LAWRENCE J. GUTTER 
 
 Collection of Chicogoono 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 AT CHICAGO 
 
 The University Library
 
 WILBUR FISKE MEMINGER.
 
 "The Little Man 
 from Chicago" 
 
 The Life Story of 
 Wilbur F. Meminger 
 
 BY HIS WIFE. 
 
 ALLIANCE PRESS COMPANY 
 692 EIGHTH AVENUE 
 
 NEW YORK
 
 COPYRIGHTED, 1910 
 BY A. B. SIMPSON 

 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Preface 9 
 
 Introduction II 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 His Boyhood 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 His Conversion 32 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 His Business Career 40 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 A Class Leader 44 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Evangelistic Work in the Methodist 
 
 Church 55 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Baptism of the Holy Spirit 61 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 I Believe in the Fourfold Gospel 67
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 God Heals 74 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Inspired Petitions 85 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 The Lord's Coming 99 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 Missions 107 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Chicago Work 113 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Field Work 120 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Field Work (Continued) 132 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Called Home 148 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Funeral Services 158 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Tributes 174
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The following memoir we believe needs no 
 introduction, but, like its subject, is able to 
 speak for itself. It has been said of the great- 
 est modern biography, Bos well's life of John- 
 son, that its charm consists in the fact that he 
 did not attempt to say anything, but simply let 
 the hero do all the speaking himself. The 
 writer of the following memoir is glad to be 
 able to hide behind an array of facts that need 
 comparatively little editing. The only thing, 
 perhaps, that needs explanation is the singular 
 title. To those who knew Wilbur Meminger 
 no such explanation is necessary, for the 
 phrase was so often on his lips that it seemed 
 to fit the man as nothing else could. 
 
 The origin of the expression is connected 
 with the introduction to his great work in Chi- 
 cago as superintendent of the Christian and 
 Missionary Alliance. Suddenly introduced in 
 a great convention as their superintendent, he 
 so deeply realized the vastness of the respon- 
 sibility and his own insufficiency, that for a 
 little he sank under the weight of the burden 
 and asked to be excused from even speaking 
 until he had a little time to recover his breath.
 
 io " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Then the intense realization of the greatness of 
 the work and the smallness of the man took 
 such possession of him that ever afterwards he 
 described himself as "the little man from Chi- 
 cago." It was not an affectation or a phrase 
 with him; but a genuine spirit of self-abase- 
 ment like that of the great apostle whom he 
 loved so closely to follow, and he took the 
 name of "Paul the Little" because he really 
 felt that He had not only been "the chief of 
 sinners," but that he was "less than the least 
 of all saints." 
 
 But we are quite sure that after our read- 
 ers have finished his life story they will have 
 a new revelation of the Master's words "The 
 last shall be first; he that will be chief among 
 you let him be the servant of all." In a very 
 real and unique way Wilbur Meminger was 
 truly a great life and his passing has left a 
 lasting void. 
 
 A. B. SIMPSON.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 "Blessed are the dead which die in the 
 Lord, from henceforth! Yea, saith the 
 Spirit: That they may rest from their la- 
 bors; and their works do follow them" (Rev. 
 xiv. 13). 
 
 This seems to be the only instance where 
 the word "die" is used of saints in the New 
 Testament, after the resurrection of our 
 Lord. He "abolished death and brought life 
 and immortality to light" and "from hence- 
 forth" we have such expressions as Stephen 
 "fell asleep"; Paul, "absent from the body, 
 present with the Lord." Peter, "put off this 
 tabernacle." 
 
 Not only so, but those who "live Christ" and 
 "die in the Lord," "rest from their labors; 
 but their works follow them." The labors 
 "trying toils" cease, but the works fruitful 
 activities continue after one has passed on 
 "to be with Christ." 
 
 When Wilbur Fisk Meminger died in the 
 Lord, as in Him he lived, his active life and 
 devoted service did not cease his works do 
 follow. The Lord of the harvest still delights 
 to use him as one of His "harvest hands,"
 
 12 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 as he often was wont to say, "to cut a swath 
 in Hiis harvest field." And could we see it 
 as God sees, we might find that the work 
 and witness of our beloved brother and fel- 
 low-laborer are more extensive and fruitful 
 than when he wrought in his earthly taber- 
 nacle. 
 
 The compilation and circulation of this 
 memoir, by his wife, is for the glory of God, 
 in multiplying and perpetuating the testi- 
 mony and triumph of our brother's beauti- 
 ful career of godliness and usefulness. Dur- 
 ing most of the time covered by his service 
 in connection with the Christian and Mis- 
 sionary Alliance, Mrs. Meminger accom- 
 panied her husband in his campaigns of con- 
 ventions in various parts of the United 
 States and Canada, and was truly a help- 
 mate to him in all his labors. It is, there- 
 fore, fitting that she be thus identified with 
 the continuation of his ministry "the works 
 that follow" in sending forth this volume 
 to inspire and encourage others in the way 
 of righteousness and fruitfulness. 
 
 The father of Wilbur Meminger was a 
 minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 of marked piety, whose stately form and sol- 
 emn, but stirring sermons, are among my
 
 Introduction 13 
 
 early recollections. The father's brother, 
 "Uncle John," with his wife, is still living, 
 past four score years old; a man of sterling 
 uprightness, a leading layman in the church 
 for most of his long life, and has a son who 
 is in the ministry. They were neighbors of 
 ours in Pennsylvania for many years, now 
 living in Oregon, where it was my privi- 
 lege to visit them some weeks ago and talk 
 over past events, the most sacred and touch- 
 ing one being the departure of Wilbur to be 
 with the Lord. 
 
 My acquaintance with Wilbur F. Memin- 
 ger dates from about 1892, shortly after we 
 (Mrs. Senft and myself) opened a full gos- 
 pel work in Altoona, Pa., which was after- 
 wards organized as one of the first Alliance 
 branches in Pennsylvania. Elsewhere in 
 this memoir, brief mention is made of what 
 transpired during those early days of our 
 association with him. 
 
 Living in Tyrone, only fourteen miles 
 from Altoona, Mr. Meminger, with others, 
 often met with us in our meetings, and he 
 would never shrink from giving a message 
 or witnessing, with a clear note and sonor- 
 ous voice, to the grace and power of God, 
 while at the same time he was humble and
 
 14 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 teachable, learning the way of life more per- 
 fectly, especially along the lines of the gos- 
 pel for the body and the gospel of the King- 
 dom. Soon regular meetings were opened 
 in Tyrone. Thus our dear brother, still in 
 business and active in the Miethodist Epis- 
 copal Church, yet loyally standing by the 
 Alliance meetings, was being prepared for 
 the busy and blessed years of service that 
 followed. 
 
 His striking and sound conversion, fol- 
 lowing real Bible conviction, the clear-cut 
 experience of a second work of grace, sanc- 
 tification, which led to a thorough consecra- 
 tion of his life to God for service, set on fire 
 by the Holy Spirit for souls and his wide 
 and successful evangelistic ministry, pre- 
 pared him for the deepening and mellowing 
 influences of the Alliance fellowship, which 
 more fully equipped him for the wider work 
 of his remaining years. 
 
 No printed volumes of sermons have been 
 left by this gifted servant of God, but his 
 unique, stirring and Scriptural messages, 
 with outbursts of inspiring and inimitable 
 eloquence, like the rolling thunder and the 
 flash of lightning, and again as gentle and
 
 Introduction 15 
 
 tender as the morning dew, who can for- 
 get them ? 
 
 One of his last addresses given in the Gos- 
 pel Tabernacle, New York, during the con- 
 vention, was on the text, "Which things the 
 angels desire to look into" (I. Peter i. 12). 
 It was marked by the unction of the Spirit 
 and given in his characteristic manner, only 
 with a deeper pathos, power and tenderness, 
 as he depicted the love of God, the scenes 
 of Calvary and the mysteries of Redemption, 
 revealed and made real to the penitent and 
 believing sinner "which things the angels 
 desire to look into." 
 
 The blessing and beauty of the Lord was 
 to this man of God the cause and necessary 
 condition of his faithful and fruitful serv- 
 ice. This is the thought of the Psalmist : 
 
 "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be 
 upon us, and establish Thou the work of 
 our hands." 
 
 This record is earnestly recommended to 
 the many friends of our fellow servant, with 
 the prayer that the reading of it shall stimu- 
 late many of God's children to live and la- 
 bor for the speedy coming of the Bride- 
 groom when the sevenfold promise shall be 
 fulfilled:
 
 16 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 "And there shall be no more curse ; 
 But the throne of God and the Lamb shall 
 
 be in it ; 
 
 And His servants shall serve Him; 
 And they shall see His face; 
 And His name shall be in their foreheads. 
 And there shall be no night there; 
 And they shall reign forever and ever." 
 
 Revelation xxii. 3-5. 
 FREDERICK HERBERT SENFT. 
 Philadelphia, Pa., April 12, 1910.
 
 WILP.UR MEMINGER, 
 AGE l6 MONTHS.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 HIS BOYHOOD. 
 
 IT seems to be a law of nature that back of 
 every effect we find a cause; so it is but 
 natural to trace the ancestry back of 
 every son of genius. 
 
 Wilbur Fisk Meminger was born in 
 Hedgesville, Va., April 29th, 1851. 
 
 Back of Wilbur Meminger was a father, 
 William McKean Mieminger, who was an 
 intellectual giant, a man of deep spirituality. 
 A Hebrew, Greek and Latin scholar he was 
 ever ready to give his children instruction. 
 He was of colonial descent, Thomas Mc- 
 Kean being a relative, and others of Puri- 
 tan stock. He was a minister for over forty 
 years, and his great success in the church 
 was no doubt due in part to the fact that his 
 pulpit life and his home life were in perfect 
 harmony. The records show that four 
 thousand souls were won to Christ by him. 
 
 William M'eminger married Rebecca 
 Watts. Born and reared in Virginia she 
 had the soft voice, sweet manner and win- 
 ning personality of the Virginians. Al-
 
 i8 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 though educated in the best schools she was 
 a home-loving woman, and here she ap- 
 peared at her best. Her father, Rev. James 
 Watts, was a pioneer preacher, a scholar, a 
 poet, a descendant of Isaac Watts, the au- 
 thor of many hymns. He was also an inti- 
 mate friend and helper of Francis Asbury. 
 
 Five children were born to the couple, two 
 boys and three girls, and coming from Meth- 
 odist ancestors it was not strange that they 
 should name their firstborn Wilbur Fisk af- 
 ter one of the most godly and highly cul- 
 tured ministers of the church, Rev. Wilbur 
 Fisk, D.D., President of the Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity. 
 
 Sarah Meminger Heaton, a sister to Wil- 
 bur, in recalling their childhood days, says : 
 
 "The first recollections of my brother are 
 at our home in Middletown, Md. The house 
 was a long rambling one, with wide porches, 
 where he and I rode horse back and went 
 fishing, in our imagination. Rev. E. J. 
 Gray, D.D., then a young man, made his 
 home with us and added no little to our 
 pleasure with his stories of Joseph, David 
 and of Paul. 'Six days shalt thou labor' was 
 the rule taught and lived at this Methodist 
 home, and on Sunday all toys and working
 
 His Boyhood 19 
 
 tools were put aside. Brother in his best 
 suit, we girls in our crimson merinos went 
 to service, as the baby kept mother at home. 
 After dinner 'The Ladies' Repository,' with 
 its wonderful engravings, 'Pilgrim's Prog- 
 ress/ with its Doubting Castle, and 'The 
 Story of the Bible' made the afternoons a 
 delight. 
 
 "As I look back upon those peaceful Sab- 
 baths I see through the mists of years fath- 
 er, mother, brother and sister about the fire- 
 place holding family worship. After read- 
 ing the Scripture we arose and sang one of 
 the sweet old hymns, our childish treble 
 mingling with the deeper tones of father and 
 brother. 
 
 "As a student Wilbur attended the best 
 schools, where he developed a rather ex- 
 traordinary talent for oratory and elocution. 
 Nothing pleased us more than to have him 
 recite in the evenings. One of our favorites 
 was Edgar Allan Poe's 'Raven.' So thrilling 
 and real were his portrayal that we looked 
 above the door expecting to see the unwel- 
 come visitor. We vigorously applauded 
 'Bingen on the Rhine,' 'Charge of the Light 
 Brigade,' and others.
 
 20 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 "The following was an essay written by 
 him at the age of nine or ten : 
 
 " 'THE FOURTH OF JULY. 
 
 " 'On this day the American Eagle soared 
 aloft. This day I think is worthy to be the 
 first day of the year, it matters not in what 
 immediate month such an illustrious day 
 comes. The Declaration of the Indepen- 
 dence of the United States was declared. It 
 is hardly worth while to mention the names 
 of the signers of this Declaration, but I will 
 merely state that I was not fortunate enough 
 to sign it. I always celebrate it by staying 
 out of school and getting behind in my 
 classes, so you see I make some sacrifice. 
 
 " 'I think the President should take his 
 seat on this illustrious day. We, the citi- 
 zens, should give three or four cheers extra ; 
 we should have an extra dinner and an ex- 
 tra session of Sunday school in the after-r 
 noon, and build bonfires all night, give three 
 or four cheers for that great man, the Father 
 of his Country, George Washington. Every 
 family should hang out a flag or two, or if 
 they can't afford that they should give three 
 or four cheers for the Fourth of July. It is 
 best not to call anything to raise your spir-
 
 His Boyhood 21 
 
 its, lest you get them too high. I have seen 
 people whose spirits were rather too high on 
 such occasions. 
 
 " 'After having exhorted you to be patri- 
 otic, but sober, I will close by saying three 
 or four cheers for the Fourth of July. 
 
 " 'WILBUR F. M|EMINGER.' 
 
 "The following was a farewell address 
 written by him at the age of sixteen when 
 leaving the Bel Air Academy, Maryland. 
 
 " 'FAREWELL ADDRESS BY w. F. MEMINGER. 
 
 " 'Honored Teacher : 
 
 " 'Time's rolling stream is ever bearing us 
 onward. The time has come, at last, when I 
 must bid you a final farewell. 
 
 " 'As I gaze upon your countenance, 
 which has become so familiar to me, a flood 
 tide of emotion sweeps over my saddened 
 heart. Must I say farewell to you, my more 
 than teacher? You have honored me with 
 your friendship, and I feel a debt of grati- 
 tude for your counsel, confidence, and affec- 
 tionate instruction, which words cannot ex- 
 press. The endearing relations which we 
 have mutually sustained must now be sev- 
 ered. You have labored unceasingly to pro- 
 mote my greatest good, and highest happi-
 
 22 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 ness, and from my grateful heart, I thank 
 you. May you be abundantly rewarded in 
 this life, and in that which is to come. 
 " 'Beloved Schoolmates : 
 
 " 'Sad indeed are the partings which sep- 
 arate us, and send us forth by different path- 
 ways into the great thoroughfares of life. 
 We have journeyed together pleasantly dur- 
 ing my stay in Bel Air, and ere we part, I 
 would say to you, Be encouraged by past 
 experience to press onward through every 
 varying hour. The path which lies before 
 you may be difficult of ascent; and should 
 you grow weary by the way, should the in- 
 spiring "Excelsior" falter on your lips, lift 
 up your eyes, and gather strength to go for- 
 ward, for the treasures which are found only 
 at the summit. There is a long path to be 
 trodden, and many shadows will gather over 
 it, but journey not through this beautiful 
 world, with your eyes closed to its sweet, 
 inspiring influences. 
 
 " 'Turn not wearily away from the pres- 
 ent, looking forward to the days to come; 
 but improve each passing moment, so that 
 you will have no cause for regret in after 
 life for having wasted your golden mo- 
 ments.
 
 His Boyhood 23 
 
 " 'My hope and my prayer shall be, that 
 you may succeed in every department of 
 study, and reflect honor on whatever insti- 
 tution you may be connected with. 
 
 " 'Lovingly and hopefully I say farewell. 
 May heaven bless you all. Farewell.' 
 
 "In the backyard of our house was a large 
 spring, quite deep. One day as I was sail- 
 ing boats of paper, I plunged in; brother 
 heard the spash and came running, caught 
 me as I was sinking again and carried me to 
 mother. Every one remarked on the great 
 presence of mind he had shown, though 
 quite young, and I felt proud of my brave 
 elder brother who had saved my life. 
 
 "From Middletown the family moved to 
 Liberty, M!d. Already the mutterings of 
 war were heard ; many were the discussions 
 held by the leading men of the town, as to 
 the best measures to be pursued. The first 
 shot which smote the side of Fort Sumter, 
 echoed from shore to shore, and wakened 
 the patriotism of many a soul. The lad Wil- 
 bur, at the age of twelve, felt his blood 
 stirred. With heart glowing with bravery, 
 and his young mind alive with the splendid 
 thought of fighting for his country, he and a
 
 24 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 boy friend left home and offered themselves 
 as soldiers for the Union. Of course, being 
 so young they were rejected, but in a kind- 
 ly way, and were sent home. Often in later 
 life when referring to this incident in a ser- 
 mon, he would say, 'I did not feel near so 
 brave when I marched into my father's 
 study to settle accounts for leaving home, 
 for he believed like Solomon to spare the 
 rod was to spoil the child. So, while I had 
 hoped to carry the flag it was in a different 
 way; but .1 certainly wore black and blue 
 stripes for several days after the surrender 
 in the study.' Nevertheless this showed the 
 resolve and courage, and the large aim of 
 this boy. It was not a childish excitement, 
 but aroused principles ; and just as the voice 
 of suffering ones called to him from the 
 South, where the soil was drenched with 
 blood, and nameless graves were scattered; 
 so, in later years, the voice of sin-sick souls 
 called to him from the city, the cabin, the 
 dark den of sin, as well as from the homes 
 of the rich and cultured, until his voice had 
 been heard in every State of the Union save 
 one, and his influence had built up places of 
 worship in this and foreign lands. 
 
 "Another incident which shows the moral
 
 \YIL15UR MEMINGER, 
 AGE 12 YEARS.
 
 His Boyhood 25 
 
 fibre and innate nobility of the youth oc- 
 curred soon after this. The itinerant wheel 
 in its revolution had sent the family to 
 Westminster, Md., not far from Baltimore, 
 and troops were passing through constant- 
 ly. It was a well-known fact that at the 
 Methodist parsonage soldiers were fed and 
 cared for. The soldiers were passing 
 through one day and one of them asked the 
 bright eyed preacher's son to go to the hotel 
 near by and get his canteen filled with 
 liquor, at the same time handing him a ten 
 dollar bill and adding, 'Keep what is left.' 
 Looking up into his face the boy said, 'Sir, 
 I cannot do it; it would be wrong; but my 
 mother has good hot soup ready for you.' 
 In a few moments he had placed a bowl of 
 steaming soup into the hands of the half 
 sick soldier who ate it with a relish. A 
 hearty 'Thank you' was reward enough, but 
 when the soldier said, Til send this money 
 home,' Wilbur felt happy indeed. 
 
 "So when owing to his great popularity 
 years afterward he was urged to come to 
 the front in the political circle of his city, he 
 felt he could not conscientiously do so, but 
 preferred the reward of a humble evangel- 
 ist whose going to and fro were the move-
 
 26 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 ments of God's own loom and shuttle as he 
 wove the fabrics of surrendered lives." 
 
 Wilbur had a cousin whom he loved dear- 
 ly. They were nearly the same age. This 
 cousin, now the Rev. James Watts Shoaff, 
 is a Presiding Elder in the California Meth- 
 odist Conference South. Just a few months 
 prior to his home call Wilbur Meminger 
 visited this cousin and together they went 
 over the scenes of their boyhood. They 
 loved each other dearly and in recalling 
 some of their boyhood days Mr. Shoaff 
 writes : 
 
 "My sainted cousin, Rev. Wilbur F. 
 Meminger, came into this world just one 
 year before the writer. In babyhood and 
 childhood we were much together. Never 
 were two boys more completely mated. 
 Such a thing as a quarrel was never known 
 between us. We had much that was in 
 common. We were the grandsons of one 
 of the early Methodist preachers of the Bal- 
 timore Conference, the Rev. James Watts. 
 We were both the sons of Methodist 
 preachers and were proud to be recognized 
 as such. Wilbur was the soul of honor and 
 frankness. He was as pure as the morning 
 air. He was as full of fun as a luscious
 
 His Boyhood 27 
 
 orange is full of juice, and as generous as a 
 mountain stream. He would never keep the 
 larger portion for himself. He would di- 
 vide what he had with his playmates with a 
 royal generosity. If he teased it was with 
 merry laughter. I do not remember of ever 
 seeing him in a sulky mood. 
 
 "When his father was stationed in Fros- 
 burg, Md., upon one occasion our parents 
 took us with them to Mount Pisgah, where 
 we spent several days with friends. It was 
 midwinter. We had the coasting of our 
 lives. We coasted downhill and snow- 
 balled each other going up. Wilbur's 
 cheeks were like roses and his dark brown 
 eyes flashed with delight. I seem to hear 
 his voice to-day as it echoed amid the silent, 
 snow-clad hills. 
 
 "In the summer days when we happened 
 to be together he delighted in gathering wild 
 flowers and chasing butterflies. It was a 
 delight for him to find a wasp's nest. When 
 he did he never ceased to war a good war- 
 fare. Somehow Wilbur and I seemed to be 
 wasp-proof. How he would laugh and 
 chuckle to see the . other boys dip their 
 heads and run for shelter. He would cry, 
 'Drop to the ground and they will go over.'
 
 28 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 "Climb ! It seemed to me he could climb 
 like a squirrel. A cherry tree was his de- 
 light. The boy who was afraid to clirnb did 
 not lack for cherries, for if they were in the 
 tree Wilbur would be sure to shower them 
 down. 
 
 "What royal times we had hunting chest- 
 nuts ! When the burrs had opened and the 
 winds had shaken the trees we were there 
 early to gather the nuts. When we had 
 gathered a good supply we would have a 
 chestnut boil or a chestnut roast. We were 
 specially anxious for our parents to enjoy 
 them, not only because we desired to have 
 them enjoy them, but because we would be 
 :ikely to get permission to go on another 
 outing. 
 
 "The first year of the war between the 
 States, Wilbur and I were together for sev- 
 eral months. Wilbur was Union. I was 
 Rebel, and yet our love was the same. We 
 played soldier together under the circum- 
 stances with peculiar avidity an avidity 
 that was void of acrimony. The banner that 
 floated over us was love. 
 
 "Wilbur and I were very fond of Upton, 
 a colored boy who was employed by the 
 month. But our love for Upton did not de-
 
 His Boyhood 29 
 
 ter us from having some pleasure at his ex- 
 pense even if it cost us the strain of grim 
 silence. The woodpile and the barn were 
 close together. With Upton at the wood- 
 pile, that was our opportunity. In silence 
 we gathered our ammunition in the shape of 
 corncobs. Think of two boys doing that fot 
 several hours and saying not a word. Stor- 
 ing the cobs in the haymow, we waited foi 
 Upton to begin his work at the woodpile, a 
 job that would keep him employed several 
 hours in the afternoon. By a ruse that Up- 
 ton did not suspect we made our way to the 
 barn. Ascending the haymow, where we 
 had our ammunition concealed, we hurled 
 our corncobs at Upton's woolly pate. He 
 could not see us. We never hurled a cob 
 when he looked our way. The mystery to 
 Upton was the source of the corncobs. They 
 seemed to' be tangled up between his axe 
 and woolly head. Upton believed in ghosts. 
 His peculiar grunt as he swung his axe was 
 answered by a like grunt on our part. As 
 he turned to look, how the whites of his eyes 
 shone in the sunlight. How we laughed 
 with a noiseless laugh but it was fun run- 
 ning over. The thing became too serious 
 for Upton. So he went to Aunt Rebecca
 
 30 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 to see if she could explain the mystery. She 
 solved the mystery and interpreted its 
 meaning with the use of a slipper which did 
 not even expel the happy memory of that 
 afternoon in all the years that followed. To 
 speak of Upton and the corncobs was to 
 give us a hearty laugh that shook our sides 
 in years of sober manhood. 
 
 "What happy days we spent together at 
 bat and ball and marbles. How we climbed 
 the trees and roamed the fields and splashed 
 our feet in meadow brooks. We loved our 
 sisters and enjoyed our games with them. 
 But Wilbur and I delighted in the strenuous 
 exertions that belonged to the daring boy. 
 
 "Through all the years we loved each 
 other. On his last visit to the Pacific Coast 
 Cousin Wilbur with his wife visited us in 
 Los Angeles. He delivered a memorable 
 sermon in Trinity Methodist Episcopal 
 Church South, of which I was pastor. I 
 had never had the pleasure of hearing him 
 preach until then. How he preached! Ev- 
 ery word he uttered seemed fragrant with 
 the breath of heaven. What a joy it was 
 after the lapse of years to be with him again. 
 We lightened the cares of manhood with 
 the memories of bygone days. Over the
 
 His Boyhood 31 
 
 flight of years stretches the rainbow light of 
 heaven. My life has been made richer by 
 the childhood, youth and strong manhood 
 of my sainted cousin, Rev. Wilbur Fisk 
 Meminger."
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 "Sinking and panting as for breath 
 
 I knew not help was near me; 
 I cried, 'Oh, save me, Lord from death, 
 
 Immortal Jesus, hear me; 
 Then quick as thought I felt Him mine, 
 
 My Saviour stood before me; 
 I saw His brightness round me shine, 
 
 And shouted 'Glory, glory.' ',' 
 
 WHILE Tyrone was but a small village 
 its first hotel was built by John D. 
 Stewart. This hotel contained a bar 
 and a billiard room ; but one evening its 
 owner attended a Union Prayer Meeting 
 held in a school house. H|e was intoxicated 
 and also carried a bottle of whiskey in his 
 pocket. The earnest appeal by the leader 
 brought him to the mourners' bench; but 
 under the influence of liquor the workers 
 did not think that he knew what he was 
 doing. He left the meeting sober, how- 
 ever, although unsaved, and returning home 
 confided to his wife that he had sought sal- 
 vation at the mourners' bench. At this Mrs.
 
