La Fayette, Ind., USA, Monday morning, Oct 10/98.
I duly posted my diary on Saturday afternoon, also a paper & the post cards, after which Mrs. Matt, Sarah, & I drove to the railway shops for Matt, & after a while there we drove to the cemetery, 2 miles out. We drove leisurely through it, admiring the fine sculptor work & landscape designs, which were very attractive. It is somewhat a natural area, big, fine trees & quite park-like. I noted that family bu[r]ying grounds are varied in design. Many are large circles, monument in the centre & the graves around the outside circle. Others squares & some oblong. All more or less tastefully kept, the sculpture works rich, & a pretty grey granite, a few red, & several marble, pure white. The climate is so clear & pure that the stone work is quite clean. In fact, some buildings in the town, tho’ erected years, is [sic] as new looking as tho’ put up last year. No smoke here at all. All heating & cooking is done by natural gas. We got home about 6 after a very pleasant drive. I had the driver’s seat. At 7 a friend of Matt’s, Mr. Plowman, came for us to go to the political meeting – Republican – to be held in the Opera House, a fine spacious building, circular interior, & very pretty. It was very full. I didn’t admire the speech at all, a more infuriated, inciting, selfish, bouncing speech I never listened to. American only, God’s chosen people to rule the Earth, & that they would let the nations of the Earth know their late war had been a victory never before equalled in the world’s history, & their new possessions so gloriously won would & shall be used as new markets for the great peoples of the USA exclusively. Germany, Russia, & England were looking on like ravaging wolves full of envy, but they would teach these nations that whereever [sic] the stars & stripes, that glorious & victorious banner, to which he pointed, suspended over the arch of the stage, was unfurled, never more would it be hauled down nor should they participate in trade, only through heavy protective tarrifs [sic]. Sentiment was strained to[o] about the boys who marched to victory under the Star Spangled Banner, & the navy unequalled in history for brilliancy of scientific manipulation & such like bunkum & bluster.[1] I felt I should have [7:68] to interrupt many times. Depend upon it, Americans make the most of their triumphs, & loyalty is a first principle. Every where in cities you see the Star Spangled Banner, all sizes, displayed from the log hut, church walls, house windows, roofs, flagstaffs & spires. A band was in attendance at the meeting & discoursed military music, marches chiefly, which met with applause. The almighty was often introduced at every verse end of the speech. God had singularly presided over the glorious United States & sent that great man Wm. McKinl[e]y as the man of the hour, & was it not significant that every stage of progress, a new era, had begun for the United States by victories in war, & let the cringing nations of Europe, especially Russia & Germany, beware as America would stand neither quibbling or menacing, & lots more of the like vapory, trashy orations.
Cheers for Wm. McKinley (whose portrait was suspended between the star spangled banners) closed the meeting, the band playing “The Star Spangled Banner”.
After getting home we soon retired. Matt had a touch of neuralgia about his left eye & temple, & was not in first rate order. By the way, women reporters took notes at the above meeting (& did I tell you that at Wellington, NZ, when in the House of Assembly, I noted the reporters were women).
Sunday morning (yesterday, 9th) opened out most lovely, just like one of our lovely early summer mornings, sweet & clear. Breakfast at 8 o’clock. Churches go in at 11, but Sunday schools here are great & popular institutions for both children, young people, & adults. Minor is a very active & enthusiastic worker, & was off betimes. Rachael went with Sarah. Matt, Herbert, & I set off at 10:15 for Trinity ME, Dr. Wilcox, but called in passing St. Paul’s, Matt’s church, & went in & saw Sunday school in full swing. A Mr. Maxwell, D.L. Moody’s singing evangelist, was there & some grand singing there was. I enjoyed it. He is here at La Fayette in consequence of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, & assists by solo singing & leading the choirs.
