USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Church of the brethren of the Eastern district of Pennsylvania > Part 49
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7. The services of the Trustees shall be free of charge, and they shall fix the wages of their employes.
8. Whatever, if any, lack of funds from free will offerings, may be supplied by loans of not less than twenty-five dollars each, without interest, for not less than five years, which will make such lenders shareholders as aforesaid while such loan lasts.
9. The fiscal year shall be from New Year to New Year, and the annual election of Trustees shall be at the Home, on the first Tuesday of February, and the six to be elected as afore- said, shall be two Elders, two ministers and two deacons.
10. The Trustees, Treasurer, and Steward shall keep proper records of all their work, and their books shall be open for in- spection by any contributor.
II. The use of tobacco or opiates shall be prohibited, if pos- sible; if not, it shall be so regulated as to reduce it to a minimum.
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12. The President shall have power to call a meeting at any time, and all needs and suggestions shall be reported by the Steward to the President.
13. The number of inmates shall be regulated by the capacity of the buildings or the funds on hand, and shall consist of the homeless members of the churches, and who are without means of support except from the church, and none shall be received except recommended by the church, which is expected to pay actual cost of keeping and supporting such members.
14. Persons of means, yet homeless, may be taken into the Home upon them paying for boarding, etc., as may be agreed upon by said Trustees.
15. Said Board of Trustees shall use their discretion as to who should be taken in, even if they are recommended by the church.
16 The Trustees shall engage a Physician to be called on in case of sickness, and in case of death, the friends or church of such inmate shall immediately be notified, and if they wish to do so, they can remove them, and see to the funeral, and all, and if they do not take charge of them, they shall have a decent Christian burial by the Home, and expenses paid by the church from whence they came.
17. In case of a vacancy in said Board of Trustees, by death or otherwise, the Board has authority to fill said vacancy for the unexpired term thereof.
18. Both Treasurer and Steward shall make report to said Board of Trustees, at all their regular meetings of all money received, or paid, and of all the work performed by them, by virtue of their office, and said Board shall make a full report of the Home, yearly, to the share-holders, at their meeting the second Tuesday of February.
19. Visitors at the Home, staying for meals, and horse feed, are expected to pay for the same, for the benefit of the Home, as said Board may direct.
20. All churches of the E. District of Pa., N. J. and E. Shore of Maryland may enjoy the benefit of this Home on equal terms, if they, by action of the church, decide to do so. Others will come under section 14.
21. The Trustees shall provide to have regular religious services for the benefit of the inmates.
22. There shall be power by a two thirds vote of the share- holders present at the election of Trustees to change the fore- going plan, or any part thereof."
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This plan was adopted by the meeting, practically unan- imously.
August 20, 1896, Nathaniel Minnich resigned as one of the committee on location, which was accepted, and the Base- hore farm viewed by the committee, for the last time, Sep- tember 17, 1896, and decided to take it on the following terms, viz. : about 65 acres $4,200, payable April 1, 1897, and $300 five years after, without interest. John W. Gra- bill appointed to fill vacancy on committee made by resigna- tion of N. Minnich.
October 27, 1896, resignation of B. G. Musser accepted, and M. R. Henry appointed to fill vacancy.
According to announcement, a meeting was held in the Brethren Church in Manheim January 1, 1897, at which the first Board of Trustees was elected, viz. :
For 3 years S. R. Wenger and I. W. Taylor, for 2 years H. E. Light and B. Z. Eby, for one year T. F. Imler and M. R. Henry.
S. R. Zug being a Trustee by virtue of being the Elder in charge of the Chiques Church, in the bounds of which the Home is to be located.
The Board organized by electing Elder B. Z. Eby, Chair- man; H. E. Light, Secretary ; S. R. Wenger, Treasurer.
February 15, 1897, a charter was granted to T. F. Imler, H. E. Light, B. Z. Eby, S. R. Zug and S. R. Wenger.
Brother and Sister Jonathan Weaver were appointed Steward and Stewardess, and moved to the Home about April 1, 1897, and one or two days afterward, the first in- mates arrived, namely, Lizzie Weaver and Annie Adams.
April 16, 1897, besides the two already there, the following were accepted as inmates : Levi Moyer, Martha Fullerton David Troup, Henry Willower, Sister Miller, with several not accepted for want of room.
