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 42
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THE RECORD.
time will not some who must have known Mr. Barnes while he was here in Morris- town, furnish the RECORD with such facts, anecdotes, and personal recollections of him as will aid.
Any printed matter, giving particulars about him, scraps from newspapers and other publications, will be valuable. Kind friends in other localities have cheerfully responded to calls made upon them in this direction. But they cannot give what can only come from those who knew Mr. Barnes personally.
In this connection, let it be added, that facts generally, about any of the former pastors of the church and prominent men of the congregation, will be most accept- able.
The following article taken from "The Church Union " of April 1, 1876, relating to a most interesting event in Mr. Barnes's life, will furnish some idea of the kind of printed matter needed. There must be persons in the congregation who have many such, in their possession, in which are to be found valuable notices. If placed in the posses- sion of the RECORD, they can be used for occasions such as the present, and will be returned to the owner.
CONVERSION OF ALBERT BARNES.
BY PROFESSOR MEARS, OF HAMILTON COL- LEGE.
While at Fairfield Academy, Mr. Barnes had been decidedly sceptical in his views ; but before he left that institution he was roused from his unbelief by reading the ar- ticle, " Christianity," by Dr. Chalmers, in the Edinburgh Encyclopedia. He was sa- tisfied with the drift of the argument ; he gave up his speculative scepticism, but had no intention of going a step further, He came to Hamilton College " resolved to be an honest, upright, moral, industrious man and to leave religion out of the question." His plans were laid for the study of law.
Thus matters stood until February of the following year, when occurred the first general revival the college (or the neigh- borhood since 1800) had enjoyed. My chief informant as to its character and influence is the Rev. H. IL. Kellogg, of Guthrie, lowa, whose class, two years behind that of Mr. Barnes, included such names as those of
Judge Bacon, of Utica, and Secretary Wool- worth, of Albany. He says :
" The revival of religion exerted a power- ful influence upon every class in college, and upon the community by which we were surrounded. : * Several of our students had spent the previous vacation in places blessed with the visitation of the Divine Spirit, and returned to College with hearts glowing with love to Christ, and to the souls of their impenitent associates. * The work commenced in college."
The narrator himself was, as he trusts, " the first of those who found Jesus, or ra- ther who was found of Him."
The circumstances of his conversion are so closely connected with that of Mr. Barnes, that they belong properly to this narrative. He says :
" Mr. Barnes was my senior by two years in college grade, and much more than that in age, yet it was my privilege to enjoy a more than usual intimacy with him. Du- ring the second term of the year, about the middle of February, I went into his room to pass away a dull hour. Our tutor, the Rev. Salmon Strong, of blessed memory, (who died in Harrisburgh, Pa., July 14th, 1872,) had preached a sermon that morning of unusual earnestness-his heart warmed with love to our souls-from Matt. v. 25, 26," Agree with thine adversary quickly." The sermon, how- ever, had passed through my mind leav- ing no impresssion on my careless heart. Not so with Mr. Barnes. Soon after I was seated, he said to me-" Kellogg, what do you think of that idea of Strong's to-day ?" " What idea ?" said I. " This : that sinners in hell will continue to sin, and thus, in place of paying their debt, will increase it, and consequently can never come out of their prison." " I suppose it is true," 1 re- plied. To which he rejoined: "I do not believe a word of it. I know if I was in such a place as they represent hell to be, 1 would stop sinning,' "
In two weeks the prayers and pious coun- sels of classmates and friends were reward- ed by Kellogg's conversion, thus unwit- lingly promoted by Barnes. Nor did the impression made upon the latter vanish away. According to Mr. Kellogg, the con- flict was long and severe. For many weeks he struggled with his growing convictions.
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His reservedness and his known skeptical tendencies, together with his admitted abil- ity, prevented that near approach and those earnest christian efforts, on the part of pious students, which might have been blessed in his case, as they were in that of others, to an earlier conversion. Mr. Barnes himself mentioned, in the interview al- ready referred to, that one of his classmates felt a deep interest in his condition. " Sub- sequently," says Mr. Barnes, " he told me he felt it his duty to talk to me on the sub- ject as he did. He performed his duty. He produced no impression on my mind."
