Conference of 1851.--Presiding Elder.--Presentation.--Give and Take.--Fond du Lac District--Quarterly Meeting--Rev. J.S. Prescott.--Footman vs. Buggies--Fond du Lac.--Two Churches.--Greenbush Quarterly Meeting--Rev. David Lewis--Pioneer Self-Sacrifice.--Finds a Help-Meet.--Sheboygan Falls.--Rev. Matthias Himebaugh.--Oshkosh--First Class.--Church Enterprises.
The Conference for 1851 was held June 25th, at Waukesha. The Sessions were deeply spiritual, and were characterized by general harmony among the preachers. At this Conference the Committee on Periodicals, of which I was a member, reported in favor of the establishment of a North Western Christian Advocate, and the report was unanimously adopted.
In the arrangement of appointments I was assigned to the Fond du Lac District. The appointment was a great surprise to myself, and doubtless to others. Besides, it was not in harmony with my judgment or wishes. It seemed to me to be an unwise measure to take so young a man, only twenty-nine, from the companionship of books and the details of the Pastoral office, and place him on a District where both of the Departments of labor, so essential to success in the Ministry, must necessarily be abridged. And in the next place, it appeared to me that, since there were so many other men in the Conference, who were better qualified than I for the position, my appointment was but doing violence to the work. But I soon came to the conclusion that when an appointment has been made there is no further need to debate the question. In such a case, the sooner both the Ministers and people adjust their views to the new order of things, the better for all concerned. Accepting this view, I hastened to conform to the situation with as good grace as possible. And to aid me perhaps a little, several of the preachers surprised me by the presentation of a cane.
I had heard it remarked that when a man used a cane, it was an evidence that he had a weak place somewhere between the crown of the head and the sole of the foot. I was now puzzled to know what the cane meant. There was doubtless a weak spot somewhere, in the opinion of the brethren. It must of course be either in the District or the incumbent. But my query as to which was soon answered. Dr. Bowman, my father-in-law, was traveling soon after in company with a good brother, when the conversation turned upon the appointments of the recent Conference. It had not proceeded far when the brother remarked, in referring to my appointment, "The Conference must have been hard up for material when it appointed that young stripling Presiding Elder." The mystery of the cane was now explained. The good brethren of the Conference doubtless thought the matter could be helped out by the use of a cane.
But a sharper joke than that was passed upon the people of Fond du Lac. Only six years before they had given me license to preach, and sent me to the Conference, and now, in sending me back so soon, the Conference seemed to say, "Brethren, we return you as good as you gave." I have heard it said that sometimes Quarterly Conferences grant licenses with the implied understanding that the recipients are not expected to serve the home Church, but are good enough to preach to less highly favored people abroad. If this course had been adopted by these Fond du Lac brethren as their policy, certainly it was a cruel joke to return the labor of their hands on such short notice.
But fortunately I was not supposed to know anything about this matter, and hence, on the principle that "where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," I had nothing to do but to gather up my family and hasten to my new field of labor.
Fond du Lac District at this time embraced that portion of the State lying North and East of the city of Fond du Lac, and included thirteen charges. A few of the charges could be reached by steamers on the Fox and Wolf Rivers and Lake Winnebago, but the balance could only be visited by the stage or private conveyance. I chose to adopt the latter. Having provided board for my wife and child with Rev. M.L. Noble, and secured a horse and buggy, I was ready to enter upon my work.
The First Quarterly Meeting was held at Fond du Lac. The Church edifice was unfinished, and the celebrated school house having been burned, as stated in a former chapter, the Meeting was held in the Court House. At that time the building, though now so dingy, was new, and aspired to be the most respectable edifice in the village. To prepare the Court House especially for the Quarterly Meeting, the floors were newly carpeted with sawdust, even then a famous product of the village, and the seats well broomed. The place was crowded with people, and the occasion one of rare interest. The Gospel was dispensed from the "Seat of Justice," the Sacrament was administered within the "Bar," now vacated by the lawyers, and the people knelt outside to receive the sacred emblems. Several of the Members present had attended the Quarterly Meeting in the school house six years before, and among them were a few who had known me from my boyhood. It afforded me great pleasure to meet them and receive their friendly greetings.
Rev. J.S. Prescott, the Pastor at Fond du Lac, had been bred to the legal profession in the State of Ohio. He came to Wisconsin as a Local Preacher, and joined the Conference in 1846. He had been stationed at Sheboygan, Waupun, and Green Bay. He was a man of sharp, decisive movements, sometimes angular in his opinions and measures, but full of energy and not afraid of hard work. He kept no horse, even when on the largest circuits, as he could not afford to wait for so laggard a conveyance. In this particular he became notorious, and marvelous stories are related of his pedestrian abilities. It is affirmed that, on one occasion, in going to the Conference, he walked from Waupun to Platteville, and reached his destination in advance of the long line of ministerial buggies that were headed in that direction. Carrying the same energy into every Department of his work, he always left his "footprint" behind him. But his most devoted friends would sometimes question the wisdom of his measures. Even in the small village of Fond du Lac, he had now two churches in process of erection. But such was his skill in raising funds at home and abroad that one of them was dedicated by Bishop Ames at the close of the year and the other by the writer in the year following.
Subsequently he served for several years as Agent of Lawrence University, and then entered upon the project of founding an Institution of learning at Point Bluff. The selection of a location, however, was unfortunate, and his expectations were only partially realized. After this disaster he addressed himself to business pursuits.
The Fond du Lac charge had now gained an influential position in the Conference. Among her membership she had several leading business men. And in addition, this place had now become the home of Rev. H.R. Colman and Rev. M.L. Noble, the last two Pastors of the charge.
My next Meeting was held on Greenbush Circuit. This charge was midway between Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, and had been established only two years. Its Eastern portion had been opened from Sheboygan, and its Western from Fond du Lac. It had neither Church nor Parsonage, and the Minister lived in a shanty.
The Quarterly Meeting was held in Mr. Tunis Burhite's barn, about nine miles east of Fond du Lac. I found the Pastor, Rev. David Lewis, at his post. As was his wont, he had made every needed preparation, and had brought out nearly the entire strength of his charge. The barn was filled with people, and the neighborhood taxed to its utmost to entertain the visitors. Nor was it surprising that, with such a preparation, the Meeting was an occasion of rare interest. For months and even years after, it was referred to with great satisfaction. At the time the opinions of people were found to differ. One good sister said in my hearing, "I think it is better to have old men like Elder Wilcox for Presiding Elders, rather than such young men, because they can keep a meeting steady and not let the people get so excited." But at the close of the services a veteran Local Preacher said, "The old Elder gave us a straight talk this morning." Both remarks were suggestive, and I resolved to bear myself with becoming dignity.
