USA > New Jersey > Morris County > Morristown > The Record of the First Presbyterian Church of Morristown, N.J. : v. 1-5 Jan. 1880-Dec. 1885, pt 1 > Part 41
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6€ teachers, 47
scholars in primary de-
partment, 90
Number of scholars in main school, 266
Total, 412
New scholars, 49
Scholars withdrawn or moved
away, 46
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THE RECORD.
Scholars died during last year, 2
Teachers, "
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One of the two scholars, who were re- ported as dying during the past year, was from the primary class and one from the main school. Of the officers seven are church members ; all the teachers and one hundred and seven scholars are professors of religion. Officers present at every service during the year, I
Teachers present at every service, 4
Scholars : 9
These scholars all received a Bible as a reward for this punctual attendance. Six from the school have united with the church during the past year.
Average attendance, 260
Largest attendance, 299
Smallest attendance, 108
Average attendance of officers, 7 teachers, 38
scholars, 210
Number of volumes in the library of the main school, 510
Number of books in the library of
primary department, 140
Value of library and piano belong- ing to the school, $800 00
The parish has appropriated $200 for the expense of the school.
The Children's Missionary Society has contributed $590 06. Ten scholars have learned the catechism perfectly, and for this each received a Bible from Mr. Pitney. The report made honorable mention of several classes, whose record of attendance and other meritorious action deserved this par- ticular mention.
It is most desirable that there should be an accurate and careful history of the school prepared and printed. Our good friend, J. D. Stevenson, Esq., former super- intendent, and whose interest in the school is still unabated it is said, prepared such a history. Repeated and earnest requests for facts and dates relative to this history have been made in the RECORD. Strange' to say these requests have been unanswered, ex- cept by one good friend who lives in Michi- gan. The information he gives would seem to indicate that the school had reached an older age than sixty-seven years. He cannot be definite. Will not some kind friend look up this matter and furnish the RECORD with full dates and facts. Those, who are. in pos- session of such dates and facts are fast leav- ing us and soon the possibility of obtaining
the desired information will be gone. At a late meeting of the teachers held for the purpose of electing officers, the following were elected :
William D. Johnson, superintendent ; Mahlon Pitney, assistant superintendent ; P. B. Pierson, secretary and treasurer ; O. F. Lozier, Librarian ; William Leek, Henry Potts, assistant Librarians; Miss Emma Campbell and Miss Lottie Campbell, super- intendents of primary department; Miss Laura Pierson, assistant superintendent of primary department.
TEMPERANCE.
This important subject is still occupying the attention of our community. At the last municipal election in this city, the issue of license or no license was presented to the town and decided in favor of the ticket which represented license. The majority was small, very small, in so large a vote as nine hundred and more. But it was suffi- ciently large to prove that the sen- timent of the voters of Morristown is decid- edly favorable to licensing beer saloons. This is a humiliating fact but it must be ac- knowledged. Let it be stated in all its full- ness. In this city there are opened places of business where nothing is sold except beer and other stimulants. They afford temptation on every hand to the idler, the vicious and the young. They lead the way to drunkenness, vice, the prison and often to the gallows. They are not a necessity ; that cannot be pleaded in their behalf. They are simply nuisances, open and un- disguised in their trade of destroying souls and winning lives for sin and wickedness. The result of the last election demonstrates the terrible fact, that a majority of the citi- zens of Morristown is in favor of licensing these moral pests. It is useless to shut our eyes to this deplorable fact. It cannot be urged that the gentlemen, who were elected upon the license ticket, were elected as members of a political party and are entirely unpledged as to their future action on the subject. The question of politics did not enter into the contest. One of the great political parties did not present a ticket.
The question was placed squarely before the citizens and it was well understood by
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every voter when he deposited his ballot. that he was expressing his views on this important subject.
How shall this terrible blot on the char- acter of the voters of Morristown be re- moved? The answer is evident : The only way is for the friends of temperance to be earnest, faithful and diligent. The time is coming when public sentiment on this sub- ject will be purified. To do this needs pa- tience and work.
PULPIT ECHOES.
REV. J. LEONARD CORNING.
Charity is a problem of the head as well as of the heart. it is the fruit of intelligent judgment quite as much as affectionate sympathy.
