During  the  next  few  years  were  built  a  number
of  houses  of  worship  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua  and
in  the  adjoining  state  of  Sonora;  and  in  most
cases  it  was  my  privilege  to  give  the  dedicatory
address.  The  most  commodious  edifice  of  them  all
was  that  erected  in  Parral  as  a  memorial  of  the
gifted  wife  of  the  young  missionary  who  was  sta-
tioned in  that  important  city.  Another  was  built
by  the  offerings  and  the  personal  labor  of  the
"Church  of  the  Pilgrims"  in  San  Isidro  de  las
Cuevas.  A  single  member  of  the  congregation  in
San  Buenaventura,  who  owned  considerable  prop-
erty, on  a  lot  adjoining  his  residence  built  a  chapel
at  his  own  charges,  and  arranged  to  have  it  dedi-
cated on  the  first  day  of  the  twentieth  century.
It  was  his  cherished  hope  that  one  of  his  younger
sons  might  hear  a  providential  call  to  educate
himself  to  be  a  preacher,  occupy  the  house  next
to  the  chapel,  and  minister  to  the  congregation
holding  its  meetings  there.     Until  his  death  he


AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUILDING        197

was  happy  to  ring  the  bell  which  summoned  rela-
tives and  neighbors  to  the  building  he  had  pre-
pared for  song  and  prayer  and  meditation.
In  Hermosillo,  the  capital  of  Sonora,  on  the
principal  street  a  church  was  built  by  Rev.  M.  A.
Crawford  with  the  aid  of  his  father  and  his
brothers,  he  himself  doing  much  of  the  work  with
his  own  hands.  On  the  Friday  and  Saturday  eve-
nings preceding  the  dedication  the  place  was  filled
with  people  who  had  been  invited  to  attend  exhi-
bitions of  pictures  by  means  of  my  stereopticon.
