TWELFTH YEAR. MeCOOK, RED WILLOW COUNTY, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY EVENING. SEPTEMBER 22, 1893. NUMBER 18.
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NF.W GOODS!
GOODS^r
Our Fall Stock Complete
In Every Department.
Ladies’, Misses’ and Children’s Cloaks, Boots and Shoes.
We have made heavy purchases on a
Declining Market For Cash.
And we are going to sell goods
CHEAPER THAN EVER.
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Be Sure to Examine Our Stock
And get prices before making jour purchases.
COMPLETE STOCK OF FRESH GROCERIES.
^4! cash fe-av
Bargain ’ Mse.
C. L. DeGROFF & CO.
THE CONFERENCE.
A Complete and Accurate
Account of Proceedings
of the West
NEBRASKA CONFERENCE
Up to the Hour of Our Going to
Press, This Noon.
Among the hundred or more of the
Methodist ministers in town, the impar
tial onlooker sees a great variety, in re
gard to appearance, talent and character.
Many of these clergymen wear the Grand
Army button or pin. A great many of
the Methodists of war times evidenced
their loyalty to a government of the
people by taking up arms in its defense.
Some of these ministers are maimed
from the service in the armv. If the
old-time Methodists understood “knock
down” arguments on the campmeeting
grounds, no less did their sons prove
that they were of good fighting stock.
Here is a minister whose personal
and family history is singular. He is the
ninth in a line of preachers. He is the
fourth in a line who have been Metho
dist preachers, the “fathers” back of that
having been Episcopalians, in the north
of Ireland. Some one suggested that he
ought to train up his boys in the same
way, but he said: “Yes—er, well—you—
see—my boys are all girls.
These ministers meet each other with
a hand shake and a salutation of the
heartiest, and, they have, in the inter
vals of their piety, a great deal of pleas
antry. Few people see more phases of
life than do the itinerant preachers. No
dreary monotony for an alert circuit rid
er. Elder Amsbury, who lost his life by
accident a few days ago, loved to handle
a gun only less than he loved the work
of the church.
Bishop John M. Walden, who presides,
is a splendid specimen of physical man
hood. He has been long before the
church in important places. A scholar,
a veritable field marshal, he is approach
able, and while he is a Methodist, every
inch of him, he is “also a Christian,” as
a recent literary character has put it.
You should hear him preach, if possible.
During the day, on Tuesday, the va
rious classes of candidates for the minis
try were examined in theological studies
by the committee appointed for that
purpose at the last session of the con
ference. Every Methodist minister, even
though he may have graduated from a
theological seminary, is required to pass
a course of study, with annual examina
tions, lasting five years. While this cov
ers some of the points in a seminary
course for a second time, much of it is
new.
On Tuesday night the first public ser
vice of the conference gathering was
held. Rev. D. F. Rodabaugh of Hol
drege was appointed to preach the con
ference sermon, but owing to a tempo
rary indisposition, he was compelled to
ask to be excused, and Rev. P. A. Cool,
D. D., president of Smith college, Se
dalia, Missouri, preached the sermon of
the evening. It was a very earnest and
instructive discussion on “The Source of
Spiritual Power.” Rev. Manley S. Hard,
D. D., of New York, conducted a devo
tional sen-ice at the conclusion of the
sermon.
The conference session proper opened
on Wednesday morning, at 8 o’clock.
Rev. A. J. Clifton of Culbertson con
ducted a short prayer meeting. Bishop
John M. Walden then took the chair,
and led devotional services. He then
conducted a sacramental sen-ice, being
assisted by Reverends Mastin, Coffman,
Henderson, Mather and Leonard, and
Doctors M. S. Hard and P. A. Cool.
Nearly all of those present partook of
the communion.
At the session of the conference, a year
ago, the West Nebraska conference was
divided, a new conference being organ
ized in the northwest part of the state.
On this account the attendance at this
session is smaller. At the roll call, by
Rev. L. W. Chandler, former statistical
secretary, fifty-one members responded.
After three ballots Rev. O. R. Beebe
of Minden was elected secretary, with
C. A. Hale, B. F. Haywood and James
Lisle, assistants.
Rev. W. E. Hardaway of North Platte
was elected Statistical Secretary,with E.
Smith, I. F. McKay and W. H.D. Horn
aday, assistants.
Rev. D. F. Rodabaugh of Holdrege,
was elected treasurer, with S. Hartley,
T. L. Ransom, B. C. Peck, and D. Street
er assistants.
The system observed in the Methodist
conference relative to the collection and
publication of statistics of the churches,
is exceedingly comprehensive. Every
pastor is furnished with a set of blanks
for the purpose of making reports in a
uniform manner. And woe to the care
less man who neglects this matter, or
does the work in a slovenly manner. By
the time the Bishop hauls a man over
the coals in open conference once or
twice, he generally learns to attend to
the business in a business-like way. No
other church is so careful in this matter.