 His Conversion 33 
 
 Stewart wept for she thought he was mere- 
 ly mocking at religion. But the next even- 
 ing he returned to the school house, this 
 time perfectly sober, and at the mourners' 
 bench was instantly saved. That evening 
 he reported to his wife that he had been 
 saved, and again she wept as she realized 
 that she knew nothing of this salvation, and 
 the following evening she too attended the 
 meeting and was as definitely saved as her 
 husband. 
 
 The next day a family altar was set up in 
 their home; the barrels of liquor were car- 
 ried to the sidewalk and emptied into the 
 gutter; the billiard tables were burned, and 
 the business closed. 
 
 Mr. Stewart was known as the converted 
 "Gambler and Hotel Landlord." Some 
 years later he became the stalwart "Holi- 
 ness Advocate of Central Pennsylvania." He 
 was also a pioneer preacher, an ordained 
 elder who traveled and preached through 
 the great forest of Blair, Clearfield and Cen- 
 tre Counties, before any railroad penetrated 
 that vast and wild country. He, after the 
 marriage of Wilbur Meminger to his daugh- 
 ter Laura, became closely associated with 
 him in his evangelistic work.
 
 34 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Stewart was assisting the 
 Rev. James H. McCord, Pastor of the Old 
 Methodist Episcopal Church Pennsylvania 
 Conference, in revival services. Mir. Mc- 
 Cord was an old-time Methodist minister. 
 He was a preacher, evangelist, revivalist and 
 an orator. His rendering of a hymn gave 
 more inspiration to his hearers than ser- 
 mons by abler men. Under his funeral ser- 
 mons it was well nigh impossible to keep 
 silence in the congregation. H|is revival 
 sermons struck such terror to the hearts of 
 the unsaved that it was hard for them to re- 
 fuse an invitation to seek salvation. 
 
 For three months Rev. Mr. McCord 
 preached exclusively on the doctrine of 
 Holiness, Perfection and Sanctification. 
 The doctrine had been preached previous to 
 that time and a number of the members had 
 received such a work of grace.. This doc- 
 trine brought antagonism from the worldly 
 side of the church and rank criticism from 
 those who could not show clean lives, who 
 enjoyed, at that time, official relation to the 
 church. Threats of church division, splits, 
 new church, and all the arts of the arch 
 demon were employed to cast reproach 
 upon the preaching. Personal attacks were
 
 His Conversion 35 
 
 heard in the meetings. Conspiracy by anti- 
 holiness members, some of whom were on 
 the official board, were entered into for the 
 purpose of breaking up the meeting. Strange 
 to say all the meetings were well attended 
 and much interest manifested. 
 
 The doctrine of Holiness was not 
 preached in the haphazard way in which it 
 is handed out to-day by many of the 
 preachers; but by the Scriptures, reason, 
 history and experience; expressions and 
 comments from the early founders of 
 M'ethodism, articles of religion, catechism 
 and doctrines of all the evangelical 
 churches; all the leading commentators of 
 the different churches, tracts, pamphlets, 
 indorsements of Wesley, Watson, Fletcher 
 and others who in any way added evidence 
 upon the subject. At times a number of 
 books with markers could be seen around 
 the Pastor's desk. 
 
 Fierce and long the struggle raged; but 
 no one was saved. It looked as if this doc- 
 trine handed down to us from the early 
 fathers was not sufficient for the up-to-date 
 customs and usages of the day. 
 
 At this time special meetings were in 
 progress in the other churches of the town,
 
 36 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 and seekers and inquirers began to present 
 themselves as subjects of prayer. 
 
 At first the Presbyterian Church had a 
 few inquirers; then the United Brethren, 
 then the Baptist and finally a few were 
 found in the Methodist Episcopal Chapel 
 in the East End, which at this time was 
 supported by the insurgents and anti-holi- 
 ness people of the Old Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. The Old Methodist Episcopal 
 Church was apparently void of life, although 
 meetings were held every afternoon and 
 evening with good attendance. 
 
 At the close of a meeting one evening, 
 the Pastor was informed by a woman that if 
 an invitation had been given a seeker would 
 have presented herself for prayer. Hurried 
 efforts were made to apprehend the woman, 
 but it was too late. 
 
 On the following night an invitation was 
 offered when a young man, Mr. B came 
 forward. The next afternoon two or three ; 
 that evening several, then a dozen, twenty, 
 thirty, forty, and finally sixty were forward 
 crying for mercy and a new life. The con- 
 versions followed in rapid succession and 
 in two weeks two hundred and twenty-five 
 persons were brought to know Jesus as a
 
 His Conversion 37 
 
 Saviour. Among this number was Wilbur 
 Meminger, a young man in the bloom of 
 youth, with all the vigor of soul, body and 
 spirit, with a sanguine temperament, and a 
 capacity possessed by few to enjoy the 
 pleasures of the world. 
 
 Not only did he possess these, but he had 
 a bright mind which, harnessed with a ro- 
 bust body, gave him a capacity for learning. 
 Already had his mind begun to reach out 
 along the line of reason and research, and 
 on account of his environments, infidel lit- 
 erature had found its way into his hands. 
 His companions were skeptical in reference 
 to the Bible and religion and among strang- 
 ers he soon became like them. His own 
 words will best express his condition at this 
 time: "When I was lost in sin and sinful 
 pleasure and fast drifting upon the rocks of 
 infidelity I found Jesus who saved me from 
 ruin." 
 
 Interesting is it to note that on this very 
 night of conversion his saintly father, sev- 
 eral hundred miles away, had completed his 
 Saturday work, including the preparation of 
 his sermon for the morrow; but before re- 
 tiring dropped to his knees and prayed ear-
 
 38 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 nestly for just one thing, the conversion of 
 his son Wilbur. 
 
 And the Holy Spirit at the same hour 
 flashed the picture of the praying father be- 
 fore the mind of the son and impelled him 
 to seek his father's God. 
 
 The conversion of this young man was 
 the foundation of the character which 
 showed all through his life and on which 
 securely rested the building and super- 
 structure of later years. 
 
 Only a few days elapsed until Mr. M'emin- 
 ger was asked to lead the Young People's 
 Meeting then held in the basement of the 
 church. "I can see," says one, "that room 
 now, with its old straight back red benches, 
 full of scratches, with its old whitewashed 
 heaters, with its little squat windows and 
 low ceilings, and its square wooden sup- 
 ports and its 'Amen Corner.' There is quite 
 a contrast when we look at the more modern 
 church with its stained glass windows, its 
 velvet carpets, its grand pipe organ and all 
 modern conveniences. The one was con- 
 spicuous for its 'Glories/ 'Hallelujahs,' 
 and 'Amens' ; the latter for its silence. 
 
 "This Sabbath evening I see this young 
 man taking his first step in public Chris-
 
 His Conversion 39 
 
 tian work. As he arose with the Bible in 
 his hand, his voice trembling, he said, 'I 
 perceive that God is no respecter of per- 
 sons.' This was his first message. His last 
 words in New York, were, 'Amen, my heart 
 is breaking for souls.' 
 
 Referring again to his first service, he read 
 a few passages of Scripture. A few re- 
 marks, a short story of his conversion, was 
 the substance of his talk at this time. He 
 joined the church on probation, was assigned 
 to a class and at the end of the probation 
 was received into full membership. 
 
 At the revival meetings a lot of young 
 men and friends of Mr. Meminger were con- 
 verted, who helped each other, by their sym- 
 pathy, their encouragement and association 
 in and out of the church.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 ' HIS BUSINESS CAREER. 
 
 IN his boyhood a great desire to be useful 
 seemed to take possession of Wilbur 
 Meminger, and he began to weigh the 
 different callings in life in order to decide 
 which one would give the greatest field of 
 usefulness. He was willing to choose a 
 life work that was full of close application, 
 great discipline and strenuous work, if it 
 might bring to him a position of merit and 
 honor in later years. 
 
 He sought and tried to get a scholarship 
 in the Naval Academy, and was successful 
 in so far as to be promised this rare privi- 
 lege and had the approval of the President 
 of the United States. This appointment, 
 however, was not forthcoming on account of 
 some political changes that took place at 
 that particular time. If this position had 
 been obtained, Mr. Meminger might to-day 
 have been among the foremost naval offi- 
 cers of the day, bedecked with honors, both 
 of peace and war, of the greatest nation on 
 the globe. Instead he has fallen a soldier in
 
 WILBUR MEMINGER, 
 AGE 45 YEARS.
 
 His Business Career 41 
 
 the Army of Christ, with the great honor of 
 being carried from the battlefield in a dying 
 condition. Soldiers who die on the field of 
 battle can be identified by the marks upon 
 them, to what Corps, Division, Brigade, 
 Regiment or Company they belong, and by 
 their straps, if officers, what rank they hold. 
 It might be some satisfaction to us if we 
 could know the rank he held; but we will be 
 content to know, "For now we see through 
 a glass darkly ; but then face to face ; now we 
 know in part; but then shall we know even 
 as also we are known." We cannot tell his 
 rank, but like many an officer in our Civil 
 strife, he kept as much as possible in the 
 background. 
 
 The disappointment of not receiving the 
 scholarship in the Naval Academy, was felt 
 keenly by this young man; but it was the 
 Lord's way of banking up the little life 
 stream that made it change its course from 
 a life of outward conflict to one of inward 
 conflict, from a service of self to a service 
 for Christ and others. 
 
 Mr. Meminger commenced his business 
 career when a very young man as a clerk in 
 the General Mercantile store of A. B. Hoo- 
 ver, then the leading merchant in his town
 
 42 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 of Tyrone, Pa. After serving there for some 
 time, he decided to learn the clothing busi- 
 ness and hired as a clerk under C. J. Kegel, 
 then the foremost business man in that line 
 in Tyrone, and continued there until 1879, 
 when he opened a store under the firm name 
 of Meminger & Stewart. 
 
 It was during his stay with C. J. Kegel 
 that he met and became acquainted with 
 Laura, the daughter of Rev. J. D. Stewart, 
 who a number of years afterward became 
 his wife. On July 8, 1880, this firm which 
 had just begun to do business, was driven 
 out by a very disastrous fire that burned 
 out all the principal business section in 
 town. By prompt action and helpful friends 
 they managed to escape with a nominal loss. 
 They managed to get temporary quarters 
 until the building was remodeled and made 
 the most beautiful quarter in town. After a 
 year or two the firm changed to W. F. Mem- 
 inger, and the business continued to grow 
 and prosper until it became the leading 
 clothing store of the town. Mir. Meminger 
 continued in business at this stand until 
 January, 1897, when the building and con- 
 tents were again ruined by fire and water. 
 
 After this fire Mr. Meminger closed his
 
 His Business Career 43 
 
 business and soon was summoned to take 
 charge of the work of the Christian and 
 Missionary Alliance in Chicago, Illinois. 
 
 During his business career he had one fac- 
 tor in his life, that gave much force and 
 success in his business as well as in his 
 evangelistic work. It was PROMPTNESS. He 
 was always on time. At the store, in the 
 home, at the church, everywhere he was on 
 time. When he made a promise or a con- 
 tract he was there to meet it. If he gave a 
 note, he was there when the note became 
 due, either to renew or cancel his paper. 
 
 The Bible was always on the left side 
 corner of his writing desk. It was his guide. 
 It was the light of his life. In it were the 
 issues of life. It exposed error and con- 
 tained all seasonable truth. It gave dignity 
 to the meanest duty, and it told him of for- 
 giveness for the greatest sin. How much 
 indeed was this man indebted to this Book !
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 A CLASS LEADER. 
 
 IT was not long after his conversion be- 
 fore he showed a devotion to the church 
 and a desire to be useful along the line 
 of Christian work. 
 
 He was first appointed Sunday school 
 teacher, then steward, class leader, trustee, 
 exhorter, local preacher, and finally Sunday 
 school superintendent. He soon became 
 popular among the rank and file of the 
 church and was nominated and elected Sun- 
 day school superintendent in opposition to 
 some old live workers. This caused con- 
 sternation and dissatisfaction in the ranks of 
 the old live officers, finally causing the 
 preacher in charge to disband the Sunday 
 school and take the reins in his own hands. 
 This put a damper on the progress of Mr. 
 Meminger in official duty in the Sunday 
 school, yet he still continued to teach his 
 class and was content in any position he oc- 
 cupied. 
 
 Year after year as his friends urged him to 
 take the office of Superintendent he always
 
 A Class Leader 45 
 
 declined; but finally he was nominated, 
 elected and served five years or more. He 
 now had plenty to perplex him, much to try 
 his patience and enough to perfect him in 
 love. He was successful in this position and 
 had the support and co-operation of the offi- 
 ciary of the branch. 
 
 The Sunday school was kept on the spirit- 
 ual line and all the instruction that could 
 be used for the repentance and conversion 
 of the scholars was put forth. 
 
 He was also leader of one of the classes 
 in the church, known far and near as the 
 "Tuesday Night Class." Wilbur's brother 
 thus recalls the beginning of his leadership 
 of the Tuesday Night Class : 
 
 "The Rev. Finley Riddle was the pastor 
 in charge of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Tyrone, Pa., of which Wilbur 
 was an active member. The Tuesday night 
 class was one that seldom met, and in order 
 to remedy this state of affairs the Rev. M'r. 
 Riddle called at the store one Monday morn- 
 ing and informed Wilbur that he had ap- 
 pointed him to lead that class. Wilbur was 
 astonished, and offered many reasons why 
 he could not accept it. But the pastor used 
 every objection Wilbur made as the very
 
 46 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 reason why he should take the class. Final- 
 ly Wilbur said, 'Why, Brother Riddle, if I 
 lead that class no one at all will come.' 'So 
 much the better for you,' said the minis- 
 ter, 'you will not have to stay long and can 
 come back to your store.' As he said this 
 he laid a new class book on the desk and 
 told Wilbur that he had transferred all the 
 names from the old one and that this book 
 was twenty-five cents. 'And you,' he said, 
 looking at me, 'wrap up a box of collars for 
 me. I will try and see you Wednesday. 
 Good-day/ I handed him his package as 
 he passed out of the store and noticed the 
 broad smile on his smooth face as he re- 
 peated his favorite expression of 'Good-day.' 
 "Tuesday at 7.30 P.M. Wilbur said to me, 
 'I arn going up to the church I may not be 
 gone long.' He did not return to the store 
 again that night and I presumed someone 
 had been at the Tuesday night class. On 
 the following Wednesday morning one of 
 the first to call at the store was Rev. MY. 
 Riddle, and he waited until Wilbur arrived, 
 when he said, 'How did you get along last 
 night?' Wilbur said, 'Very well, there was 
 one present.' 'Good,' said the Reverend, 
 'you said no one at all would attend it.
 
 A Class Leader 47 
 
 Good-day.' The next Tuesday night there 
 were two present, and on the following 
 Wednesday morning the Reverend was 
 among the first to call at the store. As soon 
 as Wilbur came in he asked, 'Well, how did 
 you get along last night?' Wilbur report- 
 ed as above. 'Two,' exclaimed the Rever- 
 end, 'and you said you could not lead that 
 class. Why, my dear brother, there is an 
 increase in the attendance on the second 
 night under your leadership of a hundred 
 per cent. you are the very man for the 
 class. I knew that or I would not have ap- 
 pointed you to lead it. Good-day.' The at- 
 tendance increased until it filled the class 
 room and they moved into the one used by 
 the Infant Department of the Sunday school. 
 Many came from quite a distance to have 
 the truth, for it became known abroad that 
 Wilbur made the way plain that without 
 holiness no man shall see the Lord." 
 
 Mr. Mleminger, realizing the responsibil- 
 ity as a class leader, felt it his duty to enlist 
 as many as possible to attend regularly. He 
 used all his energies from time to time, vis- 
 iting and entreating; but with all the work 
 to build up the class it seemed to decrease 
 in numbers and interest. This looked very
 
 48 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 discouraging to him and was a hard blow 
 on the earnest efforts of a young man so full 
 of zeal for Christ and the church. It was 
 only the entering of the wedge, by which 
 the life of faith might exemplify itself in his 
 life and his work in after years. 
 
 In all church or Christian work in any 
 place, it will be found that there are at least 
 two or three who have their heart in the 
 work and are ready to go forward against all 
 odds, all discouragements, and failure, on, 
 on, to success. The Tuesday night class 
 was not without one in the person of Mrs. 
 C , a faithful and devoted Christian wom- 
 an, a kind mother, one who was always 
 faithful in attendance at church and ready 
 to help others. At the close of a meeting one 
 Tuesday night, it seemed more than ever 
 this meeting was a failure. Mr. Meminger 
 had made up his mind that the class must 
 succeed or the book would be handed to 
 the pastor. Hie talked with Mrs. C about 
 it and both seemed to think it ought not 
 only to be continued, but that much good 
 should be derived from the mutual fellow- 
 ship which only can be had in this peculiar 
 means of grace. It was decided that prayer, 
 then and there should answer the question
 
 A Class Leader 49 
 
 alone. There in that little room, those two 
 openly prayed, and earnestly petitioned God 
 to show them His will in reference to this 
 meeting and in a short time they arose with 
 the assurance that He would now bless their 
 efforts with much success. Here we may 
 truthfully say was the birthplace of the 
 Holiness Class of the First Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church of Tyrone, Pa. 
 
 The class now grew in numbers and pow- 
 er; some came through curiosity, others as 
 honest seekers after righteousness. It was 
 not many years until it reached seventy 
 members in all, regular and transient. Soon 
 a large number had entered into the experi- 
 ence of perfect love, became stalwart Chris- 
 tians and their testimony was heard in all 
 the experience meetings of the church. I 
 may say here that the class soon became 
 the place for all who were pressing on to 
 higher ground. It was the backbone of the 
 spiritual element of the church. This was 
 not a winter class, that lasted only while 
 special effort was made for converts; but 
 had as much interest in July as in December. 
 
 During this time Mr. Meminger was en- 
 gaged in the clothing and gents' furnishing 
 business in the same town ; but this did not
 
 50 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 interfere at all with his duty to his church 
 or class, for at 7.30 Tuesday evening Mr. 
 Meminger could be seen going toward the 
 church with a small box under his arm, bow- 
 ing to this friend and to that business man, 
 gathering several members on the way to 
 the class, where other members were in 
 waiting for their leader. 
 
 Among the members there were at least 
 half a dozen good male singers who were 
 capable of leading revival singing; and this 
 was another asset to the class. The order 
 of the class was silent prayer by the leader, 
 placing of the little box on the table, and 
 then the singing began to roll as if an pld 
 time revival had been in progress for a 
 month. After a few inspiring hymns had 
 been sung, and a prayer or two, one by the 
 leader, a Scripture lesson would be read, 
 and then Mr. M'eminger would commence 
 the lesson, give some needed exhortation 
 and encouragement, and then call for testi- 
 monies. 
 
 At the close of class Mr. Meminger would 
 move a small table out in the centre of the 
 floor, which he called "The Ark," and ask 
 all to gather around it, and ask the Lord for 
 what they wanted. Those seeking for any-
 
 A Class Leader 51 
 
 thing were gently asked to pray aloud, oth- 
 ers joined in short prayers, and finally the 
 leader would lead to the throne of grace, 
 with such humility, confidence and bold- 
 ness, that all seemed to take hold of the 
 very horns of the altar. 
 
 It was a rule among the members of this 
 class as they met on the street, in the store, 
 in church, or in the homes, that their con- 
 versation should be upon heaven and heav- 
 enly things. 
 
 Another feature of the class was that 
 every member was there on Tuesday and 
 every Tuesday unless he was kept away by 
 some unavoidable cause. All things were 
 laid aside on that night and no engagements 
 were made for that evening. 
 
 Each member either in song, prayer, or 
 testimony gave it in his own natural way. 
 Each had his own personality and expres- 
 sion which gave this gathering a marked 
 contrast with the meetings where all seemed 
 to be imitation instead of individuality. 
 
 "I remember one cold night," writes one 
 member of this class, "as we gathered in 
 the church ; the class room was cold and in 
 no condition to remain in. One member sug- 
 gested an oil stove which he had, and his
 
 52 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 son was despatched some four or five 
 squares away to get the heater; in the 
 meantime the class kept warm by some 
 lively singing. Soon the stove arrived and 
 I need not say a glorious meeting followed." 
 Mr. Meminger interested this class in mis- 
 sions, of which we shall hear later. He re- 
 mained class leader until called to Chicago. 
 Many have passed away, all of whom died 
 in the triumphs of a living faith ; others have 
 gone into Christian work, others are stand- 
 ing for the full salvation in their own home 
 town and other cities, some in China, some 
 in Africa, others in South America, and 
 some few have given up the faith. 
 
 One of his class members, W. E. McKin- 
 ney, writes thus of his beloved leader and 
 friend : 
 
 "One of the best and most able Christian 
 workers that I have had the pleasure of 
 knowing was Brother W. F. Meminger. 
 My first recollection of him was at the great 
 revival of Rev. Mr. McCord in the Old First 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, on Railroad 
 St., Tyrone. 
 
 He was always at his post of duty, at the 
 Sunday school, preaching service, prayer 
 meeting and class meeting. I had the pleas-
 
 FIRST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, TYRONE.
 
 A Class Leader 53 
 
 ure of working for him when he was Super- 
 intendent of the Sunday school, as one of his 
 teachers. So I watched him day after day 
 and year after year, but he was just the 
 same as when I first knew him, only more 
 zealous for the Lord's cause. 
 
 "In the revival under Rev. Geo. Penepack- 
 er, after being at the altar thirteen nights, I 
 was converted January 19, 1889. My friend 
 and brother, who always was so much inter- 
 ested in me, was right in front of me, talk- 
 ing and praying with me. When the dear 
 Lord Jesus came into my heart, I said, 
 'Praise the Lord !' and the first person I saw 
 was Brother Meminger, and how his face 
 did shine, and I know he received some of 
 the blessing which came to me. 
 
 "After that my wife and I joined Brother 
 Meminger's Tuesday night class meeting, 
 and what grand and glorious times we did 
 have in that old class meeting! We love to 
 talk about it yet, and expect to meet some 
 day. 
 
 "While I was a member of his class I 
 made him a little box to gather money for 
 the Bishop William Taylor fund in Africa. 
 So every Tuesday night the little box was 
 brought by the leader and placed on the
 
 54 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 table, and any one was at liberty to con- 
 tribute. It was opened every month and 
 counted and the amount reported to the 
 class. Then the brother would send it off to 
 far-away Africa to help some one to find 
 God. So the good brother was working in 
 more ways than one. I have had many a 
 heart to heart talk with him, when he was 
 in the clothing business in Tyrone, Pa., and 
 it has followed me all through my life. I 
 felt when he was living that I always had a 
 brother who was praying for me. Hie has 
 been one of my best friends and when I 
 needed advice or sympathy I knew where to 
 go. The last time I had the pleasure of 
 meeting and talking with him was at a con- 
 vention on Wylie Ave., Pittsburg, Pa. I feel 
 that he will always live in the hearts of a 
 great many people for the great good that 
 he did for them. Brother Meminger's influ- 
 ence will live as long as I live, for I still 
 hold fast to the same Jesus that he preached 
 and served so faithfully."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 EVANGELISTIC WORK IN THE 
 METHODIST CHURCH. 
 
 WILBUR MEMINGER soon after his 
 conversion felt he was called to 
 preach the Gospel. He knew from 
 the outside what it was. to be a Methodist 
 preacher, for he had from a babe been moved 
 from place to place, and from town to town. 
 He was the son of an itinerant preacher, and 
 in those early days the hardships were great 
 enough to satisfy the best of men. 
 
 He was granted an exhorter's license and 
 afterward was made local preacher by the 
 quarterly conference. H|is father, Rev. W. 
 M 1 . Meminger, was at this time in active 
 service, and Wilbur Mteminger was not at a 
 loss for revival work in helping his father 
 on the circuits from time to time. 
 
 He was assigned the regular course of 
 study of the local preachers and had always 
 been successful for years in all his examina- 
 tions, until by sickness and overwork in bus- 
 iness and preaching he was compelled to 
 lay aside some few branches and was on
 
 56 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 this account (maybe) not passed in the ex- 
 amination. 
 
 This was the hardest blow yet given to 
 the stalwart little man, as he did not look 
 at it as a failure of study so much as it was 
 an overabundance of Holiness and Sanctifi- 
 cation, then so much disliked by those who 
 would not embrace it. 
 
 Let us look at one member of the com- 
 mittee who would not let him continue as a 
 local preacher. A full-fledged Methodist 
 Episcopal minister, insane on horses, who 
 would drive at a three-minute pace through 
 the town in which he lived, shoot down a 
 dog if it would bark at his wagon wheels. 
 He received a commission in the U. S. Army 
 as chaplain, served a short time, was court 
 martialed for drunkenness and driven from 
 its ranks. 
 
 This was a damper upon the work of 
 Wilbur Meminger, who continued to help 
 his father and assisted other ministers in 
 their work, holding meetings in out of town 
 churches, halls, school rooms and in every 
 place to which he was invited. 
 
 He was not an evangelist that had to be 
 paid an enormous sum for a few nights' 
 service; but would take any offering that
 
 In the Methodist Church 57 
 
 was given to him for his service. This soon 
 brought him in favor with the men who 
 were getting modest salaries and the calls 
 soon began to come faster than he could 
 fill them. 
 
 In the meantime trusting his business to 
 others, he devoted what time he could be- 
 tween engagements, and with his whole be- 
 ing thrown into, the work, he soon began to 
 have large revivals. In Bedford, Catawis- 
 sa, Bellwood, Lion, Milesburg, Port M'atil- 
 da, York, Bald Eagle, Birmingham, Irons- 
 ville, and other places scores and hundreds 
 were converted to Jesus. 
 
 One place deserves special mention. Some 
 few members of the town of Ironsville 
 (which derived its name from the forges and 
 rolling mills located at that place), wished 
 to have some preaching in the school house 
 of the village. Several night meetings were 
 held in the place without any success. 
 
 At the close of the meeting one night, 
 Mr. Meminger requested any person who 
 was interested in a revival to remain. Nine 
 persons remained for consecration and 
 prayer. It was there at that time they be- 
 lieved a great work would follow. 
 