Brother Lewis entered the Rock River Conference August 24th, 1842, and was sent as Junior Preacher to Indian Creek, Ill., a four weeks' circuit, the labor of which greatly taxed his strength. His next appointment was Manitowoc, the charge extending from Port Washington to Two Rivers, and requiring one hundred and fifty miles of travel to each round of appointments. Through these dense forests, as I have had occasion to remark in a former chapter, the roads were almost impassable, with long distances intervening between residences, and involving great fatigue and exposure. Like the good Brother Frink, who preceded him in this field, he was compelled to swim rivers, suffer hunger and endure fatigue, that would appall a man of less nerve. During the winter his horse became disabled and he made the entire round on foot, carrying his provisions in a knapsack. Such were the trials and exposures of the pioneers who planted the standard of the Cross in the "Sheboygan Woods," as this region was called. They were indeed heroic men.
There were a few scattered sheep in the wilderness, and these were gathered into the fold. At Manitowoc, Brother Lewis formed a class.
In 1844 Brother Lewis was sent to Pewaukee, where he had eleven appointments. Though at the beginning of the year there was no class on the charge, at its close Brother Lewis, was able to report sixty-five members. It was during this year that our sturdy pioneer took to himself a worthy helpmeet, in the person of Miss Adelia Morley, who, as an inmate of the Presiding Elder's family, spread the table for the writer's first meal as an Itinerant. Brother Lewis was next appointed successively to Root River, Kankakee, and Brothertown, in which charges he enjoyed his usual share of hard work and spiritual prosperity.
In 1849 he was appointed to Sheboygan Falls. The circuit was very large, taking the entire tract of country between the Lake and Fond du Lac, but the year was one of marked success. Finding the Parsonage under a mortgage that imperiled the safety of the property, Brother Lewis stepped forward and offered his horse, saddle, and a dollar and a half, all the money he had, in liquidation of the indebtedness. They were accepted, and as a result, the dear brother traveled his circuits on foot for two years before he was able to procure another horse. Such is the sterling material out of which the early Itinerants were made. With such men in the field, it is not a matter of surprise that, under the Divine blessing, the "Wilderness and solitary place" were made to rejoice.
At the close of his labors on this circuit, Brother Lewis was again sent to Manitowoc for one year, when, the Greenbush charge having been created, principally out of the west part of his former work, he was appointed to it, as before stated. After leaving Greenbush he was stationed at West Bend, Columbus and Fall River, Oneida Indian Mission, New London, Markesan, Caldwell's Prairie, and New Berlin. At the Janesville Conference in 1870, Brother Lewis, having served the church nearly thirty years with great devotion, took a superannuated relation. At this writing he is residing in Fond du Lac, maintains a happy frame of mind, and is still doing what he can for the cause. He certainly deserves well of his Conference.
Sheboygan Mission, the next point visited, appears on the Minutes, as stated in a former chapter, in 1837, with Rev. H.W. Frink as Pastor. During this year Brother Frink formed a class at Sheboygan, consisting of the following members: Mr. and Mrs. Morris Farmin, Uriel Farmin, Benjamin Farmin, Mr. and Mrs. Elder Farmin, and Mr. and Mrs. McCreedy.
At the close of this year Sheboygan disappears from the list of appointments, but in 1843 the Manitowoc mission appears with Rev. D. Lewis as Pastor, and Sheboygan, it will be recollected, is named as one of the appointments. In 1845, however, the name re-appears, and Rev. Joseph T. Lewis was sent to the charge. From this time until 1849 the strength of the circuit consisted largely in the outlying appointments. But at this date Sheboygan Falls was erected into a separate charge, taking from Sheboygan its several interior appointments.
Rev. Daniel Stansbury, the Pastor, had commenced his labors in 1849, and was now on his second year. The Membership numbered only thirty-three, but Brother Stansbury had achieved a great work in the erection of a large and convenient Church edifice. I had visited the village the preceding year, as before stated, to dedicate the German Church, and had formed a very agreeable acquaintance with this truly noble man and his most estimable family.
Brother Stansbury was from Baltimore, and brought with him to Wisconsin a goodly portion of the warm and cheerful type of Baltimore Methodism. He was received on trial by the Wisconsin Conference in 1849, and hence Sheboygan was his first appointment. His subsequent appointments were Janesville, Union, Portage City, Beaver Dam, Berlin and Janesville District. In July of his second year on the District, and while preaching at his Quarterly Meeting on Cambridge circuit, he was stricken down by paralysis. He was taken to his home in Janesville, where he lingered in extreme feebleness until Oct. 28, when he died in great peace.
Brother Stansbury was a man of warm impulses, practical mind, and abundant labors. In the protracted meeting, his rare gifts of prayer and exhortation, made his labors a grand success, and, in the bright world beyond, it will be found that his comparatively short ministry gathered a large harvest of souls.
I next visited Sheboygan Falls. The charge first appears on the Minutes in 1849, it having been created out of the interior portions of the Sheboygan circuit. Its first Pastor, as we have seen, was Rev. David Lewis. In 1850, the following year, Rev. Matthias Himebaugh was appointed to the work. At this time the field embraced fifteen appointments, and required the travel of two hundred miles each month. Like his predecessors, Revs. J.S. Prescott and D. Lewis, Brother Himebaugh traveled this circuit on foot. The Society in the village consisted of thirteen members, and included the names of Mr. and Mrs. L. Cheeseman, Mr. and Mrs. Parrish, Mr. and Mrs. Goodell, Mr. and Mrs. Sully, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Waite, and others.
The public meetings were held in a school house outside of the village, and the prayer meetings in private houses. A lot had been purchased for a Church and Parsonage, and the latter had been partly built. On the arrival of Brother Himebaugh a hall was obtained in the village for the meetings, and soon after he commenced a subscription for a Church.