There is not such a demonstration of the blundering moral philosophy of society under the heavens, as is found in the stereo- type apparatus by which crime is punished. The highest providential mystery in the world to my mind is the divine permission of human penalty in its present forms.
Jails and gibbets may be allowable as bulwarks of self defense in society, but as idexes of various degrees of culpability they are the most monstrous monuments of hu- man folly. Who but the all-seeing God himself, can trace the broad, deep river which goes under the name of sin through all its thousand tributaries to the far-off source ? Uncounted generations in the past send down to the present the almost om- nipotent forces which give shape and color to the human soul. The will is the eternal denier of fate and yet there is a divinity, kindred to fate, which sways her scepter over character.
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lateral facts which qualify it ! In other words who can trace up the sinuous streams of heritage? Who can measure the force of temptation as it addresses it- self from within and from without to each individual soul? Ah! What a labyrinth of undiscovered and at present undiscoverable history have we here! When a man has tracked out its thousand passages then, but never till then, let him sit in final judgment upon the frailties of his brother.
Do you remember the story which Clara Barton tells of that wounded soldier at An- tietam whom she lifted up to give him drink, when a shot from the enemy passed through the sleeve of her dress and pierced him in the heart ? Oh ! have I not seen that horrible tragedy enacted again and again when some soul whom Satan had wounded was taking cheer at the ministering hand of pity and merciless calumny smote it down again into despair and death ?
A man thinks he evidences the strength of his moral principle by withdrawing on the other side of the highway from a sin- maimed soul, but he only evidences the weakness of his moral principle. Is he afraid of his character ? No he is afraid of his reputation. Does he tremble for his soul's safety ? No, he trembles for his re- spectability. The very interest that is really most secure he is most anxious about. For I want to ask you if you ever knew one to set himself apart to labor for the restoration of the fallen that God did not take care both of character and reputa- tion, both of the soul and respectability.
There is another realm than the asthetic, the realm of love where notes sweeter than angelic warble and tints brighter than vernal greet the eye. When a man is in that realm all the voices of sinful allurement are silent. Passion dare not lift its viper head in the presence of this divine charmer. And so the soul never gets such rapid growth in purity as when to the eye of sense its purity seems most imperilled by surrounding corruption. Love is a sun- beam and is no more defiled when stealing into some dark cavern recking with filth
The man who pronounces final judgment upon the merit and demerit of human con- duct, with his present light, or rather I may say his present darkness on the subject. is simply a fool. Ten thousand antecedents of personal volition determine the ascen- dancy of appetite over reason and passion over conscience. Certainly, there is a resi- dual fact in every individual soul, on which accountability rears itself, that most terribly solemn prerogative of human nature. But who hath eyes keen enough to take just measurement of this fact beside all the col- | than when nestling in the petal of a lily.
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THE RECORD
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MORRISTOWN, N. J. " THIS SHALL BE WRITTEN FOR THE GENERATION TO COME."-Psalms 102 : 18.
VOLUME III.
JULY, 1883. NUMBER 7.
[Printed with the Approval of the Session. ] -
THE RECORD
Will be published monthly at Morristown, N. J. Terms $1.oo per annum, in advance. Subscriptions may be made at the book- stores of Messrs. Runyon and Emmell, or to Messrs. James R. Voorhees and William D. Johnson, or by letter addressed to the EDITOR OF THE RECORD, Morristown, N. J. Entered at the Post Office at Morristown, N. J., as second class matter.
THE CHRISTIAN ERA.
The chronology of the Christian Era has never been accurately determined ; that is to say, the true date of the birth of Christ has remained unknown. Many attempts have been made to ascertain it. These at- tempts have been based upon various meth- ods of calculations, some erroneous, many fanciful, all difficult of solution. Until re- cently these have failed and it is very doubt- ful whether success can possibly be reached. It, certainly, remains, for further inves- tigations, to learn whether accuracy has been attained. It may be deemed by some as not a subject of the importance commensurate with the pains which have been taken to solve the problem ; but to the student of history, who desires entire accuracy, it is desirable to fix a certain date for the beginning of the Christian chronol- ogy.
