USA > Missouri > Presbyterianism in the Ozarks : a history of the work of the various branches of the Presbyterian Church in Southwest Missouri, 1834-1907 > Part 30
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"Man proposes, but God disposes."
The spring minutes of 1861 make no allusion to the impending carnage of blood. At is was in the days of Noah and shall be at the coming of the Son of Man, so the Presbytery pursued the even tenor of its way apparently regardless of on-coming desolation. There was the usnal arrangements for sacramental and camp meetings, the examinations of candidates, the enrollment of new churches and the adjournment to meet in Marionville "at candle lighting" Thursday evening before the fourth Sabbath in Septem- ber. But the candles if lighted must have burned out in their sockets! The next page opens: "In pursuance of a memorial sent up by Springfield Presbytery the Missouri Synod reconstructed the Ozark Presbytery, appointing Rev. J. D. Montgomery the first moderator, and fixing the time and place for the first meeting. Pursuant to said action of Synod the Ozark Presbytery of the Cum- berland Presbyterian Church met at New Hope Church, Dade county, Missouri, March 16, 1871." The last statistics (fall 1860) give the Presbytery a communicant membership of 1.104, with eleven ministers, five licentiates and four candidates. And one of the last acts of this ante-bellum Presbytery was to pass this resolu- tion :
"Resolved. That all the funds now on hand and that may be collected between this and the next meeting of Ozark Synod not otherwise appropriated be applied to the Springfield mission, and that Brothers King, Ames (probably Amos), J. D. Montgomery and Garrett be and they are hereby appointed to visit the several congregations in their respective bounds and solicit funds for the benefit of the Springfield mission."
As far back as 1848 the Presbytery had commended the St. Louis mission to its churches, and prior to that had sent a mis- sionary to Texas. I et not Jerushun wax fat and kick. St. Louis and Springfield are but returning what they borrowed.
The reference to Ozark Synod is a reminder that this organ- ization had a chequered career. Its earliest records appear to be lost. Its stated clerk, on the fly leaf of the first volume in ex- istence, has placed the date of its organization abont fifteen years too early. The Ozark Presbytery in the spring of 1860 memorial- ized the General Assembly to reorganize Ozark Synod. A year later the Synod appears to be in existence, and then at the reor- ganization of the Presbytery (1871) allegiance is owned to Mis- souri Synod.
SPRINGFIELD PRESBYTERY.
The Springfield Presbytery was organized the first Friday in April, 1847, in the Pomme de Terre meeting house. The members
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present at the organization were: Revs. Robert D. Smith, Jona- than Carthel and Thomas M. Johnston; Elders Josiah Danforth of New Providence Church, Samuel Headlee of Kickapoo, John P. Alsup of Pomme de Terre, James A. White of Spring Creek, Samuel W. Barnes of Dry Glaze, Josiah Rippe of Pleasant Valley, and Allen Edmonson of Bethel, with Licentiates Samuel Dillard, John Dillard and Levi P. MeAdow and Candidate James P. Baker. The absentees were five licentiates and three candidates. Churches not represented: Springfield, Cumberland Union, Osage and Pleasant Prairie. Rev. R. D. Smith, the convener, was continued as moderator, and Rev. T. M. Johnston was elected clerk, a posi- tion he held until his dismissal from the Presbytery in March, 1849, at which time he was characterized as "The father (in Christ) of this Presbytery." The Osceola Church was enrolled at this first session of the Presbytery, and this probably marked the northern limits of the Presbytery, whilst on the east and north- east work was vigorously pushed in Wright, Laclede and Dallas counties. The Macedonian cry from Taney county was heard and heeded, and the "preserve" of the New School Church at North Prairie, in Hickory county, was invaded.
In October, 1848, the Presbytery was divided into three cir- cuits, viz: "Springfield Circuit, embracing Greene county and the congregations within the same; Osceola Circuit, to embrace Os- ceola, Spring Creek, Osage and Pomme de Terre congregations and the intermediate country; the Buffalo Circuit included the town of Buffalo, Dry Glaze congregation and the Osage fork of Gasconade river so high up as to embrace Colonel Burnett's neighborhood." Thus it will be seen that, like the New School Church, the Cumberland Church occupied territory before the war long since abandoned.
