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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ea533ff --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #64765 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64765) diff --git a/old/64765-0.txt b/old/64765-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cd20879..0000000 --- a/old/64765-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3237 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Twenty Years on Horseback, or Itinerating in -West Virginia, by W. M. (William Marion) Weekley - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Twenty Years on Horseback, or Itinerating in West Virginia - - -Author: W. M. (William Marion) Weekley - - - -Release Date: March 9, 2021 [eBook #64765] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWENTY YEARS ON HORSEBACK, OR -ITINERATING IN WEST VIRGINIA*** - - -E-text prepared by MFR and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org). This ebook was created in honour -of Distributed Proofreaders' 20th Anniversary. - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 64765-h.htm or 64765-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/64765/64765-h/64765-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/64765/64765-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/twentyyearsonhor00week - - - - - -[Illustration: BISHOP W. M. WEEKLEY, D.D.] - - -TWENTY YEARS ON HORSEBACK -OR ITINERATING IN WEST VIRGINIA - -by - -W. M. WEEKLEY, D.D. - -Author of “Getting and Giving,” -“From Life to Life,” Etc. - - - “Take thy part in suffering hardship as a good - soldier of Christ Jesus.”—2 Tim. 2:3 - - - - - - -Nineteen Hundred and Seven -United Brethren Publishing House -Dayton, Ohio - -All Rights Reserved - - - - -Preface - - -It was not my purpose, in the preparation of this little volume, to make -it an autobiography, but rather a narration of incidents connected with -the twenty years of humble service which I tried to render the United -Brethren Church among the mountains of West Virginia. - -These incidents present an all-round view, in outline, of the real life -and labors of the itinerant preacher, a third of a century ago, in an -isolated section, where the most simple and primitive customs prevailed. - -While some of the things related will doubtless amuse the reader, others, -I trust, will lead to thoughtful reflection, and carry with them lessons -inspiring and helpful. The introduction should first be carefully read by -those who expect to be profited by a perusal of the pages which follow. -That good may come to the church, and glory to our Redeemer through this -unpretentious publication is the prayer of its - - AUTHOR. - -Kansas City, Mo., May 1, 1907. - - - - -I have examined the manuscript of “Twenty Years on Horseback, or -Itinerating in West Virginia,” and cheerfully submit this note of -commendation. - -The author, Bishop W. M. Weekley, D.D., I have known for more than thirty -years. He entered the ministry when young, with an undivided heart -and determined purpose. During the years he served the Church in that -State he traveled over almost the entire territory of the West Virginia -Conference. The country then was extremely primitive; but simple as the -mode of life was at that time, the field was an interesting, even an -enjoyable one for a minister who could endure hardness as a good soldier -of Christ. I am acquainted with nearly all the sections of the State -referred to, and am therefore familiar with many of the places, facts, -and persons mentioned, and can assure the reader that the author has -given a faithful account of these in his book. No statement is overdrawn -or warped for the sake of effect. - - W. W. RYMER. - -Columbus, Ohio, May 3, 1907. - - - - -An examination of the following pages caused me to live my early life -over again. Having spent twenty-three years in the ministry within the -bounds of the West Virginia Conference, and having been intimately -associated with the author of this volume during the most of that -period, I am very familiar with many of the places, persons, and events -mentioned, and can testify to the correctness of the record he makes, -and to the faithfulness of the pictures drawn. This book will stir the -thoughts and rekindle the fire within the old itinerants, and, as well, I -trust, arouse the young to larger activities in soul winning. - - R. A. HITT. - -Chillicothe, Ohio, May 4, 1907. - - - - -The author of this book and myself were boys together. We were born -and reared within four miles of each other, were converted in the -same church, and for years were members of the same Sunday school and -congregation. We were licensed to preach on the same charge, and spent -the earlier years of our ministry in the same conference together. -In many instances we traveled the same roads, preached in the same -communities, and mingled with the same people. - -After having examined the contents of this volume in manuscript form, -I am sure it contains a faithful description of the varied conditions -which made up the life and experiences of the United Brethren itinerant -minister of that time among the hills and mountains of West Virginia. - - A. ORR. - -Circleville, Ohio, April 30, 1907. - - - - -Contents - - - PREFACE - - INTRODUCTION 9 - - CHAPTER I 15 - - CHAPTER II 27 - - CHAPTER III 44 - - CHAPTER IV 58 - - CHAPTER V 70 - - CHAPTER VI 86 - - CHAPTER VII 100 - - CHAPTER VIII 121 - - - - -Illustrations - - - BISHOP W. M. WEEKLEY (_Frontispiece_) - - W. M. WEEKLEY AT TWENTY YEARS OF AGE - - W. M. WEEKLEY AT THIRTY YEARS OF AGE - - TRAVELING A DISTRICT - - HOUSE WHERE BISHOP FIRST WENT TO HOUSEKEEPING - - - - -Introduction - - -The past lives through the printed page. The ages would be blank if books -were not made recording the events and achievements of men. No form of -history is more interesting and profitable than that which recites the -career of those who, obedient to their divine commission, proclaimed to -fellowmen the sweet message of Christ’s redeeming love. The completeness -of their consecration, their undaunted courage and persistency in the -face of many difficulties, and their marvelous success evidence in them -the presence of superhuman power. It is the genius of Christianity -to inspire and develop the unselfish and heroic in men. The splendid -specimens of self-sacrifice and moral courage, which adorn the pages of -Christian literature, charm the reader and inspire him to more Christlike -endeavor. These life-stories constitute a rich, priceless legacy for -present and future generations. - -In this admirable volume, Bishop Weekley has modestly removed the -curtain from twenty years of his own strenuous ministerial life spent -in the mountains and valleys of West Virginia, and given the reader a -conception of what it meant to lift up the Christ and extend his kingdom -in that rugged region. The book is biographical in character, but since -“biography is the soul of history,” it is history in reality. The -scenes and events which he presents suggest the character of the work -which others had to do in laying the foundations of our Church in those -sections. - -It would be difficult to find more striking examples of Christian -altruism and heroism anywhere in this country than the godly men who -preached the gospel among the mountains and in the valleys of the -Virginias in the early years of our denominational history. These men -embodied those elements of character and graces of the Spirit which -are essential to success in Christian work anywhere. Having heard the -call of God, and having felt the spell of the divine spirit, they -yielded themselves unreservedly to the gospel ministry. They possessed -strength of conviction, singleness of aim, earnestness of purpose, and -concentration of effort. As a rule these pioneer preachers had but one -business—that of the King. They were so absorbed in the saving of men and -women, and in extending the kingdom, that they gave but little attention -to present physical comforts and future needs. Many of them were without -property, and when they sang, - - “No foot of land do I possess, - No cottage in this wilderness,” - -there was a literalness about it which would have dismayed men of less -faith and consecration. Without seeking to enrich themselves in material -things they labored earnestly to bring the spiritual riches of heaven to -the hearts and homes of others. - -They were busy men—men of action. They omitted no opportunities to -do good. Intervals of rest were few and far between. The modern -minister’s vacation was to them unknown. They met their “appointments” -with surprising regularity. Neither storm, nor distance, nor -weariness thwarted their plans. Their announcements were always made -conditionally—“no preventing providence”—but they never calculated for -providence to prevent them being on hand at the appointed place and -hour. The strain of toil was constant, but their iron resolution, and -the work itself, proved a strong tonic. The success of one service was -inspiration for the next. Visiting from house to house, exhorting the -people to faithful Christian living, distributing religious literature, -and preaching week days as well as Sundays made their lives full of heavy -tasks, all of which were performed with happy hearts. They possessed the -glowing and tireless zeal of the preaching friars of the Middle Ages, and -with many of them the clear flame of their zeal was undimmed until the -fire was turned to ashes. - -They were men of thought as well as action. Their preparation was made in -the college of experience, in which they proved themselves apt students. -They studied few books and only the best. They cultivated and practised -the perilous art of reading on horseback. They pored over books and -papers in humble homes by flickering candle or pine-knot light long -after the family had retired. It is remarkable what extended knowledge -of the English Scriptures, methods of sermonizing, oratorical style and -forceful delivery these men acquired. They knew well, and by that surest -form of knowledge—the knowledge born of verified experience—all they -proclaimed in message to the people. There was freshness of thought, -aptness of illustration, and forcefulness of expression that was native -to them. The majestic forms of nature in the regions where they toiled -inspired in them the sublimest thoughts of God and his eternal truth. The -marvelous results of the sermons of such men as Markwood, Glossbrenner, -Bachtel, Warner, Nelson, Graham, Howe, Hott, and others proved them great -preachers in the highest and truest sense. - -They were men of tact as well as thought, and adjusted themselves to the -conditions. They preached wherever the people would assemble—in leafy -grove, by the river bank, in the humble home, in the log schoolhouse, -in the village hall, in the vacant storeroom, and in the unpretentious -church-house. They did not always have the exhilarating and inspirational -effect of great crowds, but they preached “in demonstration of the -Spirit,” kindling the deepest emotions in their hearers, often arousing -them to tremendous intensity and causing waves of overpowering feeling to -sweep over them. Saints shouted the praises of God and penitents pleaded -for mercy. These heralds of the Cross employed none of the familiar -devices of modern times for securing crowds and reaching results. There -were no specially-prepared and widely-scattered handbills, no local -advertising committees, no daily newspapers with flashing headlines -and portraits, no great choral or orchestral attractions. What made -these fallible men so forceful and successful in winning others? The -explanation lies in the fact of their spiritual enduement. They wrought -in the name of Christ and under the influence of the Holy Spirit. - -In no portion of our Zion have ministers made stronger and more lasting -impression upon the people. Whenever present in a home they were -the guests of honor. Their strong personalities and noble traits of -character, as well as their calling itself, won for them the esteem of -old and young. Parents named their children after them, and exhorted -their sons to find in them their models for manhood. In thus honoring -these noblemen of God they exalted the work of the ministry in the minds -of the young, and prepared the way for the Lord to call them into his -service. This may account, at least in part, for the great number who -have gone into the ministry from these mountain districts. - -Let no one fancy that somber shadows rested continually upon the pathway -of these ministers. There was a joyous side to their ministerial life. -When together as a class, or among their parishioners, their stories -and jokes were abundant, spontaneous, and of the purest type. When they -met at institutes, camp-meetings, and conferences they enjoyed one round -of good cheer and solid comfort. Their services of song drowned all dull -cares. Their lives had shadows, but they refreshed themselves in the -rifts and glorious sunbursts. - -The people to whom these men of God proclaimed the gospel were not, as a -rule, rich in material things, but they possessed great hearts, in which -love and kindness flowed as pure and refreshing as the streams of water -that rippled down the mountain side. - -We rejoice that Bishop Weekley has given to the Church this book. Many -aged ministers, who once toiled in the Virginias, will live over again -the scenes of their lives as they read these pages. Young men will be -stimulated to more earnest endeavor as they learn of the hardships and -complete consecration of God’s servants in pioneer days. No one will -weary in reading this excellent volume. The good Bishop has written in -harmony with an established sentiment in book-making—“it is the chief of -all perfections in books to be plain and brief.” - - W. O. FRIES. - -_Dayton, Ohio._ - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -The Virginias have turned out more United Brethren preachers, perhaps, -than any other section of the same size between the oceans. These -pulpiteers have ranged in the scale of ability and efficiency from A -to Z. Some achieved distinction in one way and another; others, though -faithful and useful, were little known beyond their conference borders. -Nor have all remained among the mountains. Dozens and scores of them have -gone out into other parts of the Church. At this writing they are to be -found in no less than nineteen different conferences, and, as a class, -they are not excelled by any in devotion to the Church, in unremitting -toil, and in spiritual fervor and downright enthusiasm. Some—many who -spent their lives in building up the Zion of their choice among the -Virginia hills, have gone to glory. Among these heroes I may mention J. -Markwood, J. J. Glossbrenner, Z. Warner, J. Bachtel, J. W. Perry, J. W. -Howe, S. J. Graham, I. K. Statton, and J. W. Hott. Other names, perhaps -not so illustrious, but just as worthy, are to be found in God’s unerring -record. The historian will never tell all about them. Their labors, -sacrifices, and sufferings will never be portrayed by any human tongue, -no matter how eloquent, or by any pen, however versatile and fruitful it -may be. Footsore and weary, dust covered and battle scarred, they reached -the end of their pilgrimage and heard heaven’s “well done.” What a -blessed legacy they bequeathed to their sons and daughters in the gospel! - -“Old Virginia” was, in part, the field chosen by Otterbein himself, and -by his devout colaborers. This was more than a hundred years ago. In 1858 -the Parkersburg, now West Virginia Conference, was organized out of that -part of the mother conference lying west of the Alleghanies—a territory -three hundred miles long, roughly speaking, by two hundred in width. In -its physical aspects the country is exceedingly rough, and difficult -of travel. But the people, though mostly rural in their customs and -mode of living, and many of them poor, so far as this world’s goods are -concerned, are warm hearted, genial, and hospitable. When a preacher goes -to fill an appointment among “mountaineers,” he is not troubled with the -thought that perhaps nobody will offer him lodging, or willingly share -with him the bounties of his table. I have found things different in -other parts of the country. - -[Illustration: W. M. WEEKLEY, Twenty Years of Age - -Traveling Circuit] - -The new conference was organized at Centerville, in Tyler County, by -Bishop Glossbrenner, in the month of March. Only a few ministers were -present, but they were brave and good, ready to do, and, if need be, to -die for their Lord. Five miles from this historic place the writer was -born on the eighteenth day of September, 1851. - -My parents, though poor, were honest and honorable, and toiled -unceasingly to provide for and rear in respectability their ten children, -of whom I was the oldest. - -The neighborhood was far above the average in its religious life and -moral worth. A man under the influence of liquor was seldom seen, and a -profane word was hardly ever heard. The United Brethren Church was by -far the leading denomination in all that country. The old log church -in which we all worshiped stood on father’s farm, and our home was the -stopping-place not only of preachers, but of many others who attended -divine service. At times our house was so crowded that mother was -compelled to make beds on the floor for the family, and not unfrequently -for others as well. But to her it was a great joy to perform such a -ministry for the gospel’s sake. Her loving hands could always provide for -others, no matter who they were, or how many. For the third of a century -father was the Sunday-school superintendent in the neighborhood, and, -for a longer period, teacher of the juvenile class. Thus he saw little -children pass up into other and older classes, and finally to manhood and -womanhood, when by and by their children came in and were given a place -in “Uncle Dan’s” class. - -At the age of fourteen I was born the second time, and united with the -Church. The occasion was a great revival held by Rev. S. J. Graham, -of precious memory. Seeing my oldest sister, Sarah, bow at the altar, -greatly moved my young heart. A few moments later I observed father -coming back toward the door, and thinking perhaps he was wanting to speak -to me on the subject of religion, I immediately left the house. My state -of mind became awful. The next evening I saw mother pressing her way -toward me through the standing crowd. I knew what it meant, and sat down -with the hope of concealing myself from her; but how vain the effort! -What child ever hid himself away from a mother’s love? Putting her hand -on my head, she said, “William, won’t you be a Christian?” I made no -reply, but said to myself, “I can’t stand this; I must do something.” How -her appeal, plaintive and tender, made me weep! It was really the first -time she had ever come to me with such directness and warmth of heart. -To this very moment I can feel the touch of her hand and hear her loving -appeal. The next day I talked with other boys who were with me in school, -and asked them to accompany me to the “mourner’s bench,” which they did. - -At that time the class, though in the country, numbered one hundred and -seventy souls. Three months later, I was appointed one of its stewards, -and with this office came my first experience in raising money for the -Church. - -The next year I was elected assistant class-leader, and though young and -inexperienced, I rendered the very best service I possibly could. - -My educational advantages up to this time had been only such as the -common schools afforded, with the addition of a close application to -study at the home fireside, aided by the historic “pine torch” and -“tallow candle.” - -From the day of my conversion I could not escape the thought of -preaching. The duty of being a Christian was never set before me more -forcibly and clearly than was the duty of preaching; but I hesitated. -My ignorance, and lack of fitness otherwise for such a high calling, -appeared as insurmountable barriers. I could not understand why God -should pass by others, better in heart and far more capable, and choose -me. So the struggle went on. In the mean time I began to read such books -as I could secure. The Bible, “Smith’s Bible Dictionary,” and “Dick’s -Works,” constituted my library. The last named was rather heavy for a lad -only in his teens, but I rather enjoyed such studies. The first book I -ever purchased was “Religious Emblems,” which proved exceedingly helpful -to my young life. - -When seventeen I preached my first sermon, or, perhaps I should say, -made my first public effort. It was in an old log church on Little -Flint Run, in Doddridge County. Brother Christopher Davis, a local -preacher, was holding a meeting, and at the close of the morning services -announced that I would preach at night. What a day that was to me! How -I tried to think and pray! When I reached the church I found it full, -with many standing in the aisle about the door. I felt so unprepared—so -utterly helpless—that I immediately retired to a secret place, where -I again besought the Lord for help. Returning, I started in with the -preliminaries, but was badly scared. No man can describe his feelings -under such circumstances. Many a preacher who scans these pages will -appreciate my situation. I spent a good part of the first fifteen minutes -mopping my face. I seemed to be in a sweat-box; but by the time I reached -my sermon, or whatever it might be called, the embarrassment was all -gone. I still remember the text: “And I will bring you into the land -concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to -Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage. I am the Lord.” It was -immense; but the most of young preachers begin just that way. At this -distance from the occasion, I do not recall anything I said, and am glad -I cannot. However, there was one redeeming feature about the effort, -and that was its brevity. In twenty minutes I had told all I knew, -and perhaps more. I have never been able to understand why the people -listened so patiently. They really seemed to be interested, but why, or -in what, I have never known. I have not tried that text since, and I do -not think I ever shall. It is too profound to even think of as the basis -of a discourse to common people. - -Dr. J. L. Hensley, when pastor of Middle Island Circuit, early in the -sixties, had a somewhat singular experience in this same log church. -While preaching one Sabbath morning in midsummer from the text, “The seed -of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head,” the people at his left -suddenly became excited, and looking around quickly for the cause, he -observed a snake, about two feet long, crawling in a crevice of the wall -near the pulpit. Reaching for his hickory cane, which he always carried, -he dealt the wily creature a blow which brought it tumbling to the floor, -remarking at the same time, “The seed of the woman shall bruise the -serpent’s head.” Thus in the midst of his discourse he was furnished an -illustration which made a profound impression upon his hearers, and aided -greatly in bringing the truth home to their hearts. - -The presiding elder, Rev. S. J. Graham, my spiritual father, by authority -of a quarterly conference held at the Long Run appointment, October 23, -1869, gave me a permit to exercise in public for three months. Shortly -after this I was prostrated with lung fever, which soon developed the -most alarming aspects. Though the ailment was outgeneraled, the process -of recovery was slow. In fact, one of my lungs was so impaired that -consumption was feared. A noted physician, after carefully diagnosing my -case, frankly told me that nothing could be done for my lung; but I did -not believe a word he told me. I had decided that I would make preaching -my life work, and believed that God would give me a chance to try it. -It might be noted here that ten years later this same doctor was in his -grave, while I was a better specimen of physical manhood than he ever -was. - -“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it -to pass.” What will he bring to pass? The right thing, and in the right -way. Such has been my observation and experience in all the years that -have come and gone since the hand of affliction was so keenly felt. - -December 25, 1869, I was granted quarterly conference license in a -regular way, and attended the annual conference which met in Hartford -City, Mason County, the following March. Much of the time while there I -was not able to walk from my stopping-place to the church, though not a -half dozen blocks distant. Some of the brethren feared that I would not -live to get back home again. But I wanted a circuit. With that end in -view I had gone to conference, and no amount of persuasion could turn me -aside from the one great purpose that had taken complete possession of -my soul. I was entering the work with a full knowledge of what it meant. -I had heard the brethren talk of their privations and abundant labors, -and, as well, of their victories and joy of heart. The report of the year -then closing was most suggestive. The eighteen fields of the conference -contained one hundred and sixty-seven preaching places, and had paid -twenty-four men a little less than $140 each upon an average, not -counting outside gifts. West Columbia Circuit paid its two pastors, Revs. -W. B. Hodge and I. M. Underwood, $400. The next highest was $339.19, -and was paid the brace of pastors who served the Glenville charge—Revs. -W. W. Knipple and Elias Barnard. The other sixteen pastorates ranged -from $267.15 down to $35, the last named amount having been received by -Rev. J. W. Boggess, on Hessville Mission. The Parkersburg District paid -Elder Graham $227.87, while West Columbia District only reached $152.85 -for its superintendent, Rev. J. W. Perry. To the support of each of the -districts, however, the parent missionary board added $100. - -When the Stationing Committee reported, my name was read out as the -junior preacher for Philippi Circuit, with Rev. A. L. Moore, pastor in -charge. This appointment was given, as more than one assured me in later -years, simply to satisfy my mind. No one expected me to go to it. As the -field already had a man, my failure to reach it would make no difference -in any way. - -Returning home I told father what had been done, and that I must have -the necessary outfit for a circuit-rider; namely, a horse, a saddle and -bridle, and a pair of saddle-bags. No matter what else a man had, or did -not have, in those days, these things were essential to efficiency among -the mountains of West Virginia. - -At once I began preparations for leaving home. Mother was thoughtful -enough to make me a pair of leggings which buttoned up at the sides and -reached above the knees. No one article made with hands was ever more -valuable to a Virginia itinerant than leggings. - -Philippi Circuit was seventy-five miles distant among the mountains, and -would require, owing to the bad roads, two and a half days of hard travel -on horseback to reach it. At the appointed time, April 11, 1870, early in -the morning, I rode out of the old lane and up the hillside. All I had of -earthly possessions was in my saddle-bags. One end contained my library, -(Bible, Hymn-book, “Smith’s Bible Dictionary,” “Binney’s Theological -Compend,” “Religious Emblems,” and one volume of “Watson’s Institutes,”) -while in the other was stored my wardrobe, scant and plain. When far up -on the side of the hill I looked back and saw mother standing on the -porch. She had not ceased to watch me from the moment I started. Tears -unbidden filled my eyes, and with these came an appreciation of our home -that I had never experienced before. The home had been humble, to be -sure, but it was Christian. We had a family altar, from which the sweet -incense of prayer ascended daily to God. I could truthfully say: - - “Jesus, I my cross have taken, - All to leave and follow thee.” - -A mile distant I joined, by a prearranged plan, Rev. G. W. Weekley, my -uncle, and Rev. Isaac Davis, both of whom were also en route to their -distant fields of toil. - -At the end of the second day we reached Glady Fork, on Lewis Circuit, -where my uncle lived. How weary after so long a ride! At that time my -health was still so precarious, and my strength so limited, that I could -not walk a hundred yards up grade without resting. To dismount from -my horse, open and close a gate, and then get back into the saddle, -exhausted me. Remaining over a few days with my uncle, I tried to preach -on Sunday morning, but found myself exhausted at the end of twenty-four -minutes. In a few days, however, I was sufficiently rested from my long -ride to journey on to my own circuit, where I soon found the preacher in -charge, and plans were discussed for the year’s work. This was historic -ground. It was an old United Brethren field, having been traveled by -Statton, Stickley, Warner, Hensley, and others, in the late fifties and -early sixties, when it included twenty or more preaching-places, spread -over portions of several counties. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -Philippi Circuit contained at this time the following appointments: -Romines Mills, Gnatty Creek, Peck’s Run, Indian Fork, Mt. Hebron, Green -Brier, and Zeb’s Creek. Later I added two more—one on Big Run, and -the other on Brushy Fort, at the home of “Mother” Simons. Two of the -preaching places lay “beyond” the Middle Fork River—a rolling, dashing -stream, fresh from the mountains, and at times dangerous to cross. It -was so clear that a silver piece the size of a quarter could be seen at -a depth of several feet. The first time I attempted to ford it I put my -life in jeopardy. Because the bottom could be seen distinctly, I imagined -it was not deep, but after a few paces I was in mid-side to my horse, -and going deeper every step. Perceiving the danger I was in, I tried to -turn my horse about, and did so only after the greatest effort, owing to -the almost irresistible current which was gradually bearing horse and -rider downward. Going to a house near by I made some inquiry about the -stream, and was told that if I had gone ten feet farther I should have -been swept away by the swift running waters. How grateful I was to God -for the deliverance. During the following winter my life was endangered -by floating ice at the same crossing-place. Brother Moore about the -same time, perhaps a little later, seeing he could not ford the stream, -decided to lead his horse across the ice at a point below the regular -crossing, where there was but little current; but when twenty feet from -the shore toward which he was headed, the ice gave way, and the faithful -animal went under. Having hold of the bridle rein, however, he managed to -keep his head above the water until a passage way was broken through to -dry land. - -One instinctively shudders as he recalls the dangers which at times -thrust themselves suddenly across the pathway of the early preachers of -the Virginia and Parkersburg conferences when the fields were so large -and travel so excessive. Brother Moore informed me, as we looked over -the charge, that I would have to take the “outsiders” for my support, as -the circuit only paid $300, and he could not get along on less and pay -rent. It struck me that he was about right, so I readily agreed to his -proposition. Then what? Well, at each preaching place I found a “sinner” -who agreed to serve as my steward, and these men did well, everything -considered. For the year I received $97, including an overcoat and -several pairs of yarn socks. - -At one of the appointments an unfortunate episode occurred over my -salary. The steward one day stepped over the line, and got after some -of the church-members for money. He very well knew they were abundantly -able to help, but they flatly refused. This so upset him, so I was told, -that he expressed his opinion of them in language far more vigorous than -polite. It is a joy, however, to note in this connection that some of -these stewards soon became Christians, and active helpers in the Church. - -Out of the pittance I received, possibly all, or more than I was worth, -I added to my little library, which could easily be put in one end of -my saddle-bags when I left home, the following books: “Bible Not of -Man,” “Conversation of Jesus,” “Jesus on the Holy Mount,” “Pilgrim’s -Progress,” “Dying Thoughts,” “Bible Text Book,” “Jacobus on John,” “God’s -Word Written,” “Paley’s Theology,” “Our Lord’s Parables,” “Webster’s -Dictionary,” “Bible True,” “Rock of Our Salvation,” “Companion to the -Bible,” “Dictionary of the Bible,” “Credo,” “Rise and Progress of -Religion in the Soul,” and “Hand of God in History.” This, of course, was -not a lavish purchase of books, but it did pretty well for one with a -cash income of not more than $75. - -We had some good revivals that year. Ninety-nine were received into -church fellowship, while many more were converted. At Indian Fork we held -meeting in a little log cabin, about twenty feet square, with a great -fire-place in one side. It is surprising to see how many people can be -crowded into so small a place when they are anxious to attend a revival. -Night after night for weeks this little room was packed like a sardine -case. But the outcome was glorious. Some of the best citizens of the -community were reached and won to Christ. - -After a few services were held, and it was seen how insufficient the -little room was to accommodate the many who wanted to come, we put -on foot the project of building a church, and immediately set about -the work. The plan was so unique that the whole neighborhood became -interested. Some felled trees; others “scored and hewed” the logs; those -who had teams volunteered to haul them, while others still made shingles, -or helped with the foundation; “for the people had a mind to work.” -Before the meetings closed the house was up and ready for use—an edifice -which served as a place of worship for many years. - -The people all over the circuit were kind and forbearing, and greatly -encouraged me by waiting on my ministry, and hearing what little I had -to say. I visited all classes of persons, rich and poor, and had all -kinds of experiences. In some homes I enjoyed the hospitality offered; -in others it was not so highly enjoyed, but keenly appreciated. At one -of the preaching points a certain brother insisted upon my going home -with him for dinner after the morning service, which I consented to do. -It was a rainy day. He lived in a cabin of one room on the hillside. On -either side of the dwelling was a shed. Under one of these he kept his -corn; under the other, where we entered the house, the hogs slept and the -chickens roosted. His only piece of regular furniture was a chair. As to -where and when he got it I did not inquire. Long poles reaching across -the room and fastened to the walls, with a forked stick under them in -the center, constituted a kind of double bedstead. When I entered the -door I observed a large “feather tick” piled upon these poles. Finally, -something moved under it, and then a boy of ten or twelve summers, almost -suffocated, crawled out and made for the door. His purpose, no doubt, was -to hide from the preacher when he saw him coming, but finding he could -not get his breath, decided to retreat to another place of concealment -where there was more fresh air. I did not eat much dinner. I told “mine -host” that I was not hungry, and, in fact, was not. They had only a -broken skillet in which to bake bread, fry meat, and “make gravy.” As -soon as possible I excused myself, and started for my next appointment. -Indeed, I was glad I had another one that day. - -Many other amusing incidents occurred during the year. These always find -a place in the itinerant’s life, and it is well, perhaps, that they do, -as they offset in a measure his somber experiences. I am frank to confess -that it is easy for me to see the funny side of a happening, if it has -one, and to enjoy a joke though it be on myself. - -In the early days of the West Virginia Conference, what was known as the -“plug hat” was much in evidence among preachers. Such “headwear” was a -distinguishing mark, hence no circuit-rider with proper self-respect, or -wishing to give tone to his calling, could afford to don anything else. -Being young, and somewhat ambitious to hold up the ministerial standard, -at least in appearance, I determined to secure one as soon as I could get -a few dollars ahead. However, the way opened for the gratification of my -wish sooner than I had expected. Brother Moses Simons had one he didn’t -care to wear, so I bantered him for a trade. It was in first-class -condition, but entirely too large for me. Even after putting a roll of -paper around under the lining, it came down nearly to my ears. What was I -to do? I must have a high-topped hat, but was not able to purchase a new -one. At last I decided to wear it, if my ears did occasionally protest -against its close proximity to them. It distinguished me from common -people for the next two years, and so answered well its purpose. - -One day as I was riding up a little creek between two high hills I passed -a group of urchins who evidently were unused to preachers. They watched -me in utter silence till I had passed them a few yards, when one of them -piped out, “Lord, what a hat.” No doubt they had an interesting story to -relate to their parents when they returned to their humble cabin home. - -Not long after this I met a gentleman, so-called, in the road, and bade -him the time of day, as was my custom. He returned the salutation with, -“How are you, hat?” and passed on without another word. To me this was -exceedingly offensive, for I was sure there was something in and under -the hat, and any such remark was an uncalled-for reflection upon my -dignity and the high calling I represented. I did not know the man, and -to the best of my knowledge have never seen him since, but to this day, -though removed from the event more than a third of a century, I harbor -the thought that if I ever do run across him I shall demand some sort of -reparation for the insult. - -The annual conference met in Pennsboro, Bishop Weaver presiding. During -the year I had improved much in health, owing to my horseback exercise -and the great amount of singing I did, which doubtless had much to do -with the development of lung muscle. - -At conference I went before the committee on applicants with eight -others, five of whom were referred back to their respective quarterly -conferences for further preparation. For some reason the examination was -unusually critical. One question propounded to each was, “Do you seek -admission into the conference simply to vote for a presiding elder?” -There was some doubt in my case on a doctrinal point, according to the -report of the chairman, Rev. W. Slaughter, an erratic old brother. -He said the boy was all right, except “a little foggy on depravity.” -Possibly I was, for I didn’t think much of that portion of our creed. -However, I see more in it, and of it, after all these years, than I did -then. In the light of my observations and experiences with men, I am not -inclined to deny the doctrine. - -I was appointed by this conference to Lewis Circuit, an old, run down -field, embracing parts of three counties. Rev. Isaac Davis was sent -along as a helper “in the Lord.” We had grown up together in the same -neighborhood, and were members of the same congregation. He was a young -man of sterling moral qualities, and proved himself a loyal and valuable -coworker. - -After spending a few days with our parents and friends, we started, early -in April, for the scene of toil to which we had been assigned for the -year. From the day we left home we ceased not to pray that the Lord of -the harvest would give us at least one hundred souls as trophies of his -grace, and to that end we labored constantly. - -We found the following regular appointments: Glady Fork, Hinkleville, -Union Hill, Little Skin Creek, White Oak, Waterloo, Indian Camp, -Walkersville, Braxton, and Centerville. Soon we added two more, namely, -Bear Run and Laurel Run. The charge agreed to pay us $210, but fell a -little short, reaching only $170. Of this I received $90, and Brother -Davis the remaining $80. The assessment for missions was $25, and about -$10 for other purposes, which we regarded as a pretty high tax for -benevolences. Yet the entire amount was raised after a most vigorous and -thorough canvass of all the appointments. As I now remember, no one gave -more than twenty-five cents. - -Our protracted meetings lasted more than six months, and resulted in -the reception of one hundred and one persons into church fellowship. -While in the revival at Hinkleville, a great shout occurred one night -over the conversion of some far-famed sinners, during which the floor of -the church gave way and went down some two feet. Before dismissing the -people, I announced that we would meet and make repairs the next day. -At the appointed time it seemed that nearly all the men and boys in the -country round about were on hand, ready to render what service they could -in repairing the house of the Lord. - -This was a revival of far-reaching influence. The country for miles -around was thoroughly stirred. One of the leading men became interested -one night, and decided upon a new life. As he approached the church the -next day he heard us singing what was then a very popular song—“Will the -Angels Come?” The words and melody fairly charmed him, and kindled new -hope in a life that had been given over to sin. As he opened the church -door, the key of faith opened his heart’s door to the Savior, and he -rushed down the aisle to tell us of his wonderful experience. It was all -victory that morning. The conversion of such a man profoundly affected -the people, and led to many more decisions for Christ. - -During this meeting my colleague arose one evening to preach. As he had -the test, with book, chapter, and verse all by heart, he did not open his -Bible, but began by saying, “You will find my text in Revelation, third -chapter, and twentieth verse.” Just then an apple fell through a hole in -his coat-pocket on to the floor. As he stooped to pick it up, another -fell out. Returning them to his pocket, he again started—“Revelation, -third chapter and twentieth verse,” when suddenly the two restless apples -dropped out again. After picking them up, he started in the third time, -“You will find my text in,”—but all was gone. He couldn’t even think of -Revelation. The audience was at the point of roaring, so in the midst -of his confusion he turned to me and said, “Brother Weekley, what