A revival occurred during the winter, and there were a goodly number of accessions, but they did not bring very much financial strength. The Society, though small and in moderate circumstances, were very enterprising and generous in their effort to erect a Church, subscribing towards the building one-fifth of their entire property. Having secured pledges, amounting to twelve hundred dollars, the Pastor now led a strong force of volunteer laborers in the manual labor of the undertaking. Felling the first tree for the timber in the woods with his own hands, Brother Himebaugh gave the keynote to the movement. Nor did he stay his hand until he had expended sixty days of labor.
After accomplishing what he could at home, he visited Milwaukee, Chicago, and several towns and cities in the Erie, Pittsburgh and Genesee Conferences, to obtain aid to complete the enterprise. The edifice, forty by sixty, with a basement, was so far completed that the lecture-room was ready for dedication in December, 1851. With this good work accomplished, our Quarterly Meeting at Sheboygan Falls was an occasion of great rejoicing.
Brother Himebaugh entered the Erie Conference in 1839, then twenty years of age. His first circuit was Red Bank, on the Alleghany Mountains. At the end of eleven years he was transferred to the Wisconsin Conference, and Sheboygan Falls was his first charge. After leaving this work, he was stationed in the North Ward charge in Fond du Lac. Here he also did a good work towards completing the Church edifice, which had been begun by Brother Prescott. He also had a good revival during the year.
In 1853, Brother Himebaugh was stationed at Oshkosh, where he performed prodigies of labor, preaching during a portion of the first year, on every other Sabbath, four sermons, and walking fourteen miles. He also gathered large accessions, which rendered the charge self-sustaining thereafter.
His subsequent appointments have been: Madison, Madison District, Appleton, Appleton District, Agent of Lawrence University, and Assistant Superintendent of the Western Seaman's Friend Society. At the present writing, he still holds the last named position, and represents the Bethel interests in this city. He is yet strong physically and intellectually, and bids fair to give to the good cause many additional years.
Oshkosh was the next place visited. Instead of finding, as in 1845, a few small cabins, I now found a respectable village and a flourishing Church.
The first Methodist sermon delivered in Oshkosh was preached by the veteran pioneer, Rev. Jesse Halstead, at the residence of Mr. Webster Stanley, in 1841. The place was now taken into the list of his appointments, and was supplied by Brother Halstead with considerable regularity.
At a subsequent visit he was accompanied by his Presiding Elder, Rev. James R. Goodrich. The services were again held in the residence of Mr. Stanley, and at this meeting, which was held in the fall of 1841, the first class was formed. The members were: Ira Aikin, Mrs. Aikin, his mother, Rachel Aikin, his sister, Mrs. Chester Ford, Miss Ann Brooks, and Mrs. Electa Wright. Brother Aikin was the first Leader, but soon after Brother William W. Wright and his wife becoming members, the Leadership passed over to Brother Wright. Before other provision was made, the meetings were held at the residences of Mr. Stanley, Mrs. Electa Wright and William W. Wright, but subsequently they passed to the school house and ultimately to the Court House.
In 1842, Rev. John P. Gallup was appointed to the Winnebago Lake Mission. His plan of labor gave to Oshkosh every fourth Sabbath, and the intervening time was filled by Rev. Clark Dickinson, a highly esteemed Local Preacher, and others. A revival occurred this year that brought into the Church the larger portion of the people living in Oshkosh and vicinity.
Rev. Harvey S. Bronson was the Pastor in 1843, and was succeeded the following year by Rev. Joseph H. Hurlbut. The first Church edifice was erected under the Pastorate of Rev. Robert Everdell in 1851. Being the Presiding Elder of the District at that time, the writer performed the dedicatory service. The building was enlarged in 1856 and again in 1861. Under the Pastorate of Rev. Wm. P. Stowe there were large accessions, and he found it necessary to enlarge again, when in 1870 the writer was called to preach the re-opening sermon.
The mother charge at this writing ranks among the leading stations of the Conference, and rejoices in the companionship of two promising daughters. The first is located on the South Side, where a lot was purchased and the contract for a building let, under the Pastorate of Rev. J.M. Walker, in 1868. The charge was organized the following year, and under the successive Pastorates of Revs. C.W. Brewer and Joseph Anderson, the Church was completed and the station assigned an honorable place in the Conference. The other, located in the Western part of the city, was erected into a separate charge at the last Conference session, a Chapel having been previously built.
Fond du Lac District Continued.--Green Bay.--First Settlement.--Rev. John Clark.--First Sermon.--First Class.--Col. Ryan.--First Methodist.--First Church Enterprise.--Good Society.--Heretical Bonnet.--Various Changes.--Rev. R.P. Lawton--Church Disaster--Purifying the Temple--Rev. S.W. Ford.--Oneida Indian Mission.--Oneidas.--Missionaries.--Quarterly Meeting.--Council.--"Chief Jake."--Interpreter.--Rev. Henry Requa.--His Dying Message.
Green Bay, the next point visited, is the oldest town within the bounds of the Wisconsin Conference. Its site was explored by Jean Nicollet in 1639, but its settlement did not begin for more than a century thereafter. In 1785 it contained seven families, and in 1816 there were one hundred and fifty inhabitants located in the village and its vicinity. The population now began to increase more rapidly, and in 1819 there were sixty dwellings and five hundred inhabitants.
Green Bay was made a United States trading port in 1815, with Col. John Bowyer as Indian Agent. And on the 16th of July of the following year, Col. John Miller commenced the erection of Fort Howard. The first frame house built, and perhaps the first in the State, was erected in 1825, by Col. E. Childs.
Col. Samuel Ryan came to Green Bay in 1826 and was the first Methodist, as far as I have been able to ascertain, who settled within the bounds of the Wisconsin Conference, and was probably the first in the State. From the time of his arrival until 1833, the religious Meetings were held in the Garrison school house and in an old Commissary store. Thereafter, and until a Church was erected, the services were held in a new yellow school house, or in the Garrison building at Fort Howard.
At the General Conference, which was held in Philadelphia in 1832, action was taken looking to the extension of the Missionary work of the Church in the Northwest. In furtherance of this object, Rev. John Clark, then of the New York Conference, was sent out as Superintendent of the work. This eminent Minister and able administrator, whose special record I need not enter in these pages, as his Life has been published, arrived at Green Bay July 21st, 1832. Immediately after his arrival he began his labors, preaching the first Methodist sermon within the limits of the present boundaries of the Wisconsin Conference. The sermon was delivered in the Fort, to both soldiers and citizens.