Traditions oral and written have left the impression that the ministries of a number of the pioneer preachers of Southwest Mis- souri were attended with continuous revival fires. The records of Springfield and Ozark Presbyteries do not confirm these tradi- tions. For the first decade the growth of the church was indeed phenomenal. For the second decade, 1847-1857, the conversions and accessions to the churches were not large-some years were painfully small. The spiritual dearth began earlier in the Ozark Presbytery than in the Springfield Presbytery, but in the latter year after. year the report of the committee on religion asserted that religion was "at a low ebb" or "not so flourishing as form- erly." That these reports were not altogether the reflections of the pessimistic tendencies of their authors is evidenced by the statistical reports.
The method of gathering statistics was so imperfect that it is difficult to arrive at accurate conclusions. Some years not more
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than half of the churches reported. In March, 1849, there were 757 according to the reports. This is the largest number I find re- ported prior to the war. In the spring of 1861 the report gave the number as 602, and there are indications that this is comparative- ly accurate.
Frequent allusions are made in the records to the Pleasant Retreat Academy, in Polk county, but there are no intimations that the Presbytery sustained as close relations to this institution as did the Ozark Presbytery to the Spring River and Greenfield academies.
The cause of missions occupied a prominent place in the semi- annual deliberations of the Presbytery. The Presbytery regularly resolved itself into a missionary society and listened to a sermon on missions, urged its ministers to preach on the subject, looked with great favor on the Springfield mission sustained by the Sy- nod, seriously contemplated the formation of a missionary board, and in the spring of 1857 employed a Presbyterial missionary.
Fears as to efficacy of doctrinal preaching were not largely entertained. The ministers were "ordered" to preach once a year on infant baptism ; and the King James version was good enough for these "fathers and brethren." Cf. this resolution of 1859:
"Whereas, There is a strong effort being made by a certain set of fanatics to make the impression that the common transla- tion of the Bible commonly called King James' translation is in- correct ; and
"Whereas, As that (they?) have attempted to make the im- pression that the religions world is dissatisfied with it and are en- gaged in a new translation ; therefore to show our entire satisfac- tion with the translation of the Bible, and to express our utter contempt for such false impressions, and to disown all connection with that most detestable organization called the Bible Union, in which the Campbellites and a portion of the Baptists are at- tempting to torture and pervert the Word of God to teach their . pernicious errors; therefore
"Resolved, That we as a Presbytery, in obedience to a request of Ozark Synod, repudiate that version of the Bible being pub- lished by that organization, calling themselves the Bible Union, and use all lawful means to convince the public of its God-dishon- oring and soul-destroying tendency, and recommend the congre- gations under our care to do the same."
The state of religion was vastly improved just prior to the war. In October, 1858, the Presbytery appointed as a day of prayer for revival the day preceding the convening of the Synod and requested the Ozark Presbytery to meet with the Springfield Presbytery in joint services. The report of the next spring in- timates that there were within the bounds of the Presbytery 70
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colored communicants. From the minutes of September, 1860, we glean : "Ordained ministers, 7; licentiates, 6; candidate, 1; con- gregations, 17; communicants, 670; conversions, 68; accessions, 50; adult baptisms 12; infant baptisms, 25; dismissions, 2; deaths, 4; church property value, $4,000.00." It should be borne in mind that these reports were given semi-annually instead of annually as at present. This report continues: "Your committee are happy to be able to report that religion is in a prosperous condition: There have been some considerable outpouring of the Holy Spirit within your bounds. They also find the colored brethren in a pros- perous condition. They have 140 communicants, 35 accessions, 19 baptisms." From the minutes of March 2, 1861: "Most of the congregations under your care are in a healthy condition. Peace and harmony prevail generally throughout your bounds. There have been some gracious outpourings of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of souls, for which we should give praise to the Great Head and King of Zion, but not so much as in former days, which calls for great humiliation and repentance before God for our want of fervent zeal and energetic perseverance in the cause of God as a church. Your committee find the following statistics: Ministers, 6; licentiates, 7; candidate, 1; congregations, 20; con- versions, 32; accessions, 27; adult baptisms, 14; infant, 14; num- ber of communicants, 602; Sabbath schools, 2; pupils, 80; teach- ers, 12; dismissions, 7; deaths, 2." Including the colored com- municants there were probably 2,500 members of Cumberland Presbyterian churches in Southwest Missouri at the outbreak of the civil war.
