,illustration3 ,,rev4 ,,andrew ,,jackson
 ,,newgent    ,latest ,photograph4      
,,the ,,experiences ,,of                
,,uncle ,,jack                          
,being a ,biography of                  
,,rev4 ,,andrew ,,jackson ,,newgent     
,,by                             ,,rev4 
,w4 ,,ed4 ,,snyder                  a   
,minister in the ,united ,brethren      
,church                                 
,illustration                           
,nineteen ,hundred and ,eleven          
,united ,brethren ,publishing ,house    
,w4 ,r4 ,funk1 ,agent                   
,dayton1 ,ohio                          
,printed by                      ,united
 ,brethren ,publishing ,house           
,w4 ,r4 ,funk1 ,agent                   
,dayton1 ,ohio          ,,preface       
,that which requires an apology should  
be left undone4 ,hence1 the author  of  
this humble work offers no apology in   
sending it forth4 ,if it finds  favor in
 the sight of those into whose hands it 
may fall1 he will  appreciate it4 ,if   

not1 it is confidently assumed that the 
world will  pursue its wonted course1   
and no one will be the worse1 if not the
 wiser4    ,no special literary         
excellence is claimed for it4 ,it is a  
feeble1 though  honest1 attempt to      
preserve from the cold1 merciless realm 
of oblivion a  life story that is well  
worth preserving--the life story of one 
for whom ,i  have come to have the      
profoundest reverence and affection4 ,my
 only regret  is that it has not been   
done better4    ,its chief value        
consists in the fact that it reveals the
 fundamental  elements of true character
 and true success4 ,the life of 8,uncle 
,jack0  ,newgent is a conspicuous       
illustration of the fact that each      
individual is  the architect of his own 
fate or fortune1 that the conditions of 
success  are internal and not external4 
,this has been his life philosophy and  
has  been abundantly vindicated by his  
life record4 ,his right to a proper     
regard among his fellows rests upon his 

sterling qualities of manhood1  devotion
 to a great purpose1 and personal       
achievements that have added to  the sum
 total of the world's weal and worth4   
,he belongs to a worthy line  of        
foundation builders whose work underlies
 the great superstructures of  both     
church and state of the present day4    
,hence1 two purposes have been kept in  
view in the writing of this  sketch--to 
acknowledge1 if not to pay1 a debt of   
honor and gratitude the  ,church owes to
 a worthy man2 and by giving special    
attention to those  personal qualities  
that make for success always and        
everywhere1 and which  were so          
strikingly exemplified in his character1
 to preserve the lessons  of his life to
 the present and future generations in  
the hope that they  may thus contribute 
to the further progress of              
righteousness4 ,if in this              
unpretentious little volume these       
purposes are in any degree fulfilled1 ,i
  shall be abundantly satisfied4        

,w4 ,e4 ,,snyder4                       
,,introduction      ,the pleasing task  
of writing an introduction to the life  
of my noble  friend1 ,rev4 ,a4 ,j4      
,newgent1 has fallen upon me4 ,the      
intimate association  which ,i have had 
with him for many years gives me a      
peculiar pleasure in  seeing the record 
of his splendid life placed before the  
,church4    ,biography is one of the    
most important departments of           
literature1 and ,mr4  ,newgent is       
eminently worthy of the permanent place 
in history which this  volume accords   
him4 ,i feel that fitting tributes in   
historic sketches  should not only be   
paid the men of ,god who have planted   
the ,church in  this nation1 but        
posterity should come and say over their
 graves1 as  ,pericles did over the     
bodies of his fallen fellow soldiers3   
8,you are  like the divinities above us3
 you are known only by the benefits you 
have conferred40 ,it is of such a man1  
though still living among us1  that ,dr4