The first class was formed by Brother Clark immediately after, the services being held also in the Fort. This class consisted of four members, as follows: Col. Samuel Ryan, Sen., Mrs. Sherman, Mrs. Gen. Brooke, and a young man whose name cannot be given. Mrs. Brooke was the wife of the Commandant of the Fort, and Col. Ryan was the Leader.
Col. Ryan was born in Ireland, May 22d, 1789, and in early youth entered upon the military profession. He was in the engagement between the Shannon and Chesapeake off Boston Harbor, fought June 1st, 1813, and during the conflict was severely wounded. He was converted at Sackett's Harbor, N.Y., under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Irwin, in 1821. In 1822 and '23, he resided at Sault St. Marie, and while there was Leader of a class. During the year there was no Minister at the Sault, but Brother Ryan held religious services regularly among the soldiers, and as the fruit of his labors, seventy souls were converted. On coming to Green Bay, as above stated, in 1826, he resumed his labors, and continued to devote himself to the good work in that locality for twenty-six years. The Land Office, in which he held the first place, being now, 1852, removed to Menasha, he also took up his residence in that village.
Brother Ryan was a man of ardent temperament, full of vivacity, and not a little eccentric, but a true soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ. As in his youth his dauntless spirit never cowered in the presence of an earthly foe, so, in maturer years, he was a fearless champion for the spiritual reign of the Master. Honored by all, the Patriarch is now, "leaning upon the top of his staff," with his dimned eye looking across the river, ready to move on at any moment.
One of the early laborers at Green Bay was Rev. George White, who came from Oneida Conference, N.Y. He was stationed at Green Bay in 1835, Brother Clark having been assigned to the Presiding Eldership. Under the labors of the new Pastor, the work continued to prosper. On the 2d day of February, 1835, Brother Clark reported to the Christian Advocate and Journal as follows: "Brother White is in the spirit of his work, and the Lord is blessing his labors in the conversion of souls, both in the Fort and among the citizens."
The first Church enterprise was entered upon in 1836, when a lot was donated to the Society for the purpose of erecting a Church edifice. The Deed was given on the 6th day of September, 1836, by John Jacob Astor, Ramsey Crooks, Emily Crooks, Robert Stewart and Eliza Stewart, and was executed by James Duane Doty, their attorney. The Trustees of the Society, to whom the Deed was made, were Philip W. Nicholas, Francis McCarty, George White, Thomas P. Green, William White, Edwin Hart, and John P. Gallup. The edifice was completed during the year, but in the effort the Society became seriously involved, and were compelled to mortgage the property. The indebtedness hung as an incubus on the Society for ten years, and finally, through some strange mismanagement, the property was sold at a great sacrifice to the Roman Catholics.
At the session of the Illinois Conference, held Sept. 27, 1837, Rev. Philip W. Nicholas was sent to Green Bay, and Rev. Salmon Stebbins was assigned to the District. The congregations had now become highly respectable both in numbers and position. Hon. M.L. Martin had settled at Green Bay, and his good lady, who was a Methodist, had become a member of the Society. Sister Martin had been raised in affluent circumstances, and was a lady of fine culture and rare judgment. Her husband, a member of the legal profession, and subsequently a Delegate to Congress and Member of the Constitutional Convention of the State, was a man of good attainments and superior abilities. His family not only formed the nucleus of cultivated society, but also furnished a pleasant home for the Itinerant.
Besides this excellent and cultured family, the congregation embraced Col. Ryan and family, as before stated, Mrs. Gen. Brooke, and Mrs. Capt. Kirby Smith, whose husband was killed in the Mexican War, she being now the wife of Gen. Eaton, Quartermaster General of the U.S.A. In addition, Gov. and Mrs. Doty were constant attendants upon the Chapel, as were also Gen. and Mrs. Marcy, whose daughter, Mrs. George B. McClellan, was born here, and the most excellent of all the officers, Capt. Merrill and his young wife.
Referring to the class of society that constituted at first the class and congregation at Green Bay, reminds me of a case of Church discipline which occurred there about the days of which I am now writing. It happened on this wise:
One of the young members of the class, and perhaps the youngest, for she had but recently come West as the bride of a distinguished citizen whose name has already been mentioned, had become the owner of a new bonnet. The lady herself had never, though fashionably raised, shown a fondness for gaudy apparel, but, being obliged to send to Detroit for all millinery accommodations, she sometimes felt constrained to wear articles that were not selected in harmony with her tastes. The new bonnet fell somewhat into this category. If I were gifted in that line, I would attempt a description of the new comer, but, as I am not, I will simply say it was made in the height of the then fashion, with a small crown and a very high, flaring front, with ornaments atop. On the Sabbath following its arrival, the good sister put on her bonnet as innocently as in childhood she had ever said "Our Father" at her mother's knee, and went to Church. She walked modestly to her seat, bowed her head as usual, and the services proceeded. She certainly felt devout, and she had not the remotest idea that there was anything in the Church that could disturb the devotion of others. But alas! for poor human nature. A horrible nightmare was that moment lurking under the wings of the beautiful dream of our innocent sister. In that highly respectable congregation, there were evil eyes that could not look at the Minister or close in prayer. They were fixed upon the gaudy bonnet.
At the close of the services comment was rife. Some of the good plain people christened the newly arrived, "The Methodist Flower-Pot," while others looked exceedingly unhappy. But there was one resolute brother who could not permit matters to go on in this way, and hence the case was brought before the Church. The zealous brother stated the case and declared that if Mr. Wesley's rule in regard to "high heads and enormous bonnets" meant anything, this was "the time to put it to the test and prove its efficacy." He further stated that it was "better to begin at the top round of the ladder and work down, rather than take up some offending sister from a lower round as an example." Of course all things were now ready for a decapitation, but judge of the surprise of the brother, when the good sister showed herself not to be very "high-headed," though big-bonneted, by offering the offensive article to her accuser, to manipulate into orthodox form, if he were pleased to do so, otherwise it would have to remain, like Mordecai at the King's gate, steadfast and immovable.
The bonnet was not manipulated, and the good sister continued to wear what neither her accuser nor any other person in Green Bay could put into another form.
