USA > Indiana > Decatur County > Kingston > Seventy five years : anniversary proceedings of the founding of the Presbyterian Church, Kingston, Indiana, held in the church edifice, December 17th and 18th, 1898 > Part 4
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EXTRACTS FROM THOMAS HAMILTON'S HISTORY.
The following extracts from a history of the church prepared by Thomas Hamilton in 1857 present the personal recollections and opinions of one of the earliest and most devoted friends of the church. Uncle Tommy Hamil-
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ton, as he was familiarly called, possessed in a very remarkable degree the confidence and esteem of the entire neighborhood, both in and out of the church membership, during the fifty years of his service as elder. He died June 16, 1880. His manuscript was not available at the time of the anniver- sary, but some of its more interesting features are herewith subjoined :
" Having composed one of the number of those who were first organized into the Sand Creek church, and having been familiar with and having taken a deep interest in everything connected with her welfare for a third of a cen - tury, it seemed good to me to give an outline of the most important events connected with its history for the benefit of those who may come after, that they may shun the mistakes and improve whatever may be worthy of imita- tion. The church was organized in the latter part of 1823, by Rev. John R. Moreland. The name at first given was Concord, afterward changed to the present name on account of some other church in the State having the same name.
" The original membership was mainly emigrants from Kentucky and Pennsylvania, mostly from Concord Church in the former State. Some from the first organization of that State had labored for the abolition of slavery. Despairing of success, and unwilling that their descendents should grow up under the blighting influence of the iniquitous system, they concluded, though even then advanced in life, to leave that rich, fertile and healthy land for one less so, that they and theirs might enjoy the advantages of free insti- tutions. The country was passing through the most unprecedented pressure experienced since the Revolutionary struggle. Prices, during a few years preceding, had ruled high. A great amount of bank paper had been put in circulation without any capital, and a general breaking-down ensued. Al- most the whole country was in debt. Well-improved land in Kentucky came down from twenty-five dollars to eight dollars an acre, and other property in proportion. Most of the early settlers had but little capital over what pur- chased their land, and owned but small tracts. The country was covered at that time with a dense growth of green beech, sugar and other trees of enormous size, few farms having more than ten acres partly cleared. The seasons at that time were very wet, especially in the winter and spring. There being no underdraining, the best part of our lands were lost. Several years passed before enough was raised for home consumption. At that time there was no school or meeting-house, but meetings for prayer and conference were held regularly, conducted for the most part by Samuel Dounell and John Hopkins.
"In the summer of 1825 a site for a church and burying ground was selected. The congregation met and felled the trees and burned the brusli and part of the logs on about an acre of ground, then took a subscription from individuals for a house, each one agreeing to furnish a certain number of logs, rafters, sleepers, shingles, etc., and some small sums of money to pay for lumber, nails and carpenter work. Nothing was done to the church that season but to raise to the square. In the fall of 1825 Rev. S. G. Lowry visited the church with a view of settlement. With some aid from the A. H. M. S., an amount was raised sufficient for his support, and some aid to purchase for him eighty acres of land. He accordingly settled in December, 1825. During the winter the congregation met, hewed logs and raised a house on his own land about half a mile from the church."
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Mr. Hamilton describes the ministry of Mr. Lowry as successful, and attended with two or three revivals and a camp-meeting conducted by Rev. Alexander Rankin. During this period they organized under the common school system ; and the first temperance movement was begun under the auspices of Mr. Lowry and a Mr. Strange. He speaks of Mr. Lowry as a moderate New School man, and his resignation, in 1832, as brought about partly by ill health and partly by the opposition of the Old School element in the church. His successor, Rev. J. S. Weaver, was a pronounced Old School minister. The narrative continues :
"The pressure of the times had gradually given way. Farms were made ; farmers had some surplus, and rude cabins were giving way to more comfortable and permanent houses. While this was the case on the farms, it was thought the rude, uncomfortable log church should be replaced by a better. Accordingly, funds were raised by subscription and the building of a brick house let to the lowest bidder. During the building of the church, the anti-slavery movement began to be agitated here. A country society, auxiliary to the American Anti-slavery Society, was organized. Few of the members of the church manifested any hostility to the abolition movement. All joined in condemning slavery ; but a considerable part stood aloof or refused active co-operation. Abolitionists became zealous, as opposition in- creased, pressed their arguments by means of lectures, newspapers and tracts, until to a great extent that became the absorbing topic of interest. The pastor, seeing that a portion, perhaps a majority of the church were not abolitionists, began to stand aloof, or rather attempted to occupy neutral ground. In the meantime, the abolitionists, being so indubitably convinced of the truth and importance of their principles, became impatient to some extent, thought all good and right-minded men ought to embrace them, and occasionally were led into some imprudences. About this time, Mr. Hopkins was candidate for the State Legislature again. Most, if not all, the anti- slavery members refused to support him on account of his want of co-opera- tion in the temperance and anti-slavery movements, which somewhat chagrined him, he having always heretofore received their support."