is my -text? I don’t know what nor where it is.” I answered, “Behold, I stand -at the door and knock.” “Yes, yes,” he said, “I remember it now,” and -proceeded with his discourse, but did not recover that evening from the -knock-out blow he had received. - -Preaching through such a long revival campaign was no easy thing, when -I had only a few sermons in stock, and these were all “home made.” I -think the material in them was all right, but the mechanical construction -was not according to any particular rule. I endeavored to give my -hearers plenty to eat, but I did not understand how to serve the food in -courses. It was like putting a lot of hominy, and pork, and cabbage, and -beans into the same dish, and saying to the people, “Here it is; help -yourselves.” But as a few sermons could not be made to last indefinitely, -I was compelled to apply myself to study, no little of which was done on -horseback. Every itinerant in West Virginia at that time had to do the -same thing. While this method of study was not the most desirable, it -nevertheless had its redeeming features. Ofttimes, after riding a dozen -or fifteen miles over rough, hilly roads, I would alight, hitch my horse, -and while the weary animal was resting, mount a log near by and practice -to my heart’s content the sermon I was preparing for my next appointment. -Again and again did I make the welkin ring as I preached to an audience -of great trees about me. Does this appear amusing to the reader? Do you -doubt that such experiences ever occurred? If so, ask some of the earlier -preachers of the conference who are yet living if they ever did such a -thing while circuit-riding among the mountains. - -Did we ever feel lonesome as we traversed the forests or climbed the -hills? Not for a moment. It was an inspiring place to be. The birds sing -so sweetly there. The gurgling, murmuring streamlets are ever musical -as they steal their way along through gulches, over their rocky beds. -The scenery is sublime. Nature’s book stands wide open, and abounds with -richest lessons and illustrations. No wonder Glossbrenner and Markwood, -Warner and Howe, with a host of others, could preach! The very mountains -amid which they were born and reared conspired to make them lofty -characters, and majestic in their pulpit efforts. While Union Biblical -Seminary, and our colleges generally, are grand, helpful schools, let it -not be forgotten that “Brush College” is not without its advantages, and -should be given due credit for the inspiration and rugged manliness it -imparts to its students. - -My home this year was with Brother James Hull, on the headwaters of -French Creek, fully forty miles from the nearest railroad station. Mother -Hull was one of God’s noble women. She professed sanctification, and -lived it every day. I can never forget her helpfulness to me, a mere -child in years and service. I must see her in heaven. - -If I returned home after each Sabbath’s work, it required one hundred -and fifty miles travel to make one round of the circuit. My associate -also had a good home on another part of the charge; but unfortunately -for him, and for some others as well, his zeal led him into trouble. -Brother Mike Boyles, with whom he stayed, was a good, true man, and was -ever delighted to have a preacher with him. One Sunday he went to see a -friend a few miles distant, and innocently carried home on his horse a -large, nice, well-matured pumpkin. His purpose, no doubt, was to prepare -a special dish for his guest; but his preacher was not pleased with such -an infraction of the Sabbath law. A short while after this he discoursed -in the neighborhood church on the text, “I stand in doubt of you.” Among -other things, he said he stood in doubt of a church-member who would go -visiting on Sunday and carry “pumpkins” home with him. Brother Boyles -very naturally made the application a personal one, and ever afterward -refused to be reconciled. - -During the year I married two couples. One of the men was a horse -buyer, and was considered “away up” financially. Of course I expected -no insignificant sum for my services; it ought to have been ten dollars -or more; but let the reader imagine, if he can, my disappointment, -if not disgust, when he handed me forty cents in “shinplasters.” By -“shinplasters” I mean a certain kind of currency which circulated -during our civil strife in the early sixties, in the form of five, ten, -twenty-five and fifty cent certificates. - -Speaking of this wedding recalls the fact that it was on this circuit, -while visiting my uncle the year before, that I married my first couple. -I remember, too, that I approached the occasion with great trepidation. -It was an awful task. But the eventful hour finally came. The parsonage, -so called, where the nuptials were to be celebrated, was a log cabin of -one room. The kitchen, which stood several feet from the main building, -was the only place offered in which to arrange the toilet. At last -I stood before the young couple and began the ceremony, which I had -committed to memory. Yes, I had it sure, as I thought. I had gone over -it twenty times or more. In practising for the occasion I had joined -trees and fence stakes, and I know not what all, together; but at the -very moment when I needed it, and couldn’t get along without it, the -whole thing suddenly left me. There I was. After an extended pause and a -most harrowing silence I rallied, and began by saying, “We are gathered -together.” Just then my voice failed me; it seemed impossible to make -a noise, even. I fairly gasped for breath, for that was the one thing I -seemed to need most. At last the effort was renewed. How I got through I -never knew. I seemed to be in a mysterious realm, where the unknowable -becomes more incomprehensible, and when all the past and future seem to -unite in the present. Finally I wound up what seemed to be long-drawn out -affair, and pronounced the innocent couple man and wife. I am glad they -always considered themselves married. I have but little recollection of -what I did or said during the ordeal. In fact, I do not care to know, -since I am so far away from the occasion. Yes, that was my first wedding. - -The year was not without its material enterprises, for we completed the -churches at Glady Fork and Waterloo, repaired one at Indian Camp, and -started a new one at Laurel Run. Some of these stand yet as moral and -religious centers, and, at times, through the intervening years, have -been the scenes of great spiritual awakenings. - -Conference was held at New Haven, in Mason County, with Bishop D. Edwards -in the chair. While our report was thought to be fairly good, I asked for -a change, believing that I could do better work on another field. The -favor was granted, and Hessville Mission assigned me as my third charge. - -At the close of this year there were thirty-one ministers employed in -the conference, whose aggregate salary was $4,551.77, or an average of -$147 each. The three presiding elders received, all told, $843.83. These -figures indicate something of the sacrifices made by the men who gave -themselves to the early work of building up the Church in the Virginias. -Greater heroism of the apostolic type was never displayed by any of -the sons of Otterbein, nor can any part of the country show greater -achievements for the work done. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -Hessville Mission embraced portions of Harrison and Marion counties, and -was made up of the following preaching places: Quaker Fork, Glade Fork, -Indian Run, Big Run, Little Bingamon, Ballard School-house, Salt Lick, -Plumb Run, and Paw-paw. In all this territory we did not own a single -church edifice. By fall I had added Dent’s Run, Bee Gum, and Glover’s -Gap, making twelve appointments in all. At the last named place I held -a revival in a union church. The meeting was good, and telling most -favorably upon some of the best families of the town, when an unknown -miscreant at an early morning hour applied the torch and reduced the -building to ashes. All I lost in the conflagration was my Bible and -hymn-book. Moving into a schoolhouse near by, the meeting was continued, -and a class organized. By the middle of the winter there had been -sixty-five accessions, but from that on till spring I had to lay by on -account of measles. - -At Little Bingamon we had a great meeting. The entire community was -deeply stirred. “Aunt Susan” Martin was my main helper and standby. -While devout in life, and strong in faith, she had a blunt, honest way -of saying things which often amused the people. At this meeting two of -her children made a start. One was a son of some fifteen winters. He -literally wore himself out by his night and day pleadings at the altar, -and became so hoarse that he could scarcely talk. His mother was greatly -agitated over his condition, and grew exceedingly anxious to see the -intense struggle terminated. One evening she bowed at the altar with him -that she might, through instruction, show him a better way. She did not -believe that bodily exercise could be made to avail anything in seeking -salvation. Finally, for a moment, she lost her patience, and said, “Now, -if you don’t quit this kind of praying you will kill yourself. Stop it, -I tell you, or I’ll box your ears good. The Lord isn’t deaf, that you -should ‘holler’ so loud.” Then turning to her husband who, at the time, -was a professed moralist, though faithful in attending and supporting the -church services, she said: “George, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. -Not a word have you for this poor child. Now come and talk to him. To -stand and look on is no way to do.” - -The dear sister was right, not only in thinking that the father ought -to help the son, but in protesting against unnecessary physical -demonstrations in seeking religion. It is not the loud praying or -constant pleading that saves men, but faith in the world’s Redeemer. Rev. -H. R. Hess, one of the leading ministers in the West Virginia Conference, -was soundly converted and received into the church during this meeting. - -What a good home I had while on this charge! Brother Daniel Mason, a -father in Israel, whose life was as pure as a sunbeam, took me to his -home and heart, and treated me very much as the Shunammite did Elisha. -He built me a little room on his porch, and put therein a bed, bookcase, -table, and candlestick. The worth of such a place to a young minister is -next to incalculable. Twice a day he read the Word and prayed. He was on -good terms with his Lord, and talked to him with the greatest assurance. -Some of the sweetest memories of my earlier ministry cluster about this -Christian home. The fruition of the upper and better life he now enjoys -as the reward of his faith, service, and devotion while here below. - -The circuit agreed to pay me $100, and kept its contract. The first -quarter I received $14.81, the second, $18.35; the third, $17.75; and -the last $49.05. The conference added $50, which pushed my support up -to $150. With this salary, much above the average for a single man, I -could afford to pay $21.50 for a new suit of clothes, and $4 for a new -“two-story” silk hat. - -On my way to conference a few days were spent with friends in the home -neighborhood. Rev. E. Lorenz, father of the music writer, was living -and preaching in Parkersburg at this time. He had organized a German -congregation, and held services in the lecture-room of our English -church. The Committee on Entertainment sent me to stay with him during -the conference session which was held in the city. Thoughts of that -superlatively Christian home linger with me to this day. I shall never -forget how parents and children bowed together in prayer, morning and -evening, and how each took part in the devotions. Too much emphasis -cannot be placed upon the importance of prayer in the home. Nothing else, -on the human side, so anchors the family and builds up character. The -fact that the fire has died out on so many domestic altars is, itself, -proof that family religion does not receive the attention it once did. - -At this conference I was permitted to pass the second and third years’ -course of reading, which put me in the class to be ordained. I can never -blot from memory the prayer offered by the lamented Doctor Warner at the -ordination service. He seemed to pour out his very soul in petition to -God for the young men being set apart to the work of the ministry. I wept -like a child while he thus prayed, and anew pledged to Jesus and the -Church the service of my life. - -Grafton at this time was constituted a mission station, and made my field -for the coming year. The town then (1873) had a population of about three -thousand souls, and was located mainly on a steep hillside. In fact, it -stands about the same way yet, though containing several thousand more -people. We had no church-house, and no organization, though there were -a few members scattered through the place. Seventy-five dollars were -appropriated by the conference toward my support. A preaching-place -called “Old Sandy,” some twelve miles distant, was also given me. Here -we had a gracious revival. I later took up two more points—Maple Run -and Glade Run—and organized a class at each. At the close of the year -these country classes were formed into a separate charge, and became -self-supporting. - -[Illustration: W. M. WEEKLEY, Thirty Years of Age - -Presiding Elder] - -At Grafton the work progressed slowly, and with some difficulty for -a time. A friend gave us, free of charge, the use of a church-house -which, by some means, had fallen into his hands. The first thing was to -organize a Sabbath school, which started off well. When certain church -partisans saw the outlook, they offered to take part in the school, -and adroitly got possession of the offices. When I discovered the real -situation, I determined to bring the matter of control to an issue, -and did. I deliberately stated that I had been sent there to organize -a United Brethren Church and Sabbath school, and proposed to carry out -my instructions. I was pleased to have teachers and other helpers from -sister denominations join in the work, I added, but the school would be -reported to my conference. The result is easily imagined. Our friends, -so-called, suddenly dropped out, and from that day to this the identity -of the school has never been questioned. - -The seventy-five dollars appropriated by the conference was about all -I received, and twenty-five dollars of that went in a lump to the -centennial fund. If a kind family had not taken me in, free of cost, I -could not have remained the year through. For the second year the support -given was about the same. The third year there were two of us to support, -hence a special effort had to be made to increase the pay. Three hundred -and twelve dollars was the amount actually received, eighty dollars of -which was paid on rent; but we lived well; no such thing as want seemed -to be within a thousand leagues of our humble home. We were thankful for -cheap furniture and home-made carpet. Yea, more, we were happy. God’s -ravens carried us our daily portion. - -In the early spring of 1875, we began the erection of a chapel which -cost, lot and all, $2,800. But a part of it had to be built the second -time. Just as the frame was up and ready for roof and siding, a storm -passing that way piled it in a promiscuous heap. This occurred on the -seventeenth of July. Immediately, however, the work of reconstruction was -undertaken, and the edifice was completed in early fall, and dedicated by -Doctor Warner. Such experiences try a young man’s nerve and purpose, but -invariably prove a blessing when the difficulties accompanying them are -overcome. - -That year I took up an appointment at the Poe School-house, two miles out -of town, and organized a class. In those days the preacher was expected -to look around for new openings, no matter where he was or how large his -field; there is no other way to expand. My criticism of many of our young -preachers to-day is that they do not try to enlarge their work. They seem -never to look beyond the nest into which the conference settles them. -They will live on half salary, and whine about it all year, rather than -get out and look up additional territory. Under fair conditions, the -young man who is devout and active can secure a good living on any field. -Faith and purpose and push will win every time. The year closed with -fifty-three members, and ninety-five in the Sunday school. - -The conference again convened in Parkersburg, with David Edwards this -time as bishop—the last session he ever presided over. - -At this period the battle in the Church over the secrecy question was -waxing warm. West Virginia had lined up on the liberal side. The bishop, -being pronouncedly “anti” in his views, determined to enforce the rules -of the Church in the matter of admitting applicants into the conference. -A brother who appeared for license was known to belong to some fraternal -order, so the good bishop held him up. This brought on a crisis. All -was excitement. Some things, it was clear, would have to be settled -then and there, and they were. Doctor Warner arose, in the midst of the -flurry, and demanded that the young brother be sent to the appropriate -committee, which he said was thoroughly competent to deal with the -question. The bishop was on his feet also with the fire of determination -fairly flashing in his eyes. However, when he fully realized that, with -an exception or two, the entire body was against him, he gracefully -yielded, thus happily bringing the unfortunate conflict to a close. By -morning, matters had again assumed a normal condition, and the bishop -kindly requested that all reference to the controversy be expunged from -the records. - -Notwithstanding Bishop Edwards’ somewhat radical position on the secrecy -question, he was greatly loved by all our brethren, and by none was -his death more sincerely mourned. On Sunday he preached on Elijah’s -translation; a few days thereafter he was himself translated. - -From Grafton I was sent to New Haven circuit, in Mason County, one -hundred and sixty miles west. To get there I was compelled to borrow -twenty-five dollars. Dr. J. L. Hensley kindly entertained us until -a house could be found; for as yet there was not a parsonage in the -conference. This was considered one of the best fields we had. The -first year it paid me four hundred and sixteen dollars, and the next, -four hundred and twenty-seven dollars, with a few presents in the shape -of vegetables, groceries, and the like. Of course, I paid rent out of -this—thirty-six dollars one year, and fifty the other. I had only four -appointments—New Haven, Bachtel, Union, and Vernon, and these were close -together. During the two years, one hundred and thirty were received -into the Church. - -The next conference was held at Bachtel, which gave me my first -experience in caring for such a body. Bishop Weaver presided and preached -the word mightily on Sunday. He had been popular even since his first -visit to that section, in 1870. By request of Hon. George W. Murdock, a -wealthy business man in Hartford City, three miles west, he went down -there and preached in our church on Sunday evening. Mr. Murdock was an -ardent admirer of the bishop. Six years before he had entertained him in -his home, and was charmed by him as a preacher and conversationalist. -After spending the first hour with him, he slipped into the kitchen and -said: “Wife, he is the most wonderful man I ever met. Do come in and hear -him talk.” The old gentleman never forgot the bishop’s sermon on Sunday. -For weeks afterward he would talk about it in his store, and elsewhere, -sometimes in tears, nearly always ending with the observation, “He is a -wonderful man.” It might not be out of place to note here that the good -bishop more than once shared the benefactions of his wealthy friend. - -During my second year on this charge, a peculiar and most trying -experience came to our home. A great revival was going on at the Union -appointment. The altar was nightly crowded with earnest seekers, some of -whom belonged to the best families in the community. Early one morning a -young man came hurriedly to the place where I was stopping, and calling -me out, said, “Mr. Weekley, I have been sent to tell you that your babe -is dead.” Hastening home I found the faithful mother watching at the side -of the withered flower, and anxiously awaiting my coming. How loving the -ministry of friends had been; nor did their tender interest abate a whit -until the little lifeless form was put away to sleep in the cemetery on -the hillside, in the family lot of Dr. Hensley. - -The reader may be anxious to know what I did under the circumstances. -There was but one thing to do, that was to seek the guiding hand of -duty. Our little one was gone. Just as the thoughtful florist takes his -tender plants into their winter quarters before the frost appears, or -the chilling winds sweep the plains, so a wise, loving, merciful Father -had plucked up the little vine which had rooted itself so thoroughly and -deeply in our hearts, and transplanted it in his own heavenly garden. -Yes, Charley was safe; so I returned to my meeting with a tender spirit, -and the work continued with great power. - -More than one preacher who reads this incident will recall the time, -or times, when he, too, passed under the cloud, and walked amid the -shadows. Again and again I have been made to feel that some people do -not sympathize with the minister and his wife, as they do with others, -when the death angel tarries and lays his withering hand upon a young -life. Somehow they seem to think that the cup, when administered to -the preacher’s family, is not so bitter—that the thorn does not pierce -so deeply. But I know better, and so do a thousand others. It is said -of Dr. Daniel Curry, a great man in Methodism in his day, that he was -so grieved over the death of his little boy that after returning home -from the cemetery he went into the back yard, and observing his little -tracks in the sand, got down on his hands and knees and kissed them. -Words cannot express my sympathy for the faithful pastor and his family, -and my admiration of that faith, devotion, and heroism which in so many -instances are necessary to keep them in the work. - -Mason County was one of the first fields occupied by the ministers who -crossed the Alleghanies westward. Among these were G. W. Statton, J. -Bachtel, and Moses Michael. However, prior to this, preaching had been -kept up on the Virginia side by pastors of the Scioto Conference. The -main one was Jonas Frownfelter, whose name deserves a place alongside the -heroes enumerated in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. On one occasion, -when the Ohio River was out of its banks, and too dangerous for the -ferryman to venture across, he plunged in a little below the town of -Syracuse, swam his horse across, and came out at Hartford City, a half -mile below, singing like a conqueror: - - “From every stormy wind that blows, - From every swelling tide of woes, - There is a calm, a sure retreat,” etc. - -All honor to those who put their sweat, and tears, and blood into the -foundations of the conference, thus enabling others to build safely and -successfully. - -Early in the fifties a paper known as the _Virginia Telescope_, was -started in West Columbia, ostensibly in the interest of the whole Church, -but later developments proved that the object was to organize a Southern -United Brethren Church, making the slavery question the basis of the -separation. When the presiding elder, G. W. Statton, became aware of its -purpose, he threw his official influence against its continuance, and -succeeded, by the aid of others, in eliminating it as a disturbing factor. - -The reader will pardon me for taking up these early historical threads, -woven long before my day as an itinerant, but I have done so with the -view to preserving in permanent form interesting facts not generally -known, and nowhere written into the history of the Church. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -In March of 1878, the conference assembled in Grafton, with Bishop J. -J. Glossbrenner as its presiding officer. At this session the brethren -greatly surprised me by electing me one of the presiding elders. No -thought of such a thing had ever entered my mind. I could not see the -propriety of putting a young man, not yet twenty-seven, over men of age, -ability, and experience, hence it was with no little diffidence that I -accepted the West Columbia District, in the bounds of which I had already -worked two years. The district contained only eleven charges, but these -were widely scattered, embracing all or parts of Cabell, Mason, Jackson, -Wood, Putnam, Kanawha, and Roane counties, and were as follows: Milton, -Point Pleasant, Cross Creek, Thirteen, Jackson, Red House, Fair Plain, -Sandy, New Haven, Wood, and Hartford City. Later, Walton was added. - -The salary assessed the district was $425; out of this I had to pay -traveling expenses, provide a house to live in, and pay a hired girl. -Under such conditions I could afford a house of only three rooms. I -never believed in a preacher, or any one else, for that matter, living -beyond his income. Debt is an awful devil for the itinerant to contend -with, and should be avoided at all hazard. In all the years of my -ministry I have never left a pastoral charge or district owing any one -thereon a nickel. If a man is fit to be a preacher, debt will distract -his mind and put a thorn in his pillow; it cannot be otherwise with a -sensitive nature. God save our young men from the habit and curse of -debt-making. - -No little of my travel, while on the district, was by boat on the Ohio -and Big Kanawha rivers. Only one of my fields was touched by a railroad, -and that was sixty miles from where I lived. My custom was to go by -boat to the point nearest the place of the quarterly meeting, and then -walk the remaining distance, whether it be five or twenty-five miles. -Often I might have secured conveyance for the asking, but I felt that it -was humiliating to be always annoying somebody for favors, nor have I -changed an iota in all these years in this regard. If a preacher wants -to make himself a nuisance among his parishioners, he can easily do so -by constantly making demands upon them which look to his own comfort and -that of his family. Many a time I walked from twelve to fifteen miles -in a day, held quarterly conference, and preached twice. Occasionally -the distance would stretch out to twenty miles. I did not mind the labor -so much as I did the suffering from sore feet; walking in the hot sun -or over frozen roads, hour after hour, often caused them to blister and -bleed. In these experiences I was not alone; many others, some of whom -yet live, suffered the same or kindred hardships. - -In February of 1879 I was called home to my father’s. After a day or -two I tried to return, but upon reaching Parkersburg found the river -so frozen and clogged with ice that the boats could not run. It was -Thursday afternoon. My quarterly was at Oakhill, fully forty miles -distant, the next Saturday at two o’clock. The roads were badly frozen -and almost impassable. When I saw the situation I determined to make the -trip overland as best I could; if I could not find assistance along the -way, I would walk it. Leaving the city at four o’clock, I traveled on -till darkness overtook me, when I turned aside and knocked at the door -of a humble cabin and asked for lodging, which was cheerfully granted; -but I had made only a few miles. In addition to the rough roads, I was -burdened with a good-sized grip and overcoat. The next morning at daydawn -I resumed my journey. Once during the day I rode two or three miles in -somebody’s sled, but beyond this I got no help. Long after the dinner -hour I secured a cold lunch, which the reader may be assured was relished -by a tired, hungry man. An hour before sundown I reached Sandyville, -where a warm supper was enjoyed at a little hotel. Still I was fifteen -miles away from the point for which I was aiming, and felt that I could -go no farther without help; but a kind friend generously agreed to loan -me his horse to ride as far as Ripley, seat of justice for Jackson -County, from which place the mail-carrier was to lead it back the next -day; but the poor animal was shoeless, and went crippling along at a -snail’s gait over the rough ground. - -Two miles distant I had to cross Sandy Creek, and found it partly frozen -over. It was too dark to discern the danger of fording the stream. After -repeated efforts, I succeeded in getting the horse on to the ice, but as -quick as a flash it fell broadside, pitching me—I never knew where nor -just how far; but the horse beat me up, turned its head homeward, and -disappeared in the darkness. What did I do? Well, what almost anybody -else would have done under like circumstances. I took the back track -and returned to the village where the animal belonged, and found that -it had returned in good order. The next morning my feet were so sore -that I could not wear my shoes, but was fortunate in securing a pair of -arctics in which to travel the rest of the journey. By noon Ripley was -reached, where conveyance was secured which enabled me to make the place -of meeting and call the conference on schedule time. - -Some one may suggest that I was foolish for making such an effort to -reach the quarterly when nothing apparently unusual was at stake; maybe -I was, but such was my way of doing. I always believed that a preacher -ought to fill his engagements promptly unless providentially hindered, -and then he ought to be fair enough not to blame providence with too -much; but few days are ever too cold and stormy, or nights too dark to -keep a man from his appointments if he is anxious to preach the word -and minister to his people. I here record the fact, with feelings of -satisfaction and pride, that in more than a third of a century I have -not disappointed a dozen congregations. As I see it, a preacher succeeds -in his work just as business or other professional men succeed in their -respective callings. He must bestir himself, and permit no obstacle -to get between him and duty; any other policy means failure. At it -everywhere and all the time, and keeping everybody else at work, are the -only ways to win for the Church and maintain a good conscience before -God. - -Conference met in Hartford City. The chart showed that a good year had -been enjoyed, 1,354 new members being reported. Of this number, 535 were -credited to West Columbia District. - -The second year on the district was like unto the first—full of toil, -responsibility, and peril betimes. - -As an indication of what was required of a presiding elder in order to -aid his pastors and keep the work of the district well in hand, I relate -the following experience: A rainy winter morning found me on Milton -Circuit—the last charge in the southwestern part of the conference. I had -an appointment that evening at Cross Creek, thirty-five miles east. The -mud in some places was knee deep to my horse, but on and on I traveled, -over hills and along meandering streams, sometimes walking myself up -and down steep places in order to relieve my weary horse. At last, when -it was nearly dark, I halted on the bank of the great Kanawha, opposite -the town of Buffalo. But how was I to get across the threatening stream? -The ice lay piled in great heaps on either shore; the man who tended the -ferry hesitated to come after me when I called to him, but he was given -to understand that in some way I must be gotten over. Finally he agreed -to make the attempt, and after hard rowing, landed me on the opposite -side but below the regular coming-out place, and where the ice was badly -gorged. Then the real difficulty of the venture was apparent. We had to -get the horse up over the great blocks of ice that lay at the water’s -edge, and it was to two of us an exciting time; no one can describe it on -paper. Holding on to the animal, pulling my best at the bridle-rein all -the while, the ferryman pushing with all his might, we finally scrambled -over the ice and through narrow passageways until a place of safety -was reached. How thankful I felt when it was all over, and how I loved -that horse! Doctor Warner used to tell how his faithful horse once swam -an angry stream, and that after the shore had been reached in safety -he dismounted, put his arms around the neck of his deliverer, kissed -his lips, and wept for joy. Itinerating in the early days of the West -Virginia Conference meant all this, and sometimes much more. - -When I got to the church, two miles farther on, I found the congregation -waiting and ready to join in the service. It might be stated, in -this connection, that in those days the coming of the “elder” was an -extraordinary event, and seldom failed to bring out the entire community. - -The following evening I had an engagement to preach at Mount Moriah, -still farther east some thirty miles. It rained the day through. A part -of the journey I followed a single trail, popularly known as a “hog -path.” Such a route relieved me somewhat from the mud, but, being in the -woods, I could not carry an umbrella over me, hence had to take the rain -as it came; but I must not disappoint the people. They had my word for -it that I would be there, and the promise must be sacredly kept. It was -a little after dark when I caught a glimpse of the lights in the old log -church; but, hold! I suddenly found myself up against another serious -difficulty—Parchment Creek was out of its banks. There seemed no show -for getting over except to plunge in and swim my horse. I hesitated; -already wet and cold, I was loath to make the attempt. I would have to -carry my saddle-bags on my shoulder if I saved my Bible, hymn-book, and -sermons; the water would come to my waist, to say the least. Then another -trouble appeared; it was too dark to see the road or landing-place on the -opposite side, and I might drift below it with the current and not get -out at all. While thus cogitating, I heard some boys talking on the other -side as they were going to church. Calling to them, I said, “Boys, can’t -you in some way help me over the creek?” “Who are you?” was the reply. -“I’m the preacher,” I answered, “and want to get to the church.” After -a short consultation among themselves, one of them shouted back, “All -right; we’ll bring the skiff after you.” Soon I heard them push out from -the shore, and in a few moments they landed near me. “Now,” said one, -“you get in here with Bill, and I’ll swim your hoss over,” and in less -time than it takes to pen the happenings, he was in the saddle on his -knees and starting for the water. Did he get over safely? Yes, indeed; -he entered the stream above the usual place of going in, hence the horse -swam, not against the current, but at an angle with it. In every way -possible I thanked those boys for their kindness to me, for they had -certainly kept me from putting my life in peril. If they are still living -and should happen to glance over these pages, they will readily recall -the event. - -The church was nearly full of people, and I certainly enjoyed preaching -to them. The great Father had been graciously with me to guide my ways -and to protect my life. How glad I will be if, on the morning of the -eternal to-morrow, I shall find that the service that evening helped some -soul heavenward! - -Rev. W. W. Rymer, over thirty years ago, nearly lost his life in this -same region on account of high waters. His horse either could not or -would not swim, but plunged furiously when beyond his depth. The heroic -itinerant stayed in the saddle as long as he could, but was finally -dislodged and went down. In the midst of it all he retained his presence -of mind and aimed for the nearest shore, which was not far away. Being -unable to swim, he crawled on the bottom a part of the way, and at -last found himself where he could stand with his head above the water. -The horse, fortunately, came out on the same side. Commenting on the -incident, Mr. Rymer says: “After my deliverance, it was clear to me -that I had been near death’s door, and also near heaven. Two thoughts -followed; one was: ‘If I had not escaped, I would now be in glory,’ and -I confess I felt good over the reflection. The other was: ‘No, it is -better that I got out, for if I had drowned, my parents would have had -great sorrow.’ I took it all to mean that my work was not yet done, and -soon experienced great peace of mind. Almost thirty-one years have come -and gone since then, but the ruling purpose of my heart all the while has -been to preach Jesus. Before thirty-one years more have rolled around, -I shall have gone through death’s river—yes, through to the other side, -where I shall see my Lord face to face.” - -Let the reader be assured that there is a profound satisfaction in -looking back to those times of trial and suffering, of battle and -victory, when the ways of Providence were so plain, and when an -unspeakable jay crowned the years of toil and service. - -After another ride of twelve miles from Mount Moriah, I reached my home -in Cottageville, near the Ohio River. How inexpressibly delightful to be -at home again with wife and little ones! What a heavenly place home is -when love and sunshine await the itinerant’s coming! While he ministers -to them, they also minister tenderly to him; such mutual love and -helpfulness is to be found nowhere else. - -My support for the year consisted of $427.83 in salary and $22.41 in -presents. Fifty dollars of this went for house rent, and fully as much -more for traveling expenses. Beside these outlays, we kept hired help in -the home all the time. - -Buckhannon, Upshur Country, was the seat of the next session of the -conference. The noble Bishop Glossbrenner was with us in the fullness of -the Spirit, and charmed us with the warmth and sweetness of his gospel -messages. As recording secretary, I edited a little “daily,” which gave -the proceedings of the conference. This was the first and last attempt of -the kind. Such an arrangement is nice, to be sure, and sounds well when -we talk about it, but it always costs more than it is worth. The town -papers are usually willing and anxious to report the work. - -During the session a most amusing incident took place. A colored brother -by the name of Waldo came to me at the noon hour on Thursday, and asked -me to marry him that evening at eight o’clock. I said, “Waldo, I cannot -grant your request. We have an evening session of conference, and I must -be there. However, if you will put it off till nine o’clock, I will be on -hand.” But to such an arrangement he would not agree. The long-looked-for -moment could not be delayed. Eight o’clock was the hour about which -clustered the sweetest anticipations of his life. The goal toward which -he had striven must be reached and won on schedule time. So, with a -twinkle of the eye, characteristic of the negro, he exclaimed: “Good -Lawd! the thing’s gone too fah now; no putting it off.” Of course I had -to arrange for another secretary under circumstances so vitally essential -to the brother’s happiness and welfare. The reason why he chose me to -perform the ceremony, he said, was because I had converted him eight -years before. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -The third year on the district brought the usual routine of duties and -hardships. By the help of Brother John Dodds, who gave me fifty dollars, -I was enabled to purchase a horse and buggy, paying $125 for the entire -outfit. This arrangement relieved me of much walking. The horses and -mules occasionally used during the previous years were borrowed or hired. -My muleback riding, however, was suddenly broken off by a rather painful -incident which occurred one night. Striking a bit of good road, I spurred -the animal into a gallop, but something happened; its forelegs seemed to -give way, and it turned a complete somersault. With my arms extended, I -went on, like a flying-machine, several feet before I struck the ground. -The fall nearly killed me. I rolled about in agony for a while before -I thought of the mule, but when I was able to get up I observed the -treacherous beast leisurely eating grass in the fence corner near by, as -if nothing had happened. I never liked a mule after that, and, to the -best of my knowledge, have not been on one since. - -I never thought it out of place to have a little innocent fun once in a -while. “Laugh and grow fat,” is an old adage which has more in it than -some people suppose. A long, wry face is a poor sign of piety. To assume -a look of seriousness, as though religion were made up of clouds and -shadows and disappointments, is a false representation of the Christian -life. If any person on earth has a right to be cheerful and to smile all -over his face, it is the one who honestly endeavors to serve God, and has -his eyes throneward all the while. Yes— - - “A little nonsense now and then - Is relished by the wisest men.” - -Certainly, then, there is nothing wrong in those not so wise enjoying it. - -One blustery March day, after a long, irksome ride over the hills, I was -passing a farm-house where two young lads were chopping wood. Here is an -opportunity, I thought, to have a little sport; so, reining in my horse, -I called, “Say, boys, can you tell me how far it is to where I want to -go?” In an instant one of them replied, “Yes, sir; three lengths of a -fool; get off and measure.” It was no time to talk back, or to interpose -objections to such rudeness with a presiding elder. I had gotten myself -into the difficulty, so had to get out as gracefully as possible. Bidding -them the time of day, I passed on, descanting in an undertone upon the -subject of depravity, and wondering what was to become of the rising -generation. Since then I have deemed it wise to approach the average boy -somewhat cautiously, as one never knows when or in what direction his gun -will go off. - -About this time, and perhaps in connection with this trip, I had an -amusing experience with a brother who appeared before the quarterly -conference for license to preach. When asked to state his views on -depravity, he frankly admitted that he did not fully understand the -doctrine, but said he believed that man was “_teetotally deprived_.” -Before the examination was over the conference was clear in its judgment -that it could not afford to credential a man who was _deprived_ of common -sense. - -During the year it was my privilege and pleasure to convey the greetings -of my conference first to the West Virginia Conference of the Methodist -Episcopal Church, and then to the Baptist Association of the State. Both -were large, influential bodies, and received with marked cordiality the -messenger sent by the United Brethren. - -While our people of the conference were loyal, and believed in a robust, -aggressive denominationalism, they were free from that narrow, bigoted -sectarianism which is so unlike the religion we profess. They were -cordial and generous in their treatment of others, and always ready to -grasp the hand of fellowship, no matter by whom extended. They believed -in _union_, and do yet. As far back as 1870, the following was spread -upon the conference minutes: - -“WHEREAS, The tendency of the times is toward a more intimate union -among the various religious denominations of the country; and, whereas, -negotiations are now going on between the Evangelical Association and the -United Brethren in Christ, looking toward their union; therefore, - -“_Resolved_, That we, as a conference, entertain the idea of such a union -most favorably, and hope that it can be effected on terms alike honorable -to both denominations.” - -Bishop Glossbrenner again presided at the next session of conference, -which convened in Parkersburg. The aggregate salary reported by my -district for pastoral support was $2,036, and for the presiding elder, -$411.21. The thirty-four pastors in the entire conference received, all -told, $6,535, or an average each of $192. Think of it, ye who scan these -lines! Men of God working twelve months for a pittance; men of brains -and character, of devotion and heroism; think, too, of their families! -The wife and mother at home continually, with but few social, or other -advantages; the little ones barefooted the year ’round, and sometimes -far removed from school and church—all that the husband and father might -preach, and win sinners to the Cross. Glorious record, this! the dear -Lord has it in his book. - -Does some one ask how our men died? Like conquerors. Awhile before -conference William H. Diddle, my predecessor on the district, and a -comrade in toil, was called to the heavenly home. The end was beautiful, -and found his soul in rapture. When far out in the river he shouted back, -“Do not be excited. If this is death, I am not afraid to die.” His life -had been as pure as a sunbeam. His unselfishness was a marvel to many. He -literally gave himself for the good of others, and thus became one with -his divine Christ, both in sacrifice and service. As he entered the gates -I think Jesus said: “Stand back, Gabriel; stand back, Michael; stand -back, all ye angelic hosts, and make room for one who must be next only -to myself.” What a change from a poor, three-hundred-dollar circuit! - -For the fourth time I was sent back to the district, but I returned with -the feeling that this must be the last year. In my report to conference -I had asked to be relieved from district work, but the brethren did not -see fit to grant the request. - -I am, and always have been opposed to long terms of office. The duties -entailed by positions of trust usually are such as to interfere with -systematic study. This is the main reason why many officials narrow down -in their pulpit work to a few sermons. They do not have time to prepare -new discourses. Then there is a tendency among those who hold office, -whether in the annual conference or general Church, to develope a spirit -of bossism, which is incompatible with United Brethrenism. Perhaps the -men in office are not so much at fault as is the system which keeps -them there. They somehow get the notion that they must have a finger in -everything, and that nothing can be done exactly right without them. -There may be, and are notable exceptions, of course, but they are few and -widely separated. - -Having been elected to the General Conference, with Z. Warner and E. -Harper as associates, I attended the meeting of that body which occurred -in Lisbon, Iowa, the following May. This was all new to me, but the -conference was hardly so interesting as were the vast prairies of -Illinois and Iowa, and the marvelous products of the great farms to be -seen on every hand. In feeding our horses and cattle in West Virginia, -we almost invariably allotted to each just so many ears of corn. Even the -swine we expected to butcher were given a daily allowance; but in Iowa I -was surprised to see chickens, hogs, cattle, and everything else given -free access to the compile. But such is their way of doing out West. The -rich soil is transmuted into corn, the corn into pork and beef, and these -into gold, which has developed on the material side a wonderful country. - -During each of the four years I spent on the district, we held a -ministerial institute. This portable school of the prophets was suggested -by Rev. E. Harper, now a presiding elder in North Nebraska, as far back -as 1875. A whole week at a time would be spent in hearing recitations and -lectures, and the work was most thorough. Our studies embraced Old and -New Testament history, systematic theology, Christian ethics, homiletics, -church history, mental and moral philosophy, English grammar, the English -Bible, etc. Some of the textbooks used were gone through again and again -in the course of a few years. We used charts, maps, the blackboard—in -fact, everything that would aid in the study of the Word, quicken a -desire for knowledge, and increase the preacher’s efficiency in the -pulpit. Dr. Warner was at first our main preceptor; and what a teacher -he was! thorough, clear, and enthusiastic; he knew what he wanted to say, -and how to say it. He was mighty in the Scriptures; and as a pulpiteer -and platform speaker had no equal in his conference, and perhaps nowhere -else in the Church. Later, others took part in the work of instruction, -which greatly pleased him, relieving him of much of the burden assumed in -the outset. - -A resolution was adopted to the effect that any preacher who wilfully -absented himself from these gatherings, designed especially for his -mental and moral improvement, should be left without work until all -others had been employed. This policy was drastic, to be sure, but in the -end it proved a blessing to our ministry. Much of the clerical material -we had on hand was exceedingly raw, but genuine, nevertheless, and -susceptible of being wrought into a highly-finished and useful product. -One young brother affirmed, publicly, that the crucifixion occurred -seventy years before the flood; another, in preaching on Daniel in the -lion’s den, said he didn’t know how he got to Babylon unless he had been -shipwrecked. Both of these were good men, and one of them proved very -successful as an itinerant. Cases of such dense ignorance were rare, of -course, but to such brethren the institute was of incalculable value, -as history, geography, chronology, and other features of biblical study -were made a specially. But let no one be deceived into thinking that -all, or a majority were illiterates. Far from it Some were giants in -the pulpit, and were heard with gladness by the multitudes. One after -another, other conferences took up the institute idea, until it prevails -to-day in one form or another in nearly all the conferences, and no -doubt will remain a permanent fixture in the methods of the Church. The -plan is a good one, and commends itself especially to young men who are -striving for self-improvement in the pulpit, and along lines of practical -work. However, before the institute should come the _college_ and -_seminary_. At a time like the present, when money is abundant, and the -beneficiary aid of the church may be drawn upon, every one looking toward -the ministry should seek and secure the help proffered by these great -institutions. The character and mission of any denomination depend upon -the type of its preachers. The United Brethren Church is no exception to -this rule. - -Grafton was the seat of the next conference, Bishop J. Dickson directing -its business. The year had been fairly successful in various ways, but -the salaries remained exceedingly low. Over the conference they average -$202.88. My own was $433.18, with the addition of $74.50 in presents. Of -the thirty-seven charges reported, only two paid as much as $400; five -paid from $300 to $350; eleven from $200 to $300; while all the rest fell -below $200. But the brethren were ready and willing to try it again. The -secretary says at the close of the proceedings: “The unanimity among the -preachers and delegates, and the deep solicitude manifested by all for -the prosperity of the conference, made the entire session remarkably -pleasant.” Referring to the Sabbath evening service, he adds: “At the -close a number of the ministers made brief remarks relative to their past -hardships, and bespoke the prayers of the conference for success during -the coming year. This part of the service was deeply affecting.” Yes, I -remember the occasion well. Dr. Landis, of the Seminary, was present, and -wept with the rest of us, as he listened to the story of more than one -who was willing to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” - -The following will indicate the courageous attitude of the conference on -questions of moral reform: - -“WHEREAS, the use of tobacco is expensive, filthy, unnecessary, and, -therefore, an evil, and, - -“WHEREAS, it is especially unbecoming for ministers of the gospel to -surrender to an acquired appetite, defile the body, the temple of the -Holy Ghost, and thus, by example, encourage the young to do likewise; and, - -“WHEREAS, this evil cannot be remedied so long as ministers freely and -openly indulge in it, therefore, - -“_Resolved_, 1. That from this time forward no person be granted license -to preach by this Annual Conference who persists in the use of tobacco. - -“_Resolved_, 2. That all licentiates who indulge this habit be required -to give it up before taking upon themselves the vows of ordination.” - -The significance of this action will be more fully appreciated when it -is understood that West Virginia is a tobacco-producing States and that -its use, in one form or another, is pretty general among the people. A -report on temperance, which mercilessly arraigned the liquor traffic, and -its political abetters, was also adopted. Here is a sentence or two from -it: “Believing as we do that prohibition is both humane and holy, we can -have no sympathy for a policy, or a Christianity that ignores it at the -ballot-box.” Men who were willing to work for a pittance, which meant -that they and their families were to go scantily fed, and half clothed, -all for the sake of redeeming their native State, could not be expected -to condone the offenses of the liquor dealer, or to have decent respect -for those who did. - -[Illustration: House Where the Bishop First Went to Housekeeping and -Where His First Child Was Born, Grafton, W. Va.] - -The next two years were spent in Parkersburg. During the first we had a -blessed revival which continued several weeks; in all, more than seventy -joined the Church. But during the second year the work was hindered by -circumstances beyond human control. A great sorrow came to our home. By -degrees the shadows deepened, until the mother of my three children bade -us a final adieu, and pushed out into the unseen. God pity and help the -itinerant to whom such an experience comes! But my own mother, now of -such precious memory, was ready to take the little ones, and to bestow -upon them that wealth of care and love which never fails to enrich the -life. - -The next year was given to the financial management of the West Virginia -Normal and Classical Academy, located at Buckhannon. While the school -did excellent work for a few years, it eventually went down for want -of material support. In view of the losses and disappointments and -alienations caused by its failure, I am not sure that the conference -did a wise thing in starting it. Little colleges have their advantages, -I grant, but trying to operate one at every crossroads on faith and -enthusiasm, is too much of a good thing. - -By consent of the conference I agreed to give a few months to the -business management and associate editorship of the _West Virginia -Freeman_, the State prohibition organ. During this period I made a -partial canvass of the State in the interest of a prohibition amendment -then pending. It would require a whole chapter to tell of my experiences -with the old political partisans, some of whom fairly went into spasms at -the very mention of prohibition. Our presidential candidate, John P. St. -John, had defeated James G. Blaine, so the Republicans affirmed; hence -they were ready to vote against anything, or anybody, the angel Gabriel -not excepted, who believed on any point as St. John did. Many of these -were Christians, so-called, and some of them members of my own Church. I -knew them well; and be it said to their everlasting shame, that they went -against the amendment, just as did every whiskyite in the State. - -Under our system of government the ballot has in it a moral element, and -therefore will meet us at the bar of final reckoning. It not only has -to do with our political, industrial, and educational affairs, but with -the church and family as well. What show will a man have at the last -day whose ballot has constantly belied his profession as a Christian? -I have never been able to understand how he could enthrone his Lord -in the affairs of state by voting a ticket perfectly satisfactory to -the drunkard-maker. It remains for an allwise God to determine what -disposition shall be made of these vicious ballots when the judgment day -comes. Personally, I have no respect for, or confidence in any United -Brethren or member of any other church who, knowingly, votes for a man -for any office who is opposed to my Christ and the cause for which he -stands. - -Being ever ready to “speak my piece” against the saloon and its allies, -I was constantly stirring up a “hornet’s nest” over the business. When I -spoke against it, whether in public or private, I never hesitated to pay -my respects to the machine politician, since I regarded him and rum as -closely related. As the result, some of the newspapers and office-seekers -got after me with a vengeance. This I confess was to my liking, since -I felt sure I was making at least some kind of impression upon them. -Then it gave me a chance to answer their criticisms, and puncture their -fallacies. The following extract from one of my replies may be of -interest to the reader. The principle laid down will always hold good: - -“All at once the saloonist and politician are becoming greatly concerned -over the question of ‘pure and undefiled religion’; and well they may, -for if religion is effectually taken into politics they will as certainly -go out. This they fully understand, hence yell themselves hoarse in -trying to divert attention when the pulpit begins to let the light in -upon their devilish business. While a man is a minister of the gospel, he -is also a citizen in common with other men. The fact that he pays taxes, -lives under, and is subject to the laws of our commonwealth, makes him -such. Then most assuredly he has the same right as other men to be heard -upon great political issues that affect the well-being of his country. If -not, why not? Touching all moral and political affairs which have to do -with the home, the individual, and the general good of the community, the -pulpit has ever stood at the front, and so it ever will, unless it sells -out to the saloon. - -“The truth is, under a government like ours, presumably Christian, -all political questions have a moral phase, and to a greater or less -extent involve the question of religion. In other words, every question -in politics touches at some point the work of the pulpit, therefore -it is right and proper for the minister to discuss before his people, -prudently, of course, the moral bearings of all these issues. There is -nothing that the liquor ring, and old-line politicians would rather do -than to stifle the utterances of the pulpit, for well they know that the -molding of sentiment, and the training of the moral forces by which the -eternal God proposes to overthrow and dash in pieces their strength, must -there begin.” - -In May of this year, 1885, I attended my second General Conference, which -met at Fostoria, Ohio, in company with Z. Warner, E. Harper, and S. J. -Graham. The occasion was an historic one. Radicalism was given a black -eye; the forces of the Church were realigned, and the clouds which had so -long hung over our Zion were pierced by the sunlight of a new day. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -The time of holding the annual conference having been changed from -spring to fall, the next session was held at the Simmons’ chapel, in -Lewis County. I was again made presiding elder, stationed on Parkersburg -District, and soon moved to Pennsboro, where my headquarters remained for -the next four years. My diocese extended from Parkersburg to Irondale, a -distance, east and west, of one hundred and sixteen miles, and from the -Ohio River on the north far interior to the south. The fields embraced -were Parkersburg Station, Parkersburg Circuit, Volcano, Pennsboro, Troy, -Middle Island, Littles Mills, Grafton, Irondale, Hessville, Tanner, -Sylvan Mills, and Smithton. - -A vast amount of hard work, I soon discovered, would be necessary to make -anything like a commendable showing in a territory so large and difficult -to cultivate. The first duty with me was to care for my preachers. It -was my notion then, and my views have not changed in all these years, -that if a presiding elder wants his men to do good work he must, first of -all, do his best for them financially. If the salary was insufficient, -and it nearly always was, as I have shown many times over, it had to be -supplemented in one way or another. If the stewards were worthless, I -asked them to resign. If they did not know how to collect, I went along -and instructed them as best I could. In some cases we would canvass -the entire neighborhood with a two-horse team and wagon, and gather up -flour, corn, potatoes, chickens, meat, eggs, sorghum, butter—in a word, -anything and everything that could be used at the parsonage, or exchanged -for groceries. When nothing better could be done, I would load up my own -horse with flour and meat and lead him to the preacher’s home with his -precious cargo of provisions. Then what a good time we would have! Some -who are yet at work in the conference were helped in this way. I also -found it profitable to have the people on each field, if at all possible, -make the pastor a present of a new suit of clothes each year. The plan is -usually a popular one, and in most cases can be worked, if placed in the -hands of the right persons. It is the equivalent of just so much extra -cash to the preacher. But with some it may be a query as to how I managed -the indifferent pastor. Sometimes one way, and sometimes another. Every -presiding elder, I suppose, has his own methods. My plan was first to -aid and encourage him all I possibly could. I tried to prove to him, in a -substantial way, that I was his friend, and wanted to help him make his -work a success. If, after all this, he persisted in being a failure, I -frankly told him he would have to drop out. Such a step requires courage, -I know, but it must be taken once in a while. No railroad company -or any other business concern would think of employing inefficient, -untrustworthy men; such a policy would be suicidal; nor can an elder -afford to supply his fields with those who are utterly devoid of fitness -for a work so high and responsible. - -A man may be a “good fellow” in many respects, and promise to support -his elder if continued in active service, but these things should have -no weight in the matter of appointments. The welfare of the church -should always be considered before that of the individual. If either -must go down, let it be the preacher. Why put him in a position to -chill, discourage, and perhaps wreck a whole charge? Nor should a man be -employed if inefficient by reason of age or poor health. The fact that a -minister was once successful is no reason for continuing him indefinitely -in the pastorate. A record of usefulness, I know, is a crown of glory to -any old, worn-out toiler, but with such glory he ought to be satisfied. -I have always hoped, and still do, that I may have sense and grace enough -to retire of my own accord before my conference is compelled to put me on -the shelf. The church, however, should provide a comfortable living for -her servants when they can no longer remain at the front. They deserve -such recognition, and to withhold it is to sin against them and the God -whose they are, and whom they have served. - -With reference to the presiding elder, or superintendent, I will further -say that he is the most useful and important man we have if he does his -duty faithfully; otherwise he is the biggest bore in the church. He is -not a success if he does mere routine work and nothing more. He must -reach out. He must be larger than his district, yet strive all the while -to make it as big as himself. He must keep things going. If resourceful, -he will always find a way to inspire and profit his men, if there is -anything in them to respond to his efforts. If he is not a general, he is -not fit for the place. He must go panoplied with helmet and breast-plate, -shield and sword, ready to fight, preach, or die, on a moment’s notice. -How the church and pastor are to be pitied when compelled to suffer three -or four official visits during the year from an old, dry stick, destitute -of sympathy and enthusiasm. - -The year was not without its incidents, both serious and amusing. During -one of my quarterlies held in the Big Fishing Creek region a fight -occurred among some of the toughs as they went from church on Saturday -evening. In an article to the county paper I took occasion to criticise, -rather sharply, such behavior, and emphasized the fact that the officers -of law ought to do their duty in all such cases. In fact, the derelict -officials were as severely arraigned as were the offending pugilists. - -Three months later I was in that section again; after the Sabbath morning -services, at Mt. Olive, I went to Laurel, some miles away, to fill an -evening appointment. After riding quite a distance along a high ridge, -which overlooks all the country around it, I turned down a little ravine -which lead to Laurelrun; but suddenly my cogitations were interrupted by -a big, burly sixfooter, who knew of my coming and was waiting for me. -Stepping in front of my horse, he blurted out, “Are you the feller what -wrote that piece in the paper about me?” I replied that I did not know -who he was, or what “piece” he referred to. “I’m one of them fighters -you wrote about in the _Star_,” he said, “but what you writ wasn’t true, -so I thought I would wait for you here.” In the meantime we were both -moving slowly down the hill, and he was at my side. If ever I did hard, -double-quick thinking, it was then. I knew what he was there for, and a -general mix-up seemed inevitable. I at once decided on a policy. I would -talk him out of any evil intent he might have, if it were possible to do -so; if not, and nothing else would suffice, I would get off my horse and -stay with him just as many rounds as I could, with the hope that somebody -might come along and help me out, if help was needed. I began to explain -how and where I got my information, and how I felt over such unbecoming -conduct on the way from divine worship. At this point he interjected the -remark that my informant was a liar, using adjectives and expletives -which would not look well in print. But I kept on with my speech, -using all the eloquence and fervor at my command. I expatiated on the -sacredness of worship, and portrayed in the most vivid colors possible -the beauty and praiseworthiness of the young man who honors the gospel, -and loves and lives in peace with all men. Though there was blood in his -eye at the start, I soon observed that I was gaining on him. By and by -he began to sanction what I said. It was clear that I had his attention, -so I kept on talking something good to him until he finally stopped me -as abruptly as when we first met, saying, “Wal, I guess I’le go back. -I kinder thought I’d like to ax you about it. Good-by.” What a feeling -of relief came to me as the fellow disappeared. A scrap, and possibly -something worse, had been avoided. I at once decided, however, that the -country editor thereafter would have to look elsewhere for information -when such brawls occurred. Such a narrow escape from—I did not know -what—convinced me that at least in that particular locality the work of a -newspaper correspondent was incompatible with that of a presiding elder. - -It was on one of my visits to this same field that I made some of our -own dear people very cross over a little verse, purely original, which I -wrote on the blackboard. Nearly everybody used tobacco in some form. Many -of the women were snuff dippers, and smoked the pipe, while nearly all -the men either chewed or smoked, or did both. The stanza ran thus: - - Who can chew the dirty stuff, - In the sacred place of prayer? - Who can smoke or rub snuff, - And feel that God is there? - -Years afterward, I was told that some were still talking about that bit -of poetry. - -The district paid a salary of $496.53 to the elder. Out of this he paid -for house rent and car fare, $110. The thirty-seven pastors of the -conference received an average of $140 each. The highest salary, $480, -was received by Rev. R. A. Hitt, on Parkersburg Station, $100 of which -was put into rent. The good Lord only knows how he managed to keep his -family in respectability, entertain his many visitors, and meet other -legitimate expenses, on the pittance of $380. And the same query may -be raised in the case of nearly all his colaborers; but they somehow -succeeded in making ends meet. As one of them expressed it, “When my wife -scrapes the bottom of the flour barrel, God always takes notice.” “This -is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” In addition -to the aggregate salary received, the “presents” amounted to $1,276.28, -or about $34, upon an average, to each pastor. The net increase in the -membership of the conference was 564, an excellent showing. But the most -vexing problem was financial. Times were hard, money scarce, and the -people generally poor. Yet we believed and wrought in expectation of -larger things. Thank God, they are coming. - -Pennsboro was the seat of the next conference session. Bishop Weaver -presided. Perhaps the most striking event of the occasion was the -presence of Dr. Lewis Davis, of Union Biblical Seminary. It was his -first appearance among us. Probably the wide difference between his views -and those of the conference on the secrecy question had kept him from -making an earlier visit; but his presence was highly appreciated by us -all, and in turn he greatly enjoyed the courtesies accorded him by the -brethren. As I bade him good-by at the train, he said, “Didn’t we have a -glorious time? I am glad I came. Wish I had come long ago.” - -The second year on the district was more trying and laborious than -the first. The preacher placed in charge of Volcano Circuit resigned -before the holidays, and not being able to secure a suitable supply, -I decided to keep up the work myself in connection with the duties of -the district. The nearest point was ten miles from my home, and the -farthest twenty-five; this gave me seven preaching-places; namely, Zion, -Volcano, St. Paul, Long Run, Big Run, Harmony Grove, and Freeport. I -could give the charge only an occasional Sabbath, hence was compelled -to do my preaching and visiting among the people on week days. I held -three revivals, preached eighty-three sermons, and collected all the -conference benevolences; for this extra service I received $150. Serving -as pastor and presiding elder both, kept me from home nearly all the -time. It was no uncommon thing to reach home late at night, and then -leave early the next morning; but to work was a pleasure and joy; I did -not mind the loss of sleep. There was not enough terror in the storm, -or “warring elements,” to prevent the filling of my engagements. No day -was too cold, or night too dark to travel, if, by so doing something -could be done toward lifting up the district. I hope there is no egotism -in what I here say. _There is none._ I simply state the facts. I lay no -claim to superior devotion over my brethren who worked at my side, and -were loyal to the core. No others but brave, true men can succeed among -the mountains, or anywhere else for that matter; but in some places more -faith and courage and sacrifice are necessary than in others. - -How I pitied my family. They were alone almost constantly year in and -year out. Under such circumstances it was impossible for me to know my -children well, or for them to know their father. This statement may be a -revelation to many. If any are in doubt as to its correctness, let them -ask the opinion of those who have done district work for years at a time. - -I never left home without first commending my loved ones to the care of -the sleepless Eye; nor did I at any time while absent forget them in my -devotions. - -Too much cannot be said for the faithful wife of the itinerant. But -alas! her worth, I fear, is not appreciated by the church as it -deserves to be. People watch and criticise her, to be sure, as they do -but few other women, but as a rule she is not accorded a very large -place in the achievements of her husband. Indeed, I sometimes fear the -minister himself does not realize her true relation to his success in -soul-winning. God only knows her anxiety and heart-yearnings as she -struggles with the problems of the home in the absence of her husband. -What a care the children are to her! But she toils on, as best she can -with the means, sometimes sadly limited, at her command. - -The fact is, many a successful preacher to-day would be out of the work -but for his devoted wife. When ready to quit, and turn aside to some -other occupation more lucrative, she put her womanly heart up against -his, and urged him on to duty. - -Said one of these noble helpers: “Husband, I know we are poor. Our -carpets are old and faded, and our furniture is scant and plain. I know -our dear children are barefooted, and can’t go to school; but I want -you to keep on preaching.” With a faith unfaltering, and a courage -invincible, she was willing to stay in the field—ready to serve, ready -to sacrifice, ready to die, and, thank God, ready for heaven. - -Her interest in her husband, God’s servant, knows no abatement. Day and -night she is before the throne in his behalf; and are not her petitions -heard? If not, whose will be? We must not deceive ourselves. She has a -divinely-appointed place in the work of redemption, and one of tremendous -significance—_a helper in soul-saving_. Her reward is sure. As she stands -by her husband’s side on coronation morning, she, too, will hear heaven’s -“well done” for the loyal, royal part she has taken, and the service she -has rendered in the “ministry of reconciliation.” - -In the earlier days of the conference, district work was exceedingly -laborious, because of the vast mountainous territory to be traversed. If -some of the circuits embraced from ten to twenty appointments, extending -over portions of three or four counties, it is evident that the presiding -elder had his hands full in superintending twelve or fifteen of these -fields. The journeys on horseback were long and fatiguing; it was no -uncommon thing to change horses at the end of a twenty-five mile ride -through the mud, or over the frozen roads. In the midst of one of these -long trips, Dr. Warner once stopped a few minutes in Pennsboro, at the -home of Mrs. Caroline Sigler, one of God’s jewels, and after putting -his tired animal away, mounted a fresh one and started on toward his -appointment, eating a piece of cold corn-bread. As the good woman looked -after him she could not keep the tears back. She knew something of the -hardships which had fallen to his lot; yet those hardships were borne -with a martyr’s courage for the sake of the Church he loved, and in which -he died. - -On a certain Friday morning I was to leave for my second quarterly on -Littles Mills charge, a circuit with which the reader is already familiar -because of the happenings I have related in connection with it. The -distance was some thirty-five miles. The day brought with it a fearful -snow-storm, which seemed to make it unwise for me to attempt the trip -on horseback; but I meant to hold the meeting. Wife and children said, -“Don’t go this time.” Others interjected: “You are foolish. Nobody will -expect you.” But they were mistaken. The people did look for me. Taking -the train in the evening I went to Parkersburg, forty miles, and the -next day to New Martinsville, fifty-seven miles, and then walked sixteen -miles, partly Saturday evening, and the balance of the way the next -morning, arriving in time for the 10:30 services. I was glad I went The -pastor needed me, and anxiously awaited my coming. I should never have -felt right over the matter if I had disappointed him. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -In the days of which I write, a quarterly meeting was a great event, and -to many it was a rare privilege to see and hear the “elder.” During the -summer and fall, especially, the attendance in many instances would be -immense. Not unfrequently the women and children present would more than -fill the house, which made it necessary to seek a “shady bower,” if one -could be found. If convenient, the seats were removed from the church -and used in the grove, but often this could not be done. More than once -I have backed up against a tree, or mounted a log, and preached to a -crowd scattered over a quarter acre of ground. On one of these occasions -a young girl, of fifteen summers, perhaps, but large for her age, went -to a house nearby and got a bucket of fresh water, and bringing it to -me in the midst of my discourse, asked me if I would have a drink. I -paused long enough to accept the courtesy, and, after thanking her for -her thoughtfulness and kindness, continued my talk. Such an infraction of -the rules governing divine worship to-day in many sections would greatly -amuse the people, no doubt, and perhaps greatly annoy the preacher; but -it was seldom noticed by speaker or congregation a third of a century ago -among the mountains. When there was no grove near, or the atmosphere was -too chilly, or the ground too damp to hold out-door services, we were -sometimes sorely defeated by the crowds that came. I here give in full an -article which I furnished the _Telescope_ on the peculiar provocations of -the elder: - -“To be a presiding elder in the Parkersburg Conference means to travel -over a large territory, and to do a vast amount of hard work on small -pay; but all this is nothing compared with some other things that we -have to endure. It is no uncommon thing in this country for a presiding -elder to make a failure in the pulpit because of some circumstance, or -a combination of circumstances over which he can have but little or no -control. - -“Many of the houses in which we worship are by far too small to -accommodate the congregations that generally gather on quarterly meeting -occasion. Indeed, many of our meetings are held in schoolhouses, only -intended to seat fifty or seventy-five scholars. Now put two hundred -persons, or more, into such a space, standing the most of them around the -wall, and in the aisles, and then distribute from fifty to one hundred -around the house on the outside, each striving to get his head in at a -window, and any one, though he be unused to such things, can see the -difficulty of preaching under such circumstances. If the people listen -with interest they must be comfortably situated. - -“In many country districts away from the railroad, the time kept by the -people varies so materially that it is next to impossible to get them -together at the same hour. No two clocks agree, hence the people begin -to assemble at ten o’clock in the morning and keep on _assembling_ till -noon. At the appointed hour the elder announces the first hymn, and then -leads in prayer. During these opening exercises, perhaps twenty-five -persons have come upon the ground, and as soon as the _amen_ is heard -they make a rush for seats. - -“Another hymn is sung, and still they come. The text is finally -announced, but what of it? The people keep on coming. The middle of -the sermon, by and by, is reached, and the preacher is still annoyed; -not for three minutes at any time has he had an open field. Only one -more proposition to discuss; it is the most important one. His strength -has been reserved mainly for it; but just as he begins to lay it open, -having secured the attention of the audience, the door creaks and in -come a half dozen women. A general stir follows. The seats are all full; -something must be done, so a half dozen men get up and surrender their -places. Still the people come. The preacher is on the home stretch, -but is badly disheartened. He has preached to the people, to be sure, -but a good part of the time to the backs of their heads. Not half of -those present when he began can tell what his text is. Indeed, he is -so confused sometimes that he hardly knows himself what it is. He has -just one more illustration to give. He hopes to make it tell, and is -succeeding well. The audience for a moment is silent as death; but of a -sudden the door opens again and a few more try to enter. In an instant -every eye is turned, and the thread of thought is dropped, and the -preacher sits down disgusted and dissatisfied. - -“Of course it is not always this way, but frequently such is the case. On -such occasions the people go home no wiser than when they came. Having -been to _meetin’_ is the only pleasing thought enjoyed. - -“Too many dogs go to church. I am not much of a friend to the canine race -at home, much less at church. Dogs piously inclined are the meanest dogs -in existence. If they would go under the house or even under the benches -in the house, it would not matter so much, but they will not do that. -They walk up and down the aisle, and dare even to enter the pulpit where -the presiding elder is. All this attracts attention, and detracts from -the sermon. Once in a while a dog fight occurs during service, and two -or three men have to interfere to adjust the difficulty. If the elder -intimates that the congregation or neighborhood is a little too _doggish_ -to suit him, somebody gets mad and calls him a ‘stuck up’ sort of a man. -‘Beware of dogs,’ said Paul. Many a good sermon has been spoiled by them. -In West Virginia, especially, they are disturbing elements. I would favor -a war of extermination. - -“But things are much better with us now than they were twenty-five -years ago. We have larger and better houses of worship, and fewer dogs -in proportion to population. We expect a great improvement in the next -quarter of a century.” - -It was not an uncommon thing to see a glorious revival start at the -quarterly meeting. The love-feast, which almost invariably occurred -on Sunday morning before the sermon, was usually an occasion of deep -interest. How the old veterans would talk! How eloquent some of them -were in their simplicity! How they relished such spiritual feasts! for -such they were; and no wonder they were enjoyed by some, for they had -traveled, maybe on foot, twenty miles or more to get there. To such the -day was a veritable Pentecost. Sometimes in the midst of the sermon or -sacramental service, “hallelujahs” would be heard. Yes, once in a while -the people shouted, and nobody objected to the noise or excitement. I -am no prophet, but will risk the statement that when the church gets so -far along that no more hosannah’s are heard, it will be about time to -reconstruct things and start anew. - -A red-hot testimony-meeting in many of our city churches, on the -quarterly communion occasion, would make the recurrence of the day and -the coming of the elder an event of greater significance than it seems to -be at present. Such a service would doubtless lubricate the machinery of -the church, and make the work go better. The present plan of enlarging -districts has its commendatory features, to be sure, and in some respects -it works well, yet the old _régime_, which made it possible for the elder -to be present at all the quarterlies, had its advantages. - -A word here respecting the genuine hospitality of the people might not -be out of place; this, however, is characteristic of Southerners. The -presiding elder was not compelled to put up with the pastor all the time -because nobody else wanted or invited him; far from it. A half dozen -or more at a time would claim him as their guest. Instead of wondering -where he would or could go, he was puzzled to know which of the many -invitations to accept. How it embarrasses a man to be in a neighborhood -where no one seems to want him. Or, if entertainment is proffered he may -be further embarrassed by a question mark at the end of the invitation, -“Well, are you going with me?” or, “If you’ve no place else to go, come -with us.” I have been chilled many, many times since leaving the mountain -State by just such half-hearted treatment. - -Nor were the presiding elder’s official duties performed without an -occasional break caused by a wag or ignoramus. Rev. G. W. Weekley was -traveling a circuit in Gilmer County with Rev. E. Harper as his elder. -At a certain meeting the latter was presiding with his usual grace and -dignity while the pastor, being a stickler for law, was making the -Discipline the rule of his business conduct. A young man was before -them for license to preach. He seemed to be all right, and had made a -favorable impression upon his pastor. “You will please state before the -chair and conference,” said the pastor to the applicant, “what your -reasons are for desiring permission to preach the gospel.” In an instant -the young brother was on his feet. The question was easy, he thought, -and so his answer was clear-cut. “Well,” he said, “I always had a desire -to see the country, and I thought that being a preacher would give me a -chance to do so.” - -Then it was that the elder wilted and the preacher collapsed, and the -quarterly conference looked blank, while the dear young brother felt -himself the hero of the occasion. - -We met at the Bethel church in Mason County, in September of 1887, to -make reports and to review the work of another year. Bishop Kephart was -with us for the first, and Dr. Warner for the last time. To show our -appreciation of Dr. Warner, the conference gave him a purse containing -$25.00 in silver. My district paid, in salary and presents, $526.20, out -of which $153 was expended for rent and car fare; 3,720 miles had been -traveled by rail, 941 on horseback, and 415 on foot. The average salary -in the conference was a fraction over $200. Including “presents,” which -were considerable in some cases, only one charge, Parkersburg Station, -went above $500. One other, Pennsboro, reached $400; eight got above -$300, while seventeen paid less than $200 each. The financial report -generally was much better than that of the previous year. The aggregate -increase in ministerial support on Parkersburg District was $600. Slowly -but surely we were pushing ahead and making progress, but at a cost known -only to those who were on the field. - -The third year on the district was similar to the preceding one, fraught -with toil and responsibilities, but not without its spicery, which often -did much to enliven the routine work required. One of the first things -I did was to secure a horse and buggy. By using the carriage when the -roads would admit of it I relieved myself of a good deal of horseback -riding. During the winter and early spring no sort of vehicle could be -used because of the bad, and sometimes dangerous condition of the public -thoroughfares. Nor is the situation in this respect very much different -at present from what it was forty years ago. Great changes have been -wrought in other regards, but the roads, for the most part, remain the -same, and will so continue through the centuries to come. - -I had a somewhat provoking experience, once upon a time, as I journeyed -with my uncle from Troy to West Union, a distance of twenty-five miles. -As the roads were exceedingly muddy I was concerned more than usual -about a new suit I was wearing, having pinned the skirts of my clerical -coat around my waist in order to keep them clean. We finally struck a -place where the thin mud was half knee-deep to the horses. Midway in -this mud-hole was a good-sized rock, but not being visible, my steed -stumbled over it onto his knees, running his nose into the mud up to the -eyes. When he went down I went over his head, and into the puddle face -foremost. Fearing that the animal would get on me, I suddenly rolled -over and then bounded to my feet. What a picture I presented! I am sure -I was no subject for artist or poet. My sleeves were full of mud and -water to the elbows, my hat and umbrella both were submerged, and, to -add to my chagrin, when I looked up at my uncle, from whom I had a right -to expect at least a little sympathy, he was lying over on his horse’s -neck laughing his best. Going to a stream nearby, I took off my coat and -plunged it into the water many times over, much like washing and wringing -a bed quilt, until the worst of the mud was off. But such an experience -was a mere incident with a mountaineer. When my clothes got dry and the -mud was brushed off they seemed to be all right, and I went on with my -work just as though the awful mix-up had not occurred. - -During the year a great sorrow came to the conference. On the 24th of -January the news was flashed over the wires that Doctor Warner was dead. -In the next week’s _Telescope_ “Delta” referred to the sad event as -follows: - -“The announcement of Dr. Warner’s death has cast a deep sadness over the -conference. No other conference can feel his loss as we feel it. In a -peculiar sense he was ours. No man ever had the hold upon our preachers -that he had. We can scarcely realize that he has gone from us to return -no more. He may have made mistakes in some things, like other men, but -he was a good man. That his soul during his last earthly hours should he -‘wonderfully filled with the peace of God,’ is just what we might have -expected. For thirty years he endured the hardships of a West Virginia -itinerant, sometimes traveling day and night, and making the greatest -sacrifices to build up the church he loved. Naught but devotion to God’s -cause ever led him to do so much for it. But his work now is done. -Perhaps we should not grieve over his departure, but we cannot help doing -so. The entire conference weeps. Said a brother, ‘Why didn’t the Lord -take me, and spare Brother Warner?’ This expression serves to show how -keenly his loss is felt.” - -Bishop N. Castle held the next conference at New Haven. During the -session I received a telegram that I had been nominated by the -prohibitionists of the fourth district for Congress, a compliment which -I appreciated all the more because the honor came unsought. Yes, I was -a prohibitionist, and am yet, and expect to remain one until something -better claims my support. The four hundred votes cast for the ticket -in the district represented a thoughtful, moral, courageous element of -which I have always been proud. Only such people, as a rule, vote the -prohibition ticket. As I entered upon the fourth year of district work I -determined it should be my last, at least for a while. I had been kept -away from my books already too long, and consciously realized that, -while I might be gaining a little some ways, I was losing in others. The -church cannot find its highest ideals in men who live wholly outside -their libraries. It is study—familiarity with the thoughts and methods -of others—that broadens a preacher. The map studied by many of us is -too small, and needs to be enlarged so as to extend the vision. If we -would see and know things, we must look and search after them. The man -is exceedingly unfortunate who, having eyes, refuses to see, and having -intelligence, neglects the acquisition of knowledge. My advice to the -young man at the threshold of the ministry is, “Buy good books and read -them; study your discourses thoroughly and with an eye to somebody’s -salvation, and then give the people the very best that God has put in -you.” - -This was a good year for the district. As it was to be the last, -I determined to make the best record possible for my successor, to -duplicate or excel. To succeed meant to go all the time. Distance, bad -weather, dangerous roads, swollen streams, or any other circumstances -were seldom allowed to get in the way. When Lincoln was asked if he -thought the war would close during his administration, he replied, “I -don’t know, sir, I don’t know.” “What, then, is your purpose?” was -further asked, to which the characteristic answer was given, “Peg away, -sir, peg away.” It is this, everlasting “pegging away”—forcing one’s way -through difficulties, and surmounting obstacles—that wins, not only in -West Virginia, but everywhere else. - -Buxton wrote: “The longer I live the more deeply I am convinced that -that which makes the difference between one man and another—between the -weak and powerful, the great and insignificant—is _energy_, invincible -determination, a purpose once formed, and then victory or death.” I -quote Buxton’s words because they are gold, and have in them the ring of -triumph. - -[Illustration: TRAVELING A DISTRICT] - -The year brought its usual harvest of incidents—some serious, others -laughable and amusing. It is well to have a streak of fun occasionally -flash across our pathway to enliven a journey, or some task to which we -have set our hands. - -One bleak Monday morning in December I was riding along a high ridge in -Wetzel County on my way home from a quarterly just held in that region. -To my right a few rods I observed a young man husking corn. He was -evidently working his best to keep warm, and, of course, not in a very -good condition to be fooled with by a stranger; but I thought I must say -something, and run the risk of an explosion. Reining up my horse and -getting his attention, I called to him, “Go it; that’s the way I got my -start.” “Yes,” he said, with lightning speed, “and a thunderin’ start you -got,” and then made the fodder rattle so that if I had replied he could -not have heard me. To be honest, I had not the disposition to talk back, -for nothing suggested itself at the moment as an appropriate response; -but for the next mile I laughed over the episode and considered myself -fortunate that nothing more serious had happened. - -I might add that not far from this place Rev. S. J. Graham, years before, -suddenly found himself in a kind of menagerie one frosty morning. In -those days laymen would frequently make long trips with the preacher or -elder; spending several days from home. They thought less about business -and more about the church than some do at present. On the occasion -referred to, Brother N. Kuykendoll was with the elder. One night they -lodged with a friend in his little log cabin of one room. Of course -they were well treated and given the best the humble home could afford. -Their host arose early next morning and built a fire in an old-fashioned -fire-place, which admitted of a “back log” and “fore sticks” before the -“kindling” was put in. Soon the shanty was warm. The lay brother awoke -first, and, glancing about the room, said to his bed-fellow in a low -tone: “Brother Graham, get up; the millennium has come.” The preacher -raised himself on his elbow and looked, and sure enough there was a -strange mixture of animals lying on the hearth before the fire—a pet -lamb, a pet pig, a huge dog, and two or three cats. Years afterward I -heard these brethren talk and laugh over the experience with as much zest -as if it had occurred only the week before. - -To indicate something of the work done this year, and that had to be done -to carry out the program of a presiding elder, I here insert a few pages -of a brief diary which I kept: - -January 1, I wrote: “I now begin a new year. God help me. My time, -strength, soul—all must be given to the work of the church. With my -family I took dinner with Brother C. R. Brown, a precious man.” - -2.—“Worked on a sermon on coveteousness. Got ‘Sweet Sicily’ and read it.” - -3.—“Voted for town corporation officers. Wrote a number of letters. -Brother Poling came in the evening, and spent the night with me.” - -4.—“Worked hard on my sermon on coveteousness.” - -5.—“Went to Parkersburg in the forenoon, and held business meeting at -night. All was pleasant. Lodged with Pastor Martin.” - -6.—“Preached from 1 Cor. 13:12 in the morning. Good meeting. Audience -melted to tears. Attended Sabbath school at 2:30 p. m., conducted the -quarterly experience meeting at six, and preached again at 7:30. House -full of people.” - -7.—“Returned home on early train. With wife went to hear Methodist -preacher at night.” - -8.—“At home, studying and answering correspondence.” - -10.—“Went to Parkersburg again. Dined with Brother J. H. Spence. Assisted -in meeting at night.” - -11.—“With the pastor visited eleven families. Large crowd at evening -service.” - -12.—“Went to Red Hill, six miles distant, and held quarterly at 2:00 p. -m. Preached in the evening.” - -13.—“Preached at 10:30 a. m. from Titus 2:9. Good feeling. Large -sacramental service. Shout in the camp. Pastor Devol leaped for joy. -Preached again at night.” - -14.—“Came to the city and returned home. All well.” - -15.—“In study all day. Attended M. E. Church at night. An interesting -revival in progress.” - -16.—“At home preparing for dedication.” - -18.—“Left home on early train, and reached Buckhannon at 4:00 p. m. Went -to Mt. Washington, eight miles in the country, and preached at night on -the ‘Prodigal Son.’ Thirteen seekers at the altar and four more asked -prayers. Lodged with Brother Reese.” - -19.—“Rode fourteen miles to ‘Uncle Jimmy’ Hull’s for dinner, and then -went to Union Hill where I preached at night. Met Elder Graham.” - -20.—“Rained hard. Congregation small. Raised $85. At night tried it -again. Good feeling. Secured $68.50 more and dedicated church. Opposition -from another church.” - -21.—“Rode sixteen miles to Buckhannon through a fearful snow-storm. Went -to Weston on train and rode seven miles in the country.” - -23.—“Returned home. Found all well.” - -I now turn to the March record because it has to do with one of the sad -things which not unfrequently comes to the itinerant. - -15.—“I started at noon for Troy Circuit, reached Auburn late in the -evening.” - -16.—“Visited Father Williams and wife. The latter has been in bed three -years. Read the Word and prayed with them. Both got happy. Sung a hymn or -two for them. Held quarterly at 2 p. m., and preached on ‘Stephen, the -First Martyr.’ A good time.” - -17.—“Sunday. Held prayer-meeting at 10 a. m., and preached at 11. Large -communion. Big shout in the camp. Collection $20. Talked again at night. -One of the best quarterlies I ever held.” - -I pause here. On Monday evening Father Perry came, and preached for us. -After returning from church he turned to me and tenderly said, “Now, -Brother Weekley, I have a little news for you. As I came through your -town this noon I was told that your youngest child was critically ill. -The doctor regards her case as dangerous. I would have told you sooner, -but I knew it would so trouble you that you could not enjoy the service. -I knew also that you would not dare start home in the night, and thus -endanger your life. So I waited. Now leave her with God; get what rest -you can, and then be off by daylight in the morning.” But I got no rest. -It was a long, long night of tossing and anxious waiting. At day dawn -I started. The muddy roads were frozen over, but not sufficiently to -bear up my horse. A part of the time I walked. It seemed I could make -no headway at all, and didn’t make much in some places. When within two -miles of home, I called at a farm-house and inquired if they had heard -from my family, and they told me they had not. This brought me relief, -for I was sure they would have heard the news if the child were dead. At -1 p. m. I landed safely and found, sure enough, that a blessed Providence -had kept the black-winged angel from our home. - -How such harrowing experiences try the very soul of the over-worked, -half-paid, care-worn man of God, who must spend all his time and strength -away from home in some obscure field! They test the material that enters -into his composition. To put the Cross and sinful souls before one’s own -family requires great faith—faith in the Redeemer, faith in his church, -and faith in the winning, victorious power of the gospel; and this is -what every itinerant in West Virginia had to have. - -To indicate the nature and work of our preachers’ institute. I return to -my diary and give the items of a few days. - -July 9.—“At home preparing for institute which meets to-morrow.” - -10.—“Went to Smithton, and took charge of institute. Rev. H. T. Athey -assisted some. Lessons were in Old Testament history and homiletics. -Revs. H. T. Athey, H. R. Hess, R. M. Hite, G. A. Davis, J. P. Piggott, -and W. H. Albert were present.” - -11.—“Met at 8 a. m. Recitations. Hess gave a talk on the ‘Apocalypse.’ -Davis preached at 7 p. m. Good sermon.” - -12.—“Recitations as usual. Davis made an address on ‘Prayer.’ Good. Hite -read a paper on ‘Fore-ordination.’ Discussed. Piggott preached well at -night.” - -13.—“Recitations as usual. I read a paper on ‘Divorce and Adultery.’ Also -presented a diagram of Solomon’s Temple. Hess preached. Good meeting.” - -14.—“Sunday. I preached at 11 a. m. Large crowd in grove. Good liberty, -and good attention. Athey preached at 3:00 p. m., and did well. Returned -home.” - -The records of a few days immediately following may also be of interest. - -24.—“Drove with my family to father’s, fifteen miles distant.” - -25.—“Started for Hessville quarterly. Drove thirty-seven miles to Father -Mason’s.” - -26.—“Drove to Bee Gum Station fifteen miles further east. Good meeting in -afternoon. Preached at night.” - -27.—“Sunday. Discoursed at 10:30 a. m. on ‘The New Testament Church.’ -Preached again at three o’clock on ‘Benevolence and Honesty.’ Led song -service. Drove fifteen miles back to Brother Mason’s.” - -28.—“Left at 6 a. m. and drove thirty-seven miles to father’s.” - -But it is needless to further reproduce here the jottings made long years -ago. The brief memorandum given is but a fair index to the activities -of the entire twelve months, or, I might say, to the forty-eight months -spent on the district. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Buckhannon was again the seat of conference, and was in charge of Bishop -Weaver. This was his last visit to West Virginia. My district reported -about 600 conversions and accessions to the church. The average salary -for the pastors of the conference was $230. After paying house rent and -car fare, I had $365.79 left for the support of a family of five, and -with which to purchase books, papers, and stationery; but I did not -complain; it was more than the average circuit-rider was getting. On -this little sum we seemed to live fairly well, and imagined ourselves as -respectable as anybody in the town. - -In looking over my report, I see at its close the following significant -statement: “Now, brethren, suffer a word more. I kindly and earnestly -request that you relieve me from district work. Eight years out of the -past eleven have been given to this kind of service. While I certainly -appreciate what you have done for me, I must say that I am tired of the -place, and am anxious that some one else take it. All there is in it, -whether money, distinction, responsibility, or hard work, I cheerfully -surrender to some one else, with the earnest wish that he may prove more -efficient than I have been, and that under his labors enlarged blessings -may come to the district.” - -This was my last year as a presiding elder in the dear old conference. - -It is now many years since I was transferred to another field, but almost -daily my thoughts go back to my native home, and to the twenty years of -unceasing toil given to the building up of the church in that mountainous -region. Indeed, I could scarcely get away. It was no easy matter to sever -the relations of a life-time. In looking over my brief record of daily -happenings I find that July 16, 1889, while pastor at Buckhannon I wrote: - -“Received a letter to-day from Rev. C. Wendle, urging me to come to Rock -River Conference. Bishop Kephart also writes in like manner. Do not know -what to do, but must do right. Lord help me.” October 3, I expressed my -thoughts and feelings as follows: - -“At home trying to pack our goods. What a task it is! Is God in this? I -do hope so. It is so hard to leave West Virginia. These hills and valleys -all seem sacred to me.” - -The last time I visited my parents before removing West, I was deeply -affected to see how frail they seemed, and thus referred to it: “Parents -are getting old. How they are bending beneath the weight of years! Alas, -how short life is! Twenty years ago when I left home father had no gray -hairs. Now his head is white as wool. Mother! what a faithful soul! -How self-sacrificing! Anything to help her children and make herself a -blessing to others. Heaven is anxious to get such an angel. May earth -keep her yet a long while.” - -These excerpts from my diary indicate that it cost me something—a -heart-struggle, at least, to turn my back upon scenes and associations -which were as sacred as life itself. But in making the change I felt I -was following the leadings of Providence, and that all would be well in -the end. - -The fellowship of the brethren I left behind was sweet. Those who looked -on were compelled to say, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for -brethren to dwell together in unity.” There was as little jealousy and -self-seeking and rivalry in the conference as I ever found anywhere. We -all were poor, and could sing like the old Methodist pioneer on his four -weeks’ circuit: - - “No foot of land do I possess, - No cottage in the wilderness; - A poor wayfaring man, - I lodge awhile in tents below; - Or gladly wander to and fro, - Till I my Canaan gain. - - “Nothing on earth I call my own; - A stranger to the world unknown, - I all their goods despise; - I trample on their whole delight, - And seek a country out of sight, - A country in the skies. - - “There is my house and portion fair; - My treasure and my heart are there, - And my abiding home; - For me my elder brethren stay, - And angels beckon me away, - And Jesus bids me come.” - -There was another verse we all cherished, and often sung it, as it seemed -so appropriate: - - “A tent or a cottage, why should I care? - They’re building a palace for me over there; - Though exiled from home, yet still I may sing, - ‘All glory to God, I’m the child of a King.’” - -In all my travels throughout the Church I have never found any conference -that could sing as the West Virginians did. Diddle, Harper, Graham, -Orr, Hitt, Holden, and Wood were among the earlier men. Later their -places were taken by Cunningham, Piggott, Sallaz, Slaughter, Carder, and -Robinson. But it is hardly fair to name a few. All could sing; and so -they can to-day. - -Singing was an inspiring feature of every conference gathering. It made -the air electric, and caused high voltage pressure. We would sing on the -train, on the boat, at the hotel—everywhere. On our way from conference, -in 1879, we all stopped at a hotel in Weston for dinner. As usual, the -singers were lined up in a little while, and fairly shook the old inn -with some of their latest and freshest selections. Before we quit, the -town was thoroughly stirred up. People left their business places and -came to listen. Women and children stood in the doors of their homes, or -looked out at the windows, and wondered what it all meant. Two young men, -some blocks away, heard the singing and started on a run for the hotel. -As they passed some parties one of them was heard to say, “I’ll bet five -hundred dollars they are Brethren preachers.” - -Professor Diddle, assisted by others, published the _West Virginia Lute_ -in 1868, which had a tremendous sale, both among our people and those -of other churches. Then Baltzell’s music, probably _Golden Songs_, came -next among our own publications. This was also a popular book, and one of -great merit. While it contained many imperfections, it was nevertheless -thoroughly “orthodox” from our view-point. The author was not a -scientific music writer. He did not grind his songs out at the organ in -a mechanical way, but manufactured them in his heart. Such music always -takes. There is something about it that gets hold of the soul and stirs -its deepest emotions. I do not understand what that something is, but it -is there, all the same. - -It was a very common remark among the people of other churches: “If you -want to hear singing, get a lot of Brethren preachers together.” We had -no organs or pianos in any of the churches, with skilled performers to -lead the audience. To aid in getting the “pitch,” a “tunningfork,” or -horn was used—a clever little device which every leader carried. But few -of the brethren, however, understood the grammar of music. They had had -no special training—but no difference; they could sing anyhow. They were -not poets, but had the poetic touch. I have heard these men of God again -and again sing until the audience was fairly entranced, and until the -fire of joy was kindled to a flame in their own hearts. They were rivals -of Israel’s shepherd king, and wrought things more marvelous than he, -through the melodies they sang. - -While their music was not classical, it seldom failed to strike fire. -The people liked it, and were charmed, encouraged, and, in a thousand -instances, saved by it. Mr. Alexander, the great revival singer, has the -right view of things. He writes: “Musicians often say to me, ‘Why do -you not use classical music, above the style of gospel songs?’ I reply, -‘When you can show me similar effects following such high-class music -in moving the hearts of men and women, I will use it fast enough. Until -then I shall keep to gospel songs, which have a wonderful way of reaching -everybody, because they touch the soul.” - -Volume, fervor, soul, enthusiasm, is what we want in all our church -music. Away, forever, with that operatic nonsense which the artistic -would introduce into our present-day religious services. - -What glorious revivals were promoted. Like cyclones they seemed, at -times, to lay everything low in their course. How sinners wept and -repented! How saints shouted aloud for joy! “Wild fire!” does some one -suggest? May be it was; but it achieved wonderful results. The present -ministry of the conference, with a great majority of the true and tried -laymen who constitute the very backbone of the church, were converted in -just such meetings; and it is quite likely that the leading ministers -and laymen of every other conference in our Zion were converted under -like circumstances. Call it “wild fire” if you will, but I would like to -see a good deal more of it. - -A revival that arouses a whole community and brings fifty or a hundred, -or perhaps two hundred into the kingdom, some of whom become prominent -preachers of the word, while others become very pillars in the church, -is not to be ignored or decried by those who are too slow and formal and -dull to create a stir. Better have a little “wild fire” than no fire at -all. - -Personally, I believe in excitement. Nothing worth thinking about is ever -accomplished in its absence. We cannot relish food, or enjoy sleep, until -first excited by hunger or fatigue. Why should not the church manifest as -much zeal and enthusiasm in her work as political parties or commercial -clubs do in theirs? I am tired of that contemptible sentiment which -stands ready, everywhere, and all the time, to denounce everything that -has to do with the emotions. Religion, I readily grant, does not consist -of noise and bluster. It means vastly more than that. Nor does it consist -in sitting around like so many lifeless knots on a log. - -We are told that it is the lightning and not thunder that kills. True -enough, but lightning in the absence of thunder is harmless. Lightning -makes the thunder. - -In our work but little was said about the new theology, or higher -criticism. Watson and Ralston in their theologies, and Smith and Clark -and Lange and Barnes in their expositions, seldom referred to the -new-fangled theories which confuse and chill and curse some of the -churches to-day. We all believed that Moses wrote the Pentateuch, and -Paul the Epistle to the Hebrews; and personally I have never had any -reason for changing my views. It had never occurred to us to put Job and -Jonah on the fictitious list. We actually believed and preached that -they lived and wrought, one in the land of Uz, and the other in Nineveh, -after escaping from the whale’s belly. We tried to tell of the awfulness -of sin, as well as the joys of religion. We believed in a heaven, and -would often talk and sing and preach about it until we felt ourselves -within its very suburbs. When Jesus said, “And these shall go away into -everlasting punishment,” we supposed he meant it, and no one attempted -to put an artificial bottom in the “bottomless pit.” We divided our -time pretty well between Sinai and Zion. The decalogue and beatitudes -were included, ofttimes, in the framework of the same sermon. We knew -there were some inaccuracies in the authorized version, but nothing -sufficiently serious to affect the fundamentals of Christianity. We -were justified, as we thought, in preaching the whole Bible, as it was -commonly understood and interpreted, because in doing so we were blessed -and sinners were saved. - -The “mourners’ bench” was always a part of the program in our revival -work. While no one insisted that a man must be saved at the bench, -if saved at all, we believed, nevertheless, that coming forward and -bowing at the altar was a good way of confessing sin, and of plighting -fidelity to Jesus Christ. I would not serve as pastor of a people who -objected to the use of an altar. If some of the unsaved wanted to seek -their Lord elsewhere, and in some other way, I should not object; but I -should insist upon it that those who wanted to come forward for prayers -should have the privilege of doing so. It is refreshing to see how -simple and direct Dr. Torry, “Billy” Sunday, and “Gipsey” Smith are in -their methods, and the wonderful results that follow. They do not mince -matters. They go to the people with a burning message from the Throne, -and deliver it, no matter what anybody may think or say about it. With -sledge-hammer blows they drive it home to the hearts of their hearers, -that no man can be saved until he confesses his sins and his Savior. -They follow, largely, the old line of revival work—and _succeed_. - -The preacher who cannot build a fire in his church is a failure. In no -other way can he attract attention. The church of God has been used to -fire from the beginning. Moses got a good warming-up before the burning -bush on Horeb; so did Elijah, and others, on Carmel. The disciples were -not ready to preach or the church to work until a burning Pentecost came, -and fire-flakes fell from heaven upon them. We need great revivals, and -can have them, if we are willing to pay the price. - -One serious hindrance to the work is the fact that too many profess to -have found a “new way.” They council moderation, and would have us go -about the business with that cold, mathematical precision which the -astronomer employs in measuring the heavens. As the result, many of -our revival efforts turn out to be very _moderate_ affairs. They are -self-constituted appointees to shut off steam and put down the breaks, -and they succeed. What we need is more steam; that is, purpose, push, -and power. And I rejoice in the thought that the thing for which we have -waited and prayed is at hand. The semi-skepticism and indifference which -have so handicapped the work of evangelism in the last twenty-five years, -are giving place to larger activities and simpler methods. We are facing -the morning light. The reaction and readjustment will bring in a new era -of moral and spiritual triumphs in soul-winning. - -The church at large knows but little about the excessive labors and -sacrifices of the earlier ministry in West Virginia. My heart still weeps -as I think of what some of the brethren endured. But, brave souls they -were, they did it because they loved the church and her Christ. - -Only three or four remain who were in the conference when I joined -thirty-seven years ago. Four others—Revs. E. Harper, I. M. Underwood, A. -Orr, and Dr. J. L. Hensley—have located in other conferences, but the -great majority have gone to heaven. From hillside and mountain-top they -ascended to a place of honor by their Lord, to live in the white light of -the throne forever. - - “Oh, how sweet it will be in that beautiful land, - So free from all sorrow and pain; - With songs on our lips and with harps in our hands, - To meet one another again.” - -Does any one inquire to know the real secret of their power? It is -not easily explained. They had intellectual girth, but this was only -incidental to their success. Their surroundings were inspiring, their -spirits exuberant, their physical endurance tremendous, their zeal -unflagging, but the secret lay deeper; these were only tributary. It -seems to me that the one quality which exalted them, and gave them the -mastery over men was _reality_. They were _genuine_. God counted them -among his captains, and they were loyal to the last. _Duty_ and _destiny_ -were to them overwhelming suggestions. In them were wrapped up the -present and the eternal hereafter. - -I can still hear Brother Graham singing as he rode through storm and -heat, carrying aloft the banners of the church: - - “Above the waves of earthly strife; - Above the ills and cares of life; - Where all is peaceful, bright and fair, - My home is there, my home is there.” - -Chevaliers, divine! - - “Their burning zeal no langour knew, - For Christ, his cause, his tempted few; - At home, abroad, where’er their lot, - Their much-loved theme they ne’er forgot.” - -“One soweth and another reapeth,” is the divine law. The foundations -of the church among the Virginia hills and mountains were laid amid -self-givings, known only to Him who gave to his servants their marching -orders, and who accompanied them every foot of the way. A better day has -come to the conference. The fields of labor have been greatly reduced in -size, pastoral support has been improved, educational advantages have -been increased, which means so much to the itinerant’s family, and in -other respects conditions made many-fold better. - -The present membership is 15,000 divided among sixty circuits and -stations. Two hundred and six church edifices, worth $243,869, are -reported, and thirty-eight parsonages valued at $31,939. - -The territory embraces four districts. While the number of presiding -elders might be diminished, it would not be wise to try the experiment of -giving one superintendent charge of the whole conference. The country is -too rough, the distances too great, and the public facilities for travel -too meager for one man to do it all. - -The average salary paid the pastors in 1906 was $379.45, including -house rent and special gifts. Three of the charges went to between $800 -and $900; one paid from $600 to $650, and eight others over $500 each. -The presiding elders averaged $563.97. For all purposes $50,589.49 was -collected. These figures show that in spite of the adverse circumstances -with which we have had to battle for the last half century, real progress -has been made. But more ought to be done in the next fifteen years than -has been accomplished in the last fifty. - -Some portions of the State are becoming immensely wealthy through the oil -and mining industries. Our people are sharing in the general prosperity, -and many of them are growing rich. The commercial possibilities of the -State are great and promising as its hidden treasures are brought to the -surface, and put on the world’s market. The work of the present ministry -is to broaden the benefactions of our membership by teaching them the -true meaning of Christian stewardship and the obligations which it -imposes. In proportion as this is done, salaries will be increased more -and more, the offerings to the various benevolent societies multiplied, -and larger sums provided for Otterbein University and Union Biblical -Seminary. - -There is quite a stretch of time between the penning of these lines and -the day I started for my first circuit. Thirty-seven years is a good -while. My experiences have been numerous and varied. The way at times has -been rough, the tasks difficult, and the responsibilities great, but, -after all, if I had my life to live over _I should spend it in the gospel -ministry, and start again in West Virginia_. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWENTY YEARS ON HORSEBACK, OR -ITINERATING IN WEST VIRGINIA*** - - -******* This file should be named 64765-0.txt or 64765-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/4/7/6/64765 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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M. (William Marion) Weekley</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: Twenty Years on Horseback, or Itinerating in West Virginia</p> -<p>Author: W. M. (William Marion) Weekley</p> -<p>Release Date: March 9, 2021 [eBook #64765]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWENTY YEARS ON HORSEBACK, OR ITINERATING IN WEST VIRGINIA***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="pgx" title="">E-text prepared by MFR<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (https://www.pgdp.net)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (https://archive.org)</h4> -<h2 class="pgx" title="">This ebook was created in honour of<br /> - Distributed Proofreaders' 20th Anniversary.</h2> - -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff; max-width: 80%; margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/twentyyearsonhor00week - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;" id="illus1"> -<img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="500" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">BISHOP W. M. WEEKLEY, D.D.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<h1>Twenty Years on Horseback<br /> -<span class="smaller">or</span><br /> -Itinerating in West Virginia</h1> - -<p class="titlepage larger">By W. M. WEEKLEY, D.D.</p> - -<p class="center">Author of “Getting and Giving,”<br /> -“From Life to Life,” Etc.</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">“<i>Take thy part in suffering hardship as a good<br /> -soldier of Christ Jesus.</i>”—<i>2 Tim. 2:3</i></p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller"><i>Nineteen Hundred and Seven<br /> -United Brethren Publishing House<br /> -Dayton, Ohio</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller"><i>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</i></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak gothic" id="Preface">Preface</h2> - -</div> - -<p>It was not my purpose, in the preparation of -this little volume, to make it an autobiography, -but rather a narration of incidents connected -with the twenty years of humble service which I -tried to render the United Brethren Church among -the mountains of West Virginia.</p> - -<p>These incidents present an all-round view, in -outline, of the real life and labors of the itinerant -preacher, a third of a century ago, in an isolated -section, where the most simple and primitive customs -prevailed.</p> - -<p>While some of the things related will doubtless -amuse the reader, others, I trust, will lead to -thoughtful reflection, and carry with them lessons -inspiring and helpful. The introduction should first -be carefully read by those who expect to be profited -by a perusal of the pages which follow. That -good may come to the church, and glory to our -Redeemer through this unpretentious publication is -the prayer of its</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Author.</span></p> - -<p class="smaller">Kansas City, Mo., May 1, 1907.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span></p> - -<p>I have examined the manuscript of “Twenty -Years on Horseback, or Itinerating in West -Virginia,” and cheerfully submit this note of commendation.</p> - -<p>The author, Bishop W. M. Weekley, D.D., I -have known for more than thirty years. He entered -the ministry when young, with an undivided heart -and determined purpose. During the years he -served the Church in that State he traveled over -almost the entire territory of the West Virginia -Conference. The country then was extremely -primitive; but simple as the mode of life was at that -time, the field was an interesting, even an enjoyable -one for a minister who could endure hardness -as a good soldier of Christ. I am acquainted with -nearly all the sections of the State referred to, and -am therefore familiar with many of the places, -facts, and persons mentioned, and can assure the -reader that the author has given a faithful account -of these in his book. No statement is overdrawn -or warped for the sake of effect.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">W. W. Rymer.</span></p> - -<p class="smaller">Columbus, Ohio, May 3, 1907.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span></p> - -<p>An examination of the following pages caused -me to live my early life over again. Having -spent twenty-three years in the ministry within -the bounds of the West Virginia Conference, and -having been intimately associated with the author -of this volume during the most of that period, I -am very familiar with many of the places, persons, -and events mentioned, and can testify to the correctness -of the record he makes, and to the faithfulness -of the pictures drawn. This book will stir -the thoughts and rekindle the fire within the old -itinerants, and, as well, I trust, arouse the young to -larger activities in soul winning.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">R. A. Hitt.</span></p> - -<p class="smaller">Chillicothe, Ohio, May 4, 1907.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span></p> - -<p>The author of this book and myself were -boys together. We were born and reared -within four miles of each other, were converted in -the same church, and for years were members of -the same Sunday school and congregation. We -were licensed to preach on the same charge, and -spent the earlier years of our ministry in the same -conference together. In many instances we traveled -the same roads, preached in the same communities, -and mingled with the same people.</p> - -<p>After having examined the contents of this -volume in manuscript form, I am sure it contains a -faithful description of the varied conditions which -made up the life and experiences of the United -Brethren itinerant minister of that time among the -hills and mountains of West Virginia.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">A. Orr.</span></p> - -<p class="smaller">Circleville, Ohio, April 30, 1907.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak gothic">Contents</h2> - -</div> - -<table summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Preface</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Introduction">9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter I</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter II</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">27</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter III</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">44</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter IV</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">58</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter V</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter VI</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">86</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter VII</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">100</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Chapter VIII</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">121</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak gothic">Illustrations</h2> - -</div> - -<table summary="Illustrations"> - <tr> - <td><a href="#illus1"><span class="smcap">Bishop W. M. Weekley</span> (<i>Frontispiece</i>)</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><a href="#illus2"><span class="smcap">W. M. Weekley at Twenty Years of Age</span></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><a href="#illus3"><span class="smcap">W. M. Weekley at Thirty Years of Age</span></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><a href="#illus4"><span class="smcap">Traveling a District</span></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><a href="#illus5"><span class="smcap">House Where Bishop First Went To Housekeeping</span></a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak gothic" id="Introduction">Introduction</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The past lives through the printed page. The -ages would be blank if books were not made recording -the events and achievements of men. No form -of history is more interesting and profitable than -that which recites the career of those who, obedient -to their divine commission, proclaimed to -fellowmen the sweet message of Christ’s redeeming -love. The completeness of their consecration, -their undaunted courage and persistency in the -face of many difficulties, and their marvelous success -evidence in them the presence of superhuman -power. It is the genius of Christianity to inspire -and develop the unselfish and heroic in men. The -splendid specimens of self-sacrifice and moral courage, -which adorn the pages of Christian literature, -charm the reader and inspire him to more Christlike -endeavor. These life-stories constitute a rich, -priceless legacy for present and future generations.