 This village was a very wicked place.
 
 58 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Gambling, drinking, Sabbath desecration, 
 and all the vices were fully practiced here. 
 Soon the work commenced and soon seek- 
 ers were at the altar, the number increas- 
 ing until nearly the whole village was con- 
 verted and transformed into a great relig- 
 ious neighborhood. During the progress of 
 this meeting one could see great, strong 
 men break down into weeping, and go to 
 the altar, crying, "God be merciful to me a 
 sinner." 
 
 The meeting continued for weeks, and an 
 organization was effected and soon a church 
 in full working order was established. 
 
 Next an auditorium was needed, but 
 where was the money to build it? 
 
 A site was selected and the ground brok- 
 en, and soon labor was donated by the large, 
 stalwart men of the forge, rolling mill and 
 other occupations, and the picks, shovels 
 and digging irons were soon throwing out 
 the earth and stone for the foundations. 
 Subscriptions and money began to come 
 and in a few months the edifice was dedi- 
 cated. This church was built on solid rock 
 and still stands as a monument of faith and 
 works of a few who were not afraid to ask
 
 In the Methodist Church 59 
 
 God for something and were not surprised 
 when it came. 
 
 During the revival season in his own 
 church Mr. Meminger was always there if 
 in town. Sometimes he was called upon to 
 fill the pulpit, at other times to exhort, lead 
 prayer meetings, etc. His great success 
 seemed to be in his work around the altar, 
 leading the forces in prayer from seeming 
 defeat on to glorious victory. "Often," says 
 one, "I have seen him start at one end of 
 the altar and finish at the other, after hav- 
 ing helped all to take hold by faith and re- 
 ceive salvation, while the singing would rise 
 higher and re-echo from heaven to earth. 
 As he would pass along from one to an- 
 other and they received Jesus into their 
 lives, he would shout: 'Sing the Doxology 
 again ! Salvation, oh, the joyful sound !' ' 
 
 The Y. M;. C. A. was organized in Tyrone 
 and he became an active member in its ranks 
 and did valiant service under two evangel- 
 ists, who conducted successful revivals. He 
 was also interested in the work, until he 
 took up active work out of town. He also 
 gave great support to the Salvation Army, 
 which conducted a successful campaign in
 
 60 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Tyrone for several years. He was a fre- 
 quent visitor in the cities and always found 
 his way to the missions and army meet- 
 ings near by and did all he could to help 
 men to a new life.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY 
 SPIRIT. 
 
 "Burn on, O fire of God, burn on; 
 
 Till all my soul Christ's image bears, 
 And ev'ry power and pulse within, 
 
 His holy, heaven'ly nature wears. 
 
 "Burn on, burn on ! O fire of God burn on, 
 
 Till all my dross is burned away, 
 Burn on, burn on ! prepare me for the testing day." 
 
 IN his early Christian life Wilbur Memin- 
 ger had a desire for a higher Christian 
 experience, or to use his own words in 
 later years, "the highest Christian experi- 
 ence." 
 
 As he was converted under the preaching 
 of a "Holiness man," it was his good for- 
 tune to be under the instruction of a man 
 who not only professed the grand doctrine 
 taught by Wesley, of Perfection, Holiness 
 and the Second Blessing; but understood it 
 from an intellectual as well as a spiritual 
 standpoint. 
 This person was Rev. John D. Stewart,
 
 62 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 who for a number of years had kept this 
 teaching before his people, as the grand 
 privilege of the Christian. Mr. Meminger 
 soon became interested in this subject. He 
 noticed how happy were the lives of this 
 particular group of people. He also no- 
 ticed another element among the professed 
 followers of the same Christ, who were in 
 direct opposition to this doctrine and whose 
 opposition was directed against those who 
 either professed, or sought or who were 
 even in sympathy with them. 
 
 This was a great wonder to him and no 
 doubt held him from entering into this state 
 of the Christian soon after his conversion. 
 He thought, how can a man or woman who 
 has received the light and life of Christ, not 
 want any more of Him? He was hungering 
 and thirsting after righteousness, while oth- 
 ers were saying there was no more to get. 
 He came to this conclusion : "If the men 
 who have been instrumental in my salva- 
 tion, say they possess the Holy Spirit and 
 have shown clean lives, while the ones who 
 oppose the doctrine have shady lives, I think 
 there must be something in it that con- 
 demns the very existence of evil in the 
 heart." He decided to make a thorough
 
 The Holy Spirit 63 
 
 search of the whole affair, by inquiry, read- 
 ing, prayer and in all other ways he could 
 find. 
 
 Being a son of an old Methodist Episco- 
 pal preacher it gave him prestige and ac- 
 quaintance with many ministers whom he 
 knew, and he was free to converse about 
 the much abused and misunderstood doc- 
 trine. Many answers were given him ; some 
 encouraging and some discouraging and 
 some from prejudiced minds, so that the last 
 inquiry became more perplexing than the 
 former. Thus his comforters had confused 
 him more than encouraged him. Perhaps it 
 was just what the Lord wanted, that he 
 might accept it as a gift by faith rather than 
 work it out by men's opinions. 
 
 Still the testimony rolled on from those 
 he could not doubt. He made it a special 
 study from his Bible in his store, during 
 the intervals of business activity. He made 
 a number of journeys to camp meetings 
 where he might hear something about him- 
 self and the void that had not been filled. 
 
 At this time he saw also the unpopularity 
 of those who professed the doctrine; not 
 because they were poor, not because they
 
 64 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 were not good Methodists ; not because they 
 were not good citizens, but because they 
 were willing to surrender all for Christ and 
 lead clean lives. 
 
 As there come decisions in every life in 
 reference to questions that arise from time 
 to time, and must be solved one way or the 
 other, so now came the time when this ques- 
 tion must be settled for him. Hie first decid- 
 ed to go to a good camp meeting, where 
 great preachers, who were well-versed in 
 this doctrine, might be heard. 
 
 He thought, "Oh, if I could only hear that 
 great man, John S. Inskip, preach on it, 'the 
 very God of Peace sanctify you wholly,' I 
 believe I would get it; and if not, then John 
 A. Wood, D.D., surely would help me out 
 of the brush, if he would preach on 'Per- 
 fect Love'; and none can preach it better 
 than he. And if these could not get me the 
 blessing, I am sure Amanda Smith would 
 pray me through." 
 
 He started for Pitman Grove, secured 
 quarters, and attended the afternoon meet- 
 ings. To his surprise John S. Inskip 
 preached on "The very God of Peace," etc. 
 "Now," he thought, "all will be well." And 
 the next great preacher was John A. Wood
 
 The Holy Spirit 65 
 
 on "Perfect Love." But nothing happened. 
 And then came the consecration meeting in 
 the straw. There were scores of people who 
 kneeled for salvation and sanctification, 
 where the great woman of prayer, Amanda 
 Smith, prayed, and many received what 
 they were seeking for. But Wilbur Memin- 
 ger did not and he afterwards said all he 
 received "was straw." He went home with- 
 out it. He read, he talked, he argued, he 
 did everything he knew and finally decided 
 all was vain. 
 
 On a Saturday night, late after the ardu- 
 ous toils of a week in a clothing store, he 
 made his way to his home, where he pre- 
 pared himself for the Sabbath, by bathing 
 and clothing himself, the family having re- 
 tired for the night. He decided at this 
 time to settle this question and get more in 
 love with Jesus. He intended spending the 
 night in prayer and reading and then eat his 
 breakfast and go to church. 
 
 He kneeled with his Bible before him and 
 then prayed for a pure heart. About five or 
 ten minutes were spent in earnest prayer 
 and all was over. The inbred sin had disap- 
 peared, Christ had now come in and filled 
 his heart. The question was settled and no
 
 66 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 more arguments were needed. It was not 
 so much a mark of addition as it was a mark 
 of subtraction. Indeed he said he had too 
 much already. It was the subtraction of the 
 roots of bitterness, the remains of the car- 
 nal mind, the depraved nature, the self na- 
 ture. Now there was plenty of room for 
 the incoming of the Spirit, the Abiding One, 
 the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the Lord 
 Himself. Before, the fighting was on the 
 outside and inside also, now it was all from 
 the outside. 
 
 It was during this epoch in the life of 
 M;r. Meminger that he was so successful as 
 an evangelist, organizer and teacher.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 "I BELIEVE IN THE FOURFOLD 
 GOSPEL." 
 
 IT was not long after this definite spiritual 
 experience, recorded in the last chapter, 
 that Wilbur Meminger was compelled to 
 abandon his work as an evangelist on ac- 
 count of a bad throat. He could not speak 
 above an ordinary tone, which rendered him 
 useless as a public speaker. Miedicinal sci- 
 ence of all kinds and all newspaper schemes 
 and patent medicines had been tried to get 
 some relief; but his throat steadily grew 
 worse and all hopes of ever being able again 
 to speak in full round tones had vanished. 
 
 In writing to Stephen Merritt upon some 
 line of business, he received the answer, and 
 after the name this added as a P.S., "I be- 
 lieve in the Fourfold Gospel." Immediate- 
 ly Wilbur Meminger began to wonder what 
 the Fourfold Gospel was and he asked his 
 minister, who was perfectly ignorant of the 
 whole affair. He next went to another 
 brother minister, Rev. Mr. Moses. He 
 thought surely that Moses would know be-
 
 68 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 cause Moses was so meek and humble. It 
 was his good fortune to know nothing about 
 it. 
 
 Next he went to another regular minister 
 in the service and he told him, "It is the 
 Christian and Missionary Alliance, a New 
 York concern, with A. B. Simpson as the 
 ring-leader. I don't know much about it, 
 Wilbur, but it is bad." A few days later he 
 saw a notice in a daily paper that a Chris- 
 tian and Missionary Alliance meeting would 
 be held in the Methodist Church in Altoona. 
 He now thought that it could not be so very 
 bad when they were going to hold it in our 
 own Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. Meminger and M'r. Stewart decided 
 to go to this meeting and learn what the 
 Fourfold Gospel really was. They found 
 here a meeting whose doctrine was in har- 
 mony with the primitive teaching of Meth- 
 odism, which they professed and taught. 
 
 The profession and teaching of the doc- 
 trine of Holiness by a group of members 
 and workers in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church did not bring them in loving favor 
 with the pastor and less zealous members of 
 the church. They were not on the popular 
 side. From time to time the privileges and
 
 Fourfold Gospel 69 
 
 opportunities for prayer and testimony were 
 curbed and it soon happened that very few 
 were the openings to testify to the cleans- 
 ing blood. 
 
 This condition of affairs forced them to 
 organize a prayer band that the exercise of 
 prayer and testimony might be continued. 
 At first it was thought to organize "The 
 Central Pennsylvania Holiness Associa- 
 tion" ; other things were proposed, but final- 
 ly the Tyrone Auxiliary of the Christian 
 and Missionary Alliance was organized as 
 it was then an organized society, incorpora- 
 ted and in good working order. The organ- 
 ization had at first about 20 members, near- 
 ly all of whom now have pased over the 
 divide. 
 
 Wilbur Mieminger was elected President 
 and continued in that office until he removed 
 to Chicago. Many people were saved in the 
 meetings, others received the Holy Spirit. 
 The attendance was large at nearly all the 
 meetings. 
 
 In December, 1896, while on an evangel- 
 istic tour, Wilbur Mieminger was burned 
 out the second time by fire and the stock 
 ruined by water. Hie has said himself that 
 the Lord had burned him out twice and
 
 70 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 flooded him out twice, that He might use 
 him in evangelistic work for the salvation 
 of others. 
 
 In 1897 Mr. Meminger was called from 
 the Tyrone work of the Christian and Mis- 
 sionary Alliance to the larger field of Chi- 
 cago and the Northwest. The following 
 resolutions were passed by the Tyrone 
 Branch of the Christian and Missionary Al- 
 liance and the Tuesday evening class of the 
 Old Methodist Church at the time of his de- 
 parture for the Chicago work. 
 
 CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE. 
 TYRONE BRANCH. 
 
 TYRONE, July 26, 1897. 
 
 Whereas, Our President and Brother, W. F. 
 Meminger, has been appointed to the office of Super- 
 intendent of the Christian and Missionary Alliance 
 for the West and Northwest, with headquarters at 
 Chicago, and as he has already left for that field, 
 
 Be it Resolved, That while his departure from 
 among us will be a severe loss, on account of his 
 manliness, purity and strength of character, developed 
 in the years of his life with us in Christian love and 
 fellowship, nevertheless we rejoice to know and feel 
 that his new field of labor, with its enlarged op- 
 portunities, will only call forth from him under the 
 blessing of God that larger development of life and
 
 Fourfold Gospel 71 
 
 character that only comes from a life yielded up to 
 God for His service. 
 
 Resolved, That while we shall miss his wise coun- 
 sels, faithful admonitions and teachings in the deeper 
 things of God, we will miss more than all e^se his 
 manly Christian bearing, coupled with meekness, 
 patience and humility which adorned his walk among 
 us. Although separated by distance, we will ever 
 have him on our hearts and follow him with our 
 prayers in his new life of obedience and sacrifice, 
 praying and expecting that he may realize the 
 promise, 
 
 "Lo, I am with you alway." 
 
 TYRONE, Tuesday Evening, July 27, 1897. 
 
 Whereas, In the providence of an all-wise and 
 loving God our heavenly Father, our dear Brother 
 Meminger has been led of the Holy Spirit, we feel 
 sure, to go out from amongst us to labor in a distant 
 part of our Master's vineyard; 
 
 Resolved, First, That we recall with great satis- 
 faction the long and faithful service of our dear 
 brother, first as class leader and then as President of 
 our Christian Alliance. 
 
 Resolved, Second, That it is with deep regret 
 that we part with him and we to whom he has been 
 peculiarly useful and helpful will follow him with 
 tearful eyes and prayerful wishes that our dear Lord 
 will go with him to his new field of labor, and may 
 the moulding power of our dear brother's Godly life 
 be felt by all who shall come in contact with his 
 humble, teachable, Christ-like spirit. 
 
 Resolved, Third, That while we sincerely mourn
 
 72 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 the severance of ties which bound us together as co- 
 workers with Jesus Christ, we can praise God that 
 while we will be made poorer by our loss of class 
 leader and president, Chicago will be the richer. A 
 great and good man has left home, wife and children 
 and an aged mother, in Israel, and we whose hearts 
 were knit to his as was David's to Jonathan and in 
 loving obedience to the command, has left all to 
 follow Jesus, to give out the Gospel of the Kingdom 
 to others, we can but say, who shall or who can take 
 his place? We ask who will take up the banner on 
 which is inscribed, "Holiness unto the Lord," and 
 stand in all the hard places our dear Brother Mem- 
 inger did? Only the Master knows and can make 
 us not only submissive to our loss, but glad that 
 others shall have our good. 
 
 No man ever exerted a wider or better influence 
 in our little city and no man was more highly es- 
 teemed or more tenderly loved, and why should he 
 not be? To very many his life and labors have 
 proved under God an unspeakable blessing. 
 
 Resolved, That we do congratulate our brethren 
 and friends of the Christian and Missionary Alliance 
 in Chicago, as we recall the faithful and efficient life 
 of our brother. That what is loss to us, will be gain 
 for them, and do commend him to you in the 
 efforts that will be put forth by him for the evan- 
 gelization of the world and to hasten the speedy 
 coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to the 
 end that he may have your confidence and prayers 
 and the help and indwelling of the Holy Spirit as he 
 seeks to win the dead to life, to relieve and comfort 
 the sorrowing and distressed, and to help the suffer- 
 ing ones by pointing them to Jesus, who, with His
 
 Fourfold Gospel 73 
 
 own touch, can impart His own life and strength to 
 the body, also in helping believers to a higher and 
 fuller life in God, the life of Jesus Christ Himself. 
 Also that we further recognize that in the making of 
 this appointment by those in authority, a wise choice 
 has been made, and that in it all we see the Bkssed 
 leading of the Holy Spirit; besides we feel that one 
 has been called from our midst who, with his Spirit- 
 filled life, will be found faithful and true to the trust 
 reposed in him. 
 
 Signed, Committee, 
 
 MRS. ELIZ. BRIGGS, 
 MRS. R. M. WATSON, 
 H. L. AFRICA, 
 
 Extract of the minutes of meeting. 
 
 D. F. WALKER, Vice-President. 
 
 JESSE S. STEWART, Secretary. 
 May the blessed abiding Comforter go with him 
 in all his work and use him wonderfully, to the hast- 
 ening of the coming and kingdom of our blessed 
 Lord. 
 
 Yours in the blessed hope, 
 
 TUESDAY NIGHT CLASS. 
 
 Action was taken on these resolutions at the 
 regular meeting on Tuesday evening, July 27, 1897, 
 and unanimously adopted by a standing vpte. 
 
 H. L. AFRICA, Secretary.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 GOD HEALS. 
 
 "Once it was the blessing, 
 
 Now it is the Lord; 
 Once it was the feeling, 
 
 Now it is His Word; 
 Once His gift I wanted, 
 
 Now, the Giver own; 
 Once I sought for healing, 
 
 Now Himself alone. 
 
 "All in all forever, 
 
 Jesus will I sing; 
 Everything in Jesus, 
 
 And Jesus everything." 
 
 WHEN a boy Wilbur Meminger had 
 diphtheria. His throat was burned 
 with caustic, which so hurt his 
 throat and lungs that later he was unable 
 to use his voice in public speaking and suf- 
 fered also from lung trouble. He went to 
 Philadelphia to consult a good physician, 
 and by him was advised to put his affairs in 
 order as he had about six weeks to live. 
 "You cannot live and you might as well 
 know it. If you are going home, do not go
 
 God Heals 75 
 
 at night. You are apt to take cold and die 
 suddenly." 
 
 This was just about the time when he 
 first heard of the "Fourfold Gospel." Know- 
 ing that the Christian and Missionary Alli- 
 ance was to hold an all-day meeting at Al- 
 toona he decided to attend to hear about this 
 healing which they taught. Hardly able 
 to get to the station, he started out. He at- 
 tended the meeting, but nothing was said 
 about Divine Healing until a little woman 
 in the corner rose and said to the leader, 
 "Brother, you haven't had any testimonies." 
 "That is so," said Mtr. Senft, "let us have a 
 few." And the message to the sick man 
 came from the little woman who asked for 
 testimonies. In her own testimony she 
 spoke of "Divine Healing, and all the way 
 home the words rang in Mr. Meminger's 
 ears, "Divine healing, Divine healing." 
 Reaching home he took his Bible and 
 searched it to find whether these things 
 were so, and he found "Divine Healing" 
 written large and clear in many places. He 
 also read James v. 14, and wondered where 
 he could get an elder to anoint him. He 
 later learned that Mr. Senft was to be at 
 Altoona and again he took the journey to
 
 76 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Altoona. He met Mr. Senft at the station. 
 Mr. Senft had already purchased his ticket 
 to return to another town, but he changed 
 his mind, deciding to wait a little. Mr. 
 Meminger felt it was God's arrangement for 
 him in MV. Senft's change of mind; and go- 
 ing up to the house where the meetings were 
 held he was anointed. In referring to it 
 later Mr. Meminger said, "I just drew a long 
 breath and was healed." 
 
 He returned home, his wife meeting him 
 at the door. He said, "Wife, it is all right ; 
 I am healed." His wife saw only a red 
 flush on his face and expected a fit of 
 coughing. They had family prayers and 
 retired. Immediately the devil was on the 
 scene in various ways, trying to make Mr. 
 Meminger doubt the Lord and His healing. 
 He arose and settled the controversy on his 
 knees and once again went to bed and slept. 
 He awakened at about twelve o'clock, only 
 to find his wife crying. "What is the mat- 
 ter?" he asked. "Now that I am healed is it 
 going to come on you? Are you sick?" 
 
 But she was crying for joy as she realized 
 as he slept so well that he was truly healed. 
 After his healing his voice returned to him,
 
 God Heals 77 
 
 and his voice could be heard above anything 
 he had experienced before. 
 
 During all the previous experiences of 
 Mr. Mieminger, in his class meetings, evan- 
 gelistic meetings and revivals in the church 
 of which he was a member, he was never 
 known to sing. Some time after he was 
 healed he received the fulness of Jesus into 
 his body and he began to sing. At first it 
 was not so loud, but increased in tone and 
 volume, until he could lead in singing and 
 roll out the praises of God in song as he was 
 wont to do in prayer and preaching. It 
 seemed a great relief when he could give 
 vent to melody in this way. In many places 
 afterward he was obliged to do all the sing- 
 ing as well as all the praying and preaching. 
 
 And his teaching and testimony on this 
 line gave forth no uncertain sound. "God 
 Heals" was a favorite theme with him. At 
 one of the New York conventions of the 
 Christian and Missionary Alliance a very 
 condensed report was taken of one of his 
 addresses on this subject, and is worthy of 
 reproduction : 
 
 "Our desire to be healed should be for 
 service for God and to glorify Him in our
 
 78 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 bodies, and if we are right with God along 
 other lines we shall- have very little trouble 
 along this line. Some cannot understand it, 
 and are not able to see it until they are 
 anointed every time a new man conies into 
 the neighborhood. No man ever healed any- 
 body on the face of the earth. God heals, 
 no matter to whom you attribute it. God 
 heals no matter to whom you give the cred- 
 it. God heals because He said so, and I be- 
 lieve Him. Do you? 'I am the Lord that 
 healeth thee.' Glory to His precious name ! 
 "Oh, how we need the Holy Spirit along 
 these lines to keep us safe ! He is a remark- 
 able Teacher, and it is His business to make 
 these things plain. There are a lot of talks 
 on divine healing that I do not understand, 
 and there is a great deal of lofty teaching 
 that I do not understand, but I understand 
 this, 'Christ liveth in me.' That is the great- 
 est, most stupendous of all things, and the 
 Holy Spirit had to wake me up one night to 
 teach it to me. Oh, we must know the Holy 
 Spirit, that He may show us all these things 
 and make them simple. Salvation is very 
 plain, sanctification is very plain, divine 
 healing is very plain. The Word tells us of 
 the whole plan of salvation from beginning
 
 God Heals 79 
 
 to end, that the wayfaring man need not err 
 therein. How much worse off are you than 
 the hobo, that you cannot understand it? 
 The hobo, the fellow that sleeps under the 
 hay stack and gets his meals very irregular- 
 ly, and wears old clothes, why he can under- 
 stand all about it. What is the matter with 
 us then? We are not given up to God. We 
 say we are. We have been to the altar and 
 confessed that we are sanctified. We testi- 
 fy that we are filled with the Holy Ghost. 
 We testify about all these things, but we 
 must have the Holy Spirit to teach us these 
 things or we are all wrong. 
 
 "Oh, what we want is confession as to 
 our real condition before God. The man or 
 woman that is right before God just believes 
 because he cannot help it. 
 
 "I am so glad that when I was way down 
 with disease, and had physicians the $2.00 
 kind that you pay for and was so tired of 
 everything on that line, that the dear Lord 
 spoke to me in much simplicity, and the 
 precious Word of God was backed up by the 
 Holy Spirit and that was the way that I 
 was led. I know now that Christ liveth in 
 me, and the Holy Spirit displaces disease 
 with the resurrected life of Jesus.
 
 80 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 "I am so glad this thing is so plain. No- 
 body need be turned away on account of not 
 understanding it. We don't have to under- 
 stand the Greek version to get there. I 
 pray you this morning let the Holy Spirit 
 search you. Please do not turn your heart 
 over and turn it inside out any more to look 
 at it yourself. "The heart is deceitful above 
 all things and desperately wicked." 
 
 "I remember a lady over on the west side 
 of Chicago some time ago who was ill. She 
 had been anointed several times but not 
 healed. And they wanted us to go over there 
 and pray with her and anoint her. They 
 said, 'She is a good woman, and if the Lord 
 heals anybody He will heal her.' And I 
 said, 'He will not heal her for that.' 'But 
 she is a good woman, a worker in the Sun- 
 day school,' etc. So we went over to see 
 her. And I had a very pleasant conversa- 
 tion with her, but found she was not ready 
 to be healed. So I had prayer with her and 
 gave her some passages of Scripture and 
 left her; and in a few days we went over 
 again to see her and got all ready to anoint 
 her. But I could not anoint her, I could 
 not. I said, 'We will have to have another 
 prayer before we can go on with this,' and
 
 MRS. WIU'.UR MEM1XGER AXD THREE SONS.
 
 God Heals 81 
 
 down I went on my knees and prayed for 
 myself, and I do not know that I ever agon- 
 ized more in prayer than I did that time. 
 I forgot everybody that was in the room 
 and even the sick woman that we had come 
 to anoint. Nobody knew what was the mat- 
 ter with Brother Meminger, until after a 
 while this sister, this great teacher, cried 
 out, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' She 
 was not saved before, but now she was 
 ready to be anointed. Oh, the Lord help us 
 to realize something of the wiles of the ad- 
 versary, our God wants us to be fully saved. 
 God wants us healed. He does want us to 
 be free, indeed." 
 
 The Rev. Mr. W. Mfcyser, of India, re- 
 lates the following incident which occurred 
 on Mr. Meminger's first trip to the Pacific 
 Coast in 1900. Mrs. Moyser had then just 
 returned to this country after nearly eight 
 years of service on the field. She had 
 worked hard in the schools and gone 
 through famines, and it seemed as if her 
 blood was poisoned with washing and car- 
 ing for so many stricken ones who were lit- 
 erally covered with sores during the trying 
 days of famine. Her face was covered with 
 large boils. Her whole system was entirely
 
 82 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 run down and she was on the verge of nerv- 
 ous prostration and weighed only 95 pounds. 
 "She had preceded me," said Mr. M'oyser, 
 "to the homeland and was staying with Mrs. 
 E. J. Scudder in Santa Barbara. The mid- 
 winter Alliance Convention was being held 
 in Los Angeles where Mrs. Moyser was to 
 have spoken. She went to Los Angeles ; but 
 was so weak, discouraged and broken down 
 that she could not leave her room or her 
 bed. Mrs. Scudder, a woman of prayer, 
 called in Rev. W. C. Stevens, now of Nyack, 
 and Mr. M'eminger to pray for Mrs. Moyser. 
 Mr. Meminger in his prayer asked and 
 claimed 'a blanket healing,' a healing that 
 would cover everything, and somehow that 
 unique expression, 'blanket healing/ re- 
 vived Mrs. M|oyser's faith and the Lord 
 healed her completely. She arose at once and 
 spoke in the meeting. From that time she 
 was no longer troubled on these lines and 
 she now weighs 150 pounds." 
 
