Thirty Years in the ItinerancyMiller, W. G. (Wesson Gage)
Philosophy
Thirty Years in the Itinerancy
Miller, W. G. (Wesson Gage)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Wisconsin; Methodist Episcopal Church. Wisconsin Conference
Having thus paid our respects to Appleton and the University, we are
prepared to pass on to other fields. To complete the round there were
two charges yet to visit, but as these will claim our attention
hereafter I need not refer to them now, except to give an incident that
transpired at the Quarterly Meeting held on one of them.
The meeting was held in a school house. The new schoolteacher, a nice
youngster, concluded to lead the singing. Gathering a few young people
around him, and displaying a tuning-fork, he was ready for the services
to begin. I gave the hymn commencing,
"Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove."
When I had finished the reading, the chorister arose with superlative
dignity, and gave the key. Unfortunately, the choir dropped a tone or
two too low, and the first verse was sung at that disadvantage.
Discovering the blunder, the key was again given, but the singers were
now getting nervous, and instead of rising, they went still lower, as
they sang,
"Look how we grovel here below."
Certainly the chariot wheels of Pharaoh did not roll more heavily than
the numbers from that orchestra. I remembered old Balerma, and felt
deeply for them. But our young knight of the tuning-fork was not to be
vanquished. With a dash he brought the fork down upon the desk, and gave
the key again. But alas! for all human expectations! The choir dropped
down to a dead monotone, as they went on with the next verse:
"In vain we tune our formal songs,
In vain we strive to rise;
Hosannas languish on our tongues,
And our devotion dies."
Both the choir and congregation felt a relief when the Minister said,
"Let us pray."
Having completed the first round of the District, I returned to Fond du
Lac to begin the second. But it is not my purpose to give the details of
each round or year, as the labors of a Presiding Elder are too
monotonous to furnish a record that would be entertaining to the
general reader.
CHAPTER XV.
Fond du Lac District Continued.--Baraboo Conference.--Lodi Camp
Meeting.--Fall River.--Revival at Appleton.--Rev. Elmore Yocum.--Revival
at Sheboygan Falls.--Revival at Fond du Lac.--Rev. E.S.
Grumley.--Revival at Sheboygan.--Rev. N.J. Aplin.--Camp-Meeting at
Greenbush.--Rev. A.M. Hulce.--Results of the Year.--Janesville
Conference.--Omro. Rev. Dr. Golden.--The Cowhams.--Quarterly
Meeting.--My Father's Death.--Close of the Term.
The Conference of 1852 was held at Fond du Lac, Sept. 1st, and was
presided over by Bishop Ames. This was the first Conference held by the
good Bishop after his election to his high office. The visit was also
the first the good people of Northern Wisconsin had enjoyed from a
Bishop of the Church. Both parties appeared delighted with the
acquaintance.
On the Sabbath preceding the session of the Conference, the new Church
in the upper town was dedicated by the Bishop, the preachers of the
Conference generally being in attendance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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