USA > Ohio > Stark County > Canton > History of the First Reformed Church, Canton, Ohio > Part 6
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When the committee offered its report to the Synod it was adopted without any discussion except by the elder from Can- ton. He did not seem to be able to understand why the elec-
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tion by the consistory should not be considered quite sufficient. He recalled how the consistory had twice (the first time when he was elected provided neither Revs. Winter or Long would accept the call; the second time, after Rev. Pence had declined the call extended him) already elected Rev. Herbruck to serve the Canton charge, hence to order still another election by the congregation seemed to him to be a work of supererogation. He was "a unique Pennsylvania German" as Rev. Herbruck designates him; so he got up and made the following speech as reported in the Herbruck "Reminiscences": "Gentlemen, We have had two elections already. The first time Peter won it; and the second time Peter won it again." However, this laconic plea did not change the fact that the congregation had never been given a chance to vote whether Rev. Herbruck was to be the pastor or not ; hence, the report of the committee was adoptd.
Taking all the circumstances of the case into consideration it is evident that the Ohio Synod showed Rev. Herbruck but scant courtesy in this matter. In the first place since the Syn- od was meeting in a congregation of the Canton charge, the question certainly should not have been disposed of in the absence of the pastor who was acting as the host of Synod. Secondly, on his return an opportunity should have been ac- corded him to be heard. This was denied him with the state- ment: "It is too late now." Thirdly, the petition itself with the signatures was not properly investigated. Had this been done it would have been seen, "that of the eleven signers, sev- eral were Lutherans, several called themeslves Reformed but had not belonged to the Canton congregation for a number of years, the rest were relatives of a certain minister who was anxious to secure the congregation for himself, and hence fur- nished the incentive for this entire occurrence." Since the Synod had decided that the congregation must hold an election for pastor, this "certain minister" at once announced himself as a candidate. "An election was held, and, behold, "Peter won again." (The quotations are all taken from the Herbruck Reminiscences.)
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During this time Rev. Herbruck was engaged in zealous missionary activity. The names of several new congregations appear in the statistical reports. These were Israel, Franklin (several miles east of Paris), Georgetown in Columbiana Co., Bethund's (also spelled Baden's and Baiden's) schoolhouse four miles north of Georgetown. For an account of this work, Rev. Herbruck's own description will be given :
"About the year 1837 I began to preach in the town of Franklin near the eastern boundary of Stark County, and founded a new congregation there. A year later, I received an invitation to come to North Georgetown in Columbiana Coun- ty. I went there and preached in an old log church. The peo- ple begged me earnestly to come regularly every four weeks and preach to them. I promised to do so provided they would build a new church. They agreed to do that and before the close of the first year the new church was completed. Soon after, I served the Bethund's congregation located four miles north of Georgetown. I preached at these places for several years and both were in a flourishing condition when I gave them up. During my administration there I received a con- siderable number of persons by confirmation into the congrega- tion. But I had to make some hard trips, because both congre- gations were about twenty-three miles from Canton. When it was impossible to leave home on the previous day, which happened frequently, I was obliged to start out at one or two o'clock on Sunday morning. One of my return trips from there I have not forgotten. It was night, and I had to pass through a woods four miles across. Just as I got into the woods, a violent storm broke loose accompanied by a pouring rain and frightful lightning flashes. About a mile beyond the woods, I had to cross a valley, which was flooded. The road was narrow and the fences on either side were barely visible anymore. I believed it possible to cross if I kept in the mid- dle of the road with my horse and buggy. After having reached the middle of the valley I suddenly thought of the bridge which led across a little stream there. I thought that the bridge must have been carried away. Suddenly I seemed
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to hear a voice saying: Do not go a step further, you are in great danger; but it was impossible owing to the narrowness of the road to turn around. There was no other way to escape except to back out of the valley with horse and buggy which took several hours to accomplish. Then I was obliged to take a long round-about way which did not bring me home until sunrise the next morning. On the way home, I learned that the bridge had actually been carried away."
