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ACROSS THE 
 AMERICAN CONTINENT: 
 
 BEING A 
 
 DAILY ACCOUNT 
 
 OF A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO WITH THE 
 CANADIAN DELEGATION TO THE 
 
 Sixteenth International C.E. Convention 
 
 (Including an Interesting Epitome of its Proceedings); 
 
 Also, of Side Trips to Los Angeles, South Pasadena Ostrich Farm, 
 
 Mount Lowe Railway, Long Beach, the Yosemite Valley, 
 
 Mount Tamalpais ; and of the Return Journey via 
 
 Victoria, New Westminster, the C.P.R., and the 
 
 Two Great Lakes— Superior and Huron, 
 
 From June 29 to August 10, J 897. 
 
 WITH NINE ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 By HUGH BRYCE, 
 
 Gra ^te of Toronto Bible Training School's Evening Class, Good Citizenship 
 Superintendent of Central District of Toronto C.E. Union, Good Literature 
 Convener and Press Editor of Central Presbyterian Church Y.P.S.CE., 
 Toronto. 
 
 TORONTO : 
 
 Printed by K. G. Mrl^an, 32 and 34 Lombard Street. 
 
 1898. 
 
1 
 
 \ Go^^ 
 

 PREFACE. 
 
 P till recently, there was no thought in the mind of 
 the writer of offering to the public, in book form, 
 this narrative of a trip which had been long looked 
 forward to and so thoroughly enjoyed when taken ; but 
 whilst engaged writing and collecting the material during 
 spare moments in the midst of many other duties, with the 
 view of preserving a satisfactory private account, he was 
 induced, by the very favourable comments and advice of 
 several friends, to give it full publicity. When this decision 
 had been come to, no time was lost in getting it through the 
 Press. So far as the writer is aware, this is a new venture for 
 a Christian Endeavourer, for no similar account has ever 
 been published of the International C.E. Conventions that 
 have so far been held. Of course, the excellent Official 
 Report issued by the United Society has been yearly read by 
 many Endeavourers, giving the addresses in full and graphic 
 descriptions that usually make up a handsome book of nearly 
 300 pages. Last year's Official Report, however, devotes six 
 pages only to a descripjion of the journey to San Francisco, 
 and the remainder of the book is taken up with the Conven- 
 tion proceedings. "Across the American Continent" 
 compresses these proceedings into sixty-three pages, and the 
 rest— over 100— have been given to a carefully- prepared 
 account of the Outward and Return Journeys, and Side Trips 
 while in California. Pains have been taken to make the 
 narrative as complete as the space would permit. True, 
 reports have been already given by the returned delegates at 
 " Echo" meetings touching more or less upon these subjects ; 
 but they were all forced to be very brief, because of the 
 limited time at their disposal. Seldom are International 
 Convention delegates favoured with such magnificent sights 
 as a trip from their several places to San Francisco affords ; 
 
IV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 
 hence, a narration of these in this manner may be appreciated 
 alike by those who took the trip and those who stayed at 
 home. It is of the utmost importance, also, that the stirring 
 addresses and gems of thought of the different Convention 
 speakers should be preserved and spread as widely as possible, 
 as one of the means, in God's hand, of arresting the careless, 
 bracing up the disheartened, calling backihe deserters from 
 the Master's army, and strengthening the faithful. The 
 writer has had the privilege of attending the past three great 
 International C.E. Conventions; and he is strongly of the 
 opinion that meetings like these do much in furthering the 
 noble cause of righteousness, -peace and goodwill toward 
 men. They are among the brightest, m.ost spiritually up- 
 lifting of all earthly gatherings, full of the fervency and 
 enthusiasm of the godly youth of many lands. They are 
 precious milestones bearing helpful hand-marks, pointing the 
 road to Heaven. May this record of the important Conven- 
 tion held in San Francisco — important as it was in many 
 respects — prove a real blessing to all who read it ! 
 
 HUGHBRYCE. 
 334 George Street, 
 
 Toronto, June, 1898. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Preface iii.,iv. 
 
 The Outward Journey 1-32 
 
 Denver 5 
 
 Salt Lake City 15, 16 
 
 Ogden 22, 23 
 
 Additional Items of Interest . . 30- 32 
 
 The Convention 33-1 11 
 
 Convention Notes 106-111 
 
 "Oakland Day" , 112, n^ 
 
 Chinatown 114, 115 
 
 Golden Gate Park 116, 117 
 
 Cliff House and Sutro Heights 117, 118 
 
 Trip to Los Angeles 118- 131 
 
 South Pasadena Ostrich Farm . 119, 120 
 
 Pasadena 120 
 
 Mount Lowe Railway . . . . 121-123 
 
 Long Beach 128, 129 
 
 Los Angeles 129, 130 
 
 The Mojave Desert 131 
 
 The Famous Loop 131^ 132 
 
 The Yosemite Valley 133-141 
 
 The Mariposa Big Trees 141-143 
 
 San Francisco 144-146 
 
 Alameda 147^ 148 
 
 Piedmont Hill 143 
 
 Oakland 148 
 
 Mount Tamalpais 14^^ icq 
 
 The Return Journey . 151-167 
 
 Salmon Fishing on the Fraser River 152, 153 
 
 Kamloops 154 
 
 Revelstoke 155 
 
 The Glacier House 156, 157 
 
 Banff 159-161 
 
 Winnipeg 164 
 
 Sail over Lakes Superior and Huron 166 
 Concluding Notes 166, 167 
 
lH il M W|i^; iHI" ">< 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 JUNE 29. 1897. 
 
 HREE cars filled with New Hampshire delegates, 
 and the Canadian delegation, under Mr. C. J. 
 Atkinson's oversight, left the Union Station, 
 Toronto, in the midst of a heavy shower of rain, about 
 8 o'clock that Tuesday morning. The Canadian delegation 
 travelled in a special Pullman car bearing the peculiar 
 name "lanmee," which carried them all the journey without 
 requiring to change. The Canadians in this car numbered 
 fifty-two, namely: — Misses Annie and Hattie Graham, Kate 
 Smith, Maggie Anderson, C. L. Frost, and Mrs. Maitland, 
 Smith's Falls, Ont. ; Mrs. William Ogilvie, North George- 
 town, Que.; Miss M. Kee, Ormstown, Que.; Misses J. 
 McLean and K. Shannon, Huntingdon, Que.; Miss C. 
 Nolan, 2293 St. Catherine Street, and Mr. G. VV. Jones, 
 117 St. Famille Street, Montreal, Que.; Mr. J. D. Crowe, 
 Port au Peque, N.S.; Misses Cathcart and Tomlinson, 
 Mrs., Miss H. and Miss Mark, 385 Carlton Street, Dr. and 
 Mr. Martin, jun., Carlton Street, Mr. C. J. Atkinson, Mr. 
 C. H. Cowen, corner of Parliament and Carlton Streets, 
 Mrs. and Miss Hossack, 302 Crawford Street, Miss 
 Meldrum, 75 University Street, Miss Lavell, 64 Isabella 
 Street, Mr. C. P. Brown, 62 Gloucester Street, and Mr. 
 H. Bryce— all of Toronto ; Miss Bessie Scott, 354 Maria 
 Street, and friend. Miss Kate Moffatt, and Mr. S. I^wson, 
 Ottawa, Ont.; Misses Jessie E. Mair and Lucy Anderson, 
 Napanee, Ont.; Mrs. R. B. Hope and Miss Hope, New- 
 burgh, Ont.; Mrs. Byers and Miss Edith McCammon, 
 Gananoque, Ont.; Rev. J. S. Conning and Miss Patterson, 
 Caledonia, Ont.; Rev. Percy Fletcher, Oshawa, Ont.; Rev. 
 James Cormack, Maxwell, Ont.; Rev. John Chisholm and 
 Mr. J. W. LaFraugh, Dunbarton, Ont.; Rev. D. Earl, 
 
" «i WUti I w Swwwtwonaw 
 
 ■»" 
 
 a ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 Oxford Miiis, Ont.; Mr. Kindlay, Pembroke, Ont.; Mr. J. 
 W. Bethune, Stayner, Ont.; Miss (iardiner, IJelleville, Ont; 
 Miss Trull, Orono, Ont.; Miss M. Ooodfellow, Mills 
 Roches, Ont.; Miss Fraser, Shakespeare, Ont.; and Miss 
 Nellie Forman, Stratford, Ont. The two young ladies last- 
 mentioned joined the party at London. Summarized this 
 gives 6 from Smith's Falls ; 6 from the Province of Quebec, 
 including 2 from Montreal ; 15 from Toronto ; 2 from Nova 
 Scotia ; and 24 from different parts of the Province of 
 Ontario. 
 
 In the course of the long journey we passed over the 
 lines of six distinct railroads and through eight States in 
 the neighbouring Republic. The first day was spent speeding 
 alongside the beautiful farming lands of Western Ontario 
 and over the level, extensively-cultivated lower peninsula of 
 the State of Michigan. Rain continued to fall at intervals ; 
 but, notwithstanding this, the heat was felt by all to be 
 oppressive, for the car was crowded with passengers and 
 baggage, the latter filling up every nook and corner to such 
 an extent as even to encroach upon the space in the centre, 
 and, in addition, a heap of valises not immediately wanted 
 lay in a isomer beside the platform-door. Seeing how crowded 
 we were with baggage, the passengers desired to have that 
 heap outside checked at Chicago ; but the officials there 
 refused to do this. The farther west we went the cooler 
 and better the weather became till it reached the acme of 
 perfection in the f?;lorious climate of California. 
 
 When we had got fairly on our way, our excursion 
 manager had everyone arranged by his or her berth, those 
 seated together introduced, and all wrote their names, the 
 churches to which they belonged and the cities from which 
 they came on small cards given them, which they wore 
 conspicuously for a day or so. The lower berths were all 
 reserved for the ladies. My companions were two agreeable 
 young lady teachers from Toronto and an elderly gentle- 
 man from Montreal. We arrived at Chicago several hours 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 3 
 
 behind time, between 2 and 3 o'clock next morning, while 
 nearly all were sound asleep ; so we saw nothing of that 
 important city. We were here transferred to the Chicago, 
 Burlington and Quincy Railroad, known as "The Burling- 
 ton Route." 
 
 JUNE 30. 
 
 I did not see anything of the State of Illinois, for by 
 the time I arose the train had reached Hurlington, at the 
 commencement of the State of Iowa, where we crossed 
 "The Father of Waters"— the Mississippi River. After 
 breakfast, a short prayer-meeting was led by the Rev. Mr. 
 Conning, of Caledonia, the editor of the Endeavour 
 Herald, as the train sped on its way. The scenery was 
 flat, and for the most part consisted of rolling prairies, with 
 plots of cultivated land here and there. At first the 
 Canadian party lost no opportunity of singing the National 
 Anthem and waving small British flags, good-humouredly, 
 when any gathering of Americans was in sight. Indeed, 
 this loyal feeling was exhibited so frecjuently that the Rev. 
 Mr. Conning, who afterwards delivered a most patriotic 
 address at the Convention, had to request the Canadians 
 not to sing " God Save the Queen " when the New Hamp- 
 shire delegation and they had an interchange of friendly 
 visits and seasons of enjoyable hymn-singing together. 
 Continuing our way through Ottumwa, Creston, Pacific 
 Junction and Ashland, Lincoln, the capital of the State of 
 Nebraska, was reached shortly after 6 p.m. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Patterson and wife, of Toronto, and Mr. 
 Caswell (the city solicitor) and wife, had their berths in 
 another car on the train ; but Mr. Patterson, at this 
 juncture, came into our car and presided over a secular 
 concert, which lasted about half-an hour while the train 
 waited at the crowded station. A couple of humorous 
 readings and several instrumental and vocal pieces were 
 rendered in a creditable manner; but some of the party 
 afterwards considered that it would have been more 
 
ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 appropriate to sing sacred pieces when going through a 
 district where many o'" the inhabitants were said to be 
 irreligious. One of our party stated that, in one place with 
 7,000 people, he had reason to believe only about 400 were 
 church-goers. 
 
 JULY 1. 
 
 " My head is aching like to beat the band !" was the 
 amusing exclamation that greeted my ears on awakening. 
 The train had stopped at McCook when I arose. It 
 remained at this station over two hours because of a collision 
 between two freight trains at Yuma, thirteen small stations 
 ahead. Between 9 and 10 o'clock in the forenoon, an 
 impressive service was held, during which Psalm XC. was 
 read and several inspiring hymns were sung. By this time the 
 sad news of the collisions on other Endeavour trains, near 
 Chicago, had reached us ; and those seriously injured, as 
 well as the friends of those killed, were remembered in 
 prayer. Later on, as we passed the shattered engine and 
 cars, and slaughtered horses and cattle, at Yuma, we had 
 impressed upon us the great need of thankfulness for the 
 Divine care that had preserved us from accident. Much 
 interest was manifested as the census of the party was taken. 
 The ladies numbered 35; the gentlemen, 17— two ladies 
 to every gentleman, and one to spare ! There w^ere 37 
 Christian Endeavourers, and 15 who were not connected 
 with the organization. Denominationally, there were 25 
 Presbyterians, 15 Methodists, 7 Church of England repre- 
 sentatives, 2 Congregationalists, i Baptist, i Christian, and 
 I Roman Catholic. Politically, the result was :— Liberals, 
 34 ; Conservatives, 14 ; Independents, 4. Eighteen profes- 
 sions and trades were represented, the school-teachers being 
 the most numerous, 15, all of whom were ladies. A doctor, 
 two druggists and a trained nurse looked ufter the health 
 of their fellow-passengers ; whilst five ministers, of three 
 different denominations, attended to their spiritual welfare. 
 
 The wide prairies of Iowa and Nebraska were a novelty 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 5 
 
 to most of US ; and the scattered villages, the lonely huts, 
 the system of irrigation where cultivation was attempted, 
 the cow-boys and the prairie dogs attracted our keenest 
 attention— the prairie-dogs especially, lively creatures, 
 sitting at rest in front of their habitations, but disappearing 
 as if by magic on the slightest alarm. A stay of half-an- 
 hour was made at Eckley, where lunches were in such 
 demand at a refreshmeit-booth near by that the coffee ran 
 short, A cow-boy on horseback tried to keep up with our 
 train on leaving this station ; but he gave up the attempt 
 after a spirited run of a mil-? or so. By 6 o'clock p.m. we 
 arrived at Denver, where we registered at our headquarters 
 in the Congregational Church, and received a cordial 
 welcome from the local Endeavourers there. Desks and 
 writing materials were at hand, and other conveniences. 
 Many took advantage of the brief stay here to write home 
 to friends. Afterwards, a street- car ride for an hour took 
 us over the western part of the city, where we saw many 
 handsome residences ; also, a beautiful sunset over the Rocky 
 Mountains in the not far distant horizon. 
 
 Denver— the capital of Colorado and the Queen City — 
 has a population of 160,000. It is between 5,000 and 6,000 
 feet above sea-level, and is the metropolis for the country 
 wesi of the Missouri River. In it are the homes of scores 
 of millionaires, mining men, stockmen and manuHicturers ; 
 immense smelting and manufacturing industries ; grand 
 public buildings, parks, boulevards, etc. It is a healthy, 
 well laid-out, clean city. From the appearance of the stores, 
 I would judge that there are a goodly proportion of Germans 
 amongst its inhabitants. There were far too Uiany saloons 
 seen during our ride to my liking, and the bottles of strong 
 liquor were very tastefully and temptingly arranged in the 
 windows of many drug and wholesale stores. It was 
 pleasing to see the large and plain figures used in numbering 
 the houses ; Toronto needs to copy Denver in this respect. 
 Our street-car was illuminated by colored lights. 
 
iiiiWffti nf*''^*''v»*"i 
 
 6 ACROSS TkE AMERICAN CONtmfiNT. 
 
 On returning to the station we had our first conception of 
 the hosts of Endeavourers and friends who, like ourselves, 
 were travelling westward to the Convention. All the seats 
 in the waiting-rooms were filled, and hundreds were congre- 
 gated around the many tracks waiting on their trains to 
 start. It was a bright and animated scene. Christian 
 Endeavour hymns were sung most heartily for an hour or 
 so ; but the waiting grew to be very wearisome, for we were 
 kept standing or moving about for nearly four hours. Two 
 of the ladies fainted — one in our party and one with the 
 New Hampshire delegation. A change was made here to 
 the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, known as " The 
 Scenic Route." It was midnight before we got into our 
 berths, thoroughly exhausted by the long stand, 
 
 JULY 2. 
 
 A few got up very early to see Pike's Peak. All the 
 Canadians were disappointed to find the train moving when 
 they awoke, and to learn that they had missed the oppor- 
 tunity of seeing "The Garden of the Gods." It was 
 explained that the majority of the passengers in the train of 
 seven cars were in favour of "no stoppage" at Colorado 
 Springs in order to make up lost time ; but the managers of 
 the Illinois and New Hampshire delegations came to this 
 decision without consulting our manager, and we were 
 accordingly displeased at their conduct. 
 
 Snow-clad Pike's Peak was still visible in the distance 
 when I arose ; we were then between Pueblo and Labran. 
 The scenery was rugged and varied. We were entering the 
 mountainous district, and gliding alongside a yellow-coloured 
 creek. Small thriving villages were now occasionally passed. 
 At Labran a sash door factory, an oil factory and lumber 
 works were noticed, besides other industries. The prosper- 
 ous mining town of Cripple Creek, with its 20,000 
 inhabitants, is in this vicinity. Oil wells in abundance were 
 seen on either side, and several refineries on our way to 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. ^ 
 
 Canon City, at the mouth of the Grand Canon of the 
 Arkansas. There is a State Penitentiary here. From this 
 point to Salida, fifty-five miles distant, the scenery was 
 
 Royal Gorcie. 
 
 extremely grand and awe inspiring. On entering th } Grand 
 Canon of the Arkansas, eight miles long, in the middle ot 
 which lies the famous Royal Gorge, the grandeur of the 
 scenery came upon us suddenly and at once riveted the 
 
B 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 attention of all, kodaks being hastily produced to take snap 
 shots at the most picturesque Spots, the prettiest of which 
 was at the suspended bridge in the Royal Gorge. The rail- 
 way line runs through this almost impassable gorge, where 
 the rushing, yellow-coloured waters of the Arkansas River 
 battle for room with the precipitous granite mountains, 
 2,600 feet high, by which it is closed in on either side. 
 This gorge gradually opens up into a pleasant, peaceful 
 valley, from which, as we approached Salida, a prosperous 
 town begirt with mouiitains, fine pictures of the Sangre de 
 Cristo range of peaks were got on the one side, and on the 
 other of the three towering peaks known as Harvard, 
 
 Marshall's Pass. 
 
 Princeton and Yale, rising to an altitude of 14,000 feet. 
 At Salida our party separated, eight of the Canadians 
 remaining in the Pullman car and proceeding to Grand 
 Junction by way of Leadville and Glenwood Springs, while 
 all the others (myself included) chose to go to Grand 
 Junction via Marshall's Pass and the Black Canon of the 
 Gunnison. We took a train on the Narrow Gauge Line. 
 In the car with us was a miner on his way to establish a 
 claim in this rich mining district. This was a ride of 209 
 miles through delightful scenery. As the summit of Marshall's 
 Pass has an altitude of 10,856 feet above sea-level, this was 
 
 r 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 9 
 
 the highest point we reached on our long journey. The 
 Pass is a scenic and scientific wonder; grades of 211 feet 
 to the mile are frequent, and the ascent and descent are 
 made by a series of most remarkable curves. The streams 
 from the summit flow eastward into the Atlantic and 
 westward into the Pacific. At the apex the train ran 
 through a long tunnel of snowsheds, at the end of which 
 we stopped for a short time to engage in a snow battle 
 and to ascend a tower, where an American and a Cana- 
 dian, to the amusement of the onlookers, strove with 
 each other as to which could hold his national flag at the 
 greatest height. Sacred hymns were sung. Here we had 
 magnificent views of Mount Ouray and Mount Shavano, 
 both extinct volcanoes and rising to an altitude of over 
 14,000 feet ; while 100 miles away across the wide expanse 
 of plain the snowy ridge of Sangre de Cristo was clearly 
 seen. As the train descended to Gunnison, four tracks like 
 a succession of terraces were seen, as the result of the road's 
 zigzag course, winding round sixty-five miles to travel 
 thirteen. We partook of an excellent dinner at Gunnison, 
 at a charge of 75c. each. This is an enterprising place of 
 3,000 people in the heart of the gold, silver, lead, copper and 
 coal country, and a splendid location for fishing. There are 
 a large number of coloured people here. After leaving 
 Gunnison, the train stopped thrice in ordqr that mountain 
 cattle might be chased off the track. Twenty- five miles 
 from Gunnison, we entered the Black Canon, the prettiest 
 sight of the outward journey. It is sixteen miles in length, 
 and abounds in many striking features. Along many miles 
 of this grand gorge the railway lies upon a shelf hewn from 
 the rock, which rises frequently to an altitude of over 2,000 
 feet. At certain points the walls, which are more perpendi- 
 cular than those seen in the Royal Gorge, draw so near 
 together that the light of day is almost entirely excluded, 
 but at other places where the sun is admitted they sparkle 
 with dazzling lustre, caused by reflections from the mica of 
 
I— ni>iMa H iii » i iij ji^ >;. 
 
 lO 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 I- 
 
 I 
 
 which they are largely composed. We saw a i)eaiitiful water- 
 fall, called TheChipeta Falls, descending in a sheet of snowy 
 spray to the pure Gunnison River 300 feet below, md the 
 CurrecantI Needle, which towers upward like a great cathedral 
 spire a distance of 1,600 feet from the river. After passing 
 Montrose, a fine view of the Uncompahgre Mountains was 
 
 CURRECANTI NeEDLE, BlACK CaNON. 
 
 had. Uncompahgre Peak, the monarch of the range, rises to 
 an altitude of 14,419 feet. Rich farming land was afterwards 
 seen before reaching the Lower Gunnison Canon, which 
 also abounds in striking and beautiful scenery. It was 
 about midnight, mountain time, when we arrived at Grand 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 II 
 
 Junction, where we had a wearisome wait of four hours 
 before the train with the other party came into the station, 
 that we might get into our own berths. These four hours 
 were spent by the Canadians in one car in telling ghost 
 stories ; in the car in which I sat hymns were sung for a 
 time, and then discussions took place on theological points, 
 political economy, etc. This was a most delightful day's 
 journey. At Grand Junction we changed to the Rio 
 Grande Western Railroad. 
 
 JULY 3. 
 
 When I got out of berth, the train was passing over 
 miles and miles of sandy desert ; the only semblance ot 
 green was an occasional patch of dwarfish and brownish 
 sagebrush. It gave one a good idea of an Egyptian desert. 
 Green River is an oasis of verdure and bloom in this wide- 
 spreading desert. It is a striking example of what water 
 can produce from desert land. " Grassy " seems to take its 
 name from the fact that there is not a blade of grass within 
 a mile of it. At Cedar the whole desert, as far as the eye 
 could reach, was dotted with Spanish cedar or mountain 
 mahogany. Strips of green fertility, walled in by desert, 
 now began to appear. Wherever water touched the soil 
 there were trees, rich harvest fields, meadows of alfalfa, 
 grass, fruit and flowers. Sunnyside is a narrow oasis. The 
 desert between Price and Green River is being steadily but 
 surely reclaimed by the introduction of irrigation ditches 
 and the persistent determination of the sturdy Utah ranch- 
 men. Guarding the entrance to Price River Canon, 
 through which the railway runs into the very heart of the 
 mountains, stands Castle Gate, two pillars of stone which 
 rise to the height of 500 feet and are just wide enough apart 
 for the train to pass between. For nine miles the train 
 passed through the glorious canon of Price River till it 
 reached Kyune, where there are extensive blue sandstone 
 quarries. Other six miles brought us to Pleasant Valley 
 
12 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 i ! 
 
 Junction. Here many in our party went out to visit an old 
 bachelor, who was living alone in a mud-hut near the 
 railway line. The hut in size was about lo by 15 feet. As 
 some of the young ladies put it ; " It was well furnished — 
 for a man /" He gave all a kindly welcome. It appeared 
 somewhat strange to us that a bachelor should be thus 
 found in the very heart of the Mormon territory. During 
 our stay at this station, several cowboys (one of whom was 
 an Indian) caused considerable excitement by an exhibition 
 of horse-play— being either drunk or feigning to be so, 
 quarrelling with each other, and ^ring their revolvers several 
 times. Not long after this we passed over the summit of 
 the Wasatch Divide, called " Soldier Summit," because a 
 soldier of Albert Sydney Johnston's army, in the " Mormon 
 War," died and was buried here, nearly 7,500 feet above 
 the level of the sea. Then a beautiful canon was entered, 
 through which the Spanish Fork Creek makes its way into 
 Utah Lake. The Red Narrows, so called from the colour of 
 the rocks, were next passed. Emerging from the Spanish 
 Fork Canon, the lovely Utah valley lay before us, with its 
 large, clear lake The scene from this point was entrancing. 
 Eastward lay the Wasatch Mountains, to the west the 
 Oquirrh Range, to the north low hills and mesas, to the 
 south the east and west ranges approached each other, 
 while Mount Nebo, highest- of the Utah peaks, rose 
 majestically above all surroundings. After the valley of 
 the Utah Lake was passed, a small river of yellow water was 
 seen meandering through the sagebrush and volcanic 
 scoria. This was the Jordan River, so called because it 
 connects the Utah with the Great Salt Lake, as its name- 
 sake does Galilee and the Dead Sea. The train crossed 
 the Jordan River twice before arriving at Salt Lake City 
 about 6 o'clock that Saturday evening. When sixteen miles 
 from the city we were met by a special committee of 
 fifteen young men and women, who gave us ail necessary 
 information. 
 
 :.i I 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 »3 
 
 We stayed in Salt Lake City till noon on Monday. 
 During our stay, between 10,000 and n,ooo visitors, west- 
 ward bound, arrived ; about 6,000 of them on Saturday 
 in a little over 100 sleeping cars, which were all side- 
 tracked. This temporary city on wheels was a unique 
 spectacle. Many of the occupants of the berths had a 
 rare experience, on returning at night from sight-seeing or 
 attending meetings, in searching for their quarters, as this 
 frequently meant stumbling in the dark over several lines 
 of rails and in and out among the different cars before 
 finding the particular car in which they had come. By 
 Sunday night, when the station presented an enlivening 
 scene, there were over 200 sleeping cars side-tracked in the 
 railway yards, with an average of fifty people to each car. 
 The cars, as a rule, were crowded. 
 
 Shortly after arrival the Canadians went in a body by 
 train to Saltair Beach, which is said to be the largest and 
 most beautiful bathing establishment in the world. The 
 Pavilion is located at the Great Salt Lake, eleven miles from 
 the city, and is in the form of a crescent, having a great 
 central structure of Moorish architecture devoted to 
 pleasure-seekers. There is a dancing floor, capable of 
 accommodating 600 couples ; also two long promenades, a 
 long line of bathing houses, a billiard-room, shooting 
 gallery and boats for hire. The tinting of the water on the 
 lake was extremely beautiful. Near the shore it was an 
 exquisite green ; farther out, this changed into a dazzling 
 blue ; and this gradually changed into a royal purple, which 
 darkened and lightened at every movement of the clouds 
 overhead. The water gleamed and glistened like a mighty 
 mirror in the sunshine. Whilst we were there, a glorious 
 sunset took place. The lake is nearly eighty miles long by 
 fifty broad, with an average depth of eight feet, and it 
 contains four times more salt than that of ocean water. 
 The heavy, deadening smell of the superabundance of 
 salt in this district was felt by me to be unpleasant. 
 
•^mvasmm^^s^mmgmmsemmmm 
 
 H 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 t 
 
 f>. I 
 
 Though the night was cool, several in our party went in to 
 bathe ; but they did not grow enthusiastic when telling their 
 experience, some of ihem having accidentally been forced 
 to swallow more salt than was agreeable to their taste. 
 The human body will not and cannot sink in this lake. 
 It is impossible to swim in it ; all that is necessary is to lie 
 down and float, which can be done successfully on a first 
 trial. There is not a fish or any other living thing in its 
 beautiful and mysterious waters. It is dotted with pic- 
 turesque mountainous islands, and the surrounding scenery 
 is delightfully varied by towering peaks, the great salt 
 desert, fields of grain, irrigating ditches, prosperous farm- 
 houses, and away in the distance the domes and towers of 
 Salt Lake City were seen nestling at the feet of the moun- 
 tains which ward off the rigours of winter. 
 
 " Lake of mystery and wonder, 
 Lake of silence so snblinie, 
 In thy depths we look and ponder 
 On the strangest jjift of Time." 
 
 One newspaper in Salt Lake City facetiously hoped that 
 the Endeavourers would be able to say to their friends in 
 the East on their return that they were able to pass through 
 the State of Utah without being either "robbed or married." 
 Well, that was a timely caution, if the Endeavourers had 
 only taken it seriously to heart. All the Endeavourers could 
 not, unfortunately, say that they had not been "robbed," 
 at least. One of our party — Dr. Martin, of Toronto- 
 had his pocket-book, containing $44 in American money, a 
 Canadian bill, and his railway ticket to San Francisco, 
 stolen from him in the crowd at Saltair Beach whilst we 
 were on the point of returning to the city. Moreover, from 
 newspaper reports it was ascertained that the pocket-books 
 of fifteen persons, containing altogether nearly $8,000 in 
 cash and bank cheques, besides valuable documents and 
 many railway tickets to San Francisco, were stolen by 
 adroit pickpockets. In or near the Tabernacle at the 
 
 i 11 
 
 ■i 
 
 ill 
 
 ■!i I 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 »5 
 
 Intermountain Rally on Sunday afternoon, in less than ten 
 minutes, with twenty policemen standing near by, over 
 $900 in cash and bank cheques were taken from visiting 
 Endeavourers by a gang of thieves. 
 
 Salt Lake City is the sublime result of Mormon persecu- 
 tion, having been founded by that alien sect in July, 1847. 
 A glamour of romain:e will ever linger about the story of 
 their flight across the winter-swept plains of Iowa and the 
 icy prairies of Nebraska to the desert lands of Utah. In 
 this valley of desolation, as it then appeared, Brigham 
 Young founded a city and re-established a hierarchy which 
 has persisted and prospered to a degree that has astonished 
 the world. IJy industry as remarkable as it was directed, 
 the desert was converted into an oasis, and the bare earth, 
 with its poverty of sand and sagebrush, was rendered 
 prolific with nearly everything that fertile soil can produce. 
 The town thus established under harsh conditions has 
 grown into one of the most prosperous and beautifully- 
 situated cities in the United States. Its present population 
 is 65,000, and it is growing every day. The climate is 
 genial — the average summer temperature being 72 degrees, 
 while that of the winter is 32 degrees- and the air it has 
 comes pure from the mountains The streets are 132 feet 
 wide, crossing each other at right angles, an eighth of a 
 mile apart, each square thus formed containing ten acres. 
 They are well lined with shade trees, while streams of 
 running water course down each side of every street, being 
 brought from the neighbouring mountains, furnishing a pure 
 water-supply and irrigating the gardens. From a Salt Lake 
 newspaper I observed a Mormon writer claimed that 
 Brigham Young, without example to guide him, made the 
 first American system of irrigation. Half a million of acres 
 in Utah are to day under irrigation, and this is all owing to 
 the counsel of Brigham Young. Every house is surrounded 
 by green lawns, gardens and orchards. The city is not an 
 imposing one. 'i'he wide streets, large grounds around 
 
'^ 
 
 rrrnri'idr-"*.,, s:-*',., 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 ■ -t 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 i6 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 each dwelling, and low, small houses, give it more the 
 appearance of an overgrown village than that of a city. 
 The chief business thoroughfares are Main and Temple 
 Streets. The former is entirely devoted to trade, while 
 church edifices are found in the latter. The great structures 
 of the Mormon Church— the Temple and Tabernacle — 
 are on Temple Street, as well as the (juaint residences of 
 Urigham Young Salt Lake City is the great centre of the 
 entire Intermountain domain. The Mormons have been 
 unpleasantly peculiar in their advocacy and practice of 
 polygamy (which practice, they say, has now been discon- 
 tinued), and during their early sojourn here in their defiance 
 of th'^ United States (lovernment. But they have set 
 patterns in industry and in a system of government which 
 seems to consider the well-being of all, both of which might 
 be imitated to advantage by the "Gentiles." On every 
 suitable occasion the Mormons were eagerly disposed to 
 give information regarding their Church, and the En- 
 deavourers were always found to be attentive listeners. 
 Many of them were seen taking notes. 
 
 JULY 4. 
 
 As regards weather, the Sunday spent in Salt Lake City 
 was a perfect day. There was a Junior Endeavour Rally 
 held at 9.30 a.m. in the First Congregational Church. About 
 300 Junior Endeavourers were present, the greater pajt of 
 whom were from the Utah Union. The leader of the 
 meeting referred to the eighteen societies that constituted 
 the Salt Lake Union as "a handful of corn upon the top of 
 the mountain." Mrs. Francis E. Clark spoke of her recent 
 travels in foreign lands, and told of the juniors of various 
 races and countries whom she had met. "The boys and 
 girls of heathen lands want us to help them," she said. 
 *' There are four things which the Juniors can do to assist 
 them : — i. I^carn about them ; 2. Give for missionary work 
 amongst them ; 3. Pray for them ; 4. Talk about them, so 
 
THK OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 t? 
 
 that others may learn about their needs and become 
 interested in helping them." Mrs. Srudder spoke of the girls 
 and boys as like the acorn possessed of great possibilitiei 
 Calling attention to the fact that they were meeting upon 
 the great national holiday, July 4th, she said it was a good 
 day on which to tell what they would like to be. One would 
 like to be rich, another to be handsome, another to have an 
 education ; but the best thing any boy or girl could be was 
 to grow up an earnest Christian. Purity of life— purity of 
 mind and soul— must be maintained, and (lod will look after 
 the rest. The habit of prayer should be enjoined upon 
 every young person— tTie habit of keeping in close and 
 
 The Temple, Salt Lake City. 
 
 constant communion with the Almighty Father of us all, and 
 of seeking aid and consolation from Him at all junctures 
 and crises of life. A good sermon was preached by one of 
 the visiting clergymen on " The Spiritual Kingdom " — text, 
 Matt. 21 : 42, 43 — at the forenoon service in this church, 
 which was well filled, many of the visitors, like myself, being 
 among the audience. 
 
 During the afternoon, I visited the Temple Block, where 
 stands the magnificent Mormon Temple, the Tabernacle 
 and the Assembly Hall. The Temple is, with the exception 
 
I^ 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENt. 
 
 ii 
 
 lii 
 
 of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, the grandest and 
 most costly ecclesiastical structure in the United States. It 
 cost $6,000,000, and forty one years were spent in its 
 construction, the building being finished in 1894. It is 
 built wholly of snow-white granite from the Cottonwood 
 Canon, and the walls are ten feet thick. Within its walls 
 are performed the mystic rites that admit to the Mormon 
 Church. N.o " Gentile " is permitted to pass inside its gate. 
 I was told by a Mormon, when lookinj^ at it, that one 
 "Gentile "did go through the gateway several years ago, 
 but he fell dead near the entrance. Of course I hid my 
 doubt as to the truth of this story? The Temple can be 
 seen for fifty miles up and down the valley. The Tabernacle 
 is an enormous oval building, with an immense dome like 
 roof, supported by forty-six sandstone pillars. It will seat 
 between 12,000 and 13,000 people, and is used for the 
 services of the Church, lectures and public gatherings. Its 
 acoustic properties are so marvellously perfect that a whisper 
 or the dropping of a pin can be heard all over it It contains 
 one of the largest organs in the world, built of native woods 
 by Mormon workmen and artists at a cost of $100,000. The 
 choir consists of from 200 to 500 trained voices, and the 
 music is said to be very grand. All the seats are free. 
 Assembly Hall is of white granite, and has seats for 2,500. 
 I also saw the Lion and Beehive Houses, and the Amelia 
 Palace. This palace was built by Brigham Young for his 
 nineteerth wife, a cousm of Mrs. Grover Cleveland, wife 
 of the late President of the United States. An outside 
 guard was stationed at Lion House, where three of Brigham 
 Young's wives were then living, to keep the hosts of visitors 
 out who desired to see the house in which that great leader 
 of the Mormons died. But there seemed to be a division in 
 the household regarding this arrangement, for one of the 
 wives, Mrs. Margaret Pierce Young, aged seventy-four years, 
 seated herself in a chair on the sidewalk after the Int«^r- 
 mountain Rally in the Tabernacle, shook hands with the 
 
 il.. 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 19 
 
 visitors who crowded around her, and, at their request, 
 cheerfully engaged herself for hours writing her autograph 
 on the visitors' cards. The crowd was so great when I 
 reached the spot that it took me about ten minutes to get a 
 glimpse of her face. Thinking she was in danger of being 
 smothered by the visitors, I did not wait to secure hei 
 autograph. 
 
 Over 1 2,000 people crowded the Tabernacle that after- 
 noon to listen to the programme of the Intermountain 
 Rally. None of those who attended can soon forget the 
 stirring hymns and inspiring addresses. Two Mormon 
 dignitaries were present, as well as many other members of 
 the Mormon Church. I sat near a young man named 
 Jackson, now a resident of Salt Lake City, who is a Canadian 
 and used to serve in the drug store at the corner of Church 
 and Queen Streets, Toronto. This was the first occasion 
 upon which the Tabernacle had been used for a non- 
 Mormon religious service, and the magnificent cathedral was 
 beautifully decorated by Mormon hands and with Mormon 
 money. On the gilded pipes of the immense organ the 
 C.E. monogram was shown. Potted plants in full bloom 
 covered the long table in front of the speakers' stand. And 
 their young people were found on the Reception Committee. 
 The Mormons evidently desired to stand well with the 
 churches. Their kindliness elicited warm thanks from the 
 visitors. Only one visitor, so far as learned, referred to local 
 conditions by way of condemnation. Rev. Cortland Myers, 
 of Brooklyn, preaching in the First Baptist Church, in 
 discussing Utah, said that eventually Mormonism would be 
 swept from the land. Being Independence Day, the theme 
 of the addresses, "Christian Citizenship," was a very suit- 
 able one. Afi^er a brief, hearty welcome from the President 
 of the Salt Lake C.E. Union, an impassioned address was 
 delivered by Bishop Arnott, an old coloured clergyman from 
 Wilberforce, Ohio, who spoke in the absence of the Rev. 
 Wm. Patterson, of Toronto, who was expected to speak, 
 

 ii-i 
 
 20 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 but did not stop over a: Salt Lake City. Bishop Arnott's 
 reference to Queen Victoria as "the greatest queen who 
 ever sat upon a Christian throne " was warmly applauded. 
 Rev. George J. Pentecosi, of Yonkers, New York, said in 
 part: — "If this country depends upon a love that is not 
 inspired by a love and loyalty to God, the days of this 
 Republic are numbered. I agree with Bishop Arnott with 
 reference to his utterances about the Queen under whose 
 Government I have worked and preached for ten years. 
 While I agree with respect to that noble woman and her 
 free Government, I thank God we have no queens or kings, 
 but that we are our own sovereigns, and that in Christian 
 patriotism lies the safety of the multitude. . . . We, as 
 Christian young men and women, cannot stop at the 
 consideration of loyalty to this great country. We think of 
 another kingdom, whose principles are embodied in this 
 great charter (the Bible), created by the Lord Jesus Christ 
 and promulgated by every citizen of that greater country." 
 Speaking of patriotism as the principle which sought to 
 make others partakers of the blessings which we ourselves 
 enjoyed, he said : — "The command of Christ may be inter- 
 preted in three ways : '■ Go ! ' — you go, everyone go. If you 
 are not able to go, then ' Let go ! '—let your brother, your 
 sister, your friend go. If you are not able to do this, then 
 * Help go I ' — give of your means that others may be sent to 
 do your work." It was a cheering sight to see the vast 
 audience rise to greet President Clark with the Chautauqua 
 salute after his long voyage around the world. Someone 
 in the gallery began the doxology— " Pr^ize God, from 
 whom all blessings flow," and that familiar hymn of praise 
 was caught up at once and sung heartily by all. President 
 Clark called attention to four bulwarks of patriotism for 
 which Christian Endeavour st:»nds :— i. Civic righteousness. 
 The crusade begun four years ago at Montreal has swept 
 across the nation. It has spread from State to State, a bon- 
 fire of good citizenship blazing forth cheer and hope for the 
 
 1 I 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 21 
 
 future. 2. The Christian Sabbath, He hoped that no 
 Endeavourer would disgrace the badge by visiting Saltair or 
 Garfield Beach that day. 3. Evangelical faith ; whether 
 we are the spiritual descendants of those who landed at 
 Plymouth Rock, or of the Scottish Covenanters, or of 
 Roger Williams, or of John Wesley. 4. Spiritual life. 
 Christian Endeavour is a protest against Materialism. The 
 fundamental idea of the society is that we should walk with 
 God and practice His precepts. 
 