Mr. Kellogg says :- " His was a struggle in respect to his plans of life. He expected to enter upon the study of law. His place as a student, and as he fondly hoped, as a practitioner, was already engaged in Utica, in the office of his friend, Hiram Denio, late Judge of the Court of Appeals, N. Y. If he became a christian he must forsake all for Christ. He must sacrifice that more brilli- ant career which he and his friends had an- ticipated. The gains, the honors, the friend- ships of life would all, as he viewed it, be sacrificed by his choice of the christian life."
Mr. Barnes traces his conversion at last to the influence of another classmate. "It so happened that my friend Avery became converted, and in a few words stated his own feelings to me. It was the means, I trust, of my conversion, if I was ever con- verted to Christianity."
Charles Avery, LL. D., afterwards, 1834 -1869, Professor of Chemistry in Hamilton College, says he met Mr. Barnes on the hill- side, and addressed him with the question, " What do you think is the cause of the great work which is now going on in Col- lege?" and then left him to his own reflect- ions. This brief interview he regards as the means of bringing his classmate to a decision. It would imply that skeptical difficulties were still in the way of Mr. Barnes' conversion.
Mr. Kellogg says :- " After his conver- sion, Mr. Barnes' stay in college was short. It was only on the last and short term of his senior year, that his avowal of disciple- ship was made. His life was consistent, but no special forwardness or activity dis- tinguished it. Ile appeared like a babe in Christ, a lamb of the flock."-Presbyterian. 'describes.
SUGGESTIONS.
That members of the congregation aid the RECORD in preserving history, by send- ing to the editor, old newspapers, magazines, or other printed matter, containing histori- cal notices about the church, its pastors and prominent men ; or about the city or county. One of the main objects in the publication of this paper is the preservation of just such facts. It is hoped that there will be presented in the RECORD such a publication as will induce its subscribers to preserve it in a bound form.
In addition to this printed matter, facts, anecdotes, and incidents from personal recol- lection, of pastors and others, sketches of whose lives are worth preserving, are very . desirable.
Apropos : since the above was written, the following letter was received from Mr. Durant, the pastor.
It is hoped that this letter will have the effect which the appeals heretofore made in the RECORD have failed of accomplishing.
Editor of The Record :
My Dear Sir :- How can we get the at- tention of those who possess items of inter-, est respecting the past history of the First church, of its old members, of the town and its people ? There must be many whose me- mories could furnish us with material worthy to be preserved in the permanent type of THE RECORD. And there must be many more who have old diaries, old newspapers, old pamphlets, or clippings preserved in scrap-books, from which a large number of forgotten facts might be gathered. Then, too, there must be many old family Bibles which could correct or complete our Re- gisters in the spelling of names, the dates of birth, marriage and death. The value of such material, especially of old newspapers, pamphlets and magazine articles, is strik- ingly apparent in the recently published volume of McMaster's " History of the Peo- ple of the United States," the most popular history that has been published since the day of Macaulay, and which owes its popa- larity and thoroughness very largely to the fact that Mr. MacMaster has gone to just such out of the way sources to gather the news and opinions current in the days he
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THE RECORD.
The plan of making THE RECORD a store- house for material of this sort, collecting and reprinting whatever of value can be · found that bears upon the history of the church and town and people of this region ; it seems to me is a most admirable plan. For the bound volumes of THE RECORD will thus give permanence, as well as put within handy reference, this valuable material which is now buried in the dust of garrets.
I shall be glad to assist you in becoming responsible for the return of any old books or papers offered for publication ; and also in examining and copying from any diaries, files of newspapers, or family Bibles, which the owners are willing to open in their houses, though preferring not to loan them out for the purpose.
How can we get the attention of those who possess this valuable material for his- tory-material that, in all probability, will be lost forever in a few years, unless pre- served now in the columns of THE RECORD ? Doubtless those who have it are willing to furnish it. But how shall we know who have it, unless the readers of THE RECORD take pains to inform us.
Very truly yours, WILLIAM DURANT.