 ,w4 ,e4 ,snyder gives the accurately   
drawn portraiture in the  chapters of   
this well-written biography4 ,the work  
has been prepared  with good judgment   
and much skill4 ,the incidents of his   
life are given  in sufficient detail1   
and make the volume exceedingly         
interesting and  instructive4 ,such a   
publication is of great value1 not only 
to those  who enter the ministry1 but to
 the whole ,church1 and especially to   
the  young4 ,to study the career of one1
 who1 by fortitude and zeal1 has  carved
 his way from humble surroundings to a  
high place of honor among  his          
fellow-men--passing through varied and  
striking vicissitudes in the            
struggle--can but inspire and ennoble   
other lives4    ,entering the ministry  
before our pioneer style of life had    
passed away  in the west1 ,mr4 ,newgent 
adapted himself to the humblest         
conditions of  society4 ,the fields of  
labor which he occupied in those early  
years  of his pastorate were sufficient 

to remind him of the privation and      
hardships of those who had preceded him2
 but no condition was humble  enough or 
severe enough to deter him from the work
 to which his young  life had been      
consecrated4 ,he could lodge in the loft
 of the lowliest  cabin and subsist upon
 the cheapest fare4 ,in quest of souls  
he thought  little of anything else4    
,living among the people1 a very small  
salary  would suffice for him4 ,he knew 
what it was to live on a moiety of one  
hundred dollars and less4 ,there have   
been no dangers or hardships1 no  toils 
or privations1 no suffering or sorrow   
sufficient to daunt his  heroic spirit4 
,fortunately1 ,mr4 ,newgent is so       
constructed as to see the  bright side  
of every difficulty1 and his inimitable 
humor has made his  family and friends  
laugh in the darkest hours of his       
ministerial life4    ,unflinching       
loyalty to the ,church has ever marked  
the career of ,mr4  ,newgent4 ,though he
 has been peculiarly free from sectarian

 prejudices or  bitterness1 his         
attachment to his own people has been   
conscientious and  unwavering4 ,all his 
energies have been devoted to the       
advancement of the  ,church of his      
choice4 ,he has stood for the defense of
 its doctrines and  polity1 and those   
who have drawn him into debate over any 
feature of our  system have not         
challenged him a second time4 ,in the   
earlier days of his  ministry he was    
many times called in debate with the    
strongest men of  other denominations1  
and has proved himself equal to any     
antagonist who  has met him in          
discussion4 ,many have gone down before 
his unanswerable  arguments1 and not a  
few have been driven from the contest   
because they  could not stand before the
 torrent of his eloquence and the       
indescribable  power of his wit4 ,in all
 his ministerial work these qualities   
have  often been of great advantage to  
him4 ,few men could possess such wit    
and eccentricities as ,mr4 ,newgent     

commands1 and use them to advantage     
without some objection by the people4   
,but like all his other gifts1 these    
peculiar qualities have been consecrated
 to the service of doing good1  and in  
their use he has maintained his         
ministerial consecration and  influence 
with never a breath of suspicion cast   
upon his good name4    ,it is gratifying
 to his many friends that ,mr4 ,newgent1
 though retired  from the active work of
 the ministry1 is still in possession of
 all  his mental powers1 and no doubt   
will live to read his own biography4    
,few men have been so fortunate4 ,to    
have spent his long and useful life  in 
the most interesting period of the      
history of the ,church1 and then  remain
 to read the part he has played in the  
making of that history1  is a privilege 
that most of ,christ's embassadors have 
never enjoyed4  ,back when the          
,publishing ,house was struggling for   
existence1 he loyally  supported the    
little plant1 and never failed to       

circulate our books and  push our       
periodicals in every charge he has      
filled4 ,when our institutions  of      
learning were in their infancy1 and much
 opposition was brought  against        
education1 he was a friend of the       
schools1 and again and again  has gone  
into the field to raise money for their 
support4 ,he has seen the  great        
benevolent boards of the ,church and    
nearly all our connectional             
institutions come up from the smallest  
beginnings1 and has never failed  to    
espouse the cause of these important    
agencies for the promotion of  ,christ's
 kingdom4 ,even the conference in which 
he began his ministry has  grown in his 
day from a handful to a host1 and no man
 has watched its  growth with deeper    
pride or more anxious concern than      
himself4    ,i could write much more in 
the line of these thoughts1 but the     
chapters  of this volume will give in   
clear light the characteristics which   
can  only be hinted at in the limits of 

