in Europe and America at the same time; they make their home in one country, and, according to the local peculiarities of that country, live and grow. So it is with religious bodies, and it is well that it is so; truth, great truth, is so many sided, it takes a good many men to see all sides of it. The superficial man will speak of the fanatical man; the fanatic speak of the superficial; and both speak of the commonplace man; but what of it? Are not the views from the mountain and the mine and the level all necessary? Who shall judge ?
This condition has led to numerous allied movements, moral reforms, temperance agitatation, prohibition, the Moody movement, the Y. M. C. A. and W. C. T. U. movements, humane agitation, and they have all had their influence on Story County. Her American population have been largely people interested in these lines, and her Norwegian settlers have been not a whit behind, for their church and school are the things about which they cluster.
One difficulty attending an account of the churches in Story County is the shifting of population elsewhere mentioned, either by transient settlement in it or the shifting of towns by the railways. This has been so marked that church buildings have been frequently moved from one settlement to another, while buildings occasionally stand idle because the people have moved away. In this sketch little attempt will be made to trace these changes; it will rather be confined to the tracing those societies that have proved permanent, so far as matter was obtainable with lost records, treacherous memories, and a foreign tongue, as obstacles in many cases.
The early settlers were made up of almost all the old denominations, as during the first five years of the county's existence the population rose to about 3,000. These were Cumberland Presbyterians, Baptists, members of the various Norwegian Lutheran Churches, Dunkards, Methodists, Christians or Disciples, Episcopals, United Brethren, Evangelicals, Presbyterians, and others, and they held meetings and organized as fast as possible. It is not known what was the first organization ; no doubt several societies were organized about the same time; although several, as the Catholic, Congregational, Presbyterian, Adventist, Universalists, Protestant Methodists and others did not have permanent organization until during and after the war. These will be treated by denominations in the order of dates of permanent organizations now within the county, as far as obtainable.
The Cumberland Presbyterian Churches of Story County are under Colesburg Presbytery, and embrace New Hope, McCallsburg, Maxwell and Gilbert congregations with their dependencies.
New Hope Church. In 1854 John S. Thomas corresponded with Rev. J. R. Lawrence, of Hardin County, telling him of the existence of several of this faith in Story, and asking him to come and see the field. He did so, and was afterward followed by Revs. Stephen Hay and P. H. Crider, the latter's ministry covering the time to 1867. Others succeeding him were Revs. Hampton Smith, L. L. Lorrimor, W. M. Medcoff and F. M. Johnson to 1880. Then Rev. A. K. Bone came, and in 1881 the present house of worship, four miles southeast of Nevada, was built. After he left, in 1883, Rev. W. M. Stockinger was pastor. In the fall of 1885 Rev. R. A. Ferguson assumed charge. In 1889 he was called to Maxwell, and Rev. J. B. Howard has since served this congregation. The society was first called Iowa Center, but New Hope has since been assumed. The building is valued at about $2,000. Among the first members were: Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Thomas, W. G. Mullen and wife, Mr. and Mrs. W. Gol-