THE OLD COURT HOUSE AND JAIL.
At the beginning of this century there stood on " the Green," opposite what is now the United States Hotel, a quaint, old and somewhat dilapidated frame building. It had been painted red, but had grown gray and lost its original color. It was built after no particular order of architecture, and was neither in its appearance, nor when the use to which it was put, was considered, a pleas- ant sight. It was an incumbrance and a blot on the public square, but the original deed for that part of the Green where it was located, was made with the condition that "if the Court House aforesaid should be re- moved to any other place, then this inden- ture and everything therein contained to be void, and title to the aforesaid lot of land to revert" to the grantors of the deed.
It would seem from this that this quaint building, which was used for a Court House and Jail, must have been in existence at the time of this deed ; which was dated Septem- ber 7, 1771.
In 1816, April 1, the trustees of the church conveyed to certain persons, subscribers to the fund, for the consideration of $1,600, that part of the land now used as a public square. The deed effecting this last convey- ance, contained a condition, that no build- ing should be erected on this last named lot, except a meeting house, a market house, a Court House and Jail. In 1868, how- ever, means were taken to wipe out this condition and the title to the "Green " is now held free from any such incumbrance,
The object of this reference to the old Court House was not to refer to the history of the green nor its title. Mr. Green, in his admirable notice of Morristown, in the his- tory of Morris County, has entered some what fully into this subject. What is de- sired is to call the attention of those, who can remember it, to this old structure and to ask some kind friends to give recollec- tions about it for the RECORD.
It had apartments in it for the Jailor, or, as he was called, the Under Sheriff. The Sheriff, of later times, rarely occupied these apartments, as is now done in the present Court House.
What became of the old building ? When was it destroyed ? What was its history ? Who can tell ?
At the beginning of this century a library was in existence in Morristown. It was in connection with an association called the Morris County Agricultural Society. A collection of about fifteen hundred volumes were gathered ; many of which, when the Morristown Library and Lyceum was form- ed, were transferred to the shelves of that institution. The history of this library as it existed in connection with the Agricultural Society and afterwards under the auspices of the Apprentices library, is given by Rev. R. S. Green in his history of Morristown.
Hamilton College, at its last commence- ment, did itself honor in conferring the title of D. D. on the Rev. R. S. Green, our for- mer pastor. We congratulate the college and the Rev. R. S. Green, D.D., and hope we are the first in Morristown to annex the title to the name so deserving the honor.
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THE RECORD.
CLIPPINGS.
I would rather believe all the fables in the Talmud or the Alcoran than to believe that this universal frame is without a mind. -Lord Bacon.
A holy life is a voice, it speaks when the tongue is silent, and is either a constant attraction or a perpetual reproof .- Christian Advocate.
It was believed that leap year had been caused by Joshua, when he made the sun stand still. A writer of the tenth century notices this as the opinion of some "un- learned priests."-Wright Biog. Liter.
Southey says that it was not till about the middle of the eighteenth century that a circulating library was first opened in London. It was set up by Samuel Fan- court, a dissenting minister.
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Pamphilius, presbyter of Cæsarea, who flourished A. D. 294, erected a library at Casarea, which according to Isidore of Se- ville, contained 30,000 volumes. This col- lection seems to have been made merely for the good of the church, and to lend out to religiously disposed people. St. Jerome particularly mentions his collecting books for the purpose of lending them to be read ; and this is, if I mistake not, the first notice of a circulating library .- Adam Clarke.
Chamber's traditions of Edinburgh states that Allan Ramsay in 1725 set up a circulat- ing library at Edinburgh, which was the first "known in Scotland." It was however only "for plays and other works of fiction."
The first Christian library was established by Hilary, Bishop of Rome. He was elect- ed in 461 .- LeClerc.
A library existed in the Whitby monas- tery " about 1180 A. D." It had eighty- seven volumes, sixty theological and twen- ty-seven grammatical or classical. In the theological department, most of the authors were of the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth centuries. It had scarcely any of the carly Greek and Latin fathers, except Origen ; none of Augustine, Jerome or Cyril. In the classical department were found Homer, Plato, Cicero, Juvenal, Per- sius, Statius and Bocthius. Virgil's name does not appear, but he must have had a place in the library as a volume appears in | purpose .-- EDITOR, |
the catalogue, called " The Bucolics."- White's History of Whitby.