 At 6 p.m. I attended a rousing meeting of the C.E. Society 
 connected with the First Presbyterian Church, presided over 
 by the manager of the Tennessee party ; this church was 
 their headquarters. The meeting-place was filled, and 
 the time was well taken up by delegates from different 
 States ; I also took part. The church is small, like all other 
 " Gentile " churches here ; but it must be remembered that 
 the " Gentiles " have only gained a footing in Salt Lake City 
 within the past seven or eight years. At the evening service 
 in the First Baptist Church I listened to an address by a 
 Philadelphia minister. 
 
 JULY 5. 
 
 Before leaving Salt Lake City, I visited Fort Douglas to 
 witness a grand review of the 24th U.S. Infantry, coloured. 
 Whilst there, I fell in with a man from Toronto and 
 another whose parents were Canadian and formerly lived in 
 a small place near Montreal. Fort Douglas stands on an 
 eminence about two miles to the south of the city, and 
 commands an unobstructed view of the entire valley. After 
 seeing part of the review, I left in plenty of time to catch 
 the train at 12 o'clock; but, owing to the immense crowd 
 going and returning on the street-cars, progress was 
 extremely slow, and I reached the station just in the nick 
 of time. My berth companion, the elderly gentleman from 
 Montreal, was left behind on account of the slowness of 
 the cars returning from Fort Douglas ; but he joined us 
 
. 1 
 
 22 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 , I 
 
 ! 1 
 
 again at Ogden, having been allowed to travel by a regular 
 train. 
 
 Our train waited three hours at Ogden to allow the 
 delegates to take a free three-mile drive, at the kind invita- 
 tion of the local Endeavourers, through the city to a 
 beautiful artificial waterfall in Ogden Canon, 400 feet high, 
 called "The Bridal Veil of Utah." We were all very 
 thankful for this hurried glance at such a picturesque and 
 prosperous town. In the delta of the Weber and the Ogden 
 rivers, on a lofty bench of the Great Salt Lake, this young 
 and thriving city sits enthroned like a queen of the moun- 
 tains and valley. Behind it rise the majestic Wasatch 
 mountains, in front gleam the blue-green waters of the 
 wondrous inland sea, and on either hand as far as the eye 
 can reach stretches the glorious valley, with its grain fields 
 and meadows, its orchards and vineyards, gardens and 
 groves. In the city itself many costly and substantial public 
 and private buildings were reen, as well as a couple of 
 very handsome and well-shaped public parks. In the 
 canon through which we were taken by Mormon drivers is 
 located the plant of an electric company, with an electric 
 capacity of many thousand horse-power, b'^ing excelled in 
 magnitude only by the one at Niagara Fails, and which will 
 soon be turning every wheel of industry in the city, hurrying 
 on the electric cars between Ogden and Salt Lake City, and 
 even furnishing the lights to the latter place. There were so 
 many carriages at the waterfall in the canon when we were 
 there that we were blocked for a short time. Ogden 
 impressed me even more favourably as a healthy and rising 
 district than Salt Lake City. 
 
 The secretary of the Ogden Young Men's Christian 
 Association came into our car before we left the station, and 
 I had a chat with him. One-half of the people in this city, 
 he told me, are Mormons, and Christian Association work 
 amongst the young men is not of the most encouraging 
 nature. A Mr. James Wotherspoon, from Paisley, Scotland, 
 
 li' 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 23 
 
 also came into the car to enquire after a Mr. Stewart from 
 Hamilton, Ontario, an old fellow-townsman of his. I had 
 a long conversation with him on Mormonism. It appears 
 that there are 1,300 missionaries on the field at present. They 
 are told when they are sent out '* to leave wine and women 
 alone." Wilford Woodruff is now the respected leader of 
 the Mormons ; but he was then lying seriously ill. They 
 have a tabernacle at Ogden that will seat 1,200 persons. It 
 is lit up at night with 350 incandescent lights. They were 
 then repairing it, and the estimated cost is $16,000. Many 
 of the Mormons are giving their labour free, and that is 
 regarded as a subscription from each man. They have a 
 good system of relieving the poor. The city is divided 
 into districts, and each district has its own teacher who 
 resides there and has full oversight. He visits the 
 people at regular intervals ; and should anyone be in 
 financial difficulties, his or her wants are at once attended to. 
 
 We changed to the Southern Pacific Railway, and left 
 Ogden about 7 o'clock. Before retiring for the night a 
 delightful Christian Endeavour prayer-meeting was held, 
 ably led by the Rev. James Cormack. 
 
 On account of many stoppages, our progress through 
 the night was very slow ; but the railway company had an 
 arduous task assigned them. Including regular trains, 
 there were moved out of Ogden, westward bound, from 
 July I St to the 8th, 74 trains, of which 59 were specials cr 
 sections of the regular trains. The total number of cars 
 was 838, or an average of nearly 12 cars per train ; the total 
 number of passengers 23,800, or about 310 per train. 
 The question of obtaining sufficient water for the loco- 
 motives in the desert, and feeding and providing water for 
 the passengers, gave the officials much concern. At all 
 stations whei . the water was procured from streams, springs 
 or wells, extra pumpers were put on, with instructions to 
 keep the pumps going night and day, and to some stations 
 water cars were moved from other parts of the line to 
 
 & 
 
24 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 1 1 lii; 
 
 !i 
 
 m 
 
 increase the supply. The company also made arrange- 
 ments with citizens at Terrace, Elko, Carlin, Humboldt, 
 Battle Mountain, Wadsworth, Truckee, Summit, Blue Canon 
 and Auburn to furnish lunches outside of the regular 
 eating-houses. Their carpenter force was instructed to 
 erect long counters or tables in the open air, at which the 
 food furnished could be served. Our slow movement could 
 be readily attributed to this thoughtfulness for out comfort 
 and safety. The transportation of practically 25,000 people 
 over a single track of 900 miles with heavy grades, without 
 an accident, is justly considered one of the most remarkable 
 railway accomplishments ever performed. 
 
 JULY 6. 
 
 These occasional stoppages proved a blessing to two 
 elderly ladies in our party, who this morning, when the train 
 waited at Terrace for a short time, went out hatless and 
 uncombed in quest of breakfast, and, whilst partaking of it, 
 were left behind. The daughter of one of them was much 
 distressed until they rejoined us a few hours later on at 
 Tacoma, where we made another stoppage, they having 
 come by the following special train. 
 
 We had now entered the Nevada or Great American 
 Desert. Nature has denied to this wretched region any 
 compensation of flower, stream, bird, or even curiosity. It 
 is the very nakedness of bleak desolation, and stretches thus 
 for a distance of 600 miles. The Humboldt River has 
 tried to force its way through this parched waste ; but, how- 
 ever great its volume of water, gathered from the mountains 
 in spring freshets, the desert drinks it up at a place known 
 as Humboldt Sink, where the thirst of the sands is so great 
 that the river is arrested and stands still in a shallow lake, 
 the resort of myriads of waterfowl. Yet men have planted 
 their hopes even in this barren desert. Indian camps were 
 frep"ent, and occasionally villages were passed, where a few 
 Tren, inured to all difficulties, scratch the parched 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 25 
 
 earth and seek a precarious living, though nearly all are 
 traders, furnishing supplies to miners in the mountains miles 
 away. Hearty hymn-singing was indulged in whenever the 
 train stopped at these small villages, at one or two of which 
 specimens of the minerals of the district were given us. 
 Few churches or mission stations were to be seen ; the 
 people gladly listened to our hymn-singing; one of the 
 listeners said he had not heard a sermon preached for ten 
 years. Mr. Brown, of Toronto, got two cowboys to sign 
 their names, and showed me the signatures, which were 
 plain and well-written. Some of these young men have 
 been University students. One boy was very much pleased 
 at being shown a miniature British flag, and the lady who 
 had possession of it for the time being jokingly remarked 
 that he was to take off his hat whenever he again saw it ! We 
 lost ten hours by our different stoppages. A good Christian 
 Endeavour prayer- meeting was held before we retired for 
 the night ; and an interesting debate on the subject 
 of "Dancing" took place between some of the clergymen 
 and Dr. Martin. 
 
 JULY 7. 
 
 When I arose the train had reached Wadsworth, where 
 a brief stoppage was made. Truckee Valley was now 
 entered, green with the joy of exuberant Nature, which we 
 followed until Truckee City, iii the State of California, 
 was gained, where we realized that we had to climb the 
 second ridge of the continent. Some of the party sang 
 hymns at this station. Truckee is not only a pretty village, 
 nestling on the bosom of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, b.ut 
 it is the centre of a lake region, wherein abound some of the 
 most remarkable bodies of water to be found on the globe. 
 Fourteen miles towards the south is California's favourite 
 resort. Lake Tahoe. A little way west of Truckee, and 
 three miles from the road, is Donncr Lake, a beautiful 
 sheet of water, chiefly famous because of the tragic history 
 
\ 
 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
 \i 
 
 36 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 which is connected with it. In the winter of 1846-47, a 
 
 party of eighty-two emigrants, when on their way to 
 
 California, were overtaken by a snowstorm while encamped 
 
 on the shore of the lake, and of the number thirty-six 
 
 perished of starvatior,. A ghastly tale of cannibalism is 
 
 told of the survivors, and the whole tragedy is embalmed in 
 
 Bret Harte's novel of "Gabriel Conroy." 
 
 As the train proceeded up the mountain, the cold 
 
 increased until Cascade Station was reached. For miles 
 
 and miles snowsheds obstructed the view of very pretty 
 
 scenery. 
 
 A Psalm of Wait. 
 
 Tell me not, in mournful numbers, 
 
 This is but a wooden shed ; 
 For the sleepers in their slumbers 
 
 Know not what fine view 's ahead. 
 
 This is glorious, panoramic, 
 
 For Cape Horn 's to be our goal ; 
 Dashing sentiments dynamic 
 
 Surge and seethe within my soul. 
 
 Sign-boards that we pass remind us 
 We shall reach Cape Horn sometime, 
 
 Leaving these dull sheds behind us. 
 Whirling into views sublime ; 
 
 Views that our ignoble brother. 
 
 Snoring in his blanket blind, 
 Leaves to some more sprightly other 
 
 Of an enterprising mind. 
 
 Let us, then, be up and viewing. 
 
 Though our breakfast we've not ate ; 
 
 Mountain visions still pursuing, 
 
 Learn to squint through boards, and wait. 
 
 Here and there, as we whirled along, we caught glimpses 
 of the magnificent peaks and valleys of the highest Sierras. 
 Far down below us gleamed a swift cascade. Again, our 
 breaths would be drawn quickly at sight of a superb lake, 
 
 ■ujigymmnitmikiinM 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 27 
 
 or of a line of serrated summits, or of a glittering snow 
 field. We were told that there had been a snowstorm here 
 on the preceding night. 
 
 The train began to descend after leaving Cascade Station 
 or the Summit, and the most wonderful scenery presented 
 itself in the remainder of our journey. We passed 
 Emigrant Gap, through which the first gold-seekers found 
 their way into the golden valley, and American Canon, 
 along the dizzy edge of which the train ran at a free and 
 almost reckless pace. Farther on, the way was broken with 
 cascades, creeks, and beautiful canons. Below us was a 
 forest of pine trees, and chasm after chasm came into view 
 as the train ran towards Cape Horn, a perpendicular ledge 
 of rock, 2,000 feet high, that seems to have no substantial 
 support. The ledge is so precipitous that, in making the 
 track for the railway, it was necessary to lower the first 
 workmen by means of ropes, which were held fast at the 
 summit while the suspended men plied their picks and 
 crowbars until a footing was made. 
 
 After passing Cape Horn, the train sped over many a 
 mountain curve as it descended into the Sacramento Valley. 
 Near Colfax, we were met with a burst of sunshine that 
 filled every heart with gladness. The contrast between the 
 States of Nevada and California is very sudden and great. 
 Out of the arid plains, the road led rapidly to altitudes of 
 perpetual snow, and into forests of pine that cover the sides 
 of fearful precipices, the peaks of towering mountains and 
 the jaws of yawning chasms ; then it descended into a land 
 of perennial bloom, where the sun revivifies and forces into 
 fruitage orchards, vineyards, groves, gardens and fields, 
 making the land one of teeming plenty, of indescribable 
 beauty. 
 
 "Soft sunny skies smile a welcome, 
 Flowers on hillside and lea ; 
 All the land thrills with rejoicing 
 From the mountains to the sea." 
 
28 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 ii 
 
 IBI 
 
 i| 
 
 
 Many local Endeavourers gave us a warm reception both 
 at Colfax and Auburn, handing us fruit of all kinds, 
 luscious figs pear-shaped, peaches and plums, and beautiful 
 bouquets of flowers —yea, flowers of speech as well, in the 
 form of a beautiful poem in praise of the "Gateway 
 County," neatly printed on cardboard. But this cordial 
 welcome reached its climax at Sacramento, where the station 
 was brilliantly illuminated with coloured incandescent lights, 
 gracefully draped with the Convention colours —purple and 
 gold, and thronged by enthusiastic Christian Endeavourers. 
 
 " Welcome, welcome ! you're never too late 
 For a C.E. welcome to the Golden State !" 
 
 We could not doubt it. Many of the Reception Committee 
 boarded the train to shake hands with us, and flowers and 
 fruit were lavishly distributed. Then, a book full of spiendid 
 engravings, giving a brief account of Sacramento County, 
 was presented to each of us. We went out to the crowded 
 platform and engaged in friendly conversation with the 
 people there. I spoke to a gentleman who used to live in 
 Nova Scotia ; another asked if there were any delegates 
 from Ottawa ; so that it was soon ascertained that there 
 were a few Canadians amongst the people at this station. 
 Hymn-singing was at once started, and the national anthems 
 were vigorously rendered by the New Hampshire and 
 Canadian delegations. Towards the close of the singing of 
 "God Save the Queen," one of the Reception Committee, 
 a loyal British subject, who had accompanied us most 
 spiritedly, tore himself away overcome with emotion, 
 exclaiming in a husky voice to his young lady companion — 
 " I can stand this no longer ! " Out from the station at 
 length we sped amid a mighty cheer, with a feeling of regret 
 that our stay here was so short, and that we were unable to 
 have a more satisfactory look at the capital city and its 
 superb surroundings. Quite a number of the Reception 
 Committee went with us to San Francisco. 
 
THE OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 29 
 
 As we now approached the end of our long journey, a 
 "Farewell Meeting" was held, and. our excursion manager 
 and the coloured porter of the car received votes of thanks 
 for the able and courteous way in which they had done their 
 duty. Sacred hymns were sung, prayer was offered up, and 
 speeches were made. Dr. Martin, who had travelled for the 
 first time with a Christian Endeavour party, made a few 
 remarks expressive of the delight he had felt in mingling 
 with them, in the course of which he said : — *' I was never 
 so agreeably disappointed in my life. I expected to have a 
 dull and gloomy time ; instead, I have had the pleasantest 
 trip I ever had." The meeting closed with the singing of 
 «' God Re With You Till We Meet Again." 
 
 I should have mentioned that Miss McCammon, of 
 Gananoque, left the train at a small station near Auburn in 
 order to visit the grave of a friend. Miss Fraser. of Shake- 
 speare, was on her way to be married to a Canadian ; the 
 important ceremony took place a day after her arrival in 
 San Francisco, when she changed her name to Mrs. William 
 C. Patterson. 
 
 Our train was the last to reach Oakland Mole that 
 night. From this point we crossed the bay to San 
 Francisco in a spacious and charmingly-decorated ferry. 
 "Welcome" shown in great letters on one end, while the 
 other bore the conspicuous motto : — " Even the winds and 
 the waves obey Him." On our way to the Mechanics' 
 Pavilion by street-car for the purpose of registering, San 
 Francisco's brilliant streets at once caught the attention of 
 all. At almost every hundred feet wires were stretched 
 across the principal thoroughfares, and from these wires 
 fluttered thousands of flags, while on each side large curved 
 strips of purple and orange completed the arches. Half-way 
 down Market Street we passed under a splendid triumphal 
 marble arch, glowing with Convention colours and bearing 
 the significant motto :— " Maine, 1881— California, 1897." 
 Everywhere the purple and orange colours were displayed, in 
 
30 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 shields, hangings, draperies, banners, till the city seemed 
 glowing with poppies. We registered at the space assigned 
 to "Canada and Foreign Countries," where we received our 
 Convention programmes, badges, and several useful visitors 
 books. The Convention badge was a very handsome one— 
 a purple ribbon, bearing a circular golden medal, the whole 
 surmounted by the California bear. A bright set were the 
 messengen boys, with their purple hats and yellow hatbands, 
 and their feet ran willingly and swiftly on hundreds of 
 errands. One of them conducted me to the Girard House 
 at 142 Seventh Street, where I roomed during my stay in 
 San Francisco. It was very convenient to the main places 
 of meeting. 
 
 ADDITIONAL ITEMS OF INTEREST. 
 
 The Kentucky delegation, 240 strong, passed through a 
 severe storm among the mountains. Stones— loosened from 
 the steep mountain sides — came crashing through the 
 car windows, and blocked the track, so as to cause nearly a 
 day's delay. 
 
 By the timely warning of an old farmer, the train which 
 carried 500 delegates from the State of Oregon was stopped 
 before it reached a burning bridge and their lives were thus 
 preserved. They resolved themselves at once into an 
 Endeavour meeting, and gave thanks to God. A well-filled 
 purse was presented to the farmer, and a resolution of 
 gratitude passed to the conductor, engineers and trainmen 
 for their prompt action in the emergency. 
 
 A special train bearing 150 Endeavourers from Peoria, 
 Illinois, ran into a stock train on a siding at the small town 
 of Cody, near Akron, Colorado, and knocked three or four 
 cars all to pieces, killing a great many cattle. The engine 
 of the special train was completely destroyed ; the engineer 
 was killed, and several passengers were injured. 
 
 Another special train, with four cars containing about 
 150 Indiana Endeavourers and two cars filled with Ohio 
 
 L^^K^J.'.^ 
 
'■ 1 
 
 THE OUTWARIJ JOURNEY. 
 
 3» 
 
 delegates, was in a wreck at Vandalia, which resulted in the 
 death of a baggage agent and a mail clerk. Several cars 
 were badly smashed and a luiniber of the passengers were 
 bruised. This accident caused them to be three days late. 
 
 A telegram, bearing greetings from fouiteen or more 
 Wisconsin Endeavourers who had mf:c with a sad railway 
 accident near Chicago and h;. ' aimed their faces homeward, 
 was read by Secretary Haer at one of the Convention 
 meetings. It read :— " I)isa})pointed, but not cast down." 
 
 Section one of the Massachusetts excursion had to leave 
 behind in Colorado two of its elegant sleepers on account of 
 defective wheels, their former occupants being crowded into 
 one day coach, room being made for them at night in the 
 six remaining sleepers, which were already comfortably filled. 
 And no one was heard to murmur. That's Christianity. 
 
 A man committed suicide at Denver by throwing himself 
 in front of a train of empty excursion cars on their way to 
 the yard. What a difference between his view of life and 
 death and that of Christian Endeavourers ! 
 
 One of the Massachusetts delegates, Mr. Everson, of 
 North Abington, accidentally met his death whilst driving 
 through the " Garden of the Gods." Through his minislra- 
 tic is as chaplain of his car, he had endeared himself to his 
 fellow-passengers. 
 
 At Salt Lake City the first Christian Endeavour meeting 
 with the Chinese of the city was held. It will result in the 
 organization of a Chinese Christian Endeavour Society. 
 
 At Wadsworth, Nevada, where 300 Wisconsin delegates 
 held a service, a young woman came forward and asked 
 about the formation of a local union. The Kev. J. W. 
 Cochran, president, who was in command of the Wisconsin 
 party, took the names of all the young people at the station 
 who desired to join, and a society was promptly organized. 
 
 It is worthy of note that fifty long, crowded C.E. excur- 
 sion trains sped across the American ('ontinent to this 
 Convention without one smoking car ! 
 
T 1; 
 
 n 
 
 32 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 li\W ' 
 
 Think of it ! All the way from Ogden, JUtah, to Elko, 
 Nevada, there is not a single Church of Christ ; nor for ten 
 hours' journey in the other direction is there a Christian 
 pastor. One minister, the Rev. Mr. Donaldson, has a 
 parish of 143,000 square miles. 
 
 Not a few conversions were reported as the result of the 
 wayside meetings held by the many Christian Endeavour 
 excursion parties while travelling to San Francisco. 
 
 The President of the Elko, Nevada, Christian Endea- 
 vour Society, which is small and terribly isolated, said in a 
 letter to the officers of the United Society : — " Your passing 
 through here was something long to be remembered by the 
 Endeavourers of this place. The society here never 
 realized the extent of Christian Endeavour ; and if anyone 
 questions as to whether the Convention was worth the 
 money spent on it, just refer them to us." Thirteen mem- 
 bers of this society attended the Convention, and the 
 enthusiasm they brought back was quite equal to the 
 enthusiasm received from the visits of the flying hosts. 
 
 As late as noon on PViday, 9th July, reports were 
 received of nineteen delayed trains of Endeavourers on 
 their way from Ogden. 
 
 Sixty-one freight cars filled with Californ>,n Lint, on 
 account of the heavy passenger traffic on the railwci/ line, 
 were side-tracked at Sacramento, and could not proceed 
 Eastward till Friday, 9th July. Some of this fruit, it is safe 
 to say, would be in very bad condition when it reached its 
 destination. 
 
 At Terrace, a party of Mormons came from a settlement 
 twenty-five miles distant, purposely to hear the Endeavour 
 songs, with which the Wisconsin delegates entertained them 
 for hours. 
 
 One of the New York State delegations distributed 
 several hundred copies of religious papers in the small 
 Western towns through which they passed on their way to 
 San Francisco. 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 on 
 
 line, 
 )ceed 
 safe 
 [ its 
 
 lEFORE the Sixteenth International Convention 
 opened according to arrangement on Wednesday 
 evening, July 7th, an appealing telegram was 
 received from the passengers of one of the delayed trains :— 
 "Illinois, 800 strong, asks you to postpone the opening of 
 the Convention. Thirty- two trains behind us." But the 
 Convention had lasted all the way in the morning and 
 evening prayer-meetings that made a Bethel of every car. 
 It was not postponed. Though many of the speakers had 
 not arrived, their places were ably filled by others. The 
 topic chosen for the opening twenty-two addresses in 
 eleven churches of various denominations scattered widely 
 throughout San Francisco, Oakland, and Alameda, was— 
 "The Life Filled with the Spirit." More than 10,000 people 
 attended these services. Among the speakers were two 
 Canadian ministers— the Rev. Wm. Fitterson, of Toronto, 
 and the Rev. Robert Johnston, of London, Ontario. Here 
 is a quotation from Mr. Johnston's address : — " Into an old 
 lady's cottage in the Highlands of Scotland came on one 
 occasion a visitor who supposed herself unrecognized. She 
 spoke kindly words to the old body, and read to her a 
 portion of God's Word ; but when she rose to go the old 
 lady took the stool on which her visitor had sat and said : 
 * Your Majesty, no one shall more sit on this stool, unless 
 you should yourself deign again to visit my cottage.' It 
 was set apart for the Queen. O soul ! set your life apart 
 for your Lord, and not once or twice will He come to your 
 humble heart, but daily, hourly, ay continually. He will 
 occupy the seat that you reserve for Kim." Other speakers 
 were the Rev, Dr. Clark and several trustees of the United 
 Society. In all particulars, these opening services were a 
 power in their inspiration and spiritual refreshment. 
 
 ■an 
 
'Ifi 
 
 34 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 JULY 8. 
 
 I -'^i 
 
 y'r-i 
 
 There were nine early morning prayer-meetings ; but I 
 felt too tired to attend any of them. 
 
 I went to the forenoon meeting in the Mechanics' 
 Pavilion, where the Convention was opened, securing a 
 good seat. It was estimated that 10,000 persons were 
 present. The reporters' table extended nearly the full 
 length of the building. There were eight or nine lady 
 reporters. Before the advertised time of beginning, the 
 immense auditorium was filled ; and song after song, 
 voluntarily led by a New York delegate sitting near me, 
 carried the enthusiasm of the multitude to the highest 
 point. The selection of the Musical Director, Mr. A. M. 
 Benham, of Oakland, included "The Banner of the Cross" 
 and "There's a Royal Banner." 
 
 When President Clark rose to speak the opening words, 
 the vast audience voiced their honour and love with cheers 
 and the Chautauqua salute. Very fittingly he asked the 
 multitude to rise and read in unison Psalm CXXI. Then 
 the Rev. E. R. Dille, D.D., of San Francisco, the presiding 
 officer, was introduced, who at once called upon the Rev. 
 H. F. Shupe, of Dayton, Ohio, to conduct the devotional 
 exercises. Together the audience read for the morning 
 lesson Matthew 5: 1-12, and were led in prayer by Mr. 
 Shupe. After the Business Committee had been announced 
 by President Clark, a "Welcome Song," composed by Mr. 
 J. W. Dutton and set to the tune of '* Onward, Christian 
 Soldiers," was splendidly rendered by the choir. 
 
 The welcomes afterwards given were heartfelt, and the 
 responses felicitous. 
 
 Before introducing Mr. Rolla V. Watt to give the address 
 of welcome, the Rev. Dr. Dille said: — "Your presence is 
 an ans\yer to four years of prayer. All California is paying 
 homage to you. From Shasta, whose white clouds are 
 bursting in your honour, to sunny San Diego, we greet you." 
 
 A myriad handkerchiefs saluted Mr. Watt as he arose to 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 3S 
 
 e morning 
 
 speak. Everyone present appreciated the labour of love 
 which showed itself in all the appointments and prepara- 
 tions of the Convention, and all were delighted to honour 
 the Chairman of the Committee responsible for them. 
 
 Mr. Watt, in the course of a felicitously-worded address, 
 said in part : — " This morning our dreams are realized, our 
 hopes are fulfilled, our prayers are answered ; for we witness 
 the assembling of an International Christian Endeavour 
 Convention for the first time on the shores of the mighty 
 Pacific. God bless you ! We are glad you are here ; 
 welcome, thrice welcome. For a week past we have followed 
 you with our prayers over valley and plain and mountain, 
 from hamlet and village and city — from the rugged coast of 
 Maine and the cowpaths of Boston, from Liberty Hall and 
 the city on the Potomac, from Lookout Mountain and 
 Missionary Ridge, from the plains of Abraham and the 
 slopes of Mount Royal, from the Crescent City in the South 
 and the Windy City in the North, from the prairies and 
 great plains of the Middle West, from the Rockies and the 
 Selkirks, from the ranges of Texas and the forests of Wash- 
 ington, little streams of humanity from a thousand hillsides, 
 meeting at last in one great river, whose irresistible currents 
 swept on and on through the land of Mormon and the sage- 
 brush of Nevada to make glad the city by the Golden Gate. 
 . . . We welcome you, first and above all, for the sake 
 of our Master, whose banner of love is over all and whose 
 servants you are. He has said if we lift Him up He will 
 draw all men unto Himself; and just as we represent Him 
 in our thoughts, our words, our deeds, in our daily lives, so 
 men will see Him. He holds in His hands the solution of 
 all our problems- -social, political and spiritual. It is the 
 part of Christian Endeavour to take these proffered gifts 
 and offer them to mankind. . . . We welcome you for 
 your own sakes ; your buoyant enthusiasm, your thoughtful 
 earnestness, your calm determination, your intelligence, 
 your integrity, your sincerity, your consecration to a great 
 
i i 
 III 
 
 
 i 
 
 111 
 
 36 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 cause, command our admiration, beget our love, and make 
 us your willing servants We welcome you because of the 
 millions of young people devoted to good citizenship, Tem- 
 perance and righteousness whom you represent, . . . 
 In some of our towns saloons must have clear glass fronts, 
 and no screens ; in others, saloons are not permitted at all. 
 But in most cities in the West saloons occupy the chief 
 corners. ... A trip through Chinatown will soon 
 reveal to the dullest observer why the cry ' The Chinese 
 must go !' became almost universal ; but you will also find 
 that the Christian people were not deterred by popular 
 prejudice from doing their duty. And while here you will 
 doubtless visit the numerous missions maintained by the 
 various churches among the peoples from heathen countries. 
 A score or more of the converts of these missions to day 
 wear the white caps, with the purple band of our Reception 
 Committee. Hundreds of Chinese girls have been wrested 
 from the basest heathen slavery. There is no lack of oppor- 
 tunity here for missionary effort, and we ire glad this is to 
 be pre-eminently a Missionary Convention. . . . W-,ile 
 you are in our city I trust you will seek out the bright spots 
 rather than the dark ones ; ascertain for yourselves what we 
 are doing on the West coast along the lines you have chosen 
 for your activities. Note the evidences of material, moral 
 and religious progress, and, in so doing, remember that not 
 fifty years ago on this little peninsula Verba Buena was 
 christened San Francisco ; it was then scarcely a hamlet, 
 and was not incorporated into a town until three years 
 thereafter. . . . To Califoinia, to San Francisco, to our 
 homes and hearts, welcome, a thousand welcomes." 
 
 The Rev. John Hemphill, D.D., delivered the address 
 of welcome on behalf of the Golden Gate pastors. Here are 
 one or two sentences from it : — " Francis E. Clark — the 
 Peter the Hermit of the nineteenth century — has for several 
 years been going up and down our own land and other lands 
 preaching a far holier crusade, kindling the fires of Christian 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 37 
 
 zeal and love on the altar of young hearts ; and now, with a 
 few battalions of his mighty army, he has invaded California, 
 and we have surrendered unconditionally to him and to 
 them. Fellow-soldiers in the army of the Lord, we give you 
 the military salute. 
 
 ' We are not divided ; all one body we ; 
 One in hope and doctrine, one in charity." 
 
 . . . We invoke such showers of blessings upon you 
 that in the coming years the San Francisco Convention will 
 be referred to as the Pentecostal Convention." 
 
 Governor Budd could not be present, as had been 
 expected, to voice California's welcome, for he was then 
 engaged accompanying the Hon. William Jennings Bryan, 
 the defeated Presidential candidate, over the State on a 
 lecturing tour ; but the Lieutenant-Governor, Hon. William 
 T. Jeter, spoke brightly in his place. His cool, dry humour 
 and well-chosen words kept the audience in convulsions of 
 laughter. "I have become so accustomed," said he, "to 
 acting the part of a substitute in representing great and 
 small men, too, that sometimes I think when the final call 
 may come to some good man, he may not be entirely ready, 
 and may ask that I take his place. And if he is a very good 
 man, I am not certain that I would lose anything by the 
 operation." He made humorous reference to the slight 
 earthquake felt in San Francisco two weeks previous to the 
 Convention, and declared that it was California in convul- 
 sions of joy at the prospect of greeting the Endeavourers. 
 If any furiher events of the kind should occur, it would 
 simply be California's way of shaking hands with the 
 delegates. He concluded thus:— "I most cordially ask 
 you all to remain as long as your business at home will 
 permit ; make yourselves entirely at home anywhere within 
 this State. And when you are compelled to return home, 
 arrange your worldly affairs as quickly as possible, and bring 
 yourselves and your energies out here, where you can do 
 
38 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 ( -i 
 
 I I 
 
 ! 1 
 
 better work. We have broad valleys in the highest state of 
 cultivation, broad acres that are now in virgin wildness — 
 and our people are in much the same condition. We have 
 a large number of loyal-hearted, true and active Christian 
 people. We have a large number, the soil of whose hearts 
 may be in virgin wildness, but it is ready to receive moral 
 impressions, and it will not be long until you will have to 
 look to your laurels in the East, if you expect to outvie us 
 in the work of the Christian churches." 
 
 Mrs. Martin Schultz, soprano of the First Congrega- 
 tional Church of Oakland, accompanied on the piano by 
 Mr. Samuel D. Mayer, then sang with much sympathetic 
 effect Holden's " Praise the Lord, O My Soul." 
 
 *' \Ve a-c " -ng to be welcomed at Nashville, Tennessee, in 
 1898, "}■ \e Rev. Dr. Uille. "I want to taste the 
 welcome . ^ia' .jtate, and I hope it will not be so warm, 
 but more hospitable than some of the older of us met with 
 in Tenne^iCe ; : 186 ^t is, therefore, fitting that we should 
 be addressed by the Rj/. '.la. Landrith, of Tennessee, who 
 will respond to the welcomes that have been extended." 
 
 That gentleman responded in a very happy manner. 
 "To be compelled to spend in fifteen minutes of time all 
 the fortune of fervent appreciation with which he was 
 charged was," he said, "just a little too much to expect 
 of even the Prodigal Son." But he did it, and did it grandly, 
 though California's welcome had rendered " weak and puny 
 every gigantic adjective " he had recently appropriated for 
 the occasion from the agents of wheat-lands in Washington 
 and the owners of fruit farms in Oregon and California. 
 He asked them to watch the way they would use their gift 
 of hospitality through these days of duty and delight. He 
 is the worthiest guest who left a blessing in the home 
 where he is entertained, and in the name and for the sake 
 of their Master they would be worthy guests. 
 
 Three times did President Clark attempt the reading of 
 his annual report ; each time the cheers of the multitude 
 
 i -Hfc'C'jijIt ^ ^fii^ti ii' rj t ^ 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 39 
 
 prevented. Never before has he received such a demon- 
 stration of affection as the one given at this Convention. 
 When quiet was restored, he announced as his theme: — "A 
 World-Encircling Movement : How Shall It Fulfil God's 
 Design?" In the course of a lengthy, ably-prepared and 
 well-delivered address, he said; — "At the invitation of 
 friends, and in obedience to the call of God, as I believe, I 
 have, during the past year, been journeying in many lands, 
 among people who speak many tongues. These journeys 
 in behalf of Christian Endeavour have carried me more 
 than 40,000 miles, to more than a score of peoples, who 
 speak nearly as many languages. One factor I have found 
 constant in all these lands : I have found Christ an Endea- 
 vour principles everyw here the same. The same pledge, the 
 same consecration meeting, the same general lines of effort 
 for the Master, called Committee Work ; the utmost diversity 
 in unessential details; the utmost similarity of purpose in 
 essential principles. . . . The peoples whom I have 
 seen have been of diverse creeds and views of religious 
 truth. All, to be sure, have acknowledged the supremacy 
 of Jesus Christ as the very Son of God uid the only Saviour 
 of lost sinners ; all have accepted the Bible as the Word of 
 God, and the Holy Spirit as the Sanctifier, Comforter and 
 Guide : in such soil only can Christian Endeavour flourish. 
 But in minor particulars the creeds and forms of church 
 government of these hospitable hosts of our society differ 
 as widely as their complexions. The shade of tan on a 
 man's cheek does not make or unmake his manhood ; 
 the shade of his creed does not make or unmake his 
 Christianity. . . . Only one denomination still seeks to 
 prevent the increase of Christian Endeavour societies, and 
 that has introduced Christian Endeavour principles, and, 
 though we regret the absence of full fellowship, we are glad 
 of the extension of the ideas for which we stand— in that 
 we rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. . . . Our responsibility 
 to fulfil God's purpose increases with our growth. The 
 
II.. 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 ;• 
 
 I 
 
 
 ^i 
 
 II ! 
 
 !! I 
 
 M 
 
 ! M 
 
 ■ U 
 
 40 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 larger the movement, the more we conserve by our faithful- 
 ness, the more we wreck by our blindness or unfaithfulness 
 to God's design. Let me, then; try to answer this vital 
 question : How shall world-encircling Christian Endeavour 
 fulfil (}od's design ? First. A world-wide movement must 
 be true to its fundamental idea. . . . The fundamental 
 purpose of Christian Endeavour is to raise the standard 
 among young people of outspoken devotion and consecrated 
 service. This idea is embodied in our covenant pledge, 
 and this idea makes our covenant imperative in a Christian 
 Endeavour Society. . . . The whole history of the 
 movement shows the supreme honour which God bestows 
 upon uncompromising, unabashed, out and-out service. 
 Second. A world-encircling mo\:f.mcnt must 
 necessarily be a xi^ww^Q, movement. . . . It has brought 
 forty denominations together, so far as ecclesiastical authority 
 has not interfered, and bound their young people in blessed 
 bonds they have not before known ; later, it has forged a 
 link between forty nations that speak forty languages ; more 
 than all, it has woven new strands of Christian concord 
 between the four great English-speaking sections of the 
 world — the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia. 
 . . . The world-wide Christian Endeavour movement is 
 a new treaty of love and goodwill between millions of those 
 who speak the same language and who work by the same 
 methods for the same Lord. . . . Third. A world- 
 encircling movement must be a pervasive force. You have 
 shown this sign of universal adaptability, Christian Endea- 
 vourers, by entering into prisons and asylums, lighthouses 
 and life-saving stations, men-of-war and merchant vessels, 
 soldiers' barracks and factory lofts, as well as into all the 
 activities of church life. There is another place very near 
 home where your power and principles are felt, and where 
 they should be felt still more, and that is the weekly church 
 prayer-meeting. ... I hope to see the Senior Societies 
 multiplied tenfold the coming year. . . . Fourth. A 
 
 ij.. 
 
 •-3 . n M . . . 
 
r. 
 
