Iowa News from across the Country
- 1915 -

Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel
Fort Wayne, Indiana
January 13, 1915

[displayed above the headline- pg. 9]
Better a fence at the top of the precipice than a hospital at the bottom -- M.H. Lyon

Lyon Ready For Big Week - After Day's Rest Evangelist Will Resume Battle Tuesday Night. Something About the Man Who Has Stirred City as Never Before
After a day of rest Dr. Milford H. Lyon is again ready to resume his fight against sin in Fort Wayne. While the evangelist calls Monday his rest day, he was exceedingly busy answering letters and planning for the campaign to be waged here during the coming weeks. Members of the Associated Christian Workers are planning for a high time Tuesday night and will march to the tabernacle in a body headed by a drum corps. There will be a parade through the principal downtown streets. Badges for eight hundred have been printed. Those who will participate in the parade will meet at the Westminister church at 6:30 o'clock. The parade will start at 7 o'clock, the path to the tabernacle being lighted with red lights. Dr. Lyon will speak Tuesday evening on "Rolling Away the Stone." The service under the direction of Loren G. Jones will begin at 7:30 o'clock.

Something About the Evangelist -
Much Interest Aroused. There is naturally much interest in the man capable of arousing the religious interest that Dr. Lyon has in Fort Wayne. He was born nar Waukon, Allamakee county, Iowa on Feb. 10, 1868, the youngest of fourteen children. His boyhood days were spent on a farm, walking two miles to attend the village school.

Studied Law.
He completed the high school course at the age of 13 and soon after moved with his parents to Humboldt, in the northwestern part of Iowa, where he spent a year in a lawyer's office, preparing a set of county abstract books. His father having engaged in the hardware business, young Lyon spent more than four years clerking in the store; working at the bench in the tin shop, and during the last two years of this time had special charge of the collection of the accounts and the purchase of goods.

During these years, while he was out of school, young Milford had an ambition to return to his studies, but the way did not open up until the autumn of 1887, when his father having sold the store, he started to Iowa City and entered the academy. Doing two years' work in one, he completed the academic course the following June, and the next fall entered the state university. [pg. 12] During the succeeding four years he earned his entire expenses by teaching mathematics in the academy and working as traveling salesman during the summer season, selling goods for an Iowa city factory.

Did Not Waste Time.
It is evident that he did not waste much time in those years, for he landed first in scholarship in his class of fifty for the entire course. And he also spent much time in extra literary work, engaging in the university oratorical contest, where he won first place, and then in the state oratorical contest he won first honors over the prize contestants from fourteen other colleges. And then, in the interstate contest at Lincoln, Neb., he received the highest marks ever given, being graded first by three judges, and second by a fourth judge. This was the same oratorical association in which Senator LaFoilette, of Wisconsin, and ex-Senator Beveridge, of Indiana, won highest honors a few years earlier.

Held in High Esteem.
It is evident that Dr. Lyon held the esteem and confidence of his college mates for during his senior year he was given the three highest university honors, the presidency of the leading literary society, the presidency of the Republican club and was also elected president of the university Y.M.C.A. Before his graduation he was elected as president of Ellsworth college, of Iowa Falls, Iowa, and entered upon his duties immediately upon finishing his university course. Here he remained for two years, directing the financial and executive management of the school, besides teaching Latin and literature.

Starts as Unitarian.
Mr. Lyon had entered the university as a Unitarian, although reared in a Christian home, he had drifted into what he termed liberal thought, and for the first two years in college had been entirely indifferent to orthodox Christianity. It was during the visit of Mr. S.M. Sayford, of Boston, who for ten years worked among the students of American colleges, that Lyon came out into a definite faith in Christ and made a public confession of his belief. During the remainder of his college course he was active along religious lines, being chosen by the state Y.M.C.A. as a member of the state deputation, and by the international Y.M.C.A. to deliver the address at their national convention in Kansas City for the colleges of America. Mr. Lyon had entered college with the intention of studying for the law and going into politics, and having turned from this to teaching he felt more and more impressed with the needs and importance of the gospel ministry. At the close of his second year as college president he resigned his position ato accept a call to the pastorate of the First congregational church of Harvey, Ill. After a year and a half here he accepted the pastorate of the Bethel church at Windsor Park, Chicago. During this pastorate the church membership was nearly doubled and a new building was erected. Feeling the great need of evangelistic work all over the land, Dr. Lyon decided to resign from his pastorate and enter what seemed to him a broader field of Christian endeavor. It would naturally seem a very perilous venture to resign from a successful pulpit and a good salary to start out, not knowing where, without any assurance of financial support for himself and family. Yet this is what Mr. Lyon did and it cannot help but make hiim smile when people say he entered evangelism for the money there was in it. Naturally he had to start in a small way, at first in single church meetings. but from that beginning his work has constantly grown. During the past fifteen years he has spoken more than seven thousand times in twenty-four states and has never missed a service on account of ill health. As a result of his work there have been at least a hundred thousand conversions. Having been a pastor Dr. Lyon naturally looks at evangelism from the standpoint of the men who are to remain on the field after the evangelist has left.