an introduction4 ,the skilled pen of    
the biographer will bring out in        
forceful and charming manner the noble  
traits of the gifted brother whose      
career he has studied with great care   
and painstaking interest4 ,let the book 
have a wide circulation1 let the  youth 
read its inspiring sentiments1 and the  
horizon of their thoughts  will be      
enlarged and the desire to be loyal to  
,god and to every good work  will be    
stimulated and strengthened4            
,t4 ,c4 ,,carter4    ,november #bg1     
#aiaa4          ,,contents              
,,page        ,preface                  
#c        ,introduction                 
#d                                      
,,chapter ,,one                         
,ancestry--,picture of pioneer          
life--,imprisonment and release      of 
,pompey ,smash--,little ,jack's         
short-cut in the study of               
astronomy--,the fate of his first pair  
of breeches                     #i      
,,chapter ,,two        ,the tragic death

 of the father--,removal to ,parke      
,county--,school                        
,days--,conversion--,change of church   
relationship--,a remarkable             
providence                              
#bc                                     
,,chapter ,,three        ,call to the   
ministry--,first sermon--,the boy       
preacher--,answering      a fool after  
his folly--,turning a camp-meeting      
tide--,quieting a      skirmish--,takes 
a wife                                  
#ci                                     
,,chapter ,,four        ,conference     
membership--,brulitz ,creek             
ministry--,the modern      knight and   
his steed--,abrupt closing of family    
devotions by      a                     
dog-on-the-preacher--,an original       
marriage ceremony--,a case      of      
mistaken identity--,a banner missionary 
collection--,shawnee      ,prairie      
pastorate--,a cold day in ,april--,the  
redemption of ,hell's      ,half        
,acre--,baiting for a perverse fish--,an

 experience in the      whisky business 
#ea                                     
,,chapter ,,five        ,six months at  
,rainsville--,a hot-bed of ,southern    
sympathizers--,a      mix-up with saloon
 men--,a sermon on slavery--,fire and   
brimstone--,an antagonist outwitted--,a 
sermon from the book of                 
,newgent--,can any good thing come out  
of ,rainsville8                  #gj    
,,chapter ,,six        ,the war spirit  
in ,indiana--,breaking up a traitorous  
plot--,narrow      escape from          
enemies--,assists in securing           
recruits--,becomes      chaplain of his 
regiment--,exchange of courtesies with a
      ,presbyterian minister--,an       
embarrassing predicament--,saves his    
regiment from capture--,organizes       
military church--,chased by             
,johnnies--,an exciting homeward journey
                               #hj      
,,chapter ,,seven        ,plants the    
,united ,brethren banner in ,terre      
,haute--,prairieton                     

pastorate--,difficulty with the sons of 
,anak--,a prayer without an             
8,amen0--,another community             
redeemed--,going to the wrong doctor--,a
      perverse colt--,an unintentional  
immersion--,one sermon that was      not
 dry                                    
#ih                                     
,,chapter ,,eight        ,the ,new      
,goshen pastorate--,an old grudge       
healed--,dry bones                      
revived--,memorable year at             
8,dogtown0--8,death in the pot0--,the   
,hittites captured--,the                
8,jerks0--,other remarkable             
demonstrations--,a      rooster in the  
missionary collection--,first           
debate--,unpleasant      sequel to a    
horse trade                             
#aaa                                    
,,chapter ,,nine        ,labors at      
,mattoon1 ,illinois--,a persistent      
campaign and a great                    
victory--,second ,new ,goshen           
pastorate--,a coincidence--,success at  

