USA > Arkansas > Pulaski County > Little Rock > The annals of Christ church parish of Little Rock, Arkansas, from A. D. 1839 to A. D. 1899 > Part 11
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The Richmond Times (Virginia), of date December 2, 1896, published the appended special dispatch :
MRS. SELINA ROBERDEAU WHEAT.
SALISBURY, N. C., December 26 .- (Special.)- Mrs. Selina Roberdeau Wheat died night before last and was buried here to-day by the side of her husband, from St. Luke's Episcopal Church. She was the daughter of General Rober- deau, of Revolutionary War fame, and was born in Alexan- dria, Va., in 1805, and married Rev. John Thomas Wheat in 1825. She was the mother of Major Roberdeau Wheat, of the Louisiana Tigers; Captain John Thomas Wheat, Mrs. Selina Seay, of Nashville; Professor Leo Wheat, and Mrs. Colonel Shober, of this city, at whose home Mrs. Wheat died.
She was a noble and illustrious woman and lived an honored and useful life of over ninety-one years. It is said her husband was the first child born in the city of Washing- ton, D. C., after its settlement, the family on both sides being of illustrious blood.
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As an unconscious witness to the unselfish heart and Christian graces of this remarkable woman, the annalist feels it a privilege to transcribe one of Mrs. Wheat's letters taken from a treasured collection, premising that Mrs. Wheat had known her correspondent in childhood in Nashville, Tenn. The letter was addressed to her at "Grape Leaf" plantation, where she was visiting her mother and sister, and brother, Colonel John M. Harrell :
Little Rock, Ark., February 27, 1860.
Mrs. Dr. Cantrell :
My Dear Young Friend-You are doubtless wondering why I have not replied to your very kind letter, which came while I was nursing a very sore eye; but I was thinking you would be the gainer, as the doctor fully intended replying for me. He has been taking care of my correspondence, prin- cipally to our children, he confesses "to the utter neglect of all others." So I come to assure you that we, neither of us, have forgotten you or the doctor ; indeed, we begin to look for you soon, for we have missed you terribly. Say to the doctor, I have been a patient of Dr. Peyton, and have taken my first dose of quinine, which I had dreaded so much. I seldom
go near your shutup house without wishing you were there. I ever miss your sweet children, with their answering notes of "little drops of water." Will you not come back in time for the Easter festival ? It is then the rewards are to be given. I do hope Lilly and May will be in the ranks. They do deserve their prizes. I will send them the Easter hymn and you will teach it to them. Bishop Lay sent it to the Sunday School. He was so delighted with our little Chris- tians. I was truly sorry I did not see your mother at her late visit. We exchanged calls without seeing each other. I have met your brother at several of the bridal parties. I hope you saw the account of the dual wedding which took place in
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our Church." Never was there so beautiful a tableau in our Church, and seldom could you find so quiet and well- behaved an audience. You might have heard a pin fall. Yet the crowd filled the aisles to the very "horns of the altar." No levity, no whispering, and not a movement was made to leave till the wedded pairs were out. The night was lovely,
and the entrance street filled, as was the Church, to its utmost capacity. Judge Rector is to take a pew in our Church, which he says, his wife shall always attend "if she chooses." By the way, there is such a demand for pews that I have given up mine to Mrs. Bertrand, who needed two and could not get one near to the one she still retains. The doetor is beautifying the Churchyard, which, you know, needed atten- tion. You will find us with imperial ways! +Leo has not yet come; he was taken possession of by my friends in Rich- mond, who write "if you succeed in keeping Leo, you will have to come for him." My daughter Selina¿ has been in great trouble. Her loveliest child, 10 years old, has been laid in the tomb, or rather "has gone to live in heaven," which is her more devout expression. I was too unwell to go to her, and she is hoping to see me in the spring. We talk of visit- ing New Orleans after Easter, when Mr. Stout will be at home to take the doctor's place, who will need some rest about that time.
Please excuse my poor return for your most kind letter and be assured I have not willingly neglected you. The doetor has a great antipathy, as most gentlemen have, to letters, except on business, which have accumulated on him since the Bishop's visit ; indeed, it seems that much of the duty of the Episcopate, that is not wholly official, has to devolve on the oldest Presbyter. The Bishop is to live at Fort
*Judge Henry M. Rector, widower, afterwards Governor of Arkansas, was mar- ried to Miss Ernestine Linde, and Major Brown to Mrs. Sallie Trapnall, widow, nee Faulkner, by the same marriage service.
tLeonidas Polk Wheat, youngest child of Dr. and Mrs. J. T. Wheat, and organist of Christ Church.
