USA > Pennsylvania > The Reformed Church in Pennsylvania : part IX of A narrative and critical history, prepared at the request of the Pennsylvania-German Society > Part 17
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The last missionaries sent to America by the Church of Holland were George Troldenier (1754-1800) and Le-
207 In the Proceedings of the Lancaster County Historical Society for Jan- uary, 1897, are several letters from the Helffenstein family in Europe, con- tributed by the present writer. Among them is a letter from the Rev. Peter Helffenstein to his son in America, dated June 3, 1772, which contains the following rather remarkable advice : "When you make up your mind to get married consider virtue first of all, but also give some consideration to property; for a minister who does not secure some possessions by marriage is sure to suffer all his life."
208 Andrew Loretz must not be confounded with his son who bore the same name. The latter came to America a year or two later, and became a worthy minister in North Carolina.
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Jacob Weimer.
brecht Frederick Herman (1761-1848). Both were natives of Anhalt-Cöthen, and were thoroughly educated. Trol- denier was a very successful preacher, but died young as "pastor in Baltimore. 209 Herman was in later years so prom- inent in the Church, especially as a preceptor of candidates for the ministry, that we shall have occasion to refer to him hereafter.
It is perfectly plain that the number of the ministers sent from Holland was not sufficient to meet the wants of the American Church ; and yet " the fathers " persistently re- fused to grant to the Coetus the privilege of conferring the rite of ordination, and even of admitting ordained ministers without their consent. It is almost amusing to observe how frequently the Coetus transgressed in this respect, afterwards begging pardon. They usually asked permis- sion to ordain certain candidates for the ministry, but when the answer was too long delayed they carried out their purpose on the ground of pressing necessity. Jacob Wei- mer, who founded the churches at Chambersburg and Greencastle, and was the first settled pastor at Hagers- town, Md., was ordained in this way. In 1772 the Coetus actually ordained five candidates who had been prepared
209 Many years ago the writer saw Dr. Herman's album, containing contri- butions from his fellow-students in Germany. Among them were several play- ful stanzas which have lingered in his memory, As is well known the word "Pfaff " is regarded as somewhat insulting, especially when applied to Prot- estant ministers ; but on one of the pages of the album a young lawyer had written :
" Schöne Mädchen sind geschaffen Für Juristen-nicht für Pfaffen. Darum wählt ich diesen Orden Sonst wär ich ein Pfaff geworden."
Immediately below this stanza George Troldenier had written :
" Alle die da sagen Pfaffen Zählt man unter die Zahl der Affen, Mit einem hässlichen Gesicht ; Nein, das liebt kein Mädchen nicht."
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for the ministry in America. These candidates were Cas- par Wack,210 Daniel Wagner,211 John Wm. Weber,212 John Conrad Steiner,213 and John W. G. Neveling.214
Other ministers who were admitted by Coetus on its own responsibility were J. Christian Stahlschmidt (1740-1825), John William Runkel (1749-1832), John Herman Wink- haus (1758-1793), Anthony William Hautz (1758-1830), Ludovicus Chitara and Philip Reinhold Pauli (1742-1815). Stahlschmidt returned to Germany and is remembered as the author of a book, descriptive of his American experi- ences, entitled " Pilger Reise zu Wasser und zu Land." Runkel, though pastor of prominent churches, performed much missionary labor. Winkhaus had been for two years pastor of a church in Europe before he came to America. He was a man of extraordinary ability, who was called to Philadelphia in 1790, but died of yellow fever three years later. Chitara had been an Augustinian monk, but studied theology in America and served churches in New Jersey. Hautz studied under Dr. Hendel, and after serving several charges in Pennsylvania, re- moved to Seneca County, New York. Pauli was a grand- son of Herman Reinhold Pauli, court-preacher in Halle,
210 Caspar Wack (1752-1839), the earliest German Reformed Minister of American birth. He is said to have been the first member of Coetus to preach regularly in English, though others had preached occasionally in that lan- guage.
211 Daniel Wagner (1750-1810) was a very influential minister. Pastor at York, Tulpehocken and Frederick, Md.
212 John William Weber (1735-1816). He founded the church of Greens- burg, and was the first minister of any denomination to preach in Pittsburg. He is regarded as the pioneer of the Reformed Church west of the Alleghenies. 213 John Conrad Steiner, son of the early minister of the same name, was pastor in Berks County and afterwards in Northampton. He died in 1782.