,prairieton--,laboring in the           
shadow--,the death of ,mrs4 ,newgent--,a
      bishop's tribute to her character 
#aca                                    
,,chapter ,,ten        ,first great     
debate--,the debate as an               
institution--,the                       
challenge--,opponents get               
weak-kneed--,prolonging maneuvers--,a   
hungry multitude unfed--,battle         
begins--,questions discussed--,an       
improvised creed for his opponent--,a   
premature baptism--,an      opponent's  
tribute to his genius--,crowning the    
victor               #ach               
,,chapter ,,eleven        ,subsequent   
debates--,the ,owen contest--,he got his
      8,treat0--,opponent's             
confession--,dressing 8,stone0--,a      
scared      ,baptist--,invades the      
,lutheran ranks--,measures steel with   
,doctor      ,ingram--,dissertation on  
infant baptism--,opponent's early       
flight--,concludes the debate           
alone--,the ,haw debate                 

#aee                                    
,,chapter ,,twelve        ,perrysville  
and ,centerpoint--,industry rewarded    
from an      unsuspected source--,a     
8slick wedding0--,fruitful labors at    
,centerpoint--,a one-sided union        
meeting--,the doctrine of the           
resurrection again demonstrated         
#aga                                    
,,chapter ,,thirteen        ,becomes a  
missionary superintendent--,second      
marriage--,an      unexpected           
welcome--,forms a ,quaker               
friendship--,the ,spirit moves      in a
 ,quaker meeting--,a ,quaker's prayer   
answered--,builds a      college--,shows
 what to do for a dead church--,another 
tilt on the      doctrine of            
baptism--,conversion of a ,dunkard      
preacher--,turns a      great movement  
in the right direction                  
#ahj                                    
,,chapter ,,fourteen                    
,autumn--,the fading leaf--,fruit in old
 age--,his later      labors--,present  

home                                    
#aif                                    
,,chapter ,,fifteen        ,a ,character
 ,sketch                                
#bjb                                    
,,chapter ,,sixteen        8,lights     
out10 a dirge of the war                
#bai            ,,chapter ,,one4        
,ancestry--,picture of ,pioneer         
,life--,imprisonment and ,release       
of ,pompey ,smash--,little ,jack's      
,short ,cut in the ,study of            
,astronomy--,the ,fate of his ,first    
,pair of ,breeches4      ,once upon a   
time1 so long ago that the chronology of
 it has become hidden  in the mists of  
historical uncertainties1 a man with his
 family emigrated  from the hill section
 of northern ,ireland to the vicinity of
 ,dublin4 ,what  his real name was also 
belongs to the realm of the unknown1 but
 among  the unsophisticated rural       
inhabitants with whom he had cast his   
lot he  was characterized simply as the 
8new gentleman40 ,in course of time1 the

  somewhat cumbersome title became      
abbreviated to 8new gent10 the original 
appellation finally passing from common 
usage entirely4 ,that this new          
gentleman was a person of some force of 
character may be inferred from  the     
distinction he seems to have achieved   
among his new neighbors and the  fact   
that the name has been honored by men of
 rank and eminence among his            
descendants1 a conspicuous example being
 ,lord ,robert ,newgent 7or ,nugent71   
the celebrated ,irish scholar and       
statesman4    ,among the later          
descendants were three brothers who     
decided to cast their  fortunes with the
 land of dreams and fancies across the  
,atlantic4 ,their  names were ,edward1  
,william1 and ,thomas ,newgent4 ,on     
reaching ,america  ,edward directed his 
course toward the sunny ,south1 ,william
 remained  somewhere in the ,east1 while
 ,thomas struck out toward the vast     
region of  unbroken forests on the      
western slopes of the ,alleghenies4 ,his