The first allusion to disturbed national conditions found in the records of Springfield Presbytery occurs in the Spring min- utes of 1861 in these words: "The Springfield mission is doing well all things considered. The press in pecuniary matters has somewhat checked the progress of the church building. But if times become better and confidence in governmental affairs is re- stored they hope sometime this year to finish their house of wor ship." Like the Ozark Presbytery, this Presbytery appears to have expressed no opinions on the issues impending.
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CHAPTER III.
"THE DESTRUCTION TIIAT WASTETHI AT NOONDAY" -- RECONSTRUCTION.
Of the three Presbyteries in Southwest Missouri Springfield alone retained its organization during the civil war.
The battle of Bull Run had been fought and, as has been said, "The South gained the battle and the Union gained the cause." In our own confines the battle of Wilson Creek had been fought August 10th. Nevertheless the Presbytery convened in October, 1861, at Cumberland Union, Greene county. "But few members being present and no congregation, the opening sermon was dis- pensed with !"
Interesting extracts from minutes :
"Your commissioner to the last Assembly would report that he complied with your orders. He started in time to have reached St. Louis before the Assembly convened, but was detained two days by high water and. slow stage driving, hence missed the sittings of two days and was present but one day, the session lasting but three days."
"Your correspondent in behalf of Brother *
would report that he forwarded to the stated clerk of Des Moines Pres- bytery immediately after the close of your last meeting. He is sorry to have to say that he has received no official notice of its reception. * *
* He sent a stamp to pay the postage on liis response, which of itself would insure an answer among gentle- * *
* men, and how much it should among Christian brethren.
He intended to have made further efforts to hear from Brother *
* * , but the derangements in mail facilities has hitherto prevented it. He still intends doing so if communication is pos- sible."
This item reminds me of Caesar's facility with indirect dis- course and Demosthenese vituperative powers. I have omitted the name of the clerk thus indicated because there are so many session clerks in Southwest Missouri and a few ministers who ought to be regarded as the descendants of this letter-ignoring
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brother that I fear they would fail to recognize the relationship if his name were inserted !
"The war and excitement with all their attendant evils have sadly checked the progress of religion. The division of sentiment and active part taken by many of the members and some of the ministers have broken up in a great degree the public means of grace. Prayer meetings have been dispensed with; Sabbath schools broken up; preaching in some places entirely and in others almost entirely discontinued. Many are indifferent to and neglect- ful of attending church services. Ministers in some instances have given up for the present their great work. But few of the camp and protracted meetings appointed at your last session were held. These are some of the startling evidences that force themselves on the mind of the evils of war. Yet where preaching has been kept up, and in the few protracted meetings that were held, an interest and devotion was exhibited that indicate a better state of religion when the tempest shall have blown over and the calm returns. Such are unusual times in our experience; yet not worse than the Jews and others of God's people have suffered in former times; but to them a better and brighter day dawned. May it soon re- turn to us."
"Your committee would remind you of the great importance of humility, prayer and untiring devotion, and implicit confidence in Him who guards Zion as the apple of His eye, calls her members His 'jewels' and spareth them 'as a man spareth his son that serveth him.' "
"The following preamble and resolutions were adopted :
" 'Whereas, The next General Assembly will be one of great importance, as the division of the church will likely be considered, and it will be important for the Presbytery to be represented. Therefore
Resolved, That the congregations send up to the next meet- ing of Presbytery the same amounts as assessed last fall.'"
The spring and fall sessions of 1862 met and adjourned with- out a quorum, the latter adjourning to the Friday before the fourth Sabbath in November, at which time a quorum was present, and on the following Monday the report was adopted, of which the fol- lowing is a part :
"The corrupting influence that prevails throughout your bounds arising out of the war and its attendant evils have greatly checked the progress of religion. Some of your ministers have taken a very active part in the strife and contention already in the land, they apparently having exchanged their hymn books, which is the sword of the Spirit, for carnal weapons. Consequently their fields of labor as ministers of Christ are left uncultivated, their flocks are scattered and the cause of our ever-blessed Master is
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suffering. No camp or protracted meetings have been held within your bounds for the last 18 months. Therefore because the love of many waxeth cold iniquity doth much more abound."