ĮIt must be remembered that these were manuscripts .- EDITOR.|
The "highest library" at Greenwich con- tained according to inventory, three hun- dred and twenty-nine volumes .- Harleian Mis.
At the beginning of the seventeenth cen- tury there were only three public libraries in Europe; the Bodleian founded in 1612; the Bibliotheque Angelique, at Rome, founded in 1620, and the Bibliotheque Am- broisienne, at Milan, founded in 1608 .- Radel.
Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, was very fond of reading. He succeeded his father in 1467. It is quite remarkable that a man of such a stormy life and whose great ambition seemed to be constantly engaged in war, should have employed himself in so peaceful an occupation as reading. His li- brary was quite extensive. In it were enu- merated the Romances of King Arthur and Lancelot of the Lake and the Chronicles of Pisa, translated from the Italian, for the Duke. In 1405, before the reign of Charles the Bold, the work of John Mandeville, the traveller, was found in this library. This was in the lifetime of Philip, the Good, the father of Charles, a different man from his son, a gatherer of books, and who had collected some of the volumes in his library for the education of his son .- Various.
" I will and bequeth to the abbot and con- vent of Hales-Oweyn, a book of myn called Catholicon, to theyr own use forever ; and another book of myn wherein is contaigned the Constitutions Provincial and De Gestis Romanorum, and other treatis therein ; which I will be laid and bounded with an yron chain to some convenient parte, within saide church, at my costs, so that all preests and others may se and rede it when it pleas- eth them."-Will of Sir Thomas Lyttleton, the famous lawyer, who died 1481.
[This will explain two subjects of interest to scholars-the value of books, at the time, and the custom of chaining them in churches. They were generally fastened to the altar and were read at stated times to audiences, by some one appointed for the
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MORRISTOWN, N. J. " THIS SHALL BE WRITTEN FOR THE GENERATION TO COME."-Psalms 102 : 18.
VOLUME III.
AUGUST, 1883. NUMBER 8.
[Printed with the Approval of the Session.]
THE RECORD
Will be published monthly at Morristown. N. J. Terms $1.00 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.
DOES IT PAY.
For about twenty years, there has been no place in Edwards county, in Illinois, where intoxicating liquors could be obtain- ed as a beverage. There is a satisfactory condition of things in that county that is one of the best of temperance sermons. The taxes are 33 per cent. less than in any other county in Illinois. The length of the sessions of its court is from two to three days. The justices of the peace are called but little from their ordinary pursuits. From one to two persons in five or six years are imprisoned in the county jail. It has sent one man to State's prison for killing his wife while drunk on whisky obtained in a neighboring county. Its expenses in pro- viding for paupers are $500 per year, while the county next to it, where licenses are is- sued, though only half as large, annually pays for the same purpose $6,000. In May, 1879, but two mortgages were on re- cord in the county. A very large per cent. of the inhabitants are religious. Such ex- emptions in the midst of a people weighted down with alcoholic burdens ought to have the effect to open their eyes, and to cause the universal banishment of the bottles and | elsewhere ?
barrels and beer kegs, under which they are now staggering.
Will some one, who believes in licensing saloon and grop shop, calculate the taxes paid by the citizens of Morris county for the various expenses of providing for county poor house, police offices, Court House and Jail; paying for the fees and salaries of the several officers of the law, where their ex- penses are the legitimate consequence of the sale of rum by licensed saloon and groggery? When the appalling result is reached, by an honest inquiry, then continue the calcula- tion, in all the ramifications of the subject and record the misery and woe to wives and children, to families and the community by the traffic, licensed by those who were put into office by the good tax paying citizens.
A series of meetings has been recently held at Ocean Grove in this State, under the auspices of a Temperance Association. At one of these meetings Neal Dow, that veteran in the Temperance movement, made an address, in which he referred to the often reiterated statement that prohibition in Maine was a failure. He proved conclu- sively, however, by figures, that Maine fi- nancially, as well as morally and religiously, was a gainer by the enforcement of the Maine law.