 pilgrimage  terminated somewhere in the
 bounds of ,kentucky4 ,he secured a     
tract of  land near ,cincinnati1 and in 
process of time met1 wooed1 and won a   
wealthy daughter of ,virginia4 ,he was  
contemporary with the ,boones in        
reclaiming this great region of         
possibilities for civilization2 helped  
to survey the ,state2 taught school on  
both sides of the ,ohio ,river1  winning
 for himself the title of 8,irish       
,schoolmaster10 which1 in this  case1   
carried with it no small degree of      
distinction4 ,he was a soldier in  three
 wars1 that of the ,revolution1 of      
#ahab1 and the ,blackhawk ,war1 for     
which services he received a pension    
from the ,government4 ,he professed     
religion at the ripe age of eighty1 and 
was spared to redeem in part his  long  
neglected opportunities by spending     
almost a quarter of a century in  active
 ,christian service1 his long and       
eventful life closing1 according  to an 
uncertain tradition1 in the #ajc;d year 

of his age4 ,he was the father  of      
,charles ,newgent1 who was the father of
 ,andrew ,jackson ,newgent1 the  hero of
 this simple narrative4    ,in ,charles 
,newgent the elements of character      
peculiar to his race were  exceptionally
 strong4 ,a most marked propensity was  
his fondness for a  joke4 ,he would take
 more interest in concocting some new   
trick to be  played on a neighbor or in 
devising a scheme for merrymaking than  
in a  critical study of the ,sermon on  
the ,mount1 or in solving an intricate  
theological problem4 ,but while the     
religious faculty remained somewhat     
dormant1 he was warm-hearted and        
generous1 a good neighbor and citizen1  
according to the simple requirements of 
the times4 ,in educational  attainments 
he was far above the average4 ,he was a 
prominent figure  in local political    
circles1 being a ,jeffersonian ,democrat
 of a rather  emphatic type4 ,his ever  
ready wit and fluency of speech made him
 a  master on the stump and a formidable

 antagonist in political debates4  ,the 
ability to give a humorous turn to any  
remark or incident served  him well upon
 such occasions4 ,his peculiar          
temperament gave him special  aptitude  
as an auctioneer1 in which capacity he  
had no superior4 ,people  would attend  
his sales as much to be entertained by  
his witticisms as for  the bargains he  
might have to offer1 and those who came 
to laugh often  remained to settle a    
bill for something they had no thought  
of purchasing4    ,at the age of        
nineteen1 in the year #ahbe1 he was     
married to ,mary ,pugh1  of ,shelby     
,county1 ,kentucky1 his native county4  
,her parents had come from  ,scotland   
and were substantial citizens4    ,soon 
after their marriage they moved to      
,parke ,county1 ,indiana1 and  settled  
on a tract of land which the wife had   
received as a dower from  her father4   
,pioneer life in ,indiana need not here 
be enlarged upon4 ,a solitary  dwelling 
in the interminable and trackless       

forest2 the building  consisting of a   
single room built of unhewn logs1 roofed
 with hand-split  clapboards2 the       
chimney covering one entire end of the  
building2 the  rough doors swung on     
wooden hinges2 the small windows with   
greased paper  or the tanned skins of   
animals through which a bit of daylight 
finds its  way with difficulty2 the huge
 fireplace used for both cooking and    
heating  purposes2 the few pieces of    
hand-made furniture--these were some of 
the  outward aspects of domestic life   
out on the ragged edge of civilization4 
,the cabin of the ,newgents was typical 
of those of their neighbors1 the        
nearest of whom lived some fifteen miles
 distant4 ,the larger wild animals  were
 frequent visitors and the war whoop of 
the ,indian had scarcely died  away4    
,after a brief residence at this place  
they moved to ,sullivan ,county4  ,here1
 on ,saturday1 ,september #ae1 #ahch1   
the subject of this sketch was  born4   
,he was the youngest of seven sons4     

,subsequently the family circle  was    
enlarged by the addition of two         
daughters4 ,the father's political  bias
 was again asserted in the name1 ,andrew
 ,jackson1 assigned to this  youngest   
son1 after the great hero of early      
,democracy4 ,the name often has  given  
occasion for humorous touches by the    
owner1 especially in referring  to his  
early life4 ,by the neighbors and older 
members of the family1 he  says1 he was 
dubbed ,general ,andrew ,jackson4 ,later
 the military title was  dropped and he 
became plain ,andrew ,jackson1 and by   
successive stages the  name was further 
abbreviated until the boy was doomed to 
answer to the  simple cognomen of       
8,jack40 ,whether this was a process of 
evolution or of  degeneration1 he was   
destined to win for himself a title that
 would stand  for real worth and        
attainment2 that would represent the    
love of little  children1 as well as the
 esteem of men and women1 when the      
affectionate  appellation of 8,uncle    