At the birth of the Saviour, each nation, which had attained to any degree of civiliza- tion, had its own way of denoting time. The Romans counted their era from the building of the city ; the Greeks by the Olympiads ; the Egyptians, Assyrians, Chinese, and other races, had adopted their own peculiar eras, These methods obtained for several centuries after the crucifixion,
The mode of computing time from the birth of Christ was not introduced until the sixth century-the real date is said to be 527-and it did not then become universal, not even in Christendom. Its introduction was very gradual, and it was not fully recognized, even by Christian nations, un- til many centuries after.
So many eras are found adopted by his- torians, ancient and modern, that the student of history, even with all the light which modern investigation has thrown upon the subject of chronology, is neces- sarily confused. The want of accurate mathematical and, especially of astronomi- cal, knowledge in ancient times, and the very vague methods so frequently used for computing time, give still more puzzling ideas to the reader. Generations, the life- times of monarchs, priests, priestesses, or of prominent men were frequently adopted to denote eras.
Even after the 6th century, when the Christian Era seems, in a measure, to have been received, as a mode of denoting chro- nology, the old methods still continued to be used.
A curious mode still in use by the Popes, called Indictions, was introduced about the 4th century. Its origin is unknown and many fanciful theories are advanced con- cerning it. The original meaning of the word, " the imposition of a tax," has aided several imaginative writers in displaying these fanciful theories, for which, however, there is no possible foundation. This mode was in use in France as late as the 15th cen- tury. Many charters and public deeds are still in existence, bearing the double date of the Indictions and the Christian Era. There is no certain way of learning why this pe- culiar mode of denoting time was originally used and it seems useless to speculate about
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THE RECORD.
it. It was first used by ecclesiastical writers in the time of Athanasius, who flourished in the 4th century. Why his name is asso- ciated with this first use is unknown. It was not employed exclusively by ecclesias- tical authors, but was used by them in pref- erence to other modes.
There is a difference of opinion as to the date from which it is reckoned ; some hold- ing that it was September Ist, 312, others, September 15th, 312.
The Popes date their Indictions from dif- ferent times than those ordinarily received, but their use seems simply arbitrary, and not to be based upon any other foundation than the will of the Pope, who first ordered it. They reckon from January 1, 313. This is now the only one in vogue and is called the Papal Indiction. Each Indiction is a period or cycle of fifteen years. A rule is adopted by which a calculation can be made show- ing the exact cycle in which any given year of the Christian Era will fall.
It will be readily perceived that if there be any doubt as to the date of Christ's birth, as now denoted by the current chron- ology, the systems of computing time, which depend upon the ordinarily received year of that event, are also in doubt. For in- stance, the era adopted in fixing the date of the building of Rome, is said to be 752 or 753 B. C. But if the usual date employed to denote the birth of Christ, be incorrect, then there is uncertainty as to the time of the building of Rome. The chronology adopted by Christian nations is generally received and made the basis of most other chronolo- gies. It is, therefore, important that the Christian Era should be entirely correct ; that can only be so made by fixing precisely the true time of what is chronologically called the year one, A. D. It is doubtful whether this can be accurately accom- plished, but it is worth the trial.
For a long time scholars have determined that a mistake has crept in the Christian Era ; that the date of the birth of Christ has been erroneously postponed for four years ; that is, that the present year should be 1887 and not 1883, By what method this sup- posed inaccuracy has been ascertained can- not now be stated.
' German students, with their usual perti- nacity, have devoted much time and patient
labor to this subject. The result of the in- vestigation of one of them is summed up in the following extract which appeared in the Newark Evening Journal, a political newspaper ; which, however, devotes . large portion of one of its pages to excellent literary extracts, evincing a discriminating taste not often displayed by daily papert, whose declared utterances are generally and avowedly purely political. The extract is given for what it is worth and must be re- ceived by the readers of the RECORD, unin- dorsed in its statements as to dates and as to its conclusions.
The 25th of December is given as to the exact date of the birth of our Lord. This is by no means certain and is not received without very strong objections. Decem- ber, it is claimed, was the month of the year, during which occurred the worst part of the rainy season, and that on the 25th of that month was the height of that season, and consequently shepherds would not be watching their flocks in the open air. Per- haps, however, the learned German scholar, the result of whose studies is given in this article, may have fully considered this ob- jection, and disposed of it, at least, satisfac- torily to himself. It does not appear in the quoted article that he has done so.