As we passed one of the Catholic churches on our way to Trinity, I counted 27 buggies & other traps, single & double horses, all hitched to posts & alongside the church, while the owners were in at worship. This prevails at all churches more or less. Country folk don’t loose [sic] out. Some churches have big sheds for the purpose, & I noticed in Australia & N. Zealand, & also in Simcoe, Canada, this custom obtained. We got to Trinity about ¼ to 11 & were invited to sit with a Bible class, the lesson for day was “Jehoshaphat’s good reign”, 2nd Chr. 17 1-10. [7:69] Service began at 11. We prepared to move some seats back to get better view. A grand congregation filled the area down stairs, fine organ & choir of 6 choice voices, 4 females, 2 males (by the way, in a hall off the church, just as the school ended, I heard the children singing & led by a violin – very, very sweet). Service commenced by choir singing, “Glory Be to the Father &c”, hymn 133, “Come o my soul in sacred lays”, prayer by the man who taught the Bible class, Burlson Smith, once a preacher, now elderly, white-haired man – anthem by choir – Sabbath Psalter, 41st Sabbath, “my days are like a shadow &c”, (minister then people), then followed “The Creed”, people all the while standing & aloud, after which the choir sang, in the lowest possible voice, “The Lord’s prayer”. Oh, how grand, like angels singing in the great distance, most impressive. We are far, far behind in many manners of church worship. An intimation (& what organisations), & much about the great & present state convention in La Fayette, WCTU, & there’s to be a YMCA state conven’ on Novr. 17 to 20 in La Fayette. Hymn 636, “If on a quiet sea &c”, & noticeable, & “Baines” like organists give choir & people a rest by playing a couple of lines about middle of hymn (you know) 3 of the choir then sung a most beautiful piece, “Come when the sun is shining”, the refrain, “Some where, beautiful isle of somewhere”, no lessons read. Text 1st Ep’le of John 5 & last clause of v. 4, & dwelt masterfully & simply on the faith that over cometh the world. Faith & trustfulness, prayer, hymn 498, “Behold the throne of grace”. I enjoyed the service much – congregation very quiet & appreciative, ladies all in summer dress, fans in great use (October 9th too). In the afternoon, Matt, Herbert, & I went to a mass meeting in their ch., St. Paul’s ME. The WCTC had the meeting. Mr. Maxwell led the singing & fine it was, place crowded. We occupied chairs at back, some grand speakers amongst the ladies, White Ribbon Army, Lady Henry Somerset, & Miss Willard were quoted, & one of the speakers, a Miss Dustin,[2] was very amusing, being unmarried, reason: so many men lost by drink, & so many thousands in jails through drink, reduces the market, & others tippling give doubts whether alliance would make happy homes &c. &c., & school children’s motto now is, “Tremble, King Alcohol, we are growing up”, quoted Canada’s vote on Prohibition & denounced the state papers & liquor agencies [7:70] falsifying the facts & read from a reliable N. York organ that instead of 20,000 majority, the truth was 54,086, amusing comments & censures on press & publicans. Violin solo, solo singing, accompaniments &c. &c., varied the 2 hours. After supper, 6 p.m., rested, went to Matt’s church again, Rachel & Herbert with us, Minor busy with ch. work. 7:30 service began, singing evangelist there, praise service, tho’ we had a sermon by Dr. Basset, the pastor, read Matthew 16 21 to 28, text 25/26, “For what shall it profit &c. &c”, prayer, then Mr. Maxwell gave account of D.L. Moody’s work amongst jails & penitentiaries &c. &c. Next he sung alone, “There’s a green hill far away”, & very sweet it was. (I’d nearly forgot, after we came out of Trinity, we fell in with the Morrison family, who attend there. Minor’s sweetheart was one of them, a fine girl she seems to be. 2 gold medals, beauties, which she wears on left shoulder breast, obtained at Musical College, Chicago. Well, I saw in the hands of another sister a violin case, & I asked her if that was the violin I heard leading the children just as schools were closing, & true enough it was. The violin solos in the afternoon was [sic] by a young lady, a choice player). It was 9:15 when the meeting closed. The people remained fairly patient the while. We got home about 9:30 & soon retired. A Mr. Caldwell, Lancashire man, who was home 2 years ago, a great friend of Matt’s family, is a machinist in railway shops, had supper & went to church with us. He brought me a lot of La Fayette views which was very kind indeed. Minor & Herbert has developed my Niagara spool up til 6 & all are beautiful.
Monday morning, Oct.10th, very fine morning but not out. I’ve written diary up to date & it is now 12 o’clock.
“Sleep on Beloved”
Sleep on beloved, sleep & take thy rest;
Lay down thy head upon thy saviour’s breast;
We love thee well, but Jesus loves thee best.
Good night, good night, good night!
I often see the solemn spot in Berwick cemetery & long more now than ever to visit the hallowed ground.
I snapped this morning the store & house front, waggon & buggy, Rachel, Sarah, Minor, & Herbert (No. 10).[3]
[7:71]
[1] Inserted on facing page: “La Fayette ‘Republican Club’. On going to Opera House, we were invited to look through this club by one of its members who was acquainted with Mr. Plowman. I saw there a mushroom which weighed 5 lb. (I should say not edible). The same gentleman had one a few days before which weighed 8 ½ lbs.”
[2] “Dustin” not found in manuscript: just has a long line. Is this name added in another version of the text?
[3] Inserted on facing page: “Miss Mabel Lavon Morrison (piano).
Miss Bernice Pearl Morrison (violin).
Violin soloist Sunday afternoon was Miss Burlson Smith, daughter of he who conducted morning Bible class.
Mr. Wm. Caldwell, the vicarage sq. Leigh, Lancashire & Matt’s friend Mr. John Naylor, enquire address from above.”