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Show 40<br><br> EMIL E. MORK, <br><br> Presiding Elder, Utah District, Western Norwegian-Danish Mission Conference. <br> Emil Edward Mork was born in Christiania, Norway, November 3, 1857. He left home when sixteen years of age and entered the navy of Norway. Converted in the fall at 1875 he joined the M. E. Church at Horten, Norway, and served as class-leader, steward, Sunday-school teacher and exhorter. He married Miss Sophia Svendson in 1877 and emigrated to America in 1880, came to Chicago and joined the Norwegian and Danish M. E. Church in that city. On the 21st day of February, 1885, he came as a missionary to Utah and was sent to the Provo and Santaquin circuit. He was ordained deacon by Bishop J. M. Walden, D. D., LL. D., <br> [GRAPHIC: E. E. MORK] <br> at Ogden, July 16, 1889, and became presiding elder over Utah district Scandinavian work September 2, 1894. Mr. Mork has served all the Scandinavian charges in Utah in these eleven years. <br><br> Rev. M. Nelson <br><br> Martinus Nelson was born in Porsgrund, Norway, November 7, 1855. When quite young he went with his parents to Denmark, where his father had been appointed as a Methodist preacher. He received his education partly in the public schools and partly in private schools of higher grade. He also attended the preparatory school of Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., for a couple of years, particularly with a view of receiving more thorough instruction in the English language. In 1873 he came to America several years before his parents, and after a few months stay in Brooklyn, N. Y., he went to Racine, Wis., where he was converted soon after, and joined the Norwegian and Danish M. E. church. Mr. Nelson had from childhood a special desire for shipbuilding, which increased as he advanced in years, and he was educated particularly with that profession in view, but after his conversion the call to preach became so urgent that all other plans were laid aside and he decided to devote himself to the work of the ministry. <br> He joined the Minnesota Conference on probation in 1877 and was ordained a deacon by Bishop Foster. In 1879 he was married to Miss Mary H. Anderson, who has been a very efficient helpmeet in the Master's work. At the organization of the Norwegian and Danish Conference in 1880 he was <br> [GRAPHIC: MARTINUS NELSON] <br> transferred to it; the following year he was elected secretary of the conference and was ordained an elder by Bishop Foss and appointed to Second church, Chicago. <br> The Church becoming interested in missionary work among the Scandinavians in Utah, before the close of the year Pastor Nelson was appointed missionary to Salt Lake City by Bishop Wiley. He arrived there in July, 1883, and remained in Utah for eleven years. Soon after his arrival he organized a society and built the first Norwegian and Danish M. E. church in the Territory. This church was afterwards transferred to the English work and the name changed to the Iliff church. Two years later he was appointed by Bishop Warren to open the Methodist missions in Cache Valley and labored for two years in Logan and Hyrum both in the Norwegian and English languages. During that time a church was built at Hyrum and a valuable lot was secured for the church at Logan. In 1887 he was placed in charge of Mount Pleasant and Ephraim work, but when Bishop Joyce the following year organized the Scandinavian work in Utah into a district, he was appointed the presiding elder of that district, which position he held for six years. Mr. Nelson labored earnestly and made several visits to the East to raise money for the building of churches, as well as to awaken more interest for the work in general. <br> A mission school was opened in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1883; and Pastor Nelson had not been in Utah long before it was evident to him that the establishing of mission schools would be one of the most important conditions for success. He also advocated the employment of lady missionaries. These matters were laid before Bishop Wiley and through his influence the Woman's Home Missionary Society began work the same fall among the Scandinavians in Utah by the appointment of a lady missionary. The following year a number of schools were opened, partly by increased aid from the Missionary Society, but especially by a large appropriation from the Woman's Home Missionary Society. The schools gradually became one of the most important factors in the work and opened the door for education as well as for the Gospel. Mr. Nelson was appointed superintendent for the work of the Woman's Home Missionary Society in Utah and had charge of that work in addition to his other duties until the Church called him to another field of labor. <br> Two years ago he was appointed by Bishop Fitzgerald to the Oregon District Western Norwegian and Danish Conference and pastor of Second Norwegian and Danish M. E. church in Portland, Ore., and was elected editor of the conference paper. <br><br> MT. PLEASANT PRESBYTERIAN. <br><br> On the 3rd day of March, 1875, the first minister of the Gospel who ever saw Sanpete valley, reached Mt. Pleasant by stage. On the following Sabbath, March 7th, by invitation of the directors of Liberal Hall, he addressed a small company in that unfinished building at 3 p. m. The same day, upon the invitation of Bishop W. S. Seely, he spoke to the Sabbath-school of the Latter-Day Saints in the morning, and preached to a large congregation in the "meeting-house" in the evening. <br> The minister was the Rev. D. J., now Dr. McMillan, Secretary of the Home Board. In compliance with the urgent request of the Liberals, he arranged to open a school in Liberal Hall. He was unable to undertake the work himself on account of the disease which had driven him from his field in Illinois, but arranged with a gentleman in Ogden to open the school on Monday, March 29th. This teacher was induced to go elsewhere, but this only stirred the people to a stronger determination to have such a school as they had asked for. On Tuesday, the 30th, the shareholders of Liberal Hall offered to donate one-third of the actual cost of the building to Mr. McMillan on condition that he would pay the other two-thirds to them within a year, open a school at once and guarantee its continuance for five years. He accepted the offer, and the property was that day transferred to him. <br> His health had improved so far that he decided to take the school himself, and having secured the promise of the desks in an unoccupied ward school for temporary use, he announced that school would open on Monday, April 6th, but <br> "The best laid schemes o' mice an men Gang aft a-glee." <br> On Saturday he discovered that the promised furniture was not forthcoming. He had no money, and not only had no tools, but was ignorant of the use of them. Procuring some pine lumber, he carried it to the hall, and getting a saw, a plane and a hatchet, manufactured the furniture used by the school for two years. This delay prevented him from opening the first Presbyterian school in Utah. But on Monday, April 20, 1875, the school was opened with thirty-five scholars, which number rapidly increased until it reached 109. <br> After three months of labor, wholly on his own responsibility, the experiment of carrying the Gospel into exclusive Mormon communities, hitherto unattempted by any denomination, was considered so far a success by the Board of Home Missions as to warrant them in commissioning Mr. McMillan. A congregation had been gathered |