#Mrs. John Seay.
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Smith. The secretary of war has given him permission to occupy a part of the public building. He is to remove his family in May.
With love to Dr. Cantrell and a kiss to the children, I am Yours truly,
SELINA WHEAT.
A. D. 1859-1886. Dr. Wheat's first object, when he took charge of Christ Church as Rector, was "to feed the lambs." The Sunday School was the field where he sowed good seed, looking for the harvest in the distant future. The children were gathered together, and before his encouraging eye and winning courtliness of manner, shyness vanished and enthusiasm spread through the ranks. A sketch of the first Easter festival held under his direction in 1860, referred to in the letter quoted in the Arkansas Gazette of Wednesday, April 7, 1886, twenty-six years afterwards, was printed as a reminiscence, from which the subjoined extract is taken :
"The Church, which was much enlarged and improved under the direction of the former Rector, Rev. A. F. Free- man, has been further embellished by the good taste of the present Rector, Dr. J. T. Wheat. The Churchyard, spacious, grassy and shaded by fine trees, has been enclosed with a fence of appropriate design, paved from the gate to the two entrances and planted with evergreens on each side of the Church. Directly in front of the tower (which had been added by Rev. A. F. Freeman), and overlooking it, is a stately oak, whose branches extend in kindly guardianship, forming a group more striking and pleasing than the finest sculpture ; and the whole, colored with a springday sun, the green foliage of the trees and the brighter green of the turf, and animated with groups of worshippers entering the holy temple, presented a scene worthy of poet's pen and painter's brush. A flight of steps in the tower led to the gallery of the Church, where the pipe organ and choir were stationed. Mr. Leo P. Wheat, son of the Rector, was the organist. His
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reputation as a skilled musician is a public one. On this Easter Sunday his voluntary was a transport of harmony, which merged into the anthem "The Lord is Risen To-Day," sung triumphantly by his well trained choir,* as the prelude to the morning service. This was conducted by Rev. Dr. Wheat, assisted by Rev. Wm. C. Stout. The sermon, on the text from Colossians iii. 1-3, was a continuation of a series delivered during Lent, and was one of the ablest efforts of the gifted Rector. It has not been quite a year since the con- gregation welcomed him, and, at the altar, at the bedside of the sick and dying, in his constant round of parochial visits among the rich and poor, his daily life and conversation have been so effective, that, like sheep straying from the fold, the members have assembled at his call, and through green past- tures and by still waters have been refreshed at his hands, as the Master enjoined. The evening service, like that of the morning, was largely attended, and the series of sermons was concluded with one on the text, I John iii. 2, 3.
"On Easter Monday a parish festival was held at the
Church. After morning prayer was said, the Rector made an address on the spiritual condition of the parish and the best means of promoting its prosperity. The secretary read his report of the finances. An interesting memoir of the parish was then read and commented upon, after which the new Vestry was chosen. The members of the Vestry used the occasion for the presentation of a testimonial from the con- gregation to the Rev. W. C. Stout in appreciation of his ser- vices in the parish as acting Rector. On Monday evening was celebrated the festival of the Sunday School. This sup- plied the crowning evidence of the Rector's zeal and success. Under his administration, supported by the superintendent, Mr. Matthews, a gentleman of rare culture and Christian ex- cellence, the original little band of fifteen or twenty scholars has increased to ninety, and thirteen teachers now perform the duty which formerly fell to two or three, oftener to one- Mrs. Luke E. Barber. The celebration in the evening will
*It is a subject for regret that the names of those who formed this splendid choir cannot be procured.
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long be remembered by our citizens. It was a brilliant and lovely scene-without blemish, complete and graceful in every detail. The scholars, with their teachers, occupied the front pews, the girls on the right, the boys on the left. The bap- tismal font (the gift of Mrs. Frederick W. Trapnall) was filled and wreathed with flowers. The Chancel platform was unoccupied except at the extreme right, where a small table supported a collection of premium books handsomely bound. Near the table sat Mr. Matthews, the superintendent of the Sunday School, and Colonel Thompson, president of St. John's College, the teacher of the young men's Bible class. The altar was lighted brilliantly and embellished with vases of flowers. Dr. Wheat, in vestments, was seated on the north side of the altar, the Rev. Mr. Stout on the south side. Near the Chancel at the head of the south aisle was placed a parlor organ. Mr. Leo Wheat presided, and to the magic inspiration of his strains must be attributed the especial charm of the exercises. These were opened with the usual offices of devotion of the Sunday School, conducted by the Rector. A hymn, "Glory to the Father Give," was sung by
the school. Mr. Matthews then delivered an able address to the parents. The hymn, "Savior, Who Thy Floek Art Feed- ing," led by the marvellously sweet voice of Mrs. Thompson, followed this. The rules were then given in order, first by a little girl of 5 years, who stood on the Chancel floor, and re- cited them without any prompting, and then by the classes who recited in concert after her. These were :