THE CHRISTIAN ERA.
Professor Sattler, of Munich, claims the distinction of having solved the problem as to the year in which Christ was born, and of having demonstrated the fact that the cur- rent year is probably 1888 instead of 1883. He bases his proots mainly on the three coins which were struck in the reign of Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, and which date, consequently, from the first half of the first century of the current era. Mad- den admits the genuineness of these coins, and other numismatic writers do the same. The evidence they offer is said to coincide with the narrative of the gospels and with astronomical calculations. The following are the results at which Professor Sattler has arrived : Jesus was born on the 25th of December, 749 years after the founding of Rome, and commenced his public career on the 17th of November, 780 years after the founding of Rome. Ile was then thirty years, ten months and twenty-two days old. The date on which he commenced his career
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fell in the fifteenth year of the Emperor Tiberius, and in the forty-sixth year after the building of Herod's Temple. This is in accordance with St. Luke, ill., 1, and St. John, .il., 20. Jesus died on the 7th of April, 783 of the Roman era, that is to say, on the Friday before the Passover ; for it has been ascer- tained by exact calculation that Passover fell that year on the 7th of April, 783 ; and as the latter year was a Jewish leap year, and consisted, accordingly, of thirteen months, his public career lasted two years and seven months. According to Professor Sattler, the Christian reckoning is at fault by five years, and we are now, therefore, in 1888 and not in 1883.
DOES IT PAY ?
At this moment's writing, a young mother lies dead, in a neighboring city, shot to her death by her husband. The woman was only twenty years old, comely, of pleasant manners, the light of her mother's eye, her father's joy and the mother of two children. Rum nerved the hand of the murderer and inspired the thought which contemplated the deed.
The rum was bought at a licensed saloon. For the license the city received a pittance. Strike the balance and learn what this murder will cost the government. Police of- ficers, police magistrates, judges, prosecu- tors, sheriffs, constables and jurors must all be employed in trial and punishment. Po- lice office, jail and court room must be pro- vided in which to secure and try the felon.
When comes the dread day of punishment the hangman must be paid, the witnesses of the hanging and the coroner and coro- ner's jury must be compensated.
The cost of all this cannot well be calcu- lated, but an approximate amount might be ascertained. It will not be less than several thousand dollars. To offset this the city has received fifteen or perhaps twenty dol- lars from the saloon where was sold the rum.
But is this all? A home desolate, two children are made orphans, a young life is destroyed ; another must be taken ; hope . for the murderer is dead; a mother and father go mourning all their days; two children are disgraced for life. But why pursue the sad theme ? DOES IT PAY ?
JAMES RICHARDS, D. D.
The Rev. Mr. Green, from whom it would be very pleasant to hear oftener, sent a letter to the RECORD, which ought to have appeared in the last number, but was post- poned, for lack of room. The communica- tion cannot lose interest by lapse of time. It needs no explanation, as it speaks for itself. Mr. Green's letters will always be welcome, and, it is to be hoped, that he will write whenever he finds anything in the RECORD to correct or criticise.
BUFFALO, N. Y., May, 1883. Editor of THE RECORD, Morristown, N.J .: My Dear Sir :
The receipt to-day, of the May RECORD reminds me that I must not delay writing you regarding the article in the April No. on the Rev. James Richards, D.D. The ar- ticle says, (see page 28, 2d column), " There seems to be some difficulty in establishing some dates relative to events in the life of Mr. Richards happening at this period. Mr. Gridley, in his biography, says that he was invited in May, 1794, to visit Morristown. Louis Richards, Esq., whose notes relative to the Richards family, are very full, states that he was called to the pastoral charge of the church in Morristown, in June, 1794. Both of these gentlemen agree that he was not installed until May, 1797. The RECORD Vol. I, No. 1, gives the date of his settle- ment as May 1, 1795. Mr. Barnes, in his church manual, published in 1818, says he was installed as pastor May 1, 1795, by the Presbytery of New York."