At this meeting the project of building an annex was first discussed, and deferred.
July 22, 1897, the Board of Trustees decided to build an annex 34 × 36 feet and at a called special meeting of the shareholders, held at the Home on August 5, 1897, the
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meeting passed the following paper by more than a two third vote.
"Whereas there are no less than seven applicants to enter the Home this fall for whom there is no room, and whereas the charter and by-laws do not give authority to build except by consent of the shareholders, Therefore, Resolved that we give our consent to the Trustees to build addition or additions to the Home this fall. And if the funds by donation cannot be fully raised in time, we authorize them to borrow the balance."
August 19, B. Z. Eby, T. S. Beck and S. S. Graybill ap- pointed as building committee.
September 16, resignation of S. R. Wenger, as Treasurer, accepted, and T. F. Imler appointed in his stead.
. January II, 1898, resignation of S. R. Wenger, as Trus- tee, accepted, and D. M. Hiestand appointed for unexpired term.
The building of annex has cost $2,621.78.
About this time there was a debt on the Home of over $3,000, Sister Geiger having at the start given $500, and now promised to give $1,000, if the balance is raised by April I, 1899. It was raised and the debt paid. In the Spring of 1899, J. Weaver and wife left as Stewards, and Amos L. Brubaker and wife succeeded them.
On February 6, 1900, at the organization of the Board of Trustees Elder I. W. Taylor was elected Secretary, and has been re-elected every year since.
April 9, 1902, a plan was presented to again enlarge the Home by an addition of 32 X 60 feet, which was accepted, and S. R. Zug, T. F. Imler and Samuel Keller appointed as building committee.
In the spring of 1901, Brother and Sister Brubaker, re- tired from the stewardship, and Elder B. Z. Eby and wife succeeded them.
Elder Eby same time resigned as Trustee, and Elder Hiram Gibble, was appointed to succeed him and S. R. Zug was appointed President in place of Elder Eby, and has held that position ever since, and John Herr, of Lebanon Co., was appointed to fill the vacancy as Trustee, occasioned by the resignation of Elder Eby.
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During the summer of 1906 the Trustees purchased five springs on the farm of Abraham Hernly, about a mile north of the Home, and also right of way of Mr. Hernly and Milton Nauman, to lay pipe to convey the water from those springs to the Home by gravity. The Trustees were about ready to begin ditching for laying the pipe that fall, when an injunction from the Court was obtained by the Manheim Water Company, against the Home, preventing them to pro- ceed.
That injunction was answered by the Trustees, and the following spring a hearing had by the Court, which decided in favor of the Home, and dissolved the injunction at the cost of the water company.
Simultaneous with the water trouble the Manheim people circulated a report that the Home is polluting the stream from which they get their supply of water, about a half mile below the Home, in view of which the following com- mittee was appointed to consider the legality and advisabil- ity of changing the location of the Home, viz. : John Herr, I. W. Taylor and H. S. Gibble, and report later.
The committee looked at a number of places in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties, and finally selected Elizabethtown, as the most suitable site, and the Trustees so recommended to the shareholders, February 4, 1908, but the vote was 19 in favor and 23 against instead of 2/3 in favor.
John Herr was re-elected a Trustee, but declined to serve, and Ammon H. Brubacher was appointed in his stead.
A public meeting of shareholders and friends of the Home was called by the Trustees, to be held in the Brethren Church in Manheim, October 22, 1908, to discuss the propriety of a change of location, which meeting was largely attended, and the sentiment seemed strong in favor of a change. So, at the next shareholder's meeting February 2, 1909, their vote was taken as to giving the Trustees authority to select, and secure a proper site, build thereon, and sell the old home, and the result was 25 for, 6 against, I neutral. The option on the Elizabethtown site having expired, and the Masons having since obtained one, we had to look elsewhere; and after viewing different places at Columbia, Mountville, Lan-
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disville, and Neffsville, the Board of Trustees decided on a site near Neffsville, where Nathan Brubaker offered to give IO acres of land, along the Lancaster and Lititz Pike and Trolley, without money, provided the Home pay him, and his wife, during life, an annuity of fifty dollars every six months. One of the seven Trustees held out for Columbia for a while, but finally withdrew his vote, that the choice is unanimous.