A year later, i. e., October, 1863, conditions were much more encouraging, and although missionary efforts were practically abandoned during the war, the practice of holding revival meet- ings was resumed and they were attended by demonstrations of God's power in "a most wonderful manner." And the first day of January, 1864, was set apart as a day of fasting, humiliation and prayer, with the request that each minister preach a sermon that day on the call to the ministry.
The statistics for the fall meeting of 1865 were: "Ministers, 10; licentiates, 2; candidates, none; congregations, 23; accessions since last Presbytery, 86 ; conversions, 156 ; infant baptisms, 9; dis- missions, 1; suspensions, 1; deaths, 6; communicant, 794; church property, $4,000.00." These statistics probably included the Mount Vernon and Spring River congregations and Revs. A. A. Young and William Steel, said churches and ministers having been enrolled by reason of the disbanding of the Presbyteries of Ozark and Neosho. It is somewhat remarkable that the Springfield Presbytery survived the ravages of war so much more successfully than the other Presbyteries. These Presbyteries appear to have been reduced to one minister each. And in addition to the two churches enumerated above the records mention the fact that the Assembly added to the Presbytery of Springfield the churches of Greenfield, Walnut Grove and New Hope. It is probable that for the most part the other churches of the disbanded Presbytery were disorganized. The Springfield Church did not fare so well as the Presbytery. Never strong before the war, the records state that the mission was abandoned in 1862, and subsequently it would appear that the incompleted house of worship was sold for debt. But a committee was appointed to raise subscriptions to redeem the property, and from spring to fall and fall to spring for nearly ten years committees, financial agents, et cet., were appointed to raise funds to meet the debt and complete the building. The church apparently had a moribund existence most of this time.
The Presbytery was ransacked "from Dan to Beersheba" in the interests of this mission. Rev. J. N. Edmeston took charge of the work and the reorganization thereof was approved in 1869. At length, in the fall of 1870, the Presbytery disposed of the vexed problem by taking subscriptions in which subscribers agreed to be responsible for the sums opposite their names. That our larger churches may feel anew their responsibility to the country and towns, I incorporate this subscription : $500.00 each, C. B. Holland and J. B. Hillhouse : $50.00 each, H. A. Tucker, J. E. Garrett, W. W. Donham, D. W. Amos, Nathan Bray, A. A. Young, I. S. S.
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Pond, W. H. Duff, John Prigmore, R. J. Sims; $25 each, A. T. King, S. Hindman, Brothers Lowry and Bowie (I am not certain about this last name), W. J. Garrett, E. E. Baker, A. A. Keran, S. G. White, G. Davenport, X. G. McDowell, L P. McAdoo, N. Bray, J. W. Moore, J. D. Montgomery, John Hudson, E. G. Paris; $10.00 each, J. Rippy, C. C. Cash, G P Robeson, Brother Elkins, Jacob Longerier, W C. Church, Mitchel Ross, - Hocker, M. V. Russell, A. D. Drezell, Simon Headley, J. P. Alsup, James Harkness, J. N. Barr, J. H. Johnson, D. F. Tyndale ; $5.00 each, J. D. Montgomery, W. A. Miller, P. A. Rice.
Probably few persons of this generation are aware of how near to shipwreck the Cumberland Church came in the turbulent waters in which the Presbyterian Church struck the rocks that rent it in twain. Dr. McDonald presents the "War Record" of the church at large in the thirty-eighth chapter of his history, in which he attributes the fact that the church did not split over the resolu- tions of 1864 to the facts that by Northern votes the Assembly of 1866 met on Southern soil, which was regarded as the holding out of the olive branch of peace, that the stated clerk enrolled all reg- ularly commissioned Southern delegates, although in the minds of some the resolutions of '64 in their natural interpretation would have forbidden this, and especially to the fact that most of the strength of the church was in the South. This last statement should be coupled with his previously recorded testimony that the church prior to 1864 had gone on record as favorable to loyalty to the United States government and as opposed to slavery. In con- cluding his remarks about the Southern membership of the church he adds: "When they were in the majority in the Assembly, and able to carry things their own way, they unanimously granted terms to our Northern membership, such as the Southern wing of the Presbyterian Church has steadfastly refused to accept from Northern Presbyterians. At no time in the last fifteen years* would the Presbyterian Church have continued to be rent asunder, had the Southern wing thereof declared its willingness to accept a similar compromise."