Mr. Hamilton here gives an account of the differences between Mr. Hopkins and the session, growing out of this candidacy, which are given fully in the old session book, and proceeds :
" Up to this time no very active opposition had obtained in the church to the anti-slavery movement, but from this time, efforts were made to cre- ate parties for and against the movement. The state of the public mind was such that all who embraced the temperance and anti-slavery causes did it at the cost of all hope of preferment to office. Many, from a general desire to stand well with others, thinking their influence in society would be impaired, and that the abolitionists went too far and too fast, hereafter stood aloof from the cause,"
Mr. Hamilton's account of the events leading up to the division, and of the subsequent history of the church, is too long to be conveniently quoted here. Perhaps enough has been given to show the tolerant and just spirit in which our most notable church controversy is reviewed by one of the most earnest participants in it.
REV. J. A. LIGGITT, D. D.
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HISTORY OF REV. JOHN R. MORELAND, WHO ORGANIZED THE OLD SAND CREEK CHURCH.
By Dr. W. B. Wishard, of Indianapolis.
"Rev. John R. Moreland was born in 1785 in western Pennsylvania. He grew up with no educational advantages except those afforded by the school taught in a log house. He was a carpenter, and as there was little to do in that time, he took to flat-boating to New Orleans. When twenty-one or twenty-two years old, he walked home through the Indian nations, a journey of about nine hundred miles.
"On one of his trips down the Ohio river, he stopped three or four days at Limestone, now Maysville, Ky. The Rev. Dr. Lyle, an eminent divine of Kentucky, was holding a protracted meeting in the Presbyterian church. He went to hear him, and was so much interested that when they were ready to start the boat, he notified his crew he would not run the boat any more. He stated to the crew that he was converted, and that his life plan was changed. The revival was one of unusual power, and he caught the fire that was never lost during his noble ministry. After the meeting was closed, he visited in Mercer County, Ky. His means were limited. He attended Transylvania College, Lexington, Ky. It is my impression that he never graduated. When he returned, he commenced studying divinity with the. celebrated Thomas Clelland, D. D., of Mercer county. The Rev. Thornton A. Mills, D. D., and the Rev. James A. Carnahan, while visiting at my home, spoke enthusiastically of Mr. Moreland. In 1848 I had occasion to visit Kentucky, and saw many of his old acquaintances. One of them, who had often heard him, stated that he could command larger congregations than anyone who had ever preached in that county. He was a man of great mus- cular strength and endurance ; he was an uncompromising enemy of slavery ; this was his reason for leaving Kentucky.
"There were several of his old acquaintances living in Indianapolis. They invited him to visit them. The First church was vacant. He received a call and came here in December, 1828. On week days he preached wherever opportunity presented itself. He preached extemporaneously from notes. But a few days since one of our retired attorneys, a former judge of the court, spoke to me of his preaching. He said his appeals to the unconverted were the strongest he had ever heard, and at such time he shed tears, and melted the congregation.
"He died suddenly, in October, 1832, and now sleeps in Green Lawn Cemetery. The church erected a stone -there were no monuments in that day.
SERMON BY HARRY NYCE,
At the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church, at Kingston, Indiana.
"When the Rev. Mr. Bartlett informed me, at the meeting of synod, of the coming celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Kingston church, I at once said: 'I would like to be present.' I well recall the being present at the semi-centennial anniversary. I hope that twenty-five years hence, at the centennial anniversary, many of the boys and girls here to-day will recall as vividly this seventy-fifth anniversary as some recall that which occurred twenty-five years ago.