 A friend in whose home he stayed when 
 last out on the Coast writes : 
 
 "I cannot yet bring myself to the full real- 
 ization that our dearly loved Brother Mem- 
 inger has really passed beyond. How clear- 
 ly some of those Spirit-filled messages he
 
 God Heals 83 
 
 gave while here stand out in my memory, 
 never, never to be forgotten. 
 
 "His portrayal of the devil with his 
 numerous disguises, how when he is recog- 
 nized in one disguise how quickly he van- 
 ishes only to appear shortly in some other, 
 and how untiring he is in this mode of de- 
 ceiving, has been more help to me than 
 anything else of all his good messages. It 
 has been a daily help to me for a whole year 
 and the Lord has put in my heart to pass it 
 on where it has again proved a blessing. 
 
 "I have so many beautiful things to re- 
 member about him. The way he talked with 
 God when my cousins were almost gone 
 with scarlet fever. No hope at all the doc- 
 tors said. Dear Brother Meminger pleaded 
 for their lives to be spared as earnestly as 
 if they had been his own children, and how 
 thankful he was when they were raised up." 
 
 The night before Mr. Mieminger was 
 called home, he and his wife spent several 
 hours until one in the morning praying for 
 deliverance for one, a guest in the Mission- 
 ary Home, New York, who was attending 
 the convention and who had been taken 
 seriously ill. 
 
 Still later on the same day, and only about 
 four hours before his decease, he prayed
 
 84 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 with another who writes of that visit and 
 prayer. 
 
 "What a mighty prayer went up to the 
 throne of God as he placed his hand on my 
 head . We seemed almost in the actual pres- 
 ence of Jesus, the Mighty to save and heal. 
 The wires were surely all connected ; the 
 answer came in a current of life from on 
 high, and I have been well ever since. All 
 praise to God for His healing power and 
 for His great goodness and love in allowing 
 me this great and precious privilege. 
 
 "This was about 4 o'clock P.M 1 . on the 
 day he was received into the presence of his 
 Lord. God has taken one of these dear 
 friends, but the sweet influence of their 
 prayers will go with me always, as I labor 
 on for the Master and realize day by day 
 the answer to this parting prayer and bless- 
 ing in my life and the work God has placed 
 me in. 
 
 "His parting word as he passed out our 
 door, never to speak with us again in this 
 life, was: Til remember you.' What a 
 blessed thought that in glory our dear 
 Brother Mieminger is still praying and 
 speaking to the Master of the needs of those 
 who are left. 
 
 "NELLIE A. COOK."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 INSPIRED PETITIONS. 
 
 WILBUR MEMINGER was notably a 
 man of prayer. Nothing was too 
 small to take to the Lord, and when 
 he did he always expected the answer. 
 
 He approached the throne of grace with 
 confidence, believing the things he asked for 
 were to be handed out to him and his sup- 
 porters. 
 
 One day in a Western town he was im- 
 pressed to call upon a Christian brother. 
 He came upon him unexpectedly and found 
 him with his head on his desk crying. 
 
 "What is the matter?" he asked, and the 
 reply was, "Oh, Brother Meminger, I am 
 going to lose all I have and bring discredit 
 upon the cause of Christ." 
 
 His factory was about to be sold through 
 a forced sale, and there seemed to be no 
 help for it. 
 
 "Have you taken it to the Lord?" 
 
 "Do you think this is worth telling the 
 Lord about?" 
 
 "Certainly," replied Mt. Meminger, and
 
 86 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 calling his friend's wife, she spread papers 
 out on the floor and they knelt down and 
 together prayed. First the owner of the 
 factory prayed and broke down, then the 
 wife prayed and broke down, then Mr. Mem- 
 inger prayed and broke down ; but they 
 arose in victory. They parted and this 
 brother and his wife lay down that night to 
 peaceful slumber. 
 
 In another town some miles distant there 
 was a lawyer who had no connection what- 
 ever with the matter of selling this factory. 
 He was awakened that night and could not 
 get rid of the impression that he should 
 buy the factory which was for sale. He 
 felt that there was something crooked about 
 the transaction which he did not understand 
 and he told his wife about it. She advised 
 him to go to sleep and mind his own busi- 
 ness, saying that he had not been called to 
 take up the case, and, therefore, it might ap- 
 pear as interference ; but he was so strong- 
 ly impressed to look into the matter that 
 the following morning he went straight to 
 the city where the factory was located. A 
 Mir. B who had it in his mind to purchase 
 the factory, was under the impression that 
 the sale was to take place in the afternoon.
 
 Inspired Petitions 87 
 
 This was a misunderstanding as the sale 
 took place in the morning. Mr. B. there- 
 fore, was not present when the sale was con- 
 ducted, but the lawyer was, and he pur- 
 chased the factory. He then sent immediate 
 word to the original proprietor telling him 
 that he had purchased the factory and thus 
 saved him from discredit. 
 
 One in writing of Wilbur Meminger's 
 confidence in God, says : 
 
 "Often I have seen him pray when the 
 heavens seemed as brass and faith was far 
 from any of us; when the ranks of the evil 
 one seemed impregnable ; again and again 
 the attacks seemed to be driven back with- 
 out any success. At these times he seemed 
 to realize that one could chase a thousand 
 and two put ten thousand to flight, and he 
 would then deliberately and calmly plead 
 the precious blood as our only salvation. 
 Then by faith he gave that great and grand 
 'Hallelujah! Glory to God!' like a thunder 
 bolt out of a clear sky, and with a shout of 
 victory he cut his way through the ranks 
 of the enemy and flanked them on the right 
 and on the left until victory was seen on all 
 sides. 
 
 "I have seen him called upon to pray
 
 88 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 when there was seeming defeat in a revival 
 meeting and after such a prayer I have seen 
 men and women rush to the altar in large 
 numbers. 
 
 "Lord, teach us how to pray!" 
 
 One of his favorite themes was "Inspired 
 Petitions." He believed that prayer should 
 be indited by the Holy Ghost. The follow- 
 ing is one of his characteristic addresses on 
 the subject, "Praying in the Holy Ghost." 
 
 "That we do much praying not in the 
 Holy Ghost, needs only to be stated. We 
 do not know Him as we might; are not 
 yielded fully as we ought to be, and do not 
 pray in Him, or He does not pray in us; 
 does not indite the prayer. We make most 
 of our prayers, and what prayers we do 
 make! We adopt the language of others 
 imitation prayers, cut and dried prayers, 
 made so by frequent use. Threadbare pray- 
 ers, every member of the family, familiar 
 with the morning prayer, a cut and dried 
 prayer for the Sunday school many of the 
 scholars familiar with it, know what will 
 come when you begin. Long drawn out 
 prayers, no end while memory continues to 
 suggest ; a sense of relief comes to our hear- 
 ers that nothing broke, that we got safely
 
 Inspired Petitions 89 
 
 through, clear through to the end. Then 
 there is the regular prayer for Wednesday 
 night prayer meeting. My growth in grace 
 was greatly hindered by hearing some cut 
 and dried prayers week after week. When 
 our Pastor would call on Bro. A. to pray I 
 knew just what he would say, or if he called 
 on Sister B. I very soon knew them by 
 heart, nearly all of them. My head would 
 drop as I wondered how those whose feet 
 had taken fast hold upon destruction, and 
 the Lord in mercy had turned them clear 
 around, and started them toward the Celes- 
 tial City: whose feet had been digged from 
 the miry clay, out of a horrible pit, and 
 placed upon the Solid Rock, and a new 
 song put in their mouth I did wish He 
 would put a new prayer in their hearts, 
 even in their mouths could pray as they 
 did. 
 
 "Listen to some of these prayers. Let us 
 select the last Wednesday night in July or 
 the first Wednesday night in August. 
 "THE HEATED TERM. 
 
 "The church is more than 50 years old, 
 and never had a revival in the summer. Lis- 
 ten ; Bro. A is called on. 'O Lord, revive 
 Thy work!' Surely needed so we all say
 
 90 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Amen ! 'Grant that every house in this city 
 shall become a house of prayer.' Sweeping 
 revival sure. He continues : 'Grant that 
 every heart in this city shall be made a fit 
 temple for Thy Holy Spirit.' Still on he 
 goes, 'Grant that sinners shall flock to our 
 altars, as the dove to the window of the 
 ark.' Reference made here to the dove that 
 Noah released from the ark, before the wa- 
 ters of the Flood had dried up, and finding 
 no place to rest its feet upon, was compelled 
 to return to the ark. A deluge of salvation, 
 to sweep everything and everybody before 
 it : appeared to be the prayer. Amen ! is 
 reached at last. Now what? We all arose 
 from our knees the long meter doxology 
 was sung benediction pronounced all re- 
 turned to our homes. Revival? No. Sin- 
 ners at the altar? No, no, it is the heated 
 term. No revival expected before the first 
 of January, and not at all sure about it then. 
 Oh, think of it! And he was talking to 
 God. Flow of thought, clothed with choic- 
 est language, offered in well rounded peri- 
 ods, may not be 
 
 "PRAYING IN THE HOLY GHOST. 
 "Up in the State of Maine, not many
 
 Inspired Petitions 91 
 
 miles from Old Orchard, lived a man who 
 had purchased a farm not the most fertile, 
 so that, to improve the farm and raise the 
 family, compelled them to practice the most 
 rigid economy. The father had been a 
 Christian for many years. Family prayer 
 every morning, but oh, such a dry old 
 prayer; same one every morning. Family 
 had grown up, but were not saved. The 
 father had grown hard, always a storm 
 when money was paid out. The father at- 
 tended the Alliance convention at Old Or- 
 chard and came under conviction, realized 
 his need of the Holy Ghost, got down in 
 the straw and received the Hjoly Ghost 
 returned to his home, and the very first 
 morning, at family worship, all noticed 
 father had a new prayer. The girls nudged 
 each other, and said, "Listen !" And all did 
 listen. The father was praying in the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 "Not long after this Old Folk's Day came. 
 Their house was full of guests for dinner. 
 The old china ware, 150 years old, was in 
 use, and greatly admired of all. After din- 
 ner, one of the daughters dropped the prin- 
 cipal dish of the set and broke it all to 
 pieces, too bad to be mended. She was in a
 
 92 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 fright ; mother would be grieved, but father 
 would storm. What to do she did not know. 
 Confession must be made with trembling 
 heart. She met her father on the cellar 
 steps, with a bag of potatoes on his shoul- 
 der. This she thought was a favorable mo- 
 ment. She quickly made her confession, and 
 waited for the storm to break. He said, 
 'Your mother will be grieved beyond meas- 
 ure.' Then with his left hand he brushed 
 the hair back from her braid, and said, 'But 
 you are a dear good girl. You would not do 
 it, if you could help it, I know.' Away she 
 ran and with a gladdened heart called the 
 other girls and told them all, what father 
 had said and done, and they all concluded 
 that 
 
 "FATHER WILL NOT LIVE LONG. 
 
 "What a different state of affairs now 
 the morning worship a time of refreshing 
 within a few months every member of that 
 family saved the morning prayer, the fam- 
 ily altar will never be forgotten by the chil- 
 dren. 
 
 "Major B., of Cleveland, received a letter 
 from India from one of our most devoted 
 missionaries, asking special prayer for a
 
 Inspired Petitions 93 
 
 class of girls, under the care of this sister 
 an urgent request. He had prayed for them 
 before, but none of them were saved. One 
 day he left his work, hid away and prayed. 
 The missionary had taught the lesson was 
 about to dismiss the class again without any 
 sign of improvement. One of the girls burst 
 into tears, lay her head on the shoulder of 
 the missionary and asked for prayer; then 
 another, and another until the class were all 
 saved but one they prayed in the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 "While holding a local convention in 
 northern Wisconsin, I noticed a fine look- 
 ing old gentleman at each session would 
 take his seat just inside the door. He paid 
 close attention to all that was said and done ; 
 but never raised his hand for prayer for self 
 or others. I tried to speak to him at the 
 close of service, but he would leave before 
 I reached the door. The last night had 
 come. Theme of the evening, getting right 
 with God ourselves, that He might work 
 with us, and pray through us, that our kith 
 and kin might be saved. The interest the 
 Lord has in the whole family was dwelt 
 upon and at the altar and in the pew differ- 
 ences were fixed up, quarrels were settled.
 
 94 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 The Lord put His seal of approval upon the 
 truth. Some were saved, quite a number 
 were sanctified, sealed. But the old gentle- 
 man with snow white hair and whiskers 
 would not come near. 
 
 "Convention closed, nearly all had gone 
 home. The old gentleman came up the aisle 
 to me, and said, "Do you say if I get right 
 with God, he will save my son, who is a 
 drunkard, who broke his mother's heart, 
 and sent her to the grave 15 years before 
 her time; who is now a fugitive from jus- 
 tice I know not where he is? I replied, 
 The Lord sent us word by way of the jail 
 at Philippi ''Believe on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy 
 house.' The old gentleman stated his case 
 again. I asked him, Have you done all you 
 can for your son? Mention was made of 
 sacrifice made homestead mortgaged to 
 make good some of his crooked work, etc. 
 I said, 'Have you forgiven him?' 'No, I 
 cannot forgive him my heart has turned to 
 stone.' But I said, 'We pray, Forgive us 
 our trespasses as we forgive those who tres- 
 pass against us. You cannot pray in the 
 Holy Ghost unless you do forgive him ; if 
 you will ask the Lord to help you to for-
 
 Inspired Petitions 95 
 
 give him, we will all kneel down with you, 
 and join you in the prayer. Down we went, 
 we put our arms around him, and he be- 
 gan it was hard work he began some old 
 prayer, but broke down, raised his head and 
 while trembling with emotion said, 'O God, 
 forgive me for not forgiving my son.' In 
 an instant relief came. His face brightened, 
 a new, strange light shone from his eyes, 
 and as we arose from our knees he said, 
 'Whether my son is saved or not I do not 
 know, but something tremendous has taken 
 place.' We all said Amen loud. 
 
 "Six months or less after this, I returned, 
 on a cold day in early winter. A few snow 
 flakes were in the air. At the station I was 
 met by an old friend who called me Brother 
 M.eminger now, instead of Mr. Said I was 
 to be his guest. We had scarcely left the 
 platform when he began talking about his 
 son. Informed me that he was saved, and 
 drawing a letter from his pocket, gave it 
 to me to read. As it was quite cold I was 
 about to put it in my pocket intending to 
 read it when we reached the house, but no, 
 he said, 'You have a share in it, and must 
 read it now.' I opened the letter and began 
 to read. Mailed in Texas. 'Dear father and
 
 96 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 mother (he did not know his mother was 
 dead, or that he had broken her heart) I 
 know you will not believe what I am writ- 
 ing, but it is as true as preaching. God 
 for Christ's sake has forgiven all my sins.' 
 We were both in tears by this time. The 
 people looked at us, reading a letter in the 
 cold, and tears filling our eyes. I suppose 
 they thought, there goes a pair of fools ; but 
 what did we care what they thought. We 
 were in the heavenlies with Jesus. 
 
 "The letter said: 'A straggling evangel- 
 ist came to town but was unable to secure 
 the church for services, so he preached on 
 the streets. We could not help noticing his 
 earnestness. (Dear reader, has any one no- 
 ticed your earnestness in the Master's 'work ? 
 Or are you floating along, "calm and serene 
 as a midsummer night's dream"?) At last 
 he secured a room over the saloon where we 
 drank and gambled. One night me and four 
 of my Buttes, were lined up at the bar tak- 
 ing our whiskey straight, when we heard 
 them singing, 
 
 "'"Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
 Let me hide myself in thee." 
 
 " 'We thought of home, and the good old
 
 Inspired Petitions 97 
 
 days, my heart became tender, arid I said, 
 "Boys, by the help of God I'll never drink 
 another drop." They said, "We are with 
 you." We poured our whiskey on the floor. 
 We climbed the steps to the meeting room, 
 heard the message, gave up our life of sin, 
 and by His grace will serve Him all our 
 days.' 
 
 "That son has visited his aged father 
 since, and although the marks of his sinful 
 life may still be read in his face, when he 
 confesses Christ in song or testimony, his 
 face brightens -with light all divine. He is 
 preparing for a life of usefulness, as a har- 
 vest hand the balance of his days. 
 
 "Fathers! mothers! forgive, forgive your 
 wayward sons and daughters, and 'be filled 
 with the Spirit.' 
 
 ' 'Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our in- 
 firmities; for we know not what we should 
 pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Him- 
 self maketh intercession for us with groan- 
 ings which cannot be uttered.' 
 
 " 'And He that searcheth the hearts know- 
 eth what is the mind of Spirit, because He 
 maketh intercession for the saints, accord- 
 ing to the will of God' (Rom. viii. 26, 27). 
 
 "Prayer in the Holy Spirit is not dry,
 
 98 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 hard, set, long, tedious or wearisome ; but is 
 fresh, crisp, refreshing and inspiring. Like 
 the mountain spring bursting out between 
 the rock ribs into the sunlight, leaping down 
 the mountain side, refreshing the flowers, 
 moistening the roots of the giant oaks, 
 quenching the thirst of the woodman, giving 
 the mill wheels of commerce power now a 
 river into which comes the drainage of a 
 hundred cities sin, sickness, sorrow, etc., 
 borne afar into the salt ocean of GOD is 
 LOVE. 
 
 "Oh, for united prayer that we be brought 
 quickly into the relationship with God, and 
 man, when we will pray in the Holy Ghost !"
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE LORD'S COMING. 
 
 "He is not a disappointment! 
 
 He is coming by and by, 
 In my heart I have the witness 
 
 That His coming draweth nigh; 
 All the scoffers may despise me, 
 
 And no change around may see; 
 But He tells me He is coming, 
 
 And that's quite enough for me." 
 
 ANOTHER truth which was especially 
 dear to his heart and which affected 
 all his service for God was the truth 
 of the pre-millennial coming of the Lord 
 Jesus. He was very fond of telling of a 
 woman of his acquaintance who refused to 
 believe in the pre-millennial coming of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ. But one day she sent 
 for him and related this dream she had had. 
 It was in the city of Chicago. She went out 
 to do her marketing one Saturday morning 
 and on the way she noted that everyone was 
 going in one direction. She could not un- 
 derstand this and asked one and another 
 why were the people going East. The only 
 reply she got was, "Why, don't you know ?"
 
 ioo " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 But they would pass on without telling her. 
 Then she noticed the people were running 
 to the East and she dropped her own bun- 
 dles and ran with them. She reached the 
 lake shore, but could hardly get through 
 the crowd. She saw beautiful clouds with 
 all the tints of the rainbow. From beneath 
 these clouds came a pair of beautiful hands, 
 whose they were she did not know. The 
 people all seemed to have packages which 
 they were placing into these beautiful 
 hands. The packages would disappear and 
 the people would follow into the clouds. 
 She noticed a poor washerwoman come with 
 her bundles carried in her apron. How she 
 longed to go into these clouds although she 
 couldn't understand them. Turning to a 
 policeman she asked what it was all about. 
 "Won't you please explain it to me?" 
 "Why, don't you know? Jesus has come." 
 "What are those people doing?" 
 "They are handing Him their bundles and 
 going in with Him to live there." And she 
 wanted still more to go; but the policeman 
 asked her, "Where are your bundles?" and 
 she had to reply that she had none. 
 
 "What have you been doing all these 
 years about this work?"
 
 The Lord's Coming 101 
 
 "Attending church, teaching Sunday 
 school and trying to do some good," was the 
 reply. 
 
 "Have you won any souls, have you done 
 any missionary work?" And sadly she had 
 to reply, "No." 
 
 "Well," he said, "you come this way. 
 Jesus is receiving His friends to-day, to- 
 morrow He receives His servants." 
 
 She awakened from the dream to believe 
 in the near coming of Christ, and to Mr. 
 Meminger's great joy, as well as that of her 
 Lord, this woman became an earnest Chris- 
 tian, and is to-day laboring in Chicago win- 
 ning her jewels for Christ. 
 
 The following characteristic address was 
 given by him at an Alliance Convention sev- 
 eral years ago. 
 
 "Jesus is coming! He promised if He 
 went away He would return. He has gone, 
 and there can be no doubt but that He will 
 come back. Now I am sorry to be obliged 
 to say that I know some persons who have, 
 as they think, received the Holy Spirit to 
 criticise and cut to pieces their brethren 
 who believe in the Lord's coming again. 
 How wrong is this spirit ! Rather, we should
 
 102 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 be kindly affectioned one toward another. 
 But I am to speak to-night on our Lord's 
 second advent and readiness for HHs appear- 
 ing. A preparation is needed to meet Jesus 
 in peace and gladness. Let us have that 
 coming again not merely as intellectual 
 knowledge, but as part of ourselves. 
 
 "Jesus is coming do you believe it? The 
 first people I knew who came to me speak- 
 ing of the Lord's coming I could not admire ; 
 they repelled me from the truth. They were 
 full of untempered zeal. They had not the 
 Holy Ghost. And so they killed their testi- 
 mony with their lives. Let us be careful we 
 do not hinder the spread of truth by our 
 manner of living. I was prejudiced by them. 
 We should so speak the truth as to melt one 
 another down into love. Kindness and pray- 
 er should ever prevail. 
 
 "Then I became acquainted with some 
 date-setters; and they did not help me re- 
 ceive the Lord's coming. The year they 
 named for this mighty event went by and 
 Jesus did not come. That further stumbled 
 me. The Holy Ghost, the Executive of the 
 Godhead, arranges the schedule of time ; we 
 can no more do it than the ordinary citizen 
 can arrange the train time-table. Confusion
 
 The Lord's Coming 103 
 
 and smash-up would result from our running 
 the trains. The railway official, the executive 
 of the line, makes up the running schedule. 
 The greatest matter of all is readiness for 
 the event when it shall come off. Are you 
 ready? Are you ready? A person not 
 ready for Christ's return is not ready to live 
 or die. 
 
 " 'Do not make it too soon,' some say, 
 'there is a great deal to be done ; much to 
 be fixed up; many things to be arranged.' 
 They feel themselves held in captivity, and 
 they do not want the Lord to come and find 
 them in their present condition. They want 
 time, more time, to free themselves. Hear 
 them, as they say: 'O wretched man that 
 I am ! who shall deliver me from this body 
 of death.' Beloved! get out of the seventh 
 chapter of Romans. How get out? Fall 
 out. Where fall? Into the eighth chapter. 
 What does that say ? 'Now' not in the res- 
 urrection, nor on the golden streets inside 
 the pearly gates 'no condemnation!' Who 
 wants to continue a 'wretched' man, when 
 he can be free? I do not want to live with 
 wretched men except just long enough to 
 pray for them. 
 
 " 'No condemnation !' not an entry
 
 104 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 against us. Nothing charged to our name. 
 God help us to get something 'now' ; to be 
 undergirded with His strength and overflow- 
 ing with the Spirit. Swing out! Oh, our 
 happiness is complete with not a charge pre- 
 ferred! Hallelujah! Rejoice, because it is 
 all fixed up. Jesus did it on Calvary by His 
 precious blood! Man can put color into 
 glass that will neutralize color in an outside 
 object. So, looked at by God through the 
 blood of Christ, though our sins have been 
 like scarlet, yet repenting and believing on 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, we are seen as white ! 
 
 "Now for the credit side. 'Beloved ! now 
 are we the sons of God.' When ? Now ! 
 You would scarcely believe it to look at 
 some people who pass as Christians. So 
 miserable! Hark to their lamentations! Oh, 
 get filled and thrilled now with the mighty 
 redemption ! May the Hjoly Ghost burn it 
 into us NOW ! Tell the people they may be- 
 come free through faith. Cleansed and filled 
 with the Holy Spirit makes one ready for 
 the Lord's return. Preaching to the perish- 
 ing, saving the hopeless, is a heaven for 
 NOW. 
 
 " 'We know' God has it so that we KNOW 
 'that when Chris* shall appear we shall
 
 The Lord's Coming 105 
 
 be like Him.' Really, I cannot understand 
 why those who love Jesus are not interested 
 in His return, when it is promised that at 
 His return we shall be made like Him. If 
 relatives took no interest in knowing of our 
 coming, and failed to be at the depot to meet 
 us when we arrived from a distance, we 
 should not regard them as very warm 
 friends. Well, when Jesus comes, we shall 
 be like Him. And more than that, we shall 
 have a crown 'a crown of righteousness, 
 which the Lord the righteous Judge shall 
 give unto us at that day/ 
 
 "But there is another side to this subject, 
 the sinner's side. When Jesus comes to 
 the world, it will be to its judgment. And 
 'as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be 
 at the coming of the Son of man. They ate, 
 they drank, they married and gave in mar- 
 riage, and knew not until the flood came and 
 took them all away.' Thus will it be with 
 the impenitent when Jesus returns. The 
 flood got here on time in just a hundred 
 and twenty years from the time it was 
 threatened. So will Jesus come on time; 
 and the signs show that the time is nearly 
 full. 
 
 "Brethren in Christ, let us, like the de-
 
 io6 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 tective, locate men, run them down, appre- 
 hend them for Jesus. Sent by the Holy 
 Ghost will we not drag them out of sin, 
 wash them up, and presently have a banquet 
 in the air, with Jesus all royal, His breth- 
 ren? 
 
 "Oh, I am delighting in the thought of 
 Jesus' coming and the blessings He will 
 bring us ! I am just revelling in it ! There 
 is royalty in every one of us who has been 
 born of God, and the day of the second ad- 
 vent is the period of its manifestation. 
 
 "Are you ready? Get right with God and 
 man this night. What do you care for man's 
 opinions and remarks about you? A prince 
 is not disturbed by the criticisms and sneers 
 of the common man. He knows, with his 
 spending alone, he could buy the whole out- 
 fit of the critic. To be ready, ready for the 
 Bridegroom at His appearing is the supreme 
 concern and work of this dying age."
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 MISSIONS. 
 