</p> - -<p>In this admirable volume, Bishop Weekley has -modestly removed the curtain from twenty years of -his own strenuous ministerial life spent in the -mountains and valleys of West Virginia, and given -the reader a conception of what it meant to lift -up the Christ and extend his kingdom in that -rugged region. The book is biographical in character, -but since “biography is the soul of history,” -it is history in reality. The scenes and events -which he presents suggest the character of the -work which others had to do in laying the foundations -of our Church in those sections.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span></p> - -<p>It would be difficult to find more striking -examples of Christian altruism and heroism anywhere -in this country than the godly men who -preached the gospel among the mountains and in -the valleys of the Virginias in the early years of -our denominational history. These men embodied -those elements of character and graces of the Spirit -which are essential to success in Christian work -anywhere. Having heard the call of God, and having -felt the spell of the divine spirit, they yielded -themselves unreservedly to the gospel ministry. -They possessed strength of conviction, singleness -of aim, earnestness of purpose, and concentration -of effort. As a rule these pioneer preachers had -but one business—that of the King. They were -so absorbed in the saving of men and women, and -in extending the kingdom, that they gave but little -attention to present physical comforts and future -needs. Many of them were without property, and -when they sang,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“No foot of land do I possess,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">No cottage in this wilderness,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">there was a literalness about it which would have -dismayed men of less faith and consecration. Without -seeking to enrich themselves in material things -they labored earnestly to bring the spiritual riches -of heaven to the hearts and homes of others.</p> - -<p>They were busy men—men of action. They -omitted no opportunities to do good. Intervals of -rest were few and far between. The modern minister’s -vacation was to them unknown. They met -their “appointments” with surprising regularity. -Neither storm, nor distance, nor weariness thwarted -their plans. Their announcements were always -made conditionally—“no preventing providence”—but -they never calculated for providence to prevent -them being on hand at the appointed place -and hour. The strain of toil was constant, but -their iron resolution, and the work itself, proved<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -a strong tonic. The success of one service was -inspiration for the next. Visiting from house to -house, exhorting the people to faithful Christian -living, distributing religious literature, and preaching -week days as well as Sundays made their lives -full of heavy tasks, all of which were performed -with happy hearts. They possessed the glowing -and tireless zeal of the preaching friars of the -Middle Ages, and with many of them the clear -flame of their zeal was undimmed until the fire -was turned to ashes.</p> - -<p>They were men of thought as well as action. -Their preparation was made in the college of -experience, in which they proved themselves apt -students. They studied few books and only the -best. They cultivated and practised the perilous -art of reading on horseback. They pored over -books and papers in humble homes by flickering -candle or pine-knot light long after the family -had retired. It is remarkable what extended -knowledge of the English Scriptures, methods of -sermonizing, oratorical style and forceful delivery -these men acquired. They knew well, and by -that surest form of knowledge—the knowledge -born of verified experience—all they proclaimed -in message to the people. There was freshness -of thought, aptness of illustration, and forcefulness -of expression that was native to them. The -majestic forms of nature in the regions where they -toiled inspired in them the sublimest thoughts of -God and his eternal truth. The marvelous results -of the sermons of such men as Markwood, Glossbrenner, -Bachtel, Warner, Nelson, Graham, Howe, -Hott, and others proved them great preachers in -the highest and truest sense.</p> - -<p>They were men of tact as well as thought, and -adjusted themselves to the conditions. They -preached wherever the people would assemble—in -leafy grove, by the river bank, in the humble<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span> -home, in the log schoolhouse, in the village hall, -in the vacant storeroom, and in the unpretentious -church-house. They did not always have the exhilarating -and inspirational effect of great crowds, but -they preached “in demonstration of the Spirit,” -kindling the deepest emotions in their hearers, -often arousing them to tremendous intensity and -causing waves of overpowering feeling to sweep -over them. Saints shouted the praises of God -and penitents pleaded for mercy. These heralds -of the Cross employed none of the familiar devices -of modern times for securing crowds and reaching -results. There were no specially-prepared and -widely-scattered handbills, no local advertising -committees, no daily newspapers with flashing -headlines and portraits, no great choral or orchestral -attractions. What made these fallible men -so forceful and successful in winning others? The -explanation lies in the fact of their spiritual enduement. -They wrought in the name of Christ and -under the influence of the Holy Spirit.</p> - -<p>In no portion of our Zion have ministers made -stronger and more lasting impression upon the people. -Whenever present in a home they were the -guests of honor. Their strong personalities and -noble traits of character, as well as their calling -itself, won for them the esteem of old and young. -Parents named their children after them, and -exhorted their sons to find in them their models -for manhood. In thus honoring these noblemen of -God they exalted the work of the ministry in the -minds of the young, and prepared the way for -the Lord to call them into his service. This may -account, at least in part, for the great number who -have gone into the ministry from these mountain -districts.</p> - -<p>Let no one fancy that somber shadows rested -continually upon the pathway of these ministers. -There was a joyous side to their ministerial life. -When together as a class, or among their parishioners,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span> -their stories and jokes were abundant, -spontaneous, and of the purest type. When they -met at institutes, camp-meetings, and conferences -they enjoyed one round of good cheer and solid -comfort. Their services of song drowned all dull -cares. Their lives had shadows, but they refreshed -themselves in the rifts and glorious sunbursts.</p> - -<p>The people to whom these men of God proclaimed -the gospel were not, as a rule, rich in -material things, but they possessed great hearts, in -which love and kindness flowed as pure and -refreshing as the streams of water that rippled -down the mountain side.</p> - -<p>We rejoice that Bishop Weekley has given to the -Church this book. Many aged ministers, who once -toiled in the Virginias, will live over again the -scenes of their lives as they read these pages. -Young men will be stimulated to more earnest -endeavor as they learn of the hardships and complete -consecration of God’s servants in pioneer -days. No one will weary in reading this excellent -volume. The good Bishop has written in harmony -with an established sentiment in book-making—“it -is the chief of all perfections in books to be -plain and brief.”</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">W. O. Fries.</span></p> - -<p class="smaller"><i>Dayton, Ohio.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The Virginias have turned out more United -Brethren preachers, perhaps, than any other -section of the same size between the oceans. -These pulpiteers have ranged in the scale of -ability and efficiency from A to Z. Some -achieved distinction in one way and another; -others, though faithful and useful, were little -known beyond their conference borders. Nor -have all remained among the mountains. Dozens -and scores of them have gone out into other -parts of the Church. At this writing they are -to be found in no less than nineteen different -conferences, and, as a class, they are not excelled -by any in devotion to the Church, in unremitting -toil, and in spiritual fervor and downright -enthusiasm. Some—many who spent -their lives in building up the Zion of their -choice among the Virginia hills, have gone to -glory. Among these heroes I may mention J. -Markwood, J. J. Glossbrenner, Z. Warner, J. -Bachtel, J. W. Perry, J. W. Howe, S. J. -Graham, I. K. Statton, and J. W. Hott. Other -names, perhaps not so illustrious, but just as -worthy, are to be found in God’s unerring -record. The historian will never tell all about<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span> -them. Their labors, sacrifices, and sufferings -will never be portrayed by any human tongue, -no matter how eloquent, or by any pen, however -versatile and fruitful it may be. Footsore -and weary, dust covered and battle scarred, they -reached the end of their pilgrimage and heard -heaven’s “well done.” What a blessed legacy -they bequeathed to their sons and daughters in -the gospel!</p> - -<p>“Old Virginia” was, in part, the field chosen -by Otterbein himself, and by his devout colaborers. -This was more than a hundred years -ago. In 1858 the Parkersburg, now West Virginia -Conference, was organized out of that -part of the mother conference lying west of -the Alleghanies—a territory three hundred -miles long, roughly speaking, by two hundred -in width. In its physical aspects the country -is exceedingly rough, and difficult of travel. -But the people, though mostly rural in their -customs and mode of living, and many of -them poor, so far as this world’s goods are concerned, -are warm hearted, genial, and hospitable. -When a preacher goes to fill an appointment -among “mountaineers,” he is not troubled -with the thought that perhaps nobody will offer -him lodging, or willingly share with him the -bounties of his table. I have found things -different in other parts of the country.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;" id="illus2"> -<img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="450" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">W. M. WEEKLEY, Twenty Years of Age</p> -<p class="caption">Traveling Circuit</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span></p> - -<p>The new conference was organized at Centerville, -in Tyler County, by Bishop Glossbrenner, -in the month of March. Only a few ministers -were present, but they were brave and good, -ready to do, and, if need be, to die for their -Lord. Five miles from this historic place the -writer was born on the eighteenth day of September, -1851.</p> - -<p>My parents, though poor, were honest and -honorable, and toiled unceasingly to provide -for and rear in respectability their ten children, -of whom I was the oldest.</p> - -<p>The neighborhood was far above the average -in its religious life and moral worth. A man -under the influence of liquor was seldom seen, -and a profane word was hardly ever heard. -The United Brethren Church was by far the -leading denomination in all that country. The -old log church in which we all worshiped -stood on father’s farm, and our home was the -stopping-place not only of preachers, but of -many others who attended divine service. At -times our house was so crowded that mother -was compelled to make beds on the floor for the -family, and not unfrequently for others as well. -But to her it was a great joy to perform such a -ministry for the gospel’s sake. Her loving -hands could always provide for others, no matter -who they were, or how many. For the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -third of a century father was the Sunday-school -superintendent in the neighborhood, and, for a -longer period, teacher of the juvenile class. -Thus he saw little children pass up into other -and older classes, and finally to manhood and -womanhood, when by and by their children -came in and were given a place in “Uncle -Dan’s” class.</p> - -<p>At the age of fourteen I was born the second -time, and united with the Church. The occasion -was a great revival held by Rev. S. J. -Graham, of precious memory. Seeing my oldest -sister, Sarah, bow at the altar, greatly -moved my young heart. A few moments later I -observed father coming back toward the door, -and thinking perhaps he was wanting to speak -to me on the subject of religion, I immediately -left the house. My state of mind became awful. -The next evening I saw mother pressing her -way toward me through the standing crowd. -I knew what it meant, and sat down with the -hope of concealing myself from her; but how -vain the effort! What child ever hid himself -away from a mother’s love? Putting her hand -on my head, she said, “William, won’t you be a -Christian?” I made no reply, but said to myself, -“I can’t stand this; I must do something.” -How her appeal, plaintive and tender, made me -weep! It was really the first time she had ever<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -come to me with such directness and warmth of -heart. To this very moment I can feel the -touch of her hand and hear her loving appeal. -The next day I talked with other boys who were -with me in school, and asked them to accompany -me to the “mourner’s bench,” which they did.</p> - -<p>At that time the class, though in the country, -numbered one hundred and seventy souls. Three -months later, I was appointed one of its stewards, -and with this office came my first experience -in raising money for the Church.</p> - -<p>The next year I was elected assistant class-leader, -and though young and inexperienced, I -rendered the very best service I possibly could.</p> - -<p>My educational advantages up to this time -had been only such as the common schools -afforded, with the addition of a close application -to study at the home fireside, aided by the -historic “pine torch” and “tallow candle.”</p> - -<p>From the day of my conversion I could not -escape the thought of preaching. The duty of -being a Christian was never set before me more -forcibly and clearly than was the duty of preaching; -but I hesitated. My ignorance, and lack -of fitness otherwise for such a high calling, appeared -as insurmountable barriers. I could not -understand why God should pass by others, better -in heart and far more capable, and choose -me. So the struggle went on. In the mean<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span> -time I began to read such books as I could secure. -The Bible, “Smith’s Bible Dictionary,” -and “Dick’s Works,” constituted my library. -The last named was rather heavy for a lad only -in his teens, but I rather enjoyed such studies. -The first book I ever purchased was “Religious -Emblems,” which proved exceedingly helpful to -my young life.</p> - -<p>When seventeen I preached my first sermon, -or, perhaps I should say, made my first public -effort. It was in an old log church on Little -Flint Run, in Doddridge County. Brother -Christopher Davis, a local preacher, was holding -a meeting, and at the close of the morning -services announced that I would preach at night. -What a day that was to me! How I tried to -think and pray! When I reached the church I -found it full, with many standing in the aisle -about the door. I felt so unprepared—so utterly -helpless—that I immediately retired to a -secret place, where I again besought the Lord -for help. Returning, I started in with the preliminaries, -but was badly scared. No man can -describe his feelings under such circumstances. -Many a preacher who scans these pages will -appreciate my situation. I spent a good part of -the first fifteen minutes mopping my face. I -seemed to be in a sweat-box; but by the time I -reached my sermon, or whatever it might be<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -called, the embarrassment was all gone. I still -remember the text: “And I will bring you into -the land concerning the which I did swear to -give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and -I will give it you for an heritage. I am the -Lord.” It was immense; but the most of young -preachers begin just that way. At this distance -from the occasion, I do not recall anything I -said, and am glad I cannot. However, there was -one redeeming feature about the effort, and that -was its brevity. In twenty minutes I had told -all I knew, and perhaps more. I have never -been able to understand why the people listened -so patiently. They really seemed to be interested, -but why, or in what, I have never known. -I have not tried that text since, and I do not -think I ever shall. It is too profound to even -think of as the basis of a discourse to common -people.</p> - -<p>Dr. J. L. Hensley, when pastor of Middle -Island Circuit, early in the sixties, had a somewhat -singular experience in this same log -church. While preaching one Sabbath morning -in midsummer from the text, “The seed of the -woman shall bruise the serpent’s head,” the people -at his left suddenly became excited, and -looking around quickly for the cause, he observed -a snake, about two feet long, crawling in -a crevice of the wall near the pulpit. Reaching<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span> -for his hickory cane, which he always carried, -he dealt the wily creature a blow which brought -it tumbling to the floor, remarking at the same -time, “The seed of the woman shall bruise the -serpent’s head.” Thus in the midst of his discourse -he was furnished an illustration which -made a profound impression upon his hearers, -and aided greatly in bringing the truth home to -their hearts.</p> - -<p>The presiding elder, Rev. S. J. Graham, my -spiritual father, by authority of a quarterly -conference held at the Long Run appointment, -October 23, 1869, gave me a permit to exercise -in public for three months. Shortly after this I -was prostrated with lung fever, which soon developed -the most alarming aspects. Though the -ailment was outgeneraled, the process of recovery -was slow. In fact, one of my lungs was so -impaired that consumption was feared. A noted -physician, after carefully diagnosing my case, -frankly told me that nothing could be done for -my lung; but I did not believe a word he told -me. I had decided that I would make preaching -my life work, and believed that God would -give me a chance to try it. It might be noted -here that ten years later this same doctor was -in his grave, while I was a better specimen of -physical manhood than he ever was.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span></p> - -<p>“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also -in him, and he shall bring it to pass.” What -will he bring to pass? The right thing, and in -the right way. Such has been my observation -and experience in all the years that have come -and gone since the hand of affliction was so -keenly felt.</p> - -<p>December 25, 1869, I was granted quarterly -conference license in a regular way, and attended -the annual conference which met in -Hartford City, Mason County, the following -March. Much of the time while there I was not -able to walk from my stopping-place to the -church, though not a half dozen blocks distant. -Some of the brethren feared that I would not -live to get back home again. But I wanted a -circuit. With that end in view I had gone to -conference, and no amount of persuasion could -turn me aside from the one great purpose that -had taken complete possession of my soul. I -was entering the work with a full knowledge of -what it meant. I had heard the brethren talk -of their privations and abundant labors, and, as -well, of their victories and joy of heart. The -report of the year then closing was most suggestive. -The eighteen fields of the conference -contained one hundred and sixty-seven preaching -places, and had paid twenty-four men a little -less than $140 each upon an average, not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span> -counting outside gifts. West Columbia Circuit -paid its two pastors, Revs. W. B. Hodge and I. -M. Underwood, $400. The next highest was -$339.19, and was paid the brace of pastors who -served the Glenville charge—Revs. W. W. -Knipple and Elias Barnard. The other sixteen -pastorates ranged from $267.15 down to $35, -the last named amount having been received by -Rev. J. W. Boggess, on Hessville Mission. The -Parkersburg District paid Elder Graham -$227.87, while West Columbia District only -reached $152.85 for its superintendent, Rev. -J. W. Perry. To the support of each of the -districts, however, the parent missionary board -added $100.</p> - -<p>When the Stationing Committee reported, my -name was read out as the junior preacher for -Philippi Circuit, with Rev. A. L. Moore, pastor -in charge. This appointment was given, as more -than one assured me in later years, simply to -satisfy my mind. No one expected me to go to -it. As the field already had a man, my failure -to reach it would make no difference in any -way.</p> - -<p>Returning home I told father what had been -done, and that I must have the necessary outfit -for a circuit-rider; namely, a horse, a saddle -and bridle, and a pair of saddle-bags. No matter -what else a man had, or did not have, in those<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -days, these things were essential to efficiency -among the mountains of West Virginia.</p> - -<p>At once I began preparations for leaving -home. Mother was thoughtful enough to make -me a pair of leggings which buttoned up at the -sides and reached above the knees. No one article -made with hands was ever more valuable to -a Virginia itinerant than leggings.</p> - -<p>Philippi Circuit was seventy-five miles distant -among the mountains, and would require, -owing to the bad roads, two and a half days of -hard travel on horseback to reach it. At the -appointed time, April 11, 1870, early in the -morning, I rode out of the old lane and up the -hillside. All I had of earthly possessions was -in my saddle-bags. One end contained my -library, (Bible, Hymn-book, “Smith’s Bible -Dictionary,” “Binney’s Theological Compend,” -“Religious Emblems,” and one volume of “Watson’s -Institutes,”) while in the other was stored -my wardrobe, scant and plain. When far up on -the side of the hill I looked back and saw -mother standing on the porch. She had not -ceased to watch me from the moment I started. -Tears unbidden filled my eyes, and with these -came an appreciation of our home that I had -never experienced before. The home had been -humble, to be sure, but it was Christian. We -had a family altar, from which the sweet incense<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -of prayer ascended daily to God. I could -truthfully say:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Jesus, I my cross have taken,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">All to leave and follow thee.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A mile distant I joined, by a prearranged -plan, Rev. G. W. Weekley, my uncle, and Rev. -Isaac Davis, both of whom were also en route -to their distant fields of toil.</p> - -<p>At the end of the second day we reached -Glady Fork, on Lewis Circuit, where my uncle -lived. How weary after so long a ride! At that -time my health was still so precarious, and my -strength so limited, that I could not walk a -hundred yards up grade without resting. To -dismount from my horse, open and close a gate, -and then get back into the saddle, exhausted me. -Remaining over a few days with my uncle, I -tried to preach on Sunday morning, but found -myself exhausted at the end of twenty-four -minutes. In a few days, however, I was sufficiently -rested from my long ride to journey on -to my own circuit, where I soon found the -preacher in charge, and plans were discussed for -the year’s work. This was historic ground. It -was an old United Brethren field, having been -traveled by Statton, Stickley, Warner, Hensley, -and others, in the late fifties and early sixties, -when it included twenty or more preaching-places, -spread over portions of several counties.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Philippi Circuit contained at this time -the following appointments: Romines Mills, -Gnatty Creek, Peck’s Run, Indian Fork, -Mt. Hebron, Green Brier, and Zeb’s Creek. -Later I added two more—one on Big Run, and -the other on Brushy Fort, at the home of -“Mother” Simons. Two of the preaching places -lay “beyond” the Middle Fork River—a rolling, -dashing stream, fresh from the mountains, and -at times dangerous to cross. It was so clear that -a silver piece the size of a quarter could be seen -at a depth of several feet. The first time I -attempted to ford it I put my life in jeopardy. -Because the bottom could be seen distinctly, I -imagined it was not deep, but after a few paces -I was in mid-side to my horse, and going deeper -every step. Perceiving the danger I was in, I -tried to turn my horse about, and did so only -after the greatest effort, owing to the almost irresistible -current which was gradually bearing -horse and rider downward. Going to a house -near by I made some inquiry about the stream, -and was told that if I had gone ten feet farther -I should have been swept away by the swift<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span> -running waters. How grateful I was to God for -the deliverance. During the following winter -my life was endangered by floating ice at the -same crossing-place. Brother Moore about the -same time, perhaps a little later, seeing he could -not ford the stream, decided to lead his horse -across the ice at a point below the regular crossing, -where there was but little current; but -when twenty feet from the shore toward which -he was headed, the ice gave way, and the faithful -animal went under. Having hold of the -bridle rein, however, he managed to keep his -head above the water until a passage way was -broken through to dry land.</p> - -<p>One instinctively shudders as he recalls the -dangers which at times thrust themselves suddenly -across the pathway of the early preachers -of the Virginia and Parkersburg conferences -when the fields were so large and travel so excessive. -Brother Moore informed me, as we -looked over the charge, that I would have to take -the “outsiders” for my support, as the circuit -only paid $300, and he could not get along on -less and pay rent. It struck me that he was -about right, so I readily agreed to his proposition. -Then what? Well, at each preaching -place I found a “sinner” who agreed to serve as -my steward, and these men did well, everything -considered. For the year I received $97, including<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -an overcoat and several pairs of yarn -socks.</p> - -<p>At one of the appointments an unfortunate -episode occurred over my salary. The steward -one day stepped over the line, and got after -some of the church-members for money. He -very well knew they were abundantly able to -help, but they flatly refused. This so upset him, -so I was told, that he expressed his opinion of -them in language far more vigorous than polite. -It is a joy, however, to note in this connection -that some of these stewards soon became Christians, -and active helpers in the Church.</p> - -<p>Out of the pittance I received, possibly all, or -more than I was worth, I added to my little -library, which could easily be put in one end of -my saddle-bags when I left home, the following -books: “Bible Not of Man,” “Conversation of -Jesus,” “Jesus on the Holy Mount,” “Pilgrim’s -Progress,” “Dying Thoughts,” “Bible Text -Book,” “Jacobus on John,” “God’s Word Written,” -“Paley’s Theology,” “Our Lord’s Parables,” -“Webster’s Dictionary,” “Bible True,” -“Rock of Our Salvation,” “Companion to the -Bible,” “Dictionary of the Bible,” “Credo,” -“Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul,” -and “Hand of God in History.” This, of course, -was not a lavish purchase of books, but it did<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span> -pretty well for one with a cash income of not -more than $75.</p> - -<p>We had some good revivals that year. -Ninety-nine were received into church fellowship, -while many more were converted. At Indian -Fork we held meeting in a little log cabin, -about twenty feet square, with a great fire-place -in one side. It is surprising to see how many -people can be crowded into so small a place when -they are anxious to attend a revival. Night -after night for weeks this little room was packed -like a sardine case. But the outcome was glorious. -Some of the best citizens of the community -were reached and won to Christ.</p> - -<p>After a few services were held, and it was -seen how insufficient the little room was to accommodate -the many who wanted to come, we -put on foot the project of building a church, and -immediately set about the work. The plan was -so unique that the whole neighborhood became -interested. Some felled trees; others “scored -and hewed” the logs; those who had teams volunteered -to haul them, while others still made -shingles, or helped with the foundation; “for -the people had a mind to work.” Before the -meetings closed the house was up and ready for -use—an edifice which served as a place of worship -for many years.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span></p> - -<p>The people all over the circuit were kind and -forbearing, and greatly encouraged me by waiting -on my ministry, and hearing what little I -had to say. I visited all classes of persons, rich -and poor, and had all kinds of experiences. In -some homes I enjoyed the hospitality offered; in -others it was not so highly enjoyed, but keenly -appreciated. At one of the preaching points a -certain brother insisted upon my going home -with him for dinner after the morning service, -which I consented to do. It was a rainy day. -He lived in a cabin of one room on the hillside. -On either side of the dwelling was a shed. Under -one of these he kept his corn; under the other, -where we entered the house, the hogs slept and -the chickens roosted. His only piece of regular -furniture was a chair. As to where and when -he got it I did not inquire. Long poles reaching -across the room and fastened to the walls, with a -forked stick under them in the center, constituted -a kind of double bedstead. When I entered -the door I observed a large “feather tick” -piled upon these poles. Finally, something -moved under it, and then a boy of ten or twelve -summers, almost suffocated, crawled out and -made for the door. His purpose, no doubt, was -to hide from the preacher when he saw him -coming, but finding he could not get his breath, -decided to retreat to another place of concealment<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -where there was more fresh air. I did not -eat much dinner. I told “mine host” that I was -not hungry, and, in fact, was not. They had -only a broken skillet in which to bake bread, fry -meat, and “make gravy.” As soon as possible I -excused myself, and started for my next appointment. -Indeed, I was glad I had another -one that day.</p> - -<p>Many other amusing incidents occurred during -the year. These always find a place in the -itinerant’s life, and it is well, perhaps, that they -do, as they offset in a measure his somber experiences. -I am frank to confess that it is easy for -me to see the funny side of a happening, if it -has one, and to enjoy a joke though it be on -myself.</p> - -<p>In the early days of the West Virginia -Conference, what was known as the “plug hat” -was much in evidence among preachers. Such -“headwear” was a distinguishing mark, hence -no circuit-rider with proper self-respect, or -wishing to give tone to his calling, could afford -to don anything else. Being young, and somewhat -ambitious to hold up the ministerial -standard, at least in appearance, I determined -to secure one as soon as I could get a few dollars -ahead. However, the way opened for the gratification -of my wish sooner than I had expected. -Brother Moses Simons had one he didn’t care<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -to wear, so I bantered him for a trade. It was -in first-class condition, but entirely too large -for me. Even after putting a roll of paper -around under the lining, it came down nearly to -my ears. What was I to do? I must have a -high-topped hat, but was not able to purchase a -new one. At last I decided to wear it, if my -ears did occasionally protest against its close -proximity to them. It distinguished me from -common people for the next two years, and so -answered well its purpose.</p> - -<p>One day as I was riding up a little creek between -two high hills I passed a group of urchins -who evidently were unused to preachers. They -watched me in utter silence till I had passed -them a few yards, when one of them piped out, -“Lord, what a hat.” No doubt they had an interesting -story to relate to their parents when -they returned to their humble cabin home.</p> - -<p>Not long after this I met a gentleman, so-called, -in the road, and bade him the time of -day, as was my custom. He returned the salutation -with, “How are you, hat?” and passed -on without another word. To me this was exceedingly -offensive, for I was sure there was -something in and under the hat, and any such -remark was an uncalled-for reflection upon my -dignity and the high calling I represented. I -did not know the man, and to the best of my<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -knowledge have never seen him since, but to -this day, though removed from the event more -than a third of a century, I harbor the thought -that if I ever do run across him I shall demand -some sort of reparation for the insult.</p> - -<p>The annual conference met in Pennsboro, -Bishop Weaver presiding. During the year I -had improved much in health, owing to my -horseback exercise and the great amount of -singing I did, which doubtless had much to do -with the development of lung muscle.</p> - -<p>At conference I went before the committee -on applicants with eight others, five of whom -were referred back to their respective quarterly -conferences for further preparation. For some -reason the examination was unusually critical. -One question propounded to each was, “Do you -seek admission into the conference simply to -vote for a presiding elder?” There was some -doubt in my case on a doctrinal point, according -to the report of the chairman, Rev. W. -Slaughter, an erratic old brother. He said the -boy was all right, except “a little foggy on depravity.” -Possibly I was, for I didn’t think -much of that portion of our creed. However, -I see more in it, and of it, after all these years, -than I did then. In the light of my observations -and experiences with men, I am not inclined -to deny the doctrine.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span></p> - -<p>I was appointed by this conference to Lewis -Circuit, an old, run down field, embracing parts -of three counties. Rev. Isaac Davis was sent -along as a helper “in the Lord.” We had grown -up together in the same neighborhood, and were -members of the same congregation. He was a -young man of sterling moral qualities, and -proved himself a loyal and valuable coworker.</p> - -<p>After spending a few days with our parents -and friends, we started, early in April, for the -scene of toil to which we had been assigned for -the year. From the day we left home we ceased -not to pray that the Lord of the harvest would -give us at least one hundred souls as trophies of -his grace, and to that end we labored constantly.</p> - -<p>We found the following regular appointments: -Glady Fork, Hinkleville, Union Hill, -Little Skin Creek, White Oak, Waterloo, Indian -Camp, Walkersville, Braxton, and Centerville. -Soon we added two more, namely, Bear Run -and Laurel Run. The charge agreed to pay us -$210, but fell a little short, reaching only $170. -Of this I received $90, and Brother Davis the -remaining $80. The assessment for missions -was $25, and about $10 for other purposes, -which we regarded as a pretty high tax for -benevolences. Yet the entire amount was raised -after a most vigorous and thorough canvass of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -all the appointments. As I now remember, no -one gave more than twenty-five cents.</p> - -<p>Our protracted meetings lasted more than -six months, and resulted in the reception of one -hundred and one persons into church fellowship. -While in the revival at Hinkleville, a great shout -occurred one night over the conversion of some -far-famed sinners, during which the floor of -the church gave way and went down some two -feet. Before dismissing the people, I announced -that we would meet and make repairs the next -day. At the appointed time it seemed that -nearly all the men and boys in the country -round about were on hand, ready to render what -service they could in repairing the house of the -Lord.</p> - -<p>This was a revival of far-reaching influence. -The country for miles around was thoroughly -stirred. One of the leading men became interested -one night, and decided upon a new life. -As he approached the church the next day he -heard us singing what was then a very popular -song—“Will the Angels Come?” The words -and melody fairly charmed him, and kindled -new hope in a life that had been given over to -sin. As he opened the church door, the key of -faith opened his heart’s door to the Savior, and -he rushed down the aisle to tell us of his wonderful -experience. It was all victory that morning.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -The conversion of such a man profoundly -affected the people, and led to many more decisions -for Christ.</p> - -<p>During this meeting my colleague arose one -evening to preach. As he had the test, with book, -chapter, and verse all by heart, he did not open -his Bible, but began by saying, “You will find -my text in Revelation, third chapter, and twentieth -verse.” Just then an apple fell through a -hole in his coat-pocket on to the floor. As he -stooped to pick it up, another fell out. Returning -them to his pocket, he again started—“Revelation, -third chapter and twentieth verse,” -when suddenly the two restless apples dropped -out again. After picking them up, he started -in the third time, “You will find my text -in,”—but all was gone. He couldn’t even -think of Revelation. The audience was at -the point of roaring, so in the midst of his confusion -he turned to me and said, “Brother -Weekley, what is my text? I don’t know what -nor where it is.” I answered, “Behold, I stand -at the door and knock.” “Yes, yes,” he said, “I -remember it now,” and proceeded with his discourse, -but did not recover that evening from -the knock-out blow he had received.</p> - -<p>Preaching through such a long revival campaign -was no easy thing, when I had only a few -sermons in stock, and these were all “home<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -made.” I think the material in them was all -right, but the mechanical construction was not -according to any particular rule. I endeavored -to give my hearers plenty to eat, but I did not -understand how to serve the food in courses. It -was like putting a lot of hominy, and pork, and -cabbage, and beans into the same dish, and saying -to the people, “Here it is; help yourselves.” -But as a few sermons could not be made to last -indefinitely, I was compelled to apply myself to -study, no little of which was done on horseback. -Every itinerant in West Virginia at that -time had to do the same thing. While this -method of study was not the most desirable, it -nevertheless had its redeeming features. Ofttimes, -after riding a dozen or fifteen miles over -rough, hilly roads, I would alight, hitch my -horse, and while the weary animal was resting, -mount a log near by and practice to my heart’s -content the sermon I was preparing for my next -appointment. Again and again did I make the -welkin ring as I preached to an audience of -great trees about me. Does this appear amusing -to the reader? Do you doubt that such experiences -ever occurred? If so, ask some of the -earlier preachers of the conference who are yet -living if they ever did such a thing while circuit-riding -among the mountains.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span></p> - -<p>Did we ever feel lonesome as we traversed the -forests or climbed the hills? Not for a moment. -It was an inspiring place to be. The birds sing -so sweetly there. The gurgling, murmuring -streamlets are ever musical as they steal their -way along through gulches, over their rocky -beds. The scenery is sublime. Nature’s book -stands wide open, and abounds with richest lessons -and illustrations. No wonder Glossbrenner -and Markwood, Warner and Howe, with a host -of others, could preach! The very mountains -amid which they were born and reared conspired -to make them lofty characters, and -majestic in their pulpit efforts. While Union -Biblical Seminary, and our colleges generally, -are grand, helpful schools, let it not be forgotten -that “Brush College” is not without its advantages, -and should be given due credit for -the inspiration and rugged manliness it imparts -to its students.</p> - -<p>My home this year was with Brother James -Hull, on the headwaters of French Creek, fully -forty miles from the nearest railroad station. -Mother Hull was one of God’s noble women. -She professed sanctification, and lived it every -day. I can never forget her helpfulness to me, -a mere child in years and service. I must see -her in heaven.