,jack0 would become a household term in 
multitudes  of homes4    ,perhaps it is 
to the ,scotch blood of his mother that 
he owes the more  solid elements of his 
character4 ,the ,scotch character stands
 for thrift1  energy1 and integrity1 so 
that wherever the hardy ,scotchman goes 
he  carries with him the best elements  
of citizenship4 ,these combined with    
the quick wit and genial temperament of 
the sons of ,erin produced in our       
subject a personality rich in depth and 
resourcefulness4    ,the emigration     
instinct1 always strong in the pioneer1 
again became  active1 and the family set
 out for a new destination4 ,this time  
it was  ,paw ,paw ,bend in ,knox        
,county1 ,indiana1 so named because of  
its location in  a bend of ,white       
,river1 and the prolific growth of paw  
paw trees for which  the fertile lands  
were especially adapted4 ,our subject   
was then about  eighteen months old4    
,here he spent the years of early       
childhood4 ,some  incidents numbered    

among his earliest recollections and    
which serve to  illustrate the home life
 and social conditions in which these   
years were  passed1 will not be out of  
place in this connection4    ,during    
this period religious services were     
practically unknown in ,paw  ,paw ,bend4
 ,the chief diversions were such social 
functions as shooting  matches1 wood    
choppings1 log rollings1 husking bees1  
and dances4 ,the  spelling bee was still
 of too intellectual a character to win 
popularity4  ,at all such gatherings the
 familiar demijohn of corn whiskey was  
considered an indispensable adjunct4    
,hence1 the announcement of a preaching 
service to be held at the ,newgent  home
 on a following ,sunday morning was     
hailed throughout the settlement  as a  
new thing under the sun4 ,of course     
everybody would go4 ,the preacher  was  
to be ,rev4 ,nathan ,hinkle1 a          
,methodist itinerant4 ,it was out of no 
particular religious scruples that the  
host1 ,charles ,newgent1 volunteered  to

 entertain the assemblage on this       
occasion1 yet he had no aversion to     
preachers or churches1 and in common    
with his neighbors1 he was always  ready
 to encourage anything that would break 
the monotony and afford  social         
diversion4    ,it so happened that on   
,saturday evening before this memorable 
day1 ,pompey  ,smash1 a negro fiddler1  
was passing through the neighborhood and
 asked  to stay over night at ,mr4      
,newgent's4 ,he was informed by the head
 of the  house that he would be         
furnished lodging on condition that he  
dispense  music for a family dance4 ,the
 terms were accepted and there was a    
sound  of revelry by night as the little
 company beat time on the puncheon floor
  to the droll tunes of their musical   
guest4    ,early next morning the       
congregation began to assemble for      
worship4 ,the  presence of the fiddler  
led to the suggestion that the time     
spent in  waiting for the arrival of the
 preacher be used to the best possible  

advantage4 ,accordingly the ,ethiopian  
turned his fiddle--for it was before    
the violin was invented2 the familiar   
demijohn was set in a conspicuous       
place1 and the gentlemen chose their    
partners4 ,lest the preacher's sudden   
arrival in the midst of such hilarious  
scenes be the occasion of a shock  or an
 offense to his ecclesiastical dignity1 
a member of the party was  dispatched to
 do picket service4 ,the watchman1      
having imbibed too freely  of the       
contents of the jug1 fell asleep at his 
post4 ,the dance had gone  on merrily   
for some time in its rapturous          
excitement2 the preacher and  church    
service were utterly forgotten4 ,when1  
lo6 the alarm was sounded4  ,the        
faithless watchman had allowed the      
company to be taken by surprise4  ,the  
approach of the reverend was discovered 
in the nick of time2 the  dance came to 
an abrupt stop4 ,to prevent the minister
 from 8smelling a  rat10 a puncheon was 
removed hastily from the floor1 and the 