 FROM the time of his conversion Wilbur 
 Meminger became interested in foreign 
 missions. He was a close reader of 
 Bishop Taylor's works on street preaching 
 and self-supporting missions in India and 
 Africa, and of sketches of his work in papers 
 published for that purpose. With his sympa- 
 thy aroused in foreign mission work he nat- 
 urally desired to help, and he began to look 
 for a source from which to get funds to help 
 the good work along. He decided to inter- 
 est the members of his Tuesday evening 
 class. His first mission box was a small 
 pasteboard collar box from his store which 
 he sealed, and every Tuesday night he 
 would carry this little box under his arm 
 to the class and place it upon the table. The 
 responses were immediate, although it was 
 designed for free-will offerings from any 
 who desired to help Mr. Taylor in his far 
 off missions. It was not long, however, un- 
 til regular contributions found their way 
 into the little box, which was opened every
 
 io8 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 three months and the money forwarded to 
 Bishop Taylor. Hundreds of dollars soon 
 found their way into the good work. No 
 class closed without the admonition from 
 Mr. Meminger, "Don't forget Bishop Tay- 
 lor's little box." 
 
 This homely box was later displaced by 
 a wooden box with a lock and key, which 
 was used until Mr. Meminger resigned as 
 leader to take up the active work of the 
 Christian and Missionary Alliance in 
 Chicago. 
 
 As Superintendent of the Tyrone Branch 
 of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, 
 the subject of missions was ever kept be- 
 fore the meeting and the members soon felt 
 it a grand privilege to give to this cause. 
 Subscriptions were taken from time to time 
 for home and foreign missions, from $110 
 for the first year until it increased to $550 
 for one year. Conventions were held from 
 time to time in the various churches, which 
 added greatly to the attendance and collec- 
 tions for missions. 
 
 In his wider field work be hecame better 
 acquainted with many of the missionaries, 
 and how he loved them! He used to say, 
 "I would take off my hat to a missionary
 
 Missions 109 
 
 any time," and "I would ask no greater glory 
 than to be found on the mission field when 
 the Lord conies." It was a joy to him and 
 his wife when their youngest son offered 
 himself for the foreign field, and when he 
 was suddenly, in an accident, taken away 
 by death, while earning the money which 
 was to give him his training, they immedi- 
 ately planned to take another missionary in 
 his memory and support him. This, how- 
 ever, was not settled and their offerings 
 were given instead into the general fund 
 without any stipulation, to be used as the 
 Board deemed best. 
 
 Uuring Mr. M;eminger's latest trips it 
 twice fell to him to hold memorial services 
 in the home cities of two of the missionaries 
 who had died on the field. Hie was touring 
 Ohio when word came from the Tibetan 
 Border that Miss Effie Gregg had been 
 called home. He had known her well as 
 had also Rev. James H. Kirk and family. 
 The memorial service was held on a Sab- 
 bath afternoon when Mr. and Mrs. Kirk 
 with trembling lips spoke of her pure life 
 and the blessing she had been to them. Mr. 
 Meminger, who considered it a high honor 
 to be called home from the mission field,
 
 1 10 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 spoke of her as "early crowned." THere 
 was scarcely a dry eye in the place. Need- 
 less to say he saw an opportunity to press 
 home some heart truths, and did so vigor- 
 ously. The missionary offering followed, 
 doubling the amount of the previous year. 
 
 Again, in the Far West, at Chehalis, 
 Wash., came the news of the home-going of 
 Alice Yoder, from India, and in the memo- 
 rial service held in the evening Mr. Mem- 
 inger preached from Miss Yoder's favorite 
 text: (John x. 16) "The Other Sheep." A 
 hush of the Holy Spirit came upon the large 
 audience that had gathered from six miles 
 around. Sobs, flowing tears and smiles min- 
 gled, and when an appeal was made to fill up 
 the gap, many were the responses from the 
 young people. Many received great uplift- 
 ing and no one will soon forget that memo- 
 rial service. 
 
 And the missionaries liked to travel with 
 "the Little Man and Woman from Chicago." 
 Mr. H'amill, who was one of the last mis- 
 sionaries to travel with them in convention 
 work, writes thus from China: 
 
 "I often think of our first trip together 
 that Western trip. Can we ever forget it! 
 There are many things that bring it back to
 
 Missions in 
 
 me. What a help you and Brother Memin- 
 ger were to me at Calgary when my tooth 
 was ulcerated. I shall never forget the first 
 time Brother Meminger laid his hands on 
 me. The power came down. The Lord met 
 us that afternoon. It was then that you and 
 your husband sang: 
 
 'They are all on Jesus.' 
 
 I should like to hear you sing it again, for 
 it was such a blessing to me that afternoon. 
 
 "Brother Meminger proved to be such a 
 congenial companion on that Western trip, 
 as well as at the summer conventions. He 
 was so agreeable and considerate that one 
 could not help but feel free with him. Then 
 again, I enjoyed his company on the plat- 
 form for he was intensely interested in mis- 
 sions. How often have I seen him smile as 
 I have been speaking on China, and how of- 
 ten have I heard him give that rather quiet 
 but very emphatic assent of 'Yes, yes.' He 
 encouraged me many, many times as I made 
 an appeal for China and the heathen world 
 at large. 
 
 "You speak of the little feast that we had 
 in your room two nights before you were to 
 have left New York. Well, I often think of
 
 1 12 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 it too. How we enjoyed the cake and fruit 
 as well as the good pot of coffee that you 
 made. I remember, too, how I thought that 
 I had better not keep you up ; but Brother 
 Meminger seemed to want me to stay. I 
 am glad now that I stayed and had such a 
 long chat with him. Nor shall I forget how 
 he slipped five dollars into my hands as I 
 said good-night to him. If I remember 
 rightly, he said, 'This will help you get back 
 to China.' You will remember that he was 
 very much interested in my getting back to 
 China. Then, the next night comes back to 
 me, and I think of how I said good-bye to 
 him down at the Tabernacle door as he was 
 on his way to the open air meeting at the 
 corner. I told him that I was very glad that 
 I had learned to know him and to love him, 
 and he responded in a way that showed me 
 that he appreciated what I had said." 
 
 How delighted he was to send in his re- 
 ports of the progress in the missionary offer- 
 ings, and no convention was to him a suc- 
 cess unless it found practical outlet in gifts 
 for foreign mission work.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 CHICAGO WORK. 
 
 IN 1907 Wilbur Meminger was requested 
 by the Board of the Christian and Mis- 
 sionary Alliance to take up the local work 
 in Chicago. He found the work in a neglect- 
 ed condition but organized a number of 
 meetings immediately. Mrs. T. C. Rounds, 
 of the Chicago Hebrew Mission, who was 
 in close touch with the Alliance work in Chi- 
 cago, writes thus : 
 
 "As I look back, how well I remember the 
 first time I ever saw him. The work in 
 Chicago had gone down, down, down until 
 there was only a little handful to tell the 
 story of an Alliance amongst us. But these 
 faithful few were praying that the Lord 
 would revive the work and send a man to 
 build it up. A last effort was made and an 
 Alliance Convention was the result. The 
 second day of the convention Doctor Simp- 
 son pointed out a medium sized man with 
 large, keen black eyes and a face that betok- 
 ened energy and life, as the man whom they 
 were going to send as the Superintendent of
 
 1 14 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 the Chicago work. He said, 'I believe that 
 he is just the man for the place.' He came 
 and time proved that not only was he the 
 man for the place, but the place was just 
 for the man, for in it 'the little man from 
 Chicago/ as he used afterwards to call him- 
 self, took root and grew and expanded un- 
 til even Chicago grew too small for him. 
 
 "The field was a hard one. The people 
 of the 'Fourfold Gospel' were scattered 
 everywhere. Doctor Dowie was in the hey- 
 day of his popularity and everything 'but 
 God' was against a revival. But with in- 
 domitable energy born of the Holy Ghost 
 he put his hand to the plow and from that 
 day never looked back. 
 
 "He began meetings in the Central Bap- 
 tist Church on Clark St., near Van Buren, 
 humanly speaking a very undesirable dis- 
 trict to hold popular meetings. But as he 
 and a little band he gathered around him la- 
 bored on indefatigably the Lord wrought 
 and soon the place became known as a meet- 
 ing place of God with His people. Here sin- 
 ners were saved, believers sanctified and 
 multitudes were healed, for there never was 
 a service that the altar was not full of those 
 seeking the Lord. And just here I may add
 
 Chicago Work 115 
 
 that I think I never saw anyone more su- 
 premely happy than Mr. Meminger when he 
 could get an altar full of people, and those 
 who came uniformly got what they were 
 seeking for, for he patiently labored with 
 each one until the light came. 
 
 "From early morn till late at night outside 
 of this weekly meeting he with his wife, af- 
 ter she came to Chicago, were constantly 
 on the wing, flying from one part of the 
 city to another, visiting the sick, the suffer- 
 ing, the needy and the dying, and as a result 
 scores were snatched from the hands of 
 death in answer to the 'prayer of faith' that 
 was offered. 
 
 "In the early days of his Chicago experi- 
 ence he 'endured hardness as a good soldier 
 of Jesus Christ,' no one ever suspecting un- 
 til it was all over : even to taking 'joyful- 
 ly the spoiling of his goods,' when a much- 
 needed new overcoat was stolen from him 
 so uncomplaining was his spirit. 
 
 "It soon became apparent that there must 
 be a change in the meeting place of the Al- 
 liance. The Lord fixed our brother's eyes 
 and heart upon Willard Hall. With a zeal 
 that was untiring he followed it up with an 
 active faith in God that soon made others
 
 1 1 6 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 see as he, the advisability of the change, and 
 the mighty God back of finances ready to 
 meet the needs of those who trust in Him. 
 From the beginning it was a success, and 
 many hands now joined his, for there is 
 'nothing so successful as success.' Besides 
 the Willard Hall meeting, others were or- 
 ganized and held in different parts of the 
 city, and all was going well. 
 
 "It was with the deepest regret our Alli- 
 ance chiefs informed us that they had select- 
 ed our brother for a wider field as one of 
 their Field Secretaries. We parted with him 
 most reluctantly. But he was ever most 
 warmly welcomed back whenever he and 
 his wife, to whom he was so devotedly at- 
 tached, found it convenient to make a visit 
 to Chicago. 
 
 "There is much to say about the man 
 whom 'none knew but to love.' He was an 
 orator. His power of imagination and de- 
 scription were great. The subjects of his 
 discourse stood out as living realities, and 
 he would hold in breathless silence his audi- 
 ences. Many, or a I may say, none, will ever 
 forget the portraiture of his own life, which 
 he frequently gave in such graphic, startling 
 words, as to indelibly impress the saving
 
 Chicago Work 117 
 
 power of the blood to cleanse and keep 
 cleansing. Hearts touched in these living pic- 
 tures and many souls taking courage, yield- 
 ed to God and were 'born again/ and their 
 lives were transformed by the renewing of 
 their minds. 
 
 "None ever doubted that he was a man of 
 prayer. Whatever success he had he at- 
 tributed it to Him, who hears and answers 
 prayer, believing with his whole heart that 
 whatever was done, God must do it, and 
 did do it. 
 
 "I could not close this without referring to 
 what he was to the Chicago Hebrew Mis- 
 sion. He soon became a member of the 
 Board of Trustees and so continued during 
 the years of his residence in the city. We 
 ever found him a good adviser and a strong 
 help in prayer. He loved Israel and always 
 did everything in his power to excite inter- 
 est in God's ancient people, and no conven- 
 tion that he held in Chicago was complete 
 unless Israel and the Mission were repre- 
 sented. The Gospel must be preached 'to 
 the Jew first' was uppermost in his mind, 
 and without doubt he owed much success to 
 this. 
 
 "Time fails me to speak of many other
 
 1 1 8 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 virtues, but with this I close. He was a 
 Spirit-filled man, the graces of the Spirit as 
 well as the gifts abounded in his life and 
 made him what he was, a most lovable as 
 well as lovely man. May the Lord make us 
 imitators of him as he imitated Christ." 
 
 After taking up the work in Chicago for 
 a time, he had temporary quarters in a flat 
 with two of his boys. One night the in- 
 mates of twenty-one flats were chloro- 
 formed and robbed, among them Mr. Miem- 
 inger. He lost his watch and clothing, and 
 in fact, everything he owned. Twice he was 
 held up in the streets of Chicago; once by 
 two women, for the purpose of robbery, but 
 as he was a preacher they let him go. Again, 
 two young men passing him pointed two 
 revolvers at his face, crying, "Hands up." 
 Up went his hands and in one of them a 
 Bible. Seeing the B'ible one said to the 
 other, "Don't hurt him, he's a preacher." 
 Then and there he preached Christ to them. 
 
 Space will not permit us to give many de- 
 tails of his work while in Chicago. He 
 worked hand in hand with the missions of 
 the slums. He and his wife were constant- 
 ly visiting the poor and sinful, and in a sin- 
 gle year 1,500 visits were made by them,
 
 Chicago Work 119 
 
 and many were saved and healed. There 
 was no cut and dried method employed; no 
 side way of meeting the people. New meth- 
 ods must be constantly used to meet the 
 varying needs. 
 
 On one occasion with his wife and Mrs. 
 Trumbull he visited the slums. 
 
 "A long street car ride brought us to a 
 part of Chicago where rents were low and 
 everything else was low. Up the long flight 
 of stairs we climbed. After long, and loud 
 knocking we entered the larger of two 
 rooms; the woman, the mother, the forsak- 
 en wife, was surrounded by children, that at 
 first sight appeared to be of all ages, but 
 seven in all, their scanty clothing torn and 
 dirty. Some of the children were sick, all of 
 them cross, mother discouraged, hair un- 
 combed, face, hands and arms unclean, cloth- 
 ing unclean, untidy. Dirt everywhere. Not 
 a clean chair or table ; walls, windows, floors, 
 all dirty. Stove rusty and out of repair, 
 the black night of despair was closing in 
 upon them. Quickly the two sisters found 
 soap and towel and began to wash the lit- 
 tle children ; the older ones took the hint 
 and washed and combed themselves. The 
 mother refused to make any change in her
 
 120 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 appearance at first, but when some whole- 
 some food was untied and the table set, the 
 eyes of all fixed upon her, she yielded, made 
 herself as presentable as possible. We all 
 gathered round the table, and as the writer 
 asked the Lord's blessing upon it all, the 
 children wondered. After the meal, the 
 dishes washed and put away, we all felt an 
 increased warmth about our hearts. We 
 loved each other. The mother broke down 
 completely, in tears, told of her sickness, 
 how it prevented her from attending to her 
 ordinary duties. We told her how the Lord 
 had heard prayer and healed our bodies, 
 etc., and that we believed the Lord would 
 heal her. At last she called for the elders, 
 anointing service, something new in that 
 home. After the prayer of dedication and 
 separation the oil was applied as the prayer 
 was closing, 'and the Lord shall raise him 
 up, and if he hath committed sins they shall 
 be forgiven.' The mother exclaimed, 'Oh, 
 the merciful God has touched my poor, sin- 
 ful body. He has sent you to my poor 
 home.' A few months later we paid another 
 visit. Stairs clean, light tap at the door 
 and a bright-faced girl of ten opens it, and 
 with a smile, welcomes us. The floors are
 
 Chicago Work 121 
 
 clean, the stove is blacked, the windows 
 bright; the mother, with only a calico robe, 
 is now a princess. No pictures yet upon the 
 wall until Sister Trumbull fastened upon 
 the wall, opposite the window, a beautiful 
 motto, 'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to- 
 day and forever/ " 
 
 He was ever zealous for the work of the 
 Master and an inspiration to all Christran 
 workers. More than one of the Chicago 
 workers have felt it a privilege to meet and 
 know him intimately. His consistent life 
 helped many. 
 
 "I have been with him," says one, "when 
 called to visit the sick both in the hospi- 
 tals and homes where patients were consid- 
 ered past recovery, but were willing to trust 
 God for all He had for them for both soul 
 and body. I have seen such anointed and 
 prayed with and raised up in answer to the 
 prayer of faith, become active and useful 
 members of their homes and communities 
 and ready to testify to what God had done 
 for them by His saving power. 
 
 "I recall many instances where his pres- 
 ence among the sick was a comfort and 
 a benediction, and not only the sick but the 
 sinner was made to rejoice by being brought
 
 122 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 out of darkness into light and life through 
 his zeal and untiring life for the Mlaster." 
 
 A unique feature of Mr. Meminger's work 
 in Chicago was a prayer meeting held in the 
 parlor of one of the workers which was con- 
 ducted for about nine years, and all the hard 
 cases were brought to this meeting for 
 prayer. It was called "The Emergency 
 Prayer Meeting" and there were results in 
 the salvation of souls and the healing of 
 bodies. One woman was healed of cancer; 
 another of blindness; the sight of one eye 
 was gone and with the other she was able to 
 distinguish only white from black. This 
 woman is now reading and praising God. 
 This meeting has developed into a mission 
 in the saloon district, and is being greatly 
 blessed of God. 
 
 His field soon began to widen both to 
 the South and to the Northwest, and was 
 finally called to the field work of the Alli- 
 ance.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 THE FIELD WORK. 
 
 TH|E field work of the Christian and Mis- 
 sionary Alliance took Mr. Meminger 
 all over the continent and through 
 Canada. His first trip to the Pacific Coast 
 was made in 1900. The train was wrecked 
 in the Rock Mountains, but they were pre- 
 served without injury. Mr Meminger, in 
 writing East about this incident, said: 
 
 "Most of the journey was made in a 
 blinding snowstorm, sleet and hail. After 
 more than ten days and nights in the cars ; 
 darting through tunnels, climbing mountain 
 sides, speeding over vast plains and prairies, 
 with now and then a village, or a gaunt 
 herd of cattle and sometimes a pack of 
 wolves startled by the engine whistle. Af- 
 ter the awful grade had been climbed and 
 the summit reached, our engine gave a 
 mighty blast of triumph which echoed 
 through the pines and crags. Just then our 
 engine found something wrong with the 
 air-brake and was backing into a side track
 
 124 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 when the second section of our train came 
 crashing into us knocking some of the cars 
 into kindling wood. The one next to us was 
 completely destroyed. Our car, which was 
 a sleeper, was hurled into the air, and turned 
 over, stopping less than six inches from the 
 edge of a precipice hundreds of feet deep. 
 Of course, our car became a scene of great 
 confusion. Wife and I hurried out only 
 partly clothed, the storm was still raging, 
 and the thermometer at 35 degrees below 
 zero. We were then packed into a smoking 
 car for hours until the wreck was cleared 
 away. We praised the Lord that we were 
 not injured in any way. The two trains 
 were made into one, and with two mighty 
 engines we made the trip down in safety, 
 still able to admire the grand scenery about 
 us, the snow-capped peaks, the dark blue 
 ranges and fresh green of the gorges. At 
 last we steamed into Spokane twenty-one 
 hours behind time." 
 
 But their trials were not over. After 
 spending ten days in Spokane, they passed 
 on to Seattle and from there to Tacoma and 
 on to Portland, Oregon. 
 
 Little has been said of their home life in Ty- 
 rone. While still in business, Mr. Memin-
 
 The Field Work 125 
 
 ger met and married Laura Stewart in 1876, 
 the daughter of the Rev. J. D. Stewart, of 
 whom mention has already been made. Three 
 children were born to them, William, Paul 
 and Charles, in "the little brown house" where 
 they first took up housekeeping. It was a 
 small house which they were buying, and it 
 soon became too small for the family and a 
 large room was added. Here in this room as 
 soon as it was built, weekly meetings were 
 started in which sinners were saved, believers 
 sanctified, and sick ones healed. Thus he 
 ever combined religion with his daily life. 
 He felt that the house truly belonged to the 
 Lord and they never anticipated any possible 
 disaster. When the house was nearly paid 
 for, Mr. Meminger obliged a good brother in 
 the church by endorsing a note for him, and 
 when the note became due, it was Wilbur 
 Meminger who had to see his "little brown 
 house" go to meet it. It seemed hard to him 
 and it was difficult, indeed, to forgive the 
 brother who had so wronged them. He was 
 conscious, however, that his heart was wrong 
 and so he prayed earnestly about it and asked 
 for grace to forgive. This was given him. He 
 wanted this brother, however, to know that he 
 had forgiven him his injury, and he, therefore,
 
 126 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 besought the Lord further to give him the op- 
 portunity to do a kindness to this man. This 
 also was granted, and Wilbur Meminger re- 
 mained a happy man although his home was 
 gone. But the story is not finished. 
 
 He never broached this incident to his fa- 
 ther-in-law, the Rev. J. D. Stewart, but in 
 some way it came into his knowledge, and he, 
 unknown to his daughter and son-in-law, 
 bought the house when it was sold and later 
 gave it into their possession. 
 
 Wilbur Meminger believed in family reli- 
 gion and one of his favorite passages of Scrip- 
 ture was "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
 and thou shalt be saved and thy house." His 
 business relations and church duties, therefore, 
 gave only a limited amount of time in the 
 home, but here as elsewhere he was not hard 
 to please, and exhibited always a grateful 
 spirit, feeling ever that God was showering 
 upon him more than he deserved. In a pre- 
 vious chapter we have briefly referred to the 
 fact that the youngest son, Charles, was in- 
 stantly taken home in an accident. He had 
 felt the call of God to go to China and had set 
 to work to earn the money which was to edu- 
 cate him and take him to the field. During the 
 first trip of his parents to the West the trip
 
 The Field Work 127 
 
 already referred to above while they were 
 in service at Tacoma, Washington, Charles 
 was instantly called home by a railroad acci- 
 dent. Word did not reach his parents until 
 they arrived at Portland, Oregon. 
 
 Rev. J. H. Allen of Long Beach, Cal., super- 
 intendent of the Berea Mission, Portland, 
 Oregon, where Alliance meetings were then 
 being held, writes thus : 
 
 "When Brother Meminger stepped into the 
 pulpit for the first service, we felt intuitively 
 that he was one of God's noblemen and that 
 he knew the voice of the Holy Spirit. The 
 full assurance of this was given not only to 
 us personally but to the entire congregation 
 in a most marked way on that eventful Sun- 
 day, that will never be forgotten by many of 
 that congregation. 
 
 "That morning a telegram came addressed 
 to Brother Meminger in my care and I slipped 
 it in my pocket charging my mind carefully 
 that I should not forget to deliver it to him, 
 but I came away from the morning service 
 with it still in my pocket. At this service the 
 text Mr. Meminger used was from Ecclesi- 
 astes vii. vss. 2 and 3 "It is better to go to 
 the house of mourning than to go to the house
 
 128 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 of feasting; for that is the end of all men; 
 and the living will lay it to his heart," etc. 
 
 "That evening I hurried to the church feel- 
 ing embarrassed and humiliated that I had for- 
 gotten to deliver the telegram. As quickly as 
 I could I handed the message to Brother 
 Meminger at the same time apologizing for 
 my carelessness. He wanted to consult me 
 for a moment and so passed the telegram to 
 his wife to open and read. When Brother 
 Meminger had finished speaking with me and 
 I was passing on toward the rostrum, I 
 stopped suddenly on hearing a moan and look- 
 ed back in time to see Mrs. Meminger hand 
 the telegram to her husband as she exclaimed, 
 'Oh, my baby boy!' That telegram told of 
 the calamity which had overtaken their son. 
 In a few minutes they were enabled to enter 
 the pulpit and sing the hymn of victory. 
 
 "Later, before he began preaching, he told 
 the people of the great sorrow that had come 
 to them; but he added, 'I told you this morn- 
 ing that it was better to go to the house of 
 mourning than to the house of feasting, and 
 God knew that I meant it. He has sent the 
 test and I mean it yet.' " 
 
 Mr. Meminger in reporting the convention
 
 WILBUR MEMINGER S YOUNGEST GRANDCHILD.
 
 The Field Work 129 
 
 work at this time referred very briefly to this 
 time of testing and trial. 
 
 "Here we received the severest shock of 
 all our lives. Telegram only read: 'Charles 
 was killed to-day on the railroad.' The blow 
 staggered us for a time. The little woman 
 reeled and fell, but in answer to prayer God 
 gave her back to us. 'Praise God from whom 
 all blessings flow/ and together we sang that 
 Sunday night (as never before), just before 
 I gave the message : 
 
 'I've yielded to God and I'm saved every hour, 
 I've yielded to God and I feel His sweet power. 
 I've trusted His promises, not one has failed 
 Of all His good Word, though the tempter assailed.' 
 
 "The congregation were unable longer to 
 control their emotion. Some sobbed aloud, 
 others were bathed in tears of joy. We all 
 had the victory and they with hearts full of 
 tenderest sympathy for us, had been in prayer 
 for our complete trust in the dear Lord. It 
 was their victory and ours. But our testing 
 was not over yet; a decision must now be 
 made between Love and duty. 
 
 "Shall we leave the work, return home and 
 once more look upon the face of our baby boy 
 before they lift up the sod and place his body 
 under? Father-love and mother-love said go
 
 130 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 at once. The Spirit led on down the Coast. 
 Decision was made in favor of duty and in a 
 moment we were enabled to smile through 
 our tears. Convention deepened and heighten- 
 ed the interest in missions, the princely offer- 
 ing made at close of the Convention was 
 proof." 
 
 Rev. W. A. Cramer, now in charge of the 
 Christian and Missionary Alliance at Cleve- 
 land, was then in Chicago and writing of this 
 incident says : 
 
 "The Christian fortitude and abundant 
 grace given our dear Brother Meminger and 
 his wife at the time of the tragic killing of 
 their son, by being run down in the railroad 
 yards by an engine, always impressed me as 
 a most wonderful display of the keeping pow- 
 er of the presence of Jesus. While waiting 
 in Chicago for word from them, from the Pa- 
 cific Coast, where they were holding meetings, 
 expecting them to come on to attend the fu- 
 neral, we received this message instead: 'Do 
 all you can for the precious dead, we will con- 
 tinue to hold up Jesus to the living and finish 
 our work here.' I had known Charles but a 
 short time and had come to regard him very 
 highly and had but the day before his death 
 talked with him concerning his eternal inter-
 
 The Field Work 131 
 
 ests. He was desirous to labor that his father 
 might continue in the Lord's work, and he 
 himself had become greatly interested in the 
 thought of some day going to China. We had 
 talked somewhat concerning my personal ex- 
 periences in the Congo field. We all felt him 
 to have been a missionary at heart which is 
 counted to his reward by Him who reads all 
 hearts. 
 