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span></p> - -<p>If I returned home after each Sabbath’s -work, it required one hundred and fifty miles -travel to make one round of the circuit. My associate -also had a good home on another part of -the charge; but unfortunately for him, and for -some others as well, his zeal led him into -trouble. Brother Mike Boyles, with whom he -stayed, was a good, true man, and was ever delighted -to have a preacher with him. One Sunday -he went to see a friend a few miles distant, -and innocently carried home on his horse a -large, nice, well-matured pumpkin. His purpose, -no doubt, was to prepare a special dish -for his guest; but his preacher was not pleased -with such an infraction of the Sabbath law. A -short while after this he discoursed in the -neighborhood church on the text, “I stand in -doubt of you.” Among other things, he said he -stood in doubt of a church-member who would -go visiting on Sunday and carry “pumpkins” -home with him. Brother Boyles very naturally -made the application a personal one, and ever -afterward refused to be reconciled.</p> - -<p>During the year I married two couples. One -of the men was a horse buyer, and was considered -“away up” financially. Of course I expected -no insignificant sum for my services; it -ought to have been ten dollars or more; but let -the reader imagine, if he can, my disappointment,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span> -if not disgust, when he handed me forty -cents in “shinplasters.” By “shinplasters” I -mean a certain kind of currency which circulated -during our civil strife in the early sixties, -in the form of five, ten, twenty-five and fifty -cent certificates.</p> - -<p>Speaking of this wedding recalls the fact that -it was on this circuit, while visiting my uncle -the year before, that I married my first couple. -I remember, too, that I approached the occasion -with great trepidation. It was an awful task. -But the eventful hour finally came. The parsonage, -so called, where the nuptials were to be -celebrated, was a log cabin of one room. The -kitchen, which stood several feet from the main -building, was the only place offered in which to -arrange the toilet. At last I stood before the -young couple and began the ceremony, which I -had committed to memory. Yes, I had it sure, -as I thought. I had gone over it twenty times -or more. In practising for the occasion I had -joined trees and fence stakes, and I know not -what all, together; but at the very moment -when I needed it, and couldn’t get along without -it, the whole thing suddenly left me. There -I was. After an extended pause and a most -harrowing silence I rallied, and began by saying, -“We are gathered together.” Just then -my voice failed me; it seemed impossible to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span> -make a noise, even. I fairly gasped for breath, -for that was the one thing I seemed to need -most. At last the effort was renewed. How I -got through I never knew. I seemed to be in a -mysterious realm, where the unknowable becomes -more incomprehensible, and when all the -past and future seem to unite in the present. -Finally I wound up what seemed to be long-drawn -out affair, and pronounced the innocent -couple man and wife. I am glad they always -considered themselves married. I have but little -recollection of what I did or said during the -ordeal. In fact, I do not care to know, since I -am so far away from the occasion. Yes, that -was my first wedding.</p> - -<p>The year was not without its material enterprises, -for we completed the churches at Glady -Fork and Waterloo, repaired one at Indian -Camp, and started a new one at Laurel Run. -Some of these stand yet as moral and religious -centers, and, at times, through the intervening -years, have been the scenes of great spiritual -awakenings.</p> - -<p>Conference was held at New Haven, in -Mason County, with Bishop D. Edwards in the -chair. While our report was thought to be -fairly good, I asked for a change, believing that -I could do better work on another field. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span> -favor was granted, and Hessville Mission assigned -me as my third charge.</p> - -<p>At the close of this year there were thirty-one -ministers employed in the conference, whose -aggregate salary was $4,551.77, or an average -of $147 each. The three presiding elders received, -all told, $843.83. These figures indicate -something of the sacrifices made by the -men who gave themselves to the early work of -building up the Church in the Virginias. -Greater heroism of the apostolic type was never -displayed by any of the sons of Otterbein, nor -can any part of the country show greater -achievements for the work done.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Hessville Mission embraced portions of -Harrison and Marion counties, and was made -up of the following preaching places: Quaker -Fork, Glade Fork, Indian Run, Big Run, Little -Bingamon, Ballard School-house, Salt Lick, -Plumb Run, and Paw-paw. In all this territory -we did not own a single church edifice. By fall -I had added Dent’s Run, Bee Gum, and -Glover’s Gap, making twelve appointments in -all. At the last named place I held a revival -in a union church. The meeting was good, and -telling most favorably upon some of the best -families of the town, when an unknown miscreant -at an early morning hour applied the -torch and reduced the building to ashes. All I -lost in the conflagration was my Bible and -hymn-book. Moving into a schoolhouse near by, -the meeting was continued, and a class organized. -By the middle of the winter there had -been sixty-five accessions, but from that on till -spring I had to lay by on account of measles.</p> - -<p>At Little Bingamon we had a great meeting. -The entire community was deeply stirred.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span> -“Aunt Susan” Martin was my main helper and -standby. While devout in life, and strong in -faith, she had a blunt, honest way of saying -things which often amused the people. At this -meeting two of her children made a start. One -was a son of some fifteen winters. He literally -wore himself out by his night and day pleadings -at the altar, and became so hoarse that he could -scarcely talk. His mother was greatly agitated -over his condition, and grew exceedingly anxious -to see the intense struggle terminated. One -evening she bowed at the altar with him that -she might, through instruction, show him a better -way. She did not believe that bodily exercise -could be made to avail anything in seeking -salvation. Finally, for a moment, she lost her -patience, and said, “Now, if you don’t quit this -kind of praying you will kill yourself. Stop it, -I tell you, or I’ll box your ears good. The Lord -isn’t deaf, that you should ‘holler’ so loud.” -Then turning to her husband who, at the time, -was a professed moralist, though faithful in -attending and supporting the church services, -she said: “George, you ought to be ashamed of -yourself. Not a word have you for this poor -child. Now come and talk to him. To stand -and look on is no way to do.”</p> - -<p>The dear sister was right, not only in thinking -that the father ought to help the son, but in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -protesting against unnecessary physical demonstrations -in seeking religion. It is not the -loud praying or constant pleading that saves -men, but faith in the world’s Redeemer. Rev. -H. R. Hess, one of the leading ministers -in the West Virginia Conference, was soundly -converted and received into the church during -this meeting.</p> - -<p>What a good home I had while on this -charge! Brother Daniel Mason, a father in -Israel, whose life was as pure as a sunbeam, -took me to his home and heart, and treated me -very much as the Shunammite did Elisha. He -built me a little room on his porch, and put -therein a bed, bookcase, table, and candlestick. -The worth of such a place to a young minister is -next to incalculable. Twice a day he read the -Word and prayed. He was on good terms with -his Lord, and talked to him with the greatest assurance. -Some of the sweetest memories of my -earlier ministry cluster about this Christian -home. The fruition of the upper and better life -he now enjoys as the reward of his faith, service, -and devotion while here below.</p> - -<p>The circuit agreed to pay me $100, and kept -its contract. The first quarter I received $14.81, -the second, $18.35; the third, $17.75; and the -last $49.05. The conference added $50, which -pushed my support up to $150. With this salary,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -much above the average for a single man, I -could afford to pay $21.50 for a new suit of -clothes, and $4 for a new “two-story” silk hat.</p> - -<p>On my way to conference a few days were -spent with friends in the home neighborhood. -Rev. E. Lorenz, father of the music writer, was -living and preaching in Parkersburg at this -time. He had organized a German congregation, -and held services in the lecture-room of -our English church. The Committee on Entertainment -sent me to stay with him during the -conference session which was held in the city. -Thoughts of that superlatively Christian home -linger with me to this day. I shall never forget -how parents and children bowed together in -prayer, morning and evening, and how each took -part in the devotions. Too much emphasis cannot -be placed upon the importance of prayer -in the home. Nothing else, on the human side, -so anchors the family and builds up character. -The fact that the fire has died out on so many -domestic altars is, itself, proof that family religion -does not receive the attention it once did.</p> - -<p>At this conference I was permitted to pass -the second and third years’ course of reading, -which put me in the class to be ordained. I -can never blot from memory the prayer offered -by the lamented Doctor Warner at the ordination -service. He seemed to pour out his very<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span> -soul in petition to God for the young men being -set apart to the work of the ministry. I wept -like a child while he thus prayed, and anew -pledged to Jesus and the Church the service of -my life.</p> - -<p>Grafton at this time was constituted a mission -station, and made my field for the coming -year. The town then (1873) had a population -of about three thousand souls, and was located -mainly on a steep hillside. In fact, it stands -about the same way yet, though containing several -thousand more people. We had no church-house, -and no organization, though there were -a few members scattered through the place. -Seventy-five dollars were appropriated by the -conference toward my support. A preaching-place -called “Old Sandy,” some twelve miles -distant, was also given me. Here we had a -gracious revival. I later took up two more -points—Maple Run and Glade Run—and organized -a class at each. At the close of the -year these country classes were formed into a -separate charge, and became self-supporting.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;" id="illus3"> -<img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="450" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">W. M. WEEKLEY, Thirty Years of Age</p> -<p class="caption">Presiding Elder</p> -</div> - -<p>At Grafton the work progressed slowly, and -with some difficulty for a time. A friend gave -us, free of charge, the use of a church-house -which, by some means, had fallen into his hands. -The first thing was to organize a Sabbath -school, which started off well. When certain<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span> -church partisans saw the outlook, they offered -to take part in the school, and adroitly got possession -of the offices. When I discovered the -real situation, I determined to bring the matter -of control to an issue, and did. I deliberately -stated that I had been sent there to organize a -United Brethren Church and Sabbath school, -and proposed to carry out my instructions. I -was pleased to have teachers and other helpers -from sister denominations join in the work, I -added, but the school would be reported to my -conference. The result is easily imagined. Our -friends, so-called, suddenly dropped out, and -from that day to this the identity of the school -has never been questioned.</p> - -<p>The seventy-five dollars appropriated by the -conference was about all I received, and twenty-five -dollars of that went in a lump to the centennial -fund. If a kind family had not taken -me in, free of cost, I could not have remained -the year through. For the second year the support -given was about the same. The third year -there were two of us to support, hence a special -effort had to be made to increase the pay. Three -hundred and twelve dollars was the amount actually -received, eighty dollars of which was paid -on rent; but we lived well; no such thing as -want seemed to be within a thousand leagues of -our humble home. We were thankful for cheap<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -furniture and home-made carpet. Yea, more, -we were happy. God’s ravens carried us our -daily portion.</p> - -<p>In the early spring of 1875, we began the -erection of a chapel which cost, lot and all, -$2,800. But a part of it had to be built the -second time. Just as the frame was up and -ready for roof and siding, a storm passing that -way piled it in a promiscuous heap. This occurred -on the seventeenth of July. Immediately, -however, the work of reconstruction was -undertaken, and the edifice was completed in -early fall, and dedicated by Doctor Warner. -Such experiences try a young man’s nerve and -purpose, but invariably prove a blessing when -the difficulties accompanying them are overcome.</p> - -<p>That year I took up an appointment at the -Poe School-house, two miles out of town, and -organized a class. In those days the preacher -was expected to look around for new openings, -no matter where he was or how large his field; -there is no other way to expand. My criticism -of many of our young preachers to-day is that -they do not try to enlarge their work. They -seem never to look beyond the nest into which -the conference settles them. They will live on -half salary, and whine about it all year, rather -than get out and look up additional territory.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span> -Under fair conditions, the young man who is -devout and active can secure a good living on -any field. Faith and purpose and push will -win every time. The year closed with fifty-three -members, and ninety-five in the Sunday -school.</p> - -<p>The conference again convened in Parkersburg, -with David Edwards this time as bishop—the -last session he ever presided over.</p> - -<p>At this period the battle in the Church over -the secrecy question was waxing warm. West -Virginia had lined up on the liberal side. The -bishop, being pronouncedly “anti” in his views, -determined to enforce the rules of the Church -in the matter of admitting applicants into the -conference. A brother who appeared for license -was known to belong to some fraternal -order, so the good bishop held him up. This -brought on a crisis. All was excitement. Some -things, it was clear, would have to be settled -then and there, and they were. Doctor Warner -arose, in the midst of the flurry, and demanded -that the young brother be sent to the appropriate -committee, which he said was thoroughly -competent to deal with the question. The -bishop was on his feet also with the fire of -determination fairly flashing in his eyes. However, -when he fully realized that, with an exception -or two, the entire body was against him,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span> -he gracefully yielded, thus happily bringing the -unfortunate conflict to a close. By morning, -matters had again assumed a normal condition, -and the bishop kindly requested that all reference -to the controversy be expunged from the -records.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding Bishop Edwards’ somewhat -radical position on the secrecy question, he was -greatly loved by all our brethren, and by none -was his death more sincerely mourned. On -Sunday he preached on Elijah’s translation; a -few days thereafter he was himself translated.</p> - -<p>From Grafton I was sent to New Haven circuit, -in Mason County, one hundred and sixty -miles west. To get there I was compelled to -borrow twenty-five dollars. Dr. J. L. Hensley -kindly entertained us until a house could be -found; for as yet there was not a parsonage in -the conference. This was considered one of the -best fields we had. The first year it paid me -four hundred and sixteen dollars, and the next, -four hundred and twenty-seven dollars, with a -few presents in the shape of vegetables, groceries, -and the like. Of course, I paid rent out -of this—thirty-six dollars one year, and fifty -the other. I had only four appointments—New -Haven, Bachtel, Union, and Vernon, and these -were close together. During the two years, one<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -hundred and thirty were received into the -Church.</p> - -<p>The next conference was held at Bachtel, -which gave me my first experience in caring -for such a body. Bishop Weaver presided and -preached the word mightily on Sunday. He had -been popular even since his first visit to that -section, in 1870. By request of Hon. George -W. Murdock, a wealthy business man in Hartford -City, three miles west, he went down there -and preached in our church on Sunday evening. -Mr. Murdock was an ardent admirer of the -bishop. Six years before he had entertained -him in his home, and was charmed by him -as a preacher and conversationalist. After -spending the first hour with him, he slipped -into the kitchen and said: “Wife, he is the most -wonderful man I ever met. Do come in and -hear him talk.” The old gentleman never forgot -the bishop’s sermon on Sunday. For weeks -afterward he would talk about it in his store, -and elsewhere, sometimes in tears, nearly always -ending with the observation, “He is a -wonderful man.” It might not be out of place -to note here that the good bishop more than once -shared the benefactions of his wealthy friend.</p> - -<p>During my second year on this charge, a -peculiar and most trying experience came to -our home. A great revival was going on at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span> -the Union appointment. The altar was nightly -crowded with earnest seekers, some of whom -belonged to the best families in the community. -Early one morning a young man came hurriedly -to the place where I was stopping, and calling -me out, said, “Mr. Weekley, I have been sent -to tell you that your babe is dead.” Hastening -home I found the faithful mother watching at -the side of the withered flower, and anxiously -awaiting my coming. How loving the ministry -of friends had been; nor did their tender interest -abate a whit until the little lifeless form was -put away to sleep in the cemetery on the hillside, -in the family lot of Dr. Hensley.</p> - -<p>The reader may be anxious to know what I -did under the circumstances. There was but one -thing to do, that was to seek the guiding hand -of duty. Our little one was gone. Just as the -thoughtful florist takes his tender plants into -their winter quarters before the frost appears, -or the chilling winds sweep the plains, so a wise, -loving, merciful Father had plucked up the -little vine which had rooted itself so thoroughly -and deeply in our hearts, and transplanted it -in his own heavenly garden. Yes, Charley was -safe; so I returned to my meeting with a tender -spirit, and the work continued with great -power.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span></p> - -<p>More than one preacher who reads this incident -will recall the time, or times, when he, too, -passed under the cloud, and walked amid the -shadows. Again and again I have been made to -feel that some people do not sympathize with -the minister and his wife, as they do with others, -when the death angel tarries and lays his -withering hand upon a young life. Somehow -they seem to think that the cup, when administered -to the preacher’s family, is not so bitter—that -the thorn does not pierce so deeply. But -I know better, and so do a thousand others. It -is said of Dr. Daniel Curry, a great man in -Methodism in his day, that he was so grieved -over the death of his little boy that after returning -home from the cemetery he went into the -back yard, and observing his little tracks in the -sand, got down on his hands and knees and -kissed them. Words cannot express my sympathy -for the faithful pastor and his family, -and my admiration of that faith, devotion, and -heroism which in so many instances are necessary -to keep them in the work.</p> - -<p>Mason County was one of the first fields occupied -by the ministers who crossed the Alleghanies -westward. Among these were G. W. -Statton, J. Bachtel, and Moses Michael. However, -prior to this, preaching had been kept up -on the Virginia side by pastors of the Scioto<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -Conference. The main one was Jonas Frownfelter, -whose name deserves a place alongside -the heroes enumerated in the eleventh chapter -of Hebrews. On one occasion, when the Ohio -River was out of its banks, and too dangerous -for the ferryman to venture across, he plunged -in a little below the town of Syracuse, swam his -horse across, and came out at Hartford City, a -half mile below, singing like a conqueror:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“From every stormy wind that blows,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From every swelling tide of woes,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">There is a calm, a sure retreat,” etc.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>All honor to those who put their sweat, and -tears, and blood into the foundations of the conference, -thus enabling others to build safely and -successfully.</p> - -<p>Early in the fifties a paper known as the -<i>Virginia Telescope</i>, was started in West Columbia, -ostensibly in the interest of the whole -Church, but later developments proved that the -object was to organize a Southern United Brethren -Church, making the slavery question the -basis of the separation. When the presiding -elder, G. W. Statton, became aware of its purpose, -he threw his official influence against its -continuance, and succeeded, by the aid of others, -in eliminating it as a disturbing factor.</p> - -<p>The reader will pardon me for taking up -these early historical threads, woven long before<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span> -my day as an itinerant, but I have done so with -the view to preserving in permanent form interesting -facts not generally known, and nowhere -written into the history of the Church.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>In March of 1878, the conference assembled -in Grafton, with Bishop J. J. Glossbrenner as -its presiding officer. At this session the brethren -greatly surprised me by electing me one of the -presiding elders. No thought of such a thing -had ever entered my mind. I could not see the -propriety of putting a young man, not yet -twenty-seven, over men of age, ability, and experience, -hence it was with no little diffidence that -I accepted the West Columbia District, in the -bounds of which I had already worked two -years. The district contained only eleven -charges, but these were widely scattered, embracing -all or parts of Cabell, Mason, Jackson, -Wood, Putnam, Kanawha, and Roane counties, -and were as follows: Milton, Point Pleasant, -Cross Creek, Thirteen, Jackson, Red House, -Fair Plain, Sandy, New Haven, Wood, and -Hartford City. Later, Walton was added.</p> - -<p>The salary assessed the district was $425; out -of this I had to pay traveling expenses, provide -a house to live in, and pay a hired girl. Under -such conditions I could afford a house of only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span> -three rooms. I never believed in a preacher, or -any one else, for that matter, living beyond his -income. Debt is an awful devil for the itinerant -to contend with, and should be avoided at all -hazard. In all the years of my ministry I have -never left a pastoral charge or district owing -any one thereon a nickel. If a man is fit to be a -preacher, debt will distract his mind and put a -thorn in his pillow; it cannot be otherwise with -a sensitive nature. God save our young men -from the habit and curse of debt-making.</p> - -<p>No little of my travel, while on the district, -was by boat on the Ohio and Big Kanawha -rivers. Only one of my fields was touched by a -railroad, and that was sixty miles from where I -lived. My custom was to go by boat to the point -nearest the place of the quarterly meeting, and -then walk the remaining distance, whether it be -five or twenty-five miles. Often I might have -secured conveyance for the asking, but I felt -that it was humiliating to be always annoying -somebody for favors, nor have I changed an iota -in all these years in this regard. If a preacher -wants to make himself a nuisance among his -parishioners, he can easily do so by constantly -making demands upon them which look to his -own comfort and that of his family. Many a -time I walked from twelve to fifteen miles in a -day, held quarterly conference, and preached<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -twice. Occasionally the distance would stretch -out to twenty miles. I did not mind the labor -so much as I did the suffering from sore feet; -walking in the hot sun or over frozen roads, -hour after hour, often caused them to blister and -bleed. In these experiences I was not alone; -many others, some of whom yet live, suffered -the same or kindred hardships.</p> - -<p>In February of 1879 I was called home to my -father’s. After a day or two I tried to return, -but upon reaching Parkersburg found the river -so frozen and clogged with ice that the boats -could not run. It was Thursday afternoon. My -quarterly was at Oakhill, fully forty miles distant, -the next Saturday at two o’clock. The -roads were badly frozen and almost impassable. -When I saw the situation I determined to make -the trip overland as best I could; if I could -not find assistance along the way, I would walk -it. Leaving the city at four o’clock, I traveled -on till darkness overtook me, when I turned -aside and knocked at the door of a humble cabin -and asked for lodging, which was cheerfully -granted; but I had made only a few miles. In -addition to the rough roads, I was burdened -with a good-sized grip and overcoat. The next -morning at daydawn I resumed my journey. -Once during the day I rode two or three miles -in somebody’s sled, but beyond this I got no<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -help. Long after the dinner hour I secured a -cold lunch, which the reader may be assured -was relished by a tired, hungry man. An hour -before sundown I reached Sandyville, where a -warm supper was enjoyed at a little hotel. Still -I was fifteen miles away from the point for -which I was aiming, and felt that I could go no -farther without help; but a kind friend generously -agreed to loan me his horse to ride as -far as Ripley, seat of justice for Jackson -County, from which place the mail-carrier was -to lead it back the next day; but the poor animal -was shoeless, and went crippling along at a -snail’s gait over the rough ground.</p> - -<p>Two miles distant I had to cross Sandy -Creek, and found it partly frozen over. It was -too dark to discern the danger of fording the -stream. After repeated efforts, I succeeded in -getting the horse on to the ice, but as quick as a -flash it fell broadside, pitching me—I never -knew where nor just how far; but the horse beat -me up, turned its head homeward, and disappeared -in the darkness. What did I do? Well, -what almost anybody else would have done -under like circumstances. I took the back track -and returned to the village where the animal -belonged, and found that it had returned in -good order. The next morning my feet were so -sore that I could not wear my shoes, but was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span> -fortunate in securing a pair of arctics in which -to travel the rest of the journey. By noon Ripley -was reached, where conveyance was secured -which enabled me to make the place of meeting -and call the conference on schedule time.</p> - -<p>Some one may suggest that I was foolish for -making such an effort to reach the quarterly -when nothing apparently unusual was at stake; -maybe I was, but such was my way of doing. I -always believed that a preacher ought to fill his -engagements promptly unless providentially -hindered, and then he ought to be fair enough -not to blame providence with too much; but few -days are ever too cold and stormy, or nights too -dark to keep a man from his appointments if he -is anxious to preach the word and minister to -his people. I here record the fact, with feelings -of satisfaction and pride, that in more than a -third of a century I have not disappointed a -dozen congregations. As I see it, a preacher -succeeds in his work just as business or other -professional men succeed in their respective -callings. He must bestir himself, and permit no -obstacle to get between him and duty; any -other policy means failure. At it everywhere -and all the time, and keeping everybody else at -work, are the only ways to win for the Church -and maintain a good conscience before God.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span></p> - -<p>Conference met in Hartford City. The chart -showed that a good year had been enjoyed, 1,354 -new members being reported. Of this number, -535 were credited to West Columbia District.</p> - -<p>The second year on the district was like unto -the first—full of toil, responsibility, and peril -betimes.</p> - -<p>As an indication of what was required of a -presiding elder in order to aid his pastors and -keep the work of the district well in hand, I relate -the following experience: A rainy winter -morning found me on Milton Circuit—the last -charge in the southwestern part of the conference. -I had an appointment that evening at -Cross Creek, thirty-five miles east. The mud in -some places was knee deep to my horse, but on -and on I traveled, over hills and along meandering -streams, sometimes walking myself up and -down steep places in order to relieve my weary -horse. At last, when it was nearly dark, I halted -on the bank of the great Kanawha, opposite -the town of Buffalo. But how was I to get across -the threatening stream? The ice lay piled in -great heaps on either shore; the man who -tended the ferry hesitated to come after me -when I called to him, but he was given to -understand that in some way I must be gotten -over. Finally he agreed to make the attempt, -and after hard rowing, landed me on the opposite<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -side but below the regular coming-out place, -and where the ice was badly gorged. Then the -real difficulty of the venture was apparent. We -had to get the horse up over the great blocks of -ice that lay at the water’s edge, and it was to -two of us an exciting time; no one can describe -it on paper. Holding on to the animal, pulling -my best at the bridle-rein all the while, the ferryman -pushing with all his might, we finally -scrambled over the ice and through narrow passageways -until a place of safety was reached. -How thankful I felt when it was all over, and -how I loved that horse! Doctor Warner used -to tell how his faithful horse once swam an -angry stream, and that after the shore had been -reached in safety he dismounted, put his arms -around the neck of his deliverer, kissed his lips, -and wept for joy. Itinerating in the early days -of the West Virginia Conference meant all this, -and sometimes much more.</p> - -<p>When I got to the church, two miles farther -on, I found the congregation waiting and ready -to join in the service. It might be stated, in this -connection, that in those days the coming of the -“elder” was an extraordinary event, and seldom -failed to bring out the entire community.</p> - -<p>The following evening I had an engagement -to preach at Mount Moriah, still farther east -some thirty miles. It rained the day through.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span> -A part of the journey I followed a single trail, -popularly known as a “hog path.” Such a route -relieved me somewhat from the mud, but, being -in the woods, I could not carry an umbrella over -me, hence had to take the rain as it came; but -I must not disappoint the people. They had my -word for it that I would be there, and the promise -must be sacredly kept. It was a little after -dark when I caught a glimpse of the lights in -the old log church; but, hold! I suddenly found -myself up against another serious difficulty—Parchment -Creek was out of its banks. There -seemed no show for getting over except to -plunge in and swim my horse. I hesitated; -already wet and cold, I was loath to make the -attempt. I would have to carry my saddle-bags -on my shoulder if I saved my Bible, hymn-book, -and sermons; the water would come to my -waist, to say the least. Then another trouble -appeared; it was too dark to see the road or -landing-place on the opposite side, and I might -drift below it with the current and not get out -at all. While thus cogitating, I heard some -boys talking on the other side as they were going -to church. Calling to them, I said, “Boys, can’t -you in some way help me over the creek?” -“Who are you?” was the reply. “I’m the -preacher,” I answered, “and want to get to the -church.” After a short consultation among<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span> -themselves, one of them shouted back, “All -right; we’ll bring the skiff after you.” Soon I -heard them push out from the shore, and in a -few moments they landed near me. “Now,” -said one, “you get in here with Bill, and I’ll -swim your hoss over,” and in less time than it -takes to pen the happenings, he was in the -saddle on his knees and starting for the water. -Did he get over safely? Yes, indeed; he entered -the stream above the usual place of going -in, hence the horse swam, not against the current, -but at an angle with it. In every way possible -I thanked those boys for their kindness to -me, for they had certainly kept me from putting -my life in peril. If they are still living and -should happen to glance over these pages, they -will readily recall the event.</p> - -<p>The church was nearly full of people, and I -certainly enjoyed preaching to them. The great -Father had been graciously with me to guide my -ways and to protect my life. How glad I will -be if, on the morning of the eternal to-morrow, -I shall find that the service that evening helped -some soul heavenward!</p> - -<p>Rev. W. W. Rymer, over thirty years ago, -nearly lost his life in this same region on -account of high waters. His horse either could -not or would not swim, but plunged furiously -when beyond his depth. The heroic itinerant<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -stayed in the saddle as long as he could, but was -finally dislodged and went down. In the midst -of it all he retained his presence of mind and -aimed for the nearest shore, which was not far -away. Being unable to swim, he crawled on the -bottom a part of the way, and at last found himself -where he could stand with his head above -the water. The horse, fortunately, came out on -the same side. Commenting on the incident, -Mr. Rymer says: “After my deliverance, it was -clear to me that I had been near death’s door, -and also near heaven. Two thoughts followed; -one was: ‘If I had not escaped, I would now -be in glory,’ and I confess I felt good over the -reflection. The other was: ‘No, it is better -that I got out, for if I had drowned, my parents -would have had great sorrow.’ I took it all to -mean that my work was not yet done, and soon -experienced great peace of mind. Almost -thirty-one years have come and gone since then, -but the ruling purpose of my heart all the while -has been to preach Jesus. Before thirty-one -years more have rolled around, I shall have gone -through death’s river—yes, through to the other -side, where I shall see my Lord face to face.”</p> - -<p>Let the reader be assured that there is a profound -satisfaction in looking back to those times -of trial and suffering, of battle and victory, -when the ways of Providence were so plain, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -when an unspeakable jay crowned the years of -toil and service.</p> - -<p>After another ride of twelve miles from -Mount Moriah, I reached my home in Cottageville, -near the Ohio River. How inexpressibly -delightful to be at home again with wife and -little ones! What a heavenly place home is -when love and sunshine await the itinerant’s -coming! While he ministers to them, they also -minister tenderly to him; such mutual love -and helpfulness is to be found nowhere else.</p> - -<p>My support for the year consisted of $427.83 -in salary and $22.41 in presents. Fifty dollars -of this went for house rent, and fully as much -more for traveling expenses. Beside these outlays, -we kept hired help in the home all the -time.</p> - -<p>Buckhannon, Upshur Country, was the seat -of the next session of the conference. The noble -Bishop Glossbrenner was with us in the fullness -of the Spirit, and charmed us with the warmth -and sweetness of his gospel messages. As recording -secretary, I edited a little “daily,” -which gave the proceedings of the conference. -This was the first and last attempt of the kind. -Such an arrangement is nice, to be sure, and -sounds well when we talk about it, but it always -costs more than it is worth. The town papers<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -are usually willing and anxious to report the -work.</p> - -<p>During the session a most amusing incident -took place. A colored brother by the name of -Waldo came to me at the noon hour on Thursday, -and asked me to marry him that evening at -eight o’clock. I said, “Waldo, I cannot grant -your request. We have an evening session of -conference, and I must be there. However, if -you will put it off till nine o’clock, I will be on -hand.” But to such an arrangement he would -not agree. The long-looked-for moment could -not be delayed. Eight o’clock was the hour -about which clustered the sweetest anticipations -of his life. The goal toward which he had -striven must be reached and won on schedule -time. So, with a twinkle of the eye, characteristic -of the negro, he exclaimed: “Good Lawd! -the thing’s gone too fah now; no putting it -off.” Of course I had to arrange for another -secretary under circumstances so vitally essential -to the brother’s happiness and welfare. The -reason why he chose me to perform the ceremony, -he said, was because I had converted him -eight years before.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The third year on the district brought the -usual routine of duties and hardships. By the -help of Brother John Dodds, who gave me fifty -dollars, I was enabled to purchase a horse and -buggy, paying $125 for the entire outfit. This -arrangement relieved me of much walking. The -horses and mules occasionally used during the -previous years were borrowed or hired. My -muleback riding, however, was suddenly broken -off by a rather painful incident which occurred -one night. Striking a bit of good road, I -spurred the animal into a gallop, but something -happened; its forelegs seemed to give way, and -it turned a complete somersault. With my arms -extended, I went on, like a flying-machine, several -feet before I struck the ground. The fall -nearly killed me. I rolled about in agony for -a while before I thought of the mule, but when -I was able to get up I observed the treacherous -beast leisurely eating grass in the fence corner -near by, as if nothing had happened. I never -liked a mule after that, and, to the best of my -knowledge, have not been on one since.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span></p> - -<p>I never thought it out of place to have a little -innocent fun once in a while. “Laugh and -grow fat,” is an old adage which has more in it -than some people suppose. A long, wry face is -a poor sign of piety. To assume a look of -seriousness, as though religion were made up of -clouds and shadows and disappointments, is a -false representation of the Christian life. If -any person on earth has a right to be cheerful -and to smile all over his face, it is the one who -honestly endeavors to serve God, and has his -eyes throneward all the while. Yes—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“A little nonsense now and then</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Is relished by the wisest men.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Certainly, then, there is nothing wrong in those -not so wise enjoying it.</p> - -<p>One blustery March day, after a long, irksome -ride over the hills, I was passing a farm-house -where two young lads were chopping wood. -Here is an opportunity, I thought, to have a -little sport; so, reining in my horse, I called, -“Say, boys, can you tell me how far it is to -where I want to go?” In an instant one of them -replied, “Yes, sir; three lengths of a fool; get -off and measure.” It was no time to talk back, -or to interpose objections to such rudeness with -a presiding elder. I had gotten myself into the -difficulty, so had to get out as gracefully as possible. -Bidding them the time of day, I passed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -on, descanting in an undertone upon the subject -of depravity, and wondering what was to become -of the rising generation. Since then I have -deemed it wise to approach the average boy -somewhat cautiously, as one never knows when -or in what direction his gun will go off.</p> - -<p>About this time, and perhaps in connection -with this trip, I had an amusing experience -with a brother who appeared before the quarterly -conference for license to preach. When -asked to state his views on depravity, he frankly -admitted that he did not fully understand the -doctrine, but said he believed that man was -“<i>teetotally deprived</i>.” Before the examination -was over the conference was clear in its judgment -that it could not afford to credential a man -who was <i>deprived</i> of common sense.</p> - -<p>During the year it was my privilege and -pleasure to convey the greetings of my conference -first to the West Virginia Conference of -the Methodist Episcopal Church, and then to -the Baptist Association of the State. Both were -large, influential bodies, and received with -marked cordiality the messenger sent by the -United Brethren.