Report from Bro. Matteson.
By John Matteson
I send hereby a short sketch of labor and experience, hoping it may be of interest to the readers of the Review. I have so much to write every month for the Danish-Norwegian monthly that I have found but little time to write for our dear American papers. I went to Chicago shortly after our good camp-meeting in Lodi, Wis. Four of our brethren in Chicago were drowned in Lake Michigan in the spring. They were about thirty miles out on the lake fishing, and were overtaken by a fearful storm, which ended their lives as also the lives of many others. They were all active brethren, and one of them had been a leading man in the church since its commencement. We feel the loss of them very much. Eight brethren and sisters had received the truth and united with the church since I was there in the spring. One more brother was baptized and received into the church. Two sisters left us. They went to Norway to visit their old parents. We had services in the chapel on the Sabbath July 4, surrounded by a terrible noise and confusion. The people were celebrating the Fourth to commemorate the independence of America. Next morning we could read of the terrible consequences of all this disorder which they call liberty. Many had lost their lives, others their health or limbs, by the reckless use of powder. We celebrated the Sabbath of the Lord by prayer and praise, to commemorate the creative works of God, and to prepare for the new creation and eternal liberty from the bondage of corruption. I held meetings two weeks in Stoughton, Wis., a small town mostly inhabited by Norwegians. I obtained the use of a commodious church edifice, Congregational. From 30 to 150 were in attendance. The majority of the people are very ignorant of the Bible, superstitious, priest-ridden, and have no idea whatever of experimental religion. We held ten meetings without the least disturbance. But Monday evening the priest came with a crowd. He belongs to a genuine daughter of the State-people's-and-world's-church of Norway. (The Lutheran church is divided in this country into five large divisions. Each division declares that the other is utterly false and heretical, and that their sect alone is the genuine daughter of the great mother church. Over this, most of them keep up a continual battle in religious and political papers. Last year two of these sects sent representative men to Norway to ask the old mother which one was the genuine daughter. She declared she could not tell. She liked them all, if they would only continue to send her money to help her missions.) Said priest requested that I should answer three questions concerning my faith. He exhorted me twice to answer like an honest and upright man. I promised to do so, and to answer ten or twenty more questions if he desired. Two questions were proposed and answered, when he suddenly seemed to change his mind, and broke forth with a host of bitter lamentations and accusations against me, calling me a false prophet, a wolf, a deceiver, &c. He said it pained him in his heart to see his sheep enter this house evening after evening and patiently listen to such terrible doctrine. Of what consequence is his use of the Scriptures? said he; the devil himself used the Scriptures when he came to our Saviour. He closed with a strong warning to every one who wanted salvation, to flee out of the house. Then he led the way and about half of the people followed him with noise and loud talking. Most of those who went out remained by the house, talking aloud and disturbing us for half an hour till I closed the meeting. I had to talk loud to be heard, and replied among other things, that if he proved me to be a wolf he proved also that he himself was a hireling, for Christ says that the hireling fleeth when the wolf cometh. He has compared my use of the Scriptures to that of the devil, said I, but you all know that Satan came to Christ in the wilderness with three propositions or questions. Jesus answered the first, but the devil did not like his answer. He answered the second. Then what? Did Christ run away? Not at all. The devil presented the third question. Then he ran. Who ran? The Saviour? Far from it; but the devil left him. Thus the Saviour always did when any one came to him with questions. He did not feel uneasy, or become angry, or exhort his disciples to run away, but he answered plainly and pointedly with the Scriptures until his opposers sneaked off. The priest has not followed the example of Christ. Next evening a number of these sheep assembled around the house. They kicked against it with their boots, threw stones against the wall, made a continual noise with the window-blinds, thrust sticks through the blinds against those who were in the house, talked and cried aloud all through the service, opened the doors and threw groups in unto the floor, &c. Several of these true Christians(?) were married women, and some came with the babies in their arms, to help prove that they alone possess the true religion. (These Lutherans believe firmly that all other sects are heretics.) Some threatened to kill me. The next night they returned intending to continue their savage work; but the police stopped them. Thus ended these remarkable demonstrations by Christian people (?), in a Christian village (?), in this enlightened nineteenth century, in the celebrated land of freedom. The priest lost many of his friends. Our last meetings were well attended. Five souls were buried with Christ in baptism. A few others decided to serve the Lord. I have had some good meetings with our brethren in Oakland when I have been at home writing for the Tidende. They are firm in the truth, and try to move forward with the people of God. I attended the quarterly meeting in Chicago from September 26–28. Sunday evening, our house was crowded with attentive hearers, the hall was filled, and the stairs out to the sidewalk. Their attention was called to the coming reign of terror produced by spiritism, atheism, socialism, free-love, and the commune. They listened with interest for an hour and twenty minutes. Our brethren in this place had pledged $53 to help the Advent Tidende. They paid $111, which they sent to the Office. Besides this, they pledged about $300 to pay on their meeting-house by the 1st of November. $170 out of this was paid down. The last $200 are due on the meeting-house lot May 1, 1875, but they can now pay it by the 1st of November. There is now only $100 left of their debt on the house. The past year has been full of hard times for the laboring class in Chicago, but the blessing of the Lord has been with our brethren. They have made progress both spiritually and temporally above all expectations. I attended the camp-meeting at Lapeer, Mich., where we were faithfully instructed and much encouraged by the servants of God. Since then, I have held meetings among the Danes in this place. There is but little outside interest here at present, but the brethren are firm in the truth. Their number has also been increased this year. Two have died in the faith. Two apostatized. Present number, eighteen. Our brethren decided to build a meeting-house and pledged $600 for this purpose. It will be erected in the spring. Bro. A. Rasmussen was unanimously chosen and ordained elder among them. Bro. Niels Larsen is clerk and treasurer. We were much blessed as we united in the ordinances. It is three years143since I saw these brethren. They have been faithful and willing to take part in every branch of the work to help it forward. We part, with new and deeper feelings of brotherly love, determined to strive earnestly with God's remnant people for a place in the everlasting kingdom. Gowen, Mich., Oct. 14, 1874.