fiddler1  the fiddle1 and the whiskey   
jug were thrust unceremoniously through 
the  opening into the cellar excavation 
below4 ,and the people put on their     
,sunday faces for church4    ,after the 
services a part of the congregation1    
including the shepherd  of the flock1   
remained for dinner4 ,this necessarily  
prolonged the  imprisonment of the      
negro1 but when it is recalled that the 
whiskey  jug was a prison companion1 we 
may surmise that the hours were not  so 
8tedious and tasteless0 as otherwise    
they might have been4 ,the  solemnities 
of the day came to an end with the      
departure of the minister2  the prison  
was then opened and the prisoner        
released4 ,an 8after service0  followed1
 which1 it may be conjectured1 was more 
in harmony with the  tastes of the      
congregation4    ,while unlimited       
resources lay at the very doors of these
 pioneer cabins1  the backwoodsmen      
lacked the facilities for developing    
them4 ,their tastes  were not so        

exacting as in later days1 and beyond   
the sheer necessities  and comforts of  
the household1 ambition did not spur    
them on4 ,while  ordinarily the family  
dined on homely fare1 the industrious   
housewife  often became so proficient in
 the culinary art as to be able to      
concoct  most tempting dishes with the  
raw products that nature placed in easy 
reach4 ,the sap of the maple tree1 wild 
grapes1 paw paws1 and persimmons1  as   
well as the products of garden1 orchard1
 and field were utilized  in providing  
for their physical wants4 ,persimmons   
ripened with the  early frosts1 and when
 put up in maple syrup1 became a staple 
and most  delicious article of diet4 ,by
 the addition of the proper quantity of 
whiskey1 the standard remedy for most of
 the ills the flesh is heir to1  the    
mixture afforded in addition to its     
other virtues1 a sure cure for  ague1   
commonly called 8ager40 ,this led to an 
episode in which little  ,jack and three
 older brothers were the leading        

figures1 and which he  facetiously      
labeled 8a short cut in the study of    
astronomy40    ,the children were left  
alone one afternoon4 ,the oldest of the 
quartet  was familiar with the process  
of preparing the common ague antidote4  
,the  necessary ingredients were1 as    
usual1 within easy reach4 ,so he        
proceeded  to administer the remedy to  
his younger brothers on the principle   
that  8if a little did good1 more would 
do better40 ,the bearing of this        
procedure upon the science of astronomy 
becomes apparent when we  remember that 
among the unschooled of that day it was 
a mooted question  as to whether or not 
the world is round and revolves upon its
 axis1 as  the geographies teach4 ,jack 
declared that after taking a few doses  
it  was painfully evident to him that   
the world did turn round and turned at  
such a rapid rate that he found it      
difficult to keep from falling off4     
,when the mother returned she found the 
three younger boys lying on the  floor  

unconscious1 and the author of the      
mischief sitting astride a joist        
overhead the unceiled room in a         
hilarious condition4 ,by the free use of
  sweet milk the younger boys were      
restored to consciousness1 but a special
  treatment was reserved for the one who
 led them into temptation4 ,however1    
,jack found this short course in        
astronomy sufficient for all practical  
purposes1 and he has never had the      
occasion or inclination to extend it4   
,his early years were as happy and free 
from care amid these primitive          
surroundings1 as childhood life could   
well be1 even in what might be          
considered more favorable circumstances4
 ,life was simple in the extreme1  even 
crude1 but it was the best he knew4     
,there was nothing in the lives  of his 
associates calculated to excite envy or 
cause discontent with his  own lot4 ,but
 in this connection one incident stands 
out in bold relief to  mar the picture  
of boyish contentment4    ,a single     