Before the expiration of his second year, Brother Nicholas gave up the Pastorate of the charge, and his place was supplied by Rev. Stephen P. Keyes. In 1839, Rev. F.A. Chenoweth was appointed to the charge, and Rev. Julius Field was assigned to the District. In 1840 Green Bay was left to be supplied, and Rev. Boyd Phelps was employed as the supply, and the charge was assigned to Platteville District, with Rev. H.W. Reed as Presiding Elder. The following year, 1841, the Green Bay District was formed, with Rev. James R. Goodrich as the Presiding Elder, and his name appears also as Pastor of the charge, but it is probable that Brother Phelps also assisted him in the Pastorate as a supply. In 1842 the appointments remained the same, but in 1843 Rev. G.L.S. Stuff was appointed to the station. Brother Stuff and Brother Keyes are remembered with great pleasure at Green Bay, as men of sterling qualities and marked ability, but as their labors have mostly fallen within the Rock River Conference, their record will doubtless be made in connection with that field. In 1844, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson was appointed to the District, as stated elsewhere, and Rev. C.N. Wager to the station. He was followed in 1845 by Rev. T.P. Bingham, and the year following by Rev. R.P. Lawton.
Brother Lawton entered the Rock River Conference this year, and in this, his first appointment, acquitted himself creditably. As this good brother, who may be set down as one of the pioneers of the Conference, began his labors, so he has continued to the present hour. His appointments after leaving Green Bay, have been Dixon, Ill., Delavan, Mineral Point, Waukesha, Reed Street, Milwaukee, Palmyra, Grafton, Root River, Elkhorn, Delavan, East Troy, Evansville, Rosendale, Wautoma, Plover, New London, Hart Prairie, Utter's Corners, Footville, and Jefferson, where he is located at this writing. Brother Lawton is a good preacher, has a genial spirit, and is devoted to his work. He has passed over the greater portion of the Conference, and has a host of friends wherever he has been stationed.
Rev. A.B. Randall was sent to Green Bay in 1847, and it was during this year that the Church edifice was sold. This Church was dedicated, doubtless, by Rev. John Clark, and had been used for ten years for religious purposes, yet it is surprising to find how much of time and labor it required to purify it after it fell into the hands of the Catholics. I am told that they spent days of labor and nights of vigil, exhausted miniature rivulets of holy water, and pounds of precious "gems, frankincense, and myrrh," exorcising the devils and scattering the Methodist imps of darkness from the holy place.
The balance of the money, after paying the indebtedness, was applied to the purchase of the Second Church, which was still in use at the time of my visit.
On coming to Green Bay I found Rev. Seth W. Ford as Pastor, who was commencing his second year on the charge. He was in the midst of a revival, and the charge appeared to be in a prosperous condition. The Quarterly Meeting passed off very pleasantly, and gave me the opportunity to share the hospitality of Hon. M.L. Martin and his excellent family. I also visited the Fort, and had the pleasure to enjoy the companionship of Col. Ryan and his family.
Brother Ford entered the Conference in 1845, as a classmate of the writer, and passed with him through the course of graduation. I have referred in a former chapter to the seven sessions through which we passed between the upper and nether millstones. Whether the result was flour or bran in the estimation of the Committee would have been forever hidden from us, doubtless, had not the good brethren, after our election to Elder's orders, moved that Brother Ford and myself be a Committee to examine those of the class who had not been before the Committee. With our own experience fresh in our minds, I have no doubt the balance of the class had an easy passage.
Brother Ford's fields of labor had been Hamilton Grove, Macomb, and Oneida Indian Mission. In each he had made a good record, and was now rapidly rising in his Conference. Since he left Green Bay he has continued to hold good appointments, and has served his Conference six times as its Secretary. Though slender in form, and apparently not vigorous in health, he has nevertheless taken his full share of work and is highly respected by his brethren.
The Oneida Indian Mission, lying twelve miles to the northwest of Green Bay, next claimed my attention. Seated in my buggy, I was soon at the Parsonage, where I found Rev. Henry Requa, the Missionary, and his kind family.
The Oneidas came from the State of New York. A few of them came as early as 1821, but through some hitch in the negotiations with the Menomonees for the lands constituting the Reservation, the removal did not become general until 1832. Meantime, a Mission had sprung up among the western branch of the nation. In 1829 a young Mohawk, who had been converted in Canada, began the good work and established meetings. Among the early Missionaries the names of Rev. Mr. Poe and Rev. John Clark are especially fragrant, but I have been unable to find satisfactory data until 1840, when Rev. Henry R. Colman was appointed to the Mission.
Brother Colman remained until 1845, when he was succeeded by Rev. C.G. Lathrop. Brother Ford followed next, and remained until 1850, when he was succeeded by Brother Requa. Meantime, the old log church had given place to a respectable frame edifice. There was also a good frame Parsonage, occupied by the Missionary, and a school house, in which a school was kept either by the Missionary or some one employed by him. The membership at this time numbered one hundred and twenty-five.
The Quarterly Meeting was held on Saturday and Sabbath, as on the other charges. On Saturday the Quarterly Conference was held, composed of the official members, but it was somewhat unique in its method of transacting its business. The Conference was opened with singing and prayer. The next thing in order was an address from the Elder, or "Big Missionary," as he is called. The address simply expressed the gratification of the Elder with his visit, and the encouraging things he has heard of the good work of God among them, and then suggested such items of business as would require their attention. This done, I took my seat, for what more could I do. The business must now be done in a strange language, and in the method of the red man. After sitting in absolute silence for some minutes, the head Chief of the Nation, "Big Jake," as he is called, being one of the Stewards, turned to a brother on his right and spoke a few words, and received a reply. Then turning to another, he did the same, and thus continued to address each personally, until all had been consulted. At intervals there were long pauses, indicative, as I judged, of the gravity of the matter to be considered. At the end of an hour the Council had completed its work. The Chief then arose in a very dignified manner, but without ostentation, and, calling to his aid an interpreter, proceeded to reply to the opening address. He began his speech by expressing thanks, on behalf of himself and people, that the "Big Missionary" had come once more to see them. He next referred to the good work that had been performed by the Missionary, and the special blessing of God upon his people. And in conclusion, he reported the items of business they had considered, and the action taken in each case. If anything further was desired at any time, it was always presented in a most respectful manner. In this case it was represented that they needed some repairs on the Church, and a bell, and they desired that the Missionary might be permitted to go abroad and raise the necessary funds. Permission was granted, and the Missionary, taking several fine singers of the Nation with him, went to New York, Boston, and other places, and secured the needed help.
At the close of the public services came the hand shaking. The Missionary understood the matter and detained me in the Altar for a moment, Commencing with the ladies and ending with the children, every person in the Church came forward and shook hands with the Elder.