</p> - -<p>While our people of the conference were -loyal, and believed in a robust, aggressive denominationalism, -they were free from that narrow, -bigoted sectarianism which is so unlike the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span> -religion we profess. They were cordial and -generous in their treatment of others, and always -ready to grasp the hand of fellowship, no -matter by whom extended. They believed in -<i>union</i>, and do yet. As far back as 1870, the -following was spread upon the conference minutes:</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Whereas</span>, The tendency of the times is -toward a more intimate union among the -various religious denominations of the country; -and, whereas, negotiations are now going on between -the Evangelical Association and the -United Brethren in Christ, looking toward their -union; therefore,</p> - -<p>“<i>Resolved</i>, That we, as a conference, entertain -the idea of such a union most favorably, -and hope that it can be effected on terms alike -honorable to both denominations.”</p> - -<p>Bishop Glossbrenner again presided at the -next session of conference, which convened in -Parkersburg. The aggregate salary reported by -my district for pastoral support was $2,036, -and for the presiding elder, $411.21. The -thirty-four pastors in the entire conference -received, all told, $6,535, or an average each -of $192. Think of it, ye who scan these lines! -Men of God working twelve months for a pittance; -men of brains and character, of devotion -and heroism; think, too, of their families!<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span> -The wife and mother at home continually, -with but few social, or other advantages; the -little ones barefooted the year ’round, and sometimes -far removed from school and church—all -that the husband and father might preach, -and win sinners to the Cross. Glorious record, -this! the dear Lord has it in his book.</p> - -<p>Does some one ask how our men died? Like -conquerors. Awhile before conference William -H. Diddle, my predecessor on the district, and -a comrade in toil, was called to the heavenly -home. The end was beautiful, and found his -soul in rapture. When far out in the river -he shouted back, “Do not be excited. If this is -death, I am not afraid to die.” His life had -been as pure as a sunbeam. His unselfishness -was a marvel to many. He literally gave himself -for the good of others, and thus became -one with his divine Christ, both in sacrifice -and service. As he entered the gates I think -Jesus said: “Stand back, Gabriel; stand back, -Michael; stand back, all ye angelic hosts, and -make room for one who must be next only to -myself.” What a change from a poor, three-hundred-dollar -circuit!</p> - -<p>For the fourth time I was sent back to the -district, but I returned with the feeling that -this must be the last year. In my report to -conference I had asked to be relieved from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -district work, but the brethren did not see fit -to grant the request.</p> - -<p>I am, and always have been opposed to long -terms of office. The duties entailed by positions -of trust usually are such as to interfere -with systematic study. This is the main reason -why many officials narrow down in their -pulpit work to a few sermons. They do not -have time to prepare new discourses. Then -there is a tendency among those who hold office, -whether in the annual conference or general -Church, to develope a spirit of bossism, which is -incompatible with United Brethrenism. Perhaps -the men in office are not so much at fault -as is the system which keeps them there. They -somehow get the notion that they must have a -finger in everything, and that nothing can be -done exactly right without them. There may -be, and are notable exceptions, of course, but -they are few and widely separated.</p> - -<p>Having been elected to the General Conference, -with Z. Warner and E. Harper as associates, -I attended the meeting of that body which -occurred in Lisbon, Iowa, the following May. -This was all new to me, but the conference -was hardly so interesting as were the vast -prairies of Illinois and Iowa, and the marvelous -products of the great farms to be seen on -every hand. In feeding our horses and cattle<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -in West Virginia, we almost invariably allotted -to each just so many ears of corn. Even -the swine we expected to butcher were given a -daily allowance; but in Iowa I was surprised -to see chickens, hogs, cattle, and everything -else given free access to the compile. But such -is their way of doing out West. The rich soil -is transmuted into corn, the corn into pork and -beef, and these into gold, which has developed -on the material side a wonderful country.</p> - -<p>During each of the four years I spent on -the district, we held a ministerial institute. -This portable school of the prophets was suggested -by Rev. E. Harper, now a presiding -elder in North Nebraska, as far back as 1875. -A whole week at a time would be spent in hearing -recitations and lectures, and the work was -most thorough. Our studies embraced Old and -New Testament history, systematic theology, -Christian ethics, homiletics, church history, -mental and moral philosophy, English grammar, -the English Bible, etc. Some of the textbooks -used were gone through again and again -in the course of a few years. We used charts, -maps, the blackboard—in fact, everything that -would aid in the study of the Word, quicken -a desire for knowledge, and increase the preacher’s -efficiency in the pulpit. Dr. Warner was -at first our main preceptor; and what a teacher<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span> -he was! thorough, clear, and enthusiastic; -he knew what he wanted to say, and how to say -it. He was mighty in the Scriptures; and as a -pulpiteer and platform speaker had no equal -in his conference, and perhaps nowhere else -in the Church. Later, others took part in the -work of instruction, which greatly pleased him, -relieving him of much of the burden assumed -in the outset.</p> - -<p>A resolution was adopted to the effect that -any preacher who wilfully absented himself -from these gatherings, designed especially for -his mental and moral improvement, should be -left without work until all others had been employed. -This policy was drastic, to be sure, -but in the end it proved a blessing to our ministry. -Much of the clerical material we had -on hand was exceedingly raw, but genuine, nevertheless, -and susceptible of being wrought into -a highly-finished and useful product. One young -brother affirmed, publicly, that the crucifixion -occurred seventy years before the flood; another, -in preaching on Daniel in the lion’s -den, said he didn’t know how he got to Babylon -unless he had been shipwrecked. Both of these -were good men, and one of them proved very -successful as an itinerant. Cases of such dense -ignorance were rare, of course, but to such -brethren the institute was of incalculable value,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -as history, geography, chronology, and other -features of biblical study were made a specially. -But let no one be deceived into thinking that all, -or a majority were illiterates. Far from it -Some were giants in the pulpit, and were heard -with gladness by the multitudes. One after -another, other conferences took up the institute -idea, until it prevails to-day in one form or another -in nearly all the conferences, and no doubt -will remain a permanent fixture in the methods -of the Church. The plan is a good one, and commends -itself especially to young men who are -striving for self-improvement in the pulpit, and -along lines of practical work. However, before -the institute should come the <i>college</i> and -<i>seminary</i>. At a time like the present, when -money is abundant, and the beneficiary aid of -the church may be drawn upon, every one looking -toward the ministry should seek and secure -the help proffered by these great institutions. -The character and mission of any denomination -depend upon the type of its preachers. The -United Brethren Church is no exception to this -rule.</p> - -<p>Grafton was the seat of the next conference, -Bishop J. Dickson directing its business. The -year had been fairly successful in various ways, -but the salaries remained exceedingly low. -Over the conference they average $202.88.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -My own was $433.18, with the addition -of $74.50 in presents. Of the thirty-seven -charges reported, only two paid as much as -$400; five paid from $300 to $350; eleven -from $200 to $300; while all the rest fell below -$200. But the brethren were ready and willing -to try it again. The secretary says at the close -of the proceedings: “The unanimity among the -preachers and delegates, and the deep solicitude -manifested by all for the prosperity of the conference, -made the entire session remarkably -pleasant.” Referring to the Sabbath evening -service, he adds: “At the close a number of the -ministers made brief remarks relative to their -past hardships, and bespoke the prayers of the -conference for success during the coming year. -This part of the service was deeply affecting.” -Yes, I remember the occasion well. Dr. Landis, -of the Seminary, was present, and wept with the -rest of us, as he listened to the story of more -than one who was willing to “endure hardness -as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”</p> - -<p>The following will indicate the courageous -attitude of the conference on questions of moral -reform:</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Whereas</span>, the use of tobacco is expensive, -filthy, unnecessary, and, therefore, an evil, and,</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Whereas</span>, it is especially unbecoming for -ministers of the gospel to surrender to an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -acquired appetite, defile the body, the temple -of the Holy Ghost, and thus, by example, -encourage the young to do likewise; and,</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Whereas</span>, this evil cannot be remedied so -long as ministers freely and openly indulge in -it, therefore,</p> - -<p>“<i>Resolved</i>, 1. That from this time forward -no person be granted license to preach by this -Annual Conference who persists in the use of -tobacco.</p> - -<p>“<i>Resolved</i>, 2. That all licentiates who indulge -this habit be required to give it up before -taking upon themselves the vows of ordination.”</p> - -<p>The significance of this action will be more -fully appreciated when it is understood that -West Virginia is a tobacco-producing States -and that its use, in one form or another, is -pretty general among the people. A report on -temperance, which mercilessly arraigned the -liquor traffic, and its political abetters, was also -adopted. Here is a sentence or two from it: -“Believing as we do that prohibition is both -humane and holy, we can have no sympathy for -a policy, or a Christianity that ignores it at -the ballot-box.” Men who were willing to work -for a pittance, which meant that they and their -families were to go scantily fed, and half -clothed, all for the sake of redeeming their -native State, could not be expected to condone<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span> -the offenses of the liquor dealer, or to have -decent respect for those who did.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus4"> -<img src="images/illus4.jpg" width="700" height="500" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">House Where the Bishop First Went to Housekeeping and Where His -First Child Was Born, Grafton, W. Va.</p> -</div> - -<p>The next two years were spent in Parkersburg. -During the first we had a blessed revival -which continued several weeks; in all, more than -seventy joined the Church. But during the -second year the work was hindered by circumstances -beyond human control. A great sorrow -came to our home. By degrees the shadows -deepened, until the mother of my three children -bade us a final adieu, and pushed out into the -unseen. God pity and help the itinerant to -whom such an experience comes! But my own -mother, now of such precious memory, was -ready to take the little ones, and to bestow upon -them that wealth of care and love which never -fails to enrich the life.</p> - -<p>The next year was given to the financial management -of the West Virginia Normal and -Classical Academy, located at Buckhannon. -While the school did excellent work for a few -years, it eventually went down for want of material -support. In view of the losses and disappointments -and alienations caused by its -failure, I am not sure that the conference did a -wise thing in starting it. Little colleges have -their advantages, I grant, but trying to operate -one at every crossroads on faith and enthusiasm, -is too much of a good thing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span></p> - -<p>By consent of the conference I agreed to give -a few months to the business management and -associate editorship of the <i>West Virginia Freeman</i>, -the State prohibition organ. During this -period I made a partial canvass of the State in -the interest of a prohibition amendment then -pending. It would require a whole chapter to -tell of my experiences with the old political -partisans, some of whom fairly went into -spasms at the very mention of prohibition. Our -presidential candidate, John P. St. John, had -defeated James G. Blaine, so the Republicans -affirmed; hence they were ready to vote against -anything, or anybody, the angel Gabriel not -excepted, who believed on any point as St. John -did. Many of these were Christians, so-called, -and some of them members of my own Church. -I knew them well; and be it said to their everlasting -shame, that they went against the -amendment, just as did every whiskyite in the -State.</p> - -<p>Under our system of government the ballot -has in it a moral element, and therefore will -meet us at the bar of final reckoning. It not -only has to do with our political, industrial, -and educational affairs, but with the church -and family as well. What show will a man -have at the last day whose ballot has constantly -belied his profession as a Christian? I have<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span> -never been able to understand how he could -enthrone his Lord in the affairs of state by -voting a ticket perfectly satisfactory to the -drunkard-maker. It remains for an allwise -God to determine what disposition shall be -made of these vicious ballots when the judgment -day comes. Personally, I have no respect -for, or confidence in any United Brethren or -member of any other church who, knowingly, -votes for a man for any office who is opposed to -my Christ and the cause for which he stands.</p> - -<p>Being ever ready to “speak my piece” against -the saloon and its allies, I was constantly stirring -up a “hornet’s nest” over the business. -When I spoke against it, whether in public or -private, I never hesitated to pay my respects -to the machine politician, since I regarded him -and rum as closely related. As the result, some -of the newspapers and office-seekers got after -me with a vengeance. This I confess was to -my liking, since I felt sure I was making at -least some kind of impression upon them. Then -it gave me a chance to answer their criticisms, -and puncture their fallacies. The following -extract from one of my replies may be of interest -to the reader. The principle laid down will -always hold good:</p> - -<p>“All at once the saloonist and politician are -becoming greatly concerned over the question<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> -of ‘pure and undefiled religion’; and well they -may, for if religion is effectually taken into -politics they will as certainly go out. This -they fully understand, hence yell themselves -hoarse in trying to divert attention when the -pulpit begins to let the light in upon their devilish -business. While a man is a minister of -the gospel, he is also a citizen in common with -other men. The fact that he pays taxes, lives -under, and is subject to the laws of our commonwealth, -makes him such. Then most assuredly -he has the same right as other men to -be heard upon great political issues that affect -the well-being of his country. If not, why not? -Touching all moral and political affairs which -have to do with the home, the individual, and -the general good of the community, the pulpit -has ever stood at the front, and so it ever will, -unless it sells out to the saloon.</p> - -<p>“The truth is, under a government like ours, -presumably Christian, all political questions -have a moral phase, and to a greater or less -extent involve the question of religion. In -other words, every question in politics touches -at some point the work of the pulpit, therefore -it is right and proper for the minister to discuss -before his people, prudently, of course, the -moral bearings of all these issues. There is -nothing that the liquor ring, and old-line politicians<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -would rather do than to stifle the utterances -of the pulpit, for well they know that the -molding of sentiment, and the training of the -moral forces by which the eternal God proposes -to overthrow and dash in pieces their strength, -must there begin.”</p> - -<p>In May of this year, 1885, I attended my -second General Conference, which met at Fostoria, -Ohio, in company with Z. Warner, E. -Harper, and S. J. Graham. The occasion was -an historic one. Radicalism was given a black -eye; the forces of the Church were realigned, -and the clouds which had so long hung over -our Zion were pierced by the sunlight of a new -day.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The time of holding the annual conference -having been changed from spring to fall, the -next session was held at the Simmons’ chapel, in -Lewis County. I was again made presiding -elder, stationed on Parkersburg District, and -soon moved to Pennsboro, where my headquarters -remained for the next four years. My -diocese extended from Parkersburg to Irondale, -a distance, east and west, of one hundred and -sixteen miles, and from the Ohio River on the -north far interior to the south. The fields embraced -were Parkersburg Station, Parkersburg -Circuit, Volcano, Pennsboro, Troy, Middle Island, -Littles Mills, Grafton, Irondale, Hessville, -Tanner, Sylvan Mills, and Smithton.</p> - -<p>A vast amount of hard work, I soon discovered, -would be necessary to make anything like -a commendable showing in a territory so large -and difficult to cultivate. The first duty with -me was to care for my preachers. It was my -notion then, and my views have not changed in -all these years, that if a presiding elder wants -his men to do good work he must, first of all,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span> -do his best for them financially. If the salary -was insufficient, and it nearly always was, as -I have shown many times over, it had to be -supplemented in one way or another. If the -stewards were worthless, I asked them to resign. -If they did not know how to collect, I went -along and instructed them as best I could. In -some cases we would canvass the entire neighborhood -with a two-horse team and wagon, and -gather up flour, corn, potatoes, chickens, meat, -eggs, sorghum, butter—in a word, anything and -everything that could be used at the parsonage, -or exchanged for groceries. When nothing better -could be done, I would load up my own horse -with flour and meat and lead him to the preacher’s -home with his precious cargo of provisions. -Then what a good time we would have! Some -who are yet at work in the conference were -helped in this way. I also found it profitable -to have the people on each field, if at all possible, -make the pastor a present of a new suit -of clothes each year. The plan is usually a -popular one, and in most cases can be worked, -if placed in the hands of the right persons. It -is the equivalent of just so much extra cash -to the preacher. But with some it may be a -query as to how I managed the indifferent -pastor. Sometimes one way, and sometimes -another. Every presiding elder, I suppose, has<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -his own methods. My plan was first to aid and -encourage him all I possibly could. I tried to -prove to him, in a substantial way, that I was -his friend, and wanted to help him make his -work a success. If, after all this, he persisted -in being a failure, I frankly told him he would -have to drop out. Such a step requires courage, -I know, but it must be taken once in a while. -No railroad company or any other business concern -would think of employing inefficient, -untrustworthy men; such a policy would be -suicidal; nor can an elder afford to supply his -fields with those who are utterly devoid of fitness -for a work so high and responsible.</p> - -<p>A man may be a “good fellow” in many -respects, and promise to support his elder if -continued in active service, but these things -should have no weight in the matter of appointments. -The welfare of the church should always -be considered before that of the individual. -If either must go down, let it be the -preacher. Why put him in a position to chill, -discourage, and perhaps wreck a whole charge? -Nor should a man be employed if inefficient by -reason of age or poor health. The fact that a -minister was once successful is no reason for -continuing him indefinitely in the pastorate. A -record of usefulness, I know, is a crown of -glory to any old, worn-out toiler, but with such<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span> -glory he ought to be satisfied. I have always -hoped, and still do, that I may have sense and -grace enough to retire of my own accord before -my conference is compelled to put me on the -shelf. The church, however, should provide a -comfortable living for her servants when they -can no longer remain at the front. They deserve -such recognition, and to withhold it is to -sin against them and the God whose they are, -and whom they have served.</p> - -<p>With reference to the presiding elder, or -superintendent, I will further say that he is -the most useful and important man we have if -he does his duty faithfully; otherwise he is the -biggest bore in the church. He is not a success -if he does mere routine work and nothing more. -He must reach out. He must be larger than his -district, yet strive all the while to make it as -big as himself. He must keep things going. If -resourceful, he will always find a way to inspire -and profit his men, if there is anything in them -to respond to his efforts. If he is not a general, he -is not fit for the place. He must go panoplied -with helmet and breast-plate, shield and sword, -ready to fight, preach, or die, on a moment’s -notice. How the church and pastor are to be -pitied when compelled to suffer three or four official -visits during the year from an old, dry stick, -destitute of sympathy and enthusiasm.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span></p> - -<p>The year was not without its incidents, both -serious and amusing. During one of my quarterlies -held in the Big Fishing Creek region a -fight occurred among some of the toughs as they -went from church on Saturday evening. In -an article to the county paper I took occasion -to criticise, rather sharply, such behavior, and -emphasized the fact that the officers of law -ought to do their duty in all such cases. In -fact, the derelict officials were as severely arraigned -as were the offending pugilists.</p> - -<p>Three months later I was in that section -again; after the Sabbath morning services, at -Mt. Olive, I went to Laurel, some miles away, -to fill an evening appointment. After riding -quite a distance along a high ridge, which overlooks -all the country around it, I turned down a -little ravine which lead to Laurelrun; but suddenly -my cogitations were interrupted by a big, -burly sixfooter, who knew of my coming and -was waiting for me. Stepping in front of my -horse, he blurted out, “Are you the feller what -wrote that piece in the paper about me?” I replied -that I did not know who he was, or -what “piece” he referred to. “I’m one of them -fighters you wrote about in the <i>Star</i>,” he said, -“but what you writ wasn’t true, so I thought I -would wait for you here.” In the meantime we -were both moving slowly down the hill, and he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -was at my side. If ever I did hard, double-quick -thinking, it was then. I knew what he -was there for, and a general mix-up seemed -inevitable. I at once decided on a policy. I -would talk him out of any evil intent he might -have, if it were possible to do so; if not, and -nothing else would suffice, I would get off my -horse and stay with him just as many rounds -as I could, with the hope that somebody might -come along and help me out, if help was needed. -I began to explain how and where I got my -information, and how I felt over such unbecoming -conduct on the way from divine worship. At -this point he interjected the remark that my -informant was a liar, using adjectives and -expletives which would not look well in print. -But I kept on with my speech, using all the -eloquence and fervor at my command. I expatiated -on the sacredness of worship, and portrayed -in the most vivid colors possible the -beauty and praiseworthiness of the young man -who honors the gospel, and loves and lives in -peace with all men. Though there was blood -in his eye at the start, I soon observed that I -was gaining on him. By and by he began to -sanction what I said. It was clear that I had -his attention, so I kept on talking something -good to him until he finally stopped me as -abruptly as when we first met, saying, “Wal, I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -guess I’le go back. I kinder thought I’d like -to ax you about it. Good-by.” What a feeling -of relief came to me as the fellow disappeared. -A scrap, and possibly something worse, had -been avoided. I at once decided, however, that -the country editor thereafter would have to look -elsewhere for information when such brawls -occurred. Such a narrow escape from—I did -not know what—convinced me that at least in -that particular locality the work of a newspaper -correspondent was incompatible with that of a -presiding elder.</p> - -<p>It was on one of my visits to this same field -that I made some of our own dear people very -cross over a little verse, purely original, which -I wrote on the blackboard. Nearly everybody -used tobacco in some form. Many of the women -were snuff dippers, and smoked the pipe, -while nearly all the men either chewed or -smoked, or did both. The stanza ran thus:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Who can chew the dirty stuff,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">In the sacred place of prayer?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Who can smoke or rub snuff,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And feel that God is there?</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Years afterward, I was told that some were -still talking about that bit of poetry.</p> - -<p>The district paid a salary of $496.53 to the -elder. Out of this he paid for house rent and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span> -car fare, $110. The thirty-seven pastors of the -conference received an average of $140 each. -The highest salary, $480, was received by Rev. -R. A. Hitt, on Parkersburg Station, $100 of -which was put into rent. The good Lord only -knows how he managed to keep his family in -respectability, entertain his many visitors, and -meet other legitimate expenses, on the pittance -of $380. And the same query may be raised -in the case of nearly all his colaborers; but -they somehow succeeded in making ends meet. -As one of them expressed it, “When my wife -scrapes the bottom of the flour barrel, God always -takes notice.” “This is the victory that -overcometh the world, even our faith.” In -addition to the aggregate salary received, the -“presents” amounted to $1,276.28, or about -$34, upon an average, to each pastor. The net -increase in the membership of the conference -was 564, an excellent showing. But the most -vexing problem was financial. Times were -hard, money scarce, and the people generally -poor. Yet we believed and wrought in expectation -of larger things. Thank God, they are -coming.</p> - -<p>Pennsboro was the seat of the next conference -session. Bishop Weaver presided. Perhaps -the most striking event of the occasion was the -presence of Dr. Lewis Davis, of Union Biblical<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -Seminary. It was his first appearance among -us. Probably the wide difference between -his views and those of the conference on the -secrecy question had kept him from making -an earlier visit; but his presence was highly -appreciated by us all, and in turn he greatly -enjoyed the courtesies accorded him by the -brethren. As I bade him good-by at the train, -he said, “Didn’t we have a glorious time? I -am glad I came. Wish I had come long ago.”</p> - -<p>The second year on the district was more -trying and laborious than the first. The preacher -placed in charge of Volcano Circuit resigned -before the holidays, and not being able to secure -a suitable supply, I decided to keep up the work -myself in connection with the duties of the -district. The nearest point was ten miles from -my home, and the farthest twenty-five; this -gave me seven preaching-places; namely, Zion, -Volcano, St. Paul, Long Run, Big Run, -Harmony Grove, and Freeport. I could give -the charge only an occasional Sabbath, hence -was compelled to do my preaching and visiting -among the people on week days. I held three -revivals, preached eighty-three sermons, and -collected all the conference benevolences; for -this extra service I received $150. Serving as -pastor and presiding elder both, kept me from -home nearly all the time. It was no uncommon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span> -thing to reach home late at night, and then -leave early the next morning; but to work -was a pleasure and joy; I did not mind the -loss of sleep. There was not enough terror in -the storm, or “warring elements,” to prevent -the filling of my engagements. No day was too -cold, or night too dark to travel, if, by so doing -something could be done toward lifting up the -district. I hope there is no egotism in what I -here say. <i>There is none.</i> I simply state the -facts. I lay no claim to superior devotion over -my brethren who worked at my side, and were -loyal to the core. No others but brave, true -men can succeed among the mountains, or anywhere -else for that matter; but in some places -more faith and courage and sacrifice are necessary -than in others.</p> - -<p>How I pitied my family. They were alone -almost constantly year in and year out. Under -such circumstances it was impossible for me to -know my children well, or for them to know -their father. This statement may be a revelation -to many. If any are in doubt as to its -correctness, let them ask the opinion of those -who have done district work for years at a time.</p> - -<p>I never left home without first commending -my loved ones to the care of the sleepless Eye; -nor did I at any time while absent forget them -in my devotions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span></p> - -<p>Too much cannot be said for the faithful -wife of the itinerant. But alas! her worth, I -fear, is not appreciated by the church as it -deserves to be. People watch and criticise her, -to be sure, as they do but few other women, but -as a rule she is not accorded a very large place -in the achievements of her husband. Indeed, -I sometimes fear the minister himself does not -realize her true relation to his success in soul-winning. -God only knows her anxiety and -heart-yearnings as she struggles with the problems -of the home in the absence of her husband. -What a care the children are to her! But she -toils on, as best she can with the means, sometimes -sadly limited, at her command.</p> - -<p>The fact is, many a successful preacher to-day -would be out of the work but for his -devoted wife. When ready to quit, and turn -aside to some other occupation more lucrative, -she put her womanly heart up against his, and -urged him on to duty.</p> - -<p>Said one of these noble helpers: “Husband, -I know we are poor. Our carpets are old and -faded, and our furniture is scant and plain. I -know our dear children are barefooted, and can’t -go to school; but I want you to keep on preaching.” -With a faith unfaltering, and a courage -invincible, she was willing to stay in the field—ready<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span> -to serve, ready to sacrifice, ready to die, -and, thank God, ready for heaven.</p> - -<p>Her interest in her husband, God’s servant, -knows no abatement. Day and night she is -before the throne in his behalf; and are not her -petitions heard? If not, whose will be? We -must not deceive ourselves. She has a divinely-appointed -place in the work of redemption, and -one of tremendous significance—<i>a helper in -soul-saving</i>. Her reward is sure. As she stands -by her husband’s side on coronation morning, -she, too, will hear heaven’s “well done” for the -loyal, royal part she has taken, and the service -she has rendered in the “ministry of reconciliation.”</p> - -<p>In the earlier days of the conference, district -work was exceedingly laborious, because of the -vast mountainous territory to be traversed. If -some of the circuits embraced from ten to -twenty appointments, extending over portions -of three or four counties, it is evident that -the presiding elder had his hands full in superintending -twelve or fifteen of these fields. The -journeys on horseback were long and fatiguing; -it was no uncommon thing to change horses -at the end of a twenty-five mile ride through -the mud, or over the frozen roads. In the -midst of one of these long trips, Dr. Warner -once stopped a few minutes in Pennsboro, at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -the home of Mrs. Caroline Sigler, one of God’s -jewels, and after putting his tired animal away, -mounted a fresh one and started on toward his -appointment, eating a piece of cold corn-bread. -As the good woman looked after him she could -not keep the tears back. She knew something -of the hardships which had fallen to his lot; -yet those hardships were borne with a martyr’s -courage for the sake of the Church he loved, -and in which he died.</p> - -<p>On a certain Friday morning I was to leave -for my second quarterly on Littles Mills -charge, a circuit with which the reader is already -familiar because of the happenings I -have related in connection with it. The distance -was some thirty-five miles. The day -brought with it a fearful snow-storm, which -seemed to make it unwise for me to attempt -the trip on horseback; but I meant to hold -the meeting. Wife and children said, “Don’t -go this time.” Others interjected: “You are -foolish. Nobody will expect you.” But they -were mistaken. The people did look for me. -Taking the train in the evening I went to Parkersburg, -forty miles, and the next day to New -Martinsville, fifty-seven miles, and then walked -sixteen miles, partly Saturday evening, and the -balance of the way the next morning, arriving -in time for the 10:30 services. I was glad I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span> -went The pastor needed me, and anxiously -awaited my coming. I should never have felt -right over the matter if I had disappointed -him.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>In the days of which I write, a quarterly -meeting was a great event, and to many it was -a rare privilege to see and hear the “elder.” -During the summer and fall, especially, the -attendance in many instances would be immense. -Not unfrequently the women and children -present would more than fill the house, -which made it necessary to seek a “shady -bower,” if one could be found. If convenient, -the seats were removed from the church and -used in the grove, but often this could not be -done. More than once I have backed up against -a tree, or mounted a log, and preached to a -crowd scattered over a quarter acre of ground. -On one of these occasions a young girl, of -fifteen summers, perhaps, but large for her age, -went to a house nearby and got a bucket of fresh -water, and bringing it to me in the midst of my -discourse, asked me if I would have a drink. -I paused long enough to accept the courtesy, -and, after thanking her for her thoughtfulness -and kindness, continued my talk. Such an infraction -of the rules governing divine worship -to-day in many sections would greatly amuse<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -the people, no doubt, and perhaps greatly annoy -the preacher; but it was seldom noticed -by speaker or congregation a third of a century -ago among the mountains. When there was -no grove near, or the atmosphere was too chilly, -or the ground too damp to hold out-door services, -we were sometimes sorely defeated by the crowds -that came. I here give in full an article which I -furnished the <i>Telescope</i> on the peculiar provocations -of the elder:</p> - -<p>“To be a presiding elder in the Parkersburg -Conference means to travel over a large territory, -and to do a vast amount of hard work -on small pay; but all this is nothing compared -with some other things that we have to endure. -It is no uncommon thing in this country for -a presiding elder to make a failure in the pulpit -because of some circumstance, or a combination -of circumstances over which he can have but -little or no control.</p> - -<p>“Many of the houses in which we worship are -by far too small to accommodate the congregations -that generally gather on quarterly meeting -occasion. Indeed, many of our meetings are -held in schoolhouses, only intended to seat fifty -or seventy-five scholars. Now put two hundred -persons, or more, into such a space, standing -the most of them around the wall, and in the -aisles, and then distribute from fifty to one hundred<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -around the house on the outside, each striving -to get his head in at a window, and any one, -though he be unused to such things, can see the -difficulty of preaching under such circumstances. -If the people listen with interest they -must be comfortably situated.</p> - -<p>“In many country districts away from the -railroad, the time kept by the people varies so -materially that it is next to impossible to get -them together at the same hour. No two clocks -agree, hence the people begin to assemble at ten -o’clock in the morning and keep on <i>assembling</i> -till noon. At the appointed hour the elder announces -the first hymn, and then leads in -prayer. During these opening exercises, perhaps -twenty-five persons have come upon the -ground, and as soon as the <i>amen</i> is heard they -make a rush for seats.</p> - -<p>“Another hymn is sung, and still they come. -The text is finally announced, but what of it? -The people keep on coming. The middle of the -sermon, by and by, is reached, and the preacher -is still annoyed; not for three minutes at any -time has he had an open field. Only one more -proposition to discuss; it is the most important -one. His strength has been reserved mainly for -it; but just as he begins to lay it open, having -secured the attention of the audience, the door<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span> -creaks and in come a half dozen women. A general -stir follows. The seats are all full; something -must be done, so a half dozen men get up -and surrender their places. Still the people -come. The preacher is on the home stretch, but -is badly disheartened. He has preached to the -people, to be sure, but a good part of the time -to the backs of their heads. Not half of those -present when he began can tell what his text is. -Indeed, he is so confused sometimes that he -hardly knows himself what it is. He has just -one more illustration to give. He hopes to make -it tell, and is succeeding well. The audience for -a moment is silent as death; but of a sudden -the door opens again and a few more try to enter. -In an instant every eye is turned, and the -thread of thought is dropped, and the preacher -sits down disgusted and dissatisfied.</p> - -<p>“Of course it is not always this way, but -frequently such is the case. On such occasions -the people go home no wiser than when they -came. Having been to <i>meetin’</i> is the only pleasing -thought enjoyed.</p> - -<p>“Too many dogs go to church. I am not -much of a friend to the canine race at home, -much less at church. Dogs piously inclined are -the meanest dogs in existence. If they would -go under the house or even under the benches -in the house, it would not matter so much, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -they will not do that. They walk up and down -the aisle, and dare even to enter the pulpit where -the presiding elder is. All this attracts attention, -and detracts from the sermon. Once in -a while a dog fight occurs during service, and -two or three men have to interfere to adjust -the difficulty. If the elder intimates that the -congregation or neighborhood is a little too -<i>doggish</i> to suit him, somebody gets mad and -calls him a ‘stuck up’ sort of a man. ‘Beware -of dogs,’ said Paul. Many a good sermon has -been spoiled by them. In West Virginia, especially, -they are disturbing elements. I would -favor a war of extermination.</p> - -<p>“But things are much better with us now -than they were twenty-five years ago. We have -larger and better houses of worship, and fewer -dogs in proportion to population. We expect -a great improvement in the next quarter of a -century.”</p> - -<p>It was not an uncommon thing to see a -glorious revival start at the quarterly meeting. -The love-feast, which almost invariably occurred -on Sunday morning before the sermon, -was usually an occasion of deep interest. How -the old veterans would talk! How eloquent -some of them were in their simplicity! How -they relished such spiritual feasts! for such -they were; and no wonder they were enjoyed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span> -by some, for they had traveled, maybe on foot, -twenty miles or more to get there. To such the -day was a veritable Pentecost. Sometimes in -the midst of the sermon or sacramental service, -“hallelujahs” would be heard. Yes, once in a -while the people shouted, and nobody objected -to the noise or excitement. I am no prophet, -but will risk the statement that when the church -gets so far along that no more hosannah’s are -heard, it will be about time to reconstruct -things and start anew.