In the Spring of 1909, B. Z. Eby and wife left the Home as Stewards, and Elder I. W. Taylor and wife were ap- pointed in their stead.
April 26, 1909, on Plan and Specification, and as building Committee I. W. Taylor, Jacob Heagy, H. S. Gibble, Nathan Brubaker and Nathaniel Minnich were appointed.
The building committee organized : I. W. Taylor, Chair- man; H. S. Gibble, Secretary ; N. Brubaker, Treasurer ; and D. M. Rothenberger, of Lancaster, was appointed architect.
PLAN OF BUILDING.
Main building 200 X 36 feet. Rear building 78 × 32 feet, with basement under the whole, two and a half stories, with dormer windows on third floor. The two houses are 12 feet apart, with gangway 12 feet wide from cellar to attic, so as to make it practically one house.
The basement wall is solid concrete, as is also the floor. The basement contains the hot water heating arrangement, by which the whole house is heated, and also the laundry, ironing apparatus, cellar, etc.
The first floor in the main building has an office, two sit- ting rooms, and the rest is divided into guest and toilet rooms. The second floor is entirely used for guest and toilet rooms, and the third floor can also be made into guest rooms, several of which are already prepared. The rear building, first floor, is entirely used for a chapel, dining room and kitchen, and the second floor as an infirmary.
The amendments to the Charter are:
I. "The name shall be the ' Brethren Home of the Church of the Brethren.'
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2. "The place where the business of said corporation is to be transacted is at the Home, along the Lititz Pike, near the village of Neffsville, in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
3. "The Board of Trustees shall consist of six members, and any member of the Church, in good standing, over twenty-one years of age, may be elected a Trustee, and the member ex-officio shall be discontinued.
4. "The election of Trustees shall be held on the first Tuesday in November, instead of February."
The new Home was occupied on November3, 1910, and dedicated November 17, 1910, Elder D. L. Miller of Illinois, being on a visit here, and Elder John Herr, of Lebanon Co., Penna., preached the dedicatory sermon, and Elder S. R. Zug gave a historical sketch. The new Home, with fixtures and furnishings, cost about $48,000, and the old Home was sold to H. H. Cassel for $6793.42.
The financial condition of the Home in 1912 is as fol- lows : It is paid for with the price realized for the old Home, and by donations, of which $24,439.97 was donated on which the Home is to pay to the donors annuities during life, aggregating $948.91 yearly and the Home has an en- dowment fund of $12,600, loaned out, for which they re- ceive $490 interest, thus leaving a difference between annui- ties paid, and interest received, of $458.91, which must be raised by charging more to keep guests and inmates. As the donors die the annuities cease, but it will be a long while until the last one is gone.
We still hope to raise the endowment to an amount, the income of which will be sufficient to provide our poor mem- bers of the whole District, free of charge, which now in- cludes the Southeastern District of Pennsylvania, New Jer- sey, and Eastern New York; and that some of our members, and others, who are philanthropically inclined, will come to our aid by donations and bequests.
In the spring of 1912, Elder S. R. Zug, being over 80 years old, spoke of resigning as Trustee, but was urged to stay on to the end of his term, which would be December 31, 1912.
BRETHREN HOME.
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HOME BRETHREN
DETENTION HOME OF THE CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY.
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On November 5, 1912, at the annual meeting of share- holders he was relieved, and Nathaniel Minnich elected in his place, Jacob Heagy being re-elected. At the organiza- tion of the Board of Trustees, after that election, Jacob Heagy was appointed President; I. W. Taylor, Secretary; and Ammon H. Brubacher, Treasurer.
B. HISTORY OF THE CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY MOVEMENT IN THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA.
