| Show THE CHICAGO MISSION it is now fourteen months since I 1 came to this city as a missionary in company with president C D fjelsted C L monch and H M pearson there were then a few scattered members of the church who had been found by elder andreas A dahle of spanish fork he had been laboring for some time and been successful in gathering such as had been members of the church in scandinavia especially and added a few others by baptism there was no branch organization but meetings were held regularly on sundays on the ath june 1896 a branch organization of thirty members was effected the following elders from utah being present president C D fjelsted joshua dark clark president of northern states mission samuel G spencer president of north illinois conference J P F F dorius H M pearson and christian L monch the last three named with C D fjelsted being sent to labor among the scandinavian din avian people shortly after this elder joshua dark clark returned to utah by reason of sickness in his family he left the mission with the blessings of the lord and the kind feelings of the saints elder samuel G spencer was appointed to take his place and elder john N davis from vernal utah was appointed president of north illinois conference later in the summer several elders were sent to this mission and among them was lewis A kelch now president of the northern states mission with headquarters in chicago and others the purpose being to open up a mission among the german people at first meetings were held more or less in private houses until the 1st ast of october 1896 when a very commodious hall was obtained in alleger park hall north ave and since then khz meetings have been held regularly every sunday sabbath school at 10 am sacramental service at 1130 am and general preaching at 7 pm these meetings have been very fairly attended by the saints and strangers and wa we have met with no undue disturbance last fall our october conference was held there and as we were favored with the presence of elder B H roberts we had a time of great rejoicing jo icing I 1 must go back a little and state that president C D fjeldsted was with us through the summer and was ever awake to the promulgation of the work and gave the elders and saints such counsel and advise as is characteristic of the man in his cumbe and fatherly way but through telegram from president wilford woodruff he was c called home to be present at the october conference salt lake city and consequently left us accompanied with the best wishes tor for his future welfare elder H M left chicago for his mission to sweden in the month of december and I 1 learn through letters that he is doing a good work in his native land last summer we held several meetings inythe in the street near humboldt park which were well attended we have kept them up this summer every sunday also evenings during the week and it seems as if the elders have a holy boldness to stand before a moving public and nd preach the gospel I 1 last fall a change was affected when elder samuel spencer was honorably released from his mission and elder lewis A kelch was appointed in his place as president of the northern states mission the mission office had before been in kansas city mo but in february of this year it was moved to chicago le moyne st where it now is a very commodious place and in a very respectable locality elder kelch and our efficient clerk elder christopher burton are always there to meet the elders and saints who have business with the office with smiles and welcome our beloved brother john N davis who as before stated has acted as president of the northern illinois conference left us the of june last after a two years mission whereof the one year was spent more or less in chicago brother davis was a fearless and yet a humble young man full of zeal and integrity and had the unbounded good will and confidence of all his brethren and the saints elder ernest M boyer of springville Spring ville was appointed the successor of elder davis elder W J harrison of richmond was made president of the minnesota conference with headquarters at winona I 1 have labored in the missionary field many years and in other countries but I 1 have never been together with a better set of young elders than those I 1 have met in this mission it is 18 a pleasure to be associated with men who in their lives practice what they preach many of them are young men who have been students of various institutions of learning doctor emil B isgreen Ts green who was studying medicine in the chicago Chica gount university ver sity was ever so willing to serve his friends and help them in times of sickness whereby he won the good feelings of all and it is to be hoped he will have the success at home to which four years of hard work entitles him I 1 must also give honorable mention to E young D C budge george Thatch erand others who were taking courses in dentistry not forgetting our genial friends S russell and mr sears all these young men deserve credit for their gentlemanly course and the interested they manifested in the mission As before stated some of us were especially sent to labor among the scandinavian people while we have not an exclusive mission to that class one that can speak the scandinavian language has ample chance to use it every day but it did not seem as though we could succeed in holding many meetings entirely in that language danish and norwegian are the same while the swedish is a little different but all these people can well understand each other we have met conjointly wite the Engli english sli speaking people and no one is forgotten when it is necessary to impart information one branch numbers about more mom or less and our prospects are very in 1 cou raging last winter we organized a female relief society and sister smith from nephi utah is president of the same though everything to is new and more or less unsettled we think our sisters are doing well last winter they did a good work in helping the poor and destitute perhaps my epistle is already too lengthy but as I 1 dont write very often to the news although perhaps I 1 ought to being the clerk of the conference I 1 hope you will bear with me and give my scribbling as much consideration as you can I 1 sometimes send liend a few lines to tu the danish paper but that although as brother snow said owe once in copenhagen 1 I cannot speak danish but I 1 can think danish so with the paper our american friends elb ean think danish even if they cannot read danish I 1 must not forget to mention our old friend elder gus A alson on who was here last winter but was honorably released to return home and left us the of may last he labored eight months and as a swede could better talk to that class of people than any of the rest of us he left chicago with the kindest kindL st of feelings and had gained many dear friends brother C L monch and I 1 are the only remaining scandinavian elders now MOW and we are willing to stay until honorably released and the great question is to accomplish some good which I 1 think is the object in our coming to these parts all is well with the elders here and the best of harmony prevails president L A kelch is the kind of man that says come boys let us go not t you go and I 1 will stay back la in our outdoor meetings he takes his part daft and does it well all the elders deft in love to our friends at home JOHN F P F DORIUS |