Many Invitations Received.
During the past year he has recieved more than twenty invitations from Indiana cities to conduct union campaigns. Four years ago the degree of doctor of divinity was conferred upon Dr. Lyon by Wheaton college "in honor," said the resolution of the board of trustees, "for his achievements in the Kingdom of God." He is the author of two books, the first of which, The Lordship of Jesus, has gone into the seventh edition. The later book, For the Life That Now Is, has reached the third edition. His ministry has centered especially about the supreme truth of the Kingship of Christ. It was at his suggestion that the publishers of the song book used in the meetings called the new book by the name which is the heart of Dr. Lyon's ministry, "Make Christ King." For fifteen years Dr. Lyon lived at Wheaton, Ill., but has recently built a home, "Faerholm," at Winona Lake, Ind. In the autumn, after his graduation from the university, he married a college friend, Miss Effie Forest, of Miles, Iowa. They have five children, Merle Paul; the oldest, is a senior at Oberlin college. Helen is a member of the sophomore class at Oberlin. Arthur Eugene is a junior at Winona academy. The two younger children, Margaret, thirteen years old, and Ruth, seven years, are in the Winona public schools.

[note: the article goes on about the conference & was not transcribed]
[transcribed by S. F., June 2004]

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Journal
Perkins, Oklahoma
January 22, 1915

Judge Smith McPherson of the federal court died at his home at Red Oak, Iowa. Judge McPherson was 65 years old and had been on the federal bench since June, 1899. His decision in the Missouri railroad case attracted widespread attention and brought him into controversies with Attorney General Barker of Missouri, with Congressman A. Phillips Murphy of the Sixteenth district of Missouri, and with other prominent public men.

[transcribed by S.F., August 2007]

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Oakland Tribune
Oakland California
January 24, 1915

Waucoma Claims Iowa's Oldest Mail Carrier
West Union, Iowa, Jan. 23 -- Waucoma claims the distinction of having the oldest mail carrier in the United States, and refers with pride to the history of Lycurgus M. Cannon, who has spent forty-four years continuously in the mail service. Mr. Cannon, who is generally known as "Curt" was sworn into the work of mail carrier
when 18 years of age, and, with the exception of three summers, has done duty continuously ever since in stormy and pleasant weather. Mr. Cannon's star routes were as follows:
McGregor to Elkader and Elkader to Strawberry Point, two years.
Elkader to West Union, eight years.
Elkader to Postville, four years.
Elkader to Colesburg, four years.
West Union to Wadena, four years.
West Union to Waucoma, four years.
Waucoma to Alpha, four years.

Fourteen years ago in February he was appointed carrier on route No. 3 at Waucoma. Possessed of a kindly, genial dispositon, Mr. Cannon is a favorite with the postoffice force. An act characteristic of the man is his unwillingness to pass a pedestrian - a fact never forgotten by rural school ma'ams. Mr. Cannon has recently returned from a fifteen days' annual vacation spent with his daughters at Manchester and Greeley.

[transcribed by S.F., April 2006]

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New York Times
New York, New York
February 26, 1915

Miss Margaret Van der Veer Paine, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Hebard Paine of 39 East Twenty-seventh Street, was married last night to William Fletcher Blades, son of William Blades of Dubuque, Iowa, in the chapel of St. Bartholomew's Church at Forty-fourth Street and Madison Avenue. The ushers were Edward Harris Paine and Solomon Troper Hebard, and Miss Margaret Whiting Miller Paine, a cousin of the bride, was the flower girl.

[transcribed by S.F., February 2007]

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Wilmot Republican
Wilmot, Roberts co. South Dakota
April 9, 1915

-Miss Opal Cameron returned last Friday from a three months' visit at Leon, Iowa. She was accompanied by her uncle, Alex Ironside and cousin, Miss Eleanor Ironside.
-Earchel Michael departed Tuesday for his home at Spirit lake, Iowa.
-E.A. Swaney of Spirit Lake, Iowa, spent a couple days in the city this week visiting the Gregg family.

[transcribed by S.F., August 2007]

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New Smyrna Daily News
New Smyrna, Florida
April 23, 1915

-J.F. Carleton, who had been here for between three and four months with his mother and sister, Mrs. Julia R. Boles and Mrs. L.C. Keech, at their home on First avenue, left thursday of last week on his return to Charles City, Iowa. Until his visit here this winter it had been more than 20 years since Mr. Carleton had seen his mother and sister.

-Dr and Mrs. M.R. Waggoner left Tuesday for their home in Dewitt, Iowa.

[transcribed by S.F., April 2007]

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Waukesha Freeman
Waukesha, Wisconsin
November 25, 1915

ELM GROVE.
- John Reinders and wife and J. Seaman and wife and daughter, Clara, left last week for Emmetsburg, Iowa, to attend the silver wedding of W. Reinders, which was observed at that place Nov. 16.

[transcribed by C.J.L., Jan. 2004]

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Daily Journal
Telluride, San Miguel co. Colorado
November 28, 1915

From the Montrose Enterprise -- Mrs. Bertha Geyer of Waterloo, Iowa, is in the city visiting her son, Harry and daughter, Erma Tarkoff. Before returning east she will also visit her daughters Mrs. E. McGregor at Telluride and Mrs. John Bennett of Vanadium.

[transcribed by S.F., July 2005]

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Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Rochester, New York
December 16, 1915

Rodam, Dec. 15 - News has been received here by relatives of the death in Detroit, Mich., of Ward Cook, a native of [illegible - Sodna ?], aged 80 years. Mr. Cook in his early life was a surveyor in this town. He married Miss Isabelle DuVok, of this village, who died a few years ago. He leaves one son, Charles Cook, of Waukon, Allamakee county, Iowa and two daughters, Mrs. Charles H. Shields of Toledo, Ohio and Fannie Cook [Reser ?] of Detroit.

[transcribed by S.F., August 2007]

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