For a number of years several of the Elders in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania felt that there was a great field open for doing effective and far-reaching work in the way of caring for homeless and orphan children. This convic- tion grew and among those who first agitated the matter may be mentioned Elder Jesse Ziegler of Royersford, Elder I. W. Taylor of Vogansville, Elder David Kilhefner of Ephrata and Elder H. E. Light of Mountville. After the Annual Meeting held at Bristol, Tennessee, in 1905, had endorsed this kind of work as it was then carried on in the State District of Oklahoma and Indian Territory and fur- ther recommended that the several State Districts over the Brotherhood awaken to this important work (see Annual Meeting Minutes, page 6, Art. 2) the matter was more fully agitated, so that the Ephrata Church and the Spring Grove Church each came to the District Meeting of Eastern Penn- sylvania of 1906 with similar queries asking that the District Meeting carry out the recommendations of Annual Meeting on this point. This resulted in the appointment of a com- mittee of three Brethren consisting of H. E. Light, Jesse Ziegler and David Kilhefner with instructions to prepare a plan and present the same to the next District Meeting (See District Meeting Minutes, 1906, page 2.) This committee presented the following report to the District Meeting of 1907 which was ordered to be spread on the minutes for one year :
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" REPORT OF COMMITTEE TO CARE FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN.
" We your committee, appointed by District Meeting of 1906 to prepare plans for organizing the work of saving orphans and homeless children, after much deliberation and investiga- tion, desire to submit the following report :
"' The word of God and observation teach us that here lies a large field of useful and commendable work, which has hardly been touched by us as a church.
"'First. We are convinced that to undertake this work simply upon the plan of an agency would be altogether im- practicable and unsatisfactory, and that in order to succeed in the undertaking we would need a detention home, where no less than twenty children could be cared for at a time.
"'Second. In order to reach this we would recommend that the District Meeting appoint one or two Brethren to visit the churches of the District in behalf of this work, with the fol- lowing points in view :
"'(a) To create sentiment in favor of a work of this kind,
"'(b) To secure some guarantee of regular financial support.
"'(c) To have a delegate elected from the official body (Brother or Sister) of each local Church to represent such church in affecting an organization for carrying forward this work.
"'Third. As soon as a majority of the churches shall re- spond by taking action favorable to the movement, then the delegates elected above described shall be called to meet by the Brother or Brethren appointed by District Meeting to visit the churches, and shall elect twelve Trustees who shall have au- thority to incorporate and elect a manager and transact such business as may be needful to carry forward this noble work. " DAVID KILHEFNER.
"H. E. LIGHT,
JESSE ZIEGLER, Clerk.'"
The District Meeting of 1908 took up this report and after some discussion decided that the report be adopted except Section C of Article 2 and Article 3 and appointed a committee of two Brethren consisting of T. F. Imler and H. K. Ober who were to canvass the district with a view of finding out what sentiment exists for pushing this noble work. This committee came up to District Meeting of 1909 with the following report :
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" REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON ORPHANAGE.
" TO THE BRETHREN OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA IN DISTRICT MEETING, GREETING:
" We, your committee, offer the following report: Shortly after District Meeting of 1908, the home duties of the elder member of the committee were so confining as to make it im- possible for him to do any active work in the field. And as the other member did not have time except some Saturdays and Sundays the District was not thoroughly canvassed; how- ever, at such times and places as opportunities presented them- selves, the matter was taken up, largely with individual mem- bers of congregations. In the opinion of the commitee, a healthy, favorable sentiment to the project of establishing an Orphan Home exists over the District, with the proposed idea that such a home should be a place of detention for any orphans until a proper, permanent home has been secured with some family. The committee believes that the Christian home is the best place in which a child can mature and that our District has many homes who are ready to assume the responsibility of caring for orphans as soon as there is a definite point to which they may apply. Therefore, we feel that this matter ought to take definite shape, and that such arrangements ought to be made so as to make the project possible and practical, and as such we humbly submit this as our report.
" T. F. IMLER, "H. K. OBER."
The above report was thoroughly discussed and a com- mittee of five were appointed to carry out the committee's recommendations as they appeared in the above report. The committee consisted of T. F. Imler, Samuel Z. Witmer, H. K. Ober, H. B. Yoder, and Henry R. Gibbel.
This committee organized and a fairly complete report of their first year's work is found in the minutes of the District Meeting of the Church of the Brethren of Eastern Pennsyl- vania of 1910, as well as a number of recommendations. The District Meeting of 1910 passed a resolution that this committee be continued another year and that they present to the next District Meeting a Constitution and By-laws for adoption, rejection or amendment and that meanwhile the
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committee be instructed to carry out the recommendations in their report.