I have a much greater interest in the above paragraph than the mere verification of my own accuracy in the date quoted from Vol. I, of the RECORD. The history is im- portant and the dates should be accurate. Permit me therefore to call your attention to a third pastor of the church, who has a word to say on this subject. I had the pleasure of printing in the RECORD two in- valuable historical sermons by Rev. David Irving, D.D., now of the Board of Foreign Missions. I quote from him, " He (Dr. Richards) not only preached to the people with great satisfaction but also to the aged pastor in his own dwelling that he might judge of his fitness, and to both with such acceptance, that on the 21st of July, 1794, a
the in- sed up red in litical 'es . Illent iting bers, and t is Fre- lin- I to 1 the lis ed n- le rt of
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call was made and put into his hands the same day ; in which he was to receive $440 salary in quarterly payments, the use of the parsonage and firewood. This was in due time accepted by him, and on the first of May, 1795,* he was ordained and installed pastor of the church by the Presbytery of New York. Dr. Mcwhorter of Newark, preached the ordination sermon from Acts 20 : 24. Dr. Rogers of New York, presided; Mr. Austin of Elizabeth, gave the charge to the people."
My [remembrance is that the above ac- count of the installation will be found either in the Sessional or Trustees' Record, or both. The same account is given in my history of Morristown in "the History of Morris County," published in 1882 by W.W. Munsell & Co., of New York-I should dis- like to think without sufficient reason. Please examine the records.
Of one thing there is no doubt. There lies before me as I write a worn and yellow paper-the call of the First Presbyterian Church of Morristown to Rev. James Rich- ards for his pastoral service.
It is dated July 21st, 1794. It is signed by
Isaac Pruden, Gilbert Allen, Elders.
Samuel Freeman, Jonas Phillips, Matthias Crane, Joseph Lindsly,
Silas Condict, John Mills,
Benj. Lindsly, Rich'd Johnson, Trustees. Jona. Ford, Jona'n Ogden,
The following is appended to the call :
" At a parish meeting of the first presby- terian Church and Congregation in Morris Town on Monday the 21st Day of July, A.D. 1794,
Resolved, That a call be preferred to Mr. James Richards to be the pastor of this congregation. One hundred and forty-two votes being taken for giving the call, and two votes for his being invited to preach a further time on trial.
Resolved, That the Elders and Trustees be a committee to sign the call in behalf of the Congregation to be given to Mr. Rich- ards.
Extract from the minutes.
GILBERT ALLEN, Modt'r. Mahlon Dickerson, Clerk."
I will simply add, THE RECORD, Vol. II. p. 149, indicates that Mr. Richards began the active duties of the pastorate as early as February, 1795. Can you imagine any reason for a delay of over two years in his installation ?
Cordially yours, RUFUS S. GREEN.
REV, ALBERT BARNES.
It was fully expected that a sketch of the life of the Rev. Albert Barnes, the sixth pastor of our church, would have been pre- pared for this number of the RECORD. But, when the attempt to gather the materials necessary for the article was made, it was almost impossible to collect such facts, . without which, even the barest sketch would be almost an insult to the readers of the RECORD ; certainly a pain to those ven- erable members of the church and congre- gation whose memories carry them back to his time.
Albert Barnes occupied too large a space in the Presbyterian church ; he was too prominent in his time, in the field of letters, especially, of biblical research ; and alto- gether too grand a man to permit even the briefest notice of his life to be made without the presentation of such incidents as would give present readers, who can only know him by report, some idea of him and his character. Few, very few of the congrega- tion have personal recollections of him.
He was installed February 8, 1825, and was dismissed June 8, 1830. After his dis- missal he played a prominent part in the history of the troubles of the church, and was even at one time tried for heresy before the Presbytery to which he was attached.
Nearly two generations have passed away since Mr. Barnes left this church, but there must be some who can give their personal reminiscences of him.
The intention, so long cherished, of pre- paring a sketch of his life must be post- poned until the next issue. In the mean-
*The two following facts are of interest in connection with this date : George O'Hara advertised that his stage would commence running from Morristown to Powles Hook, (Jersey City,) on first Monday of April, 1795, twice a week for 9 shillings, and one penny a pound for all baggage above 7 lbs., way passengers 4d. a mile. Morristown postoffice was the only one in the county in 1795. In it letters were advertised for persons at Bedminster, Mendham, Baskingridge, Bottle Hill, (Madison), New Market, Flanders, Hanover, Bound Brook, Franklin, Mi, Hope, Pompton, Ramapaugh. Record Vol. 2, p. 140,
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