1. Regular and punctual attendance.
2. Cleanliness of person and apparel.
3. Careful preparation of lessons.
4. Quiet and order in and about the Church.
5. Kindness and courtesy to each other.
6. Cordial respect to teachers.
7. Prompt and cheerful obedience.
8. Striet truthfulness in all things.
9. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
10. A time for all things, and everything at the proper time.
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11. Business for everybody, and everybody to mind his own business.
After this the Rector catechised the children. The hymn, "Youth, When Devoted to the Lord," was then sung, after which the classes were called in succession for their Easter offerings. These were voluntary, had been collected in the previous half year and had been kept separate by the teachers to be devoted at Easter to missions in the Diocese of Arkansas.
The classes responded to their names, descriptive of the Christian life, which were:
1. Angels' Charge (little tots).
2. Lambs of the Good Shepherd.
3. Buds of Promise.
4. Crown Jewels.
5. Early Seekers.
6. Heirs of the Kingdom.
7. Children in the Temple.
8. Little Missionaries.
9. Christian Brotherhood.
10. Young Pilgrims.
11. Soldiers of Christ.
12. Heavenly Racers.
Each class, as it was called, advanced in succession, step- ping to the music, the tallest going first, bearing a banner of white silk with a eross of gold painted on it. As each class approached the Chancel rail, one of the number presented the offering in a basket of flowers or in the heart of a bouquet, which was received by the Rector, who announced the amount and then placed it on the altar. The circle then turned toward the audience, one member recited a few selected verses of Scripture appropriate to the class title, another a hymn and then all returned to their seats. When all the classes had performed a similar exercise, the hymn, "Little Drops of Water," was sung with great unetion. Colonel Thompson then made an address to the children, in which he introduced an original, instructive, and most beautiful allegory. Then
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was sung the most animating of all the hymns, "Awake My Soul, Stretch Every Nerve."
The premiums were next awarded, the teachers having given previously the names of those pupils who had received the greatest number of merit cards. An address to the teach- ers was then made by Rev. W. C. Stout. His commendations must have gratified both teachers and scholars, and it is hoped that his inspiring appeal may be long remembered to incite them to renewed effort. An Easter hymn, sent to the chil- dren by our good Bishop Lay, concluded the exercises.
Dr. Wheat pronounced the benediction, and from many hearts went up the silent prayer, "God bless the Church ! God bless the clergy."
A. D. 1886. This "Reminiscence" was sent to Dr. Wheat, which he acknowledged most cordially at Barrytown, N. Y., April 13, 1886, referring to the "little tots" who had become matrons, in conclusion :
"How very glad I should be to see them now ! Your good husband and your children all-God bless them! And I should like much to see your new Church and worship with you in it. But, wife and I are too old (80} and 84}) to think of journeying so far again ; indeed,
"I do not ask to see
The distant scene: one step enough for me."
"I wish you would write me a real gossiping letter about you all, and my old beloved friends and parishioners gen- erally. Wife sends you the accompanying wedding song, with her kindest regards.
"Unto God's most gracious favor and protection I com- mit you all, and am, my dear daughter,
"Yours truly, "J. T. WHEAT."
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EPITHALAMIUM TO MY DEAR WIFE
ON THE SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR WEDDING DAY, MARCH 10, 1885.
Would you know, dear wife, the meaning Of the singular gradation
In the value of the Weddings-
Wood, Tin, Silver, Golden, Diamond-
Which, by wide-prevailing custom,
Are to Married Life accorded ? 'T is the sole consideration Of the rareness of the fortune
Which befalls the Happy Couple
Should both lives be long continued.
Half a century Golden Weddings
Are so distant and uncertain That the cunning Twenty-fivers,
Under plea of "Carpe diem,"
Introduced the Silver Wedding, Not so rare, therefore, less costly. Going down from Tin to Wooden, As the years were less in number, Less the value of the wedding. When we had, dear Wife, our Golden, Far too distant and too precious For our fondest hopes' aspiring Seem'd the grand climact'ric Diamond.