I was greatly pleased with "Chief Jake." He was a man of stalwart frame, standing with head and shoulders above the people around him. That giant frame supported a large head, adorned by an expressive face. His movement was dignified simply because he was a born nobleman, and did not know how to appear other than like a prince. He was benevolent and tender to all who were trying to do right, but he was a terror to evil-doers. Standing for his people or the rights of the oppressed, he was absolutely invincible.
Brother Requa entered the Conference in 1847, after having been employed one year as second preacher at Waupun. He was appointed to Brothertown in 1847, to Lowell in 1848, and Fond du Lac in 1849, Here his health partially failed, and, in consequence, he was sent to Oneida. From the first, Brother Requa attracted attention as a Preacher. The first time I heard him was at the Camp-Meeting at Sun Prairie, in the summer of 1846. He had only recently been converted, and was now called out to exhort at the close of a sermon. He had been known in the community as an Infidel, which greatly increased the interest felt by all when he arose to speak. But the first utterance of his eloquent tongue, so full of feeling and so decided in its tone, disarmed all criticism. As he advanced, he threw off restraint, until he was master of himself and the congregation. Once free, he seemed to lose sight of all but the condition of a perishing world. With lost men he reasoned, expostulated, entreated, until it seemed that the whole audience was moving towards the Altar.
While at Oneida, as before stated, he went East to raise funds for the Mission. Wherever he went, he was recognized as a man of rare eloquence. Throngs followed him from Church to Church, and, as might be expected, his mission was a great success. On his return with the bell, the people were overjoyed. For the first week after it was hung in the steeple, it was kept going, almost night and day. The friends came from every part of the reservation, and no one was satisfied until his own hand pulled the rope. And so high did the enthusiasm run that one man said, "As soon as we get able, we will put one on every house in Oneida." After Brother Requa left Oneida, he served one year as Agent of Lawrence University, and was specially engaged in raising an Indian Scholarship Fund. His appointments subsequently were: Janesville, Fond du Lac District, Oshkosh, Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan, Brandon and Ripon. In March, 1865, his second year at Ripon, he went as a Delegate of the Christian Commission to the army. His field of labor was Little Rock, Ark. While here he was taken ill with the chronic diarrhoea, and on the 19th of May departed to his home above. During his illness, he was attended by his old friend, Brother A. B. Randall. Just before he died, he requested his attendant to bear this message to his brethren of the Wisconsin Conference: "Tell them that Henry Requa died at his post." He then added, "Take my ashes back to be interred among my brethren. I have labored with them for twenty years past, trying to preach Jesus. My present acceptance with God is a great comfort to me now. I am very unworthy, but I believe there are some in glory who call me father. In looking over my whole life I cannot see an act upon which I would risk the salvation of my soul; the best of them need washing in the blood of Jesus. I know I have a home in glory. How precious Jesus is. Jesus, I love thee for what thou hast done for me. I will praise thee forever."
Brother Requa was a man of ardent temperament, and at times impulsive, but he was a true man and a faithful minister. His attachments were strong and abiding. He loved the work in which he was engaged, and was very generally popular among the people. A born Radical, he was liable to push matters beyond what more conservative minds deemed wise, and it is possible that in some instances his extreme methods defeated his purpose, but even then, no one questioned the rectitude of his heart. In the death of Brother Requa the Conference sustained a severe loss. His remains were interred in College Hill Cemetery, at Ripon.
Fond du Lac District Continued.--Appleton.--Early History.--Rev. C.G. Lathrop--Lawrence University.--Incipient Stages.--Charter.--Trustees. Agent.--First Board of Instruction.--Buildings.--Faculty.--Rev. Dr. Cooke.--Rev. Dr. Cobleigh.--Rev. Dr. Mason.--Rev. Dr. Knox.--Rev. Dr. Steele.
Leaving Oneida, I next visited Appleton, where I was kindly received by Rev. C.G. Lathrop, the Pastor, and his good wife. Though three years had scarcely passed since the echoes of the woodman's axe first rang through the forests of this locality, yet I found Appleton to be a village of considerable pretensions. The location of Lawrence University at this point, and the great promise of business, given by its almost unparalleled water-power, had already drawn together an enterprising community. Good buildings had been erected, and the village was putting on an air of thrift.
The first sermon preached in Appleton, and probably in Outagamie County, was delivered by Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Oct. 8, 1848, in a shanty occupied by Brother John F. Johnson and family. The first class was formed by Rev. A. B. Randall, the Pastor of Oshkosh circuit, whose charge included Appleton, in February, 1849. The first members were Robert R. Bateman, Leader, Robert S. Bateman, Mary Bateman, Amelia Bateman, Electa Norton, Theresa Randall, L. L. Randall, J.F. Johnson and D.W. Briggs. Brother Randall organized the first Sunday School in March, 1849, with Robert R. Bateman as Superintendent.
The meetings were held in private houses until the Chapel of the Institute was ready for use. They were held in the Chapel thereafter until the first Church was erected. In June, 1854, the corner-stone of the Church was laid by Edwin Atkinson, Dr. Edward Cooke officiating. The lecture-room was occupied during the following winter, and the Church was dedicated by Dr. N.E. Cobleigh in June, 1855.
The Quarterly Meeting, the first held in Appleton, was convened in the Institute Chapel, Sept 27, 1851. The members of the Quarterly Conference present were C.G. Lathrop, R.O. Kellogg, Jabez Brooks, D.L. Atwell, George E. Havens, Charles Levings, John Day, H.L. Blood, A.C. Darling, L.L. Randall, D.C. Weston, William Rork, and J.F. Johnson. The meeting was well attended, and the services indicated a healthy spiritual condition.
Rev. Curtis G. Lathrop entered the Rock River Conference in 1842, and his first appointment was Aztalan. Before coming to Appleton he had been stationed at Lancaster, Oneida Indian Mission, Green Lake and Fall River. After leaving Appleton his fields of labor have been Green Bay, Oneida, Indian Mission, Presiding Elder of Watertown District, Menasha, Neenah, Waupaca, Dartford, Fox Lake, Vinland and Randolph. He took a superannuated relation in 1868, but during 1870 and 1871 he was able to serve as Chaplain of the Western Seaman's Friend Society, at Washington Island. Having removed to Nebraska, he was made effective in 1874 and transferred to the Nebraska Conference.