In fact the Methodists were the first peo
ple who ever, in America, reported their
church membership. In r775, when the
Revolutionary war broke out, the Con
gregational church reported only its min
isters, over 500, and the Methodists re
ported their membership, less than 1,200.
The number of Methodists in the United
States, active communicants, is to-day
more than 4,000,000.
The conference received, Wednesday
morning, from the Methodist Book Con
cern, the publishing house of the church,
a draft for $635, dividends from the
house, which is to be used for the assist
ance of needj- ministers in the confer
ence. This is one of the largest publish
ing houses in the world that is devoted
to the publication of denominational
literature.
On the nomination of the presiding
elders, committees were appointed to at
tend to all the divisions of church work.
By the work of these committees, the
business of the conference is greatly
expedited.
On Wednesday night was held the
anniversary of the Church Extension
Society; Rev. R. D. Black, of Kearney,
presided. Addresses were made by
Bishop Walden and Dr. M. S. Hard. The
Bishop emphasized the fact that far more
and better work can be done by means of
organization than if each tries to stand
for himself. The address of Dr. Hard
was a very interesting one. He has a
great deal of humor, and by his bright
sallies, kept the large audience in the
best feeling. Everybody was convulsed
when he told how his mother “ attended
to his case ” when necessary, never
stopping to say : “Now- mind, I’ll tell
your father.” His many illustrations to
show' the value of a church home cannot
be forgotten.
as to uie wore aone Dy the Church Ex
tension board, he presented figures that
were singularly impressive. During its
life of twenty years, the board has aided
in building nearly nine thousand church
buildings. Very many of these buildings
—probably the most of them — could
never have been built but for the timely
aid thus afforded. If this array of
churches were set side by side—with the
eaves touching—they would form a solid
front more than forty-seven miles long.
Thursday morning, after a short de
votional service, beginning at 8 o’clock,
Rev. J. W. Shank, D. D.,—editor of the
Omaha Christian Advocate—preached a
short sermon on “Obedience Better Than
Sacrifice.” The sermon was very ap
propriate to the occasion, but the limited
time allowed the speaker made it im
possible for him to cover the ground
fully.
several visitors were introduced, as
follows : Rev. J. W. Jennings, financial
agent of the Nebraska Wesleyan Uni
versity ; Rev. E. W. Jeffries, publishing
agent Upper Iowa Conference ; Rev. S.
R. Madeland, Missouri Conference ; Mrs.
Mary A. Claflin and Miss Allie Frimmer
—a deaconess—representing the Method
ist Hospital and Deaconess Home of
Omaha; Mrs. Isabella Spurlock, re
presenting the Mother’s Jewel’s Heme,
located at York, Neb., and Mrs. Louise
Collins, widow of a former member of
the Conference—Rev. Asburv Collins—
who died at Kearney two or three vears
ago. Later in the morning these ladies
made short addresses.
The work done by the Methodist
hospital at Omaha is phenomenal in ex
tent and importance. More than 1,000
patients have been treated since May,
1891, over 800 of these being surgical ;
and during the whole time there have
been but twenty-five deaths in the insti
tution. Among the members of the
medical staff are physicians, surgeons
and specialists of the highest class of
ability. And so well has this become
known among persons in the vicinity
that the institution is crowded beyond
its capacity. A great deal of gratuitous
work is done for the needy poor, and in
case of accidents and emergencies. On
this account the management finds it
necessary to appeal to the public for
donations. Anything that can be used
in such a place — monejr, food, goods,
anything—is received with thanks. The
ladies are here, hoping to receive such
assistance as will enable them to add to
the number of free beds they now main
tain for the benefit of the public.
The work represented by Mrs. Spur
lock — and which she introduced by a
telling speech, fairly bristling with sharp
points, made yet more impressive by the
eminently pleasing manner of the
speaker—is The Mother’s Jewel’s Home,
at York. This is under the charge of
the Woman’s Home Missionary Society
of the church, and is intended for
orphans, or half orphans, from any part
(Continued on 5tb page.)
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WEDNES: (AY
Afternoon and Evening,
SEPTEMBER 27th, 1893,
....OUR....
FALL AND WINTER
MILLINERY
WILL BE OPEN
....FOE THE....
Inspection of the Public.
Everybody Cordially Invited.
L. Lowman & Son,
DRY GOODS, CARPETS, MILLINERY
Something
- Extra.
Until September 1st
We offer our entire stock of Summer Goods
at Actual Cost. The following are the lines
on which we are willing to
In order to close them out.
1
Refrigerators,
Gasoline Stoves,
Ice Cream Freezers,
Screen Doors,
and
Screen Wire,
All at
Your Own
..Price..
I --
I
THE PIONEER HARDWARE,
W. C. LaTocbette, Propr.