Scientists, you know, have told us That the basis of the diamond Is, in truth, but common charcoal.
Could there be a greater contrast ?
See ! this black, coarse, soiling substance ;
See ! the diamond pure and brilliant, So between ourselves, beloved, Vile and miserable sinners,
And the Christ-like saints in Heaven Made illustrious with His glory,
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Still more striking is the contrast. Oh! what power in earth or heaven Can effect such wondrous changes ? Only that of the Almighty. Not with human observation, But in secrecy and silence, This mysterious new creation. As in Matter, so in Spirit, Out of death the new life issues.
That of matter, of course, painless ; Ours by sanctified affliction. And most gladly should we suffer If thereby we may attain to Meetness for the bliss of Heaven, Holy, pure, and undefiled, Christ-like, sharing in His glory. Welcome! then the fiery furnace, If from dross it purify us. Welcome! wheel of lapidary With unsparing, sharp abrasion, If it make the gem more lustrous. . Welcome ! knife, if skillful pruning Give the vine still richer clusters. Welcome ! the strong hand uprooting From its habitat congenial.
Reed, so delicate and slender, Stripping it of grace and beauty, Mutilating, searring, notching, Pressing out its very life-pith, If, thereby, it may be fitted To breathe strains of heavenly music, When the anguish of the singer Gives the song its touching pathos.
As our Heavenly Father orders All things lovingly and wisely, There must be a special fitness In His various dispensations
.
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To work out our soul's salvation ; This, dear Wife, has been His purpose In our married life's extension. Let us be devoutly thankful And go forward with fresh courage; He that hath begun the good work Will assuredly complete it. But the question now arises- Years of Married Life-how many Must precede the Diamond Wedding ? Some say Seventy-five, some Sixty, We have reached this latter period, But as we could not ask diamonds E'en from those who love us dearly, While, alas ! we must confess it, All our charcoal's not transmuted- That, in Paradise, we hope for. Till then we must be contented With our Sixty years' attainment. What, dear Wife, shall be its symbol ? Pearl, I think, will be appropriate; Both have had a like formation. Let us note the wondrous process.
A grain of sand, or other substance Foreign to it, uncongenial, Finds a lodgment in the Oyster, Sorely hurts its sens'tive body, And the sufferer has no power To expel the mischief-maker. But, behold ! a marv'lons instinct Covers over the intruder With a formative secretion That by slow degrees gives roundness To the sharp, aggressive angles ; Moulds it to a sphere, whose surface, Finished to a polished smoothness, Causes no more irritation.
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Meekly, patiently accepting The inevitable presence As a part of its existence, And when dying, as its life-work, Yields a perfect Gem, all lovely With the sky-tint's soft reflections ;
Lovelier far beyond the suff'ring, And of value, too, transcending
The great cost of its production.
So, dear Wife, it sometimes happens
That in Married Life, the sweetest, There unfortunately enters Some discordant, most unwelcome,
Foreign element of suff'ring
And unrest-what the Apostle
Calls a "thorn"-from which he vainly Prayed the Lord to be delivered, Or perhaps it is a burden
Or a cross which must be carried.
Some thus dealt with chafe against it,
Till their feelings-lacerated By its hard and cruel edges- Become morbid and embittered,
And thus make its very presence A perpetual pain and poison. Others, wisely recognizing The high purpose for which trials And afflictions are appointed In the training of God's children, Meekly take this dispensation ;
Though it press them hard and sharply, Still they wear it with sweet patience. Making it thereby more easy, Day-by-day, to bear the burden, Till at length, 'tis seen to issue In their spiritual improvement And the growth of Christian graces. Thus the character's developed.
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And through suff'ring is made perfect- Fully rounded out and radiant With the beauty of Christ-likeness- As the Dew-drop with the Sunbeam. Note, dear Wife, that I'm referring In these diff'rent illustrations Not to you nor me exclusive, But to our Married Life, distinctly,
And for that I may claim fairly That these Sixty years' experience Has a Union formed between us- Neither giv'n nor tak'n in Marriage- But in nature like the Angels', Which our Blessed Lord has promised, Where no flesh nor blood can enter With earth's appetites and passions. This new life-the old transfigured- Pearl-like, full-orb'd, radiant, heavenly, Is to us, "of great price," "goodly," (In the Gospel nomenclature,) Therefore, with devout thanksgiving, We will take the "cup of Blessing," With glad hearts and voices singing, Here we'll raise our "Ebenezer" - Hitherto the Lord has help'd us- Surely all our past experience Should with Hope and Trust inspire us That His grace will be sufficient In the future. Let us, therefore,
Keep the feast of our Pearl wedding, Plighting troth, and vows renewing, In the strength of an affection
Holier, stronger, than our First-love ; What has here this blest beginning Must endure in heaven forever.