Rev. J. G. Buettner, D.D., who lived in Canton from 1838- 39 and served the Osnaburg congregation and the German Evangelical congregation of Massillon, gives many vivid de- scriptions of church conditions in Stark County and the exper- iences of ministers during that period, in his book, "My Life and Journeys in North America." Describing a typical Sun- day he says: "When there is no one to lead the singing, which happens frequently, then the minister must almost contract consumption on account of his much singing and preaching. After the morning service he jumps on his horse, chases five to seven miles to another congregation where the same labor must be repeated. Soaked by rain, covered by mud, with teeth chattering from the cold, or in summertime panting from the heat, the pulpit is entered to conduct the service. Then per- haps there are several children to be baptized at different homes, or without a moment's warning the minister may be asked to conduct a funeral service."
Owing to the strenuous pioneer conditions education was greatly neglected. The interests and thoughts of the people moved in narrow circles; as a consequence the thinking was apt to be very crude, and the manners rude and familiar. Plain sermons, in homely speech and with everyday illustrations found greatest acceptance. If the words were accompanied with vigorous gestures and loud tones so much the better. "Furthermore if the minister with a pious demeanor was also somewhat careless as to his outward appearance, and possessed a jovial and familiar manner he speedily became popular. This popularity was still further enhanced if he could swing an ax vigorously, handle a plow dexterously, perform all the usual
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work on the farm, and unhesitatingly mounted a load of manure and drove to the field. Then the farmers estimated him as a true apostle." A common pastime of the people was to put catch questions to the minister to test his orthodoxy. Frequently during or at the close of a sermon some "brother" would take the pastor to task and controvert some point in the sermon.
Rev. Herbruck during these first years had a great variety of such annoyances. Several of these will be given.
The majority of his parishioners were Pennsylvania Ger- mans, and so frequently misunderstood the meaning of his high German sermons. On one occasion he was emphasizing the necessity of starting a German school. To make the mat- ter still more impressive he said among other things, "We need not be ashamed to be Germans. Where was printing discov- ered? In Germany. Who invented gunpowder? A German, etc., etc." Unfortunately some of the American Germans failed to grasp the purpose of the sermon, and scattered the news that the preacher had declared that Americans were not worth a shot of powder. Great indignation broke out. In order to set matters right it was necessary for Rev. Herbruck to draw up a written statement, signed by a number of intelli- gent people, denying the rumors which were being circulated. In spite of all this the enmity engendered endured for some years.
Again when the cornerstone of the Zion's church was laid Rev. Herbruck was invited to dinner by one of the members. Upon leaving the minister said, "You and your wife come and see me sometime; but not during the next three weeks for I am going to Synod and then will visit in Pennsylvania, and will not get back until three weeks from next Thursday." Then the minister promptly dismissed the matter from his mind. But not so the erstwhile host. Promptly on Thursday morn- ing three weeks later he arrived with his wife for dinner. Now it had so happened that Rev. Herbruck and his wife had been called away by some church duties on that day, nevertheless their absence greatly incensed the man. He left exclaiming,
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"Na, that's a nice preacher; here he invites a fellow to come and eat with him, and when you come he isn't at home. I'll never visit him again." So he stayed away from church for two months. Suddenly one Sunday morning he appeared again. After the benediction, while the congregation was still assembled, he broke out, "I can't stand for such a preacher as Herbruck is any longer. I know something entirely too evil about him." Then the man hurried from the church. Imme- diately some of the leading members surrounded the pastor and inquired as to the meaning of the scene. Rev. Herbruck told them that the only possible cause known to him for the outbreak was his absence from home when the man had called with his wife to visit the preacher. The bystanders contended that the man could not be so foolish, that there must be some other cause. So a delegation was formed to go out and inter- view him. Sure enough, the only cause of grievance was as the minister had stated. The burst of laughter that greeted the foolish fellow so nettled him, that he asserted, "Well, I know something still worse." So Rev. Herbruck asked : Now, what is that? The answer came, "You have said that your horse was never fed at the church." The minister then asked the bystanders : Did you ever have any oats in the barn during the summer? (The barn was beside the church and was used for putting up the horses during the services.) "No." Did you ever feed my horse? "No." Then, have I told an untruth? "No." But the man was not so easily subdued and declared, "Well, you should not have said so anyhow, and especially to a Methodist preacher." The consequence was that he held a grudge against the pastor for years.