 ' our faithful- 
 
 jnfailhfulness 
 
 ^'cr this vital 
 
 n Endeavour 
 
 wement must 
 
 fundamental 
 
 the standard 
 
 i consecrated 
 
 nant pledge, 
 
 1 a Christian 
 
 story of the 
 
 God bestows 
 
 o'it service. 
 
 venient must 
 
 t has brought 
 
 ical authority 
 
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 has forged a 
 
 uages; more 
 
 ian concord 
 
 tions of the 
 
 a, Australia. 
 
 novement is 
 
 ons of those 
 
 3y the same 
 
 A world- 
 
 You have 
 
 tian Endea- 
 
 lighthouses 
 
 ant vessels, 
 
 into all the 
 
 very near 
 
 and where 
 
 ekly church 
 
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 Fourth. A 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 
 
 4« 
 
 universal movement must be a sacrificial movement ; in its 
 very essence a missionary movement. Let us make more 
 determined individual effort this next year to obey our 
 Lord's last command to evangelize the world. . . . This 
 whole Convention, with its long preliminary journey, is a 
 lesson in patriotism and home missions ; and home 
 missions is another way of spelling patriotism. A student 
 in training, a catechist, a Bible woman, a pastor, a teacher, 
 a village school, a mission church at home or abroad— one 
 or all of these is within the giving power of almost every 
 Endeavourer to whom I speak. Have your representative 
 at work while you sleep. Work twenty-four hours a day for 
 God. ... I know of no way so good for Endeavourers 
 to make this thought a definite and tangible part of the new 
 Endeavour year as by joining the Tenth Legion. . . . Give 
 this through your own churches and your own missionary 
 boards. . . . Fifth. A world-encircling movement must 
 listen to God^s voice, and continually obey it. . . . The 
 Endeavourers of California, our hospitable hosts, have done 
 valiant work, as have many others, for the rescue of the 
 Sabbath from the hands of the enemies. These banners 
 we will always keep flying. No inch of ground once gained 
 will we carelessly surrender to the enemy. . . . Indeed, 
 we will press ever-advancing columns and take new 
 redoubts. Sabbath- breaking, the saloon curse, the gam- 
 bling den, the brothel, shall receive no quarter at the hands 
 of Christian Endeavourers. . . . Again and again we 
 need to come back to this fundamental thought : The 
 Christian Endeavour movement can only prosper as Christ 
 is in its members and its members are in Christ. ... A 
 life hid with Christ in God does not come by chance. We 
 must choose it, desire it, seek it. Let me, then, suggest 
 two definite practical ways in which it may be promoted: — 
 ist. In seeking this closer walk with God, give more 
 attention io family religion. . . . The Endeavourers of 
 America can, within the next decade, distinctly raise the 
 

 1 ; i 
 
 ' 1 > 
 
 42 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 tone of the religious life of the families of the nation. Why 
 not carry our Endeavour principles into the family? Pro- 
 mote family religion by making more of daily household 
 worship, and by having, at least once a week, family 
 Christian Endeavour worship, in which every member, even 
 to the lisping four-year-old, shall have some personal 
 participation. Let the children of Christian parents grow 
 up as confessing, outspoken disciples of Christ in the family ; 
 making their choice of Him very early, and never re- 
 membering the time when they did not love Him. . . . 
 2nd. Remember the morning watch. Set apart, religiously 
 and sacredly, at least fifteen minutes every morning to 
 communion with God. More imperative than any business 
 engagement, more sacred than any matter of family concern, 
 more important than eating or sleeping, make this daily 
 engagement with God. . . . ' Practice the presence of 
 God ' for at least fifteen minutes every morning, before the 
 day's cares distract yoiir mind, and you, like Moses, will be 
 able to endure 'as seeing Him who is invisible.' . . . Oh, 
 if a million Endeavourers every day for a year to come 
 would remember the quiet hour, the power of Christian 
 Endeavour with God and man would be multiplied a 
 hundredfold ! 
 
 The World for Christ. 
 
 The Nation for Christ. 
 
 The Family for Christ. 
 
 Myself for Christ. 
 
 That fourfold Christian Endeavour cord cannot be 
 broken. ' The world does not yet know what God can do 
 through a fully- consecrated man,' America's greatest 
 evangelist heard a passer-by on the street remark to another. 
 And that remark influenced, and in a way transformed, his 
 whole life. The world does not yet know what God can do 
 through a fully-consecrated organization. . . . We 
 have the infinite might of the infinite God to use. We have 
 Omnipotence to draw upon. ' Ask, and ye shall receive.' 
 
 Li 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 43 
 
 . . . O, Christian Endeavourers, there is a mine of 
 undiscovered wealth on the edge of which you are treading ! 
 There is a might inconceivable which you may have for the 
 asking. It is the treasure of the Spirit's abiding presence ; 
 it is the might of God's power, which He offers to the humble 
 and contrite heart. Will you take it ? Will you use it for 
 the coming of the Kingdom ? The seventeenth year of 
 Christian Endeavour, whose white, unwritten page we now 
 turn with the opening day of this Convention, will show how 
 you have answered this question." 
 
 The speaker was frequently interrupted by applause as 
 the audience responded to the sentiments of the address. 
 At its conclusion, a perfect storm of cheers and hand- 
 kerchief-waving was accorded him. 
 
 A song was rendered, and President Clark returned 
 hastily to the rostrum. " I have here," he said, waving 
 over his head a short shoe-hammer, " a tool that once 
 belonged to William Carey, the famous cobbler and 
 missionary of the eighteenth century. Carey was the man 
 who said : — ' My business is to preach the Gospel ; I mend 
 shoes to pay expenses.' Sydney Smith called him * the 
 consecrated cobbler.' I had intended to call the Conven- 
 tion to order with this hammer. It is not too late now. 
 You are now formally in session," concluded President 
 Clark, rapping the table as he spoke. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Dille then proposed three raps in honour 
 of the motto of the Endeavourers, the audience to wave 
 their handkerchiefs as each blow fell : — " The world for 
 Christ ; the nation for Christ ; myself for Christ," said the 
 presiding ofificer, and a sea of snowy white waved over the 
 vast building. 
 
 " I propose," said the Rev. Dr. James L. Hill, of Salem, 
 Mass., "three cheers for the Rev. Francis E. Clark and 
 Carey's hammer," and with hearty goodwill the multitude 
 responded. 
 
 When the Rev. Dr. Dille introduced the General Secre- 
 
fc! 
 
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 L,Lii.': 
 
 44 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 tary, Mr. John Willis Baer, as a ** composite figure of the 
 Christian Endeavour workers," the Convention reciprocated 
 the sentiment with a magnificent welcome to this tireless 
 officer. 
 
 In a somewhat hoarse voice, Secretary Baer read his 
 annual report, from which the following is extracted : — 
 " Christian Endeavour—A River. . . . Since last we met, 
 this great current has been swelled by 5,000 new societies 
 . . . The world-wide enrolment is now 50,747 local 
 societies, with a total membership of 3,000,000. . . . 
 Pennsylvania still leads with 3,443 local societies ; Ontario 
 stands fifth, with 1,783. These figures do not include the 
 Junior, Intermediate, or other societies. . . . Pennsyl- 
 vania still leads with 1,397 Junior Societies. . . . The 
 Junior badge banner for the largest gain during the year 
 passes from Pennsylvania, v/hich has held it for three years, 
 to Ohio. The other Junior badge banner for the greatest 
 proportionate increase in number of Junior Societies passes 
 from Mexico to Spain. . . . Strange history we are 
 writing. . . . There are now 366 Intermediate Societies ; 
 California leads with 51. . . . Already the Mothers 
 
 Societies number 70 ; Illinois leads with 30. 
 
 L. 
 
 all, 27 churches have announced that they have organized 
 their regular midweek prayer meeting into Senior Societies 
 by applying the Christian Endeavour idea. . . . England 
 has 3,925 societies ; Australia, 2,124 ; Scotland, 433 ; Wales, 
 311; India, 250; Ireland, 169; Madagascar, 93; France, 
 68; Mexico, 100; Japan, 66; West Indies, 63; Turkey, 
 41 ; China, 53 ; Africa, 52 ; Germany, 32 ; and so on 
 through a long list, with a total of 7,919 societies. In 
 addition, all Canada has 3,390 societies. The badge 
 banner for the greatest proportionate increase in number of 
 societies, now held by Scotland, will fall into the hands of 
 the loyal Endeavourers on the Emerald Isle. And the 
 other banner given for the largest absolute gain in total 
 number of societies is for the fourth consecutive year held 
 
INENT. 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 
 
 45 
 
 losite figure of the 
 :ntion reciprocated 
 me to this tireless 
 
 iry Baer read his 
 ig is extracted :— 
 Since last we met, 
 ooo new societies 
 now 50,747 local 
 ,000,000. 
 societies ; Ontario 
 
 not include the 
 . . . Pennsyl- 
 
 es. . . . The 
 
 1 during the year 
 1 it for three years, 
 ;r for the greatest 
 Dr Societies passes 
 
 history we are 
 mediate Societies ; 
 idy the Mothers 
 30. . . . L. 
 have organized 
 Senior Societies 
 . . . England 
 land, 433 ; Wales, 
 car, 93 ; France, 
 lies, 63 ; Turkey, 
 32 ; and so on 
 J19 societies. In 
 es. The badge 
 ;ase in number of 
 nto the hands of 
 Isle. And the 
 ute gain in total 
 ecutive year held 
 
 ! 
 
 by England. ... In the United States the Presby- 
 terians lead, in the number of societies, with a total of 
 5,531 ; in Canada, the Methodists lead with 1,062 societies; 
 in Great Britain, the Congregationalists are in the van with 
 1, 216 societies; under the Southern Cross, in Australasia, the 
 Wesleyan Methodist societies are the most numerous. . . . 
 Upon the Missionary Roll of Honour are the names of 10,468 
 Christian Endeavour societies that have given nearly $200,000 
 to missions through their own denominational missionary 
 boards. . . . The largest gift reported by any one 
 society is the $1,437.01 of the Clarendon Street Baptist 
 Society of Boston. The Calvary Presbyterian Church of 
 Buffalo is second, with $1,016.85. And we must take off 
 our hats to a Chinese society here in San Francisco, the one 
 in the Chinese Congregational Mission ; it stands third, 
 having given nearly $700 to its own denominational 
 missionary board, and is supporting six missionaries in the 
 field. . . . Philadelphia gained the banner given to the 
 city union that has reported the largest increas in the 
 number of societies. . . . The banner for good citizen- 
 ship passes from Cleveland to Indianapolis, for successful 
 and very practical work in stopping Sunday baseball, 
 Sunday theatres, Sunday saloons, and for suppressing 
 obscene literature. . . . California has secured the Lord's 
 Day banner which was offered at Washington by the Rev. 
 Dr. Crafts, of the Rtform Bureau. . . . This means 
 that California Christian Endeavourers, under the leader- 
 ship of their secretary, Mr. Francis W. Reid, have mapped 
 out a campaign which promises a better day for the Pacific 
 Coast, and their aggressive methods should be a stimulus to 
 every State in the Union. . . . The Tenth Legion, but 
 three months old, now numbers over 1,600 members. It 
 was the New York City Union that first conceived this plan, 
 and she again secures the banner for the largest number of 
 members who give proportionately not less than one-tenth 
 of their income to God. . . . During eleven months 
 
m 
 
 1 1 
 
 M ' ' 
 
 I'll 
 
 11 
 
 46 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 25,264 of the Juniors have joined the Church; from the 
 Young People's Societies, 187,125 — in all, 213,389. What a 
 ransomed host ! What a blessed testimony to God's grace 
 and proof of fidelity to His Church ! . . . Verily, the 
 river of Christian Endeavour is one of the streams that make 
 glad the city of our God, for God Himself is the fountain 
 from which it must flow. May it be to this busy world ' a 
 pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of 
 the throne of God and of the T.aml) ' ! " 
 
 Mayor Phelan, of San Francisco, having entered the 
 hall, was presented for a few words of welcome. He said 
 that a great compliment had been paid to San Francisco, 
 and she had opened wide her doors and thrown away 
 the key. 
 
 Secretary Baer then read a message from President 
 McKinley, sending his greetings to the Convention, dated 
 June 24th, and a telegram, just received, of date July 7th. 
 The telegram was worded as follows : — '* Executive Mansion, 
 July 7, 1897. My best personal wishes for the success of 
 the Convention. William McKinley." 
 
 This message was received with hearty applause, and the 
 entire audience rose to vote a suitable reply. 
 
 The Rev. Chas. A. Dickinson, of Boston, now presented 
 the banner won by Ireland. He said he felt within him a 
 sort of internecine strife in transferring this banner from 
 Scotland to Ireland, for one side of his family tree reached 
 back to the shamrock and the other to the thistle. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Patterson, of Toronto, who was about to 
 sail for Belfast, received the banner. He said that there 
 was no country that Scotland would rather give the banner 
 to than Ireland, for the first Scotchman was an Irishman ! 
 He declared that Belfast was building a ship that in 1900 
 will carry 4,000 Endeavourers from Ireland to the London 
 International Christian iMidtavour Convention. 
 
 The Rev. W. H. Vogler, of Indianapolis, presented the 
 Junior badge banner to Spain ; but there was no one present 
 
 
 lii»4»i«t«i 
 
NENT. 
 
 'hurch ; from the 
 2i3>389- What a 
 ny to God's grace 
 . . Verily, the 
 itreams that make 
 If is the fountain 
 is busy world ' a 
 proceeding out of 
 
 t'ing entered the 
 come. He said 
 ) San Francisco, 
 id thrown away 
 
 from President 
 onvention, dated 
 •f date July 7th. 
 ecutive Mansion, 
 ■ the success of 
 
 aplause, and the 
 
 now presented 
 
 2lt within him a 
 
 is banner from 
 
 ly tree reached 
 
 istle. 
 
 10 was about to 
 said that there 
 ^ive the banner 
 
 an Irishman ! 
 p that in 1900 
 to the London 
 )n. 
 
 presented the 
 10 one present 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 
 
 47 
 
 to receive it, so it was forwarded to the C. E. headquarters 
 there. 
 
 The Rev. George F. Pentecost pronounced the benedic- 
 tion, and this most enthusiastic opening meeting came to 
 an end. 
 
 Another meeting took place at the same time in Wood- 
 ward's Pavilion. 
 
 When the meeting was over in the Mechanics' Pavilion, 
 I took a leisure survey of the vast interior of this, the chief 
 place of meeting. It presented a scene of animation. The 
 bright faces and jaunty yachting caps of the hundreds of 
 young people who formed the Reception Committee were 
 conspicuous as they flitted to and fro, upstairs and down- 
 stairs, directing and helping the visitors. A few carpenters 
 were still busy putting the finishing touches to their work ; 
 and an army of women on stools and ladders, their arrffs 
 piled with bunting, was scattered through the County Head- 
 quarters. An eager, inquiring, jostling, elbDwing and 
 baggage-laden throng of newly-arrived delegates completed 
 the picture. 
 
 The Convention Hall was the largest Christian En- 
 deavourers have ever known, and it was one wondrous 
 blaze of colour. It was a revelation in the art of decoration. 
 The galleries were festooned in purple and golden yellow, 
 wreaths of flowers and evergreens were hung across the hall, 
 and from the ceiling were pendent light creations suggestive 
 of fairy baskets. Over every entrance to the auditorium 
 thick double curtains in the Endeavour colours, and bearing 
 the Endeavour monogram, were placed. 
 
 The State and County Headquarters, the rest and 
 conversation room, the missionary and floating society 
 exhibits and the maze of other apartments, lined both sides 
 of the main auditorium. The rest and conversation room 
 was a novel and most thoroughly appreciated feature. One 
 hundred tables were placed in the centre of the room, on 
 
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 5 
 
 
 
 ■ )!■ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ii i 
 
 I 
 
 tlHi 
 
 jIM 
 
 
 48 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 which were pen and ink, and immense amounts of paper 
 and envelopes were given away free to delegates during the 
 Convention. This room was softly carpeted, and was 
 adorned with beautiful pictures. At one end of it free 
 stereopticon exhibitions of California scenery were given on 
 one or two afternoons between Convention meetings. On 
 the opposite side of the building was the California State 
 Headquarters, which was the gem of all the displays. 
 Entrance was had beneath beautiful white arches, modelled 
 after the style of the old missions, and the beauty that met 
 the eye was bewildering. Photographs and paintings of 
 entrancing scenes, specimens of rich cereals, tropical fruits 
 of all kinds, object-lessons— a myriad of them — as to 
 California's fruitfulness and splendour, thronged on every side. 
 These headquarters occupied a space 50 feet wide by 350 
 feet long. The general decorations cost $800 ; with special 
 features, this sum was increased to $1,000. A space 23 by 
 60 feet was devoted to missions. The display within was 
 entirely devoted to showing how Christian work has developed 
 along the lines of different denominations from early days. 
 A committee of Christian Chinese and Japanese ladies were 
 there to receive the visitors. Next in point of attraction was 
 the Alameda County's Quarters, which were extremely 
 picturesque. Here, besides pamphlets, fruit and flowers 
 were given to the delegates in large quantities at intervals. 
 At the Los Angeles County booth lemonade was occasionally 
 served to thirsty visitors, carloads of lemons and sugar 
 having been presented by the Los Angeles Chamber of 
 Commerce and the Chino Sugar Refinery. Interest was 
 shown in the display of the Floating Society, the principal 
 feature of which was a model full- rigged ship twenty feet 
 long. But all the booths were well displayed and very 
 interesting ; I spent a most delightful hour amongst them. 
 Immediately facing the main entrance were the San 
 Francisco newspaper booths, a laundry office, and a post- 
 office ; and to the right a ladies' hat and cloak room, and 
 
 hi' 
 
 U. 
 
JENT. 
 
 mounts of paper 
 
 egates during the 
 
 ■peted, and was 
 
 i end of it free 
 
 ery were given on 
 
 n meetings. On 
 
 California State 
 
 all the displays. 
 
 arches, modelled 
 
 beauty that met 
 
 and paintings of 
 
 lis, tropical fruits 
 
 of them — as to 
 
 ged on every side. 
 
 feet wide by 350 
 
 Boo ; with special 
 
 . A space 23 by 
 
 isplay within was 
 
 )rk has developed 
 
 from early days. 
 
 mese ladies were 
 
 of attraction was 
 
 were extremely 
 
 uit and flowers 
 
 lies at intervals. 
 
 was occasionally 
 
 ions and sugar 
 
 es Chamber of 
 
 Interest was 
 
 ty, the principal 
 
 ship twenty feet 
 
 ayed and very 
 
 amongst them, 
 
 were the San 
 
 ce, and a post- 
 
 loak room, and 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 49 
 
 on the left the telegraph and telephone headquarters. A 
 dainty apartment was fitted up near the entrance by the 
 Children's Hospital, known as the "Emergency Hospital." 
 In it were two beds in spotless white, a supply of emergency 
 instruments and drugs, and two nurses in hospital attire. 
 This was indeed a model Convention Hall ; the Union 
 
 .^^ 
 
 m^inef.-^' 
 
 WnfTTERl 
 
 ?fcii!i1. ,'. 
 
 wL e LOhnimonwi 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 SI 
 
 i9M1S 
 
 i 
 
 
 '■nM »^« 
 
 Mechanics' rAviLiON, 
 
 Jack and the Stars and Stripes were entwined above chc 
 main entrance. 
 
 The following will partially serve as an indication of the 
 souvetiirs distributed at the booths and elsewhere : — Ten 
 thousand beautifully- illustrated books of Sacramento 
 County were given to delegates 3 the same number of 
 
' i 
 
 so 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 books were distributed by the Glenn County Endeavourers ; 
 8,000 books, by the Fresno young people ; 3,000 redwood 
 bark pincushions, by the Tulare County Endeavourers ; 
 small-sized redwood shingles, by the Humboldt Endea- 
 vourers ; fancy books, illustrating the beauties of the county, 
 by the San Joaquin Endeavourers. 
 
 In the afternoon, I was present at a most enthusiastic 
 and well-attended rally of the Canadian Presbyterians in 
 the Howard Church, corner of Oak and Baker Streets. 
 The meeting-place was well filled by representatives from 
 all over the Dominion— from Nova Scotia to British 
 Columbia. The Rev. J. S. Conning, of Caledonia, pre- 
 sided, and gave a good opening address. Thoughtful 
 addresses were also delivered by the Revs. James Cormack, 
 of Maxwell, on "The Extension of Christian Endeavour"; 
 John Chisholm, of Dunbarton, on "The Assembly's Plan 
 of Study " ; A. Gandier, of Halifax, on Mr. Chisholm's 
 topic; William Patterson, of Toronto, on "The Value of 
 Junior Endeavour Societies"; and Robert Johnston, of 
 London, on "The Best Way to Interest Our Young Men." 
 Mr. Johnston said that the training in the home must be 
 strictly attended to. They must magnify the heroic in 
 religion. It is easy to reach the young men in childhood. 
 Christ appealed to the heroic in them. A committee of 
 five — consisting of four ministers and myself — was appointed 
 by the meeting to draw up a resolution thanking the General 
 Assembly for the interest it was taking in the work of the 
 Young People's Societies of Christian Endeavour. 
 
 In the evening, I went to the meeting in the Mechanics' 
 Pavilion. So great was the multitude that sought to enter 
 this building that three overflow meetings were successfully 
 carried on ; upwards of 2,000 people were present at the 
 overflow meeting held in front of this chief meeting place. 
 Within the immense auditorium the themes discussed were— 
 "Christian Endeavour v. The Saloon" and "Christian 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 51 
 
 Endeavour and Civic Righteousness." The atmosphere 
 was charged with true Christian Endeavour ; the respon- 
 siveness of the audience was marked. The praise service 
 began at 7.30, under the direction of E. D. Crandall, of 
 Alameda. After the choir had rendered a beautiful anthem, 
 the Chairman, the Rev. Robert F. Coyle, D.I)., of Oak- 
 land, introduced the Rev. Ezra Tinker, D.D., of Wilmington, 
 Del., to conduct the devotional exercises. Dr. Tinker 
 read Ephesians 6; 10-17, ^^^ offered a fervent prayer, 
 closing with the Lord's Prayer, in which the vast company 
 joined with one voice. 
 
 Secretary Baer, bubbling over with excitement and good 
 cheer, made announcements concerning the overflow 
 meetings amidst the heartiest applause ; and, at his request, 
 the Rev. W. H. G. Temple, of Seattle, invoked God's 
 blessing upon the Wisconsin delegates who were injured 
 near Chicago. 
 
 The Chairman then introduced the first speaker, the 
 Rev. Howard H. Russell, LL. D., of Columbus, Ohio. 
 
 In the course of an eloquent and earnest address, Dr. 
 Russell said :— " The hour has come for the pastors of all 
 our churches everywhere to lead forth their people to-day 
 against a more baneful foe than that of 1776 or 1861— the 
 Saloon ; which slays more men every year than fell upon 
 both sides during the Revolution, and every five years than 
 fell upon both sides during the awful carnage of the 
 Rebellion. ... As our English cousins, like Glad- 
 stone, now approve American Independence, and our 
 Southern brethren, like Grady and Gordon, endorse the 
 results of Emancipation, so likewise all the world, including 
 the liquor-dealers themselves, will, in the coming century, 
 applaud the triumphs of Christian Endeavour versus The 
 Saloon. . . . All Endeavourers agree the saloon is an 
 arch-evil. All agree we must meet organization with 
 organization. The saloon conspiracy must be overmatched 
 with an anti-saloon combination. I shall, I am sure, have 
 
P" 
 
 ii 
 
 Si 
 
 r :i.^ 
 
 '1' 
 
 in 
 
 '4181 i, 
 
 rtjMi h 
 
 I 11 
 
 »1 ■ 
 
 52 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 your quick assent that the churches— provided a proper 
 method be proposed — are the most available and logical 
 forces to federate for this conflict. It would be a profitable 
 hour, if we had time, to consult upon this point the Church's 
 chart and compass, the Bible. Take one citation ol 
 authority— I. John 3 : 8. The Apostle John was a Con- 
 servative, but he knew the errand of the Gospel : ' For this 
 purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might 
 destroy the works of the Devil.' And there can therefore 
 be no better King's business for the Church of Jesus Christ 
 than to destroy this most desolating work of the Devil — the 
 drunkard-making, heart-breaking, home-blasting, soul- 
 damning, hell-crowding Saloon. The Churches have all 
 declared war— ujion paper. . . . Christian anathema 
 must be succeeded by Christian Endeavour versus The 
 Saloon. . . . We have been waiting as Christians for 
 the proposal of a tangible method, and our brethren of the 
 churches in some localities have at last found such a 
 method. They have named this timely and effective 
 federation of the Churches and Temperance organizations, 
 'The Anti-Saloon League.'" Here an outline of the work 
 and methods of the league was given. It had four depart- 
 ments. "The first, and the most important for many years 
 to come, is the ' Agitation Department ' Through the 
 agency of systematic and aggressive agitation by tongue and 
 pen and printing-press we seek the most rapid improvement 
 of the general public sentiment which it is possible to 
 attain. . . . The Anti-Saloon League is a public- 
 opinion-building society. . . . The second department 
 is the ' Enforcement Department.' In this department we 
 seek the enforcement of all existing laws and restric- 
 tive regulations. The saloon-keeper is a chronic and 
 ubiquitous law-breaker. . . . The league believes in 
 the wedge principle. . . . If we cannot get the whole 
 loaf, or the whole baking, we will take a slice, or a crust, or 
 a crumb, and we will nourish the cause on half rations 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 53 
 
 /es in 
 
 whole 
 
 [list, or 
 
 rations 
 
 while we fight on for a full meal. . . . The third 
 department is the ' Legislative Department.' This means 
 the careful and systematic effort to hold all present 
 ordinances and statutes and the securing of better enact- 
 ments. . . The Anti-Saloon League organizes within 
 the dominant political parties, whatever they may be, and 
 holds its pre- primaries, and gets out the vote to the 
 primaries, and defeats bad men, and nominates and elects 
 good ones to all the offices possible. . . . The fourth 
 is the 'Financial Department.' This Home Mission work 
 is made one of the regular benevolences of all our 
 churches. . . . Li 1896 over $8,000 were raised in one 
 State. . . . The money raised [)rovides for the employ- 
 ment of reputable, scholarly, college bred men to carry on 
 the work. ... Of the fourteen field men engaged in 
 Ohio last year nine were ministers, called from the pastorate 
 to this Church Temperance work. Twenty-two persons 
 were employed to give their whole time in the headquarters' 
 offices and the field. The results thus far of this Church 
 combination and activity are most encouraging." The 
 speaker told of the re-election by the league's aid of thirty- 
 six legislators in Ohio who voted for the Local Option Bill of 
 1894 ; of the defeat of twenty who voted against it ; of the 
 denunciation of Governor Stephens, of Missouri, for 
 appointing a beer brewer as Police Commissioner of St. 
 Louis, and of Governor Drake, of Iowa, for legalizing the 
 return of breweries and distilleries to that State ; of the 
 passing by the two last Legislatures of four laws in the 
 interest of Temperance, and of the reduction of more than 
 2,600 saloons in one State in four years. He concluded by 
 saying: — "I beg you, one and all, to gather close about 
 me to-night, and let us covenant, as did the brave clans of 
 old. Let us revive that oath, with a change of a word or 
 two, which William Lloyd Garrison wrote and printed in 
 the first copy of his 'Liberator.' And let us take it and 
 make it to-night our solemn and mutual declaration, and 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 t' 
 
 }! 
 
 ll 
 
 
 : ! 
 
 ■i 
 
 i 1 
 
 ■ hI 
 
 54 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 then let us go forward together upon the united, persistent, 
 and, please (lod, victorious conflict of Christian Endeavour 
 against the Saloon : — 
 
 ' I swear, while life-blood warms my throbbing veins, 
 
 Still to oppose and thwart, with heart and hand, 
 Rum's desolating sway, till grogshop chains 
 
 Are burst, and Freedom rules the rescued land. 
 Trampling Oppression and his iron rod : 
 Such is the vow I take, so help me God !' " 
 
 After this address, Mr. Robert Husband and Miss 
 Josephine Patterson sang in splendid style " Saved by 
 Grace," the audience insisting on the repetition of one 
 verse. 
 
 The banner for the be^*. progress during the year in 
 promoting Christian citizenship was fittingly presented at 
 this stage, the Rev. Howard K. Grose, of T/ie Watchman, 
 Boston, making the address. The banner was not handed 
 over in reality, as it was then in the bottom of a trunk which 
 had not been delivered to its owner, like many other trunks 
 of the Christian Endeavourers. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan, of the Indianapolis Union, made a neat 
 speech in response. Later on he received the banner to 
 take home ; but it did not reach its destination, for Mr. 
 Buchanan with his wife and two sons were on board the 
 steamer City of Mexico, which was sunk off Devil's Rock, 
 Alaska, on August 5th. After a thrilling experience, the 
 passengers were safely landed at the village of Metlakahtla, 
 where they remained for three days, and were taken off the 
 island by a passing steamer ; but Mr. Buchanan's trunk, 
 with the banner, was lost somewhere in the Northern Pacific. 
 A new banner was made for the United Society. 
 
 The subject, "Christian Endeavour and Civic Righteous- 
 ness," was ably treated by the second speaker, the Rev. 
 Cortland Myers, of Brooklyn, who lifted his audience to 
 sublime heights of consecrated patriotism with his strong 
 convictions, uncompromising attitude and fervid oratory. 
 
 M\ 
 
 H ■ 
 i-.'iiii 
 
THK CONVENTION. 
 
 55 
 
 The words that the speaker uttered that will probably be 
 longest remembered were to this effect : — "During the last 
 national campaign I raised my voice for patriotism and 
 righteousness, and exerted my influence and spent my 
 money wherever I thought I could accomplish anything in 
 that direction. I was offered money and the company of a 
 United States Congressman if I would give two months of 
 my time to stumping the country. But I want to say before 
 you all to-night, and may the gates of Heaven open and the 
 angels bear me witness, that I will never aga'n— no, never — 
 raise my voice, use my pen or exert my influence in behalf 
 of any man or combination that is not unalterably opposed 
 to the Saloon, and determined to see its destruction." He 
 held up in strong light those who shirked the duty of 
 suffrage, and declared the man to be a traitor who remained 
 away from the polls. He called for a combined effort on the 
 part of the Endeavourers to drive demagogues from politics, 
 and asked that the motto of every American should be 
 "America for Christ." 
 
 The benediction was pronounced by the Rev. Dr. Laverty, 
 of Los Angeles. 
 
 Two valuable addresses furnished the backbone of a 
 strong meeting at Woodward's Pavilion. One was delivered 
 by the Rev. Dr. Pentecost, who took as his subject — 
 "Christian Endeavour and Good Literature." The other 
 address was by the Rev. Josiah Strong, author of "Our 
 Country," and General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance. 
 His main purpose was to urge a plan by which the young 
 people could, in every town and country district, organize 
 Christian citizenship leagues, primarily for the shrewd and 
 thorough distribution of educative literature, and partly for 
 rapid protests against bad bills and strong commendation of 
 good ones. The banner won by California by her splendid 
 campaign in defence of the Sabbath was handed over to 
 the man who organized the victory, Francis W. Reid, a 
 
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 if ,. 
 
 56 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 Hi 
 
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 M,v 
 
 ill 
 
 Canadian by birlh and California's brilliant State secretary. 
 The weather was cool that night. 
 
 JULY 9. 
 
 There were nine early morning prayer meetings, a 
 meeting for Bible study and a Chalk Talk ; but I felt too 
 tired to attend any of these meetings. 
 
 I was present at the forenoon meeting in the Mechanics' 
 Pavilion. The delegates were somewhat slow in assembling ; 
 the auditorium was net half filled when Mr. Robert Hus- 
 band, the musical director, at 9.30, began the praise service, 
 but it gradually filled. For fifteen minutes the building 
 rang with the grand hymns in praise of Him in whose name 
 the delegates had gathered. The presiding officer was Mr. 
 H. J. McCoy, General Secretary of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association of San Francisco. In opening the 
 session, Mr. McCoy referred to his first coming to San 
 Francisco sixteen years before, and said : — " Since that time, 
 the young Christian workers of this great city have been 
 instrumental in erecting the handsomest building of its kind 
 in the West. It is a mistake to think there are no Christian 
 young men in ian Francisco. The city is full of them, and 
 more are coming into the fold each day." The devotional 
 exercises were conducted by the Rev. W. K. Spencer, of 
 Adrian, Michigan. He read Psalm CXXII., and offered 
 prayer. 
 
 Under " Aggressive Work," the first speaker introduced 
 was Mr. George W Coleman, of T/ie Golden Rule, Boston, 
 who set forth the advantages of the Intermediate Society for 
 boys and girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in 
 churches where there is a large company of young people. 
 " From the earliest days," he said, " since little children 
 were first welcomed into the Church, it has been an ever- 
 growing problem how to so lead their lives that their foot- 
 steps might never be turned from the paths of peace and 
 righteousness. Thank God, Christian Endeavour has come 
 
THE CONVENTION. 57 
 
 to solve that problem, and now the Intermediate Society 
 can be applied to stop the last great leak. . . . The 
 child in his progress from the Junior Society to the Inter- 
 mediate, and from that to the regular C.E., finally reaches 
 the point where, with all the power of a tremendously 
 accumulated force, he is ready for meml)ership and active 
 services in the Senior Society, which is the Church itself." 
 
 The Rev Joseph W. Cochran, of Madison, Wisconsin, 
 continued the general subject of aggressive work by telling very 
 effectively of "Christian Endeavour Extension in Country 
 Districts." Here are a few« striking sentences from his 
 address: — " The life-blood of this nation is purified in the 
 country. Farms are the lungs of the nation, and, if the 
 lung-power be weak, the whole body politic is weak. The 
 bravest and noblest souls that ever threw themselves into 
 the thick of God's battles were those that came up from the 
 country— the little towns and villages, the farms. Some 
 spirits are there given time to sink knee-dee[) in Nature, to 
 worship in the groves— God's first temples — to enter into the 
 mysteries of upbringing life all about them — these are the 
 spirits that can tell the rarest lessons to us who have been 
 long in cities pent. When God found time in our day to set 
 a fire blazing in the hearts of the youth, that might run 
 around this wide world as the prairie fire runs before the 
 gale. He did not roll together the logs of the great city 
 churches to make the fire, but He used the kindling that He 
 found in one little rocky portion of the nation ; and with the 
 little twigs of Williston, He truly set the forests of Endeavour 
 blazing. . . . Bus-loads of Christian Endeavourers 
 ought to go out into the neglected portions, hold their 
 picnics and lawn conferences on Saturday afternoons, then 
 leave their best leaders there for the Sunday meetings. 
 . . . I wonder whether we shall ever have an ' Exten- 
 sion Day,' in which we shall all leave our city unions and go 
 out into the highways and byways ? . . . So let us go on 
 to claim the country districts ' for Christ and the Church.' " 
 
58 
 
 ACROSS THT': AMKRICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 
 ' (I 
 
 :^1 
 
 ; :; 
 
 
 It was a pleasant surprise to the audience wlien Fong 
 Sing, by special refjuest, rendered "Christ Died For All." 
 His voice— a deep, rich baritone reached every nook and 
 corner of the big building, and so delighted were the listeners 
 that the great Chinese Christian worker was compelled to 
 repeat the song. 
 
 The Rev. Jee Gam, another Celestial of more than ordin- 
 ary repute, was formally introduced to the assemblage by 
 Secretary IJaer. The famous Chinaman, clad in the costume 
 of his country, bowed twice to the great throng. 
 
 'I'he second division in the thought of the morning was 
 "The Essentials of a Model Christian Endeavour Society." 
 
 The first address was very fittingly upon "The IMedgs." 
 This was forcefully presented by the Rev. C. I.. Powell, 
 D.D., of Louisville, Kentucky. He made a strong plea for 
 a closer adherence to the pledge, which he called the medulla 
 of Christian Endeavour, and showed that an injury to it 
 meant death— not sleep — to the society. The address was 
 full of anatomical comparisons. Dr. Powell called Christ 
 the heart of the pledge, and said that, to keep Christ safe in 
 the heart, the pledge must be kept in His strength. " He 
 filled with the life of Christ," he said, " and do as you please ; 
 for you can but please to do the things He would like to have 
 you do." 
 
 After the Knickerbocker Quartette had rendered in fine 
 style a selection entitled " I Am Wandering Down," 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Temple, of Seattle, Washington, delivered 
 a bright and pointed address upon "Committee \Vork." 
 He declared that if there was one thing that the Christian 
 Endeavour Society strives to manifest in its committee 
 work it is that Christianity is not a sentiment, but a reality. 
 There are people who think they can sing themselves into 
 everlasting bliss; but, if they neglect committee work, they 
 may wake up to find that it is only everlasting blister. The 
 best way to save a boy from the Devil is to set him to work. 
 " Unless we can go into this committee work with a complete 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 59 
 
 spirit of service," he said, " our work will become merely 
 perfunctory ; and after a young man becomes perfunctory, 
 he generally becomes defunctory." 
 
 The Chinese Quartette rendered a hymn in splendid 
 style ; after which. 
 
 The closing address was delivered by the Rev. Robert 
 Johnston, of London, Ontario. This was the first time I 
 listened to this gifted pastor, and I was thoroughly delighted 
 with his address. Indeed, no more elo(|uent and telling 
 addresses than his were delivered at this Convention. His 
 topic was— " The Monthly Consecration Meeting." Here 
 are a few of his [)ithy sentences : " It is heart- power, rather 
 than head-power, that moves this world. Whitfield's mighty 
 and magnetic influence did not lie in his thrilling oratory, nor 
 in his marvellous voice, so much as it lay in his power of 
 sympathy and love. It was because the great preacher's own 
 soul wept for the souls of men that he made thousands 
 around him weep under his piercing Gospel utterances. 
 . , . It is the power of heart, rather than power 
 of head, that leads the great movements of the world. 
 . . . As it is in the individual, so it is in the society. 
 The consecration meeting is called the heart of Christian 
 Endeavour. ... I volunteer to say that while we 
 talk of poor equipments, poor methods, too many of us 
 would fail to look at the spot where failure must begin, 
 and where in nine cases out of ten the cause for failure 
 rests— the heart of the society, the consecration meet- 
 ing. If the consecration meeting is true, if the hearts are 
 there, in sincerity and earnestness made over to the disposal 
 of Christ the King, then whatever our equipment, our 
 numbers, our methods, success will be ours. . . . What 
 is the meaning of the consecration meeting? Sixty years 
 ago, a week or two past, our gracious Queen, a girl of eighteen, 
 left her home and took her way to Westminster Abbey, 
 whence so many sovereigns had preceded her, to be crowned. 
 She was met by the multitudes, and presented to them 
 

 tf 
 
 
 60 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 as their rightful and legal sovereign. And as the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury placed the crown on the girl's head, every 
 peer and peeress doffed their coronets in token that the 
 Queen had come ; and then they advanced one by one, and 
 spoke their words of allegiance : — ' I do become your liege 
 man of life and limb and of earthly worship and faith, and 
 truth I bear to you against all manner of foe, so to live and 
 die.' It was a handing-over of their possessions ; a handing- 
 over of themselves ; a handing- over of their loyalty to her 
 whom they called their Queen. So it seems to me the conse- 
 cration meeting is the gathering where the hearts who know 
 Christ Jesus come together, openly and publicly, to lay them- 
 selves at the disposal of their Lord. ... I want to see 
 the party that can put hands on me, and that can use me. 
 . . . Life and limb and liberty, and all that I am and 
 have, Christ, are thine, to be used by thee. That is the 
 meaning ofthe consecration meeting. . . . The Christian 
 life is not a complete thing anywhere between the Cross 
 and the Crown ; but it is a growing and extending thing, and 
 so, month by month, we come together, having learned more 
 of ourselves, more of our brothers, more of the byways of 
 this wicked world in which we live, and we give ourselves 
 again to be Christ's, and His only, in every avenue of life ; 
 and wherever He is, His Providence will reach us. . . . 
 The monthly consecration meeting strikes the keynote of 
 our lives, and we take it up and carry it on and on. . . . 
 Magnify the Spirit and give prominence to the remembrance 
 of Jesus Christ. The secret, the keyword, of consecration is 
 in remembrance. The mightiest consecration meeting this 
 world knows is in all our churches when, in obedience to the 
 command of our risen Lord, wegather around thecommunion- 
 table, and there, in the token of His body and blood, we 
 remember Him — remember what He has done for us. 
 . . . O! that with yonder glorious throng— ay, better 
 than that— O ! that here and now, O ! that in these closing 
 days of the nineteenth century, by reason of the giving-over 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 6l 
 
 of ourselves to Christ, O ! that here we might join the 
 glorious throng, and crown Him, in this glad and beautiful 
 world, here and now, ere we die, Lord, Lord of all." 
 