J. T. WHEAT.
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Following this there came, some months afterwards, a brief note from the subject of the pearl wedding poem, accom- panying a second poem, from Salisbury, N. C. Mrs. Dr. Cantrell :
Dear Ellen-I hope I replied to yours. I have been nursing my dear husband for three months, and he has, only within a few weeks been convalescing, after a severe attack of pneumonia. I am thankful to say he is much better. I send you my lovely poem, yet hoping you saw the one I sent to Major Adams, as I hoped. Do write me soon and tell me of your dear self and family also.
Love to all you love, from your old Pastor and his wife, SELINA WHEAT.
Do tell me of Mrs. Churchill-does she live in Little Roek ? Mr. Crease hopes still to visit your city.
(This was Mr. Orlando Crease, of whom Mrs. Wheat had written in a former letter.)
The wedding song is here given :
TRIBUTARY VERSES TO MY DEAR WIFE
ON THE EIGHTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HER BIRTIIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1886.
Eighty-one years, you have numbered In Life's pilgrimage, my darling ;
Yet you keep your youthful spirits- What a marvel of endurance ! In your character's formation Many elements, and varied, Are harmoniously blended.
France and Scotland, severally,
Huguenot and Cath'lie mingling ;
Massachusetts and Virginia, Thrift and Chiv'lry, "met together,"
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North and South "have kissed each other."
What a charming combination- "Useful and the Ornamental"- For the Wife of a poor Parson ! Energetic, sympathizing With whatever is occurring- All you read of in the papers,
All you hear of friends and kinsfolk, Keeping up a correspondence
With them all-their common center- Binding scattered ones together ;
Always some sage plan contriving, Often Airy-Castles building, Chiefly for the good of others. "Old Virginny never tire !" Your endeavor to help others Shows itself on all occasions, And embraces all creation ! Did kind Providence permit it,
You would outvie Queen Victoria-
Empress of more num'rous subjects, And far greater benefactions.
My good wife is truly pious ; A Churchwoman, staunch and zealous, Yet, in Christian love, embraces All who, being God's dear children, Show it by their Christ-like spirit- By whatever name distinguished. Diligently reads her Bible, And her favorite "Bogatsky": Loves to go to Church, whatever Special service or occasion May call worshippers together ; Likes to roam through Cemeteries,
Tracing on old, time-worn tomb-stones, Quaint devices and inscriptions. She's a lineal descendant, As, en badinage, I tell her,
-11-
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Of that queer man in Scott's novel, Old Mortality, the Sculptor. Wife's most striking characteristic Is her faithful, ardent, clinging To her family and kinsfolk, Whether gone to Paradise, or Still living-all are bound up In her heart of hearts, forever. She's the wonderfulest woman, Of whom I have any knowledge- Sui gen'ris, no one like her! Calmly brooding, as the Halcyon, In the smiling, summer weather ; Buoyant as the Petrel, riding On the crest of stormy billows.
Wife's resiliency's a blessing For which I am very thankful. What if she had been despondent In the dark days of affliction ? Or an invalid, requiring Constant care, and whim-indulgence ? Oh, how diff'rent my experience ! Saved from cares innumerable, By a Helpmeet, self-reliant, Bent on all domestic duties, And yet thoughtful of her neighbors : Seeking out the poor and needy, Helping them in want or sickness, Not alone with worldly comforts, But with spiritual consolations. Yes, dear Wife, I sing your virtues-
Others, if they will, may fault you- But your husband, quoting Shakespeare, Tells you, "In your commendation I am fed"-a perfect "Love Feast"- Like that of the early Christians.
Paying you my Annual Tribute Or commemorative verses.
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I would give congratulations, Not in customary phrases,- Wishing this day's oft recurrence- Thus implying that a limit May be put to your existence, When Earth's Birthdays shall have ended.
Dear Wife, I would have you, rather,
Rest on Christ's distinct assurance, "He that liveth and believeth, Me, shall never die." Now, dearest, You are living and believing In Christ, only, for Salvation, Therefore, You shall live forever!
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