Just one more incident will be given. One Sunday after- noon, Rev. Herbruck was invited to stay over night at the home of a member of one of the distant congregations. He declined, saying that he had left a sick child at home and must hurry back. On the way home he met Rev. Schlosser who informed him that the child was much better. Then Rev. Herbruck accepted the invitation of another member to remain over night. When this news reached the first man, he became furious and
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called the preacher a liar and some other things. The gossip became so serious, that Rev. Herbruck had to make a public explanation from the pulpit of the facts, and present a written certificate signed by Rev. Schlosser stating that his original plan of going home had only been altered by the information given by Rev. Schlosser that the child was out of danger.
During this period the relations between the Reformed and Lutheran denominations and ministers were very close. The Ohio Synod and the Lutheran Synod interchanged dele- gates from the beginning. In 1834 the Ohio Synod "accepts with rejoicing" the offer of the Lutherans to admit Reformed students for the ministry to their seminary at Columbus "with common and equal privileges." A few years later the Ohio Synod declared itself in favor of an organic union with the Lutheran Synod in these words, "We are convinced of the infinite benefit of such a union, not only as it concerns the con- gregations but also for the ministers." A committee on union was also appointed. Nothing came of this movement, mainly because the Lutheran ministers were unwilling to enter into such a union. Many of the congregations and pastors of both denominations, however, were working together in perfect harmony. Rev. Herbruck in the union congregations used either the Reformed or the Lutheran catechism for his cate- chetical instruction, according to the preference of the catechu- mens. On the days when the Reformed minister was officiat- ing at one of the other congregations, his Lutheran colleague would instruct the union class from both catechisms. There is also abundant evidence that Rev. Herbruck frequently con- firmed those who preferred the Lutheran faith as Lutherans, and the rest as Reformed at the same serivce.
A little incident which occurred at one of the meetings of the Synod deserves to be given here. Each elder who was sent as a delegate by a charge would be called upon to answer any questions which might be put concerning conditions in the con- gregations. One of these delegates who was in attendance for the first time was asked by the president of the Synod: "And how is your minister getting along?" He answered: "Well,
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he is getting along pretty good, he already has a cow and a pig." My dear brother, said the president, preserving his grav- ity with difficulty, we do not inquire about that, but rather, how does the congregation like the minister? Quite unabashed, the elder answered: "Oh, as to that, we like him awful well." (Wir gleichen ihn arg gut.)
CHAPTER X THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN OHIO
T HE title of this chapter was the official name of the first educational institution of the Reformed Church west of the Pennsylvania boundary. This institution was located in Canton, possessed just one teacher who was ordained in our church as theological professor, and after a precarious exist- ence of about eighteen months, quietly died.
This movement to found a seminary in Canton was of so much importance in itself, and the relations between the move- ment and the Canton charge were so close that some of the chief facts concerning this seminary project must be presented.
Most of the ministers in Ohio during the first third of the last century were men who had very meager educational advan- tages, and could make but small claim to scholarship. Their preparation for the ministry consisted for the most part in reading a few theological books and books of sermons under the direction of some older minister, writing a few sermons, and immediately going out and trying the sermon on some audience. The dearth of ministers was so great that every man who could speak with some acceptance was quickly chosen by a congregation. The Synod was very lenient in its educa- tional requirements and ordinarily ordained every man who had received a call and whose character was above reproach. The clergy so trained had but little real scholarship, but were generally men of good common-sense, knowledge of human nature from practical experience, and possessed a keen under- standing of the needs of the people. Nevertheless the neces- sity of an educational institution for training a sufficient num- ber of ministers became yearly more insistent.