Immediately after the adjournment of the District Meet- ing of 1910, the committee organized and during the year five regular meetings were held, besides a number of subcom- mittee meetings and presented to the District Meeting of 19II a Constitution and By-laws which were adopted. This Constitution and By-Laws will be found on pages, two, three, four, and five of the minutes of the District Meeting of Eastern Penna. of 1911. As this Constitution provided for a Board of Trustees, the District Meeting of Eastern Pennsylvania of 1911 at once elected a Board of the follow- ing five Brethren for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania : T. F. Imler, H. B. Yoder, H. K. Ober, H. R. Gibbel, and Jacob W. Meyer. At this District Meeting there were steps taken and provision made to divide the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The new District which was thus formed adopted the name of Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and East- ern New York and elected five trustees as follows : Mary S. Geiger, Amanda R. Kratz, C. F. McKee, Ira Holsopple and Quincy Leckrone to serve in connection with the five mem- bers elected by the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
On the third Monday of July, A. D. 1911, these ten trus- tees met in the First Brethren Church in Philadelphia and organized as a full board.
During the year 1911, plans were studied and perfected for building a detention Home. Sites and locations were carefully considered. The District Meeting minutes of the Church of the Brethren of Eastern Pennsylvania for 1912 contain a report of the said Board of Trustees which shows that the work has been actively carried on. A beautiful lo- cation adjoining the Brethren Home at Neffsville, Pa., was finally selected as the place for erecting this building. This site was donated by the Board of Trustees of the Brethren Home. A substantial brick building was erected upon this site during 1912 and completed in the spring of 1913. Sub- sequently the building was furnished and is now fully occu- pied and is named " Home for Orphan and Friendless Child-
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ren." The dedicatory services for the same were held on the afternoon of October 16, 1913, when the following pro- gram was rendered :
Devotional Exercises
Elder S. R. Zug.
Dedicatory Services : (a) Elder M. C. Swigart.
(b) Elder J. H. Longenecker. Brief Report of Board of Trustees by H. K. Ober, Secretary. Offering.
Closing Exercises Elder S. Z. Witmer.
Elder I. W. Taylor in connection with his duties as Super- intendent of the Brethren Home has been elected Superin- tendent of this Home for the children. Brother and Sister Heagy, of Ephrata, are serving as the first steward and matron of same.
The Children's Aid Society in addition to being fully authorized and owned by the two State Districts is also in- corporated under a charter issued by the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County. Up to this time the Society has received and placed eighteen children. The work is now fully organized and eternity alone will reveal the very im- portant work which the church is carrying on through its servants in rescuing young lives and training them with a view of saving them for useful lives of Christian service.
H. K. OBER,
Secretary.
CHAPTER VI. HISTORY OF ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE.
I. THE FOUNDING.
For some years before the formal opening of Elizabeth- town College, there was felt a need in eastern Pennsylvania for a school where the children of the members of the Church of the Brethren might have opportunities for a more extended education than it was possible to get in public schools and at the same time make it possible for them to remain loyal to the Brethren Church, chiefly along the line of non- conformity to the world. It was furthermore decided to extend the privileges of higher education to such members as would obtain the same at State institutions unless afforded by schools in the church of their choice where they would be surrounded by a Christian environment, free from atheistical and other influences that tend to make shipwreck of their religious life. Withal there existed many good schools so far as intellectual training was concerned, but up- holding wrong ideals and tolerating, if not fostering, per- nicious features such as intercollegiate athletics, hazing, students' fraternities, class rushes, etc. Those interested in the school were moved by a lofty purpose which may be con- cisely stated thus: to found and establish a school where Christian education was obtainable under the fostering care and in the interest of the Church of the Brethren. This pur- pose, more formally stated in the Constitution, adopted by the Board of Trustees and friends of the school was as fol- lows: "The object of this school shall be such harmonious development of the physical, mental, and moral powers of both sexes as will best fit them for the duties of life and promote the spiritual interest of its patrons. While under the control and management of the Church of the Brethren and primarily intended for the education of our own child-
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ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE.
MEMORIAL HALL.
ALPHA HALL.
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HISTORY OF ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE.
ren, the school shall be open to all such as desire to avail themselves of its privileges."
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