214 John Wesley Gilbert Neveling (1750-1844), a relative of Dr. Weyberg, was pastor at Amwell, N. J., and afterwards in Reading. In consequence of an accident he was paralyzed and remained an invalid for sixty years, dying at the age of ninety-four.
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Pioneers.
and was descended in the seventh generation from a cele- brated professor in Heidelberg, Daniel Tossanus. After he came to America he was for some years teacher of Latin in the University of Pennsylvania, but is best known for his long pastorate in Reading. Two of his sons, William and Charles Augustus, became Reformed minis- ters. Perhaps we ought in this connection to mention Fred- erick William Vandersloot, who came to America in 1782, and served several congregations with the consent of Coetus, but was never admitted to membership.215 John William Boos, who preached in Berks County, occupied a somewhat similar position. The Coetus desired to receive him, but the Holland deputies refused their consent, so he remained independent. Jonathan Rahauser (1764-1817) and John Philip Stock were ordained by Coetus in 1791. Rahauser, though a self-made man, was pastor at Hagerstown, Md., from 1792 to 1817 and exerted an extensive influence. Stock was a native of Hesse and had studied at Duisburg. He preached at York, Shippensburg and Chambersburg and prepared several young men for the ministry. He is said to have died at Wooster, Ohio, but the particulars of his later ministry are unknown. John Mann, who was in 1792 ordained as pastor at Lower Sancon and Springfield, was for several years prominent in the Church, but he finally retired from the ministry and became a farmer. Concerning his personal history hardly anything is known, but there is a tradition that during his pastorate there was a serious conflict in Lower Sancon. One Sunday he an- nounced as his text, Micah 3, 8 : " I am full of power to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin." His sermon became so personal that two prominent members, whose names were respectively Jacob and Israel,
215 He must not be confounded with his son who bore the same name.
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got up and walked out of church. The bolt had struck home.
We have not had room even to mention the names of all the men who labored in the German Reformed Church during the period of the Coetus ; but enough has probably been said to give a correct idea of the constitution of this early ecclesiastical organization. It is evident that for some years the ties which connected it with Holland had gradually been growing weaker. The annual stipend was a source of dissension rather than of actual advantage. As early as 1774 the whole sum received from Holland, amounting to 250 florins, was devoted to the Widows' Fund. Again and again the members of the Coetus re- quested their patrons in Holland to apply their benefactions to the establishment of a school in America for the training of ministers ; but on this " the fathers" were inflexible. They would neither aid in the establishment of an Amer- ican institution of learning, nor grant to the American churches the privilege of conferring the rite of ordination.
In 1787 the Coetus determined to unite with the Lu- theran Church in an effort to establish an institution for the training of ministers for the German churches in America. The time for such an enterprise appeared to be peculiarly auspicious. The country had in some degree recovered from the war of the Revolution, and was engaged in fram- ing a Federal Constitution. Many ancient prejudices had passed away, and there was especially a kindly feeling towards the Germans for their patriotism during the war of independence. The two leading German denominations were on intimate terms, and there appeared to be no reason why they should not engage in a common enterprise for the intellectual advancement of their people. It is, therefore, not surprising that as soon as the establishment of a college
Portrait. 255
The Cliffbles
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for their especial benefit was publicly announced promises of support were freely made by men of other churches ; but, unfortunately, many of these promises subsequently failed to be redeemed.
It is, perhaps, impossible to determine with certainty who was the first to propose the establishment of a Ger- man college, and the honor must be divided between the Rev. Drs. Helmuth and H. E. Mühlenberg, of the Luth- eran Church, and Hendel and Weiberg, of the Reformed. In the opinion of the writer the chief credit belongs to the Rev. Dr. Helmuth, who had for some years conducted the German department of the University of Pennsylvania. This department had been founded-about 1779-by Dr. Kunze, and when the latter was called to New York, it was continued by Dr. Helmuth. It was not unsuccessful, but in connection with an extensive pastoral charge must have proved a heavy burden. Dr. Helmuth must also have seen that it would be difficult to maintain two depart- ments in the University ; one must increase and the other decrease. What could be more natural than that he should conceive the idea that an institution for higher education among the Germans-such as the leaders of the churches had long desired-would be more likely to succeed if founded in a German county than if suffered to maintain a sickly existence as an annex to a large English in- stitution.