As early as 1833 the Ohio Synod had declared its inten- tion "of establishing an institution for the education of worthy
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young men for the Gospel ministry, that the vacant places of the West may be filled with the Word and Gospel of life." However, the Synod was too weak numerically and the congre- gations were too poor financially to carry out the project. Two years later the West Pennsylvania Classis, also feeling the need of a seminary in the West, entered into negotiations with the Ohio Synod concerning the feasibility of uniting into one body and thus maintaining a seminary together. As a result of these negotiations the Ohio Synod and the West Pennsylvania Clas- sis met together in Osnaburg in 1837, and a new organization was effected to be known as "The High German Evangelical- Reformed Synod of Ohio and Adjacent States." A plan for founding a Theological Seminary was also proposed, but defi- nite action was deferred until the next annual meeting.
One of the ministers of the West Pennsylvania Classis in attendance at Osnaburg was Rev. John Godfrey Buettner. Rev. Buettner had received his theological training in Germany, hav- ing studied in the universities at Leipsic and Jena, and received the degree of doctor of philosophy from the latter institution in 1834. The same year he also came to America and was licensed and ordained by the West Pennsylvania Classis the following spring. The Classis appointed him as a missionary among the Germans, and for two years he travelled in Ohio, and as far west as St. Louis; another journey carried him to some of the eastern states. After the meeting at Osnaburg he was instructed to continue his missionary explorations and travel in the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, according to his own judgment and pleasure. In travelling westward from Pittsburgh, Dr. Buettner came again to Osnaburg only a few months after his previous visit.
In the last chapter it was stated that the congregation at Osnaburg had been divided into two factions; the one desir- ing Rev. Geo. Schlosser, the other Rev. Peter Herbruck. The Synod in 1835 had decided the controversy by declaring that the congregation should belong to Rev. Herbruck from New Year's day in 1836. The Schlosser faction, however, seems to have paid no attention to this decision and Rev. Schlosser con-
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tinued preaching until the summer of 1837. The feeling of the two factions towards one another cannot have been very pleasant, and finally Rev. Schlosser decided to give up Osna- burg. Just at this juncture Dr. Buettner visited Osnaburg the second time, intending to remain only a day or two. He was asked to preach again; the two factions were willing to unite and extend him a call to become pastor, and after some hesita- tion he decided to remain. This meant an abandoning of his
missionary travels ; but, as he says "The congregation promised a salary of $100.00 for the year, which was about double the best previous amount given." Of the people of the village at that time Dr. Buettner further says "Nearly all the inhabitants speak German, so that one can easily imagine himself to be in a German village. Nowhere else in the West did I find anoth- er village in which so much German was spoken."
Dr. Buettner also began to preach in Massillon. The German congregation there had been rent by factions and strife, and many of the members had left the church in disgust and refused to have anything further to do with it. Dr. Buettner was determined to try to gather the congregation together again and hence began services in the basement of the Baptist church. The audiences after some weeks began to increase, the scat- tered members came back, and the congregation was reorgan- ized. A new constitution was adopted and the congregation was incorporated as "The German Evangelical-Protestant Church of Massillon." In the former constitution of the church a ludicrous article had been incorporated, reading, "Whenever the preacher preaches more than one hour it is per- missible to give him a sign which, however, shall not cause any disturbance." This time-limit was omitted in the new consti- tution.
Dr. Buettner began his work in Osnaburg in August. The following spring the union meeting of the "Synod of Ohio and Adjacent States" was to take place at Wooster. At this meet- ing the proposed plan for a theological seminary was adopted and an election for professor was held. There were six nom- inees for the position. Dr. Buettner received seven more votes 5
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than all the rest together. The Synod fixed his salary at $250.00 a year provided the new professor furnished the lec- ture room himself; or, if the Synod furnished the room, the salary was to be $230.00. The new seminary was to be located in Canton whither Dr. Buettner was instructed to move. He was also to continue as pastor at Osnaburg and Massillon.