 "I and his uncle, Mr. Stewart, accompa- 
 nied the remains to Tyrone, Pa., where inter- 
 ment was made after services held in the 
 home of his grandfather, Rev. J. D. Stewart. 
 
 "The memory of this incident will always 
 bear about it the sweet savor of lives wholly 
 committed to the service of the Master and 
 who stop not in their course, but move on and 
 trust all to Him. This mantle of heavenly 
 peace fulness and soul calm seemed not to 
 have departed from our Sister Meminger, 
 when I met her as she was following the re- 
 mains of her precious husband from the Gos- 
 pel Tabernacle but a short time since. When, 
 forgetful of her own sorrow, she said, 'Dear 
 Mr. Cramer, I have been praying so much for. 
 you and the missionaries.' Thus: 'The 
 Peace of God which passeth all understand- 
 ing/"
 
 CHAPTER XIV, 
 FIELD WORK (Continued). 
 
 The second trip was made to Southern 
 California in 1902. Of this visit Rev. J. 
 Hudson Ballard, Principal of the Wilson 
 Memorial Academy, Nyack, writes: 
 
 "Well do I remember the time when 
 Brother Meminger visited us in Southern 
 California for a series of special conven- 
 tions. It was in the winter of 1902-03. I 
 had been but a few months in the sunny 
 land and had found a great many scattered 
 friends of the full gospel, but very little 
 organization, chiefly because there were no 
 standards raised around which the people 
 could rally. It fell to Brother Meminger 
 and myself to visit the long-neglected 
 branches and revive the hearts of the friends 
 at each place in a short convention. When 
 it rains in California it generally rains and 
 does nothing else. I well remember partic- 
 ularly that many of those convention days 
 were days of continuous downpour. To 
 the Southern Californians this wasivery wel- 
 come because the rain drops there are liter- 
 ally 'gold drops/ but to Easterners the rain 
 was not so significant of prosperity and 
 cheerfulness.
 
 The Field Work 133 
 
 "Nevertheless, in spite of the trying cli- 
 matic conditions and the scattered and fre- 
 quently disheartening character of the full 
 gospel bands, Mr. M'eminger pushed on 
 from place to place with that zeal and vi- 
 vacity which were so delightfully character- 
 istic of him. It was chiefly his buoyant 
 cheerfulness and his firm faith in the Lord 
 that carried those introductory meetings 
 through to a series of successful climaxes. 
 Physical inconveniences and weather irreg- 
 ularities were far beneath him. He steamed 
 on just the same, full of love and vigor in 
 the service of his Master. 
 
 "His messages then, as I have frequently 
 observed in many other places, were true 
 to the great though often-neglected stand- 
 ards of the gospel. H'e was particularly 
 noted for passing by some of the finer and 
 rather pretty distinctions which belong to 
 the philosophy of the higher Christian life 
 often without any practical profit and in- 
 sisted upon the great foundation truths. He 
 was brave enough to preach to the people 
 what they were supposed to have learned 
 in their childhood, but what in fact in many 
 instances they had never learned in their 
 hearts. He dwelt on the love of God and
 
 134 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 the judgment that was coming, on the re- 
 deeming power of Christ and the perfect 
 cleansing through the blood, on the inspira- 
 tion and final authority of the Word of God 
 and the continual and mighty inworking of 
 the Holy Spirit. He found in such great 
 universal truths as these sufficient scope for 
 his vigorous thinking and his forceful 
 preaching. He did not stop to quibble with 
 the saints over the splitting of a hair, but 
 seemed to be impelled constantly by a bur- 
 dening love for lost souls. Although he 
 preached the full gospel in all its upper 
 reaches and directed the gaze of the saints 
 forward to the coming of the Lord, he never 
 during one service forgot the condition of 
 those who needed the first application of 
 the gospel in its regenerating power and 
 who needed it that very hour. 
 
 "Brother Meminger's cheerful view of 
 things was more than human optimism. It 
 was a divine insight into the often hidden 
 beauties of seemingly coarse and distressing 
 circumstances. He was unable to see the 
 difficulties and repeatedly surprised us by 
 the encouraging things he saw in the com- 
 monest incidents. His reports to the East- 
 ern friends were full of victory, with no
 
 The Field Work 135 
 
 mention of what to many appeared to be the 
 sign of failure. 
 
 "In all these things and in many others 
 he left a deep impression upon those who 
 listened to him and those who were privi- 
 leged to labor along with him to the effect 
 that this man was down to the depths of his 
 earnest soul a man of God, who would be 
 willing to do what a few years later he actu- 
 ally did do wear himself out and give him- 
 self up for the sake of the souls of men." 
 
 The last trip to the Coast was made in 
 1908 and one that cannot soon be forgotten. 
 
 In September, 1908, Mr. and Mrs. Mfemin- 
 ger started for a long tour covering a num- 
 ber of points in the South and Far West. 
 Mr. Meminger preached in the Gospel Tab- 
 ernacle on Sunday evening and at the close 
 of the service, Mr. Josephus L. Pulis prayed, 
 especially committing Mjr. and Mrs. Mem- 
 inger to the care of the Lord on their pros- 
 pective journey. In the midst of his prayer 
 he broke down and cried, and many joined 
 their tears with his. A brother went to Mr. 
 Pulis later and asked him why he cried, to 
 which he responded, "I cannot tell you, but 
 the Lord knows why I cried and the Lord 
 laid that burden on me."
 
 136 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 The following day Mr. and Mrs. Memin- 
 ger started for the South, stopping all night 
 at Dansville, Va. They took the first train 
 out in the morning which happened to be a 
 fast express. An extra fare was charged on 
 this train of three dollars. This reduced 
 their pocket-book to such an extent that 
 they were unable to purchase meals on the 
 train and all the way to Atlanta not a stop 
 was made at which they could even pur- 
 chase a sandwich. Eight minutes after leav- 
 ing the station of Spartansburg, S. C., a 
 heavy crash was heard and the bridge over 
 which they had just passed was completely 
 washed away. The train went on to Green- 
 ville, N. C., at which point the train was 
 sidetracked and remained for the night. An- 
 other bridge just ahead had been washed 
 away with the exception of the ties and the 
 rails. The only way to cross was by placing 
 planks over what remained of the bridge 
 and having the passengers go one by one 
 to the other side. Even this was at consid- 
 erable risk, but the passage was made in 
 safety. Still later there was another bridge 
 to cross. It had to be repaired, however, 
 before a train would dare to pass over on 
 it. Men did this by standing waist deep in
 
 The Field Work 137 
 
 water while the passenger train waited four 
 hours. At length Atlanta was reached af- 
 ter a fast of forty-one hours and after a most 
 tedious and tiresome journey. Arriving at 
 Atlanta Mr. Meminger hurried off to the 
 meeting and on his arrival in the place 
 the friends knowing of some of the difficul- 
 ties of the way, arose, cheered and waved 
 their handkerchiefs. He understood then 
 the reason for Mr. Pulis' prayer and the 
 burden which seemed to overwhelm him 
 that Sunday night. 
 
 But this was not the end of that memora- 
 ble journey. Their steps then lay in a west- 
 erly direction, stopping next at St. Paul 
 and Minneapolis for meetings. On they sped 
 to the West, passing through prairie fires. 
 After a very blessed service on the Coast 
 they returned to the East by way of Canada 
 and in the Canadian Rockies were again 
 halted in their journey by heavy snow falls 
 through which the train could not pass. Fi- 
 nally, the engine stopped ; the wires were 
 kept busy and soon from the nearest city a 
 large number of laborers, principally Japan- 
 ese, arrived to dig the train out, but the 
 snow drifted in faster than they could dig 
 and it was not long before the train was
 
 138 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 completely covered with the snow. The pas- 
 sengers could do nothing but wait, and here 
 they remained from Tuesday until Friday. 
 The gas gave out. The conductor hung his 
 lantern in the middle of the car and put a 
 candle at each end. The water gave out and 
 snow had to be melted for the emergency. 
 The well-supplied dining car, however, kept 
 the passengers fed in the meantime. Some 
 photographs were taken of the train at this 
 time and one gives an excellent view of the 
 train being dug out. The man on the right 
 hand side is standing on top of the train, 
 and when the train was finally dug out in- 
 stead of being taken along on their journey, 
 because of heavier drifts still ahead, they 
 were compelled to go back. They remained 
 in this town of Maple Creek until Saturday 
 noon, missing two conventions which had 
 been planned, but arriving in Winnipeg in 
 time for the meetings there. Thus they were 
 wont to say in referring to this trip they 
 went through floods, through fires and 
 through snow, but were brought out in per- 
 fect safety. 
 
 Several evangelistic tours were conducted 
 in the South in company with Rev. R. A. 
 Forrest. He writes :
 
 
 
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 The Field Work 139 
 
 "Among my earliest recollections of Bro. 
 Meminger is of our sitting together in an 
 old deserted barn in South Florida talking 
 of the Lord and His work. The writer was 
 then just being initiated into the Alliance 
 work and Brother Meminger was at that 
 time superintendent of the Southern Dis- 
 trict, having come to Florida for the 
 winter conventions. After talking a while 
 we went to our knees on a pile of corn fod- 
 der, and I can remember yet the thrill of the 
 presence of God, as he prayed Kim to bless 
 and use us in the work, and help us to be 
 His best. Many times since we have remem- 
 bered that prayer meeting, and have felt 
 stronger for the memory. 
 
 "It was not long until God called Brother 
 Meminger to a larger and wider sphere of 
 usefulness, and by a strange leading of 
 Providence we were trying to care for the 
 Southern District; and it was then that we 
 had the privilege upon four or five occasions 
 of having Brother Meminger with us for 
 conventions and series of conventions. It 
 has often been said, and very truly, that 
 there is no better place to get acquainted 
 with one than travelling in convention work. 
 Every opportunity is here afforded to dis-
 
 140 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 play whatever selfishness, impatience, or ir- 
 ritability there may be lurking in one's 
 heart; and yet after being with Brother 
 Meminger for months at a time, in meetings 
 almost constantly, we can truthfully say 
 that he was always the same gentle, even- 
 tempered man, and a true representative of 
 the Christ whom he loved and served. 
 
 "One of Brother Meminger's distinguishing 
 characteristics was his marked individuality. 
 It was a very foolish man who tried to imi- 
 tate him successfully, for one never knew 
 what he would do next. Strong, buoyant, 
 energetic, hopeful, and deeply spiritual, he 
 won hearts everywhere he went throughout 
 the South, and wherever we go since his 
 death we find loving hearts who bear grate- 
 ful testimony to great blessing derived from 
 his ministry. 
 
 "In all his meetings and preaching he was 
 true to the truth God had revealed to Him, 
 preaching powerfully and fearlessly without 
 compromise the message God gave him, and 
 it is not surprising therefore that his minis- 
 try has born 'much fruit that shall remain.' 
 
 "On his last trip through the South just a 
 few weeks prior to his death, God wonder- 
 fully used him, especially at Durham, N. C,
 
 The Field Work 141 
 
 in the Gospel Tabernacle. Souls were saved, 
 believers sanctified, and the church received 
 a wonderful uplift and blessing as a result 
 of his meeting's. 
 
 "On the night of his 'abundant entrance/ 
 as he went down the stairs to the street 
 meeting where his body fell, he called back 
 to the writer saying that as soon as the 
 street meeting was over he wanted to have a 
 conversation about the Durham meetings. 
 We are awaiting with joyful anticipation the 
 time when we will not only have that con- 
 versation, but will be able to talk over all 
 the conflicts and triumphs we have been 
 privileged to share in the Southland. 
 
 "We miss his glad 'Hallelujah !' and the 
 inspiration of his earthly presence, but we 
 are sure he is now making the courts of 
 heaven ring with shouts of praise to the 
 Lamb that are far louder and more triumph- 
 ant than the loudest shout while here. 
 
 "The sympathy, love and prayers of thou- 
 sands of Southern friends are extended to his 
 bereaved wife in this greatest of earthly sor- 
 rows, that God may sustain her, and bright- 
 en her last years of loneliness with the com- 
 forting thought of her love, care, and devo- 
 tion that helped make him the man he was,
 
 142 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 and the glorious hope of going up with him 
 'to meet the Lord in the air.' 
 
 "What a glorious sweeping entrance he 
 had into glory ! His passing away was like 
 the going down of the sun on a beautiful 
 summer evening as it seems to dip beneath 
 the Western hills in the full strength of its 
 effulgent glory, leaving a great halo of light 
 in the heavens long after it is gone. The 
 memory of this strong, brave, true life will 
 remain in blessing among men until Jesus 
 comes." 
 
 Ulysses Lewis, of Atlanta, Georgia, who 
 was much with him in the work there, sends 
 the following lines: 
 
 "Dear Sister Meminger: 
 
 "Your letter was received some days ago 
 while I was engrossed in many matters that 
 did not allow me time to reply. Since the 
 death of Brother Meminger I have thought 
 of you many times, and heard with pleasure 
 how God's grace sustained you through the 
 trying ordeal of his sudden departure. I 
 know you miss him. You two were insepa- 
 rable for years. It will be hard for you to
 
 The Field Work 143 
 
 get used to his absence. His sudden death 
 changed all your plans without notice. We 
 miss him, too, and shall miss him more at 
 the time of our conventions in Atlanta. He 
 was greatly beloved here. No preacher was 
 more acceptable to our people than he, and 
 God used him here to benefit many lives who 
 will never forget him and his wonderful 
 preaching. It was a strange providence 
 which took him at that time. He was need- 
 ed by the Alliance more than at any time 
 before, and was doing a great work. Every 
 part of the field felt the shock of his depar- 
 ture, and his loss to the work cannot be 
 estimated. But God knew best and gave 
 him a glorious death on the field in full har- 
 ness, which is to be envied. I have heard 
 many say that no doubt he would have chos- 
 en to go that way. 
 
 "The news of his death came to us in a 
 telegram which also announced the danger- 
 ous illness of my daughter Elizabeth, in 
 China, with typhoid fever. I at once prayed. 
 
 "Mir. Meminger was no ordinary man. 
 His style of preaching was all his own dif- 
 ferent from any I ever heard and was very 
 effective and always interesting, brilliant
 
 144 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 and helpful. H'e helped many a soul that no 
 one else could touch ; and the Lord gave 
 him souls for his hire. H'e kept in touch 
 with us in Atlanta and wrote some of us 
 regularly. His published articles were also 
 read with deep interest. In my extensive 
 traveling over the Alliance work, I found 
 him loved everywhere, and universal sorrow 
 at his death. 
 
 "He was always bright and cheerful. His 
 sunny disposition lifted people while he 
 pointed them to God with quick power from 
 above, and with the soundest doctrine and 
 convincing persuasion. Believers were 
 strengthened, backsliders drawn and sinners 
 convicted and converted. It was my privi- 
 lege to pray for him constantly ever since 
 I have known him, and to love him like a 
 brother. My children all loved him. He 
 used to take my two little boys on excur- 
 sions to the park here, treating them to pea- 
 nuts and candy and boating on the lake. 
 They thought there was no one like him, 
 and they were right about that. 
 
 "We have all a warm place in our hearts 
 and homes for you. When it pleases the 
 Lord to send you this way we shall be glad
 
 The Field Work 145 
 
 to see you. Mjy family all well. Your friend 
 and brother, 
 
 "ULYSSES LEWIS." 
 
 And the Rev. E. E. Johnson, of Durham, 
 N. C, in whose field Mr. Meminger labored 
 so earnestly, bringing many souls to the 
 Lord, writes: 
 
 "My earliest remembrance of Mr. Memin- 
 ger was that of a little man with a burning 
 passion for souls. 
 
 "He seemed to me to be all aflame with 
 the 'passion fire of love Divine.' 
 
 "The intervening years which have 
 brought to me the coveted privilege of a 
 more personal friendship and fellowship 
 with him in the Lord's work have only 
 served to strengthen my first impressions, 
 and even now it is impossible to contem- 
 plate his love and zeal without feeling a 
 thrill of heavenly fire, and the quickening 
 of the desire, if not the determination, to 
 emulate the example of his life. 
 
 "To him it was marvelous that Christians 
 were not all alive and always alive to the 
 work of winning souls. 
 
 "Loyal to Christ he was always eager to 
 lay some trophy at the Master's feet. He
 
 146 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 counted 'not his life dear' unto himself in his 
 passionate yearning to save the lost. He 
 traveled from Maine to Florida, from the 
 Atlantic coast to the Pacific, resting not in 
 summer or in winter, in the one intense, 
 eager pursuit of lost souls ; and wherever 
 you found him there was the same burning 
 zeal speaking out in His looks and his 
 words. He was always moving in his work 
 at a pace much nearer to a run than to a 
 walk. 
 
 "In September, 1909, he came to Durham, 
 his second visit. 
 
 "In all the years that I have known Mr. 
 Meminger and heard him preach the good 
 tidings of full salvation, I have never heard 
 him preach with such Holy Ghost zeal and 
 power as was manifest from the very begin- 
 ning of his stay among us. As a friend, who 
 upon hearing of his death and recalling his 
 meetings at Durham as his last regular 
 series of meetings, said, 'He seemed to be 
 preaching as if it were his very last/ 
 
 "Appeal after appeal with earnest exhor- 
 tation came from his lips for twelve nights ; 
 and how shall we describe the closing serv- 
 ice on the last Sunday of the meetings. He 
 spoke from the text in I. Samuel xx. 3,
 
 WILBUR MEMJXGERS GRANDCHILDREN.
 
 The Field Work 147 
 
 'There is but a step between me and death.' 
 We all were made to feel that there was but 
 a thin veil hanging between us and the great 
 Eternity. So deeply moved were the hearts 
 of the unsaved, that a gentle invitation was 
 all that was needed to fill the altar with ear- 
 nest, seeking souls. 
 
 "The last scene of this service can only 
 be pictured mentally. Words fail to de- 
 scribe the picture as those who had found 
 Christ during the meetings came with words 
 of praise and thanksgiving for blessings re- 
 ceived. How touching was the final scene 
 as one after another of the 'new born babes' 
 would grasp our brother's hand and with 
 tears in their eyes bid him farewell as chil- 
 dren taking leave of a very dear earthly 
 parent. 
 
 "Dear faithful man of God ! The ruling 
 passion was strong in death. As he had spent 
 himself in the service of the Lord, there was 
 a solemn fitness in the last act of his life as 
 he stood proclaiming Christ to the lost, and 
 thus fell asleep."
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 CALLED HOME. 
 
 "Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted, 
 Not I, but Christ, to wipe the falling tear, 
 
 Not I, but Christ, to lift the weary burden, 
 Not I, but Christ, to hush away all fear. 
 
 "O to be saved from myself, dear Lord, 
 
 O to be lost in Thee, 
 O that it might be no more I, 
 
 But Christ that lives in me." 
 
 WE attended the New York Convention 
 of the Christian and Missionary Alli- 
 ance in October, 1909, and were to 
 leave on the morning of the 7th for New 
 York State and the Far West. Mr. Memin- 
 ger was asked on the evening of the 6th by 
 the Young People of the Gospel Tabernacle 
 to speak at the street service held on the 
 corner of Forty-fourth Street and Eighth 
 Avenue. I stood by him while the serv- 
 ice was going on, and, as I always did, pray- 
 ed very earnestly for him as he was speaking. 
 He gave his message closing with the words, 
 "Amen, my heart is breaking for souls." He 
 stepped back and physically seemed to be all
 
 Called Home 149 
 
 right. I was tired from standing so long and 
 not feeling very well and so turned to him say- 
 ing, "I will go into the Tract Room and sit 
 down until you come." He answered: "All 
 right, I will be right along." I walked into 
 the Tract Room ; but did not sit down, but in- 
 stead walked to the door in a somewhat rest- 
 less spirit. I am sure now that it was the 
 Lord that led me away from the meeting. The 
 street meeting broke up and a number of the 
 people came into the Tabernacle door and 
 one lady, a member of the congregation, as 
 she came along was crying. I went up to her 
 asking, "What is the matter, what is wrong?" 
 "Oh," she said with uplifted hands, "your 
 dear, good husband has fallen to the ground." 
 I thought, "it is all over, if he has fallen," and 
 I ran to the corner as fast as I could, but 
 found that he had been carried into the Alli- 
 ance House. I found him lying on the floor 
 speechless, but not quite gone. I prayed that 
 God would let him speak once more to me, 
 but there was no response. I said, "Wilbur, 
 do you know I am with you? If so, can you 
 breathe a sigh of relief?" He breathed once 
 and was gone. I believe the Lord spared him 
 until I reached him.
 
 1 50 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Words cannot express the heart break. I 
 thought it would crush me to death too; but 
 God held me very still in His mighty arms. It 
 was the darkest night of my life, but He has 
 taught me to say, "Thy will be done." Then 
 came an awful struggle as I began to realize 
 that my husband was really gone. 
 
 Kind friends were all around me and about 
 four o'clock in the morning the Spirit of God 
 took hold of me and led me to pray in the 
 Holy Ghost. It was there in prayer that I got 
 away from myself, got away from my dear 
 husband, got away from everything and got 
 right into the very secret of His presence. It 
 was there where God gave me the victory. He 
 brought many dear ones to my remembrance 
 and I prayed for them for those in whose 
 homes we had been and others. Miss 
 McFedries, who was with me, said, "Now, 
 Mrs. Meminger, you have prayed for two 
 hours, you have been around the world and 
 back again. Now I believe the Lord has some- 
 thing to say to you. I would lie down and 
 keep still and let the Lord speak." I said, 
 "Miss McFedries, all I want is to have a vi- 
 sion of Jesus. You pray that the Lord will 
 give me this vision." Miss McFedries prayed 
 and such a prayer I never heard from anyone
 
 Called Home 151 
 
 before. Finally all was quiet she had ceased 
 praying. Suddenly Mr. Meminger appeared 
 in front of me. He was clothed in a beauti- 
 ful robe and at the same time' I saw a beauti- 
 ful mound. It seemed to be so beautiful, so 
 pure, so transparent. My attention was drawn 
 to it. I wondered what it was when I saw 
 Mr. Meminger stoop down and pick something 
 off this mound until his arms became filled. 
 He started away from the mound and it seem- 
 ed that every step of the way opened up so 
 beautiful and glorious. I wondered where 
 he was going when suddenly like a flash Jesus 
 appeared the King, so wonderful, so beauti- 
 ful, words cannot express. And I saw Mr. 
 Meminger lay these trophies at Jesus' feet and 
 I realized at once that they were jewels, souls 
 that he had won for the Master. But that 
 was not all. He returned to the mound and 
 again filled his arms with these trophies, and 
 it seemed as if the more he took away still 
 higher the mound grew. And once again he 
 laid the jewels at the feet of the Master. He 
 bowed down before the Master who laid His 
 hands on his head and said, "Well done, thou 
 good and faithful servant ; thou hast been faith- 
 ful over a few things I will make thee ruler 
 over many; enter thou into the joy of the
 
 152 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Lord." Then I said to Miss McFedries, "Not 
 only has the Holy Spirit given me a vision of 
 Jesus, but He has let me see my dear husband 
 carrying souls and laying them at Jesus' feet." 
 She said, "It was just like Jesus to roll the 
 clouds away and give you such a beautiful 
 vision." 
 
 A few minutes later it seemed to me as 
 though the Lord was going to take me too. I 
 was perfectly calm. I got up, told my sister- 
 in-law, who was also staying with me, every- 
 thing concerning my children and all, for I 
 really thought that I was going. 
 
 Miss McFedries said, "No, no you are not 
 going, the Lord is not through with you." 
 But why do I feel this way? I realized then 
 that God wanted me to be willing to go or stay, 
 and I said, as never before, and from the bot- 
 tom of my heart "Thy will be done, I am per- 
 fectly willing to go, and sweet it would be to 
 meet my dear husband at the early morning 
 hour ; but I am perfectly willing to stay a little 
 longer to perhaps finish some work the Lord 
 would have me do." 
 
 I praise God for such wonderful victory and 
 such a sweet vision of Jesus. I praise God I 
 have learned the blessed secret of abiding in 
 His presence, hidden with Christ. I am so
 
 Called Home 153 
 
 glad Heaven is not far away. Our dear ones 
 are very near. The veil seems very thin. I 
 miss my dear companion at every turn. The 
 tears come without bidding, but it is good to 
 cry. It relieves the heart. Jesus wept at the 
 grave of His friends. 
 
 I have said that we were about to leave on 
 the morrow for New York State. It was to 
 (^p convention work with Rev. E. J. Richards, 
 superintendent of the New York State work. 
 The following letter from Mr. Richards is an 
 evidence that the saving grace of the Lord 
 Jesus was made manifest in the death of Mr. 
 Meminger as well as in his life. 
 
