in favor of having a Sunday school, which was organized. It was necessary that I should revisit the place often to counteract anything that he might say or do to close up the school. I did not call on him but passed by his place of business each visit to the community. Somehow, I do not know, he always was at the gate near the road looking very pleasant. I just passed the time of the day with him and drove on.

Time ran on. Finally I wanted to register a letter enclosing ten dollars, the remittance I could have made by draft in any town but I held the same to put him on record as to honesty. Driving up to a hitching post I tied my

team and went into his office. Several of his cronies were there. They hastily sat about a table holding playing cards in their hands as though in a game, but I saw at once it was a sham, for some had more cards than others and the disorder of the table was in evidence. I said to the outfit, "You cannot play that bogus sham on me," that they should be ashamed trying to play such deceit, for them to take a rest, and wait a little longer for some fool might come their way.

Now about the ten dollars. I had Mr. Mead address the envelope and handed him the money, also pay for the registering and turned to leave, but he said, 'Hold on and get your receipt." I answered I was in a hurry, for him to enclose the money and send it on and that some day I would call for the return receipt. A month later, when that way, I called to get the receipt which he handed to me, then he remarked, "Elder, you are the first minister that ever beat me at my own game, now put your team in the stable and have dinner with me and I will charge it to the hitching post," which I did.

A year afterwards, I held a tent meeting nearby and had no seats. I went to Mr. Mead and he let me have bridge-planks for the occasion, also let me have sufficient blocks to place the planks on and furnished his team to haul them to place.

I always made much over singing at my meetings. People generally were willing to help in song service. On that occasion no one was present who sang tenor. Mr. Mead was a noted tenor singer. I went to him and told him the meeting was lacking of a tenor voice, that his neighbors as well as myself wanted him to help us out, which he did for two days, Saturday and Sunday.

No Swimming on Sunday at Meadville.

On Sunday when services were being held some of the boys and young men went up the river a short distance and were in swimming when Mead got his Winchester and fired in the river near them and he said the next shot would be for blood. Thus he broke up the swimming for

the day. When the meeting was over he hauled to place the planks and blocks and welcomed me to his home for dinner. It was then he said that he had heretofore objected to his wife and daughter's attendance at the Sunday school, but now he would be pleased to have them attend, and that he wished me to feel that I was welcome to his home at any time. I knelt and prayed for each member of the Mead home. Down in my heart I was thankful to have won them for a better life!

Sickness and the Missionary.

In another settlement, after arranging with a lady to open her house for a Sunday school I started out to notify the people. The first home called at was a family by the name of Biglow. The man of the home was hoeing in his garden and I told him about the meeting. He said that he could not attend, telling me that a few days before they had buried their only son who had died of dysentery, and that their daughter ten years of age was very low with the same trouble and that they were fearful she would die too. I went to the little log cabin in which the child lay and saw at once that she was in the last stages of the disease.

I always carried certain medicines for "first help", so I left medicine to give to the child and told the parents that I would return in the evening, at which time I would do what I could to re1ieve her.

In the round I noticed a house four or five miles away. I felt that I must go and call at the place. There was no road, so I crossed the hills and hollows and finally reached the house. I rapped at the partly open door. In answer I heard a weak voice bidding me come in, the voice was that of a dying woman, lying on a cot. I told her who I was and my mission. Then whispering, she told me that she had been praying two weeks to the heavenly Father to send someone to her bedside, who could tell her how to die.

In reply, I said, first, for her to ask God to forgive her sins, in the name of Jesus; second, to accept Christ as her

Saviour; third to be willing that God's will be done in her case. She assented. Kneeling by her side my prayer was that God would answer prayer in her behalf. Rising to my feet, I saw her face was all aglow. She said that God had forgiven her and had accepted her and that she was willing that His will should be done. Later she died, but no longer did death hold terror for her, for she was going home to be with Jesus.

That evening the people assembled and we organized the school. Afterwards, I returned to the Biglow home, the parents were totally worn out. I ordered them to go to their tent for a night's rest and I took charge of the skeleton child, who was screaming at every breath. At midnight she quieted down, I did not know whether or not death was settling upon her. After watching her closely for two hours, during which time she slept, I laid down by her side and placed her head on my arm. Soon I too slept. Next morning when awakening I saw Mr. and Mrs. Biglow standing at the foot of the bed looking at us in amazement. The daughter lived; and several years afterwards I saw her, then a mother of three children. She expressed her gratitude to me for the timely help rendered in her behalf on that occasion.

Poverty Reigned in Many Homes.

It was my practice to visit every home possible in each community reached. The principal reason, of course, was to enlist every person's attendance in a Sunday school, and it afforded me the opportunity to find out whether or not there was a Bible in the home. If not, I always, if acceptable, would furnish a plain American Bible Society's one. Sometimes a large family Bible was ordered.

In visiting the homes, I could most invariably, without asking, tell whether the inmates were Christians or not, evidence was on the surface indicating pro or con. Also visiting the homes I could see how far the "wolf was from the door". I found many times conditions that were heart rending. I will relate one instance.

© 2004 for the NEGenWeb Project by Ted & Carole Miller