 The benediction was pronounced by Bishop Arnett. 
 
 At this meeting, it was intimated that 20,000 Convention 
 programmes had been given away, and that there were no 
 more left. 
 
 A good meeting v/as also held that forenoon in Woodward's 
 Pavilion ; but the hall was only about half filled. 
 
 I attended the Christian Citizenship Committee Con- 
 ference, which lasted from 2 to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. It 
 was held in the Y. M.C.A. auditorium. Before this meeting 
 began, I was kindly shown over this splendid building, valued 
 at nearly half-a-million dollars. It is one of the largest and 
 most complete buildings of the kind anywhere, is thoroughly 
 equipped, handsomely furnished, and supplied with all 
 modern conveniences. The membership now numbers nearly 
 1,300, and the building is a beehive ofactivity night and day. 
 The Rev. Wm. E. Davis, Lebanon, N.J., superintendent of 
 the Christian Citizenship Department of the New Jersey 
 State Union, conducted the conference. The first speaker 
 was the Rev. A. A. Murphy, of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church of New Brunswick, N.J. His theme was — "The 
 Rights and Privileges of Christianity." He emphasized the 
 thought that loyalty to God embraced loyalty to Government, 
 basing his declaration on the words of inspiration — "Render 
 unto God the things that are God's, and unto C?esar the 
 things that are Caesar's." The next speaker was the Rev. G. 
 R. W. Scott, D.D.. of Massachusetts. His subject was — 
 "The American Spirit." It was a forcible presentation of 
 the spirit that animated the Pilgrim Fathers and the early 
 settlers, which must be perpetuated by the present generation 
 in order to preserve and improve American institutions. 
 Unrestricted Emigration, Bossism and Indifferentism are 
 the foes most to be feared. The third speaker was the Rev. 
 
 rif: 
 
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 *i 
 
 
62 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 Samuel Fallows, of Chicago, Bishop of the Reformed Epis- 
 copal Church. His theme was—" The Loyalty of the Adopted 
 Sens of America." He said that they had no place in 
 their country for those who were not Americans through 
 and through. There must be a reign of the common people 
 in the country. Christian Endeavour means to set its face 
 against all monopolies that grow at the expense of the com- 
 mon people. Christian Citizenship means that each one 
 should say: — "I am a man, and there is nothing that 
 pertains to humanity that is foreign to me." These speeches 
 took up nearly all the allotted time ; only twenty minutes 
 were devoted to the general conference, which, however, 
 was entered into with much spirit, five or six speakers show- 
 ing that in various parts of the land much had been done in 
 the way of suppressing vice in every form. Sunday baseball, 
 immoral literature, unlicensed saloons, Sunday theatres and 
 brothels were the evils at which efforts had been directed, 
 and in many instances these had been successful. 
 
 At the Prayer- Meeting Committee Conference, nearly all 
 of the 400 people present took part. 
 
 One of the pleasant features of the Temperance Com- 
 mittee Conference was the presence of a Hawaiian delegate, 
 who told of the signers' pledge in the new island republic. 
 
 Altogether, seventeen committee conferences were held 
 that afternoon. 
 
 A good conception of the strong ocean breezes frequently 
 prevailing here during the afternoons and evenings was had 
 as I enjoyed a street- car ride to the main entrance to the 
 Golden Gate Park. It was then so windy that my hat was 
 blown off, notwithstanding careful watching. 
 
 I returned in time to attend the evening meeting in the 
 Mechanics' Pavilion. It seemed as though everybody had 
 anticipated the great rush for seats at this meeting. An 
 hour after the doors opened every available spot was occupied 
 by enthusiastic Endeavourers. At 7 o'clock immense crowds 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 63 
 
 were turned away to five large overflow meetings. From 
 this time on that was the rule ; and hall committee, ushers 
 and Convention officers had their hands more than full. 
 
 This was International Night. Yellow-skinned Chinese 
 were represented among the speakers by the side of their late 
 enemy, the little brown men of Japan. With the coal-black 
 representative of Southern India, the fair maidens from 
 England and Scotland, the sunburnt Australian and the 
 frozen Alaskan— the white, the black, the red, the yellow 
 and the brown— all gave their personal testimony to the 
 universality of the work of Christian Endeavour. From the 
 time of the singing of "The Home Land" to the pronoun- 
 cing of the benediction there was a sense of kinship pervading 
 the whole assemblage that made everyone feel that on earth, 
 as well as in Heaven, there was no colour line drawn. 
 
 President Clark was in the chair, and began the meeting 
 a little ahead of the advertised time. When the crowd had 
 collected in sufficient numbers Mr. j. M. Robinson, of 
 Oakland, musical director, started the praise service, which 
 lasted for nearly an hour. During this pleasing service, the 
 director, by special request, sang '* The Home Land " with 
 much acceptance, repeating the last verse in response to an 
 encore. The devotional exercises were conducted by the 
 Rev. Sydney Gulick, Osaka, Japan. He read Ephesians 
 6 : 10-16, and offered up an earnest prayer. 
 
 The first speaker introduced was the Rev. K. Inazawa, 
 Japan. On account of his queer delivery I was unable to 
 make out what he said ; but, as reported, he told how 
 Christianity had opened the doors of Japan and brought 
 her out of her seclusion until now the hand of the Old 
 World was joined with the New, and the dominion of the 
 Supreme Master had advanced with the progress of 
 civilization. (Christianity was slowly yet steadily gaining 
 ground in the Sunrise Empire, and was acting as a rising 
 force to push back the bar of isolation. 
 
 In introducing the next speaker. President Clark said : — 
 
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 64 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 " A few weeks ago when I was in Indit, 'Everywhere I went 
 I saw that the Spirit of God had been in that place, working 
 very largely through the instrumentality of a certain evan- 
 gelist whom God had raised up and greatly blessed in his 
 work among the churches. This evangelist, I am delighted 
 to tell you, we have with us to-night, the Tamil Evangelist 
 David, as he is familiarly known, our representative from 
 India." 
 
 This speaker was received with prolonged cheering and 
 the Chautauqua salute. He spoke of his early work in the 
 ministry in India at first ; then, further on, said : — *' Just two 
 years ago, when I dwelt upon this all-important subject, 'the 
 life more abundant,' the Lord raised many, many thousands 
 of souls among Christians. Within three months of our work 
 there 10,000 people were converted ; and out of those 10,000, 
 thirty- six evangelists without any money, voluntary workers, 
 started to go anywhere and everywhere for the Lord." 
 
 The Rev. Jee Gam, of China, who followed, was the 
 only speaker who did not appear in European costume; 
 he was dressed in Oriental garb, queue and all. He pled 
 for a deeper interest in his own dearly-loved land. He 
 said that in China Christian ideas were rapidly tearing 
 down the ignorant conservatism that found expression 
 thousands of years ago in the famous wall that was built 
 around the country. 
 
 Miss Harriet Green, an earnest-faced Quaker from 
 England, spoke for the Endeavourers of Great Britain. 
 She said the Mother Country had watched with pride, 
 and perhaps a little envy, the growth of the Christian 
 Endeavour Society in America. "The mother is always 
 slower than the children," she said. '* It certainly is so 
 with England. While the Englishman is thinking what he 
 will do, the American has already done it." She made a 
 strong appeal for further work among the countries lying in 
 heathen darkness, and showed how grave was the need of 
 help in China, India and Africa. 
 
lilt 
 
 in 
 of 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 65 
 
 Dr. B. K. Wilbur, of Alaska, spoke of the great need 
 of missionary work in the territory in which he lives. He 
 said that Alaska was a neglected country, and urged Endea- 
 vourers in the United States to give all the assistance 
 possible to him and his fellow-workers. 
 
 The Rev. J. S. Conning, editor of The Endeavour 
 Herald^ was introduced as the representative from Canada, 
 and the Chautauqua salute was given twice before he could 
 begin his address. He spoke rapidly and fluently, and was 
 repeatedly interrupted with applause. He greeted the 
 audience in the name of 200,000 Canadian Christian 
 Endeavourers. He gave vent to a patriotic utterance 
 regarding the Queen, and at the mention of her name the 
 audience rose and cheered. He was proud that his land 
 was President Clark's birthplace. "If the United States," 
 said he, " can point to Williston Church, Canada can point 
 to Cherry Cottage ; and we would rather have the cottage." 
 Canada had the largest society of Christian Endeavour in 
 the world. 
 
 At the close of his excellent patriotic address, the choir 
 began the opening lines of "God Save the Queen," which 
 was taken up heartily by the audience. One verse was 
 sung, and then the first verse of "My Country, Tis of 
 Thee," and both were rendered in excellent style and 
 perfect unison. 
 
 Mr. L. A. Dickey, a young lawyer from Hawaii, repre- 
 sented the sea-girt isles. After deliveri. g a brief address, 
 he introduced Mr. D. L. jJaone, a native Hawaiian and 
 the first president of the first Christian Endeavour Society 
 established there. This gentleman sang a Hawaiian song, 
 which was received with great applause, and then gave the 
 Hawaiian greeting— ** Aloha Oe Oko." 
 
 Australia's representative, the Rev. Silas Mead, was next 
 introduced. He told of the progress of Christian Endea- 
 vour work in Australasia. He said that societies were 
 increasing rapidly and accomplishing a great deal of good. 
 
66 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 President Clark regretted the absence of Mr. Robert 
 Somerville, who was to have spoken for Scotland. But as 
 he presented Mr. Somerville's sister, the audience accorded 
 her the Chautauqua salute, which she acknowledged with a 
 modest bow, but declined to speak. 
 
 As a pleasant and appropriate conclusion to the fellow- 
 ship greetings and the international symposium, "America" 
 and ' ' God Save the Queen " were heartily sung by the 
 "multitude. 
 
 The Rev. Russell H. Conwell, of Philadelphia, was to 
 have given the closing address, but he could not be present. 
 President Clark introduced as his substitute the person who 
 is behind "Nashville, '98," the Rev. Ira Landrith, who 
 delivered an address that for wit and sturdy common sense 
 it would be hard to surpass. 
 
 Mr. Landrith said that his city had just entertained from 
 50,000 to 75,000 strangers, and had done it well. It could 
 do it again. He told the story of a dog that climbed a tree 
 because a bear was after him. " But a dog can't climb s. 
 tree." *' Ah ! but that dog had to'' On this principle Mr. 
 Landrith knew he couldn't take Mr. Conwell's place ; but 
 a Baer was after him, and he had to! He told about an 
 eminent Southern Methodist minister who, deploring the 
 Epworth League separation from Christian Endeavour, said : 
 — " Our mistake was that we did not stop to remember that 
 great reforms must be accomplished by great multitudes ; 
 and that Christian Endeavour, with the co-operation of 
 Methodists and others, would %oon have been a power, as 
 by-andby it must be without us, which will be so tremen- 
 dous as to be irresistible." Here are a few more sentences 
 from Mr. Landrith's speech:— "Let us elevate the ballot- 
 box until people will not smile, but hiss, when the suggestion 
 is made that an American citizen is ever for sale. . . . 
 I believe Christian Endeavour ought to stand for good laws 
 and the enforcement of them. . . . To Chicago we owe 
 some good things, because, after all, some goo4 things can 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 67 
 
 come out of Nazareth. To Chicago we owe this new 
 definition of a dude : — * He is the unimportant appendage 
 to the damp end of a cigarette.' " He said that Christians 
 had prayed for years that they might be brought closer to 
 one another, and at last had discovered that the object 
 could be reached by all drawing closer to God. 
 
 After Mr. Landrith's address, the audience sang — " Blest 
 Be the Tie that Binds." 
 
 The Mizpah benediction brought this very profitable and 
 inspiring session to a close. 
 
 That same evening a splendid meeting was held in 
 Woodward's Pavilion, where the banner was presented by 
 the Rev. Canon J. B. Richardson, of London, Ontario, to 
 Philadelphia, for the best work in promoting fellowship by 
 organizing the largest number of Christian Endeavour 
 societies. 
 
 Overflow meetings were also held in the Oddfellows* 
 Hall, the First Congregational Church, the Calvary Presby- 
 terian Church, the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and a great outdoor meeting in front of the Mechanics' 
 
 Pavilion. 
 
 JULY 10. 
 
 The Convention was fortunate in securing as lecturer for 
 its daily Bible study Professor Herbert L. Willett, of 
 Chicago. Large audiences greeted Mr. Willett at each 
 session, and much interest was manifested in the addresses, 
 four in number, all delivered in the Central M. E. Church 
 at 8.30 a.m., on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. 
 I attended this morning's lecture. The topic was :— 
 •* Philippians : A Message of Joy in the Midst of Adversity." 
 It was an excellent exposition. 
 
 I was also present at the forenoon meeting in the 
 Mechanics' Pavilion. Two features which entered into the 
 great success of this session were the varied and practical 
 character of the programme and the genius of the presiding 
 
68 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 officer. The Pavilion was crowded. The Chairman was the 
 Rev. James L. Hill, D.D., of Salem, Mass. He was most 
 happy in his pithy introductions and in his direction of the 
 symposia. Mr. W. C. Stadtfeld, of San Francisco, had 
 charge of the musical parts of the programme, and the 
 singing was spirited. The Rev. Dwight C. Hanna, of 
 Springfield, Illinois, conducted the devotional exercises with 
 psalm and pra^ r. 
 
 The first speaker was Mr. Giles Kellogg, of San Diego, 
 California, whose topic was— " The Floating Societies of 
 Christian Endeavour." He made a clear and helpful 
 presentation of the work of these societies. He said that 
 England had 500,000 men of the merchant ships alone 
 passing to and fro over the globe. There was a chance 
 here for the spread of the Kingdom that they did not fully 
 realize. Would they of the inland hold the hands of those 
 who were standing for the Lord in the port service? he 
 asked, in closing. 
 
 Dr. Blakesley Little and his sister. Miss Little, of Palo 
 Alto, California, sang the duet— "Whiter than Snow." 
 This was so much enjoyed that they repeated it. 
 
 Then followed one of the most interesting half-hours of 
 the whole Convention, in which the State Secretaries spoke 
 in symposium upon the topic—" How Can We. Make the 
 Committee Work in Our Local Societies More Effective ? " 
 The following are the main thoughts of the different speakers : 
 — " Plan to do the work, and plan to see to it that Jesus 
 Christ is the foundation of it all, because you love Him, and 
 then your work will be well done. " " Strongly emphasize 
 the thought that no work is unimportant that has God back 
 of it." *' The questions sent to each society to be answered 
 and returned to the State Secretary give an idea of what 
 should be done by the committees, and serve as an impetus 
 for better work for the Master." " Open and close the 
 committee meetings always with prayer." A Vermont 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 69 
 
 secretary said that each County Convention offered a banner 
 for the Ijcst set of monthly committee reports from any 
 society within its borders, and that the State Convention 
 offered a banner to the local union that presented the best 
 set of written reports from any society within its bounds. 
 "Emphasize the executive committee meeting," said Pro- 
 fessor Amos R. Wells. " A society without regular executive 
 committee meetings is like a train without a schedule." 
 
 Miss Lida Clinch sang " Jerusalem " with fine effect, 
 and the audience responded to the rendition with hearty 
 applause. 
 
 The Chairman emphasized the importance of the work 
 which the trustees of the United Society were doing, and 
 the value of the suggestions that they might offer. As he 
 introduced these leaders in Christian Endeavour, each trustee 
 was given the Chautauqua salute. 
 
 Practical Suggestions by the Trustees. 
 
 Rev. William Patterson, of Toronto : "Christian En- 
 deavourers, I think it is essential to have a leader who will 
 announce the hymns, and any portion of Scripture that may 
 be read, so that all can hear. In our societies there is 
 another thought— that we ought to open the meeting and 
 close the meeting on time. One thing we have found very 
 helpful, and that is to have an intermission, and to have 
 that ten minutes before the meeting closed. And in large 
 districts, have the society meet on a week-night. Have that 
 night as sacr(-d as the weekly prayer- meeting; let nothing 
 interfere with it. Have a young man as president ; a 
 young lady as vice-president. " 
 
 Rev. W. H. McMillan, D.D., of Allegheny : " I think 
 the Prayer-Meeting Committee has a great deal to do in the 
 direction of encouraging the timid ones, giving them sug- 
 gestions as to some part that they might take ; and, when 
 they are persuaded to come forward to the discharge of their 
 duty, give them a word of encouragement." 
 
' ■!! 
 
 70 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 I m\i 
 
 Rev. M. Rhodes, D.D.,of St. Louis : "I think that one 
 of the very effective things of our great movement is the 
 power of testimony. It is God's ordination that the voice of 
 testimony to His existence shall never cease to be heard 
 throughout the whole world." 
 
 Bishop Samuel Fallows, D.D., of Chicago : "Simply 
 try to keep as sweet as possible in all the work of Christian 
 Endeavour, and take as your motto, ' To provoke to love 
 and good works.'" 
 
 Rev. W. J. rJarby, D.D., of Evansville, Ind. : "Give 
 unceasing attention to the circulation of good literature- 
 literature that is solid, pure, wholesome, uplifting and inspir- 
 ing—literature that will enter into your own nature for solid 
 results, and will furnish you a solid foundation on which to 
 build a Christian character." 
 
 Rev. E. R. Dille, of San Francisco : " You have poured 
 a mighty torrent here, like Niagara and the Mississippi and 
 the St. Lawrence, enough to start a great dynamo of enthu- 
 siasm. And the practical suggestion I have is. What good is 
 a dynamo unless it is hitched on to something ? I trust that 
 this great consecration which begins in this grand Convention 
 is not to end here, but that this mighty power is to be 
 hitched on to all our activities. . . . Let this enthusiasm 
 be carried out into every department of church life and 
 work." 
 
 Rev. M. M. Binford, of Richmond, Ind.: "Christian 
 Endeavour has succeeded in abolishing two things— First, 
 the idea that all good children die young ; second, the kind 
 of piety that made good children die young. It has substi- 
 tuted for that conception of Christian life a recognition of the 
 fact that young people can be as sincere, and that their 
 religious capacities are as great, as those of older people. 
 . . . Christian Endeavour has succeeded in abolishing 
 the narrowness of religious life. ... It has also been 
 effective with us in the Church in the intensifying of the 
 missionary zeal." 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 n 
 
 Bishop B. W. Arnett, VVilberforce, Ohio : " I have only 
 this suggestion to offer you as Christian Endeavourers. First, 
 let us be true to our Bible. Second, let us inculcate denomi- 
 national loyalty. Third, let us have personal consecration 
 to the great work that is before us." 
 
 When the Chairman presented President Clark, the mul- 
 titude arose ^« masse to greet him. He said :- -" We ought 
 to pray for the open ear, the open eye, and the open mind, so 
 that the very best things that come along shall be grasped by 
 us for the development of our society. Two things I would 
 say : First, keep out of ruts. There are new developments 
 every year ; better ways of doing old things, better ways of 
 keeping our society's life fresh ; and it may be a better way 
 simply because it is a new way and has not been tried one 
 thousand times before. Try some of the new committees. 
 . . . Another thing is this : Not only keep out of the rutis, 
 but keep in the ruts. . . . The principles of Christian 
 Endeavour we can never depart from safely. The idea 
 involved in our covenants, in our pledge, in our consecration 
 meetings— these things are absolutely essential to a Christian 
 Endeavour Society. . . . In all my experience of sixteen 
 years I have never known a society to fail, except some that 
 have been destroyed by ecclesiastical authority, that lived up 
 to the prayer-meeting pledge. . . . Keep to the pledge. 
 Make every effort to live up to the pledge and the consecra- 
 tion meeting, and you will succeed. . . . Keep in the 
 ruts in regard to fundamental principles." 
 
 At this point Dr. Hill introduced a feature which proved 
 to be fruitful in suggestion. He first asked those persons in 
 the company who were connected with the Sunday School, 
 either as pupils or as teachers or as committee workers, to 
 rise, and the majority of the audience stood up. " That is a 
 beautiful sight," he remarked. Then he called upon all those 
 who were interested in missionary work to stand, and nearly 
 the entire audience responded. "That is good — we are 
 rising," he said. " Now, we want to h' r from anyone who 
 
•J2 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 #•»'■ 
 
 has a thought to contribute to the good of the society. 
 . . . Give us your methods that have been most effective 
 in your own society. Speak right up, anybody.' 
 
 Thirty-seven delegates took part promptly in the very 
 interesting open parliament which followed, telling principally 
 how money was raised in their societies for home and foreign 
 missionary purposes ; a few also spoke about the work being 
 done along Temperance lines and kindred themes. 
 
 After a delegate had spoken about the efforts made by 
 his society against the saloons and in gaining converts to 
 total abstinence, the Chairman said:— "Right here I want 
 to ask that as many persons as are committed in their 
 personal lives to abstinence from intoxicants, and so far as 
 they have opportunity are working individually and through 
 their societies against the saloon, will manifest it by rising." 
 Again nearly the entire audience stood up; perhaps a 
 hundred or so retained their seats. A man in the seat in 
 front of me sat still with bowed head. 
 
 I was much pleased at the taking of this vote and the 
 very hearty response ; I did net expect to see so many stand 
 up. May God bless all these Christian Temperance workers 
 in all their efforts to reform ! 
 
 That Dr. Hill might see the persons who rose in this 
 bright open parliament, he insisted on their giving him the 
 Chautauqua salute. This they sometimes did with con- 
 siderable vigour before catching his eye. 
 
 The treasurer of the United Society, Mr. William Shaw, 
 then gave an address on "The United Society of Christian 
 Endeavour: What It Is, and How It Works," in which he 
 cleared away many misconceptions regarding the office and 
 practical value of this society. •' The United Society," 
 he said, "is a providential development of the Christian 
 Endeavour movement. It came not by the will of man, but 
 by the purpose of God. ... As the knowledge of the 
 success attending the work of the first societies was spread 
 abroad by newspaper reports, and in other ways, requests for 
 
THE CONVENTION. 73 
 
 information came by the score, and then by the hundreds, 
 to Dr. Clark and others ofthe early friends of the movement, 
 and leaflets and letters were sent in reply, at their own 
 expense. They were all busy men, and the burden of 
 correspondence became so great that they were unable to 
 bear it longer. So, in 1885, the United Society of Christian 
 Endeavour was incorporated under the laws of the State of 
 Maine, and the next year its headquarters were established in 
 Boston, and the society was incorporated under the laws of 
 Massachusetts. . . . The purpose of the corporation is 
 ' to promote earnest Christianity amongst the young people, 
 and to make them more useful in the service of God.' . . . 
 The expenses of the United Society have ranged from $2,000 
 to $18,000 a-year. The average for the last eight years has 
 been about $13,000. The first four years the funds were 
 furnished by the voluntary contribution of the societies and 
 friends of the cause, but from the beginning the trustees had 
 for their ideal a self-supporting organization. This ideal was 
 realized in 1889, and since that date the United Society has 
 received no contributions from local societies or unions. 
 Through the co-operation and help of The Golden Rule^ a 
 printing department was opened ; and by the receipts from 
 this department, and the sale of our badges and other 
 publications, we have been able to meet all our expenses. 
 . . . What have been some of the fruits of the twelve 
 years of work performed by the United Society ? In 1885 
 there were reported 253 societies; 1886, 850; 1887, 2,314; 
 1888,4,879; 1889, 7,672; 1890, 11,013; 1891, 16,274; 1892, 
 21,080; 1893, 26,284; 1894, 33,720; 1895, 41,229; 1896, 
 46,125 ; 1897, 50,700, with a membership of 3,000,000. In 
 1885 the movement was confined almost wholly to the 
 Eastern States ; to-day it belts the globe. Then only a few 
 of the denominations were represented ; to-day more than 
 forly are included in our fellowship." 
 
 The session closed one-half hour earlier than usual that 
 the delegates might attend the open-air demonstrations on 
 
 BKI 
 
74 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 if 
 
 I 
 
 ■{ 
 
 jR 
 
 
 
 3' 
 
 Van Ner.s Avenue in the interest of ptatriotism. At Dr. 
 Hill's request the audience left the Pavilion singing ** At the 
 Cross," carrying the words and melody into the streets and 
 avenues adjoining. The effect was striking. 
 
 "Christian Endeavour enthusiasm welled up and bub- 
 bled over at the meeting at Woodward's Pavilion that 
 morning," so said a San Francisco newspaper. The session 
 was a very profitable one. The Mother's Society was ably 
 advocated by President Bickford, of Maine. The State 
 Presidents had a good time over their symposium on interest- 
 ing the pastors and churches in the organization of Junior 
 and Intermediate societies. 
 
 The open air patriotic meetings on the broad Van Ness 
 Avenue were {jrand sucatDses ; many thousands swarmed 
 around the four low .stands, each of which was a square 
 apart and decked with Convention colours. But whilst 
 these meetings were taking place I was kept busy for about five 
 or six hours lookiiig ,\fter a valise which was checked through 
 in Toronto. Hundreds ov delegates were similarly employed. 
 Piles of trunks ant' valises awaited identification at the 
 diflerent baggage oflices, but particularly at the cfifice at the 
 fooi of Market Street, where the Soulhern Pacific Railway 
 handed the bnggage over to the Pacific Transfer Company 
 as it arrived. Th?s company had a task of unusual magni- 
 tude to find the owners of the ba)7t;age and deliver it to 
 them. For this purpose it employed other express com- 
 panies as well PS draymen and private expressmen, who 
 were kept working night und day blocking and listing and 
 delivering the baggage. One cause of delay in delivery was 
 due to the travelling public. In many cases passengers lost 
 their checks, and in others they were robbed of them. In 
 such cases, when the baggage could be identified by its 
 owners, it was handed over to them. The delivery of the 
 baggage was the most annoying feature of the whole Conven- 
 tion ; the traffic greatly exceeded the calculations of the 
 
 .rMT 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 75 
 
 railway authorities. I found half-a-dozen of the Canadians 
 looking after their baggage at the same time as myself, and 
 finding it after considerable trouble. After a long and 
 anxious search, I at length espied my valise, got the check 
 taken off, and carried it to my room, much relieved. 
 
 In the evening I was present at the Canadian Rally in 
 the Westminster Presbyterian Church, which was filled with 
 the Endeavourers and friends, quite a number of whom 
 belonged to San Francisco and neighbouring cities. The 
 Canadian delegates present numbered 208. It was a 
 splendid rally. Four excellent speeches were made. The 
 Rev. A. Clandier, of Halifax, spoke for the Maritime Union ; 
 the Rev. C.W. Finch, of Cookstown, for Quebec ; the Rev. 
 Robert Johnston, of London, for Ontario ; and the Rev. 
 Mr. Dodds, of Ross'and, for Hritish Columbia and the 
 Northwest. Each address was appropriate, bright and pithy. 
 High-class music, rendered by some of the San Francisco 
 entertainers, helped to vary the programme. At the close, 
 icecream and cakes were served to the guests, and a very 
 happy time spent in friendly intercourse. Though the 
 weather had been good during the day, yet at night it was 
 stormy and foggy ; I felt the need of my overcoat. 
 
 JULY II. 
 
 I attended the "Chalk Talk" at 8.30 a.m. in the First 
 United Presbyterian Church by the Rev. Robert F. V. 
 Pierce, of Philadelphia, whose daily talks attracted crowds 
 cf delegates and children. He spoke in simple, earnest 
 >^ords, pressing home his truths by means of picture after 
 picture, which he sketched on a large paper pad on an easel. 
 The place, for the time being, became a daily Normal Art 
 School ; every hour spent there was profitable. That 
 morning hip subject was— " Children's Meetings and How 
 to Make Them Interesting." He advised his hearers to 
 reach the heart of the people through their children ; then 
 dwelt upon the importance of a child's choice, which he 
 
76 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 lii 
 
 I,,; 
 
 illustrated by forming a spider's web, a flower-pot and a 
 honey-bee, the last-nanicd with its face towards the flower- 
 pot, in which it got all it needed. A thin candle, only a 
 fraction of an inch thick, stood for a life rapidly going out. 
 It burned down while Mr. Pierce was talking. Yet its last 
 flicker could light a young candle that had many hours to 
 burn. "The place of all others," said Mr. Pierce, "to 
 make missionaries and workers for missions is in our Sunday 
 Schools and young people's societies." Mr. Pierce urged 
 that chalk-talkers should always give the bad side first, and 
 talk about the good last. To illustrate, he drew a heart, 
 and tran.sformed it with a few touches into a laughing face. 
 But the Devil could change that into an unclean heart, 
 filled with evil passions, (iod, however, does not leave us 
 to the mercy of Satan. Christ is standing at the heart-door. 
 He is ready to take away all the marks of evil, if we only 
 open the door to Him. Mr. Pierce told the story of a 
 Sunday School superintendent who said one Sunday that he 
 wanted some boy to make a locomotive of himself, hitch on 
 to some other boy, and bring him to the school. Next 
 Sunday one boy burst in right in the midst of the opening 
 exercises, shuffled up the aisle, pufiing " Choo-choo-choo- 
 choo," and after him thirteen new boys, holding on to one 
 another's coats. Stopping before the astonished super- 
 intendent, the boy said : — "There's my train of cars, sir !'' 
 Boys want scaiething to do in our Sunday Schools. Instead 
 of checking a child in a hasty way, show the child some- 
 thing better. ''Don't" is the worst thing in the wide 
 world to say to a child. What children want is the word 
 " Do " This Temperance rhyme he would have the 
 children learn : — 
 
 *' Drink no cider, biandy, wine or rum, 
 
 Nor anything else that makes drunk com**. ' 
 
 " My cup runneth over," Mr. Pierce would illustrate w;th a 
 glass which he fills with water from a lot of little cups. One 
 addition stands for health, another for friends, another for 
 
 iM 
 
T 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 
 
 77 
 
 food, for home, for clothes, etc. All being poured in, the 
 cup is exactly full. But our cup of blessing should run over 
 on to others. Moody shows how by taking a pitcher of water 
 and pouring it all boldly into a glass tumbler. "Thou 
 preparest a table before me," Mr. Pierce illustrated once, he 
 said, in his church, by setting in his pulpit a table with the 
 nicest linen and dishes, and having a long succession of 
 Sunday scholars bring on, one at a time, plates heaped high 
 with all kinds of good things to eat— first a plate of what 
 grows in the ground, then one of what grows on the ground, 
 • all what grows a Utile above the ground, and soon. After 
 enforcing the lesson of gratitude, he had the good things 
 carried to needy persons. " A life built on Christ." The 
 chalV ' told how sii\ comes down over our lives like a 
 great jox, darkening them. He drew the box. But Christ 
 lets in the light, the light of Bethlehem's star. He drew a 
 window. And Christ Himself enters, being the Door. He 
 < i'c V .; door. Then came a roof and a chimney, and behold ! 
 the:; ^as a pretty little house, the " home of the soul." Two 
 crossing walks were put in rapidly, shaded, and lo! the 
 house was seen to be founded on a crimson cross. *' Under- 
 neath are the everlasting arms." "My hope is built on 
 nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." "AH 
 other ground is sinking sand." "Other foundation can no 
 man lay." 
 
 At the close of this most interesting talk, the lecturer 
 appealed to his audience for volunteer; to assist him in 
 Gospel-waggon work that night. Thirty Endeavourers 
 accompanied him in the evening, when they made a tour of 
 the lower part of the city, doing rescue work. 
 
 Mr. Pierce delighted the workingmen, the children and 
 the Endeavourers alike by his clever chalk-talks. He is noted 
 for his successful work among the fallen classes. He is a 
 graceful, easy speaker, never what can be termed elo(iuent, 
 but always earnest and sympathetic. These " chalk-talks " 
 
wfsass^mmm 
 
 PPR 
 
 78 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 
 1 1 
 III 
 
 I 
 
 ll 
 
 were a new departure in Convention proceedings, and are 
 almost certain to be continued. 
 
 Immense audiences thronged the churches of San Fran- 
 cisco and vicinity that day. Ninety-one of the Protestant 
 evangelical churches had prominent visiting clergyraen filling 
 their pulpits. Everywhere they were filled, with scarcely 
 standing room left, even half-an-hour before the opening of 
 the service. It was a new experience for the city, and made 
 a deep impression on the non-churchgoing citizens. In some 
 of the largest churches it was necessary to arrange for an 
 overflow meeting, and in several cases three overflow services 
 were held. The visiting clergymen all met with hearty 
 appreciation of their sermons, but none received a more 
 pleasing testimony of this appreciation than the Rev. Howard 
 B. Grose, of Boston. At the close of his morning service in 
 the First Baptist Church, a gentleman unknown to him 
 stepped up and asked permission to pin on his coat a grateful 
 souvenir of the occasion. It was a tiny gold medal bearing 
 the Lord's Prayer, and mounted on a purple ribbon, which 
 was fastened by an exceedingly handsome gold pin. 
 
 Those of us from the far East made a careful study of 
 the habits of the non-religious in San Francisco, and were 
 amazed at the way the Lord's Day was desecrated. A number 
 of business places were open — barber shops, bakeries, 
 groceries, restaurants, saloons, and the like ; the cars were 
 running as on week days ; several people were seen playing 
 baseball, others were whistling and singing secular tunes, a 
 brass band was playing secular airs inside of a saloon, and 
 the sound of billiard- playing was heard ; the theatres and 
 public places of amusement were open ; and, in brief, it was 
 everywhere manifest that the general custom was to observe 
 Sunday as a day of pleasure rather than for holy meditation. 
 Californians crowded the beach by thousands, wandered 
 through the Golden Gate Park, and otherwise spent the day 
 in search of pleasure. Not one churchgoer was seen carry- 
 ing his or her Bible through the public streets ; a number 
 
 ff I 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 79 
 
 of the citizens, I noticed, smiled broadly on seeing me carry- 
 ing mine. 
 
 I attended the forenoon service in the First Swedish 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, where the Rev. David 
 Mcl^ren, of Alexandria, Ont., Canada, preached. The 
 Sunday School was in session when I reached the church. 
 The superintendent called upon Mr. McLaren to speak 
 to the children. He greeted them in the name of the 
 Canadian Christian Endeavourers ; and, in response to the 
 call of their superintendent, the scholars stood up to send 
 back their greetings to Canada. A book was given to one 
 of the children for having brought a new scholar. The 
 Rev. C. A. Anderson, pastor of the church, conducted the 
 opening Divine exercises, as soon as the Sunday School 
 closed. A Swedish hymn was sung to the tune of "Green- 
 land's Icy Mountains," and prayer was offered in the same 
 language. The Rev. Mr McLaren took as his text Mark 
 14 : 4, last clause : " Why was this waste of the ointment 
 made?" " In this loving act of Mary," the preacher began 
 by saying, "we have a wordless sermon. The gift was 
 really a precious one, and it was completely emptied at 
 Jesus' feet. It was given from a pure and unselfish motive. 
 She gave the best she could give to her Lord and Master. 
 Little did she think that what she did would be preached 
 about in San Francisco and elsewhere. Our record may be 
 as wonderful as hers, if we choose. When Christ's record 
 is opened, we shall see who are the great men and women." 
 The critical spirit of Judas and the other disciples was then 
 commented upon at length ; such a spirit is often found 
 even in the Church to-day. " Do not criticise the work of 
 true Christians," he said; "do better, if you can, and do 
 your Christian work promptly. Love and the service of 
 God always stand out as something good in Christ's 
 teachings. Interest yourselves in sending the Gospel to a 
 world that is perishu*^ We need to learn two things : — 
 (i) Our need of love to Christ ; (2) As we grow in qur love 
 
mmm 
 
 80 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 to Christ, we will feel more our responsibility for the salva- 
 tion of others." A Swedish hymn was sung to a familiar 
 tune before the benediction was pronounced. 
 
 The attendance at the meeting held in the Mechanics' 
 Pavilion in the afternoon in the interest of Sabbath 
 Observance, at which I was present, proved the delegates' 
 loyalty to the Lord's Day. Long before the opening 
 of the service, the doors were closed, and no more could 
 enter. President Clark was chairman, and made a few 
 stirring introductory remarks. 
 
 Miss Matilda Kay, the first speaker, is the Secretary of 
 the Woman's National Sabbath Alliance. She l)egan by 
 telling about a great arrest. "One Sunday noon, in one of 
 the central cities of our country, there stood at the door of 
 the Post Office a man ; he was the Secretary of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association. Church services were over, 
 and to the Post Office hurried throngs of people to get their 
 Sunday mail. Silently the man at the door handed each a 
 card. Every man and woman looked at the card, and 
 read:— 
 
 ' Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. 
 
 ' Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work ; 
 
 ' But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : 
 
 in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy 
 
 daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant.' 
 
 " The arrest had taken place. No fettered prisoners were 
 there; no clanking of handcuffs on the captives' wrists, 
 but swiftly and surely thought was arrested. . . . 
 
 ' More ill is wrought by want of thought 
 Than e'er was wrought by want of heart.' " 
 
 She then proceeded, in eloquent terms, to arrest the thought 
 of her hearers as to "Woman's Part" in preserving the 
 Lord's Day. 
 
 When she finished, several hundreds of persons in the 
 rear and at the sides of the hall moved out because of tht;; 
 immense crush for fresh air, and others took their places. 
 
 ■it, ^ 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 8i 
 
 "I will not impose on a speaker to introduce him while 
 this noise lasts," remarked the Chairman, " We will sing 
 one verse of a hymn." 
 
 Musical Director Husband caused laughter by choosing 
 •' Speed Away " as the hymn to be sung. 
 
 The voice of the Rev. W. H. G. Temple, of Seattle, 
 Washington, was next heard upon " Modern Forms of 
 Sabbath Desecration." It was a very stirring address. 
 Mr. Temple made a beautiful plea for the Saturday evening 
 preparation for the day of rest, opposing the "forcing of 
 industry close up to the golden gate of this golden day," 
 and described in condemnatory language the three hands 
 that are pulling down the Lord's Day— the hand of godless 
 rationalism, the hand of greed, and the hand of unsanctified 
 pleasure. 
 
