Thirty Years in the Itinerancy — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Thirty Years in the Itinerancy
John Stuart Mill · en
On another occasion, as I was mounting my horse to leave, the President
expressed a wish that I would visit Fox Lake and establish an
appointment in that village, assuring me that he had friends there, very
intelligent people, who would receive me cordially and appreciate my
labors. I enquired whether there were not religious services established
already in Fox Lake. "Oh! yes," he replied, "but they are not up to the
times. They are conducted by a Local Preacher from Waupun, a gentleman
whom I greatly respect, but he is quite antiquated in some of his
views." I enquired if he was free to state what these views were. He
replied: "Why, sir, he retains the old notion that the world was made
in six days." "Well, was it not, Judge?" "Why, certainly not," he
answered, "any man at all abreast with the times knows better than
that." Willing to put the Judge on the defensive whenever I could, I
said; "Well, Judge, if it required more than six days, will you have the
goodness to tell me just how long it did take to make it?" The Judge
felt the awkward position he was in, and before he could recover I had
bidden him good bye and was on my way. Nor was he less embarrassed when
he came to learn that the old gentleman to whom he referred was
my father.
Having spent the Sabbath at Ceresco, I now started in a southwesterly
direction to explore the country along the south side of Green Lake,
with the purpose to establish an appointment should a suitable location
be found. After traveling about three miles, I came to a large log
house, which with its surroundings seemed to say, "We have come to
stay." Hitching my horse to the limb of a tree near the gate, I
approached the house. I was met at the door by a lady of fine presence
and intelligent bearing, who invited me to enter and be seated.
I began the conversation with the usual compliments to the weather and
the beautiful country about Green Lake. Receiving frank responses to
these common places, I next enquired if there were still good locations
untaken in the neighborhood. Her intelligent face radiated a smile as
her sharp eyes gave me a searching glance, which seemed to say, "You
can't come any land-seeking dodge on me, you are a Minister." Changing
the conversation, I soon found that the proprietor of the house was a
Mr. Dakin, she, his sister, Mrs. White, and that she was a Methodist. At
a subsequent visit to Ceresco I had the pleasure to enter her name upon
the list of members.