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"Your minister asked me to speak to you to-day. Since the history of the church has been so well recalled, by those who have contributed to the making of that history, at this closing hour of the day I desire to speak to you from the text found in the second chapter and in the tenth verse of the Gos- pel, according to the apostle John: 'Thou hast kept the good wine until now.'
"These words are taken from the account given by the Apostle John of the first miracle of Jesus in Cana of Gallilee. A wedding had taken place, and the guests were happy and contented at the supper, for, by the power of the miracle-working guest, the water had been turned into wine. The ruler of the feast came and tasted the water that was made wine. He knew not whence it was. He thought that the bridegroom was responsible for the wine. He tells how the good wine had been kept until toward the end of the feast. Usually it comes at the beginning. The ruler of the feast says to the bridegroom: 'Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have well drunk then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now.' 'Thou hast kept the good wine until now.' The words of the ruler only referred to the feast in Cana of Gallilee. But the words are also true of the religion of Jesus Christ, who worked His first miracle at that marriage feast. The words of the ruler, 'thou hast kept the good wine until now,' were wiser than he who uttered them knew. Stand- ing as we do to-day, in the last month of the year, let us have these words teach us lessons of the religion of Christ. May we not ask at this anniver- sary time if it is true in the world at large, and if it is true in our own lives, that the best is coming last? We are now drawing very near to the close of the nineteenth century. Soon 1900 years since the birth of Christ will have been completed. The religion of Christ has had time to accomplish some- thing in the world at large and in the hearts of men. If the ruler of the feast were alive to-day and would recall not merely the power of Jesus at that wedding so long ago in Cana of Gallilee, but if he could look out upon a world in which the power of Christianity has been working for 1900 years; if he could look into the experiences of your life and my life to the time of this seventy-fifth anniversary of the Kingston church, would he say: 'Thou hast kept the good wine until now?' Let us ask then to-day: Is the world growing better or worse? Am I, as an individual, becoming better, stronger in Christ as the years come and go? Do we look back to-day upon the world at the time when Christ was born and say that the world was better then than it is now? Roman and Grecian mythology saw their golden age in the past. The religion of the Jews and that of the Christians found their golden age in the future, not in the past. Adam and Eve were driven out of paradise, but the prophets and the psalmists did not look back upon the lost joys of paradise; they ever looked 'forward to the transcendent glories of the kingdom of the Messiah.' We wonder and are put to shame by the devotion and courage of the disciples to the cause of Christ, for we some- times wonder if we, as Christians, to-day could endure imprisonment and martyrdom as they endured. The earnestness and the devotedness of the few-of Paul and of John, of Matthew and Mark-may have been greater than the earnestness of Christians to-day; but, nevertheless, the sin of man was great in that day. The letters of the apostles tell of widespread sin and guilt on the part of man, and they looked forward into the future when Christ would have come again; when the power of Christ would have
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worked in the world; when the Gentiles would have turned unto the Cross of Christ. Yes; in the Old and in the New Testament, the golden age was to be in the future and not in the past. The best wine of the feast was to be kept until the last.
"And as the world grows older, better things are given to man. Surely in a material sense this is so. Viewing the comforts of life, the triumphs of art and invention, no man in his senses would rather have lived in 1798 than in 1898. No man would want to place himself back in 1823, or 1698, or in the Year of Our Lord 98, to live merely regarding the material comforts of men. Mother Shipton, who is said to have lived in England in the sixteenth century, uttered her prophecy concerning material things. Living three hundred and fifty years after her famous prophecy was uttered, let us notice how much of that prophecy has been fulfilled in a material way :
"Carriages without horses shall go, And accidents fill the world with woe. Around the world thoughts shall fly In the twinkling of an eye. Waters shall yet more wonders do; Now strange, yet shall be true. Through hills man shall ride And no horse or ass be at his side. Under water, man shall walk, Shall ride, shall read, shall talk; Iron shall in the water float As easy as a boat Gold shall be found, and known and shown,
In a land that is not known.
Fire and water shall wonders do; England at last admit a Jew.
The world to an end shall come
In eighteen hundred and eighty-one."