 "Schenectady, N. Y. 
 "My dear Sister Meminger: 
 
 "How delighted I was when Dr. Simpson 
 wrote me that Bro. Meminger had been as- 
 signed to New York State for convention 
 work. The memory of our campaign together 
 two years before is still very precious in my 
 heart, and I was delighted at the thought of 
 having you both with us again. The people 
 over the State felt likewise, and several in re- 
 plying to my letters giving them the names of 
 speakers, and the dates for their convention, 
 spoke of how glad they were to have Bro. 
 Meminger East again. When I received the
 
 154 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 telegram that he was gone, I felt stunned at 
 first. I could hardly realize it. I was in Hor- 
 nell expecting you both to arrive on the train 
 in the next few hours when the telegram was 
 handed me. After the first shock was over, 
 and I really began to grasp the thing, I confess 
 frankly that I did not grieve. You remem- 
 ber Jesus said to His disciples when they were 
 grieving over his departure, "If ye loved me 
 ye would rejoice, because I go to my Father." 
 As the time came for the evening service and 
 Miss Gummoe arrived and brought us word as 
 to the particulars of his home-going, our hearts 
 were melted. I could not preach that night, so 
 instead of attempting to preach, I tried to 
 paint three pictures before the people. The 
 first one showed the scene in the W.C.T.U. 
 rooms at Corning, just two years before and 
 Bro. Meminger pouring out his heart in a call 
 to the unsaved, and how at the close of his ad- 
 dress, it seemed as if God gave him an instant 
 vision of the doom of the lost, and with a cry 
 of, "My God, an open Hell" that startled 
 everybody in the room, he dropped to the floor 
 in a torrent of tears and volley of groans. I 
 tried to picture how the little woman that 
 stood by him in his work pulled his head up 
 into her lap, and how for full twenty minutes
 
 Called Home 155 
 
 knelt there and groaned and prayed for lost 
 souls. 
 
 "The second scene was Rocky Springs Con- 
 vention of 1909, as he stood on the stage of 
 the large theatre, with easily one thousand peo- 
 ple looking up into his face, and he took his 
 text (I think it was the last one I ever heard 
 him preach from), "As the Lord liveth, and as 
 thy soul liveth, there is but a step between thy 
 soul and death," and as he punctuated his ser- 
 mon with the story of a man of his acquaint- 
 ance, who, without a second's warning had 
 been ushered into eternity, we never will for- 
 get the sense of awe that swept down upon 
 the congregation. Then I tried to draw a pic- 
 ture of the scene on 8th avenue and the circle 
 of sin-marked faces as Bro. Meminger stood 
 there pleading with sinners to turn to the liv- 
 ing God, closing his message with a more than 
 usual heart-cry, stepped aside, and in an in- 
 stant was in the presence of the King. With- 
 out any wavering, without any long-drawn out 
 illness, but in the harness, pulling hard for 
 the salvation of souls, and the Glory of God, 
 he fell headlong on toward Glory. 
 
 "I will never forget how the presence of 
 God settled upon the meeting and three souls 
 came quickly forward and wept their way to
 
 1 56 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 the feet of Jesus. We are so glad that while 
 God honored Bro. Meminger's ministry in the 
 salvation of souls, that he also honored his 
 death in the same. While we are glad for him, 
 our hearts beat in sympathy for you. We know 
 this is the hard part, and yet we are sure that 
 our God will prove himself sufficient, and that 
 by His grace, you will fill your place and do 
 your work as faithfully as your husband did 
 his. 
 
 "Assuring you of our Christian love and 
 sympathy, I am 
 
 Most prayerfully yours, 
 "E. J. RICHARDS." 
 
 Little did he think on that memorable night 
 of October 6th, 1909, as he was speaking to 
 a street audience, among whom were a goodly 
 number of laboring men, about making bricks 
 without straw, that these were his last words 
 on earth to a dying world. Little did he think 
 that his work was ended. His relation to 
 family, friends, Alliance and other duties must 
 now shift from the earthly to the heavenly. 
 He could say with Paul, "I am now ready to 
 be offered, the time of my departure is at 
 hand," and he immediately stepped behind the 
 curtain and closed it after him. His voice is 
 no more heard in the street, in the hall, in the
 
 Called Home 157 
 
 convention. His smile radiant with the joy 
 of the Lord and that has cheered so many 
 hearts, has gone with him. He is silenced by 
 the last enemy Death; but I still hear his 
 voice echo in the language of Job, "For I 
 know that my Redeemer liveth and that He 
 shall stand at the latter day on the earth, and 
 though in my skin worms destroy this body, 
 yet in my flesh shall I see God." Henceforth 
 let us not think of him in the grasp of the 
 grave, but as 
 
 "Forever with the Lord ! 
 
 Father, it is Thy will, 
 The promise of that faithful word 
 
 E'en here to me fulfill. 
 
 "So when my latest breath 
 
 Shall rend the vail in twain, 
 By death I shall escape from death, 
 
 And life eternal gain."
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 MEMORIAL SERVICES. 
 
 MORE than a thousand persons gath- 
 ered in the Gospel Tabernacle at noon 
 on Friday, October 8th, for the memo- 
 rial service in connection with the funeral 
 of the late Wilbur F. Meminger. Appropri- 
 ate Scripture selections were read by Prin- 
 cipal Stevens, of Nyack, following the open- 
 ing hymn, "Am I a soldier of the Cross?" 
 After prayer by Rev. F. E. Marsh a solo 
 was sung by Mrs. Mumford, of Philadelphia, 
 "Not Now, but in the Coming Years." 
 
 Mr. Simpson then gave the following ap- 
 preciation : 
 
 " 'And he cried, My father, my father, the 
 chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof. 
 And he saw him no more. And he said, 
 Where is the Lord God of Elijah?' 
 
 "Elisha had just witnessed the passing of 
 his master in a cloud of glory and a chariot 
 of flame. It was the fitting close of a splen- 
 did life that to the younger prophet's mind 
 suggested the figure of the chariots and
 
 Memorial Services 159 
 
 horsemen of a mighty battalion of cavalry 
 and artillery. So Elijah had swept through 
 his brief and dramatic career and so the 
 close had fittingly come in a blaze of glory. 
 
 "In a very real, though of course, a hum- 
 bler way, the glorified spirit, whose passing 
 from our midst we mourn to-day, lived his 
 great and noble life, and the fitting close 
 was not unlike the dramatic career that pre- 
 ceded it. Though we may not have seen the 
 heavenly messengers we cannot question 
 that the chariots of the Lord were there to 
 convey that departing spirit to stand before 
 the King. Had he been permitted to choose 
 the circumstances of his departure it is not 
 hard to believe, as one has already said, that 
 he would have wished no other or greater 
 honor than to die in harness and pass in a 
 moment from the field of battle to the feet 
 of his Lord. 
 
 "None of us who knew him well could fail 
 to note the dramatic touch in all our broth- 
 er's life and ministry. Converted in a mo- 
 ment from a life of sin as by a bolt from 
 heaven while his saintly father was spend- 
 ing the night in prayer for his erring son. 
 his whole life and ministry were passed on 
 an unusual and always supernatural plane.
 
 160 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Probably he never gave an address in his 
 life without startling at some period in his 
 message the most passive of his hearers with 
 a shout that was sufficient to wake the dead. 
 He was always expecting God to do great 
 and mighty things. After his own salvation 
 and healing through the mighty power of 
 God, nothing seemed impossible to his 
 faith. He had a passion for souls. Every 
 service which he conducted had as its goal 
 the getting of somebody from sin to Christ. 
 One of his latest appointments, from which 
 he came directly to this convention, was in 
 the city of Durham, N. C, and he wrote in 
 glowing words of the triumphs of God's 
 grace in the salvation of the crowds of 
 young people which came from night to 
 night to hear and believe. And every few 
 sentences were interspersed with notes of 
 exclamation and punctuation not found in 
 the text books. His reports of his campaigns 
 read like the bulletins of a conquering gen- 
 eral sweeping over victorious battle fields. 
 He seldom paused even to put in the verbs, 
 but dashed off a series of triumphant ejacu- 
 lations and field notes that looked like a plan 
 of battle. No service was too arduous for 
 him if anybody needed to be helped. While
 
 Memorial Services 161 
 
 in charge of our work in the City of Chica- 
 go he was constantly on 'foot visiting the 
 sick and suffering in every part of that wide 
 and scattered city, and ready at any hour of 
 the day and night for the call of duty. His 
 last night on earth, while attending the con- 
 vention here, was largely spent in minister- 
 ing at the bedside of a suffering saint and 
 praying her through. He was a real sol- 
 dier of Christ, intensely loyal to his colors 
 and his cause, and prompt in obedience to 
 the orders of his Commander. The last 
 morning of his life he spent three-quarters 
 of an hour with the writer asking and re- 
 ceiving instructions for the extended cam- 
 paign on which he was just starting out for 
 the next seven or eight months in the State 
 of New York and the Northwest. He was 
 always waiting for orders and ready implic- 
 itly to follow them. No word of criticism 
 or complaint ever passed his lips. If there 
 were trials, hardships, self-denials, only the 
 Master heard the story. With his devoted 
 wife, who was in the fullest sense that the 
 words could mean his helpmate, he has trav- 
 elled in the service of the Alliance over ev- 
 ery portion of the United States and Cana-
 
 162 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 da and everywhere his memory is blessed 
 and his fruit remains. 
 
 "The last scene in his dramatic life is al- 
 ready familiar to us. About to depart on the 
 morrow for a long campaign of more than 
 half a year, he had gone out in front of the 
 Gospel Tabernacle to take part in the street 
 service which always precedes the evening 
 meeting, and to give what proved to be his 
 last message on earth to the people he loved. 
 He had supplied the pulpit of the Gospel 
 Tabernacle for two summers, and was re- 
 garded by them as almost one of their pas- 
 tors. With unusual unction and power he 
 appealed to the crowd before him and 
 preached unto them repentance toward God 
 and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He 
 had scarcely finished when he was seen to 
 fall forward on the pavement. He was 
 quickly carried into the Alliance House and 
 two physicians sent for; but in a few mo- 
 ments, and even before they arrived, his 
 spirit had passed to be with Christ, and his 
 beloved wife and the great congregation that 
 was gathering in the Tabernacle were reel- 
 ing from the awful shock of this sudden 
 blow. It seemed indeed like the sudden 
 passing of a chariot of fire.
 
 Memorial Services 163 
 
 "One moment here, 
 
 The next beyond the stars." 
 
 "No language can express our sense of 
 loss in the passing of our. beloved Brother 
 Meminger. His spirit will always shine in 
 our memory and affection and in glorious 
 light side by side with John Cookman, 
 David Lelacheur and Henry Wilson, the 
 most gifted and lamented of the honor roll 
 of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. 
 His beloved wife has had a great share in 
 the blessing of his fruitful life. In modest 
 silence and womanly love and loyalty she 
 has suffered and labored by his side and been 
 the inspiration of his noblest achievements. 
 How tenderly and quaintly he talked of 'the 
 little woman from Chicago,' and how our 
 hearts go out to her in this unspeakable trial 
 in deepest tenderness, sympathy, love and 
 prayer, and how we thank God for the 
 abundant grace that is not only sustaining 
 her but making her 'more than conqueror 
 through Him that loved her.' 
 
 ' 'He saw him no more. And he cried, 
 Where is the Lord God of Elijah?' His mas- 
 ter would never again return, but his God 
 was still the all-sufficient Jehovah. Our 
 brother has left us. How unspeakably we
 
 164 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 feel the loss! How ill we can spare him 
 from our depleted ranks and our straggling 
 skirmishers along the firing line! But his 
 God is still our 'heritage, and He who gave 
 us Cookman, Lelacheur, Wilson and Mem- 
 inger is still able to supply our need, to re- 
 cruit our ranks and to prove as He has so 
 often proved to us before that it is 'not by 
 might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith 
 the Lord of Hosts.' Let us not be discour- 
 aged, but take up his mantle, claim the pow- 
 er and the promises of his God, and go forth 
 to finish his work and ours." 
 
 Rev. and Mrs. F. H. Senft sang the hymn 
 well known among Alliance friends, "I've 
 Yielded to God and I'm Saved Every Hour," 
 Mr. Senft telling how several years ago 
 when Mr. and Mrs. Meminger were out 
 West in the work they received word by tel- 
 egraph of the sudden death of their son. 
 They continued their work, not leaving it to 
 attend the funeral, but God gave them vic- 
 tory and they sang together this beautiful 
 hymn. 
 
 Mr. Senft then related how seventeen 
 years ago, when he, M.r. Senft, had just be- 
 gun work on full Gospel lines in the city of
 
 Memorial Services 165 
 
 Altoona, the friends in Tyrone, fourteen 
 miles east, would come up to the special all- 
 day meetings, Mr. Meminger among them, 
 and his father-in-law, the Rev. (John D. 
 Stewart. These friends from Tyrone were 
 compelled to wait after the night services 
 for the midnight train, and they held some 
 remarkable after meetings of great spiritual 
 power. "How I can see," said Mr. Senft, 
 "that little company yet as we lingered at 
 the feet of Jesus there in that after meeting, 
 where victories were won. A little later af- 
 ter attending some of these meetings, our 
 dear brother came up to Altoona and had a 
 season of prayer for divine direction. If I 
 were at home he would take it of the Lord 
 that he was to have a season of prayer and 
 an interview with us. When he got off the 
 train I was there at the station for some 
 purpose, and in a few moments we were 
 at home, and there in that upper room he 
 unburdened his heart and we waited at the 
 feet of Jesus for a while. I had known pre- 
 viously that he had broken down some few 
 years before after a remarkable ministry in 
 evangelistic work in many places, during 
 which hundreds of souls had been saved, 
 with a serious affection of the throat, and
 
 166 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 had been compelled to give up preaching and 
 go into secular business though he remained 
 an active worker in the church where he 
 lived. As we knelt and waited upon God 
 and as the oil was poured upon him the 
 Lord filled the room and the little company 
 and healed him, and sent him forth as a nam- 
 ing torch. I thank God for this little fellow- 
 ship with him and have followed him with 
 praise to God all these years as he has been 
 with us, one of us in a true sense, as a broth- 
 er said only a few days before his death, 
 'through and through an Alliance man, im- 
 bued with the truth and the spirit that God 
 has given to us as a mighty trust in these 
 last days.' Let us be faithful to all that our 
 God has for us and pray that the ranks may 
 be filled and the work go on for Hjis glory." 
 Rev. W. T. MacArthur, who succeeded 
 Mr. Meminger in the Alliance work in Chi- 
 cago, and who had come into very close 
 touch with him as Mir. Meminger continued 
 to make his home there, next spoke. He 
 said, "I have to confess to selfishness when 
 I heard of his death I could not understand 
 it. I dreaded to meet Mrs. Meminger, 
 knowing how attached they were to each 
 other they were inseparable. I thought
 
 Memorial Services 167 
 
 perhaps it would kill her, but I lost sight 
 of that when I heard her singing: 
 
 " 'Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, 
 Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.' 
 
 "And I thought, she is all right; the Com- 
 forter has come to her. But what about 
 our poor work ! Each one of us doing more 
 than one man's work, and it seems as though 
 it could not be possible that we had lost 
 one, especially as I noticed in him and re- 
 marked to one of our superintendents a few 
 days ago what wonderful strides he seemed 
 to have made in the spiritual life. Well, God 
 is able to raise up a successor, another 
 worker or workers that will accomplish the 
 work. It may be there isn't so very much 
 more for us to do. It may be that Jesus is 
 just coming." 
 
 Mr. Meminger had been for several cam- 
 paigns with Rev. R. A. Forrest, Superinten- 
 dent of the Southern Alliance work, and he 
 was next to speak. "We have had the pleas- 
 ure of having had Mr. and Mrs. Mteminger 
 with us in the South for a number of cam- 
 paigns. Last year they were with us for 
 five months consecutively without any
 
 1 68 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 break. We were together every day. Since 
 then we have had him with us for two or 
 three shorter tours and just recently down 
 in Atlanta and then Durham, N. C, where 
 we have a Fourfold Gospel Tabernacle. Mr. 
 Johnson, pastor of this Gospel Tabernacle, 
 has written me twice about these meetings, 
 and said that it seemed to him as if there 
 was an aurora of glory around his whole 
 person as he spoke, and the power of God 
 fell upon the people as never before. M,any 
 souls were saved, many Christians definitely 
 received the Holy Ghost, and the work in 
 Durham has doubled through Mr. Memin- 
 ger's ministry. 
 
 "I want to give a personal testimony. I 
 have never met a man who was more thor- 
 oughly God's man, or an Alliance worker 
 more thoroughly an Alliance worker. There 
 wasn't a flaw in his fellowship or service. 
 In all those months of campaigning we nev- 
 er asked him to take a service but what he 
 nodded his head in his characteristic way 
 and said, 'Vtery well.' On the other hand 
 if we asked him to give up a service he 
 would give the same characteristic nod 
 and say, 'Very well.' I counted it a great 
 privilege to have known him. I am a better
 
 Memorial Services 169 
 
 man to-day because I have been with him. 
 Since the Lord called him home there has 
 been a cry in my heart day and night that 
 God will help us to be as faithful to God as 
 he has been for the work's sake and for His 
 sake." 
 
 The service closed with the hymn, 
 "Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep." The re- 
 mains were then taken to Tyrone, Pa., 
 where a service was held on Saturday, 
 where the funeral service and interment 
 took place. 
 
 The funeral services were held in Tyrone, 
 Saturday afternoon at 2 P.M'. 
 
 After a song from the choir Dr. Stein, of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, read Exo- 
 dus v. The Rev. Mr. Gunter, of the Presby- 
 terian Church, followed by prayer. 
 
 Rev. E. D. Whiteside, of Pittsburg, then 
 spoke, using for his text the last clause of 
 I. Chronicles iv. 23, "There they dwelt with 
 the king for his work." 
 
 First, he spoke of the dignity of the work 
 for the King. For what purpose are we 
 here ? Why are we in Tyrone ? Not to hon- 
 or man, but to honor the King. We want to 
 honor Him by our lives and by our testi-
 
 170 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 mony, witnessing to the world the great- 
 ness of our King, and to the fact that He is 
 soon to return. 
 
 Second, fellowship with the King in His 
 business. The King has called us to co- 
 operate with Him in the great work of evan- 
 gelizing the world and to witness to the heal- 
 ing power of God. The Holy Spirit has been 
 sent to quicken us and to equip us for the 
 great work of the King. 
 
 Third, the workman trained by the King 
 Himself. The Holy Spirit is the great 
 Teacher, and He sends us up and down the 
 land as living witnesses. He said, "I have 
 known our Brother Meminger for several 
 years, having first met him in Tyrone, and 
 our fellowship has been very precious, as he 
 has been with us at various times in our con- 
 ventions and meetings in Pittsburg." Mr. 
 Whiteside then spoke of his striking person- 
 ality, his unique methods, and his holy zeal, 
 and of his untiring services and busy career 
 of the later year: going across and up and 
 down the continent as a flaming evangel in 
 every direction, in the work of the King to 
 whom he was so loyal. He also spoke of 
 Mr. Meminger's last hours in New York 
 City at the street meeting, and very tender-
 
 Memorial Services 171 
 
 ly rehearsed the manner in which he laid 
 down his life so suddenly at the feet of 
 Jesus, and also made mention of the salva- 
 tion of the man in the very spot where M!r. 
 Meminger had fallen, as a response of the 
 Holy Spirit to the last pregnant cry of our 
 brother's lips, "My heart is breaking for 
 souls," uttered just before he fell to the 
 ground. 
 
 A strong personal appeal was given to all 
 present in closing, and Mr. Whiteside was 
 followed by Mr. George L. Glunt, also of 
 Pittsburg, who said in part: 
 
 " 'Thanks be unto God who giveth us the 
 victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' 
 
 "Victory in life and victory in death. Sud- 
 den death bringing sudden glory. 
 
 "The occasion which brings us here at 
 this time would plunge us into the deepest 
 gloom and despair if it were not for the fact 
 of the glorious hope of the resurrection from 
 the dead and eternal life through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 "Blessed (happy) are the dead which die 
 in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith 
 the Spirit, that they may rest from their la- 
 bors ; and their work do follow them.
 
 172 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 "I thank God for the lives of such men as 
 our departed Brother Meminger. He was 
 one of my good friends, and my home in 
 Pittsburg was one of the many homes which 
 the Lord gave to him. 
 
 "On a recent visit, after coming in tired 
 from a long trip, and having discussed var- 
 ious phases of the Lord's work, we knelt in 
 prayer and this was a time long to be re- 
 membered, and we have frequently spoken 
 of it as a time of refreshing from the pres- 
 ence of the Lord. Brother Meminger, as 
 he prayed, laughed and wept, and the glory 
 of the Lord filled the room, and His pres- 
 ence was never more real than at that mid- 
 night hour. 
 
 "He gave me priceless advice concerning 
 the work, and things pertaining to the king- 
 dom. God has since called me to be an 
 evangelist and we cannot tell how much has 
 been due to Brother Meminger's prayer and 
 brotherly counsel. 
 
 "I somehow associate his last message to 
 the great crowd of workingmen in New 
 York City, with the great message of our 
 Lord Jesus that day at Capernaum, when 
 He addressed the great crowd of poor, sick, 
 blind and lame, crying to them in their mis-
 
 Memorial Services 173 
 
 ery, sin and discouragements: 'Come unto 
 Me.' 
 
 "Brother Meminger went through the 
 States in churches and tents and on the 
 streets of the cities, calling men to 'flee from 
 the wrath to come/ 
 
 "His life has been a great inspiration to 
 me ; and were I to choose my departure 
 from this world I could not desire anything 
 more grand than to leave as he did. 
 
 "What lesson are we to learn from the 
 circumstances which surround us to-day? 
 May God by His Spirit speak to all of our 
 hearts regardless of our place or position in 
 the world, and may there come a great fu- 
 ture out of this providence. May the un- 
 saved hear the voice of Jesus, saying, 'Come 
 unto Me.' 
 
 "May the business man arise from the 
 spirit of materialism to a place of victory, 
 and may those who sorrow find a closer fel- 
 lowship with the Comforter who can be a 
 husband to the widow and a father to the 
 fatherless." 
 
 After the choir sang "Some Day We'll 
 Understand," the service closed by prayer 
 from the former pastor, Rev. Mr. Warren.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 TRIBUTES. 
 
 WE have received a volume of testi- 
 monies to- the life and character of 
 our brother, many of great length. 
 We feel it would seem like gilding the re- 
 fined gold to add words of eulogy to the 
 picture which has already spoken for it- 
 self in the preceding pages. We cannot re- 
 frain, however, from extracting a few lines 
 from this multitude of tributes which we feel 
 would unduly exceed the size of the volume. 
 Among others Rev. J. D. Williams, Secretary 
 of the Board of the Christian and Missionary 
 Alliance writes: 
 
 "It was the privilege of the writer to know 
 Brother Meminger for about fourteen 
 years, and during all that time he spent 
 his life unselfishly in active service 
 for the Miaster. How often his voice has 
 been heard in Conventions of the Chris- 
 tian and Missionary Alliance and in other 
 religious gatherings and scores of souls 
 have been saved and filled with the Spirit un- 
 der his faithful preaching and teaching. He 
 was one of God's true Ministers who fear- 
 lessly declared the truth without partiality,
 
 MRS. WILBUR F. MEMINGER.
 
 Tributes 175 
 
 and in the fear of the Lord. He was aggress- 
 ive in spirit, always pressing onward to high- 
 er ground." 
 
 Rev. H. L. Stevens, superintendent of the 
 Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, 
 writes : 
 
 "The shock to my heart when the news of 
 dear Brother Meminger's home going reached 
 me was only relieved by the assurance that 
 sudden death to him meant sudden glory. 
 
 "I can't forget our trip together through the 
 great Northwest a little over two years ago. 
 
 "Throughout all that long journey the thing 
 that impressed me most was not only his faith- 
 fulness in prayer and preaching of the Word, 
 but especially the beautiful spirit of willing- 
 ness and humility, in ministering to the small- 
 est companies of people as well as the larger 
 audiences, and the earnest way in which he 
 entered into every service. Not once did I 
 hear him complain. 
 
 "The last time we were together was at the 
 Summer Convention in Toronto in 1909 and 
 my last view of him is indelibly impressed on 
 my memory as he poured out his soul to God 
 for the people in his closing prayer while the 
 tears rained down his face. We little thought 
 that we should not see him again."
 
 176 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 Rev. George P. Pardington, Ph.D., of the 
 Nyack Institute, writes : 
 
 "In personal appearance he united strength, 
 gracefulness and attractiveness. He had a 
 winsome smile and a real charm of manner. 
 
 "As a preacher and platform speaker Mr. 
 Meminger was unique. Both in material and 
 in delivery his sermons and addresses were 
 peculiar to himself. His object was the 
 salvation of the sinners and the edfication of 
 believers in a word, getting men and women 
 to the point of moral decision. To him this 
 need was greater than any mission. His il- 
 lustrations were often homely but always tell- 
 ing. 
 
 "In his interests and sympathies Mr. Mem- 
 inger was democratic, his hand clasp was 
 hearty, his smile winsome and his greeting 
 cheery. There was, in fact, the ring of sin- 
 cerity about the whole man." 
 
 Rev. A. E. Funk, Secretary of the Chris- 
 tian asd Missionary Alliance, was abroad at 
 the time of Mr. Meminger's departure, and 
 he writes: 
 "Dear Mrs. Meminger: 
 
 "The sad news of Brother Meminger's sud- 
 den departure which reached me at Port Said, 
 Egypt, on my missionary journey was a great
 
 Tributes 177 
 
 shock and had a very solemnizing effect on my 
 spirit. I felt as if another pillar of the Alli- 
 ance had been taken and it would be difficult 
 to find one like him to put into the vacant 
 place. I felt a loving and praying friend had 
 been taken from my side. He always mani- 
 fested a deep interest in the missionaries and 
 he loved them all. His abundant prayers for 
 them were always intense and full of faith. 
 He was a lover of the truth, a defender of the 
 Word and the Faith 'once for all delivered to 
 the saints.' A true preacher of the true Gos- 
 pel, a lover of souls and a strenuous worker 
 in God's vineyard. He will ever remain dear 
 in the memory of those who knew him. His 
 works do follow him. Blessed is he with the 
 Lord and at His glorious appearing he will 
 appear with Him in glory. God be with you 
 in comfort and upholding." 
 