 A not inappropriate feature of the programme just here 
 was a song, "Throw Out the Life-Line," by twenty 
 uniformed policemen, known as the San Francisco Police 
 Glee Club. The effect was most striking. The audience 
 rose in a body and gave the silent Chautauqua salute, 
 followed by round and round of applause. The demonstra- 
 tion continued until the officers of the peace returned and 
 sang, in response, " Still, Still With Thee." Satisfaction did 
 not reign even then ; but the Chairman restored quiet by 
 saying : — " We have been indebted to the police for many 
 great favours, in the Pavilion, on the streets— in fact, every- 
 where. Never has a Convention been favoured as we have 
 this afternoon by their singers. When California gets a 
 Sabbath law, these guardians will help enforce it." 
 
 The Rev. Josiah Strong, D.D., of New York City, then 
 delivered a pointed and valuable address upon "The Civil 
 Sabbath." At the outset, he remarked :—•' I think if we 
 had some hundreds of thousands of such policemen 
 scattered through our country as those to whom we have 
 listened, our Sabbath laws, where they exist, would be better 
 enforced. In the absence of such officers of the law, I 
 
83 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 11 
 
 believe that the best hope of becoming a bulwark against 
 the inflowing tide of Sabbath desecration of which the 
 speaker who has just preceded me has spoken is the living 
 wall of human wood built by the organizations of young 
 men and yoang women throughout the country pledged to 
 Christian work and Christian reform." He then unfolded 
 the basis on which rests the secular, as distinguished from 
 the sacred, law of the Sabbath ; the former is human in 
 origin and authority, the latter comes direct from God. 
 "Much bad blood," he said, **is engendered because of 
 the failure to distinguish between the civil Sabbath and the 
 sacred Sabbath. . . . All of our Sabbath laws now are 
 of two characters : one forbidding labour on the first day of 
 the week, excepting works of mercy and necessity; the 
 other forbidding certain forms of amusement. . . . 
 Laws forbidding labour on the Sabbath are based upon the 
 right of every man to enjoy a day of rest ; and it is the 
 duty of the State to secure to him that right. ... It 
 has been scientifically determined by different lines of 
 investigation that the strength exhausted by the day's 
 labour is not fully renewed by the night's rest, so that those 
 who do not observe the weekly rest-day are drawing upon 
 their physical capital and gradually undermining their 
 strength and shortening their lives. . . . This necessity 
 of rest constitutes for every man his right to rest. . . . 
 This age, as no other, needs the day of rest because of its 
 feverish activity. . . . There are forms of amusement 
 indulged in upon the Sabbath Day which are not by law 
 prohibited, and which should not be by law prohibited — 
 forms of amusement which we, as Christian Endeavourers, 
 could not indulge in conscientiously. But if they are to be 
 suppressed, it should be, not by law, but by an educated 
 public opinion and a quickened popular conscience. Hence 
 the responsibility laid upon us to exert a right example. 
 But there are other forms of public amusement, or popular 
 amusement, which should be prohibited by law, because 
 
 it 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 83 
 
 use 
 
 they are detrimental to popular morals. . . . Those 
 amusements which entice the youth away from the Church, 
 away from the Sabbath School and away from the home — 
 which places are where morals and religion are taught— are 
 therefore detrimental to morals, and may under our 
 Constitution be forbidden by law— not because they are 
 detrimental to religion, but because, being detrimental 
 to religion, they are detrimental to morals, and morals 
 are essential to the life of the State. ... I think 
 it was Hallam who said, 'A holiday Sabbath is the ally 
 of despotism.' ... I believe that it is in the power 
 of these young people's organizations to transform public 
 opinion in the United States and educate the popular 
 conscience of the United States along any needed reform. 
 And it is the hope and aim, the present plan, of the Evan- 
 gelical Alliance of the United States to secure the co- 
 operation of all these young people's organizations to that 
 exact end." 
 
 After singing "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," 
 The Rev. Robert Johnston, of London, Ont., spoke on 
 " The Claims of God— Keep It Holy." His lofty thoughts, 
 so nobly expressed, fittingly closed this most interesting 
 meeting. Here are a few selected sentences : — " There never 
 can be love of freedom without love of service to God ; not 
 liberty without God. But having God, we have liberty. 
 . . . There are two institutions without which no nation 
 can grow great— these are the family and the Lord's Day. 
 . . . The Sabbath lies at the root and foundation of the 
 religious life of the individual, the religious life of the Church, 
 and the religious life of the nation. God, by His example, 
 by His precept, by His command, emphasizes the thought 
 that the Sabbath was to be kept holy unto Himself— by His 
 example in Eden. . . . He commands us to cease from 
 activity, to rest, to rest in God, rest in contemplation of 
 Himself— in a word, the Sabbath is to be kept holy by look- 
 ing upward, and not earthward. . . . Whatever lifts my 
 
84 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 It 
 
 If 
 
 (IV) 
 
 k 
 
 I 
 
 mm ^ 
 
 soul up to God, whatever opens my soul to receive God, 
 whatever helps me to get a clearer view of my Creator's face, 
 whatever blesses me, whatever leads me to understand 
 myself and Him— that is Sabbath-keeping. Whatever 
 degrades that day to common purposes, to labour and toil, 
 and to pleasure, as we have heard— that is Sabbath desecra- 
 tion and Sabbath destruction. The Sabbath is to be 
 separated from all common uses. ... I cannot see any 
 difference between a picnic on the trolley and the mental 
 picnic of the museum ; I cannot see any difference between 
 the physical picnic out in the green fields and the mental 
 picnic i'.i the art gallery." Replying to a remark made by 
 the Rev. Mr. Temple, Mr. Johnston said :— •' My friend said 
 that ha did not want the Puritanical Sabbath. I hardly know 
 what that was ; but I do long oftentimes for the old Sabbath 
 of tlie Scot bills— the boots blacked on Saturday night, the 
 wood-box all filled, the little ones all bathed, everything 
 done so that nothing would be left to do on Sunday ; the 
 pits baked, the roast cooked, so that even a fire might not 
 be lit. O ! I long for the old Sabbath, the day kept sacred 
 to God, the day when the church doors were thrown open, 
 at>d we listened with joy to the words of the man of God, 
 because we had prepared ourselves to hear him." Listen to 
 this striking peroration: — "The mighty Rockies that form 
 the backbone of this continent are like the Sabbath Day, 
 which is the foundation of the liberties of the world. The 
 Sabbath Day is God's best gift to a world all too ready to 
 become earth-worn, soiled and entirely worldly. . . . 
 Therefore, I summon you in your churches, in your societies, 
 to preserve this day. Do not let our churches give the 
 Sabbath to the world. In so far as. our sermons become 
 mere lectures, in so far as our music becomes mere enter- 
 tainment, and in so far as we degrade the pulpit by not 
 preaching the blessed Gospel of Christ, and make it a place 
 for the discussion of the ordinary topics of the day, in so far 
 as we make the Sabbath a mere day for the entertainment of 
 
THE CONVENTION. 85 
 
 our congregations, just in so far do we give the Sabbath over 
 to the world, and set the world an example to take it and 
 use it for other purposes. . . . Fellow-Endeavourers, I 
 summon you to-day, in God's name, to the defence, to the 
 protection, to the preservation, of the Lord's Day, as a day 
 holy, holy unto Himself." 
 
 The benediction was pronounced by President Clark. 
 
 Whilst the meeting in the interest of Sabbath Observance 
 was being conducted, three grand evangelistic services were 
 held, filling one of the main halls and two churches— one for 
 men, another for women, and the third for boys and girls. 
 
 The meeting for men was held in Woodward's Pavilion, 
 and was attended by many thousands of varying ages, from 
 youth to old age. The speakers were the Rev. Ford C. 
 Ottman, Newark, N.J., and the Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, 
 the famous Philadelphia evangelist, who touched the hearts 
 of their hearers as they earnestly spoke of lives being lost by 
 dissipation and infidelity, and caller, upon them to anchor 
 their drifting and storm-tossed lives in Christ Jesus. Their 
 appeals were very personal and direct. So gracious vsas the 
 work of the Holy Spirit that 150 cards were signed by those 
 beginning there a religious life. 
 
 The meeting for women was held in the First Congrega- 
 tional Church. Women conducted the services and women 
 formed the congregation, which crowded every part of the 
 vast auditorium. Mrs. Francis E. Clark presided. Dr. 
 Kin Eca da Silva, of Alameda, California, a Chinese woman, 
 spoke very effectively, telling how to win the hearts of 
 Oriental women. It is through their motherhood, which is 
 their greatest honour, that they can be most easily reached. 
 Western women must adopt the Oriental ideas and customs 
 as to formalities and courtesies, no matter how much time is 
 thereby wasted. Mrs. Victoria Earle Mathews, of New 
 York, a most cultured coloured woman, made a stirring 
 appeal against unjust marriage and divorce laws, against 
 separate cars for negroes in the SQuth, for reformatories ^nd 
 
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 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 a better system of prisons in the Southern States. She said 
 that the awakening of the Afro-American women is seen in 
 the homes they have created and in the 243 different organi- 
 zations of young coloured women throughout the United 
 States. Miss Katherine M. Jones, of New York, connected 
 with the Presbyterian young people's work, and Mrs. George 
 W. Coleman, of Boston, brought the meeting to a close with 
 two very effective addresses, pleading for self- surrender and 
 a life of ministry. 
 
 One incident at the meeting for women must not be over- 
 looked. A little Chinese girl with the shadow of slave life 
 hovering over her was brought to the church by the Christian 
 woman who had her in charge in order that Mrs. Clark might 
 see her. But Mrs. Clark was no impressed with the horror 
 of her being sold as a slave that she asked permission to 
 present her to the audience. The baby-girl was placed upon 
 the reading-desk in the sight of all as a living protest against 
 the customs of her people. It was a living appeal also to the 
 Christians of the land— a lesson in Home Missions, a con- 
 crete illustration of what America has to do within her own 
 borders. "Unless this little girl is rescued," Mrs. Clark 
 said, " she will be soid as a slave. Her life will be one of 
 hardship and degradation. Her fate seems almost too dread- 
 ful to contemplate. " Mrs. Clark's voice trembled. Hundreds 
 of eyes filled with tears, and a thrill of horror ran through 
 the great audience when a realization of the child's peril was 
 fully grasped. ' ' A prospective slave girl, and in America ! " 
 was the whispered exclamation all over the house. It was 
 a new experience to the Eastern women ; they were some- 
 what bewildered. It was no novelty to the Californian 
 women ; they bowed their heads in grief. Mrs. Clark went 
 onto say: — "When Christ said: 'Go out into the world 
 and preach the Gospel,' were not His instructions for His 
 disciples to begin at Jerusalem ? . . . Perhaps that 
 means beginning right here in San Francisco. " Her hearers 
 were deeply moved. 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 87 
 
 Several months afterwards the girl was rescued from 
 slavery by the Baptist Chinese Mission of Fresno. 
 
 This is no fanciful case. The Chinese in San Francisco, 
 whilst the Convention was in session, were discovered 
 importing several young women dressed as boys from their 
 native country for immoral purposes. The missionaries 
 about Chinatown believe that, of the 2,000 girls and women 
 living there, not more than fifty are actually married. On 
 one of the Convention nights a girl of sixteen handed a note 
 to a patrolman reading : " Please take me to the mission 
 at 920 Sacramento Street." As he rea4 the missive, a 
 Chinese women came breathlessly up, and in broken English 
 protested against the removal of the girl. But she was 
 taken to the mission, where she is being cared for. 
 
 The meeting for boys and girls was attended by nearly 
 1,000 children, and was conducted by Secretary Baer. 
 Wholesome talks were given by the Rev. G. F. Pentecost, of 
 Yonkers, N.Y., and Mr. C. N. Hunt, president of the 
 Minnesota State Union. Mr. Pentecost spoke from the 
 words : *' My son, give me thy heart " ; and Mr. Hunt's 
 subject was — "Try and be like Jesus." Both speakers 
 commanded the closest attention. Several solos were 
 rendered at intervals to the delight of all. At the close, 
 Secretary Baer gave a brief address, and led the boys and 
 girls into a consecration service. 
 
 In the evening, I was present at the short but hearty 
 Christian Endeavour testimony meeting in the Calvary 
 Presbyterian Church which preceded the regular church 
 service. The church was so crowded that an overflow 
 meeting had to be held in the Sunday Schoolroom down- 
 stairs. The church was beautifully decorated. At the back 
 of the pulpit, conspicuously displayed, were the words — 
 " Piety and Patriotism," in white letters on a purple back- 
 ground. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Hemphill, the pastor, conducted the 
 church services. 
 
;s( 
 
 
 88 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 Bishop S. W. Fallows, of Chicago, preached from the 
 text — I. Thessalonians 1:5: " For our gospel came not 
 unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy 
 Ghost, and in much assurance." It was an eloquent plea 
 for the authority and inspiration of the Bible. 
 
 The Rev. Robert Johnston, of London, Ontario, also 
 spoke. The burden of his discourse was the thought that 
 had impressed him most at this Convention— "We get too 
 much and give too little." Christ is our Example in all 
 things, and He " came to seek and to save that which was 
 lost." The Holy Spint was not given in measure to Jesus. 
 It was in the might of the Spirit that He accomplished His 
 work in the world. We can have the same power to do our 
 Christian work. Reference was here made to the vile 
 sights to be seen around Chinatown, and the only people 
 who seemed to pity the unfortunates were the Salvation 
 Army lassies. "That is the work," he said, "Christ 
 would be doing if He were here. Let none of us leave 
 San Francisco without saving some lost soul. What a 
 magnificent Convention it would be if we save souls ! That 
 is our business. Is there one here out of Christ ? Come 
 home, and make glad the heart of Christ this night." This 
 was an impassioned discourse, made all the more interesting 
 and affecting by one or two appropriate anecdotes. 
 
 JULY 12. 
 
 I arose in time to attend the early morning prayer- 
 meeting in the First Congregational Church, which was 
 filled. It was an inspiring service. 
 
 When it was over, I went to the Central Methodist 
 Church to be present at another of those helpful daily Bible 
 studies, conducted by Professor Herbert L. Willett. The 
 subject was: — "I. John: A Message of Light and Love." 
 The attendance was good. 
 
 After leaving this meeting, I reached Woodward's 
 Pavilion whilst the opening devotional exercises of the 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 89 
 
 forenoon meeting were in progress. The pavilion was only 
 half filled. Under the careful direction of President Clark, 
 this session proved very profitable. 
 
 "Christian Endeavour an Evangelistic Force" was the 
 topic ; but as a prelude Miss Lilian S. Mead, a young lady 
 of twenty years, who had come all the way from Adelaide, 
 Australia, with her father to attend the Convention, opened 
 the meeting with a ten minutes' talk on "The World's 
 Prayer Chain." The audience greeted her with great 
 heartiness ; but she was not well heard. She drew a 
 comparison between the recent celebration of the Queen's 
 Jubilee in all parts of the world and the celebration of 
 the Christian Endeavour Society. "The light of Christian 
 Endeavour was shining in far more lands," she said, "than 
 the bonfires which had been kindled to celebrate the 
 glorious reign of Britain's Queen. The bonds which bound 
 the Queen's subjects together were those of Empire ; the 
 bonds which held the Christian Endeavourers together were 
 those of a country ruled by Him who rules the world. 
 Theirs was a bond to a great Queen ; ours was the closer 
 bond of those who are bound to God, the King of kings, 
 our Father. When the Queen was leaving her palace to 
 enter upon that splendid procession through London, she 
 pressed an electric button that sent a message of love and 
 gratitude through the whole world. It was not that her 
 hand was strong enough to carry this message so far, but 
 that she touched a mighty power that was unseen and 
 irresisti'^le. So it is that our individual prayer might not be 
 of such value, but that when we pray we link ourselves on 
 to the Arm that moves the world. The object of the 
 World's Prayer Chain was to try and lift up the world, with 
 all its needs, and bring it into connection with Him who 
 rules over it, and who can bring all things to pass." 
 
 A hymn, " I'll Live For Thee," was then sung ; after 
 which, 
 
 The Rev, Charles Roads, of Chester, Pennsylvania, 
 

 90 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 
 discoursed on " City Evangelization Outside of the 
 Churches." He could draw from a long practical experience 
 in this line of work. "The churches or the cities cannot 
 be saved," he said, "unless we work outside. From my 
 experience, I find that the only way for the cities to be 
 saved is for the work to be done on the outside of the 
 church, but by workers who will lead the people into the 
 church. Organized church people can do more to reach 
 the unsaved than the undenominational workers. There 
 are two classes to be found in the morally submerged in 
 great cities — those who have always been down and those 
 who have fallen from high places. Experience will show in 
 a surprising manner the number who have fallen from high 
 places. Evangelistic workers should not devote themselves 
 wholly to the slum mission so as to withdraw from their 
 own church activities. I could name many who have come 
 out of the lowest depths, and are now modestly but 
 efficiently serving as trustees, choir leaders, Sunday School 
 workers and spiritual leaders in great churches." The 
 speaker then told of the work which had been done in the 
 city of Philadelphia ; how they had held weekly meetings in 
 street- car sheds, prisons, factories, and on street-corners 
 and Gospel waggons, with great success. This could be 
 done in every city, he said ; but it needed organized work. 
 It could be done by the Christian Endeavour Societies, 
 which were thoroughly organized and stood for compre- 
 hensive evangelism. " We will be inspired to do some 
 really effective Christian citizenship work when we once 
 come to see the awful worthlessi;*^ss of our city government 
 in darkest quarters," he concluded. "City evangelism will 
 become an earthquake under the City Hall. The Law and 
 the Gospel will join hands to save the city in the spirit of 
 Robert Ross and Dwight L. Moody united. . . . Lift 
 up the standard, then, with city evangelism. Christlike and 
 comprehensive :— (i) By the churches and toward the 
 churches. (2) In every open place preach Christ. (3) Give 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 9« 
 
 
 us parish responsibility. (4) Every man, woman and child 
 in the city for Christ. (5) The local church evangelistic and 
 warm. The city must be saved. It can be saved. The 
 vision of holy cities is our inspiration. The forces of Christ 
 are adequate in any city to redeem it. Organize, energize 
 by the Holy Spirit, evangelize with Pentecostal faith and 
 power, localize every worker in a definite field, centralize 
 results in your own church." 
 
 The hymn, "Marching On," was heartily sung ; and then 
 That favourite Convention speaker, the Rev. J. Wilbur 
 Char man, of Philadelphia, very appropriately followed with 
 an address upon " Deepening the Spiritud Life Inside Our 
 Churches." "We are living in the dispensation of the Spirit. 
 He is the Vicar of Christ, and the life of the body, which is 
 the Church. The lesson may be taught by contrast. That 
 which does not grieve the Spirit deepens the spiritual life. 
 That which is to be avoided is the cause of His being 
 grieved. . . . We may grieve the Holy Spirit by 
 disobedience. The command is to ' be filled with the 
 Spirit.' If we are not, we have disobeyed, and there is a 
 barrier raised between Him and us. We may grieve the 
 Spirit by failing to keep our hearts clean. A new heart is 
 not necessarily a clean he.art. We may grieve the Spirit by 
 practically denying His Word. But we grieve the Spirit 
 more, perhaps, in matters of doctrine than anything else. 
 We grieve Him in our lack of assurance. The Spirit of 
 God is grieved whenever we ilow our old nature to triumph 
 over our spiritual nature ; for God has promised in His 
 Word to set us free from the law of sin and death." 
 
 There was no interruption to the natural progress of the 
 thought of the session when at this point time was allowed 
 for the Rev. E. L. House, of Attleboro, Massachusetts, in a 
 stirring appeal to earnest giving, to present the banner won 
 by the local city union reporting the '>est progress in 
 systematic and proportionate giving. The banner was won 
 by the New York City Union last year, and was presented 
 
92 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 1 
 
 to it again. It was accepted on behalf of the union by Mr. 
 Harry A. Kinports, vice-president and treasurer of the New 
 York State Union. As he received it, the New York delega- 
 tion, which had assembled ovei loo strong in the gallery, 
 arose and greeted it with a salute and sang a parody on the 
 song, " My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," to the melody of 
 that favourite. At the same time, another member of the 
 delegation, seated on the platform, unfurled the blue banner 
 of the State and waved it during the singing. 
 
 Apropos of the giving and receiving of this banner was 
 the last address on " Some Spiritual Returns for Missionary 
 Investments." This topic was considered by the Rev. 
 Thomas O. Grouse, of Baltimore, who told his hearers in 
 most emphatic language and by pointed illustration that the 
 very development of their spiritual life depended upon the 
 missionary investments they made. "The chief motive 
 and the supreme and undying inspiration to world-wide 
 evangelization," he said, " must be obedience to our risen 
 Lord. The Master Missionary is our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 His word, ' Go ye,' is our permanent and plenary authority ; 
 His word settles the obligation. If no other reason could 
 be given for the aggressive work to which we are being 
 called to-day, this would be enough. But this utilitarian 
 age is likely to ask concerning any enterprise in which it is 
 invited to invest : 'Does it pay? Will our investment yield 
 any returns?' . . . To such an inquiry it may be 
 sufficient to reply, as Dr. Pearson suggests : ' It always pays 
 to obey authority, especially when that authority is supreme.' 
 But there is a sense in which this question is a lawful one. 
 On one occasion, you will remember, the disciples asked : 
 * Master, we have left all and followed thee ; what shall we 
 have therefor ?' Some may cry out against their question as a 
 selfish one ; many say that it betrays the spirit of the hireling. 
 Our Lord, however, did not rebuke it. He answered them : 
 ' Everyone that hath forsaken houses, or kindred, or lands, for 
 my name's s^ke, shall receive an hundredfold in this li*e, and 
 
^^fWr^ 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 
 
 93 
 
 ^ 
 
 ii> the world to come life everlasting.' . . . Missionary 
 investments yield a sure return in the development and enrich- 
 ment of character. The man who seeks to cherish and 
 develop a higher spirituality and a manly Christian character 
 by private devotions and by attendance upon religious 
 meetings alone is making a fatal mistake. A vigorous and 
 symmetrical piety is not the product of the cloister. Growth 
 is not simply a matter of taking in, but of giving out. The 
 act of respiration, by which our life is sustained, is a twofold 
 process — inhaling and exhaling ; the one as important as the 
 other. Money grows by wise investment, not by miserly 
 hoarding. ' There is that scattereth and yet increaseth ; and 
 there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendethto 
 poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat ; and he that 
 watereth shall be watered also himself.' This law is 
 nowhere more sure and imperative in its operation than in 
 the realm of the spiritual life. . . . Missionary invest- 
 ments yield a rich return of truest spiritual joy. Only as we 
 go or help others to go preaching everywhere the Gospel 
 of the Kingdom are we obeying the word of our Saviour ; 
 and the sure recompense of this work for Him is closer 
 fellowship with Him and deeper draughts of His own peculiar 
 joy. No man can expect to taste the deepest joy of salvation, 
 to behold the face of his Lord, and hear His approving voice, 
 if he is content to sit down in solitary meditation and selfish 
 concern for his own soul, caring not for the starving world 
 that unconsciously, but none the less truly, pleads for the 
 Bread of Life. The man who sits down to enjoy his religion, 
 satisfied with the ecstasies of devotion, will soon find his joy 
 expiring. The 'delightful services' of the prayer meeting 
 have been a failure, so far as you are concerned, if they have 
 not impelled and fitted you for service. The perfection of 
 the fruit of your service is not its size, but its flavour. Some- 
 one has said : ' Though Noah could not boast of many 
 converts for his long years of preaching, he could at least 
 enter the Ark with a clear conscience and the happy sense 
 
4 
 
 
 94 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 of duty done.' . . . The spirit of missions is the spirit 
 of Christ, and, like purging fire, it consumes pride, prejudice, 
 personal ambition, greed and apathy, and fuses the heart of 
 the Church into blessed unity. The Church of Jesus Christ 
 stands to-day facing the awful darkness of heathendom and 
 the spiritual destitution of even much of so-called Christian 
 territory, and she can have only one object in view ; to obey 
 her marching orders, to publish the Gospel to ' the utter- 
 most parts of the earth,' and to achieve a victory for the 
 Captain of her salvation." 
 
 The meeting was brought to a close with the singing of 
 ** Nearer, My God, To Thee," and the pronouncing of the 
 benediction. 
 
 The forenoon session at the Mechanics' Pavilion was 
 devoted to missions, and the vast auditorium was completely 
 filled. The claims of the Tenth Legion were presented 
 in an able address by Mr. Amos R. Wells, of Boston, 
 managing editor of T/ie Christian Endeavour World ; Dr. 
 J. C. R. Ewing, of India, and the Rev. Nehemiah Boynton, 
 of Detroit, made strong presentations of foreign and home 
 missions ; the Rev. John R. Davies, of New York, pleaded 
 with the eloquence of a deep earnestness for systematic and 
 proportionate giving to God ; the unrolling of the great 
 missionary roll of honour took place, which contained the 
 names of 10,500 societies, the contributions from which 
 aggregated over $200,000 for the cause of missions ; thirty 
 visiting missionaries from all parts of the world were intro- 
 duced to the applauding company ; and, just before closing, 
 California's noble Committee of '97 passed in line along 
 the platform, each one shaking hands with Secretary Baer, 
 who presented them with a banner from the United Society, 
 emblazoned in Convention colours, but, as he expressed his 
 grateful appreciation of the treatment accorded and the 
 substantial aid given by the members of this Committee, 
 tears came into his eyes, his voice faltered, and he was 
 compelled to stop suddenly, overcome by emotion. A great 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 95 
 
 his 
 the 
 
 reat 
 
 1 
 
 many in the audience were also affected by the remem- 
 brance of the kindness shown them during that memorable 
 Convention week. It was an impressive scene. 
 
 A "Practical School of Christian Endeavour Methods 
 and Ways of Working " was held in Woodward's Pavilion 
 in the afternoon, when the work of the different com- 
 mittees was thoroughly discussed by means of open parlia- 
 ments. Secretary Baer led the meeting, which was greatly 
 enjoyed by all present. Nothing of the kind had ever been 
 tried before at an International Convention. The closing 
 remarks by Mr. Charles T. Studd, of London, England, 
 on "The Source of All Power for Service," were delivered 
 in the midst of a quiet hush, making it a most solemn hour. 
 A great company arose in response to his invitation to submit 
 themselves to the power of the Spirit, yielding everything 
 to God. 
 
 The Junior Rally took place in the Mechanics' Pavilion 
 at the same time as that afternoon meeting in Woodward's 
 Pavilion— 2.30. Anticipating a great crush, I took my seat 
 an hour and a-half beforehand, when the Pavilion was 
 nearly half filled. By the time of opening, every bit of 
 standing-room was utilized, and thousands were unable to 
 gain admission. At no session, save possibly the closing 
 consecration meeting, was the Pavilion so crowded. The 
 audience reached from the doors far out into the corridors. 
 
 The centre of the hall was occupied by the Juniors, who 
 turned out fully 5,000 strong. And a cosmopolitan gathering 
 it was. There were scores of Chinese, representatives of 
 the original inhabitants of America, and hundreds upon 
 hundreds of coloured and white children. The little people 
 were full of enthusiasm, and ready to clap hands, wave 
 handkerchiefs, sing, cheer, or do anything else that was 
 required of them. 
 
 The immense platform was adorned to represent a 
 garden, and was loaded with beautiful plants and Howers 
 
96 
 
 ACkoSS the AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 ii > 
 
 from California's profuse gardens. The Rev. J. H. Bom- 
 berger, of Columlnana, Ohio, presided. The exercises 
 opened with the usual praise service, under the direction of 
 the Rev. John Rea, of Oakland. " Our Junior ^Umd," 
 "Onward, O Junior Endeavourers," "Anywhere With 
 jesus," and "Bringing in the Sheaves," were spiritedly sung 
 by the boys and girls. 
 
 After the devotional exercises, a lengthy and loving tele- 
 gram of greeting was read from the Juniors of the State of 
 Connecticut, more than 3,000 miles distant. 
 
 Much applause greeted the members of the Chinese 
 delegation as they took their places on the platform, and 
 when, later on, the Chinese quartette, four boys from the 
 Presbyterian Mission, came forward and sang, the enthu- 
 siasm of the Juniors was so great that they had to appear a 
 second time and repeat their charming selection. 
 
 When Mrs. Francis E. Clark rose to speak, she was 
 received by an outburst of childish cheers and handker- 
 chief-waving that could not but gladden her heart. '* I 
 thank you, boys and girls, from the bottom of my heart for 
 this greeting," she said. " It is the prettiest greeting I have 
 had since my return home. I want you to think of me as 
 one who is merely a messenger. I bring you greetings from 
 all over the world— from Salt Lake City, from Boston, from 
 across the waters in England, from (Germany, from Italy, 
 from China, from Japan, and from countries of which 
 some of you have never heard, if these people could be 
 here, they would greet you in a manner that would be 
 peculiar and strange, but none the less hearty and true. 
 Some of them would appear clad in fine raiment, while 
 some would come wearing no clothing at all. Some of 
 them would shake hands with themselves, some of them 
 would rub their brown noses against yours ; but, whatever 
 their greeting, it would be honest and sincere. Now, my 
 greeting to you is that you help other boys and girls in other 
 lands to lead a Christian life." 
 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 97 
 
 The Junior Chinese Christian Endeavour Choir from the 
 Presbyterian Mission, about twenty altogether, the members 
 ranging in age apparently from four to twelve years, in its 
 own original way then rendered a Christian song. Four 
 little tots were stationed in front, who joined in the chorus 
 with the same vim as their elders, and very sweetly sang 
 alone, holding lighted candles : 
 
 " Jesus bids us shine v.ilh a clear, pure light, 
 Like a little candle burning in the night ; 
 In this world of darkness, we must shine — 
 You in your small corner, and I in mine." 
 
 This was one of the prettiest, and, at the same time, one 
 of the most pathetic sights of the entire Convention. 
 This feature was followed by a recitation. Then the 
 smallest one voiced a patriotic verse which ended with the 
 words—" Hurrah for these United States !" 
 
 Uproarious applause from the Junior audience greeted 
 these efforts. 
 
 The hymn, "Sunshine in the Soul," was next sung by the 
 multitude; and the fresh, youthful voices blended prettily 
 with those of their elders. 
 
 The Rev. Robert F. Y. Pierce, of Philadelphia, then gave 
 a most delightful chalk-talk to the children upon '• The Song 
 of the Heart." He spoke in simple language, sketching as 
 he talked, with crayon upon large sheets of paper, pictures 
 illustrative of the truths he sought to convey. He began by 
 drawing a circle, which he called a picture of the Junior 
 Endeavour Society. Then by a few dexterous strokes he 
 changed it to a wheel, with the Cross of Christ as the hub. 
 He asked all the Juniors who would promise to be good 
 spokes in the Junior wheel to hold up their hands, and there 
 was a large and ready response. Two candles were shown — 
 one a common affair, the other covered with gilt ; but it 
 appeared that they gave equal amounts of light. Another 
 pair of candles was brought out — one very large, the other 
 very small ; but, when both were lighted, it was discovered 
 
t 
 
 if 
 
 li' 
 
 98 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 that the little one gave ihe ligger light. "Ragged Jim" 
 followed— a very disreputable candle, all broken and crooked 
 and dirty. But he was lighted by a missionary candle, and 
 straightened up, and cleaned off, and lo ! he was as good as 
 anyone. Mr. Pierce said that flowers brought messages of 
 love and faith and hope direct from God. In their beauty 
 they spoke as though they had voices. A field of daisies 
 was accordingly sketched, and he named each one after the 
 different graces that should be cultivated in youthful hearts. 
 He called one of them '• Daisy Hope," another " Daisy Joy," 
 another "Daisy Love," and the next two "Mercy "and 
 " Charity." Changing the theme, he said that when he was 
 a small boy he was accustomed to put his ear against the 
 telegraph poles to try to hear the messages that passed over 
 the wires. He then drew, with the daisy field as a back- 
 ground, a number of poles and wires, over which, he said, 
 the messages from God would not fail to come if they would 
 but open their hearts to receive them. It soon appeared that 
 the poles were bars of music, the wires the lines, and the 
 daisies the notes. Around the whole he drew the outline of 
 a heart, and told his hearers that within their hearts should 
 be nurtured all that he had shown them within the picture. 
 From a beautiful sheaf of rye, he drew out a whisky bottle, 
 to illustrate the bad use of good things. He showed by 
 pouring it over an egg in a bottle how alcohol " cooks " the 
 egg-iike substance of the brain, ^ut something better comes 
 out of the rye. So he pulled from the sheaf a loaf of 
 bread. He broke off a piece and ate it with relish. "How 
 many of you children would rather have the rye bread than 
 the whisky?" In response to the torrent of "rs,"the 
 lecturer broke off bits of bread, and threw them here and 
 there among the laughing children. A great Y was next 
 drawn, the left side representing the broad way, and the 
 right side the narrow way. He drew hands from the two 
 arms, pointing in opposite directions. At the dividing of 
 the way they must choose, *' Remember thy Creator in thQ 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 99 
 
 I 
 
 days of thy youth." On the left was drawn a stormy sea, a 
 wrecked ship. On the right was drawn a peaceful sea, a 
 lighthouse with the light flashing from it, ships sailing safely 
 (and some of them very little ships)— the birds flying cheerily 
 over all. He made the lighthouse red. He transformed it 
 into a scarlet cross. " Choose ye this day whom ye will 
 serve." 
 
 Mr. Pierce held the close attention of the immense gather- 
 ing, and at the conclusion of his address received the 
 Chautauqua salute and three rousing cheers. 
 
 The main feature of the rally followed. It was an exercise 
 by San Francisco Juniors, entitled " The Junior Garden." 
 The words are by Mr. Amos R. Wells, and the music was 
 composed by Mr. Charles S. Brown, both gentlemen hailing 
 from Boston. The effect of the varicoloured costumes and 
 profusion of flowers was very beautiful. The outline of the 
 exercise, presented under the direction of Miss Myrtle 
 Simpson, was as follows -. — Christian Endeavour, represented 
 by Miss Lottie J. Graeber, shows her Junior garden to two 
 new members of the society. Miss Florence Graeber and 
 Master Cass Downing. Their curiosity being aroused as to 
 what is done in the garden, Christian Endeavour promises 
 to show then. Several hundred boys and girls, dressed for 
 the different parts which they assumed, then showed by the 
 facility with which they took their places and their excellence 
 in particip.'tion that they had for months been under careful 
 training. First nine boys with spades marched in and sang 
 a song in which the words " Dig, dig, dig," formed the refrain. 
 They dug up the ground as they sang, and the spades m(ved 
 in harmony with the words. The sowers, twelve little girls 
 dressed in white and gold, then came into the garden pre- 
 tending to scatter seed as they sang of " may-I-help-you 
 seed," " thank-you seed," and " laughter seed." These were 
 followed by twelve boys with watering-cans and wearing green 
 sashes, who sang a rain song. The sunshine girls came next, 
 tw^lv^ co^^'^ured girls dressed in white and yellow, carrying 
 
! I. 
 
 I I 
 
 iM 
 
 t.'^: 
 
 lOO 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 gilt suns in their hands and singing of the sunshine. Weeds 
 were then discovered in the garden ; and a corps of weeders, 
 twelve boys carrying hoes, went through the movements of 
 removing obnoxious growths, as " Obstinacy," *' laziness," 
 "Anger," and *' Hatred," from the pretty garden, accompany- 
 ing their work with song. Then the flowers began to appear. 
 First came the lilies, twelve little girls in white, carrying 
 bunches of that flower ; then twelve more girls in white and 
 purple, carrying violets; then eighteen girls in yellow, wearing 
 great bunches of poppies ; and then twelve girls in white, with 
 pink sashes, carrying bouquets of roses. Each group sang 
 an appropriate chorus, marching as it sang. Christian 
 Endeavour then asked the flowers to greet the two new 
 members, and this was done by the rendering of a chorus 
 of welcome participated in by all. A grand march followed, 
 full of intricate movements. 
 
 Three cheers and the Chautauqua salute were heartily 
 given by the audience for the authors of this exceedingly 
 ■pretty exercise ; after which. 
 
 President Clark introduced the first Corean Endeavourer, 
 Ye Seung-Ku, son of the Corean Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
 a youth of seventeen years, who had recently come to 
 America to be educated. Miss Newton, of Foochow, China, 
 was next presented, and she handed to President Clark a 
 silk banner with an inscription on it in Chinese, meaning — 
 *' Come to China and help us." Miss Newton said that she 
 offered it as a gift from the Endeavourers of that part of the 
 world to the United Society, and President Clark thanked 
 her in the name of that organization. 
 
 A flashlight photograph was then taken of the children on 
 the platform who had taken part in " The Junior Garden," 
 and the annual rally of the Junior Christian Endeavourers 
 came to an end. 
 
 Hundreds had provided themselves with lunches, and, 
 after the Junior Rally, they were for camping out in the 
 Pavilion in order to secure good seats for the closing con- 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 lOI 
 
 secration meeting a few hours later. This was not allowed, 
 however, and the ushers found it very difficult to clear the 
 hall. 
 
 In accordance with a previous arrangement, I sought to 
 enter the Mechanics' Pavilion again about 6 o'clock in 
 order to meet with the Canadian delegation around our own 
 booth; but guards were stationed at every door, and no 
 one, unless an official, was then permitted to enter. The 
 street at the main entrance was packed with thousands upon 
 thousands of people, all desiring to gain admittance to the 
 hall ; the street-cars could only move very slowly past this 
 point on account of the immense crowd blocking their line ; 
 many women and children fainted in the great crush, and 
 had to be taken to the Emergency Hospital. From 3,000 
 to 5,000 people did not gain admission, and were accord- 
 ingly very much disappointed; I was one of the unfortunate 
 number. Side-doors were opened about 6.45, and within 
 fifteen minutes thereafter the immense hall was thronged 
 and the meeting could begin; so great was the crush. With 
 a Kingston delegate whom I met in this great crowd, I stood 
 for half-an-hour or so listening to the first speakers at the 
 open-air overflow^meeting held in front of the Pavilion. We 
 afterwards went to a Gospel meeting in a Mission Hall on 
 Powell Street, and heard a good discourse on John 3 : 36 
 by a young man to an audience of two dozen, one-half of 
 whom were men, and the other women, in working dress. 
 We returned to the overflow meeting, which continued 
 nearly three hours. A long line of trustees of the United 
 Society and ministers had addressed them ; and we came 
 upon the scene whilst the leader was asking those who had 
 been Christians twenty, fifteen, ten and five years to hold jp 
 their hands, and then inviting them to ascend the steps and 
 tell the audience their experience. I took the opportunity of 
 testifying in the presence of the large gathering of working- 
 men. The interest never flagged, and many were present 
 throughout the entire service. 
 
I02 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 'i ».| 
 
 But what kind of meeting had been going on inside the 
 Pavilion ? One of great interest and enthusiasm. The 
 State delegations found their places around their banners. 
 State cries and happy State songs at first rose in a medley, 
 for the delegates were in a jubilant mood. Then the hymns 
 and prayers were preparatory to the culmination. All who 
 led the thought of ihe multitude were under Divine direction. 
 President Clark took ^.ossession of the meeting. The 
 musical director was Mr. A. M. Benham, of Oakland. As 
 a pleasing interlude to the choral singing, the Rev. J. W. 
 Beckett, of Baltimore, one of the coloured delegates, who 
 possesses a powerful and rich voice, sang " Sweet Peace." 
 