In founding the German college it was deemed of the utmost importance to enlist the sympathy and cooperation of eminent men who, though themselves of English de- scent, were best qualified to appreciate the importance of such an institution. It was not a small matter that they were able to secure the enthusiastic approval of such men as Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush,
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Benjamin Franklin.
Thomas Mifflin, Thomas MacKean, and others, whose names adorn the earliest list of the board of trustees.
Benjamin Franklin was in 1787, the President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. He had been prominent in many philanthropic enterprises, and though he was now too old to take an active part in the
Ben Franklin
new enterprise it was hoped that it might in some degree become a partaker of his brilliant reputation. That he was deeply interested in the proposed institution is not to be doubted. He had been for many years intimately as- sociated with the Germans, publishing many of their books
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and claiming to be in a special sense their patron and de- fender. He headed the subscription for the endowment of the new college with a contribution of £200, and was gen- erally regarded as its founder.
The charter of Franklin College was granted by the Legislature of Pennsylvania on the 10th day of March, 1787. It prescribed that the Board of Trustees should consist of fifteen Lutherans, fifteen Reformed, and the re- maining fifteen "to be chosen from any other society of Christians." The Legislature granted to the new insti- tution ten thousand acres of land, lying within the limits of the present counties of Lycoming, Bradford, Tioga and Venango, and subsequently the public store-house and two lots of ground in the borough of Lancaster were added to the donation. The land was, however, at that time almost valueless, and the store-house demanded ex- tensive repairs before it could be used to advantage for educational purposes.
The formal opening of Franklin College on the sixth of June, 1787, was a brilliant occasion. According to the published program there was a grand procession in which the officers of the county and the pastors of all the churches participated. The Reformed Coetus had appointed its an- nual meeting at Lancaster at this time so as to be present in a body. Many eminent Philadelphians were present, and among them was Benjamin Franklin himself.216 Ad- dresses were delivered by Drs. H. E. Mühlenberg and Joseph Hutchins. These addresses were published and
216 This fact is expressly stated by a French writer, Hector St. John Creve- coeur, who says in his book of travels : " In the year 1787 I accompanied the venerable Franklin, at that time Governor of Pennsylvania, on a journey to Lancaster, where he had been invited to lay the corner stone of a college which he had founded there for the Germans." See Duyckinck's "Cyclopædia of American Literature." A private letter is still extant in which Franklin indi- cates his intention of being present.
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German Program.
are still extant.217 The program, which was printed in Ger- man and English on the same sheet, contained original hymns in both languages.218 In brief, the occasion seemed propitious and every one was hopeful.
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& ancafter,
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Philadelphia: Gedruckt ben Melchior Steiner, in Der Rees firaffe, swifthen ber Brenten. und Dritten-firaffe. 1787.
There was, however, a little cloud that might have been held to betoken a coming storm. The Rev. Joseph Hutchins, pastor of the Episcopal church of Lancas-
217 The writer has in his possession the original manuscript of the prayer of- fered by the Rev. John Herbst, pastor of the Moravian Church. It contains an earnest petition for " the noble protector of this college, His Excellency, President Benjamin Franklin." The manuscript covers nine 4to pages, and the prayer must have been nearly as long as an ordinary sermon.
218 Two thousand copies were circulated, but only two or three specimens are now known to exist. Professor Hinke has kindly furnished the title of the German program for reproduction in this volume.
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ter, was chosen professor of English, and had been in- vited to deliver an English address. No doubt he was a learned man, but he seems to have lacked a proper appre- ciation of the proprieties of the occasion. In his address he not only inveighed against "ignorant corruptions of primitive Christianity and traditional prejudices in favour of languages, forms and customs"; but actually expressed his disapproval of the purpose for which the new institu- tion was founded. He said : " As the limited capacity of man can very seldom attain excellence in more than one language the study of English will consequently demand the principal attention of your children." Such words may now seem to have been very innocent, but when we remem- ber that they were addressed to men who were chiefly in- terested in the preservation of their native language, it is not difficult to see that the effect of the address must have been profoundly depressing. It is remarkable that Dr. Hutchins seems never to have appreciated the fact that he had made a mistake. Nineteen years afterwards, in 1806, he published the address in pamphlet form, with a dedica- tion to the Germans of Lancaster-evidently for the pur- pose of showing that his address had not been objectionable.