 A. E. FUNK. 
 
 "It was given to me to accompany from time 
 to time prominent Alliance leaders and work- 
 ers, as also returned missionaries, on the Pa- 
 cific Coast section of their tours. It was thus 
 that I came in contact with them personally 
 and under peculiar opportunity of observa- 
 tion such as served to reveal their real char-
 
 178 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 acteristics. I had much of this opportunity to 
 see the real off-guard man Meminger. I may 
 say emphatically that I never knew a man to 
 wear better than Brother Meminger. He 
 never was off guard, for he never was on 
 guard, i. e: in any studied, artificial, occa- 
 sional sense. Yet in the true Scriptural sense 
 he was always on guard. Under all the vary- 
 ing circumstances of itinerant work I never 
 knew any 'shadow of turning' in him. He 
 never turned tourist, but was as one sent on 
 a business which knew no intermission. He 
 was 'instant in season, out of season.' He 
 seemed to maintain consciously the presence 
 and communion of Jesus. The Saviour 
 seemed incessantly precious and dear to him. 
 While free from all eagerness and feverish- 
 ness, yet he was instantly and fully ready for 
 the word or deed needed, whether in public 
 or in private. He was the perfect gentleman 
 at all times, toward all classes, in his disposi- 
 tion and demeanor, and even in his dress. 
 
 "He never had a complaint or fault to find. 
 He never was guilty of back-biting or reflec- 
 tions upon others. He was inexhaustibly 
 charitable. He saw so much to enjoy and 
 commend in others, in individuals, in compa- 
 nies, in the meetings.
 
 Tributes 179 
 
 "He never wearied of well-doing and never 
 let any know that he experienced weariness 
 in his labors, although he must have often 
 been greatly worn. He never evaded an op- 
 portunity and he left one feeling that day by 
 day every new step saw the duty of the pre- 
 vious step fully performed. 
 
 "The supreme test was when the news met 
 him and his wife that their son Charles had 
 met with instant death. This did not cause a 
 halt, a murmur, or a weakness. It was an 
 added power in praise prayer and preaching. 
 
 "Could he plead his favorite theme of sal- 
 vation for all the family, how earnestly and 
 effectively he labored to make family circles 
 complete in the Lord Jesus ! I doubt not, 
 many a poor wanderer, many a child, many a 
 young man or woman, many a parent, many 
 a husband or wife, yea, many a whole family, 
 will rise up in the everlasting kingdom to 
 crown Mr. Meminger with grateful acknow- 
 ledgements. And the Lord Jesus will say, 
 'Well done, Thou good and faithful servant.' " 
 
 "W. C. STEVENS," 
 "Principal Missionary Institute, 
 
 Nyack, N. Y." 
 
 "Mr. Meminger was an inspiration to me,
 
 i8o " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 in his life and unselfish ministry to others. In 
 his teaching on divine healing he was most 
 helpful. We often worked together in the 
 convention after meetings, at Nyack and Old 
 Orchard, and I always felt that he was a man 
 of God and greatly beloved by the people. 
 Our dear brother had his own quaint, original 
 and forcible way of presenting the truth in the 
 power of the Holy Spirit, which I believe bore 
 much fruit in the lives of others." 
 
 "MlSS LlNDENBERGER." 
 
 "My dear Friend : 
 
 "In reply to yours of March 3Oth, it affords 
 me a sad pleasure to write a word or two in 
 memory of our dear brother Meminger, who 
 has been called to be with his Lord. 
 
 "I knew him for years, and saw him in the 
 work he loved so dearly in Boston, New York, 
 Chicago, and other places. It was in this 
 city, however, that we more frequently met, 
 and where for a while he led a class-meeting 
 on Saturday mornings in the Moody Church, 
 and conducted the gatherings of the Christian 
 Alliance in Willard Hall. 
 
 "His Christianity was of the joyously ener- 
 getic type of our Methodist brethren, and un- 
 der his leadership a meeting could not go to
 
 Tributes 181 
 
 sleep. He was an evangelist to the tips of his 
 fingers, and knew how to get people "started" 
 as they say, about as well as any one I recall 
 in comparison with him. 
 
 "He was particularly earnest in public pray- 
 er, and seemed to know God as his Father 
 through Jesus Christ as Christians generally 
 do not. 
 
 "His cheery manner, and smiling face and 
 hopeful utterances were a great benediction 
 where he went, and for which all who remem- 
 ber him have cause for sincerest gratitude 
 and praise. 
 
 "With cordial and sympathetic remem- 
 brances, I am 
 
 "Faithfully yours, 
 "JAMES M. GRAY." 
 
 "We are glad to be permitted to contribute 
 a few words of testimony to our beloved 
 friend and brother, Rev. W. F. Meminger. 
 
 "We praise God, that during our recent fur- 
 lough in America we had the inestimable 
 privilege of attending several conventions in 
 company with him, and also remember with 
 much pleasure the happy hours we spent in 
 religious and social communication as we 
 travelled from place to place.
 
 182 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 "He was indeed a blessing to us, and the 
 missionaries had no better friend in the home- 
 land than our dear brother. How we enjoy- 
 ed his fervent messages, so full of the Gospel, 
 interspersed now and then with a loud sing- 
 ing hallelujah which would cause one's faith 
 to mount up several degrees higher. If the 
 messages of the "Little Man from Chicago," 
 as he loved to call himself, were fervent, 
 much more were his prayers. Many times 
 at an altar service when others seemed to 
 have prayed out, he would pour out his soul 
 in such unction that all would be blessed. 
 
 "His desire for souls and extension of the 
 Kingdom of God is well summed up in a 
 phrase which he was fond of using, viz. : 'A 
 keener blade and a wider swath in the harvest 
 field.' Thank God for such a life as that of 
 Bro. Meminger, and may we all who are still 
 in the whitened fields follow him as he fol- 
 lowed Christ." 
 
 "MR. & MRS. WILMOTH A. FARMER, 
 Fin Cheo Fu, Kwang Si, South China." 
 
 "Some years ago it was my privilege to 
 move to the Pacific Northwest, and locate 
 in Everett, Washington. It was my desire for 
 some time to have our dear Brother and Sis-
 
 Tributes 183 
 
 ter Meminger visit our district, and especially 
 our city. This privilege was granted and last 
 April he and his beloved wife came and held 
 conventions along the Coast and were with us 
 both here and at Mukilteo. At that time we 
 were starting the new Tabernacle and the cor- 
 nerstone was laid by our brother. 
 
 "On the Sunday afternoon we all marched 
 up the street to the lot singing, 
 
 'We're marching to Zion,' 
 
 and after prayer and song and a few appropri- 
 ate remarks, the stone was put in place by our 
 Brother's hands." 
 
 "MRS. A. C. YORK." 
 
 "Dear Sister Meminger: 
 
 "It is with pleasure that I pause to write a 
 few words of appreciation for your book ; and 
 as I do so, loving memories of my past asso- 
 ciations with our dear Brother Meminger 
 come vividly and pleasantly to me. 
 
 "Our first acquaintance was at a convention 
 of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, held 
 in the Moody Church in Chicago. I was chair- 
 man of the local board, hence it devolved upon 
 me to introduce him, not only to the conven- 
 tion, but to the local members of the Alliance 
 that he had come to serve, which brought me
 
 184 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 into a close, and intimate relationship with him 
 from the start, while his genial, pleasant, and 
 agreeable manner won his way into the hearts 
 of all. 
 
 "As a Christian minister he was successful ; 
 His evident close and intimate relationship 
 with the Holy Spirit gave him unusual power 
 in prayer. While praying for those seeking 
 salvation, or for the sick, he reached the throne 
 by a well trodden path, and God loved to an- 
 swer his prayer of faith. 
 
 "Brother Meminger was always considerate, 
 kind and pleasant. I never knew him to en- 
 gage in gossip or talk that would reflect un- 
 kindly on anybody. He was always a wel- 
 come guest at my home, appreciated both by 
 myself and my wife, who is now in glory with 
 him. 
 
 "I loved him as a brother, and indeed he 
 was a dear brother in Christ. 
 
 "He was an honest, true and faithful friend, 
 a conscientious, noble living example as a 
 Christian, in the truest sense. 
 
 "R. H. TRUMBULL." 
 
 "People talk of two kinds of Christians, 
 viz., long-faced and round-faced ones, Mr. 
 Meminger belonged to the latter. He was
 
 Tributes 185 
 
 always bubbling over with the joy of the 
 Lord. 
 
 "All who have read his spicy reports in the 
 Alliance paper will remember how God's side, 
 the bright side, the shining side was brought 
 out. Although the cares of many, and the 
 trials of the different branches were poured 
 into his ears, he always had the right word of 
 comfort, and with those in trouble called upon 
 Him who alone knows all about our struggles. 
 
 "He was too young at the time of the civil 
 war to enlist, but he had a military turn of 
 mind. 
 
 "His writings and messages were alive 
 with the truth, that the Captain of his salva- 
 tion never lost a battle. 
 
 "Oh that more of us would lift up, and look 
 up knowing that He is our victor, and con- 
 quering One !" "REV. J. C. BAKER." 
 
 "It gives me great pleasure to add my little 
 quota to the words of love and tenderness 
 concerning our dear departed friend and 
 brother, the Rev. Wilbur F. Meminger. 
 \Vhile pastor in Chicago I knew him well and 
 appreciated him. On several occasions I had 
 him in my pulpit and he conducted one series 
 of special meetings for me. He was often in
 
 186 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 my home, and his bright and cheerful presence 
 was always refreshing. 
 
 "First. And now, first of all, let me say 
 that Mr. Meminger was a gentleman. What- 
 ever else he may have been, he was a gentle- 
 man. 
 
 "Second. He was a Christian. 
 
 "He loved his Lord and he was whole- 
 hearted in it. To him the wonder was that 
 everybody did not seek to be a Christian. And 
 his one consuming passion was that of making 
 Christians. 
 
 "Third. He knew the art fine art di- 
 vine art of prayer. Once having heard him 
 pray you could never forget it. He prayed as 
 one who knew God. He expected answers 
 from heaven and he received them. 
 
 "Fourth. He loved the lost. He was once 
 himself lost and he never forgot the horrors 
 of it. He looked upon lost men as more or 
 less given over to the service of the evil one, 
 and it was easy for him to see what invalu- 
 able service they might be rendering the Lord 
 Jesus if only they were truly saved. 
 
 "Fifth. He was ready to meet his Lord. 
 
 " 'Happy the man that so orders his life, 
 and so lives, that God can thus instantly speak
 
 Tributes 187 
 
 the word only, and summon his servant with 
 perfect safety into His holy presence !' " 
 
 "REV. MILTON M. BALES, D.D." 
 
 "To say that our beloved brother has died, 
 or that he has fallen asleep, does not fitly de- 
 scribe the manner of his departure. He was 
 taken from us: Less to corporal change, 
 nothing could have been more rapid or nearer 
 to translation, when in a twinkling of an eye 
 we shall be changed. We feel drawn nearer 
 to his bereaved wife in her present sorrow by 
 reason of the fiery trial and overwhelming 
 affliction through which they were passing on 
 their first visit, and our first acquaintance with 
 them at Riverside, California. 
 
 "It was then that faith and fortitude shone 
 forth in the crucible of their sorrow and im- 
 pressed indelibly on our hearts that there were 
 two who indeed knew their God. 
 
 "Who could have discerned under the calm 
 exterior of this Field-marshal of the Lord and 
 the Alliance, for the first time before our 
 small unemotional company that then formed 
 the Riverside Branch Meeting that afternoon 
 in the First Baptist Church, that there beat a 
 heart bowed down with the weight of sorrow 
 and torn by the news of a great and sudden ca-
 
 1 88 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 lamity, which had overtaken them while in the 
 North of the State by a brief, cruel telegraphic 
 sentence, announcing the disaster and death of 
 their sturdy, promising youngest son, cut off in 
 the bud of his manhood while railroading on 
 one of the transcontinental lines. 
 
 "What a testimony! These two noble ser- 
 vants of God ! He, with an indomitable ener- 
 gy and unquenchable seal; she, with her in- 
 tense love and desire to serve, had together 
 braved some perilous travel amidst the mid- 
 winter storms of the Rockies; he, with his 
 dynamic utterances and startling climaxes; 
 she, with her modest book counter, recom- 
 mending the Gospel in word and writ. 
 
 "Heaven will have chronicled the heroism 
 of that day, when for the first time since the 
 staggering blow, their forwarded mail brought 
 the heart-breaking details. They read and 
 wept together. But they stood before that 
 waiting company, unconscious of the facts 
 with the glow of Heaven's grace upon His face 
 and the dominant note of victory in his 
 message. 
 
 "He related how they had been snowbound, 
 suffering by reason of long delays and narrow 
 and thrilling escapes from accidents. But like 
 one marching in the ranks of an advancing
 
 Tributes 189 
 
 host they had passed through, and amidst 
 cloud and smoke of a terrific and almost mor- 
 tal combat appeared that beautiful afternoon 
 and night in fragrant Riverside, the orange 
 garden of California, lifting the standard on 
 high in their testimony of praise to super- 
 natural victory and the reality of a full Gos- 
 pel, revealed indeed on Calvary's shadow 
 and resurrection triumph, especially as the ex- 
 perience of our dear Brother and Sister be- 
 came fully apprehended. 
 
 "His personality and ministry suggested the 
 sure combination of Elijah and Elisha, an 
 evangelist of the Gospel of Grace, but an un- 
 compromising prophet of judgment, whose 
 presence and message seem to be consonant 
 with the fire, the whirlwind, the earthquake 
 and the cataclysms that herald the Lord's com- 
 ing and the knell of dawn. In the light of his 
 life and ministry, the world of his thought 
 and the strenuousness of his labors, this sud- 
 den call is a consistent and glorious departure. 
 "GERARD A. BAILLEY." 
 
 "We had the privilege of Brother and Sis- 
 ter Meminger's presence in our home in West 
 Pittston, Pa., for a week. Here we enjoyed 
 the sweet fellowship and beauty of their lives.
 
 190 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 We caught a glimpse of the self-sacrifice of 
 these two dear ones. They had just returned 
 from a campaign in Western Canada, Calgary 
 and Winnipeg, fraught with much suffering, 
 being blockaded by snow for a few days. But 
 in spite of all the privations and hardships 
 consequent with the life of an evangelist, he 
 kept pressing on. This was the prominent and 
 predominant spirit in Brother Meminger, to 
 spend and be spent for the Master. 
 
 "We can only say, 'How have the mighty 
 fallen !' We had begun in speculation to count 
 the days until Mother and Father Meminger 
 would be with us, when one day the news was 
 brought to us that he had gone to his reward. 
 Sister Stone and I were just sitting down to 
 our dinner. Needless to say that the meal re- 
 mained untouched. We bowed our heads and 
 wept and wept in the agony of our spirits as 
 we realized our loss, and then the Holy Spirit 
 reminded us of one who was suffering far 
 keener than we were or could, and then we 
 bowed in prayer for her who was left. 
 
 "Such unselfishness and complete abandon- 
 ment of selfish desires and motives could not 
 but inspire the hearts of his hearers, and could 
 only bring down the blessing and benediction 
 of Almighty God upon himself. Like the
 
 Tributes 191 
 
 ripened wheat bending its head and waiting 
 for the scythe, so this humble head was bowed 
 and went home in the very manner he wished, 
 dying in active service, like the brave sol- 
 dier he was." 
 
 "O. J. STONE." 
 
 "At a special meeting of the pastors and officers 
 of the Gospel Tabernacle, New York City, on Tues- 
 day, October 19, 1909, the following resolution was 
 unanimously and sympathetically passed : 
 
 "We, the pastors' and officers of the Gospel Taber- 
 nacle Church, do place on record our most hearty 
 and appreciative recognition of the life and labor of 
 our beloved brother, 
 
 W. F. MEMINGER, 
 
 who fell asleep in Jesus, suddenly, on Wednesday, 
 October 6th, 1909. We praise God for the un- 
 swerving faith, the ardent love, the concentrated zeal, 
 the consecrated life, the singleness of purpose, the 
 evangelical fervor, the love of men, the regard for 
 God's truth, and the aim at God's glory, which ever 
 characterized our friend. He sleeps, but the aroma 
 of his unique and useful life will influence all who 
 knew him for many a day. 
 
 "We most affectionately commend to the God of 
 all comfort, our sister, Mrs. Meminger, and pray 
 that she may be cheered by the remembrance that 
 her loved one is with Christ; that Christ is with 
 her, and that when the shadows have fled away and
 
 192 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 the morning of Christ's glad return is here she will 
 then see her absent one again." 
 
 Signed on behalf of the meeting. 
 
 A. B. SIMPSON, Senior Pastor. 
 
 F. E. MARSH, Acting Pastor. 
 
 GEO. H. A. McCi-ARE, Church Clerk. 
 
 The following Resolution was passed by 
 the Board of the Christian and Missionary 
 Alliance: 
 
 "In the circumstances of the departure on Oc- 
 tober 6th, of our deeply loved and highly honored 
 brother, Wilbur F. Meminger, we recognize signally 
 the adorable pleasure of our all-wise and gracious 
 Lord. In the prime of life, in unquestioned health, 
 with his best service just finished, and immediately 
 after pouring out his very heart blood in appeal to 
 the throng upon one of New York's highways, he 
 was caught up as suddenly as Elijah, and no one 
 had opportunity to hinder heaven's behest by one 
 word of entreaty that our brother be spared to us 
 longer. It would be very rash to lament and to de- 
 plore this event, even our own seeming irreparable 
 loss cannot have been overlooked by the Lord of the 
 harvest. Seldom are God's children invited so per- 
 suasively to 'sorrow not.' 
 
 "While our brother was most unaffected yet he 
 presented strong characteristics. While unconsci- 
 ously modest, he was never abashed or hesitating. 
 He never required consideration, but was at rest 
 under any conditions. He seemed always in per- 
 fect readiness, yet with no uneasy eagerness. His
 
 Tributes 193 
 
 repose was complete, his action all alive. He knew 
 how to be silent, and he opened his mouth only 
 with profitable utterance. Without mannerism, his 
 manners were charming. 
 
 "The real secret of his life as we knew him, was, 
 that he was in Christ and Christ in him. Truly 
 Christ Jesus was his passion, his all. Hence, what- 
 ever he did, he did with his might, with love unto 
 Christ. 
 
 "In every relation, capacity or effort, he was 
 undivided, it was, 'as much as in me is.' In preach- 
 ing, he was every fiber a preacher. In private, he 
 was just as much about his Master's business seek- 
 ing souls. As husband, he loved his wife even as 
 Christ loves the Church, even as his own body. As 
 father, friend, counsellor, in business or in the closet, 
 by day or by night, in season, out of season, the 
 motive was, 'Jesus Only,' the action was 'All for 
 Jesus.' He counted not himself his own, but the 
 Lord's and anybody's, anything, by the will of the 
 Lord. Like his outward attire, he was always in 
 perfect trim. His readiness was instant, his depar- 
 ture was instant, his Glory was instant. Blessed be 
 the name of the Lord! 
 
 "In expressible sympathy we sorrow with the 
 devoted wife in her widowhood. We venture to 
 claim some share in her love and honor for the de- 
 parted one. But above all, we rejoice in the mar- 
 velous grace which enables her to offer her widow- 
 hood as her choicest vessel to the praise and glory
 
 194 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 of God, and as her highest gift of usefulness to 
 
 other in Jesus' name." 
 
 "Committee : 
 
 WM. C. STEVENS, 
 DAVID CREAR, 
 A. B. SIMPSON, 
 F. H. SENFT."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 WILBUR MEMINGER'S TRAITS. 
 
 AS an illustration of some of the pecu- 
 liarities, originalities and traits re- 
 ferred to in the above letters we add 
 a few of the announcements which M'r. 
 Meminger sometimes used to attract the 
 people to his service. These notices speak 
 for themselves. 
 
 AKRON, OHIO 
 
 MANY MORE SINNERS WANTED 
 
 AT 221 EAST EXCHANGE ST., 
 
 This Evening 7.30 ; Sunday, 10.30 and 7 P.M. 
 Many sinners came to the meetings last Sun- 
 day, and many more are wanted to-night and 
 to-morrow to come to hear about Jesus. 
 
 ALL KINDS OF SINNERS ARE 
 WELCOME. 
 
 Democrat sinners; Aristocratic sinners; 
 Prohibition sinners and Republican sinners; 
 Official sinners and Private sinners; Lawyer 
 sinners and Doctor sinners ; Editor sinners and 
 Reporter sinners ; Traveling Men sinners ; Ho- 
 tel Keeper sinners and Saloon Keeper sinners ; 
 Drunken sinners and Sober sinners; Catholic 
 sinners and Protestant sinners; Christian Al- 
 liance sinners and Evangelical Alliance sin-
 
 196 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 ners; Universalist sinners and Specialist sin- 
 ners; Infidel sinners; High-toned sinners and 
 No-account sinners ; Secret society sinners and 
 Open society sinners; White necktied sinners 
 and Hickory shirt sinners; Grocers, who use 
 light weights, Dry-Goods merchants, who use 
 short yard sticks, and make their clerks lie for 
 their benefit, God especially invites, for "A 
 false balance is an abomination to the Lord." 
 
 HYPOCRITES WELCOME. 
 
 Also all kinds of Hypocrites, without regard 
 to denominational affiliation are welcome. The 
 Lord says, "Woe unto you, hypocrites," but 
 He did not reject you. 
 
 God wants us to be impartial. If any sinner 
 has been omitted, hand in your name and we 
 will invite you next time we go to press. 
 
 "Come now, and let us reason together," 
 saith the Lord, "Though your sins be as scar- 
 let, they shall be as white as snow, and though 
 they be red as crimson, they shall be like 
 wool." 
 
 God has sent W. F. Meminger, from Chi- 
 cago, to tell you about Jesus. He knows Him 
 well. 
 
 P.S. God is not paying for these Ads. with 
 the proceeds of ping-pong socials, or rummage
 
 Wilbur Meminger's Traits 197 
 
 sales, or fish fries, neither does he beg for 
 them at half-price. 
 
 (Advertisement of the Christian and Mis- 
 sionary Alliance of the Convention.) 
 
 He said, "Whosoever will may come," so 
 you come to-night and to-morrow. We 
 especially invite newspaper men and printers 
 who don't know Jesus as their Saviour. The 
 "Printer's devil" is the only kind of a devil 
 that can ever get saved. Also the Preachers 
 who don't know Jesus, and the Priests, 
 especially the preacher in this City who said 
 he found it hard to love Jesus sometimes. 
 When you get to know Jesus it is easy to love 
 Him. It is hard to love somebody you don't 
 know. If anybody wants to know Jesus we 
 will be pleased to give him an introduction to 
 Him to-night and to-morrow. 
 
 THE MAN JESUS CHRIST IS THE 
 
 MOST MANLY AND LOVABLE 
 
 OF MEN. 
 
 WHERE YOU CAN FIND JESUS. 
 
 You don't find Jesus at necktie socials and 
 church bazaars. Neither does Jesus attend 
 rummage sales. The Master whom we serve 
 does not wear second-hand clothes, nor does 
 he want his church to deal in them. Our God
 
 198 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 supplies all our needs. God does not want 
 money, our God has plenty. The silver and 
 the gold are his. It will cost you nothing to 
 come to hear about Jesus. It will cost you 
 nothing to get out, and to get to know Jesus 
 will only cost you your sins. If you are not 
 a sinner but already know Jesus, we would 
 ask you to read our Ad. in to-night's Beacon- 
 Journal, "Fishermen Wanted," God needs 
 Fishermen as well as sinners. 
 
 THE INVITATION TO ALL. 
 
 The sick and afflicted and the maimed and 
 the halt are especially invited to this hall, to 
 forsake their sins, and have God's people pray 
 for their healing, in body as well as soul, for 
 Jesus came to heal our bodies. The poor and 
 the downtrodden, and the oppressed, and 
 those who have no friends, and the strangers 
 in the city are especially invited to our Fa- 
 ther's house. 
 
 FISHERMEN WANTED. 
 
 AT 221 EAST EXCHANGE STREET 
 
 To-night at 7.30, Sunday 10.30 A.M. & 7. P.M. 
 Don't mistake the number, you may get 
 into the wrong door. There's a saloon on one 
 side and a fishmarket on the other.
 
 Wilbur Meminger's Traits 199 
 
 You are not needed to catch fish; you are 
 needed to catch men, for Jesus said, "I will 
 make you fishers of men." God wants Gos- 
 pel fishermen. God's people invite them, here- 
 in, to come and help pull the Gospel net. God 
 fishes with a net. 
 
 He does not use white-bait. You cannot 
 catch him with ice-cream. 
 
 Our God is a consuming fire, so He cannot 
 have any ice cream freezer attachments in his 
 business. 
 
 Many sinners came to this hall last Sunday. 
 Many more will come to-night and to-morrow. 
 If you are saved and know how to point men 
 to Jesus Christ, we respectfully ask you to 
 help pull the Gospel Net ashore. 
 
 By the Grace of God we are trying to throw 
 the net on the right side of the ship. 
 
 God does not bait the fish with roast 
 chicken. Be wants men to fish for men and 
 leave the dressing of the fish to him. 
 
 Jesus twice drove live doves out of the 
 temple. God does not like dead squabs in a 
 pie any better than in His house to-day. God's 
 only bait is the matchless name and matchless 
 person of Jesus Christ. 
 
 He said, "If I be lifted up from the earth, 
 I will draw all men unto me."
 
 200 " The Little Man from Chicago " 
 
 GOD SAVES AND HEALS. 
 
 We know that God has saved us and healed 
 our bodies, and that Jesus Christ is coming 
 again. Every man and woman in Akron who 
 believes this, and is sick at playing at serving 
 God, is earnestly and prayerfully invited to 
 help get men and women to know Jesus. If 
 you connot come pray for God's blessing upon 
 His work. Pray that He may thrust forth la- 
 borers into the harvest. 
 
 No collections will be taken, nor any one 
 asked for money. As free as the waters are 
 to the fish, so free is this hall to rich and poor, 
 sinners and saints, for God supplies all our 
 needs according to His riches in Glory by Je- 
 sus Christ. 
 
 If you are not a Gospel Fisherman, but an 
 uncaught fish, you are invited to read the very 
 interesting Ad. in the Akron Democrat, enti- 
 tled: "MORE SINNERS WANTED." It is 
 applicable to your case. 
 
 And Jesus said unto Simon: "Fear not; 
 from henceforth thou shalt catch fish. And 
 when they had brought their ships to land, 
 they forsook all and followed Him." 
 
 An old Fisherman, W. F. Meminger, of 
 Chicago, will help pull the net.