Dr. Buettner sometime during the summer moved to Can- ton with his wife whom he had married in Osnaburg and occu- pied a house on the west side of Market Street, south, between Second and Third Street. The site is now occupied by the Dumont Grocery store.
The service of inauguration for the new professor took place in our church on August 14, 1838, and was in charge of Rev. Herbruck, who also read the service of installation. Rev. Geo. Schlosser led in prayer, Rev. C. L. Daubert preached the sermon, and Dr. Buettner delivered an address. "The Canton Repository" in its issue of August 23, gave the following ac- count of the affair: "At the late meeting of the German Re- formed Synod of Ohio and the congregations in connection with it from other states, among other things it was resolved to establish a theological seminary. The Rev'd Dr. J. G. Buett- ner was selected professor, and we are happy to learn, that for the present at least, this institution is to be located in Canton. On the 15th inst., Dr. Buettner was regularly installed Profes- sor of the institution. We learn that active arrangements are in progress to commence operations at an early date. The cit- izens of Canton ought duly to appreciate the importance of such an institution, and patronize it accordingly."
The committee of the Synod who had the arrangements for the opening of the Seminary in charge also inserted a lengthy advertisement in the "Repository" which appeared in eight issues. The advertisement stated that, "The Rev'd Dr. J. G. Buettner is a man whose theological and philological acquirements recommend him to all who desire a thorough theological education and whom the committee feel proud to recommend to the Christian public for his orthodox doctrine, integrity and moral worth. All lectures will be given in the
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German and English language if required, and no efforts spared to qualify students to preach in both languages."
The Seminary opened on October 1, with two students ; but, owing to the ambitious and difficult course of studies which Dr. Buettner had planned, one of them stayed only three weeks and the other about one year. They then hunted up another preacher who was not quite so learned-an easy matter at that time-and studied under his direction.
Dr. Buettner during his professorship conceived the idea also that he ought to serve the Canton congregation since Rev. Herbruck had quite enough to do even without the local con- gregation. The manner in which he undertook to carry out his plan is vividly described by Rev. Herbruck as follows :
"For several years things had run along smoothly, when suddenly a certain Prof. B -- and the Rev. Sch- appeared at my house. After we had dinner together, Rev. Sch- said : "Now I will tell you why we came here. The Herr Pro- fessor would like to have your congregation here in Canton." I answered that I could not give up the congregation to the Herr Professor. The Professor then said, "If you do not give up the congregation of your own accord, I will get it anyhow."
"At that time the church building belonged jointly to the Lutherans and the Reformed. The Herr Professor went to the Lutheran minister and secured permission from him to preach on one of his Sundays, and announced his object to the Reformed people who were present. But the consistory of the Reformed congregation soon notified the Herr Professor that he could not be used. Thus this incident also was settled."
Some months after this when the Herr Professor also found himself without any students, he resigned, and returned to Germany. About the only thing that remained of the Sem- inary was an old-fashioned stove, which was exhibited for years as a relic of the ruined hope. Then the stove also dis- appeared, and the last memento of the seminary was gone.
In 1848, a second attempt was made to found an educa- tional institution in Columbus with the name, "The Ohio Liter-
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ary and Theological Institution." This attempt also did not prosper.
Finally in 1850, Heidelberg College in Tiffin was opened with seven students, in rooms rented for recitation purposes. This venture proved an immediate success, and has developed into the magnificent educational institution of Heidelberg Uni- versity at Tiffin, Ohio, and Central Theological Seminary now located at Dayton, Ohio.
It is in vain now to dream of what might have been if the Canton attempt at founding an educational institution had been a success. It is useless to speculate on the tremendous loss to Canton as a community and the local Reformed congregations because the project failed. Nevertheless the thought of what we have missed in intellectual quickening, Christian culture, and educational advantage is enough to make every member of the Reformed Church here hide his face in the dust and weep bitter tears.
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