Brother Lathrop is a man of vigorous mental endowments. He is an able Preacher, has a reliable judgment, and possesses a kind spirit. He hates shams and thoroughly detests the superficial. He never hangs out a flag to catch the popular breeze, and does not turn the prow of his craft down the stream. His convictions are strong, but Curtis G. Lathrop is the soul of integrity, and is most highly appreciated where best known.
The Lawrence University, located at Appleton, deserves special notice, it being the first, and, at the present writing, the only school of the Church within the bounds of the Conference.
In the Spring of 1846, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson received a letter from H. Eugene Eastman, Esq., of Green Bay, informing him that a gentleman in Boston, Mass., proposed to donate ten thousand dollars to found a school in the West. And as the gentleman entertained an exalted opinion of the adaptations of the Methodist Church to the work contemplated, he was authorized to give the proposition that direction. The conditions on which the trust must be accepted were, that the School should be located on the Fox River between Neenah and Green Bay, and that an additional ten thousand dollars should be contributed by other parties.
Brother Sampson submitted the proposition to the Conference, which met in August, and was instructed by that body to continue the correspondence, and, if possible, reduce the negotiations to a definite form.
In December following, Rev. Reeder Smith, who had been employed as Agent of the School at Albion, Mich., came to Fond du Lac, bearing the proposition directly from Hon. Amos A. Lawrence, the gentleman referred to. Not finding Brother Sampson at home, he went down to Brothertown and secured the co-operation of Rev. H.R. Colman in making an exploration of the Fox River. They went to Green Bay, thence to Kaukauna, and, accompanied by George W. Law, Esq., thence to Grand Chute, the present site of Appleton. After looking over the grounds now constituting the campus of the University, they passed on to Oshkosh, and thence to Fond du Lac.
Brother Sampson had now returned, and it was decided to hold a meeting in Milwaukee for consultation. The meeting was convened December 2 8th, 1846, and was composed of the following members of the Conference: Wm. H. Sampson, Henry R. Colman, Washington Wilcox, and Wm. M.D. Ryan. To these were added Reeder Smith, Geo. E.H. Day, and doubtless several others whose names I have not been able to learn. At this meeting a Charter was drafted for the Lawrence Institute, and Rev. Reeder Smith was sent to Madison to lay it before the Legislature. The Charter received the signature of Gov. Dodge, Jan. 17, 1847, and the following gentlemen were constituted the first Board of Trustees: Henry Dodge, Loyal H. Jones, Jacob L. Bean, Wm. H. Sampson, N.P. Talmadge, Henry R. Colman, H.S. Baird, Wm. Dutcher, M. C. Darling, M.L. Martin, Geo. E.H. Day, D.C. Vosburg, and Reeder Smith.
The first meeting of the Board was to have been held in Fond du Lac, June 30, 1847, but as there was not a quorum present, the meeting was adjourned to Sept. 3d. At this meeting the Board was duly organized by the election of the following officers: Hon. M.C. Darling, President; Hon. N.P. Talmadge, First Vice President; H.S. Baird, Esq., Second Vice President; Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Secretary, and Hon. Morgan L. Martin, Treasurer. Rev. Reeder Smith was appointed Agent.
Geo. W. Law, Esq., and Hon. John F. Mead now offered a donation of thirty-one acres of land each, on condition that the Institute should be located at Grand Chute. The offer was accepted, and the location was made, the name of the place being soon after changed to Appleton. In due time the Law Tract was conveyed to the Trustees, but, by some strange mismanagement, to say the least, on the part of the Agent, the Mead land was conveyed to another party, and it was lost to the Institute.
At the Conference of 1848, Brother Sampson was appointed Principal, and was expected to serve as Agent until the building to be erected was ready for occupancy. In pursuance of this arrangement he left Fond du Lac, Sept. 7th, to enter upon his new field of operations. He took the steamer to Neenah, and then obtained an Indian "Dug-out" for the balance of the journey. As the craft carried no sail, he was compelled to put her before the "white ash breeze" across Lake Butte des Morts, and down the river to the point of destination, his craft being nearly swamped by a gale on the Lake.
On the 8th of September he began to cut a road to the grounds and clear the brush from the campus, thereby making the beginning of both the Institute and the city of Appleton. The lumber for the building of the Preparatory Department was purchased of Hon. M.L. Martin, and was delivered at Duck Creek. The timber was furnished by Col. H.L. Blood. Through the indomitable energy of Col. Blood and the co-operation of the agents, the building, seventy by thirty feet in size, and three stories high, was ready to receive students on the 12th day of November, 1849.
The Faculty with which the school opened were Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Principal, Rev. R.O. Kellogg, Professor of Ancient Languages, Mr. James M. Phinney, Professor of Mathematics, and Miss Emeline M. Crooker, Preceptress. The first catalogue, published in the fall of 1850, showed a list of one hundred and five students, which was certainly a very creditable beginning. The name of the Institute was now changed to Lawrence University.
A record of the early years of struggle and sacrifice necessary to found the University would fill a volume, and cannot be given at length in these pages. Having been a member of the Board for nearly a quarter of a century, I could say much of the noble men who performed double service on half pay, but such a recital cannot here be given.
Rev. Dr. Edward Cooke was installed President of the University June 29, 1853. At the same time the corner stone of the College building was laid by Hon. M.C. Darling, Rev. Alfred Bronson, D.D., delivering the address. The edifice, a substantial stone structure, one hundred and twenty by sixty feet, and five stories high, was pushed forward to an early completion by the untiring energy of the agents, Rev. J.S. Prescott and Col. H.L. Blood. For college purposes the building ranked among the first in the West.
In both Students and Faculty Lawrence University has been fortunate from the beginning. As to the former, she has sent out not a few representative men to the several occupations of life, several of whom will find mention in these pages. As to the latter, she has enjoyed the labors of a class of instructors whose names have found an honorable place in both the clerical and literary circles of the Commonwealth.
Of Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, the first head of the Faculty, a record has been made in a former chapter, and it would afford me pleasure to refer at length to the several members of the first Faculty, as also to all the Professors who have followed, but I find it will be impossible to do so in these brief pages.