On the 5th of June, 1787, the day before the formal open- ing, the Board of Trustees met in the Court House at Lan- caster and elected the following Faculty for Franklin College :
Rev. G. H. E. Muhlenberg, D.D., President; Rev. Wm. Hendel, D.D., Vice-President ; Rev. Frederick W. Melsheimer, Professor of Greek, Latin and German ; Wil- liam Reichenbach, Professor of Mathematics ; Rev. Joseph Hutchins, Professor of the English Language and Belles Lettres.
Concerning these men Dr. B. Rush says, in an article
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First College President.
written in 1787 : " A cluster of more learned or better qualified masters, I believe, have not met in any univer- sity." We need only remind the reader that Muhlenberg was a celebrated botanist ; that Melsheimer has been called
{ Parle pizz.)
Goodman & Piggot !.
REV. G. H. E. MUHLENBERG.
"the father of American entomology"; and that Reichen- bach was a voluminous author.
With such a faculty, it may be supposed, the success of the college ought to have been immediate ; and so, indeed, it was in so far as the number of students was concerned.
·
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In 1788, according to Professor Melsheimer's report there were one hundred and twenty-five students of whom about twenty received instruction in the higher branches. The chief difficulty was evidently financial. The rates of tuition were very low, and the annual receipts were only £III, while the salaries of the professors amounted to £210, though Drs. Muhlenberg and Hendel labored without salary. As there was practically no endowment-the necessary repairs to the " old store-house " presented by the State having exhausted the available subscriptions- it did not not take long to get to the bottom of the purse.
Almost at the beginning it was found necessary to estab- lish an English as well as a German department. In the college building the two departments occupied adjoining rooms separated by folding-doors, which could in case of necessity be opened but were too generally left closed. There came to be two high-schools instead of one college. A correspondent of the Lancaster Unpartheyische Zeitung of October 5, 1787, says : " The English and Germans can never work together. The one says Shibboleth, the other Sibboleth." 219
The "Fathers " in Holland did not like the project of establishing a college, and addressed some rather sharp inquiries to the Coetus, suggesting that it possibly involved a declaration of independence. In its reply in 1790, the Coetus says : " The high-school in Lancaster has already failed (a year ago) because on account of the general hard times the professors failed to receive their salaries. It is not our purpose to separate from Holland. Our purpose in founding the school was principally to this end, that our
219 For further information on this subject see "The Founding of Franklin College," Reformed Quarterly Review, 1887, and "Old Franklin College," a paper read before the Lancaster County Historical Society, February, 1898 ; both papers by the present author.
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Reply of Coetus.
German youth might be instructed in the languages and sciences, so that they might be prepared to hold offices in the republic ; and that possibly in later times, if the school should be firmly established, young men might be prepared for the ministry."
That the college had not fulfilled its original purpose was true, and from this point of view it might be said to have failed ; but the school was not closed. Its patronage, it is true, was mainly local, and it became an academy rather than a regular college. The board of trustees maintained its organization and its minutes are reasonably complete. Professor Melsheimer labored until 1798, hop- ing against hope, but finally reëntered the active ministry. There was a long succession of eminent teachers, among whom were James Ross, author of a celebrated Latin grammar, Benedict Schipher, co-author with Dr. Muhlen- berg of a large German and English dictionary, and Dr. W. C. Brownlee, afterwards an eminent minister in New York. At a much later period we might mention Professor Jacob Chapman, who is still living (1901) at the age of one hundred years, and the late Rev. Dr. F. A. Muhlenberg.