 Nashvilje, '98, is proclaimed, and the final decision to 
 hold the Convention of 1900 in London, England. The 
 loud applause of the assembly showed its delighted approval. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Dille, of San Francisco, read the well- 
 known platform of principles of the United Society of Chris- 
 tian Endeavour, and the Endeavourers ratified it by three 
 hearty "Aniens." 
 
 The report of registration was then read. This year, 
 because the influx of delegates was so much greater than 
 was expected, the registration was confined more strictly to 
 Endeavourers than ever before. The figures were : — Out- 
 side of California, 11,260; California, 12,694; Juniors, 
 2,500. — total, 26,454. Canada's delegation numbered 222 ; 
 about 200 were present at this meeting. Illinois sent the 
 largest State delegation — 1,083. 
 
 No more applause ; the consecration meeting was 
 entered upon. A beautiful season of quietness settled down 
 on the assembly. The oldest district superintendent of the 
 American Bible Society read the Scriptures ; following 
 which came an earnest prayer from the devotional leader, 
 the Rev. A. H. Harshaw, of Junction City, Kansas. 
 
 Then President Clark thanked the pastors, the Com- 
 mittee of '97, the ushers, the committees on hall and music, 
 the policemen, the editors of local newspapers, the proprietors 
 
 fl-l 
 
^1 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 
 
 103 
 
 of hotels with their clerks, the motormen, the porters and 
 the conductors of street-cars for kindnesses shown. "Our 
 hearts are overflowing with love and thanks to those who 
 have helped to make this Convention what it has been," he 
 added. 
 
 The Rev. George F. Pentecost, of Yonkers, N.Y., now 
 preached the Convention sermon. Never did this honoured 
 servant of the Most High speak more impressively. " To 
 every man his work," was his theme. With multiplied 
 graphic illustrations he urged upon his hearers individual 
 responsibility for work, and the power of even small abilities 
 when consecrated to Christ's service. "Work," he said, 
 " is the supreme characteristic of the Christian man or 
 woman. . . . Our Lord Jesus Christ crowded every 
 day, and every hour, and every moment of His waking time 
 with conscientious, sincere, exhaustive work for God. . . . 
 The important concern with each one of us, following the 
 footsteps of our Master, is to be about our Father's business 
 in this world. ... If we were realizing what is one of 
 the desires of the Christian Endeavourers, that, instead of 
 one- tenth of the communicants in the Christian churches 
 being workers, nine-tenths were workers, there would be no 
 way of estimating the vastness of the results which would 
 accrue to the honour and glory of Jesus Christ. . . . There 
 are Christian Endeavourers enough on this Pacific Coast, 
 there are Christian Endeavourers enough in all our States 
 from which representatives have come here ; and if we will 
 lift ourselves, or let God lift us, and fall again and again and 
 again, patiently, hopefully, believingly, we will see every- 
 thing in motion under the impact of a consecrated heart 
 and a consecrated life, however small, however insignificant, 
 that heart or that life may be, measured by our human 
 measurement." 
 
 At the conclusion of the sermon, which held the audience 
 in closest attention, Mr. Robert Lloyd sang " The Holy 
 City." 
 
I04 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 The service of consecration, led by President Clark, was 
 opened with the hymn, " T Will Tell the Wondrous Story," 
 by the audience, which was followed by " Saved by Grace " 
 as a solo by Dr. Beckett. 
 
 President Clark then asked for a moment of silent prayer. 
 All heads were bowed while he repeated "Just As I Am, 
 Without One Plea." " Be sincere," he urged upon the 
 delegates when about to call the roll. " Though 5,000 may 
 stand when you stand, make it your individual consecration. 
 Speak with your hearts to-night, as well as with your lips." 
 
 The responses by the forty- five State delegations were 
 
 mostly blendings of religious sentiment and State song?. 
 
 Here are a few :— Colorado appropriately recited : ** I will 
 
 lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my. 
 
 help." Just as fitting was California's response— a verse of 
 
 the hymn, "There is sunshine in my soul to day." There 
 
 were present many Floating Society Endeavourers— more 
 
 than have attended all other International Conventions 
 
 combined; and their motto was: "Though I take the 
 
 wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of 
 
 the sea ; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and '' ay right 
 
 hand shall hold me," and their appropriate hymn was : 
 
 "Throw Out the Life- Line." Never before had there been 
 
 present more than one delegate from Hawaii ; now there 
 
 were twenty. Their motto was: "Be thou faithful unto 
 
 death, and I will give thee a crown of life," and they 
 
 followed this with a song in their native language. Canada 
 
 responded by singing : 
 
 " From ocean unto ocean 
 Our land shall own thee, Lord," 
 
 and by reciting the words : " Finally, brethren, whatsoever 
 things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever 
 things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever 
 things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report ; if 
 there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on 
 these things." 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 105 
 
 At the close of the roll-call, President Clark asked 
 various classes of workers to stand, to whom he gave 
 suitable Scripture verses, which they repeated after him. 
 These were the ministers, members of the Lookout, 
 Prayer-Meeting, Missionary and Social Committees, Junior 
 workers, and men and women. When the active members 
 were called upon, nearly every person in the audience arose. 
 Then all who were Christians and were in sympathy with 
 the movement were urged to stand. Not a few souls in that 
 moment made their first public profession of faith in the 
 Lord Jesus. It was with hesitation that some rose, but 
 only a very few remained seated. 
 
 After repeating the first clause of the pledge in concert : 
 "Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I promise 
 Him that I will strive to do whatever He would like to have 
 me do," all were asked to raise the right hand and say : 
 "This for me; this for me." 
 
 Then a few words of heartfelt prayer, the Mizpah bene- 
 diction, the apostolic benediction, and the Sixteenth 
 International Convention was closed, the assembled thou- 
 sands pouring out into the street, singing as they went 
 verse after verse of " At the Cross, at the Cross, where I first 
 saw the Light." 
 
 When the great hall was almost empty, and most of the 
 lights were out, the ushers, many score strong, indulged in 
 a march around the building. Up and down the long aisles 
 they went, two by two, a jubilant procession, singing "There 
 is sunshine in my soul to-day." Finally, they carried their 
 march out into the neighbouring streets. 
 
 The closing meetings ir. Woodward's Pavilion and the 
 Oddfellows' Hall were equally crowded, beautiful and 
 impressive as that held in the Mechanics' Pavilion. Secre- 
 tary Baer presided and led the consecration service at 
 Woodward's Pavilion. 
 
 About midnight, a company of hundreds of "white 
 
io6 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 caps "filled the beautiful quadrangle of the Palace Hotel. 
 President Clark, Secretary Baer and Treasurer Shaw 
 appeared in response to their vociferous calls, and made 
 little speeches of hearty congratulation. 
 
 That same night the Mayor of San Francisco, acting for 
 the City Hall Commissioners, formally accepted the rotunda 
 and finished dome of the new municipal building. This 
 part of the building was finished in less than three years' 
 time, and cost $420,000. The work of construction was 
 begun in 1872, and many interruptions had occurred. 
 There was an enormous crowd present at the ceremony. 
 Concerts were given both in the afternoon and evening. 
 The interior was brilliant with lights. An official invitation 
 was given to the visiting Endeavourers to attend this 
 gathering; but of course the other meetings kept them 
 from responding in a body. 
 
 J! 
 
 CONVENTION NOTES. 
 
 The tone of tli s Convention was more practical than in 
 the past. Indeed, the emphasis has been laid upon it as 
 a Workers' Convention. Besides the prayer-meetings on 
 the trains, bright song services at wayside stations en route, 
 and evangelistic meetings on Convention Sabbath, Gospel 
 services were held every day at noon in the Y.M.C.A. 
 auditorium, in the Chamber of Commerce, in the Empo- 
 rium, in the public squares, at the water-front, at the 
 Builders' Exchange, in Gospel waggons, in railwr cars — 
 in short, everywhere throughout the city where men could 
 be gathered. These were addressed by the best Conven- 
 tion speakers, and were well attended. The music was 
 a feature of each service. So long as their hour of rest 
 lasted, the workingmen remained within sound of the 
 speakers and the songs. Many gave up their dinners to 
 attend. Many requests for prayers were made ; many 
 desired to begin the Christian life; many a cold-grown 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 107 
 
 /- 
 
 Christian sought to know how he might find peace and life 
 once more. 
 
 Excepting on Saturday, a "Quiet Hour" was set apart 
 each afternoon in the Calvary Presbyterian Church to 
 review the day and prepare for the evening feast. These 
 meetings, save that on Monday afternoon, were under the 
 especial direction of Mr. Charles T. Studd, a famous 
 cricketer, of London, England, who a short time ago 
 returned from Northern China. He is one of a band of 
 young men who entered the missionary field paying all 
 of their own expenses. They sailed for China in 1884, 
 and for ten years remained at their posts of labour 
 there. Many mission stations now flourishing in the 
 "Celestial Empire" crowned their efforts. Mr. Studd is 
 one of the most able and enthusiastic labourers in the 
 Christian Endeavour ranks, and those who listened to his 
 words were deeply affected by his zeal. 
 
 The early morning prayer-meetings were well attended 
 and full of power, as was plainly manifested at the close of 
 one of them, when a young man succeeded in getting 
 around him quite a company for the express purpose of 
 carrying on prayer-meetings in the liquor saloons of the 
 city. These evil institutions, by the way, joined with all 
 the city in displaying the Convention colours and extending 
 a hearty welcome. Each morning opened with nine 
 services at 6.30, conducted by prominent workers from all 
 parts of the country. 
 
 Two or ihree times each day of the Convention, in one 
 of the many commodious rooms of the Mechanics' Pavilion, 
 Miss Helen Kelleher gave lectures, illustrated by the magic 
 lantern, on the resources of California. 
 
 On the Tuesday evening before the Convention, the 
 Convention Chorus, numbering 2,000 voices, gave an 
 opening concert in the hearing of about 12,000 people. So 
 many had on that occasion to be refused admission that the 
 concert was repeated a week later, when the great Pavilion 
 
io8 
 
 ACROSS THE A\fERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 was again crowded. Both concerts were decided successes, 
 from a musical standpoint. 
 
 It is not often that the stars are visible at noon-day, but 
 that was one of the rare things seen in San Francisco. On 
 Monday, thousands gazed into the heavens, where the rays 
 of Venus were distinctly visible, though the sun was shining 
 in all his brilliancy. One newspaper spoke of it as " one of 
 San Francisco's efforts to show that everybody was welcome." 
 
 About ICO cases were treated at the Emergency Hospital. 
 The number of fainting cases rose to more than a dozen 
 upon one day, and they always formed the bulk of the 
 cases treated. There was not, however, one fatality or 
 serious case. 
 
 Thirty policemen were in constant attendance at the 
 Mechanics' Pavilion, and placed where their services could 
 be most advantageously used. There were no arrests and 
 not the slightest disturbance of any kind. 
 
 The Fire Department had sixteen men and two engines 
 in that same building night and day, and these men kept up 
 a constant patrol. Plenty of hose was at hand. Four men 
 were on duty at Woodward's Pavilion, where ten small 
 fire-extinguishers were kept in readiness. 
 
 An average of 8,000 letters per day were handled by the 
 clerks during the Convention in the branch post office 
 established in the Mechanics' Pavilion for the convenience 
 of delegates. 
 
 Notwithstanding the annoyance regarding the delivery 
 of the baggage, the officials declared that they never met 
 with such a patient multitude. A railway official said that 
 he never helped to handle such a crowd before, but that the 
 task was comparatively easy and pleasant because they were 
 all so sensible and amiable. 
 
 Among the pleasant events associated with the Con- 
 vention were the receptions given by the Christian Chinese 
 and Japanese to visiting delegates. It was a novel sight to 
 see these curiously-dressed Christians mingling with the 
 
THE CONVENTION. 
 
 109 
 
 .on- 
 
 ese 
 
 to 
 
 the 
 
 crowds in the Mechanics' Pavilion and at the Convention 
 meetings. A large number of them, too, were Christian 
 Endeavourers. 
 
 Columbus entering Madrid with his New World trophies 
 was not prouder than the Californians displaying their 
 fruits, flowers, scenery, resources and progress. Each 
 California county was wide awake in distributing literature 
 regarding its advantages. 
 
 The tenth annual convention of the California State 
 Christian Endeavour Union was held in the Mechanics' 
 Pavilion on Convention Saturday evening, when that vast 
 auditorium was crowded to overflowing. Splendid reports 
 were read by the different officers. At a certain point in 
 the meeting Secretary Francis VV. Reid said that he held in 
 his hand a letter from a friend informing him that Congress 
 would meet on the Lord's Day to discuss the tariff question. 
 ** I want California to go on record as protesting against 
 any such action," he said. *' We don't want our Legislators 
 working on Sunday. Let everybody who is opposed to that 
 sort of thing stand up." The vast audience rose to its feet 
 and repeatedly cheered the sentiments expressed by the 
 speaker. Mr. Reid was born at Tamworth, Ontario, 
 Canada ; but in early life he made the golden West his goal. 
 
 Besides the Carey hammer, there was used in many of 
 the sessions the unique gavel sent by the Endeavourers of 
 India, made of India woods and with India coins set in the 
 faces. There was also the gavel block of Agra marble — the 
 same material with which was constructed the world's most 
 lovely building, the Taj Mahal. Then, there were hung 
 up in The Golden Rule headquarters, where everyone saw 
 them often, a most interesting collection of gorgeous 
 banners, each bearing, in strange hieroglyphics, a salutation 
 to the Convention from the Endeavourers of some foreign 
 land. These banners were costly, and had been prepared 
 with much loving care. 
 
 This Convention brought the East to the West as never 
 
;^=>3S 
 
 li 
 
 yi : 
 
 
 hf^ ! 
 
 m. 
 
 no 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 before ; it impressed the thought of a vital and radiant 
 Christianity upon a whole Continent. 
 
 Mr. William Shaw, Treasurer of the United Society, 
 said ; " California's welcome will be a sweet memory to 
 thousands, and multitudes will pray that to this great 
 commonwealth may be given a citizenship as strong as her 
 eternal hills, as clean- eyed as her perfect skies, as sweet as 
 her (lowers, and as uplifting as her giant trees. Let her 
 sons and daughters mirror the love of Christ as her hills 
 and valleys do the goodness of God, and the future of 
 California is secure." 
 
 The seed of the deeper Christian life so well sown at 
 previous Conventions, particularly at Washington, bore two 
 valuable kinds of fruit in San Francisco, namely - the 
 adoption of "The Quiet Hour" and ""The Tenth Legion." 
 These two suggestions by President Clark have been most 
 heartily endorsed all over the Continent 
 
 It is safe to say that the strong missionary flame at the 
 Convention will place hundreds of thousands of dollars at 
 the disposal of the various denominational mission boards, 
 which otherwise would never have been collected. Every 
 Convention is a meeting in the interests of missions. 
 
 Between 40,000 and 50,000 strangers were brought to 
 San Francisco by rail and steamer to attend the Convention, 
 and, during the time it lasted, shrewd men of business 
 calculated that the city had been enriched by at least 
 $1,000,000. In one shoe store alone, it is said, the visiting 
 delegates spent more than $700. Supposing each delegate 
 spent $200, this would give a total of about $10,000,000 spent 
 by Christian Endeavourers and those who accompanied them 
 on this memorable trip. 
 
 Notwithstanding the throngs on the streets and at the 
 meetings, the spirit of sweetness and good feeling prevailed 
 everywhere. I did not hear one harsh word, but instead 
 saw many instances of the most touching kindness and 
 unselfishness, 
 
 ! ■ i 
 
THE CONVENTION 
 
 III 
 
 the 
 
 iled 
 
 tead 
 
 and 
 
 The following instances have been recorded of the strong 
 effect of the International Convention upon San Francisco 
 California and neighbouring States: — 
 
 Chinatown in San Francisco is declared to be cleaner 
 and purer than before the wonderful gathering. Thousands 
 of houses occupied by white prostitutes before the Con- 
 vention have been emptied by the police. The side doors 
 of many saloons have been closed. The churches have been 
 quickened, invigorated and encouraged. 
 
 An organization has been formed by the i)astors of San 
 Francisco, with district subdivisions, for the purpo.se of 
 distributing Christian Citizenship literature, and to make it 
 possible for all the voters of the city to be reached promptly 
 in an emergency, in case of some impending and preventable 
 wrong. 
 
 Recently I observed the following paragraph in the 
 Christian Endeavour World: — "The Market Street Rail- 
 way, San Francisco, has shown its appreciation of the work 
 which the Christian Endeavourers are doing for the car men 
 by offering to furnish free a room for library, reading-room, 
 lectures and religious meetings, if the Endeavourers will fit 
 it up. This they propose to do." 
 
 The Oakland City Union decided to push the work along 
 the lines of systematic and proportionate giving. Sabbath 
 Observance, evangelistic services for street railway em- 
 ployees, and hotel invitation. 
 
 The society at Niles has succeeded in closing all of the 
 stores and meat markets upon the Sabbath. This was 
 accomplished by securing nearly ico names, mostly heads 
 of families, upon a pledge not to trade on the Lord's Day. 
 The Endeavourers then presented the pledge with its signa- 
 tures to the storekeepers, and asked them to close their 
 stores. The opportunity was gladly accepted. 
 
 About 150 Christian ministers from California, Washing- 
 ton, Oregon and Idaho formed a union for the purpose of 
 regulating evangelical work in the four F^icific Coast States, 
 
mm 
 
 OAKLAND DAY." 
 
 *1 
 
 JULY 13. 
 
 About 9 o'clock I took the ferry for the " Athens of the 
 Pacific," to share in the very generous reception given by the 
 people of Oakland and adjacent towns to no less than 
 10,000 visiting Endeavourers. The suburban population 
 gathered on the eastern shore of the bay of San Fran dsco is 
 now not less than 100,000, and of this total 75,000 people 
 are in Oakland. Closely connected with that city are the 
 beautiful towns of Alameda and Berkeley. The former has 
 some 17,000 inhabitants, while the latter has 10,000. This 
 population is scattered over a wide area, for Oakland is 
 built upon the generous plan of giving every man an ample 
 front dooryard, and the ideal of its inhabitants seems to be 
 that of the English poet who described as the summit of 
 human felicity the ability to have 
 
 *' A house full of books and a garden of flowers." 
 
 It has seventy-five places of worship, representing every 
 denomination and almost every shade of religious opinion. 
 Oakland is a railway centre, in which focus all the principal 
 lines of travel, whether going north, east or south. Its great 
 mole of stone and earth, running out a mile and a-half into 
 the gently-shelving waters of the bay, is one of the curiosities 
 of railway construction on the Pacific Coast. 
 
 From the moment the visiting Endeavourers set foot on 
 the ferry-boats, they were taken in charge by a large party 
 of white-capped Endeavourers from Alameda County, who 
 piloted them about Oakland and its environments, and never 
 left them until they were safely back to San Francisco. As 
 the visitors crossed the bay to Oakland, these guides dis- 
 tributed free tickets for excursions to Berkeley, Alarr.'^da, 
 Piedmont and Haywards. All the visitors were admitted 
 free to the Exposition Building, then open, to see the large 
 
OAICLANb DAY. 
 
 "5 
 
 and interesting display ofproducts and industries of Alameda 
 County. Whilst there a beautiful book of loo pages was 
 presented to me, giving an excellent description of A'ameda 
 County. After seeing through the Oakland Y.M.C.A. 
 Building, I partook of a free lunch with the big army of 
 visitors under the willows on the Merritt property, along the 
 lake shore. Here tables had been erected beneath the trees 
 in long lines. Fully 1,500 people were accommodated at one 
 time. While some were eating, others were taken out on the 
 lake for a sail. The Refreshment Committee included 100 
 ladies and a like number of gentlemen. To provide this 
 luncheon, no less than $2,000 were raised in cash. It was 
 stated that 30,000 sandwiches were provided ; also, 20,000 
 pounds of fruit, one ton of cake, five barrels of lemonade 
 and ten barrels of coffee. 
 
 I afterwards went to Hay wards, where between 2,000 and 
 3,000 of the visitors were that day. The electric car took 
 me by way of San Leandro, and I returned by steam car to 
 Oakland Mole. Hay wards, the centre of Alameda County, 
 is twenty-one miles from San Francisco. It is one of the few 
 sections of the State where no irrigation is used for the 
 successful raising of fruit and vegetables. It has a popula- 
 tion of about 2,000. As many as 190 tons of fruit have been 
 shipped from this place in a single day. The visitors con- 
 gregated around the grounds of an ancient church, where 
 they were bountifully supplied with fruit and listened for 
 about half-an-hour to interesting addresses. 
 
 I got back to San Francisco between 5 and 6 p.m., 
 thoroughly delighted with the day's sight-seeing and mag- 
 nificent treatment. 
 
 Similar handsome receptions were given thousands of 
 delegates on subsequent days at San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa 
 Rosa, and other places in the State. 
 
 California's remarkable welcome and unbounded hos- 
 pitality were the outstanding feature of this Convention, and 
 
114 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 will be remembered longest and talked about most by the 
 visitors. 
 
 At night, I accidentally fell in with a Mr. Richard 
 Morris, a frank, obliging Englishman and a Christian 
 Endeavourer, one of the visitors, who had been in San 
 Francisco before and intended to stay in the city again and 
 work at his business. This gentleman kindly undertook to 
 show me some of the principal places of interest. We first 
 went to Nob Hill, where the beautiful homes of the million- 
 aires and the splendid building known as " Mark Hopkins 
 Institute of Art " were seen. 
 
 II I ) 
 
 I I 
 
 ! I 
 
 I ! : 
 
 CHINATOWN. 
 
 Two or three minutes' walk from that ' oint brought us 
 right into Chinatown, a city within a city. It is absolutely 
 foreign in all respects. The district wholly given over to the 
 Chinese is five blocks long and two or three wide. Here are 
 congregated between 24,000 and 25,000 subjects of the 
 "Celestial Empire." The female population is about 2,000, 
 and there are but a few hundred children. The picturesque 
 street scenes, the unfamiliar shops and restaurants, the 
 gorgeous joss houses, the crowded lodging-places, the 
 narrow, dark, unlevelled lanes and alleys, the endless pro- 
 cession of meek- faced, shufiling, pig- tailed men and gaudily- 
 dressed women, created a variety of impressions, sometimes 
 pleasant, sometimes painful, but at all times vivid and interest- 
 ing. Curios of all kinds met the eye -p^cqnisite chinaware, 
 marvellously- wrought carvings, silks of the finest texture, 
 embroideries of the most delicate patterns, and perfumes of 
 the rarest odours. Many of these were purchased at reason- 
 able prices as mementoes of their visit by the Christian 
 Endeavourers. The stores were then all op'in, as it is their 
 custom to remain open until midnight ; the workmen were 
 then home from their labour employing their leisure hours 
 principally in friendly converse in the different stores and in 
 
 '■\ 
 
CHINATOWN. 
 
 "5 
 
 strolling about the streets, and the life of the town seemed 
 to be in full swing. Several of the restaurants were very 
 handsomely fitted up, after Oriental ideas. One, known as 
 the "Delmonico" of Chinatown, had most expensive furnish- 
 ings and works of art, mostly imported from China. Here 
 the fashionable banquets are held. The principal joss house 
 is a handsome structure which cost about $50,000. It is said 
 that 98 per cent, of the inhabitants are addicted to the use 
 of opium. The places where the people gather to smoke 
 the drug are said to be low and squalid beyond description. 
 I felt no desire to visit them. Certain alleys are monopolized 
 by odalisques, one or two of whom we saw peering through 
 the grated windows of their wretched dens. These women 
 are slaves, held by stern contracts, the infringement of which 
 means to them mutilation or death. The habits and customs 
 of these people are those of the inhabitants of the walled-in 
 Empire. Every Christian Endeavourer who saw Chinatown 
 will sympathize more fully with the missionaries who have 
 gone to that dark land, and will work and pray more earnestly 
 that this race may be won for Christ. All the principal 
 denominations have missionaries constantly labouring here, 
 and each of them has his or her own record of the triumphs 
 of the Gospel. If the results are not as great as might be 
 desired, it is. not because there is any lack in the earnestness 
 or consecration of the workers, but because of the peculiar 
 difficulties of the work. John Chinaman has a strange 
 mixture of good and evil in his nature. He is good-natured 
 and industrious, and drinks no other convivial cup than the 
 best of tea. He is an adept at driving a sharp bargain. 
 
 Leaving Chinatown, my companion took me through two 
 narrow lanes close at hand, all the houses in which were 
 licensed brothels. What was seen in simply passing through 
 the lanes struck me dumb with surprise and roused me to 
 the highest pitch of indignation. I could not understand 
 how such open sinks of iniquity were allowed to exist in a 
 civilized community. San Frahcisco authorities evidently 
 
.1 
 
 M\ 
 
 P 
 
 ii6 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 sanction them, for a policeman was observed watching the 
 houses. 
 
 We afterwards visited the Palace Hotel, which is said 
 to be the most spacious and commodious in the world. 
 Including equipment and furniture, it cost $7,000,000. 
 Here the officers of the United Society stayed during the 
 Convention. 
 
 Delightful weather prevailed all day. 
 
 JULY 14. 
 
 The greater part of the forenoon was spent taking out 
 tickets for side trips and the return journey. The ticket 
 offices were crowded and service was slow. 
 
 The remainder of the day was devoted to sight-seeing in 
 the company of Mr. Morris, who took me to the Golden 
 Gate Park and the Cliff House, and we finished by taking 
 another walk through Chinatown. 
 
 GOLDEN GATE PARK. 
 
 The main entrance to the Park is 275 feet wide by nearly 
 a mile in length. The Park itself c^'^^^iins 1,013 acres, 
 reaching from Baker Street to the Pacihc Ocean, a distance 
 of four and a-half miles. Originally this area was a sea of 
 drifting sand, but persistent labour has brought it all under 
 subjection, and now the desert has become a garden. 
 Deciduous and evergreen trees abound. Its perennial flowers 
 and velvet sward never languish nor die. Many of these 
 beautiful flowers were skilfully arranged into Convention 
 symbols. There are miles and miles of walks and drives 
 through shaded groves. Thousands of wild birds live in 
 the trees and feed on the grass. Hundreds of squirrels, 
 chipmunks and silver foxes run free. There is a noble 
 conservatory, filled with the choicest orchids and rarest 
 flowering plants ; an aviary, containing rare feathered 
 creatiires ; gaudy peacocks and homely pheasants strut on 
 the lawns ; and there is a Siberian wolf-pit, a deer paddock, 
 
CLIFF HOUSE AND SUTRO HEIGHTS. 
 
 117 
 
 ock, 
 
 and a buffalo inclosure. The Park Museum contains two 
 collections, the Colonial and the Indian, which have not 
 their equal in the world, it is said. There is accommodation 
 around the Band Stand for 20,000 people, while the drive- 
 way immediately in front can accommodate 1,000 vehicles. 
 Everywhere groups of people were seen on the well kept 
 lawns, enjoying the sunshine and health-giving pure air. At 
 the Children's Play Grounds, every conceivable adjunct to 
 a delightful holiday is provided. 
 
 The attendance at the Park during Convention week was 
 29,299, being by far the greatest in the history of the 
 institution. The attendance on Saturday, loth July, was 
 11,844. 
 
 CLIFF HOUSE and SUTRO HEIGHTS. 
 
 We had to pay 10 cents each to secure admission into 
 the Cliff House to get a near view of the Seal Rocks, but, 
 when inside, the privilege of ordering refreshments to the 
 value of the admission fee was granted. Some time was 
 spent watching the seals as they enjoyed a sun bath ; but 
 there were only about a dozen or so altogether. This was 
 the breeding season, and the rest of the seals had gone to 
 the Farralone Islands, which could be seen rising above the 
 western horizon. Higher up, the Seal Rocks were literally 
 covered with sea-gulls and blackbirds. 
 
 On the way to Sutro Heights, we passed the famous 
 Sutro Baths^ which cost upwards of a million and a-quarter 
 dollars. There is a seating capacity of 15,000 and 
 swimming accommodation for 2,000 bathers. On a level 
 with the main entrance is the Sutro Museum, where are to 
 be seen the jrios and relics accumulated by ex-Mayor 
 Sutro during his tour around the world. 
 
 His residence and private park are located on Sutro 
 Heights. The park contains twenty acres, and is laid out 
 in walks and drives under the superintendence of skilful 
 
ii8 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 •'i! \, 
 
 -ff 
 
 gardeners, who have made of the " Heights " one of the finest 
 private grounds in America. Ex- Mayor Sutro keeps the 
 gates wide open to the public, who, it is needless to say, 
 take full advantage of his generosity. After strolling over 
 the beautiful grounds, we seated ourselves at Inspiration 
 Point to watch the surf break below and the ships as they 
 sailed toward the Golden Gate. 
 
 TRIP TO LOS ANGELES. 
 
 JULY 15. 
 
 This morning I crossed the bay by ferry-boat to Oakland 
 Mole, where I boarded a train for J^os Angeles at 9.30. It 
 was crowded, and I was forced to take a seat in the smoking 
 car. This was a hot, oppressive and very dusty ride. The 
 train took us down into the San Joaquin Valley by way of 
 Lathrop and Merced, and continued on its journey via 
 Fresno, Tulare, Bakersfield, Mojave, and Saugus. The 
 scenery was rich and varied ; beautiful orchards and well- 
 cultivated grain fields were seen most of the way ; in one 
 district hundreds of rabbits were running about near the 
 line of railway. The farther South we went the hotter it 
 became. The train reached Los Angeles next morning, 
 
 JULY 16, 
 
 at 7.30. I remained at the station till 9 o'clock, when I left by 
 
 • train for Norwalk, a small village fifteen miles distant, to pay 
 
 a visit to the brother-in-law and sister of a fellow-workman. 
 
 They gave me a very cordial welcome, and fully five hours 
 
 passed away all too rapidly in their company. Both are 
 
 Ca»\adians, and resided in Portage La Prairie before going to 
 
 California. They were then living on a well cultivated farm 
 
 of forty acres, but were making little headway, for several 
 
 reasons which they explained to me. In Southern Cali- 
 
 '' .nia people are taxed for nearly everything they possess— 
 
 V, .-« ciw:£, implements, farms and houses. Then the farmer 
 
 ^v^/^ii ♦ »«J*v ojjcn markets to which he can take his produce 
 
SOUTH PASADENA OSTRICH FARM. 
 
 119 
 
 direct, and so he has to deal with middlemen, who ship the 
 goods East, for which trouble they must of course receive 
 some remuneration, which reduces the farmer's profit. The 
 Chinese farmers work night and day, and sell their 
 products cheaper than the other farmers, which is also a 
 drawback. I was shown all over the farm, and could not 
 understand why they were unsuccessful unless for the 
 reasons just mentioned. They are now living in Los 
 Angeles, where two of their sons are getting along well in 
 business. On my return to Los Angeles, I secured accom- 
 modation at the Revere House, the landlord of which is 
 also a Canadian from Portage La Prairie. 
 
 SOUTH PASADENA OSTRICH FARM. 
 
 JULY 17. 
 
 I took the street-car this morning to the South Pasadena 
 Ostrich Farm, entering the farm through the salesroom, 
 where several thousand dollars' worth of ostrich capes, 
 collars, collarettes, parasols, tips, boas, fans, etc., were on 
 view, and for sale at producers' prices. This is probably 
 the largest stock of ostrich feather goods in the United 
 States. Between sixty and seventy ostriches, young and 
 old, were seen on the farm ; several of them were fed and 
 plucked whilst I was there. They are fed principally on 
 alfalfa. When plucking, one man holds the bird blindfolded 
 in the pen, while another man cuts off the long, beautiful 
 white feathers, so much admired. A bag over the head of 
 the bird renders it completely harmless. At the age of five 
 years these birds begin to yield a revenue in feathers and 
 eggs. The ostriches form their nest in the sand, upon 
 which the pair sit alternately, night and day, for forty-two 
 days, the young ones arriving every other day after that 
 period. At this time the old birds are very belligerent 
 and attack anyone approaching the nest The kick of the 
 ostrich is often fatal. A boy amused the visitors by riding 
 on two of the birds. There was some danger in this pro- 
 

 II 
 
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 P n't 
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 120 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 ceeding, as, of course, all untamed animals are dangerous. 
 There were between fifty and sixty visitors at the farm 
 during my stay, mostly Christian Endeavourers, who were 
 admitted at a reduced rate. There is another large ostrich 
 farm at Norwalk, in which there are over 200 native-born 
 ostriches, the descendants of fifty-two birds brought over in 
 a sailing ship from Africa. 
 
 PASADENA. 
 
 Rejoining the street-car, I was taken through Pasadena, 
 the "Crown of the Valley," the loveliest city I ever gazed 
 upon, for a ride over the wonderful Mount Lowe Railway, 
 said to be "the grandest mountain railway ride in existence." 
 But, before describing it, let me briefly notice beautiful 
 Pasadena. It is a city ornamented with the palaces of 
 thirteen millionaires and the charming residences of other 
 people of wealth and culture. It naturally follows that it is 
 noted for its high- class society, its institutions of learning, 
 its fine public library, churches and hotels. The average 
 annual circulation of books from the library is 52,000 
 volumes. No saloon, gambling den or brothel finds place 
 within the carefully-guarded precincts of Pasadena, so that 
 its homes are undisturbed, and the education of its youth 
 unperverted. Within the city are scores of exquisitely 
 beautiful shaded avenues, streets and drives ; and the close 
 proximity to the rugged Arroyo Seco, the delectable Sierra 
 Madre, the dimpling San Rafael Hills, and the far-reaching 
 Valley of the San Gabriel, render the effect of city and 
 surroundings aesthetically irresistible. Fruit drying, canning 
 and crystallizing are carried on extensively, and there are also 
 extensive and important manufacturing establishments. I 
 observed hundreds of people busily employed drying 
 apricots within wooden structures. As the train passed 
 through Altadena, lying between Pasadena and the moun- 
 tains, elegant mansions were seen literally embowered in 
 perpetual flowers, while fruit trees of various kinds 
 completely covered the grounds. 
 
 llf- 
 
MOUNT LOWE RVILWAY. 
 
 MOUNT LOWE RAILWAY. 
 
 121 
 
 At Altadena Junction a change was made to the electric 
 cars of the Mount Lowe Railway, which took us directly up 
 Lake Avenue for about a mile; then, crossing the high mesa 
 upon which the poppies grow in profusion, entered Rubio 
 Canon. This mesa is an historic spot, having been named by 
 the sailors of the pioneer navigator, Cabrillo, Cape Floral. 
 It is now known as Cabrillo Heights. The flaming and 
 gorgeous poppies, reflecting the brilliant sunlight, made a 
 spectacle of dazzling gold, which was clearly seen sixty miles 
 out at sea— hence the name. Rubio Canon is a profound 
 gash in the granite rocks, which compose the mountains. Its 
 entrance is quite broad, but it soon narrows to a tortuous, 
 precipiced defile. The road crosses numerous substantially 
 built bridges, winds around sudden curves, and runs thrdugh 
 deep cuts, one of which it was necessary to quarry out of the 
 sheer walls by men suspended in baskets by ropes. Finally, 
 just as all further ingress seems to be rendered impossible, 
 from the proximity of the two walls, a sharper turn than 
 usual reveals Rubio Pavilion and the beginning of the great 
 Cable Incline. The " White Chariot" here awaits us, with 
 its seats arranged in tiers ; and the signal to start being 
 given, we move, very gently at first, but with a gradually 
 accelerating speed, until the limit of six miles an hour is 
 reached, up the steepest railway in the world, the grade vary- 
 ing from 48 to 62 per cent. The large steel cable, tested to 
 100 tons strain, slips noiselessly over the pulleys, placed at 
 frequent intervals along the road-bed. We were thus taken 
 up 1,300 feet in eight minutes. Although it is said to be 
 **the safest railway ever constructed," I confess to a feeling 
 of great danger, and the others in the "chariot "felt likewise. 
 All held firmly by the sides of the seats, and felt greatly 
 relieved when the top of the incline was reached. We found 
 ourselves on the summit of Echo Mountain, 3,500 feet above 
 sea-level, where ample accommodation is provided for about 
 300 guests in two hotels— Echo Mountain House and the 
 
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 wmamsBm 
 
 
 
 fif J 
 
 1 1" 
 
 X33 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 Cable Incline, Mount Lowe Railway. 
 
 Swiss Chalet. Here also are the Incline Power House and 
 a printing office, where the Mount Lowe Echo^ a handsomely 
 illustrated publication, is issued daily during the iirst four 
 
MOUNT LOWE RAILWAY. 
 
 123 
 
 months and weekly throughout the rest of the year. Just 
 below Echo Mountain House is the Great World's Fair 
 Searchlight. It is of 3,000,000 candle-power, and was made 
 by the General Electric Company to demonstrate that 
 America was as capable as Germany in the manufacture of 
 these great "electric eyes of light." On the mountain slope, 
 about a quarter of a mile north of Echo Mountain, is the 
 Lowe Observatory, where Dr. Lewis Swift, the eminent 
 astronomer, with his sixteen-inch equatorial telescope, is 
 engaged in his astronomical researches, and is ably assisted 
 by his son, Edward. Both the Observatory and the Search- 
 light are ultimately destined to be placed upon the summit 
 of Mount Lowe, 3,000 feet above their present location. 
 Zig-zagging up the canon, we at length reach the terminus of 
 the railway beside a large and inviting hotel. 
 
 The public owe this great scenic railway to the individual 
 enterprise, financial ability, engineering faculty and brilliant 
 genius of Professor T. S. C. Lowe, known throughout the 
 civilized world for his organization of the U.S. Army Balloon 
 Corps, his invention of the Ice Machine, and Water Gas for 
 heating and illuminating purposes. 
 
 The grandeur of the views, as we moved round among 
 the mountains, overlooking the canons, valleys, ocean and 
 islands, will ever live in memory. A young man from 
 Michigan and I walked up together to the summit of Mount 
 Lowe, a couple of miles farther than the cars took us. It 
 was a very hot and dusty climb, and we perspired quite a 
 deal ; but we were amply repaid for our trouble by the 
 magnificent view to be had from this commanding outlook. 
 The whole of the surrounding country for a distance of at 
 least thirty miles long by as many broad lay before us like a 
 map. Never before had such a pretty and extensive scene 
 met my gaze from any mountain-top. 
 