"The world to an end shall come In eighteen hundred and eighty-one "
"This did not occur, but much of the rest of the strange prophecy has occurred. The power of steam, the telegraph, the telephone, the electric light, the electric motor and many other inventions have made the comforts of living greater at the end of this century than at any other time in the world's history. It is glorious to live at a time when thought can be trans- mitted around the earth. In the Midwinter Night's Dream, Shakespeare causes his fancy to play, and Puck says: 'I'll put a girdle about the earth in forty minutes.' The fancy of the poet has almost become a fact in sci- ence, for, in May, 1896, at the electrical exposition in New York, this mes- sage was started around the world: 'God creates, nature treasures, science utilizes electrical power for the grandeur of nations and the peace of the world.' These words were started at 8:35; at 9:25, just fifty minutes from the start, the receiving instrument clicked, and the message was taken ex- actly as sent, having made a trip of 27,500 miles. Surely it is more con- venient to live in such a time than in the time when battles were fought since the opposing armies had received no intelligence that a treaty of peace was concluded.
"Great has been the advance in science, art and invention during the century drawing to a close. But we would not dwell upon the material ad- vancement to-day. As one says, 'it is surely more convenient to strike a
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light with a friction match than with a tinder box.' But the burglar who uses the friction match in the nineteenth century is just as much a criminal as the bandit of the twelfth century who used the tinder box. Starting as we did to-day with the text, 'Thou hast kept the good wine until now,' we would ask the question, Is the moral life of the world better as the years go on? Is the world growing better? Is it true that the good wine of the world is being kept until now?
" Let us look first at the trust of man in his fellow man. We look to-day at the business arrangements of the world, and we find that they depend in a large measure upon honor. Edward Everett Hale tells us that in the first century in the days of Augustus Cæsar, and even in the twelfth century, in the days of Richard Cœur de Lion, the trade of the world was not con- ducted as it is to-day. In those days when a man sold his goods he went with his goods to protect them and to see that he got a return for his goods when delivered. The tradesman was a peddler. Think to-day of the vast volume of exchange in the world which rests upon honor. A tradesman lets his goods go out of his sight and trusts often simply upon a promise to pay. He sends his goods to a distant part of the country, or across wide, wide seas, and expects with certainty to receive a return from men he has never seen. Is not this trust of man in his fellow man so widespread and so essential a part of the commerce of to-day a sign that the world is better than it was? Does not an extended system of business credit exist to-day since man has been taught by the religion of Christ to trust his fellow man ?
"Again, a sign that the world is becoming better at the close of this century is the interest of man in his fellow man. Workers, though they may belong to the poorer classes, are not regarded as so many hands, but as souls, as brother men. A writer, in the New York Independent, who was asked last summer to give the most striking characteristic of Queen Victo- ria's sixty years reign, gave the answer most aptly by a quotation taken from a story by Lord Beaconsfield, the story of Sybil, placed in the year of the Queen's accession.
" "This is a new reign,' said Egremont ; 'perhaps it is a new era.'
" 'I think so,' said the younger stranger.
" 'I hope so,' said the older one.
"'Well, society may be in its infancy,' said Egremont, slightly smiling, 'but say what you like, our Queen reigns over the greatest nation that ever existed.'
" 'Which nation ?' asked the younger stranger, 'for she reigns over two.'
"The stranger paused; Egremont was silent, but looked inquiringly.
"'Yes, resumed the younger stranger, after a moment's interval, two nations; between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other's habits, thoughts and feelings as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets, who are formed by a different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners, and are not governed by the same laws.'
" 'You speak of,' said Egremont, hesitatingly.
" 'The rich and the poor.'
" A sure sign that the world is becoming better to-day is the interest of these two nations, the interest of the rich and the poor, the one in the other. Years ago nobody outside of a few distressed himself about the condition of
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the poor. Now it is a healthy sign that men do distress themselves; 'that children are being freed from degrading toil; that sympathy with the suffer- ing and poor is more deep and full.' The world has still many problems to solve, but that the world has begun in earnest to work upon the solution of its problems is a most healthful sign of the progress of the times. The year 1898 has granted unto history the spectacle of a great nation going forth in behalf of others, ready to make the sacrifice of war, not for itself, but for others.