It might be interesting to trace the later history of Franklin College, but this lies beyond our present purpose. The Lutheran and Reformed Synods, it is true, occasion- ally made small appropriations to the support of the in- stitution, but this seems to have been rather to preserve a traditional right than for any more serious purpose. It may, however, be added that the lands originally granted to the institution by the Legislature gradually increased in value, so that when they were finally sold it became pos- sible to establish an institution of a higher grade. This was accomplished by the union with Marshall College which was approved by the Legislature in 1850, though
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not actually consummated until 1853. At this time the Lutheran interest in Franklin College was purchased by the Reformed Church, and the institution has since been known as Franklin and Marshall College.
There can be no doubt that Franklin College was pro- jected on too large a scale, and that the time had not come for the establishment of an important institution under German auspices. The founders had heard of flourishing colleges in other parts of the country, but they seem to have failed to remember that-unless largely aided by the government-they were the result of many years of toil, if not of suffering. Accordingly, when trouble came, they lost heart, and failed to manifest the continued self- sacrifice which is the best assurance of the highest suc- cess. Nevertheless, to use the words of Dr. F. A. Muhlen- burg, one of the professors of Franklin College, " It is a high credit to Lancaster that ever since the adoption of our National Constitution, she has never been without a school in which her sons could receive the elements of a classical education."
During all these years the connection with Holland had remained unbroken, but for many years it had ceased to be of real advantage to the Church. The strict rules of the Holland Church with respect to ordination had become especially oppressive ; and it came to be felt that if the Re- formed Church was to maintain its existence in America it must strike out for itself, and determine the policy of the Church according to its environment. At last at the Coetus held in Lancaster in 1791, it was resolved that thereafter it would simply send to Holland " a report of the proceed- ings, accompanied by a suitable explanation, as may be necessary."
The following action was also taken :
THE REFORMED CHURCH IN PENNSYLVANIA.
I
E
H
CIVS ARE
S
THEOLOGIANS OF THE REFORMED CHURCH.
WITSIUS. VITRINGA. ALSTED.
ARETIUS. HYPERIUS. GOMARUS,
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Decisive Action.
" Resolved, That the Coetus has a right at all times to examine and ordain those who offer themselves as candi- dates for the ministry, without asking or waiting for per- mission to do so from the fathers in Holland." This was actually a declaration of independence, and it must have been so regarded in Holland, for to the letters of the Coetus no answer was returned. The decisive step had now been taken and it was not possible to turn back. In 1792 the Coetus directed Dominies Pomp and Hendel to prepare a Synodical constitution, and by its adoption at Lancaster in 1793 the separation was completed. The title adopted on this occasion was " DER SYNOD DER REFORMIRTEN HOCH- DEUTSCHEN KIRCHE IN DEN VEREINIGTEN STAATEN VON AMERIKA."
The Synod was not ungrateful, and on many occasions expressed its continued obligation to the fatherland. In its constitution it expressed its intention to welcome and receive ministers who might hereafter be sent from Hol- land. The Church had, however, been Americanized, and the pastors and people had little sympathy for European forms of government, whether in church or state. That the leaders in the Church had no liking for royalty appears in the following extract from a letter written by Dr. Hen- del to John Henry Helffrich, dated August 21, 1793: " The condition of Europe is dreadful ; whether the French will be able to maintain their republic cannot be foretold. I do not believe that the united powers of Europe will be able to conquer them, but I fear they will destroy them- selves. If the war continues a while longer the Palatinate will suffer greatly. Have we not every reason to regard kings and princes as scourges of the human race, or at least of the Christian Church? Did not God give Israel a king in His wrath because they had rejected Him?"
CHAPTER XVII.
THE SYNOD.
Synodalordnung-Hymn-books and Liturgies-Church Services-Con- flict of Languages-Union Movements-Synod of Ohio-New Meas- ures.
HE meeting of the Synod of the German Reformed Church held at Lancaster on the 27th of April, 1793, may be held to mark the beginning of the third period of denomi- national history. The synod, as then constituted, was by no means large or imposing. Only thirteen ministers answered to their names, and nine were noted as absent, but the pub- lished list of absentees was cer- tainly incomplete. It is estimated that the synod repre- sented about one hundred and seventy-eight congregations and fifteen thousand communicants. Of the congregations fifty-five are known to have been vacant. The Rev. John Henry Winckhaus was elected President, and Caspar Wack was Secretary. William Hendel, D.D., was by common consent the leader of synod. His son, William
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