Rev. Edward Cooke, D.D., the first President, entered the New Jersey Conference in 1843. He was a graduate of the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. His first appointment was Principal of the Pennington Male Seminary, N.J. In 1847 he was transferred to the New England Conference, and stationed at Saugus. His subsequent appointments were Union Church Charlestown, D. Street, Centenary, and Hanover, of Boston, Mass. He was transferred to the Wisconsin Conference in 1853, having been elected President of the University. As a President he was very popular, and during his administration of six years had the satisfaction to see the Institution rise from a feeble preparatory school to a full-fledged University. In addition to the ordinary duties of his position, he was largely concerned with the financial matters of the enterprise, but in every portion of the work Dr. Cooke showed great wisdom, tact and devotion. And during his term he laid the friends of education in the State under lasting obligations.
After leaving the University, he was stationed at Summerfield Church, Milwaukee, but, returning to Boston at the close of his term, he was elected Principal of the Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, Mass., where he has enjoyed great success in his administration. Dr. Cooke is a man of fine presence, and a good Preacher. Genial in spirit, full of anecdote and well read, he is very companionable. He has a multitude of friends in Wisconsin.
Rev. Nelson E. Cobleigh, D.D., was elected Professor in 1854. He was also a graduate of the Wesleyan University. On coming West, he was first elected Professor in the McKendree College, Ill., from which position he came to Appleton. His first visit to these "northern wilds," as Appleton was then called, was a memorable one. It was a Commencement occasion, and in connection with the other exercises, the annual Missionary Meeting was held. Under the leadership of Dr. Cooke, Brother Cobleigh was appointed to deliver one of the addresses. There were three speakers appointed as usual, and the second place was assigned to Dr. Cobleigh and the last to Dr. Cooke. The first speech, brief and to the point, was made, and as Chairman I introduced Dr. Cobleigh. The speech opened in a quiet, clear, and common-sense way, none expecting more than a good, average effort. But before the speaker had proceeded far, his sentences began to grow intense, and the blood began to shoot upward in deep, livid lines along the neck and face, and wreathe his forehead. All eyes were turned upon him, and each hearer began to feel the kindlings of a strange inspiration. But the speaker was lost to everything except his theme. He dashed on from one burning thought to another, carrying his audience with him, in such storms of eloquence as had never before enchanted the walls of the University Chapel.
At the expiration of a full hour, the great orator came to himself and resumed his seat, amid the shouts of the people. As soon as quiet intervened, I introduced Dr. Cooke. The Doctor came forward and stated that as the speakers had been limited to thirty minutes each, and as his good friend, Dr. Cobleigh, had used an hour, without any fault of his own, however, as he could not help it, he would not attempt to make a speech himself, but would adopt the last half of the last speech, which was infinitely better than he could do if he were to speak. The fine turn of the Doctor was taken with a good zest.
After serving the University several years, Dr. Cobleigh went back to McKendree College as President. He next served as Editor of Zion's Herald, in Boston, then was President of our College in Tennessee, and at the last General Conference he was elected editor of the Advocate at Atlanta, Ga. But his work was soon finished, and he passed on to join the great and good who have entered the Heavenly gates.
Dr. R.Z. Mason came to the University as a Professor in 1855, and continued to hold this position until the resignation of Dr. Cooke, when he succeeded to the Presidency. He remained at this post until the election of Dr. Steele, when he entered upon business pursuits in Appleton. The Presidency of Dr. Mason was distinguished by great anxiety and severe labor. Like the Presidents who went before, and those who have followed, he was greatly burdened with the financial management. The several schemes which had been adopted to secure an Endowment Fund for the University, had not fully met expectations, and in consequence, an indebtedness had been incurred. To lift this incumbrance became the special concern of President Mason. He traveled over the State, visiting the charges in person, and taking subscriptions wherever they could be obtained. And I am happy to say that through his great ability in this direction, and his unbounded persistence, the work was carried forward to a grand success.
Rev. Loren L. Knox, D.D., was another member of the Faculty. Brother Knox had also given the greater portion of his life to educational work. His successful administration of the interests of leading institutions of learning in the East had fully prepared the Board to expect in him a valuable accession to the Faculty, and they were not disappointed. He was found to be a thorough scholar, a wise and careful instructor, and a Christian gentleman of the highest and purest style. After leaving the University, Dr. Knox did good service in the pulpit for several years, but, finally, his health so far failed that he was compelled to take a superannuated relation. At the present writing he is residing at Evanston, where he is giving such attention to literary work as he finds himself able to perform.
Rev. Geo. M. Steele, D.D., the President of the University at this present time, is a man of fine literary attainments, an able administrator, a superior preacher, and a writer of pronounced reputation. He is also a graduate of Middletown, and has had considerable experience as an instructor. He was elected President of the University in 1865, and has more than met the highest expectations of the Board. In addition to his duties at the head of the Faculty, he has given his personal attention largely to the financial interests of the Institution. In this particular he has achieved a grand work, both in managing the current expenditures, and in increasing the Endowment Fund. The Doctor is a great acquisition to the University, and is highly esteemed by his brethren. The Conference have delighted to honor him in all appropriate ways, and especially in sending him to both General Conferences which have occurred since he became a member of the body.
Having thus paid our respects to Appleton and the University, we are prepared to pass on to other fields. To complete the round there were two charges yet to visit, but as these will claim our attention hereafter I need not refer to them now, except to give an incident that transpired at the Quarterly Meeting held on one of them.
The meeting was held in a school house. The new schoolteacher, a nice youngster, concluded to lead the singing. Gathering a few young people around him, and displaying a tuning-fork, he was ready for the services to begin. I gave the hymn commencing,
"Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove."
When I had finished the reading, the chorister arose with superlative dignity, and gave the key. Unfortunately, the choir dropped a tone or two too low, and the first verse was sung at that disadvantage. Discovering the blunder, the key was again given, but the singers were now getting nervous, and instead of rising, they went still lower, as they sang,
"Look how we grovel here below."
Certainly the chariot wheels of Pharaoh did not roll more heavily than the numbers from that orchestra. I remembered old Balerma, and felt deeply for them. But our young knight of the tuning-fork was not to be vanquished. With a dash he brought the fork down upon the desk, and gave the key again. But alas! for all human expectations! The choir dropped down to a dead monotone, as they went on with the next verse:
"In vain we tune our formal songs,In vain we strive to rise;Hosannas languish on our tongues,And our devotion dies."
Both the choir and congregation felt a relief when the Minister said, "Let us pray."
Having completed the first round of the District, I returned to Fond du Lac to begin the second. But it is not my purpose to give the details of each round or year, as the labors of a Presiding Elder are too monotonous to furnish a record that would be entertaining to the general reader.