As to the Springfield Presbytery (Minutes of fall session, 1865) :
A committee of three was appointed to draft resolutions in regard to what course we should take in regard to returned rebel brethren to comply with the requirements of the G. Assembly, and in connection with the late Constitution of the State of Missouri. Which committee suhmitted the following, which was con- curred in :
1. Resolved, That we do heartily concur with the Assembly *This history was issued in 1888.
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in extending pardons to returned rebel ministers who make the re- quired confession.
Resolved second, That although the late Constitution of Missouri conflicts in some degree with the standpoint of the Gen- eral Assembly in relation to rebel ministers, we as a Pres. submit to the powers that be and acquiesce in its requirements.
Resolved third, That all ministers belonging to this Pres., who have not complied with the Constitution and the G. Assembly, will not be admitted to seats as members in counsel hereafter.
Resolved fourth, That we regard the rebellion as sinful and . highly detrimental to the safety of political freedom.
Resolved fifth, That you admonish and advise your erring brethren to comply with the requirements of the G. Assembly, and Constitution of the State of Missouri at their earliest convenience."
From spring minutes, 1867 :
"Whereas. We believe the Cumberland Presbyterian Church is in the midst of a fearful crisis, that there is danger of a division of our beloved denomination, and believing that a division would prove ruinous to all our interests, to all our institutions of learn- ing, to our missionary enterprises and the general success of the church, we therefore instruct the commissioners to the next Gen- eral Assembly not to encourage or sanction any measure that will tend to the division of the church; and further, that they seek no alliances with any other denomination contrary to the doctrines of our Confession of Faith."
When the war was over the Presbytery made truly heroic ef- forts to regain the waste places, notably in the southwest and northwest parts of its enlarged territory, which covered all South- west Missouri. These self-sacrificing efforts were crowned with phenomenal success. From time to time the Presbytery employed from two to four missionaries to. reorganize disbanded churches and to gather the scattered people. Their salaries were small, usually two received $400 for six months' service, but these were the offerings lagrely of country and village churches and minis- ters whose fields were not quite so badly devastated as those to which missionaries were sent. For a number of years the accessions reported seem almost incredibly large, and while this is partly ex- plained by the probable fact that many of these were persons who had gone astray during the war, still the records give evidence that revival fires burned brightly.
The fall minutes of 1869 contain this record: "31 ordained · ministers, 7 licentiates. 7 candidates, 150 ruling elders, and about 3,000 communicants. There have been added to the church during the past year abont 832 members. As we have not before us full reports from all parts of the Presbytery, perhaps the number re- ported falls short."
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During this flourishing period of the church's history a mis- sion board was established in its bounds, though just what relation it had to the church at large I am not able to say. At the spring meeting in 1870 the Assembly's board of missions was requested to aid in the support of the missionaries in the bounds of the Presbytery. Resolutions were also passed to establish a depository for the publications of the church in the city of Springfield, and S. F. Gibson was appointed a general agent for the Presbytery.
With the growth of the Presbytery it was urged that it had become too large to be entertained easily by the churches, that it was too expensive for delegates from remote places to attend, and that in consequence thereof the Synod should divide and reorgan- ize the Presbyteries in consonance with the respective territories of the Neosho, Ozark and Springfield Presbyteries prior to the war. The efforts in this direction were not immediately successful, but in the fall of 1870 the Missouri Synod, which was to convene · in Leavenworth, Kansas, was memoralized to re-establish the three Presbyteries in accordance with the tenor of the above. This re- quest was granted, and the General Assembly of 1871 authorized the ministers of the three Presbyteries, together with the represen- tatives of the congregations, to meet in Springfield on Friday pre- ceding the third Sabbath in October to constitute the Synod of Ozark. This Synod had ceased to be during the war. The As- sembly of 1864 had said :
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