Space does not permit a repetition of his arguments and statements; but they were full and convincing. Of course, as society is now constituted, even in Maine, it is an impossibility to stop entirely the use of intoxicants. But, if the experiment of prohibition be fairly tried with good results to the taxpayers, the citizens and the fam- ily, so much at least, has been gained. Tak- ing, then, the results in Maine and in the small county of Edwards, Ill, would it not pay to make trial of the same experiment
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THE RECORD.
MORRISTOWN LIBRARIES.
When Mr. Spaulding had charge of the Morristown Academy, a school paper called the Avalon, was edited and published by his scholars. A very interesting history ap- peared in it [Feb .- April, 1879,] of Morris- town Libraries, which, by permission of Mr. Oscar Babbitt, its young author, is trans- ferred to the RECORD. The patient exami- nation which Mr. Babbitt gave to his subject resulted in the production of an article which is worthy of reproduction in a form where it may be preserved for future refer- ence.
There is nothing, perhaps, which awakens more vivid reminiscences of the old citizens of this county, than the sight of the present beautiful library whose magnificent building graces our street and the scholars of whose school win laurels at foot ball and the ad- miration of their friends at their studies.
The oldest man was but a small boy when the first library was organized in Morris County. This was in 1792. On the 21st of September of that year, eleven of the in- habitants of Morris County, met at the house of the venerable Benjamin Freeman, at Morris Town, and " advised and consult- ed" upon the propriety of organizing a society which should be called, " The Morris County Society for the Promotion of Agriculture and Domestic Manufactures." It was a great step for these ancient gentle- men, but they succeeded nobly.
Captain Pet Layton (a relic of the revolu- tion) was chosen chairman, and Col. Rus- sell, clerk. The constitution presented was rather defective. A committee was appoint- ed to revise it. The meeting then adjourn- ed to meet at Mr. Freeman's house, on Sep- tember 25th, 1792.
there would be few who would be able to, avail themselves of the advantage, since our forefathers had literally to work for a living. They had their long evenings, and these wise men conceived a plan by which all night obtain the desired knowledge without neglecting their families.
The eventful week rolled round. The committee had been busily engaged in re- vising the old constitution, informing their neighbors and friends of the great work con- templated, and requesting their attendance. When the hour for meeting came, there were one hundred people present.
Samuel Tuthill, was installed chairman, with Col. Russell again clerk. The con- stitution was read as revised, and was adopted. From it, we take (Art. VIII.) the following " * * * upon the applica- tion of any member of the society for a book, he shall deliver him one, and at the same time, take a promissory note for the same, to be returned in one (1) month from the time, on paying one shilling for every week over time." On October 7th, 1793, this was amended, and the librarian was only to keep an account of the book taken. Article XI. informs us that the dues were one dollar a year, " to be paid on the first Monday in October, of each year," and that the stock was transferable. Ninety-seven of those present then signed the constitu- tion, and a good portion of these paid several dollars over the assessment for the sake of encouragement. The total receipts were two hundred and twenty-seven dol- lars.
On October Ist, 1792, the election of of- ficers came off. Samuel Tuthill was elected President. Joseph Lewis, Vice President. Dr. W. Campfield, Secretary. W. Canfield, Librarian and Israel Canfield, Treasurer. Six gentlemen were then elected a commit- tee of correspondence.
Such was the first meeting of the kind ever held in Morris County, and so far as we know, in New Jersey. These noble patriots, scarce ten years after the great war, were It was resolved that the society purchase three books and a stamp for marking all books. "They then adjourned." The next meeting was April Ist 1795, at which the by-laws were read and adopted, and from which we learn that " the librarian was to be at the library to deliver books on all days, Sundays excepted, from six a. m, to now seated peacefully together advising a plan to help their less favored brethren from the slough of ignorance. These pa- triots realized the necessity of an education. They understood clearly that our infant re- public could not be of " one mind" long, if her citizens remained uneducated. They could not organize schools, and if they did, | nine p. m." and " that he shall collect all
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