 On my return to Los Angeles, I attended the public 
 reception given that evening to the visiting Christian 
 Endeavour delegates ?ind friends in the Chamber of Com- 
 
124 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 11 1 [ 11 'i 
 
 i^l,'* 
 
 I 
 
 merce, which was uncomfortably filled with a moving mass 
 of people, who had the privilege of seeing what this rich 
 county produces in the permanent exhibition kept in this 
 important public building. There was a very remarkable 
 display of fruit, which included the mammoth (grange tower 
 shown at the Chicago World's Fair, confa ning 13,872 
 oranges. The exhibition, as a whole, was greatly admired 
 by all. The Rev. Dr. Wild, now the pastor of Plymouth 
 Congregational Church, Los Angeles, but iormerly of Bond 
 Street Congregational Church, Toronto, was one of those 
 present Cake and lemonade were served freely by members 
 of the local Christian Endeavour societies to the visitors. 
 Short, felicitous addresses were delivered from the gallery by 
 the President of the Chamber of Commerce and the Rev. 
 Ira Landrith, Nashville, Tennessee. In response to a cordial 
 invitation, hundreds of the visitors afterwards saw the 
 machinery and composing room in the Times newspaper 
 building. 
 
 JULY 18. 
 
 I was present at the forenoon service in the Central 
 Presbyterian Church, held in the Y.M.C.A. Hall on South 
 Broadway, which was nearly filled. The pastor, the Rev. 
 John K. Fowler, conducted the opening exercises, and 
 introduced the Rev. E. W. Shurtleff, of Plymouth, 
 Massachusetts, one of the C.E. visitors, who delivered a 
 stirring sermon on the subject — "The Touch of Compassion," 
 basing his remarks upon Matthew 9 : 36 and Mark i : 41, 
 42. "The love of Jesus," he began by saying, " is like the 
 place where earlh and Heaven meet. Christ came to us as 
 'the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief ; hence, 
 His compassion was something more than the mere shedding 
 of sympathetic tears. Every loving thought of Jesus Christ 
 was incarnated with a loving deed. He ' stretched forth His 
 hands.' Fellow- Endeavourers, consider two truths here : — 
 I. T/ie necessity of our compassion ; 2. The netessity of 
 doing something. There are many Christians who do not 
 
 II 
 
MASS MEETINO IN SIMPSON TABERNACLE, LOS ANGELES. 1 25 
 
 realize the multitude ; they are sound asleep spiritually. 
 Truly, such people have not begun to understand the 
 Christian life. In this world, we need not only to look into 
 the faces of angels, but into the faces of the most degraded 
 men. Some may say : — *I have no opportunity to reach the 
 masses.' The man who tou -hes one life touches many 
 others. Jesus Christ sent His most central truth through 
 one life. ' What shall I do'? There is no question oftener 
 asked than that. There is nothing greater than what God 
 has given us to do. That may appear too simple. The 
 glow-worm is as mighty as the star in performing its own 
 peculiar work. As I looked at the great gatherings of 
 Christians at the Convention in San Francisco, I wondered 
 how these multitudes would give out what they were receiving. 
 I^t us reach out and touch the multitude who are engrossed 
 with worldly concerns to the utter neglect of their soul's 
 salvation. We are going through the world on ^e. As we go 
 through it, let us raise some soul higher for God." 
 
 It was estimated that 8,000 visiting Endeavourers had 
 come to Los Angeles ; so it was not surprising that the after- 
 noon mass meeting of Christian Endeavourers in the Simpson 
 T. bernacle, which I attended, was crowded to excess, and 
 that an overflow meeting had to be held in Immanue* 
 Church. 
 
 The C.E. organization started in Los Angeles in 1883 
 with but a dozen or so young people, and has grown steadily, 
 until now there are twenty- eight societies with a membership 
 of nearly 2,000, exclusive of the Epworth League, of which 
 there are twenty societies. 
 
 Simpson Tabernacle was beautifully decorated ; the vast 
 audience made the edifice ring with familiar C.E, hymns 
 during the opening exercises ; between thirty and forty visit- 
 ing pastors occupied seats on the platform. The Chair- 
 man was Mr. Leonard Merrill, State I'resident of the 
 Christian Endeavour Society. There were three main 
 speakers. 
 
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 126 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 The first to address the audience was the Rev. J. H. 
 Bombarger, of Columbiano,Ohio. He gave three of his strong 
 impressions of the Convention at San Francisco :— i. TAe 
 vast expenditure of energy. In the recent Convention a vast 
 amount of energy was thrown out, and the thought obtruded 
 itself that where there is fire there must be fuel to feed it. 
 Here the speaker referred to that incident in Bunyan's 
 " Pilgrim's Progress " where Christian sees a fire blaze up 
 without any apparent addition of fuel to sustain it, at which 
 he is astonished, till Interpreter takes him behind and he 
 sees one engaged in pouring oil upon the flames. " So," 
 said the speaker, " if the Conventions are to continue as a 
 means of good, it is in the closet, in the home and in faith- 
 fulness to private Christian duty that the enthusiasm will be 
 generated." 2. The continual increase of young men. When 
 President Clark asked in the great consecration meeting that 
 the saying be refuted that the society was merely for women 
 and children, quite two-fifths of that vast audience stood up. 
 As showing the need of an agency to draw the young men, 
 the speaker stated that there are in the United States 
 7,000,000 young men. Every Sunday 70,000 of these go to 
 the parks or worse places, and there are 574,000 \v the saloon 
 business. In Denver a census was taken one Sunda and 
 250 men were found in the churches and 2,000 in the saloons. 
 Another census showed that twenty-five had joined the 
 Church, and within the same period of time 1,050 had been 
 charged in the Courts with crime. 3. 21ie mighty influence 
 of the Convention in promoting interdenominational unity. 
 He believed in strong undenominational lines, remembering 
 that all are one in Christ. 
 
 The second speaker was the Rev. Josiah Strong, of New 
 York. "If there was a pessimist in San Francisco last 
 week," said he, * * and I had been asked to prescribe for him, 
 I would have ordered him to attend one of those great 
 meetings, and there look down in the faces of 10,000 
 Christian Endeavourers. I would have told him that each 
 
H. 
 
 MASS MEETING IN SIMPSON TABERNACLE, LOS ANGELES. I27 
 
 one of those faces represented 3CX3 others behind who could 
 not be seen. These represent a magnificent power for God, 
 for Christ and the Church. Here we have an army of young 
 men and women who have consecrated themselves toCbrist 
 and the Church. Who can look at a fact like that, and not 
 be of good cheer?" He rejoiced that the Christian Endea- 
 vour Society was formed inside and not outside of the 
 Church. The world did not believe in the unselfishness of 
 the churches; but if the churches did not bear constantly 
 before them the fact that the Head of the Church had sacri- 
 ficed and suffered everything for the people, they would fail 
 in their work. 
 
 The last speaker was President Clark, who received the 
 Chautauqua salute. " The Convention is still going on," he 
 remarked, "and the aftermath is just as important, and is 
 calculated to do as much good for the Lord we love. Though 
 this Convencion is in some respects the greatest ever held — 
 and particularly with regard to the distances travelled— it 
 will also be notable for the affer-meetings in Los Angeles and 
 Pasadena, in the cities in the north up to British Columbia, 
 and in the far-away Saskatchewan region of Canada. As 
 each delegation returns singing and praying, they are carry- 
 ing on the evangelizing work, and we can thank God that 
 the Convention was held here. Mrs. Clark and myself have 
 bad a flowery welcome, for yesterday we found in our rooms 
 a wealth of flowers which in the East are regarded as 
 treasures, even in small quantities." President Clark then 
 exhibited Carey's shoemaker's hammer ; a gavel made from 
 a variety of Indian woods, various coins being set in the head 
 and handle ; a Bengalee banner, made by the girls of a 
 boarding school about 150 miles from Calcutta, with the 
 Endeavour pledge inscribed in the native language ; a tiger's 
 claw, from Central Africa ; and a piece of terra cotta from a 
 ruined Indian pagoda, where Wm.Caiey, Marsh man. Ward, 
 Henry Martin and Judson used to go to hold prayer- meet- 
 
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 I 
 
 ii ?. 
 
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 128 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 m 
 
 ings, shut off from the bustle of the world. As each article 
 was shown, very interesting comments were made upon it. 
 
 At the conclusion of President Clark's address, the 
 audience sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again," 
 and then joined in repeating the Mizpah benediction. 
 
 Between 6 and 7 o'clock I was present at the Christian 
 Endeavour meeting in the First Congregational Church, 
 which was bright and good. The time was almost wholly 
 taken up by hearty testimonies from the visiting Endea- 
 vourers, of whom I was one. 
 
 I attended the evening service in the same church after- 
 wards, of which the Rev. W. F. Day is pastor. One of the 
 visitors, the Rev. Mr. West, of Winona, Minn., was the 
 preacher, and he took for his subject — *' The Fellowship of 
 the Spirit "; his text was Philippians 2:1. 
 
 Weather delightful all day. 
 
 JULY 19. 
 
 This morning the street-car took me to the Elysian Park, 
 which covers 560 acres of hill and ravine. This is one of 
 the most beautiful parks in the city. Several hundred 
 thousand trees have been planted, and a driveway five miles 
 long has been constructed. I spent an enjoyable hour or 
 so in it. From an elevated spot, an excellent view of Los 
 Angeles was obtained. 
 
 LONG BEACH. 
 
 Returning to the city, I took the train for Long Beach, 
 twenty-two miles distant, where I stayed about an hour, 
 taking the first train back. The chief attraction of Long 
 Beach is a smooth, level stretch of sand, which extends 
 seven miles in front of the lOwn, and is good for riding, 
 walking and driving. The sands slope gradually, about one 
 foot in thirty feet, so that from high to low tide a width of 
 over 200 feet or more is uncovered, entirely free from stones, 
 and so solid that carriage wheels scarcely leave a mark upon 
 
Los ANGELES. 
 
 tig 
 
 each, 
 lOur, 
 Long 
 tends 
 iding, 
 it one 
 ilh of 
 tones, 
 upon 
 
 the smooth and solidly-packed sand. Over too people were 
 then enjoying themselves bathing and swimming in the 
 ocean. The town is about sixteen years old, and it was 
 organized for the purpose of keeping out the saloon element, 
 and providing a quiet and orderly seaside resort, where the 
 more religiously-inclined might come and enjoy summer 
 recreation. Here is the permanent location of the Chautau- 
 qua Assembly of South California, and many thousands 
 attend the annual meetings, lectures, etc., during July and 
 August ; these meetings were then being held. There ar^ 
 also camp-meetings of the Methodists, and a number of 
 other religious bodies frequently meet here during the 
 summer. 
 
 Returning to Los Angeles about 6 o'clock, I attended the 
 evening mission meeting at the Pacific Gospel Union, led by 
 the members of Central Presbyterian C.E. Society. The 
 pastor had charge of the meeting, and gave an excellent 
 address from Matthew ii : 28—** Come unto me, all ye that 
 labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." A 
 visiting Christian Endeavourer was seated on the platform 
 and assisted the leader ; I also made a few remarks on the 
 subject. Over twenty workingrhen were present. Deep 
 spiritual earnestness characterized the meeting throughout. 
 
 LOS ANGELES. 
 
 JULY 20. 
 
 The forenoon was wholly spent seeing about the town. 
 Los Angeles, the City of Angels, has in the past twenty 
 years become a talisman to attract from all quarters tourists, 
 health-seekers and investors in large and ever-increasing 
 numbers. Its rapid increase in population attests the strength 
 of the attractions that the city and surrounding country offer. 
 In 1880 its inhabitants numbered a little over 11,000; in 
 1890, somewhat over 50,000 ; while today an informal 
 census places the number at 103,000. More than 100 years 
 
 fl 
 
mmmm 
 
 130 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 ago the town was founded ; but, horn in romance and 
 cradled in dreamy ease, it passed the first fifty years of its 
 existence in a (juiet indolence that gave little promise of 
 future greatness or of its present commercial importance. 
 Los Angeles extends over thirty-six square miles of territory, 
 and has great attractions, climatic, scenic and hygienic. 
 Few cities are so favoured by Nature and by location. 
 Situated midway between the ocean and the mountains, in 
 plain view of one another, having three ports of entry for 
 shipping, and being the largest railway centre in the State, 
 she is in a position to control a vast commerce, to secure 
 the trade of a great number of tributary towns that are 
 springing up as the surrounding villages are being settled, 
 and become the entrepot for the vast Oriental trade that will 
 ultimately seek the shortest, easiest and cheapest route to 
 the great markets of the Mississippi and Atlantic States. 
 All trains leave the Arcade Depot, one of the finest buildings 
 of the kind on the Pacific Coast. The street-f ar system, 
 worked by cable and electricity, is of more than ordinary 
 metropolitan excellence. There is also a complete system 
 of electric lighting; it is said to be "the best-lighted city on 
 the Continent." It is well provided with hotels, fine boarding 
 houses, handsome residences, imposing public buildings 
 and well kept parks. The new Court House represents an 
 outlay of about $t, 000, 000. The City Hall cost about 
 $200,000. In it are the Public Library and Free Reading 
 Room. The library has about 40,000 volumes and a 
 circulation of over 300,000 a-year. in schools, both public 
 and private, and in churches, Los Angeles is equalled by 
 few cities of her size. Two interesting portions of the city 
 are known as Sonoratown (or the old Mexican quarter) and 
 Chinatown. 
 
 Business, I ascertained, was then quiet. There is con- 
 siderable difficulty at times in securing situations, because 
 the many health-seekers are willing to work at low wages if 
 assured of anything like permanency. I became acquainted 
 
urn 
 
 THE FAMOUS LOOP. 
 
 131 
 
 with a married man from Portage La Prairie, at the Revere 
 House, who was suffering from consumption, but had come 
 to Los Angeles in time, and who told me that he felt the 
 climate was curing him. 
 
 THE MOJAVE DESERT. 
 
 Leaving Los Angeles about noon, I returned by the 
 main railway line to Fresno, which was reached about 
 midnight after a most interesting journey through the 
 Mojave Desert. The desert shows a great variety of the 
 most attractive scenery in its ever-changing hues, cliffs, 
 canons, extinct volcanoes, lava beds and sandy plains. 
 The cacti lie thick in this neighbourhood, and attention is 
 constantly arrested by the large number of round buttes 
 which arise from the sand. They are of all sizes, from half 
 an acre to several acres in extent at the base, and from loo 
 to 500 feet in height. Most of them are peaked at their 
 summits, and are grooved or worn out by the elements into 
 small ravines, which extend from top to bottom, and they 
 present a most peculiar appearance. 
 
 THE FAMOUS LOOP. 
 
 Daylight, also, enabled me to see the system of tunnels 
 and the famous Loop that have made the Tehachapi 
 Pass one of the great engineering wonders of the world. 
 It is alleged that three civil engineers of great reputation 
 first undertook to survey a passage through these crags and 
 peaks, and, after repeated attempts, declared the route 
 impossible. A lad of twenty years took up the work where 
 his elders had forsaken it, and this miraculous railway path 
 over and through the mountains is the result In the 
 tunnels and rocks and ravines one can see how great were 
 the difficulties the engineers had to face. Tunnels 14, 13 
 and 12 are not far apart, so that one alternates in light and 
 darkness, gliding slowly along on ledges of solid rock, 
 alongside deep ravines. On emerging from Tunnel No. 10 
 
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 132 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 a fine view is had of the famous Loop, where five lines of 
 railway are crossing and recrossing the canon. Tunnel 
 No. 9 is The Loop Tunnel. This loop solved one of the 
 greatest of engineering difficulties. In approaching these 
 mountains from the north the Canon of the Tehachapi 
 widens at this point, and in it there is a conical shaped hill. 
 Beneath this, the train goes through Tunnel No. 9, and, 
 emerging, it curves to the left and circles around this conical 
 hill and crosses the track only 77.46 feet higher. Then, by 
 a fill of 150,000 cubic yards, the road passes from the peak 
 around which it curved over to the wall of the canon, and 
 is now, again, far r.bove the bed of the creek. In curving 
 around the hill, ' et":- ssing through Tunnel No. 9, and 
 on the north-easi, ;.n. ' t' -^ hill, there is a heavy cut that 
 required much blasiiiig, and here were used the largest 
 blasts exploded on 'I ',^ whole of the Southern Pacific System. 
 The loop line is 3,704.7 '-H 1 • ngth ; the curvature, 300 
 deg. 52 min. ; the limit of curvutu.c, : .> deg., and the radius, 
 573.7 feet. There are seventeen tunnels connected with 
 the ascent of this range, between Caliente and the summit. 
 The shortest of these is No. 11, 158.8 feet, and the longest. 
 No. 5, 1,156.3 feet. The aggregate length of the seventeen 
 is 7,683.9 feet. These tunnels have all been timbered with 
 Oregon cedar, a tough, durable and weight-sustaining wood. 
 
 A delay of five hours and a-half took place at Fresno, 
 waiting on a connection for Berenda. Raisins are grown 
 extensively at Fresno. An item of news in a local paper 
 showed how keen the competition was then in that line of 
 business. A large meeting of raisin-growers, representing 
 over 8,000 acres in vines in the county, passed a resolution 
 agreeing to stand firmly by the proposition that no raisins 
 be sold for less than 2^c. a-pound. The meeting also 
 adopted a resolution censuring a San Francisco fruit packing 
 company for its recent postal cards circulated among buyers 
 of raisins, in which the prices were set at a figure claimed to 
 be ruinous to growers. 
 
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 
 
 133 
 
 JULY 21. 
 
 This morning, I took train for Berenda, which was 
 reached about 7 o'clock, where another wearisome stay of 
 about twenty-one hours took place, waiting on a connection 
 for Raymond. There was nothing of importance to be 
 seen at Berenda ; so, seated on the verandah of the hotel, I 
 passed the time for the most part reading. The weather 
 was delightfully cool in the evening. 
 
 THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 
 
 JULY 22. 
 
 I left Berenda at 4.30 in the morning in a small train in 
 which I had the rare privilege of being the only passenger. 
 Before it left the station, however, two sleeping cars filled 
 with passengers from San Francisco were attached. The 
 train arrived at Raymond shortly before 6 o'clock. 
 
 Here the four days' drive through the immense forest 
 began ; 100 visitors, it was stated, were then daily passing 
 through it to see the famous Yosemite Valley. After the 
 visitors had partaken of breakfast at Raymond Hotel, three 
 four-in-hand stage-coaches, each of wtiich comfortably 
 seated eleven tourists, left about 6.30 that beautiful morn- 
 ing for the dustiest drive ever taken by any of the party ; 
 such v.'as the general confession at the end of the first day's 
 journey. But to those who lived in the forest this 
 unpleasant experience on the part of the travelling public 
 was foreseen, for whisks were b'ing in readiness to brush 
 the dust off the clothing, and washing materials were to 
 hand, at all the places where stoppages were made to 
 partake of lunches and the more substantial meals. With 
 the exception of myself, all the tourists were Americans j 
 and in each coach, as a rule, there were representatives 
 from seven or eight States. Despite the great amount of 
 dust raised and the;^sagreeable jolting as we sped up and 
 down the mountain sides, the party kept up their spirits 
 well. When clouds of dust were being raised, a St. Louis 
 

 
 
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 134 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 wit quietly asked his companion, whilst rubbing his eyes, if 
 he had seen anything yet ; and farther on, noticing the want 
 of springs when the jolting was at its worst, he ventured to 
 assert that the only spring he could discover in that district 
 was the one attached to our coach ! Rabbits, squirrels and 
 quail were seen in goodly numbers as the coach kept 
 winding round oak-studded and shrub-garnished ridges, 
 and across low knolls and flats, on the way to the Gambetta 
 Gold Mines. We left a well-filled mail-bag at Grub Gulch 
 Post Office. The origin of this quaint yet expressive name 
 may be deemed worthy of remark. It would seem that, 
 when the "diggin's" became unproductive, miners would 
 leave this locality for some other ; but when those sought 
 were proven to be worse, they returned to this place to dig 
 out gold enough to "make grub"! so that this became a 
 provisional refuge for disappointed miners. From the 
 ridge beyond Grub Gulch, fine views of the distant Sierras 
 were obtained. Threading our way down grade, and over 
 low hills covered with oak and pine trees, we came to King's 
 Gulch, where a rich quartz lode is being jjrofitably worked 
 by electricity. A little farther on, we partook of lunch at 
 Ahwahnee. As we ascended the Chowchilla Mountain, 
 grand views were constantly opening up. We were now 
 taken through an almost unbroken forest of stately pine and 
 fir trees, from 200 to 400 feet high, which formed magnifi- 
 cent vistas, not only up to the crest of the mountain, but all 
 the way down to the picturesquely-situated hotel, Wawona, 
 which was reached about 6.30 p.m. Here we remained 
 overnight, and were handsomely treated. Fishing Camp, 
 near Wawona, lies in a lovely- shaded district, through 
 which flows a pellucid river. It was the prettiest place 
 seen that day. A large number of tents and several fine 
 residences were passed as the coach sped through it. 
 Amongst the other sights on our way|j*ere a large sawmill 
 and a few exquisitely beautiful blue birds, flying near by 
 from tree to tree. 
 
■ 
 
 THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 
 JULY 23. 
 
 »3S 
 
 After breakfast, the party of yesterday left VVawona for 
 Yosemite between 6 and 7 o'clock. The drive this day was 
 much more enjoyable, because the dust raised was not so 
 great. Earnest and well-sustained conversations were carried 
 on in the coach in which I sat, which was entirely filled with 
 ladies from six or seven different States, between the Endea- 
 vourers and those not belonging to the society, on several 
 moral questions— such as dancing, theatre-going and kindred 
 subjects — as we kept winding and ascending the mountain 
 past Lookout Point among vistas ofdeep forest till we arrived 
 at Eleven-Mile Station, a short distance beyond which we 
 attained the highest point on our route, 6,160 feet above sea- 
 level. From Chinquapin Flat, constant scenic changes took 
 place, from forest shadows to open glades, which gave us an 
 opportunity to peer into the deep canon of the Merced River ; 
 then, in the hazy distance, to view the leaping tributaries 
 of Cascade Creek, until, about 11 o'clock, we rounded a 
 sharp precipice on the edge of the forest and came suddenly 
 to the glorious panoramic view at Inspiration Point, where 
 the wonders of the Yosemite burst upon us as they had burst 
 upon the astonished gaze of the first white man in 1851. 
 Here we remain for some time spellbound. 
 
 " ' Silence ! ' Emotions new and strange here rise 
 And sweep with cyclonic force the breast ! 
 A new, strange world, all-powerful and sublime, 
 Enchains, enslaves, and fetters all. 
 The greatest, most of all, are fettered most ; 
 Only the pigmies chatter, and fools alone 
 Find laughter here where Nature speaks 
 In tones of grandeur and sublimity ! 
 Strong lips are dumb, and eyes unused to tears 
 Are forced to yield the highest tribute of the soul 
 To these grand thoughts of the Eternal Mind ! " 
 
 Deep down in the mountain gorge before us lay the peaceful, 
 famous valley, about seven miles long and from half-a-mile 
 
136 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 to a mile broad, with its beautiful avenues, its sparkling river, 
 its heavily- timbered slopes, and its grass-carpeted meadows, 
 hemmed in by encompassing walls of granite, and surmounted 
 by domes and spires, and peaks and crags, from 3,000 to 
 5,000 feet in height, over which bounded leaping waterfalls 
 from 900 to 2,000 feet. On the left-hand side stood El 
 Capitan, that monarch of vertical mountains, with its two 
 
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 YOSEMITE VALLEY, FROM ARTIST'S POINT. 
 
 immense faces of pearly, cream-coloured whiteness, each 
 of which is three-quarters of a mile across; then came 
 in order named The Ribbon Fall, The Three Brothers 
 (the highest of which is called Eagle Peak), The Canon 
 of the Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Point, Indian Canon, 
 The Royal Arches, The Washington Tower and The North 
 
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 
 
 »37 
 
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 Dome, the latter rounding upwards immediately over the 
 Royal Arches and Tower. On the right-hand side were The 
 Bridal Veil Fall, The Cathedral Rocks and Spires, The 
 Sentinel Rock and Dome, Glacier Point, and the Wall 
 of the Tooloolaweack Canon. Away in the distance 
 loomed up Grizzly Peak, The Half or South Dome, Cloud's 
 Rest and Mount Watkins. The principal features by which 
 the Yosemite is distinguished from all other known valleys 
 are : " First, the near approach to verticality of its walls ; 
 secondly, their great height, not only absolutely, but as com- 
 pared with the width of the valley itself; and, finally, the 
 very small amount of talus or debris at the base of these 
 gigantic cliffs. Either the domes or the waterfalls, or any 
 single one of them even, would be sufficient in any European 
 country to attract travellers from far and wide." 
 
 Continuing on our way we descended into the valley, and 
 were driven to the Pioneer or Sentinel Hotel at the little 
 village of Yosemite through giant pine, fir, cedar and oak 
 trees. At every turning of the road, some new picture of 
 majesty or beauty presented itself The picturesque, the 
 sylvan and the magnificent have their realms here ; and their 
 territories blend into each other so often, and so gradually, 
 that our eyes never wearied. Tents were then scattered 
 here and there, all over this ideal valley. The Guardian's 
 Office, where the Great Register is kept, stands near the 
 Sentinel Hotel; and amongst the other erections in the 
 vicinity are a general merchandise and drug store, a butcher 
 shop, a photographer's gallery, and a printing office, from 
 which The Yosemite Tourist, a small four-page paper, is 
 issued daily during the tourist season, from April to Novem- 
 ber. Close to the base of Sentinel Rock, that central and 
 impressive landmark, stands the Yosemite Chapel, which 
 was built, mainly, from the contributions of California Sunday 
 School children. This was the only religious building I 
 remember having seen during the four-days' drive. There 
 was abundant evidence, even to a stranger, that such build- 
 
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 138 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 ings were greatly needed, for in several places we saw that 
 miners' saloons were plentiful, and that on Sunday the mines 
 were in full operation. The things of Time— alas! no rare 
 sight !— have apparently precedence in the minds of the 
 natives to the vital concerns of Eternity. 
 
 As we had the afternoon to spend as we chose, a few took 
 the carriage drive round the valley j but the large majority 
 contented themselves with leisure walks to principal points of 
 interest in the neighbourhood. With my two companions — a 
 school inspector from Illinois and an elderly gentleman from 
 Massachusetts— the time flew swiftly by as we strolled ovtr 
 the fertile meadow examining its ferns and flowers, and by 
 the margin of the Merced River, 100 feet wide, bordered by 
 fragrant shrubs, clear as crystal, and full of trout. I saw 
 one or two good specimens swimming near the bottom, so 
 transparent was the water. We finished by climbing over 
 the heap of fallen rocks to get the nearest view of the Yose- 
 mitc Falls. The upper fall, at a single bound, leaps down 
 1,600 feet; then, by a series of rapids, hurries through a 
 narrow, rock-ribbed channel, descending 500 additional feet ; 
 finally, to make another vertical plunge of 500 feet. In 
 appearance, this mass of falling water, 30 feet wide, simulates 
 a continuous avalanche of snowy rockets, that seem to be 
 perpetually playing with, chasing, and trying to overtake one 
 another ; and, when they have succeeded, delightfully unite 
 their forces in foam and spray to create a scene of beauty 
 and of power. 
 
 Two or three hours were pleasantly passed in the 
 evening by me, playing checkers with two gentlemen in the 
 party. There was quite a crowd of interested onlookers. 
 During the time of this checker-playing, lively music was 
 discoursed on the piano by one of the lady visitors. 
 
 JULY 24-. 
 
 After breakfast, fully fifty ladies and gentlemen left the 
 snug valley hotel about 6.30 in coaches for Mirror Lake and 
 
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THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 
 
 '39 
 
 Glacier Point. A few who had five-day tickets intended to 
 return to the valley in the evening; the rest were driven back 
 to Wawona Hotel. A sublime panorama opened up before 
 us as we advanced towards Mirror I^ke. Near views were had 
 of the Half Dome, which presents so many aspects of rugged 
 grandeur from every point of observation ; no two views are 
 the same. Nearly halfan-hour was spent at the marvel- 
 lously beautiful Mirror Lake, in which three mountains- 
 Mount Watkins, 4,200 feet high ; Cloud's Rest, 6,000 feet ; 
 and the Half Dome, 5,000 feet — are all perfectly reflected. 
 Even the peculiar forms on the face of the rocks were 
 clearly seen. The rays of the rising sun were also visible 
 under the surface of the water, as well as the sun itself, as 
 it came slowly over the face of the mountain. 
 
 " I look above me, and behold ! 
 More glorious than can be told 
 Rise massive rocks sublime. 
 Upon the mountain's stony side 
 Grow pines and cedars that have vied 
 With ceaseless course of Time. 
 Above these rocks, so grand and high, 
 Is Heaven's fairest, bluest sky, 
 Just tinged with a rosy flush ; 
 At the mountain's base, tall trees are seen. 
 Above, the blue ; beneath, the green — 
 The work of Nature's brush. 
 
 " I look below me, and behold ! 
 More wonderful than can be told 
 Sink massive rocks sublime. 
 And, lower still, another sky 
 With the blue above doth seem to vie. 
 And lo ! a fringe of inverted trees, 
 Gently stirring in the breeze, 
 Grows down with fern and brake. 
 When two bright suns dispel this scene. 
 One sun in Heaven sails serene 
 And one's in Mirror Lake." 
 
i 
 
 \ \ 
 
 140 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 At Tis-sa-ack Bridge, horses, ponies and mules were 
 found waitirig to take us by Anderson's trail to Glacier 
 Point, an uphill journey of about four hours over the 
 shoulders of Grizzly Peak and the Cap of Liberty, passing 
 on the way the glittering Diamond Cascade, and the beauti- 
 ful Vernal and Nevada Falls. Being very fond of mountain- 
 climbing, I was glad of the opportunity to have a good 
 walk, particularly after being confined for a couple of days 
 in a stage-coach, and for the greater part of the way I led the 
 party on foot. The animal designed for my use did not say 
 *^NeigA"/ All the others were mounted. The road was 
 a good one ; and although it led at times over steep places, 
 I did not feel anything like as fatigued as when climbing 
 Ben Nevis and Ben Lomond in Scotland, and Snowdpn in 
 North Wales. Small lizards occasionally crossed my path 
 with a hissing sound. My American friends admired my 
 endurance and congratulated me on my climbing ability, 
 for I arrived at our destination as soon as they did. This 
 was one of the most delightful walks I ever took. The 
 outlooks grew gradually grander and grander as we ascended 
 till the climax was reached at Glacier Point. From this 
 splendid panoramic standpoint, the entire valley was spread 
 out below us, " where hotels were as huts, trees of 200 feet 
 mere shrubs, men as black spots on the surface of the 
 green. Mirror Lake as a bright speck, and an apple orchard 
 of four acres, the trees set 20 feet apart, appeared as a 
 checker-board " ; besides, views were had of the lovely falls 
 which we had passed, with the wild depths of intervening 
 canons ; and, more wonderful than all, the main crest of 
 the Sierras was spread out in front, with its chain of moun- 
 tains stretching away to the north for a distance of over 
 forty miles, the ridges farthest away being completely 
 covered with snow. As we were climbmg "The Zig-Zags," I 
 frequently stopped to recover breath and look back upon 
 the pretty picture presented by the slowly-advancing caval- 
 cade. This royal feast on Nature's beauties over, and the 
 
THE MARIPOSA BIG TREES. 
 
 141 
 
 " inner man " attended to by partaking of a hurried lunch, 
 we were again seated in coaches for a drive of about 
 twenty-five miles through a forest of spruce trees for the 
 most part, many of which were moss covered and very pretty- 
 looking. We were all in the best of spirits ; and as we 
 journeyed along, the liveliest conversations were indulged 
 in, the two principal talkers in the coach where I was being 
 a Quaker merchant from Philadelphia and a lady school 
 teacher from Chicago. By the way, it is worthy of mention 
 that school teachers were largely represented at the San 
 Francisco International C.E. Convention j I do not recollect 
 travelling by rail, coach or steamer in a company of tourists 
 that had not a school teacher as one of its number. We 
 got back to Wawona Hotel about 7 p.m.; it was a dusty 
 drive from Glacier Point. 
 
 THE MARIPOSA BIG TREES. 
 
 JULY 25. 
 
 Fifty- five tourists, after breakfast, left the hotel about 6 
 o'clock in coaches for a drive to Raymond by way of the 
 grove of Mariposa Big Trees. This was another dusty day's 
 drive, and the jolting of the coach as it went up and down 
 the mountain-sides was very disagreeable. The big trees- 
 giants of the primeval forest— are in a Government reserva- 
 tion two miles square. There are 365 trees, one for each 
 day in the year, 154 of which exceed 15 feet in diameter, 
 and several are more than 300 feet in height. Each bears 
 the name of some State in the Union or the name of some 
 celebrated American. There are openings in all the trunks, 
 caused, no doubt, by the hand of Vandalism ; indeed, as 
 many as five wide passages have been burned through one 
 trunk. Otherwise, these trees, Sequoias^ give no indication 
 of decay or death. They grew bigger and bigger as we 
 approached "The Grizzly Giant," at the base of which we 
 dismounted. Nineteen of the party spread themselves out 
 and joined hands around the trunk. This tree is 92 feet in 
 
142 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 ft !• 
 
 circumference, and 285 feet high. Although not as sym- 
 metrical as many others in the grove, it is perhaps the most 
 striking of all, having several very large limbs ; one up 100 
 feet, fully 6 feet in diameter, shoots out horizontally fo*- some 
 
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 distance, and then turns abruptly to the vertical. The 
 original height of this tree is unknown, the top having been 
 destroyed, probably by a violent storm long ago. The 
 
 
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 THE MARIPOSA BIG TREES. J43 
 
 rings of annual growth on these trees indicate an age of 
 about 4,000 years. We climbed a ladder to the top of a 
 prostrate tree, which originally measured 40 feet in diameter, 
 and was 400 feet in height. In the " Haverford " sixteen 
 horses have stood at one time ; *' Washington " has a girth 
 of 91 feet; the "Mariposa," 86 feet; "The Workshop" 
 has a capacious hollow at its base 12 by 16 feet. These trees 
 grow in deep soil, in sheltered hollows at the head of 
 ravines, and at an altitude above sea-level of over 4,000 
 feet. Nearly the last seen was " Wawona," 27 feet in 
 diameter, through the centre of which an arch or tunnel has 
 been cut, 10 feet square, by which stage-coaches, loaded 
 with passengers, can readily pass. A photographer was 
 waiting on us here. He smartly took groups of the party 
 standing in front of the tree, and charged 60 cents for each 
 copy, to be forwarded when finished. On our way to Ray- 
 mond the dust raised was so great that a young man from 
 Philadelphia grew sick, and we had to wait a little till he 
 recovered. A branch railway to the Yosemite Valley, it 
 was generally conceded, was greatly needed. Raymond 
 Hotel was reached a little after 7 o'clock after a very warm 
 day's drive. The party separated at Berenda, quite a num- 
 ber going south to Los Angeles for further sight-seeing ; but 
 the majority, like myself, returned to San Francisco. 
 
 JULY 26. 
 
 The train for San Francisco was switched off the track, 
 and did not leave Berenda till 6 o'clock this morning. It 
 arrived at Oakland Mole about noon. I immediately 
 crossed in the ferry-boat tD San Francisco, and again 
 secured accommodation at the Girard House. 
 
 The evening was passed in the Y.M.C.A. Building, 
 where I attended the General Secretary's Bible Class 
 Meeting, from 7 to 8. The subject was : — "The Anointing 
 of the Holy Spirit." There was a good attendance. Three 
 flashlight photographs of the members were taken at the 
 close. 
 
144 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 A public meeting for men followed, which was led by a 
 Mr. Parsons, from Atlanta, Georgia. His text was taken 
 from Proverbs i : 26; first clause:— "I also will laugh at 
 your calamity." Many testimonies were given by strangers 
 like myself, as well as by local speakers. An interesting 
 testimony was given by a young man from Copenhagen, 
 Denmark. Some members of the '97 Committee and of the 
 Floating Society also gave short and pithy addresses. The 
 time passed by rapidly. Like the Chairman, I could have 
 wished it extended. 
 
 On the way to our lodgings, I had a friendly chat with 
 the young man from Copenhagen, who had been travelling 
 extensively. He told me that his pocket-book, containing 
 tickets and all his money, had been stolen from him on 
 Convention Sunday at the afternoon meeting in the 
 Mechanics' Pavilion, and that he had to telegraph home 
 to his friends for an additional supply of money. 
 
 JULY 27. 
 
 An hour or so was spent during the forenoon at the 
 Mark Hopkins Institute of Art. The pictures exhibited 
 were not strikingly grand; but the building itself ranks 
 among the finest in America, and the views of the city from 
 the tower were splendid. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 The remainder of the day was principally whiled away 
 looking around the city. San Francisco is not behind the 
 other cities that have entertained Christian Endeavour 
 Conventions in the need it presents for such an aggressive 
 Christian testimony as such a Convention affords. For its 
 300,000 inhabitants it has 3,260 licensed saloons. Compare 
 that with Toronto, which has about 225 licensed liquor 
 establishments of all kinds for its population of 225,000. 
 And yet a saloon on Seventh Street is named " The Oasis " ! 
 What a mockery of terms ! Free lunches were given in 
 
SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 145 
 
 1"! 
 
 in 
 
 nearly all the saloons ; large window notices declared this. 
 The front subject in the State of California at present is 
 the Sunday closing of the saloon. 
 
 San Francisco has an excellent street- car system, includ- 
 ing electric as well as cable motive-power, with convenience 
 of transfers, conveying passengers for nearly twenty-five 
 miles for a single fare — 5 cents. The easy manner in 
 which the cable cars climbed around the many very steep 
 hills was a revelation to all the Eastern visitors. I highly 
 approved of the convenient space provided in the centre of 
 these cars for passengers' baggage. 
 
 The principal thoroughfare is called Market Street. 
 Starting at the city's eastern gate, it takes a westerly course 
 for three miles or more, dividing the municipality into two 
 parts that as yet are hardly equal. This main street is 
 bordered by blocks of granite buildings, rich in marble and 
 plate-glass, used as principal stores. One of the loftiest 
 buildings — nearly as high as the highest in Chicago— was 
 then under construction for a daily newspaper firm, IVie 
 San Francisco Call. 
 
 The bay is a magnificent harbour, having a shore line of 
 more than 300 miles by an average width of eight miles. 
 
 The cool, almost cold, climate, which prevails here 
 about the same both summer and winter, arises from the 
 fact that the city is on a tongue of land running out to sea. 
 The sandy soil, too, radiates the heat, and makes it cool. I 
 greatly preferred the weather here to that prevalent in 
 Southern California, which at times was uncomfortably 
 warm. At night, overcoats were worn by the visitors. 
 
 The city is well supplied with military defences, as not 
 only are the islands of the bay bristling with cannon, but 
 there are Fort Mason at Black Point, and the Presidio, 
 where twelve companies of regular troops arc kept. 
 
 The public schools have an average daily attendance of 
 33,000 pupils and employ 904 teachers. 
 
 There are nine Public Libraries, the most important being 
 
146 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 that of the Hon. Adolph Sutro, containing 85,000 volumes, 
 and a large collection of rare works of art. 
 
 The United States Mint, the coining department and 
 strong rooms in which are a great credit to the nation, was 
 then closed. 
 
 The church edifices are numerous, and many of them 
 are of an imposing architectural character. 
 
 The banks have immense resources. 
 