" In seeking the solution of these problems there is a larger fraternal spirit among men than ever before. We are told: 'That once upon a large ocean steamer, with seven hundred passengers from different classes of soci- ety, there came a sudden calamity. The main shaft of the engine broke; great holes were made in the bottom of the vessel, and three compartments were filled with water. There was extreme danger that all on board would perish. All classes mingled freely. Of course there was fear; but during all the time of great trial the people were kind to one another. Prejudices of race and condition did not appear to hinder that spirit of the Great Mas- ter, which teaches men to be helpful one to the other.' I believe that scene is characteristic of the race at large. Great trials will come to men, but in the midst of it all people will seek to be helpful to the other. The devel- opment of the altruistic feeling on the part of humanity tells us that the world is growing better and not worse.
" Many are the ways in which we might ask you to verify the truth, that since the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, the world is growing better.
" Of course, if we look for it, we can find much that is evil, much of sin and crime in the world; but also there is much that is good and pure. An English critic, Mr. Stead, has written strongly of the sin in New York and Chicago; nevertheless I doubt not but that much concerning the higher and better life of these two cities could be written, of the influence of the churches in these cities, teaching a moral code wholesome alike for body and soul; telling man of his relation to his fellow man. We might also look at the care of the sick in the hospitals of these cities, of the care of the blind, the deaf, the dumb, the lame and the insane. We might glance at the higher life of these cities as manifested in the libraries and galleries; we might, in passing, notice the public school system, where an education is placed within the reach of all the children. Yes, there is much that is good to be found by him who will only seek for the good.
" If we have our minds open we can behold the progress of the world on all sides. As you go into Greensburg, your county seat, you behold the tower of your court-house. Think how the justice administered in that court-house has been transformed by the influence of the Babe of Bethlehem. The justice administered there has a theory of family life that did not come from Roman jurisprudence, but from the commandments of Moses and from the treasure of Christian truth found in the Holy Scriptures. No plea at all could be heard in that court-house of the absolute ownership of the man over the woman that can be heard to-day in a Mohammedan or Turkish civ- ilization. Never for a moment in that court-house can be advanced to-day pleas for the justification of human slavery. Who would maintain in that court-house the principle of the absolute rights of a ruler, that a ruler or king
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had absolute ownership over his subjects and their belongings? Many are the principles of justice administered to-day in your court-house, the inspi- ration of which is found in the religion of Christ.
" Great is the sinfulness of to-day, but there were sins in the time of the Apostle Paul, for which we have no names to-day. Read the first chap- ter of Romans and you will know the condition of the world in the time of the Apostle Paul. And we believe that since certain sins are unknown the condition of the world is better to-day. It is said that 'on the shore of Lake Erie you can see that the land relatively to the water is rising, or that the water is receding as time rolls on. Three or four parallel ridges of sand mark the successive boundaries of the lake, and now towns and villages and railways appear, and thousands of acres of farm lands where once only a waste of water appeared.' So it is with the moral conditions of mankind. Where once there was a waste of human slavery there now arise the dignity and worth of true manhood; where once there were sins, names for which we do not have; interest for man, the care and culture of men, these things have supplanted evil things, and the world is growing better, not worse. As we stand at this anniversary time in the last month of the year 1898 and view the progress of mankind, are not the words of the pastor of the Pil- grim Fathers being fulfilled, for as they sailed from Delft in 1620 he said: 'I am convinced that the Lord hath yet more truth for us, yet to break forth out of His Holy Word.' That truth is breaking forth upon us, and God will ever have a higher, better, nobler life for those of his children who choose to place themselves in line with that which He is ever revealing to the chil- dren of men. The question for you and me to ask at this anniversary time is: 'Am I in line with God's purposes for his children, am I being exalted and blessed by his purposes, or are the years coming and going, yesterday 1897, to-day 1898, to-morrow 1899, without my life being a blessing to God and to mankind? Am I setting myself against Jesus Christ, the Revealer of God's will? Have I confessed Him before men?' As we have tried to an- swer the question that God is causing His world to become better, may each of us try to answer to-day a more practical question, which is, Am I becom- ing better? As I grow older is the best wine being kept for me at the feast's end?
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