</p> - -<p>A red-hot testimony-meeting in many of our -city churches, on the quarterly communion -occasion, would make the recurrence of the day -and the coming of the elder an event of greater -significance than it seems to be at present. -Such a service would doubtless lubricate the -machinery of the church, and make the work go -better. The present plan of enlarging districts -has its commendatory features, to be sure, and in -some respects it works well, yet the old <i>régime</i>, -which made it possible for the elder to be present -at all the quarterlies, had its advantages.</p> - -<p>A word here respecting the genuine hospitality -of the people might not be out of place; -this, however, is characteristic of Southerners. -The presiding elder was not compelled to put -up with the pastor all the time because nobody -else wanted or invited him; far from it. A<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span> -half dozen or more at a time would claim him -as their guest. Instead of wondering where he -would or could go, he was puzzled to know -which of the many invitations to accept. How -it embarrasses a man to be in a neighborhood -where no one seems to want him. Or, if entertainment -is proffered he may be further embarrassed -by a question mark at the end of the -invitation, “Well, are you going with me?” or, -“If you’ve no place else to go, come with us.” -I have been chilled many, many times since -leaving the mountain State by just such half-hearted -treatment.</p> - -<p>Nor were the presiding elder’s official duties -performed without an occasional break caused -by a wag or ignoramus. Rev. G. W. Weekley -was traveling a circuit in Gilmer County with -Rev. E. Harper as his elder. At a certain meeting -the latter was presiding with his usual grace -and dignity while the pastor, being a stickler -for law, was making the Discipline the rule of -his business conduct. A young man was before -them for license to preach. He seemed to be -all right, and had made a favorable impression -upon his pastor. “You will please state before -the chair and conference,” said the pastor to -the applicant, “what your reasons are for desiring -permission to preach the gospel.” In an -instant the young brother was on his feet. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span> -question was easy, he thought, and so his answer -was clear-cut. “Well,” he said, “I always had -a desire to see the country, and I thought that -being a preacher would give me a chance to do -so.”</p> - -<p>Then it was that the elder wilted and the -preacher collapsed, and the quarterly conference -looked blank, while the dear young brother -felt himself the hero of the occasion.</p> - -<p>We met at the Bethel church in Mason -County, in September of 1887, to make reports -and to review the work of another year. Bishop -Kephart was with us for the first, and Dr. -Warner for the last time. To show our appreciation -of Dr. Warner, the conference gave him -a purse containing $25.00 in silver. My district -paid, in salary and presents, $526.20, out -of which $153 was expended for rent and car -fare; 3,720 miles had been traveled by rail, -941 on horseback, and 415 on foot. The -average salary in the conference was a fraction -over $200. Including “presents,” which were -considerable in some cases, only one charge, -Parkersburg Station, went above $500. One -other, Pennsboro, reached $400; eight got above -$300, while seventeen paid less than $200 each. -The financial report generally was much better -than that of the previous year. The aggregate -increase in ministerial support on Parkersburg<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span> -District was $600. Slowly but surely we were -pushing ahead and making progress, but at a -cost known only to those who were on the field.</p> - -<p>The third year on the district was similar -to the preceding one, fraught with toil and -responsibilities, but not without its spicery, -which often did much to enliven the routine -work required. One of the first things I did -was to secure a horse and buggy. By using the -carriage when the roads would admit of it I -relieved myself of a good deal of horseback -riding. During the winter and early spring -no sort of vehicle could be used because of the -bad, and sometimes dangerous condition of the -public thoroughfares. Nor is the situation in -this respect very much different at present from -what it was forty years ago. Great changes -have been wrought in other regards, but the -roads, for the most part, remain the same, and -will so continue through the centuries to come.</p> - -<p>I had a somewhat provoking experience, once -upon a time, as I journeyed with my uncle from -Troy to West Union, a distance of twenty-five -miles. As the roads were exceedingly muddy -I was concerned more than usual about a new -suit I was wearing, having pinned the skirts -of my clerical coat around my waist in order -to keep them clean. We finally struck a place -where the thin mud was half knee-deep to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -horses. Midway in this mud-hole was a good-sized -rock, but not being visible, my steed -stumbled over it onto his knees, running his -nose into the mud up to the eyes. When he -went down I went over his head, and into the -puddle face foremost. Fearing that the animal -would get on me, I suddenly rolled over and -then bounded to my feet. What a picture I -presented! I am sure I was no subject for -artist or poet. My sleeves were full of mud and -water to the elbows, my hat and umbrella both -were submerged, and, to add to my chagrin, -when I looked up at my uncle, from whom I had -a right to expect at least a little sympathy, he -was lying over on his horse’s neck laughing his -best. Going to a stream nearby, I took off my -coat and plunged it into the water many times -over, much like washing and wringing a bed -quilt, until the worst of the mud was off. But -such an experience was a mere incident with a -mountaineer. When my clothes got dry and -the mud was brushed off they seemed to be all -right, and I went on with my work just as -though the awful mix-up had not occurred.</p> - -<p>During the year a great sorrow came to the -conference. On the 24th of January the news -was flashed over the wires that Doctor Warner -was dead. In the next week’s <i>Telescope</i> “Delta” -referred to the sad event as follows:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span></p> - -<p>“The announcement of Dr. Warner’s death -has cast a deep sadness over the conference. No -other conference can feel his loss as we feel it. -In a peculiar sense he was ours. No man ever -had the hold upon our preachers that he had. -We can scarcely realize that he has gone from -us to return no more. He may have made mistakes -in some things, like other men, but he was -a good man. That his soul during his last -earthly hours should he ‘wonderfully filled -with the peace of God,’ is just what we might -have expected. For thirty years he endured the -hardships of a West Virginia itinerant, sometimes -traveling day and night, and making the -greatest sacrifices to build up the church he -loved. Naught but devotion to God’s cause -ever led him to do so much for it. But his work -now is done. Perhaps we should not grieve over -his departure, but we cannot help doing so. -The entire conference weeps. Said a brother, -‘Why didn’t the Lord take me, and spare -Brother Warner?’ This expression serves to -show how keenly his loss is felt.”</p> - -<p>Bishop N. Castle held the next conference at -New Haven. During the session I received a -telegram that I had been nominated by the prohibitionists -of the fourth district for Congress, -a compliment which I appreciated all the more -because the honor came unsought. Yes, I was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span> -a prohibitionist, and am yet, and expect to -remain one until something better claims my -support. The four hundred votes cast for the -ticket in the district represented a thoughtful, -moral, courageous element of which I have always -been proud. Only such people, as a rule, -vote the prohibition ticket. As I entered upon -the fourth year of district work I determined -it should be my last, at least for a while. I -had been kept away from my books already too -long, and consciously realized that, while I -might be gaining a little some ways, I was losing -in others. The church cannot find its highest -ideals in men who live wholly outside their -libraries. It is study—familiarity with the -thoughts and methods of others—that broadens -a preacher. The map studied by many of us -is too small, and needs to be enlarged so as to -extend the vision. If we would see and know -things, we must look and search after them. -The man is exceedingly unfortunate who, having -eyes, refuses to see, and having intelligence, -neglects the acquisition of knowledge. My -advice to the young man at the threshold of the -ministry is, “Buy good books and read them; -study your discourses thoroughly and with an -eye to somebody’s salvation, and then give the -people the very best that God has put in you.”</p> - -<p>This was a good year for the district. As it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -was to be the last, I determined to make the -best record possible for my successor, to duplicate -or excel. To succeed meant to go all the -time. Distance, bad weather, dangerous roads, -swollen streams, or any other circumstances -were seldom allowed to get in the way. When -Lincoln was asked if he thought the war would -close during his administration, he replied, “I -don’t know, sir, I don’t know.” “What, then, -is your purpose?” was further asked, to which -the characteristic answer was given, “Peg -away, sir, peg away.” It is this, everlasting -“pegging away”—forcing one’s way through -difficulties, and surmounting obstacles—that -wins, not only in West Virginia, but everywhere -else.</p> - -<p>Buxton wrote: “The longer I live the more -deeply I am convinced that that which makes -the difference between one man and another—between -the weak and powerful, the great and -insignificant—is <i>energy</i>, invincible determination, -a purpose once formed, and then victory -or death.” I quote Buxton’s words because -they are gold, and have in them the ring of -triumph.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus5"> -<img src="images/illus5.jpg" width="700" height="500" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">TRAVELING A DISTRICT</p> -</div> - -<p>The year brought its usual harvest of incidents—some -serious, others laughable and -amusing. It is well to have a streak of fun -occasionally flash across our pathway to enliven<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span> -a journey, or some task to which we have set -our hands.</p> - -<p>One bleak Monday morning in December I -was riding along a high ridge in Wetzel County -on my way home from a quarterly just held -in that region. To my right a few rods I -observed a young man husking corn. He was -evidently working his best to keep warm, and, -of course, not in a very good condition to be -fooled with by a stranger; but I thought I -must say something, and run the risk of an -explosion. Reining up my horse and getting -his attention, I called to him, “Go it; that’s -the way I got my start.” “Yes,” he said, -with lightning speed, “and a thunderin’ start -you got,” and then made the fodder rattle so -that if I had replied he could not have heard -me. To be honest, I had not the disposition to -talk back, for nothing suggested itself at the -moment as an appropriate response; but for -the next mile I laughed over the episode and -considered myself fortunate that nothing more -serious had happened.</p> - -<p>I might add that not far from this place -Rev. S. J. Graham, years before, suddenly -found himself in a kind of menagerie one frosty -morning. In those days laymen would frequently -make long trips with the preacher or -elder; spending several days from home. They<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span> -thought less about business and more about the -church than some do at present. On the -occasion referred to, Brother N. Kuykendoll -was with the elder. One night they lodged with -a friend in his little log cabin of one room. Of -course they were well treated and given the best -the humble home could afford. Their host -arose early next morning and built a fire in -an old-fashioned fire-place, which admitted of -a “back log” and “fore sticks” before the -“kindling” was put in. Soon the shanty was -warm. The lay brother awoke first, and, glancing -about the room, said to his bed-fellow in -a low tone: “Brother Graham, get up; the millennium -has come.” The preacher raised himself -on his elbow and looked, and sure enough -there was a strange mixture of animals lying -on the hearth before the fire—a pet lamb, a pet -pig, a huge dog, and two or three cats. Years -afterward I heard these brethren talk and laugh -over the experience with as much zest as if it -had occurred only the week before.</p> - -<p>To indicate something of the work done this -year, and that had to be done to carry out the -program of a presiding elder, I here insert a -few pages of a brief diary which I kept:</p> - -<p>January 1, I wrote: “I now begin a new -year. God help me. My time, strength, soul—all -must be given to the work of the church.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span> -With my family I took dinner with Brother -C. R. Brown, a precious man.”</p> - -<p>2.—“Worked on a sermon on coveteousness. -Got ‘Sweet Sicily’ and read it.”</p> - -<p>3.—“Voted for town corporation officers. -Wrote a number of letters. Brother Poling -came in the evening, and spent the night with -me.”</p> - -<p>4.—“Worked hard on my sermon on coveteousness.”</p> - -<p>5.—“Went to Parkersburg in the forenoon, -and held business meeting at night. All was -pleasant. Lodged with Pastor Martin.”</p> - -<p>6.—“Preached from 1 Cor. 13:12 in the -morning. Good meeting. Audience melted to -tears. Attended Sabbath school at 2:30 p. m., -conducted the quarterly experience meeting at -six, and preached again at 7:30. House full of -people.”</p> - -<p>7.—“Returned home on early train. With -wife went to hear Methodist preacher at night.”</p> - -<p>8.—“At home, studying and answering correspondence.”</p> - -<p>10.—“Went to Parkersburg again. Dined -with Brother J. H. Spence. Assisted in meeting -at night.”</p> - -<p>11.—“With the pastor visited eleven families. -Large crowd at evening service.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span></p> - -<p>12.—“Went to Red Hill, six miles distant, -and held quarterly at 2:00 p. m. Preached in -the evening.”</p> - -<p>13.—“Preached at 10:30 a. m. from Titus -2:9. Good feeling. Large sacramental service. -Shout in the camp. Pastor Devol leaped for -joy. Preached again at night.”</p> - -<p>14.—“Came to the city and returned home. -All well.”</p> - -<p>15.—“In study all day. Attended M. E. -Church at night. An interesting revival in -progress.”</p> - -<p>16.—“At home preparing for dedication.”</p> - -<p>18.—“Left home on early train, and reached -Buckhannon at 4:00 p. m. Went to Mt. Washington, -eight miles in the country, and preached -at night on the ‘Prodigal Son.’ Thirteen -seekers at the altar and four more asked prayers. -Lodged with Brother Reese.”</p> - -<p>19.—“Rode fourteen miles to ‘Uncle Jimmy’ -Hull’s for dinner, and then went to Union Hill -where I preached at night. Met Elder Graham.”</p> - -<p>20.—“Rained hard. Congregation small. -Raised $85. At night tried it again. Good -feeling. Secured $68.50 more and dedicated -church. Opposition from another church.”</p> - -<p>21.—“Rode sixteen miles to Buckhannon -through a fearful snow-storm. Went to Weston -on train and rode seven miles in the country.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span></p> - -<p>23.—“Returned home. Found all well.”</p> - -<p>I now turn to the March record because it -has to do with one of the sad things which not -unfrequently comes to the itinerant.</p> - -<p>15.—“I started at noon for Troy Circuit, -reached Auburn late in the evening.”</p> - -<p>16.—“Visited Father Williams and wife. -The latter has been in bed three years. Read -the Word and prayed with them. Both got -happy. Sung a hymn or two for them. Held -quarterly at 2 p. m., and preached on ‘Stephen, -the First Martyr.’ A good time.”</p> - -<p>17.—“Sunday. Held prayer-meeting at 10 -a. m., and preached at 11. Large communion. -Big shout in the camp. Collection $20. Talked -again at night. One of the best quarterlies I -ever held.”</p> - -<p>I pause here. On Monday evening Father -Perry came, and preached for us. After returning -from church he turned to me and tenderly -said, “Now, Brother Weekley, I have a little -news for you. As I came through your town -this noon I was told that your youngest child -was critically ill. The doctor regards her case -as dangerous. I would have told you sooner, -but I knew it would so trouble you that you -could not enjoy the service. I knew also that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span> -you would not dare start home in the night, -and thus endanger your life. So I waited. Now -leave her with God; get what rest you can, and -then be off by daylight in the morning.” But I -got no rest. It was a long, long night of tossing -and anxious waiting. At day dawn I started. -The muddy roads were frozen over, but not -sufficiently to bear up my horse. A part of -the time I walked. It seemed I could make no -headway at all, and didn’t make much in some -places. When within two miles of home, I -called at a farm-house and inquired if they -had heard from my family, and they told me -they had not. This brought me relief, for I -was sure they would have heard the news if the -child were dead. At 1 p. m. I landed safely and -found, sure enough, that a blessed Providence -had kept the black-winged angel from our home.</p> - -<p>How such harrowing experiences try the very -soul of the over-worked, half-paid, care-worn -man of God, who must spend all his time and -strength away from home in some obscure field! -They test the material that enters into his composition. -To put the Cross and sinful souls -before one’s own family requires great faith—faith -in the Redeemer, faith in his church, and -faith in the winning, victorious power of the -gospel; and this is what every itinerant in -West Virginia had to have.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span></p> - -<p>To indicate the nature and work of our -preachers’ institute. I return to my diary and -give the items of a few days.</p> - -<p>July 9.—“At home preparing for institute -which meets to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>10.—“Went to Smithton, and took charge of -institute. Rev. H. T. Athey assisted some. -Lessons were in Old Testament history and -homiletics. Revs. H. T. Athey, H. R. Hess, -R. M. Hite, G. A. Davis, J. P. Piggott, and W. -H. Albert were present.”</p> - -<p>11.—“Met at 8 a. m. Recitations. Hess -gave a talk on the ‘Apocalypse.’ Davis preached -at 7 p. m. Good sermon.”</p> - -<p>12.—“Recitations as usual. Davis made an -address on ‘Prayer.’ Good. Hite read a paper -on ‘Fore-ordination.’ Discussed. Piggott -preached well at night.”</p> - -<p>13.—“Recitations as usual. I read a paper -on ‘Divorce and Adultery.’ Also presented a -diagram of Solomon’s Temple. Hess preached. -Good meeting.”</p> - -<p>14.—“Sunday. I preached at 11 a. m. Large -crowd in grove. Good liberty, and good attention. -Athey preached at 3:00 p. m., and did -well. Returned home.”</p> - -<p>The records of a few days immediately following -may also be of interest.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span></p> - -<p>24.—“Drove with my family to father’s, -fifteen miles distant.”</p> - -<p>25.—“Started for Hessville quarterly. Drove -thirty-seven miles to Father Mason’s.”</p> - -<p>26.—“Drove to Bee Gum Station fifteen miles -further east. Good meeting in afternoon. -Preached at night.”</p> - -<p>27.—“Sunday. Discoursed at 10:30 a. m. -on ‘The New Testament Church.’ Preached -again at three o’clock on ‘Benevolence and Honesty.’ -Led song service. Drove fifteen miles -back to Brother Mason’s.”</p> - -<p>28.—“Left at 6 a. m. and drove thirty-seven -miles to father’s.”</p> - -<p>But it is needless to further reproduce here -the jottings made long years ago. The brief -memorandum given is but a fair index to the -activities of the entire twelve months, or, I -might say, to the forty-eight months spent on -the district.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Buckhannon was again the seat of conference, -and was in charge of Bishop Weaver. -This was his last visit to West Virginia. My -district reported about 600 conversions and -accessions to the church. The average salary -for the pastors of the conference was $230. -After paying house rent and car fare, I had -$365.79 left for the support of a family of five, -and with which to purchase books, papers, and -stationery; but I did not complain; it was -more than the average circuit-rider was getting. -On this little sum we seemed to live fairly well, -and imagined ourselves as respectable as anybody -in the town.</p> - -<p>In looking over my report, I see at its close -the following significant statement: “Now, -brethren, suffer a word more. I kindly and -earnestly request that you relieve me from district -work. Eight years out of the past eleven -have been given to this kind of service. While -I certainly appreciate what you have done for -me, I must say that I am tired of the place, and -am anxious that some one else take it. All there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -is in it, whether money, distinction, responsibility, -or hard work, I cheerfully surrender to -some one else, with the earnest wish that he may -prove more efficient than I have been, and that -under his labors enlarged blessings may come -to the district.”</p> - -<p>This was my last year as a presiding elder -in the dear old conference.</p> - -<p>It is now many years since I was transferred -to another field, but almost daily my thoughts -go back to my native home, and to the twenty -years of unceasing toil given to the building up -of the church in that mountainous region. Indeed, -I could scarcely get away. It was no easy -matter to sever the relations of a life-time. In -looking over my brief record of daily happenings -I find that July 16, 1889, while pastor at -Buckhannon I wrote:</p> - -<p>“Received a letter to-day from Rev. C. -Wendle, urging me to come to Rock River Conference. -Bishop Kephart also writes in like -manner. Do not know what to do, but must do -right. Lord help me.” October 3, I expressed -my thoughts and feelings as follows:</p> - -<p>“At home trying to pack our goods. What -a task it is! Is God in this? I do hope so. It -is so hard to leave West Virginia. These hills -and valleys all seem sacred to me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span></p> - -<p>The last time I visited my parents before -removing West, I was deeply affected to see -how frail they seemed, and thus referred to it: -“Parents are getting old. How they are bending -beneath the weight of years! Alas, how -short life is! Twenty years ago when I left -home father had no gray hairs. Now his head -is white as wool. Mother! what a faithful -soul! How self-sacrificing! Anything to help -her children and make herself a blessing to -others. Heaven is anxious to get such an angel. -May earth keep her yet a long while.”</p> - -<p>These excerpts from my diary indicate that -it cost me something—a heart-struggle, at least, -to turn my back upon scenes and associations -which were as sacred as life itself. But in making -the change I felt I was following the leadings -of Providence, and that all would be well -in the end.</p> - -<p>The fellowship of the brethren I left behind -was sweet. Those who looked on were compelled -to say, “Behold, how good and how pleasant -it is for brethren to dwell together in -unity.” There was as little jealousy and self-seeking -and rivalry in the conference as I ever -found anywhere. We all were poor, and could -sing like the old Methodist pioneer on his four -weeks’ circuit:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“No foot of land do I possess,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">No cottage in the wilderness;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">A poor wayfaring man,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I lodge awhile in tents below;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Or gladly wander to and fro,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Till I my Canaan gain.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Nothing on earth I call my own;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A stranger to the world unknown,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">I all their goods despise;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I trample on their whole delight,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And seek a country out of sight,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">A country in the skies.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“There is my house and portion fair;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">My treasure and my heart are there,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And my abiding home;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For me my elder brethren stay,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And angels beckon me away,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And Jesus bids me come.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>There was another verse we all cherished, -and often sung it, as it seemed so appropriate:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“A tent or a cottage, why should I care?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They’re building a palace for me over there;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Though exiled from home, yet still I may sing,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">‘All glory to God, I’m the child of a King.’”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>In all my travels throughout the Church I -have never found any conference that could -sing as the West Virginians did. Diddle, Harper, -Graham, Orr, Hitt, Holden, and Wood -were among the earlier men. Later their places -were taken by Cunningham, Piggott, Sallaz, -Slaughter, Carder, and Robinson. But it is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span> -hardly fair to name a few. All could sing; and -so they can to-day.</p> - -<p>Singing was an inspiring feature of every -conference gathering. It made the air electric, -and caused high voltage pressure. We would -sing on the train, on the boat, at the hotel—everywhere. -On our way from conference, in -1879, we all stopped at a hotel in Weston for -dinner. As usual, the singers were lined up in -a little while, and fairly shook the old inn with -some of their latest and freshest selections. Before -we quit, the town was thoroughly stirred -up. People left their business places and came -to listen. Women and children stood in the -doors of their homes, or looked out at the windows, -and wondered what it all meant. Two -young men, some blocks away, heard the singing -and started on a run for the hotel. As they -passed some parties one of them was heard to -say, “I’ll bet five hundred dollars they are -Brethren preachers.”</p> - -<p>Professor Diddle, assisted by others, published -the <i>West Virginia Lute</i> in 1868, which had a -tremendous sale, both among our people and -those of other churches. Then Baltzell’s music, -probably <i>Golden Songs</i>, came next among our -own publications. This was also a popular -book, and one of great merit. While it contained -many imperfections, it was nevertheless<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -thoroughly “orthodox” from our view-point. -The author was not a scientific music writer. -He did not grind his songs out at the organ in -a mechanical way, but manufactured them in -his heart. Such music always takes. There is -something about it that gets hold of the soul -and stirs its deepest emotions. I do not understand -what that something is, but it is there, -all the same.</p> - -<p>It was a very common remark among the people -of other churches: “If you want to hear -singing, get a lot of Brethren preachers -together.” We had no organs or pianos in any -of the churches, with skilled performers to lead -the audience. To aid in getting the “pitch,” -a “tunningfork,” or horn was used—a clever -little device which every leader carried. But -few of the brethren, however, understood the -grammar of music. They had had no special -training—but no difference; they could sing -anyhow. They were not poets, but had the -poetic touch. I have heard these men of God -again and again sing until the audience was -fairly entranced, and until the fire of joy was -kindled to a flame in their own hearts. They -were rivals of Israel’s shepherd king, and -wrought things more marvelous than he, -through the melodies they sang.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span></p> - -<p>While their music was not classical, it seldom -failed to strike fire. The people liked it, and -were charmed, encouraged, and, in a thousand -instances, saved by it. Mr. Alexander, the -great revival singer, has the right view of -things. He writes: “Musicians often say to me, -‘Why do you not use classical music, above the -style of gospel songs?’ I reply, ‘When you can -show me similar effects following such high-class -music in moving the hearts of men and -women, I will use it fast enough. Until then -I shall keep to gospel songs, which have a wonderful -way of reaching everybody, because they -touch the soul.”</p> - -<p>Volume, fervor, soul, enthusiasm, is what we -want in all our church music. Away, forever, -with that operatic nonsense which the artistic -would introduce into our present-day religious -services.</p> - -<p>What glorious revivals were promoted. Like -cyclones they seemed, at times, to lay everything -low in their course. How sinners wept -and repented! How saints shouted aloud for -joy! “Wild fire!” does some one suggest? -May be it was; but it achieved wonderful -results. The present ministry of the conference, -with a great majority of the true and tried -laymen who constitute the very backbone of the -church, were converted in just such meetings;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -and it is quite likely that the leading ministers -and laymen of every other conference in our -Zion were converted under like circumstances. -Call it “wild fire” if you will, but I would like -to see a good deal more of it.</p> - -<p>A revival that arouses a whole community -and brings fifty or a hundred, or perhaps two -hundred into the kingdom, some of whom -become prominent preachers of the word, while -others become very pillars in the church, is not -to be ignored or decried by those who are too -slow and formal and dull to create a stir. Better -have a little “wild fire” than no fire at all.</p> - -<p>Personally, I believe in excitement. Nothing -worth thinking about is ever accomplished in -its absence. We cannot relish food, or enjoy -sleep, until first excited by hunger or fatigue. -Why should not the church manifest as much -zeal and enthusiasm in her work as political -parties or commercial clubs do in theirs? I am -tired of that contemptible sentiment which -stands ready, everywhere, and all the time, to -denounce everything that has to do with the -emotions. Religion, I readily grant, does not -consist of noise and bluster. It means vastly -more than that. Nor does it consist in sitting -around like so many lifeless knots on a log.</p> - -<p>We are told that it is the lightning and not -thunder that kills. True enough, but lightning<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -in the absence of thunder is harmless. Lightning -makes the thunder.</p> - -<p>In our work but little was said about the new -theology, or higher criticism. Watson and Ralston -in their theologies, and Smith and Clark -and Lange and Barnes in their expositions, seldom -referred to the new-fangled theories which -confuse and chill and curse some of the churches -to-day. We all believed that Moses wrote the -Pentateuch, and Paul the Epistle to the Hebrews; -and personally I have never had any reason -for changing my views. It had never occurred -to us to put Job and Jonah on the fictitious list. -We actually believed and preached that they -lived and wrought, one in the land of Uz, and -the other in Nineveh, after escaping from the -whale’s belly. We tried to tell of the awfulness -of sin, as well as the joys of religion. We -believed in a heaven, and would often talk and -sing and preach about it until we felt ourselves -within its very suburbs. When Jesus said, -“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment,” -we supposed he meant it, and no one -attempted to put an artificial bottom in the -“bottomless pit.” We divided our time pretty -well between Sinai and Zion. The decalogue -and beatitudes were included, ofttimes, in -the framework of the same sermon. We knew -there were some inaccuracies in the authorized<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span> -version, but nothing sufficiently serious to affect -the fundamentals of Christianity. We were -justified, as we thought, in preaching the whole -Bible, as it was commonly understood and interpreted, -because in doing so we were blessed -and sinners were saved.</p> - -<p>The “mourners’ bench” was always a part of -the program in our revival work. While no one -insisted that a man must be saved at the bench, -if saved at all, we believed, nevertheless, that -coming forward and bowing at the altar was a -good way of confessing sin, and of plighting -fidelity to Jesus Christ. I would not serve as -pastor of a people who objected to the use of an -altar. If some of the unsaved wanted to seek -their Lord elsewhere, and in some other way, -I should not object; but I should insist upon -it that those who wanted to come forward for -prayers should have the privilege of doing so. -It is refreshing to see how simple and direct -Dr. Torry, “Billy” Sunday, and “Gipsey” -Smith are in their methods, and the wonderful -results that follow. They do not mince matters. -They go to the people with a burning message -from the Throne, and deliver it, no matter what -anybody may think or say about it. With -sledge-hammer blows they drive it home to the -hearts of their hearers, that no man can be -saved until he confesses his sins and his Savior.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span> -They follow, largely, the old line of revival -work—and <i>succeed</i>.</p> - -<p>The preacher who cannot build a fire in his -church is a failure. In no other way can he -attract attention. The church of God has been -used to fire from the beginning. Moses got a -good warming-up before the burning bush on -Horeb; so did Elijah, and others, on Carmel. -The disciples were not ready to preach or the -church to work until a burning Pentecost came, -and fire-flakes fell from heaven upon them. We -need great revivals, and can have them, if we -are willing to pay the price.</p> - -<p>One serious hindrance to the work is the fact -that too many profess to have found a “new -way.” They council moderation, and would have -us go about the business with that cold, mathematical -precision which the astronomer employs -in measuring the heavens. As the result, -many of our revival efforts turn out to be very -<i>moderate</i> affairs. They are self-constituted -appointees to shut off steam and put down the -breaks, and they succeed. What we need is -more steam; that is, purpose, push, and power. -And I rejoice in the thought that the thing for -which we have waited and prayed is at hand. -The semi-skepticism and indifference which -have so handicapped the work of evangelism in -the last twenty-five years, are giving place to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span> -larger activities and simpler methods. We are -facing the morning light. The reaction and readjustment -will bring in a new era of moral and -spiritual triumphs in soul-winning.</p> - -<p>The church at large knows but little about the -excessive labors and sacrifices of the earlier -ministry in West Virginia. My heart still -weeps as I think of what some of the brethren -endured. But, brave souls they were, they did -it because they loved the church and her Christ.</p> - -<p>Only three or four remain who were in the -conference when I joined thirty-seven years -ago. Four others—Revs. E. Harper, I. M. -Underwood, A. Orr, and Dr. J. L. Hensley—have -located in other conferences, but the great -majority have gone to heaven. From hillside -and mountain-top they ascended to a place of -honor by their Lord, to live in the white light -of the throne forever.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Oh, how sweet it will be in that beautiful land,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">So free from all sorrow and pain;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With songs on our lips and with harps in our hands,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To meet one another again.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Does any one inquire to know the real secret -of their power? It is not easily explained. -They had intellectual girth, but this was only -incidental to their success. Their surroundings -were inspiring, their spirits exuberant, their -physical endurance tremendous, their zeal unflagging,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span> -but the secret lay deeper; these were -only tributary. It seems to me that the one -quality which exalted them, and gave them the -mastery over men was <i>reality</i>. They were -<i>genuine</i>. God counted them among his captains, -and they were loyal to the last. <i>Duty</i> -and <i>destiny</i> were to them overwhelming suggestions. -In them were wrapped up the present -and the eternal hereafter.</p> - -<p>I can still hear Brother Graham singing as he -rode through storm and heat, carrying aloft -the banners of the church:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Above the waves of earthly strife;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Above the ills and cares of life;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where all is peaceful, bright and fair,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">My home is there, my home is there.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Chevaliers, divine!</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Their burning zeal no langour knew,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For Christ, his cause, his tempted few;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At home, abroad, where’er their lot,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Their much-loved theme they ne’er forgot.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>“One soweth and another reapeth,” is the -divine law. The foundations of the church -among the Virginia hills and mountains were -laid amid self-givings, known only to Him who -gave to his servants their marching orders, and -who accompanied them every foot of the way. -A better day has come to the conference. The -fields of labor have been greatly reduced in size, -pastoral support has been improved, educational<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span> -advantages have been increased, which means -so much to the itinerant’s family, and in other -respects conditions made many-fold better.</p> - -<p>The present membership is 15,000 divided -among sixty circuits and stations. Two hundred -and six church edifices, worth $243,869, -are reported, and thirty-eight parsonages valued -at $31,939.</p> - -<p>The territory embraces four districts. While -the number of presiding elders might be diminished, -it would not be wise to try the experiment -of giving one superintendent charge of the -whole conference. The country is too rough, -the distances too great, and the public facilities -for travel too meager for one man to do it all.</p> - -<p>The average salary paid the pastors in 1906 -was $379.45, including house rent and special -gifts. Three of the charges went to between -$800 and $900; one paid from $600 to $650, -and eight others over $500 each. The presiding -elders averaged $563.97. For all purposes -$50,589.49 was collected. These figures show -that in spite of the adverse circumstances with -which we have had to battle for the last half -century, real progress has been made. But more -ought to be done in the next fifteen years than -has been accomplished in the last fifty.</p> - -<p>Some portions of the State are becoming -immensely wealthy through the oil and mining<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span> -industries. Our people are sharing in the general -prosperity, and many of them are growing -rich. The commercial possibilities of the State -are great and promising as its hidden treasures -are brought to the surface, and put on the -world’s market. The work of the present ministry -is to broaden the benefactions of our membership -by teaching them the true meaning of -Christian stewardship and the obligations -which it imposes. In proportion as this is done, -salaries will be increased more and more, the -offerings to the various benevolent societies multiplied, -and larger sums provided for Otterbein -University and Union Biblical Seminary.</p> - -<p>There is quite a stretch of time between the -penning of these lines and the day I started for -my first circuit. Thirty-seven years is a good -while. My experiences have been numerous and -varied. The way at times has been rough, the -tasks difficult, and the responsibilities great, but, -after all, if I had my life to live over <i>I should -spend it in the gospel ministry, and start again -in West Virginia</i>.</p> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWENTY YEARS ON HORSEBACK, OR ITINERATING IN WEST VIRGINIA***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 64765-h.htm or 64765-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/4/7/6/64765">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/4/7/6/64765</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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