 The restaurants in San Francisco were the constant 
 admiration of the visiting delegates to the Convention. 
 The amount and variety of good, wholesome food that was 
 served for 25c., 15c. and loc. was cause for daily wonder. 
 The Salvation Army had two restaurants on Market Street 
 whilst the Convention lasted capable of accommodating 
 7,000 daily, in which nearly 100 waiters were kept busily 
 employed. 
 
 The "two-bit" piece of California, which confused me 
 at first hearing, is the same as our " quarter " or 25 cent?. 
 From this basis, " four bits " and " six bits," etc. , can be 
 easily reckoned. 
 
 I observed many notices in the outskirts of the city 
 between steps leading up to wealthy residences reading 
 "No Pedlars," which I regarded as both novel and 
 unfeeling. 
 
 That night I felt a desire to see the Christian work that 
 was being done in the immediate vicinity of the two lanes 
 where the licensed brothels were. This is the worst part of the 
 city I saw. Auction sales were then being carried on in many 
 of the stores in the immediate vicinity, over the entrance to 
 one store hung this announcement in large letters— "Dante's 
 Inferno " ; and the streets ^"e'C crowded with rough, noisy 
 and drunken people. Still, about a dozen earnest, noble 
 Christian workers of both sexes were found testifying for 
 Christ in the public street to such a crowd, several of whom 
 kept up running comments during the time they spoke. An 
 adjournment was made at 8 o'clock to the Lion Mission, 
 
AI.AMEDA. 
 
 >47 
 
 situated a few yards from the two lanes, where Gospel 
 meetings are held every night. Two of the Scriptural 
 mottoes on the wall were:— "There is a way that seemeth 
 right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of 
 deaih," and "All things work together for good to them 
 that love God." One woman and nearly seventy men 
 were present. Three lady workers led the meeting very 
 spiritedly at different times, the last speaker having just 
 come from Los Angeles. She was introduced by one of 
 the old workers, and read and commented upon the twelfth 
 chapter of I. Corinthians. This was mainly a hearty testi- 
 mony meeting ; I testified with many others. When I 
 thought of the locality in which this meeting was held, I 
 felt solemnized at its importance, and all the workers 
 appeared to be similarly impressed, for their manner 
 throughout was intensely earnest and appealing. They 
 went from seat to seat speaking to the people, individually, 
 at the close. May God bless their labour with the desired 
 success ! 
 
 ALAMEDA. 
 
 JULY 28. 
 
 This morning I crossed in the ferry-boat to Alameda, 
 which city is located on a peninsula five miles long and one 
 mile wide, with the San Francisco Bay on one side and the 
 Oakland Estuary on the other. On account of the singular 
 beauty of its location, its magnificent climate and wealth 
 of flowers, Alameda is the favourite residential spot of San 
 Francisco business and professional men, who have adorned 
 it with splendid homes and captivating lawns. There are 
 more than fifty miles of macadamized streets and seventy- 
 five miles of patent stone sidewalks. The city has five 
 graded public schools and a High School. It has also a 
 Free Library, the erection of which cost $25,000. The 
 City Hall cost $50,000, and it was built on a lot valued at 
 $40,000. The city owns its electric light service, embracing 
 
• ■ 
 
 ■Wll/'l. "'■),'( *'Ui 
 
 148 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 t 1 
 
 I i i 
 
 w 
 
 both the arc and incandescent systems. Two lines of the 
 steam railways enter and traverse the entire length of the 
 city, connecting with two ferry lines, giving excellent ferry 
 service to San BVancisco. Three daily papers are published 
 in Alameda, having good patronage and influence. The 
 principal industries emlirace shipbuilding, petroleum and 
 borax refining. 
 
 A street car took me from Alameda to Oakland, where 
 another car was got for Piedmont Hill, at which place I 
 stayed about an hour strolling through the well- laid- out 
 public grounds and climbing to the most elevated spot, that 
 I might obtain a good view of the charming scenery, which 
 included the beautiful cities of Oakland, Alameda and 
 Berkeley, Lake Merritt, the estuary, the bay, the great city 
 of San Francisco on the opposite shore, the steamers and 
 ships, and the thousand small craft of every conceivable 
 description flying hither and thither on the bay, as well as 
 the world- famed Golden Gate, opening out into the Pacific 
 Ocean. 
 
 In Oakland there are about 100 manufactories of various 
 kinds. The State University, with an endowment of 
 $5,000,000, lies at the extreme north end of the city, distant 
 three miles from its centre, at Berkeley, where, in college 
 season, 1,200 young men and young women are settled and 
 receive an education equal to that obtained in the very best 
 colleges. Oakland has 150 miles of cable and electric car 
 tracks. Some of these extend a distance of eighteen or 
 twenty miles into the country, and the price of the journey 
 is from 5c. to 30c., according to the distance. Three 
 thousand men are employed at coal mines a few miles 
 from the city ; many others are engaged working at beds of 
 coal oil and gas, discovered around the neighbouring hills. 
 
 I enjoyed that day's sight-seeing very much, and got 
 back to San Francisco about 3 p.m. 
 
 Whilst strolling about the city in the evening, I 
 

 MPPI 
 
 iPPifP 
 
 MOUNT TAMALl'AIS. 
 
 149 
 
 accidentally met my friend, Mr. Morris, who informed me 
 that upwards of 10,000 people had been at one of the 
 wharves that day seeing 150 passengers set sail for Alaska on 
 the gold-hunt, a few of whom were women. The Examiner 
 sent out two reporters, one being a young lady. 
 
 MOUNT TAMALPAIS. 
 
 JULY 29. ' 
 
 With a school-teacher from Illinois, also staying at the 
 Girard House, a trip was taken this day to Mount Tamal- 
 pais. The journey from San Francisco to the summit of 
 Tamalpais naturally divides itself into two sections— the first 
 from the city to Mill Valley, and the second from Mill 
 Valley to the summit. We first took the ferry-boat at the 
 foot of Market Street and crossed the bay to Sausalito, 
 passing in view of the Golden Gate and near to the fortified 
 island of Alcatraz. At Sausalito we took the train for Mill 
 Valley, five miles away— a pretty run past mountains and 
 bay and picturesque resorts. A handsome forest of the 
 redwoods, for which California is famous, was entered at 
 Mill Valley. 'Hie train on the Scenic Road at once entered 
 the romantic and heavily- wooded canon of Blithedale. 
 The view did not begin to open until the canon was past 
 and the road swung out upon the broad, open flank of the 
 mountain. From this point to the summit there were no 
 trees to obstruct the view, except where some beautiful 
 wooded canons, filled with redwoods, madronas, oaks and 
 laurels, were crossed ; but they lent a pleasant variety to 
 the trip, and prepared us for the next outburst of the 
 panorama on a broader scale. At intervals we caught a 
 glimpse of the hotel on the summit —the "Tavern of 
 Tamalpais." Half-way up, at the "Double Bow- Knot," 
 where the track paralleled itself five times, the ocean came 
 into view, and the panorama expanded every moment. 
 Mountain after mountain appeared above the horizon, 
 
1' 
 
 ISO 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 f '2 
 
 I 
 
 while, below, the Bay of San Francisco, Monte Diablo, 
 San Francisco and the whole coast range of scenery was 
 spread out before us like a map. Suddenly the road swung 
 to the north, and the train stopped at the verandah of the 
 tavern, 210 feet below the bold turreted mass of rock 
 crowning the summit. The air-line distance of the Mill 
 Valley and Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway is only three 
 miles; but as an ascent of 2,500 feet has to be made, the 
 road takes a tortuous course, and is actually 8. 19 miles in 
 length. Its crookedness is its greatest charm, as it pro- 
 duces a constant shifting and changing of the view. There 
 are no less than 273 curves in the line of railway. We saw 
 workmen busily engaged erecting another hotel on a spot 
 opposite to the "Tavern of Tamalpais." A pleasant trail 
 led to the summit, 2,592 feet above sea-level, from which, 
 although slightly foggy, we looked down on all sides on a most 
 expansive and entrancing scene. The west side was filled 
 with the wide ocean, for we could see at least sixty miles 
 out to sea, or thirty -five miles over and beyond the Faral- 
 lones; and the surrounding cities, towns, bays, valleys 
 and mountains helped to make up a most enchanting 
 picture. But our stay at the top was short— only half an- 
 hour altogether. As our train descended, we saw several 
 people climbing the mountain by the trail. Both of us 
 enjoyed this trip very much. We returned to San Francisco 
 about 6 p. m. 
 
 At night I accompanied Mr. Morris to the Central 
 Methodist Church (the Rev. Dr. Dille's). It was a testimony 
 meeting. There were between thirty and forty persons 
 present. All testified, on being called upon in turn, Mr. 
 Morris and myself included. One of the church office- 
 bearers presided. It was a characteristically hearty Methodist 
 testimony meeting. All the people seemed very friendly. 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 JULY 30 and 31. 
 
 Ill necessary preparations over, I got on board 
 the steamer •' City of Puebla," bound for Victoria, 
 which was uncomfortably crowded with passen- 
 gers ; indeed, so much so that I had to content myself with 
 a second-class berth, instead of a first, to which I was 
 entitled. Mr. Morris, who had been so kind to me during 
 my stay in San Francisco, was met at the wharf, and we 
 continued on the most friendly terms till the steamer set sail 
 about 10 o'clock. Three of our Canadian party were on 
 board— two of the Toronto ladies, and Mr. Crowe, the 
 gentleman from Nova Scotia. There were, altogether, 
 between 200 and 300 passengers; and there was also a 
 heavy shipment of Californian fruit. Five of the passengers 
 were on their way to Alaska in search of gold ; one of them 
 wore a badge showing that he belonged to the Salvation 
 Army. My plans for the return journey had been specially 
 made in order to have this sail on the Pacific, which had 
 been praised very highly in my hearing ; but I had not been 
 a day on the water before I regretted selecting to go this 
 part of the journey by steamer instead of by rail. There was 
 little pleasure. Nearly all on board were seasick, like 
 myself. The weather was extremely cold ; a strong wind 
 was blowing most of the time ; I got a bad chill on the first 
 day out; overcoats had to be worn. There were many 
 absentees at the dining tables. Land was in sight to the 
 east for by far the greater part of the journey. The beauti- 
 ful revolving lights of the main lighthouse near Victoria were 
 seen for many miles out at sea l)efore the steamer landed at 
 its destination on Sunday, 
 
 AUGUST 1, 
 
 at 9.30 p.m. We saw little or nothing of the city of Victoria, 
 for the street-car took us immediately through one or two of 
 
 
I'i' 
 
 15a 
 
 ACROSS THK AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 the then lighted streets to another wharf, where about forty 
 of us hoarded a small steamer called " R. P. Ricket," which 
 left Victoria al)out 11 o'clock with the intention of reaching 
 New Westminster by 2 p.m. on the following day. All the 
 berths were occupied ; about sixty passengers were on board 
 altogether. We were, therefore, under the necessity of 
 making ourselves as comfortable as possible in the dining- 
 room. The ladies lay on and under the long tables, and 
 the gentlemen reclined on the seats ; all the spare pillows, 
 bedding and i)lankets were handed to the ladies— the captain 
 gave his own pillow to an Ohio lady who bore the same 
 name as himself. This arrangement was novel, but the best 
 that could be done under the circumstances. All submitted 
 to it good-humouredly, and were rewarded with a good nap 
 during the night. 
 
 AUGUST 2. 
 
 When we awoke this morning we found the steamer 
 moored alongside the wharf at Mayne Island, which was 
 reached about 3 o'clock, because the captain was afraid to 
 venture out into the Strait of Georgia till a calmer wind pre- 
 vailed. Nine hours were lost in this way, and all the party 
 who had journeyed together from San Francisco felt greatly 
 disappointed at the thought of losing the train connection at 
 New Westminster. Whilst waiting here, the party strolled 
 to different parts of the island, on which we saw a moderately- 
 sized hotel, a small house used as a Gospel meeting-place, 
 and a few fishermen's huts. We left at noon, and the 
 progress made was so encouraging that the captain declared 
 he would try to reach New Westminster before the train left, 
 telegraphing from Steveston for it to wait on us. This was 
 done, and to our delight the train waited, although we were 
 two hours behind time. 
 
 The most enjoyable part of this journey was that fifteen 
 miles' sail along the Fraser River, which was filled with 
 fishing smacks doing a good business. Hundreds of dead 
 salmon were seen floating on the surface of the water, which 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 "53 
 
 the canneries would not accept. I-arge salmon canneries 
 were noticed at several places passed, the i)rincipal of which 
 were at Steveston, where, during our short stop[)age, many 
 Chinese and Indian workmen crowded the wharf. There are 
 about forty large salmon canneries within easy reach of New 
 Westminster, the market town of the Fraser delta. It was 
 said by a Toronto newspaper in August last that the salmon 
 season on the Fraser River for 1897 had the prospect of 
 being the biggest on record, and might amount in round 
 figures to $4,000,000. According to official reports, upwards 
 of 6,000 people are now employed in the fisheries and 
 canning factories. These are almost altogether Chinese and 
 Indians. The fishermen — who are paid by the fish caught, 
 regardless of weight, about 6 cents— number in their ranks 
 Englishmen, Scotch crofters. Irishmen, Frenchmen, Cana- 
 dians, Scandinavians, Italians, Japanese and Indians. In 
 spite of the small rate of remuneration, these men earn good 
 wages. Hundreds of fish are caught by a good fisherman 
 in one night. Formerly the Indians did nearly all the 
 canning. Now, however, the Chinese, who are at once 
 cleaner, cheaper and more easily managed, do most of the 
 work. The work of canning lasts about two months. A 
 Chinaman can clean about 1,000 fish in a day. Sometimes 
 the canners turn out 75,000 cans in twenty-four hours. We 
 had about a dozen Chinese workmen on board our steamer, 
 which reached New Westminster about 4 p.m., where we 
 found our train waiting. This town, which was founded by 
 Col. Moody during the Fraser River gold excitement in 1858, 
 has many handsome buildings, among the most prominent of 
 which are the Provincial Penitentiary and Insane Asylum. 
 iJesides being the headquarters of the salmon canning indus- 
 try, it has large sawmills, the product of which is shipped 
 largely to China and Australia. It has a population of 8,000. 
 Before leaving the station, the party heartily cheered the 
 captain of the little steamer for his smartness in making up 
 lost time, at which he seemed greatly pleased. At West- 
 
154 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 minster Junction we had to wait two hours for the train from 
 Vancouver, which was four hours behind time on our account. 
 Mission Junction was reached about 8 o'clock, where another 
 stoppage of half-an-hour took place. Darkness soon after- 
 wards set in. 
 
 AUGUST 3. 
 
 When I awoke about 4 a.m. the train was gliding by the 
 side of the pure Thompson River, several miles from Ash- 
 croft, through a winding gorge of almost terrifying gloom and 
 desolation, fitly named the Black Canon. Ashcroftisa busy 
 place, where considerable freighting business is done, and 
 there are extensive cattle ranches in the vicinity. Quicksilver 
 mines of great value are being operated near Savonas. Kam- 
 loops I^ke is a broad, beautiful, hill-girt sheet of water, along 
 the south shore of which the railway runs some twenty miles. 
 
 Kamloops is situated in a delightful spot, where the dry, 
 invigorating climate makes it pre-eminently a desirable resort 
 for those afflicted with lung troubles. The country in this sec- 
 tion is good grazing land j cattle and sheep thrive to perfection 
 on the nutritious " bunch-grass," and agriculture and fruit- 
 raising flourish wherever irrigation is practicable. Steam- 
 boats were on the river, and sawmills briskly at work, Chinese 
 labour being largely employed. Iron, cinnabar, mica, gold, 
 copper and silver-lead discoveries have been made in this 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 Leaving Kamloops, the train continued its way through 
 the fertile valley of the South Thompson River, one of the 
 garden spots of British Columbia; and it did one's heart 
 good to see the neat and snug cottages of old settlers after 
 having passed the rude little cabins and huts of the plains 
 and mountains. Soon we come in sight of the lovely Shuswap 
 Lakes, whose crystal waters are hemmed and broken in 
 every way by abruptly rising mountains, and play hide- and 
 seek with them for an hour or two. For fifty miles the line 
 winds in and out the bending shores, while geese and ducks 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEV. 
 
 »S5 
 
 fly over the waters. Sicamous is the station for the rich 
 mining and agricultural districts to the south, where there is 
 a large settlement. A branch line here extends to the fertile 
 valley of the Okanagan Lake, where sportsmen find abun- 
 dance of fish, black tail deer and other game. 
 
 As we approached the Gold Range, a grand snow-clad 
 series of mountains, the train for forty miles or more first 
 took us through the deep and narrow Eagle Pass, between 
 parallel lines of almost vertical cliffs, into the faces of which 
 the line is frequently crowded by deep black lakes, and all 
 the way the bottom of the valley is thickly set with trees of 
 many varieties and immense height. 
 
 Revelstoke is ^ busy mountain town on the Columbia 
 River— the supply-point for the mining districts up and down 
 the river, and here are works for smelting silver ores which 
 are brought from the mines by the railway and by steamboats. 
 From here a branch railway runs to Arrowhead, the 
 head of Upper Arrow Lake. Thence all points of the 
 Kootenay mining country are easily reached, including the 
 new city of Rossland, a mining camp of phenomenal growth, 
 about which cluster a number of rich mines, the wealth of 
 which has been demonstrated by actual production. 
 
 An Observation Car was attached at Revelstoke, that the 
 passengers might for over 500 miles gaze on a succession of 
 views unequalled for grandeur on the American Continent. 
 The line now entered the Selkirk range of mountains and 
 soon reached the famous Albert Canon, where the Illecille- 
 waet River was seen nearly 300 feet below the railway com- 
 pressed into a boiling flume scarcely 20 feet wide. The 
 train stopped at this po'nt for a few minutes, and solidly built 
 balconies enabled us to look with safety into the l)oiling 
 cauldron below. The gorge is sometimes of considerable 
 width, filled with that remarkable forest of gigantic trees for 
 which British Columbia is famous, and there were exceed- 
 ingly grand outlooks all along. To reach this deep valley, 
 the er.'^ineers wound the railway in a series of great curves or 
 
 Jl 
 
156 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 loops all about the mountain slopes, and, as the train sped 
 on, this marvellous scene was presented to us in every aspect. 
 In a few minutes the train stopped at the Glacier House, a 
 handsome hotel resembling a Swiss chalet, situated almost in 
 the face of the Great Glacier and at the foot of the grandest 
 of all peaks of the Selkirks— Sir Donald— an acute pyramid 
 of naked rock shooting up nearly 8,000 feet. Here I 
 bade my fellow-passenger from Nova Scotia, Mr. Crowe, 
 good-bye, and sojourned for a day. This had been a most 
 delightful day's sight-seeing ; the Americans were in ecstasies 
 over it when I left them. The train moved slowly ; Glacier 
 House was reached about 4.30 p.m. 
 
 AUGUST 4. 
 
 I arose at 5.30 a.m., and was somewhat surprised to find 
 that it was a Chinese servant who opened the hotel-door in 
 order that I might get out to walk along the good path lead- 
 ing to the Great Glacier and the base of Sir Donald, about 
 two miles distant, before breakfast. But the Chinese are seen 
 everywhere in British Columbia — serving in hotels, at the 
 mines, repairing the railway, etc. On my way back I met a 
 party of three setting out, with a guide, to ascend the Great 
 Glacier. 
 
 After partaking of breakfast between 8 and 9 o'clock, 
 I ascended the steep pathway in the rear of the hotel to the 
 glacier- fed Marion Lake, on the shoulder of Mount Abbott 
 — a good fifty minutes' climb. I had no sooner reached the 
 lake than a peculiar whistling sound was heard, which I 
 could not understand. As I proceeded to a spot whence the 
 best view could be had this whistling was repeated, and, on 
 surveying the scene with the help of my field-glass, I dis- 
 covered that the sound came from four animals, each of 
 which was about the size of a seal, perched on rocks about 
 100 yards or so from where I stood. They were intently 
 gazing at me, and whistled whilst I looked, but all remained 
 motionless except one, which crept under the rock upon 
 which it had been sitting. I subsequently saw a specimen 
 
■1 
 
 ipi 
 
 THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 '57 
 
 of this animal in the museum at Banff. It is called the hoary 
 marmot or " siflfleur," a species of ground hog, which lives in 
 the crevices of rocks and subsists on vermin. Magnificent 
 views of the Hermit range of mountains and Rogers' and 
 Illecillewaet Passes were obtained from this elevated stand- 
 point. 
 
 Everything around Glacier House— a lovely, restful spot 
 — is on a grand scale, even to the common flies, which are 
 nearly double the size of those seen in our cities. 
 
 I left by the 1.30 p.m. train for Banff, which was reached 
 about 10.30, after a most delightful ride. At no part of my 
 long journey was the scenery along this charming route sur- 
 passed for sublimity, variety and grandeur. It gave a deeper 
 meaning to the opening words of the Pilgrim Psalm, so often 
 repeated on our way: — "I will lift up mine eyes unto the 
 hills, from whence cometh my help." At first the line 
 followed the slope of the summit peaks, cf which Sir Donald 
 is the chief. Soon the summit of the Selkirks was reached, 
 a broad level area, 4,300 feet above tide- water, surrounded 
 by mountain monarchs, all glacier- clad. This wonderful 
 group of peaks of fantastic shapes and many colours remained 
 in sight for many miles, and, as we proceeded onward, dense 
 forests of enormous trees were passed through. The gorge 
 of Bear Creek, where a new bridge is being constructed to 
 take the place of the present one, is compressed into a vast 
 ravine between Mount Macdonald and the Hermit. The 
 cowled figure of a man, with his dog, on the edge of one of 
 the crags, uhapes itself out of the rocks, and gives the name 
 of Hermit to the mountain. The way is between enormous 
 precipices. Mount Macdonald towers a mile and a-quarter 
 above the railway in almost vertical height. This is the 
 climax of mountain scenery. Passing through tunnels and 
 deep rock-cuttings, the train wended its way through a great 
 canon to Donald, a charmingly-situated town in the shadow 
 of the Selkirks, the headquarters for the mountain section of 
 the railway for repairing, and an important supply-point for 
 
 iMIMiiiili 
 
iS8 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 miners. Then, for about twenty miles, ii followed one of the 
 Columbia River benches through gigantic trees to Golden, a 
 new town of some importance at the mouth of the Wapta or 
 Kicking Horse Pass, with smelting works, river steamers and 
 choice lots. 
 
 Soon after leaving Golden the train plunged into the lower 
 canon of the Wapta, where the railway and the river go 
 together, the former crossing from side to side to ledges cut 
 out of the solid rock, and twisting and turning in every direc- 
 tion, and every minute or two plunging through projecting 
 angles of rock which seem to close the way. As we pro- 
 ceeded onward, we had glorious mountain views. As far as 
 the eye could reach, we had the Rockies on the one hand 
 and the Selkirks on the other, widely differing in aspect, but 
 each indescribably grand. Both rose from the river in a 
 succession of tree-clad benches, and, soon leaving the trees 
 behind, shot upward to the regions of perpetual snow and 
 ice. By-and-by a magnificent range of peaks extending in 
 orderly array came into view. These mountains are called 
 the Otter-tail and Beaverfoot Mountains ; the sides of the 
 latter were covered with pretty red and green patches. 
 
 A short stoppage was made at Field, surrounded by the 
 loftiest peaks of the Rockies and near the base of Mount 
 Stephen, more than 8,000 feet high, holding on one of its 
 shoulders^ almost overhead, a shining green glacier, 800 feet 
 thick, which was seen slowly pressing forward and over a 
 vertical cliff of great height. As we continued on our journey, 
 passing through a short tunnel and nearing the slope of this 
 main peak, the zig-zag lines of a tramway coming down from 
 a silver mine 2,500 feet from its base were visible ; and a 
 curious natural formation, the "Man on Horseback," was 
 also seen. The spires of Cathedral Mountain now occa- 
 sionally appeared over the tree-tops. The scenery here is 
 sublime. The line clung to the mountain-side at the right, 
 and the valley on the left rapidly deepened until the river 
 was seen as a gleaming thread 1,000 feet below. Looking to 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 >59 
 
 the left one of the grandest mountain-valleys in the world 
 stretched away to the north, with great, white, glacier-bound 
 peaks on either side. In the midst of such an inspiring 
 scene, I could not help repeating to myself the words of 
 " Tell's Address to His Native Mountains." 
 
 Another stoppage was made when the train arrived at 
 Stephen, a little station at the sum i it of the Rockies, just a 
 mile above the sea. But this is only the summit in an engineer- 
 ing sense, for the mountains still continued to lift their 
 heads 5,000 to 7,000 feet above, and stretch away on either 
 side like a great backbone, as indeed they are— the "back- 
 bone of the continent. " Here is the " Great Divide," where 
 two little streams begin from a common source, the waters of 
 one flowing to the Pacific, and of the other to Hudson's Bay. 
 
 A few passengers left the train at Laggan, the station for 
 the " Lakes in the Clouds," thirty-four miles west of Banff. 
 These picturesque and interesting lakes are perched on the 
 mountains' sides amidst the most romantic environments. 
 The mountain scenery continued grand and imposing till our 
 destination was reached. The weather was delightful. I 
 secured accommodation in the Sanitarium. 
 
 AUGUST 5. 
 
 In the forenoon, I climbed to the crest of Tunnel 
 Mountain, where a splendid view was had. The afternoon 
 was spent walking to the Bow Falls, the CP.R. Hotel, and 
 up to the Sulphur Bath Hotel on the mountain, where I 
 enjoyed a sulphur bath in three ways— tub, plunge and 
 shower— for the first time. I afterwards paid a visit to the 
 Museum ; the collection, however, is small. In the evening, 
 I attended the combined Methodist and Presbyterian 
 Christian Endeavour meeting in the Methodist Church. 
 There were, altogether, about twenty persons present. A 
 Presbyterian student from the Winnipeg College, on his 
 summer vacation, led the meeting. A visitor from Arkansas, 
 also on his way home from the International C. £. Conven- 
 
 irikiiiifln 
 
i6o 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
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 pa 
 
 H 
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 P3 
 
 Q 
 
 IS 
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 H 
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 tion, and I, both spoke briefly on the topic— '• Practical 
 Christianity." The weather was all that could be desired. 
 Banff is charmingly situated in the Canadian National 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 i6i 
 
 Park, a large reservation twenty-six miles long by ten 
 wide, chosen by the Dominion Government for its beauty, 
 sublimity and healthfulness as the great breathing-place of 
 the nation. It is noted as a medicinal watering-place and 
 pleasure resort. It is in the midst of impressive mountain 
 scenery ; half-a-dozen magnificent snow-tipped ranges centre 
 here, each differing from the other in form and colour, and 
 the converging valleys separating them afford matchless views 
 in all directions. Streams have been bridged, roads laid out, 
 and bridle paths cut, penetrating for miles, so that the 
 visitors may drive, ride, wheel or wander afoot anywhere, 
 inhaling the health-giving mountain air, or seeking the most 
 favourable spots for brush, pencil, kodak, rod or gun. The 
 Bow River comes down here from its glacier sources in the 
 west, and, stretching away through the deep, forested 
 valley, disappears among the distant eastern mountains. 
 There is excellent trout fishing in this river and good trolling 
 in Devil's Lake, nine miles distant. Wild sheep (the big 
 horn) and mountain goats are occasionally to be seen on the 
 neighbouring heights. The more important sulphur springs 
 have been improved by the Government, and bathing-houses 
 have been erected and placed under the care of attendants. 
 In one locality is a pool inside & dome-roofed cave, entered 
 by an artificial tunnel ; and near by, another spring forms an 
 open ,basin of warm, sulphurous water. These sulphur 
 springs have been largely visited, and testimony to their 
 wonderful curative properties is plentiful. I'he village of 
 Banff is one and a-half miles from the station. My brief 
 stay there was greatly enjoyed. 
 
 The East-bound train was five hours late that night ; so 
 it did not leave Banff till nearly i o'clock on the morning of 
 
 AUGUST 6. 
 
 When I awoke shortly after 6 o'clock the train had 
 gained the neighbourhood of Crowfoot Station, lying in the 
 midst of the country of the once dreaded Blackfeet, the 
 
l62 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 most handsome and warlike of all the Indian tribes, but 
 now peacefully settled on a reservation near by. Many of 
 the squaws were at this and other stations that day selling 
 polished horns and beaded articles for household ornamenta- 
 tion ; the male members seen were dressed in blankets of 
 brilliant colours. Crowfoot Station is on the border land 
 between the districts of Alberta and Assiniboia. 
 
 For over loo miles the train took us over a high prairie- 
 plateau, I'ow a rich pasture dotted with lakelets. This is 
 the old buffalo range, and their trails mark the prairie in 
 long lines. The buffaloes have disappeared, but domestic 
 cattle have taken their place ; cattle ranches were spread 
 over the country, farms appeared at intervals, wild fowl 
 thronged the many lakes, gophers were plentiful, and a wild 
 cat was startled from its hiding-place and fled at the approach 
 of our train. Here Nature seems to have atoned in part 
 for the scarcity of timber by providing beneath the surface a 
 reservoir of natural gas, which has been tapped at some of 
 the small stations and made to afford power for pumping 
 water, and light and heat for the station houses. A heavy 
 thunderstorm, which lasted for about half-an-hour, came on 
 whilst we were crossing this prairie. 
 
 A stay of about thirty minutes was made at Medicine 
 Hat, a finely- situated and rapidly-growing town, with a 
 population of 1,200. Hereabouts are extensive coal mines, 
 and the broad and beautiful Saskatchewan River is navigable 
 for steamboats for some distance above and for 800 miles 
 below to Lake Winnipeg. An important station of the 
 Mounted Police is established here. 
 
 Continuing our journey, the line ran through the valley 
 of the South Saskatchewan to Dun more, where there is a 
 typical mixed farm for the raising of crops and breeding of 
 cattle, belonging to the Canadian Land and Ranche Com- 
 pany. Extensive yards for the shipment of cattle were seen 
 at Maple Creek, which town is supported by trade with the 
 cattle ranches, and farming is successfully carried on in the 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 163 
 
 vicinity. A police station and a Cree Indian village are 
 situated near this place. 
 
 For many miles the railway now led along the base of 
 the Cypress Hills through a very valuable stock-raising 
 country. Many lakes and ponds— some fresh, some alka- 
 line—were occasionally passed. Wild fowl were abundant. 
 This is a very paradise for sportsmen. The country is 
 treeless for nearly 200 miles, but the soil is excellent nearly 
 everywhere j hence, there are many large experimental and 
 sheep farms. At Chaplin, we came to one of the Old 
 Wives' lakes, extensive bodies of water having no outlet, and 
 consequently alkaline. By the time the train arrived at 
 Moose Jaw, Avhere the C. P. R. intend erecting a new station 
 at an estimated cost of $30,000, darkness set in. 
 
 AUGUST 7. 
 
 Between 5 and 6 a.m. the train was passing over a 
 "rolling" or undulating prairie about forty miles west of 
 Brandon, well occupied by prosperous farmers, as the 
 thriving villages at frequent intervals clearly proved. 
 
 Brandon is a beautifully-situated town on high ground, 
 with well-made streets and many substantial buildings. It 
 is the distributing market for an extensive and well-settled 
 country. It has a population of 5,400. Quite a number 
 of passengers joined the train here. 
 
 As the train sped along the seventy-seven miles lying 
 between Brandon and Portage La Prairie, we first passed 
 through a beautifully undulating country, fertile and well- 
 settled, as the busy little towns, five or eight miles apart, 
 and the qver-present grain elevators, bore evidence; then 
 we crossed a low range of sand-hills to a bushy district, 
 with frequent ponds and small streams, containing many 
 stock farms, for which it is peculiarly adapted. 
 
 Portage La Prairie is another city of rapid growth, and 
 lies in the centre of a well-developed and prosperous 
 farming region. Its big elevators and flour mills, its busy 
 
 mM 
 
164 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 Streets and substantial houses, tell their own story. This 
 city has a population of 4,500. 
 
 During the remaining fifty-six miles to Winnipeg, the 
 railway ran over a broad plain as level and green as a billiard 
 table, bordered at the south by a line of trees marking the 
 course of the Assiniboine River. From Poplar Point to 
 Rosser the settlement was slight, due to the fact that the 
 land is mostly held by speculators, and the scattered farms 
 were chiefly devoted to dairy products and cattle breeding. 
 
 The train arrived at Winnipeg about noon, and I had a 
 stay here of about an hour and a-half, waiting on a connection 
 for Fort William. I had, therefore, little time to look about 
 the city ; but I was very favourably impressed with it from 
 the hurried glance I did get. In 1871 the population 
 numbered only 100 ; now it is about 50,000. Situated just 
 where the forests end and the vast prairies begin, with 
 thousands of miles of river navigation to the north, south 
 and west, and with railways radiating in every direction like 
 the spokes of a wheel, Winnipeg has become the com- 
 mercial focus of the Northwest. From here the wants of 
 the people in the West are supplied, and this way come the 
 products of their fields, while from the far North are brought 
 furs in great variety and number. The city is handsomely 
 built, superior brick and stone being available; and has 
 electric street railways, electric lights, a fine hospital, large 
 flouring mills and grain elevators, beautiful churches, schools 
 and colleges, and many other imposing public buildings. 
 The chief workshops of the C. P. R. between Montreal and 
 the Pacific are here, and the train-yard contains more than 
 twenty miles of sidings. The principal land offices of the 
 C. P. R. are at the fine passenger station, and in the city is 
 the chief land office of the Dominion Government in the 
 West. 
 
 Leaving Winnipeg, the Red River was crossed by a long 
 iron bridge, and we entered the wide, level valley, which 
 has all the characteristics of the prairie for fully sixty miles. 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 i6s 
 
 From near Whiteniouth, the railway began to cross a region 
 of rocky forests, lakes and rivers, valuable for its mines and 
 timber. Great sawmills began to appear, with piles of 
 lumber awaiting shipment at the stations. Many men find 
 employment in these forests, and villages are springing up 
 at intervals. Hardy settlers are. clearing the land and 
 making farms. Soon we came in sight of the largest body 
 of water touched by the railway between the Pacific and 
 Lake Superior— The Lake of the Woods, which is studded 
 with islands, and is a favourite resort for sportsmen and 
 pleasure- seekers. At its outlet, we suddenly came upon 
 half-a-dozen large sawmills, and, standing far above all these, 
 an immense flouring mill, of granite, with a cluster of grain 
 elevators and warehouses about it ; and here at Keewatin 
 are the gigantic newly-completed works of the Keewatin 
 Power Company, creating one of the greatest water-powers 
 in the world, and offering unlimited capabilities for manu- 
 facturing industries, and providing the power for use in 
 extracting the gold from the ores in this rich mining district. 
 Rat Portage was reached about 7 p. m. This town has a 
 population of about 4,500, and is the central point for this 
 miners' and tourists' paradise. It is already a seat of much 
 business enterprise, having large lumber mills and extensive 
 fisheries. A few steamers were seen on the lake. The 
 station here was crowded with people ; all was life and 
 bustle. After leaving Rat Portage, the shades of night 
 prevented anything more being seen. 
 
 AUGUST 8, 9 and lO. 
 
 The train reached Fort William about 8 o'clock on the 
 morning of August 8th. Here the C. P. R. steamship 
 "Manitoba" was taken for a sail over the lake to Owen 
 Sound. At Fort William and Port Arthur, five miles 
 distant, evidences were had of the magnitude of the traffic 
 of the Northwest by the long piers and wharves crowded 
 with shipping, great piles of lumb* - and merchandise, and 
 
i66 
 
 ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 
 
 immense railway grain elevators. Three of these elevators 
 at Fort William hold from twelve to fifteen hundred thousand 
 bushels each. 
 
 Speeding twenty-three miles across the Kaministiquia 
 River and I'hunder Bay we passed Thunder Cape, "The 
 Giant Asleep," so called from its striking resemblance to a 
 resting human figure. By-and-by the icy cold waters of Lake 
 Superior were entered, and land was lost sight of for a time. 
 It would be difficult to conceive of a finer sail than the one I 
 had over these two broad and beautiful lakes. The weather 
 was excellent; the lakes were unruffled, and the steamer 
 moved smoothly ; the scenery, especially during the latter 
 part, was superb ; the accommodation and meals were equal 
 to those provided in first-class hotels ; and the attention 
 paid to the passengers by the young men waiters was faultless. 
 Whilst waiting at Sault Ste. Marie, an iattractive tourist 
 resort, containing numerous summer hotels and important 
 buildings, many of the passengers were taken over the 
 rapids in the bark canoes of the ever-present Indians. After 
 a most delightful sail through the narrow Detour passage, 
 along the south coast of the Manitoulin Island, and over 
 Lake Huron, we landed at our destination about 8 o'clock 
 on the morning of August loth. Owen Sound has a popula- 
 tion of 8,000. It has grown rapidly since the building of 
 the railway, and is the shipping port for a vast area of 
 farming country. The train left that town at 9.15, and 
 landed in Toronto at i p.m. in the midst of heavy rain and 
 a terrific thunderstorm. 
 
 Thus ended a most enjoyable trip of forty-three days' 
 duration over a distance of about 10,000 miles. 
 
 CONCLUDING NOTES. 
 
 When the East-bound Santa Fe trains stopped atGlendora, 
 California, a lovely town in the orange belt, a crowd of 
 Christian Endeavourers boarded them, bearing scores of 
 baskets of luscious fruits— oranges and apricots, peaches and 
 
 mii 
 
THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 167 
 
 plums, and juicy lemons. To every homeward-bound 
 Endeavourer, a basket was given, together with a bouquet of 
 flowers. In each basket, too, was found a printed greeting 
 from the Endeavourers of the Christian Church of Glendora, 
 telling something about the beauties and advantages of that 
 place, and signed by the president, E. Fortney. Many of the 
 baskets also contained Scripture verses signed by the donor. 
 
 A sad accident occurred on the morning of August 4th, 
 midway in New Mexico, as one of the last trains loaded with 
 Endeavourers was returning from the San Francisco Con- 
 vention. Whilst running at great speed, the main rod of the 
 engine broke, and commenced alternately battering the ties 
 below and smashing in the bottom of the cab above. Before 
 the train had proceeded many rods the bolts were burst out 
 of the boiler, and the engine-casing stripped away. There 
 were 138? passengers in the six cars. The fireman was thrown 
 from the cab and instantly killed, and the engineer was 
 scalded and otherwise seriously injured. All the others were 
 unharmed. For the heroic way in which the engineer, Mr. 
 Underdown, had stood by his post ot duty whilst the scalding 
 steam was issuing in jets around him, the passengers pre- 
 sented him with a beautifully- engraved badge of honour. 
 
 The Ohio delegates, on their return trip, scattered large 
 quantities of a four-page leaflet containing three effective 
 messages or heart-words tor the Master. At Ash Fork, 
 Arizona, this party sang under the window of a room where 
 a sick man lay, at his own special request, and in the hearing 
 of a sympathetic crowd, ** Nearer, my God, to Thee," and 
 other hymns, finishing with "God Be With You Till We 
 Meet Again." 
 
 As a party of Connecticut delegates were leaving Yellow- 
 stone Park on their return home, one of the drivers asked a 
 lady to send him a package of papers occasionally, as the 
 winters there are very tedious. This led, after some inquiry, 
 to the forming of a plan for supplying good literature to 
 several neighbouring towns. 
 
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