garment of homespun1 or 8tow linen10 was
 all that was considered  necessary in  
the way of clothing under ordinary      
circumstances for a boy  of that age4   
,it marked a new era in his life when   
the loose garment which  covered the    
anatomy down to the knees was           
supplemented by a pair of  breeches of  
the same material4 ,upon one occasion as
 ,jack stood watching  his mother as she
 was measuring the material for the     
older boys' winter  suits1 he heard her 
remark that there would probably be     
enough scraps  left over to make him a  
pair of breeches4 ,with emotions        
alternating  between hope and fear1 he  
waited impatiently for the outcome4 ,his
 joy was  unbounded when he found that  
his hopes were to be realized4 ,his     
mother  laid him on the floor and thus  
marked the pattern4 ,it was seen that   
the  closest economy had to be used to  
make the goods hold out2 so instead of  
the regulation number of two suspenders 
which were one piece with the  breeches1

 the material would only warrant the    
making of one4 ,by extending  it from   
one side on the back diagonally across  
the shoulder1 making  connection on the 
opposite side in front1 the new         
habiliment maintained  its balance and  
no special inconvenience was suffered4  
,but alas6 his rejoicing was soon to be 
turned into mourning4 ,a few days       
later1 clad in his new outfit1 he went  
with his brothers to the woods  to      
gather pecans4 ,it was a warm autumn    
afternoon1 and in climbing and  clubbing
 the trees and picking up the nuts1 the 
boys found it convenient  to cast off   
unnecessary articles of clothing4 ,as   
,jack had scarcely become  accustomed to
 more than one garment1 he could easily 
dispense with the  breeches for the     
time4 ,accordingly they were removed and
 hung on a bush  near by1 and for a time
 forgotten in the fascination of nut    
hunting4 ,when  the party was ready to  
start home with the fruits of their     
toil1 he was  alarmed to find that his  

cherished breeches had disappeared4 ,the
 boys  searched diligently but found    
them not4 ,when about ready to give up  
in  despair1 they chanced to observe1 a 
short distance away1 a mellow-eyed1     
crinkly-horned1 brindle cow making a    
meal off the lad's wearing apparel1  or 
perhaps using it for dessert1 as though 
it were a dainty morsel4 ,and  the last 
,jack saw of his first pair of breeches 
was the lone suspender  dangling from   
the innocent old brindle's mouth1 the   
major part of them  having been engulfed
 in her capacious maw4 ,and to the      
sorrow of his  heart1 his wardrobe for  
another year was limited to the single  
piece of  homespun4          ,,chapter  
,,two4        ,the ,tragic ,death of the
 ,father--,removal to ,parke            
,county--,school                        
,days--,conversion--,change of ,church  
,relationship--,a ,remarkable           
,providence4      ,thus far our         
narrative has covered the childhood of  
our subject up to  the ninth year of his

 age4 ,at this juncture occurred an     
event that cast  the first real shadow  
over his youthful pathway4 ,it was the  
death of  his father1 the tragic nature 
of which and the subsequent effect it   
was to have upon his career1 made the   
shadow all the deeper and more          
significant4 ,charles ,newgent went with
 a company consisting of sixty          
adventurous spirits1 upon an expedition 
to the ,west1 the real object  of which 
seems to be somewhat indefinite4 ,the   
restless and venturesome  spirit of the 
pioneer1 a curious desire to penetrate  
the mysteries of the  great western     
world1 the dream of untold treasures    
that nature had in  store for those who 
dared to conquer the dragons that       
guarded them--all  may have figured in  
this ill-fated enterprise4 ,however that
 may have  been1 while crossing the     
western plains the company was attacked 
and  massacred by a band of hostile     
,indians4 ,as in the calamities that    
befell  ,job's household1 one of the    

number was left to tell the story4 ,this
 one  was supposed by the savages to    
have shared the fate of all the rest1   
being left on the field for dead2 but it
 so happened that in his case the       
weapon of death did not do complete     
work4 ,he was picked up the next day  by
 a party of hunters to whom he was able 
to give a vague account of the          
preceding day's terrible tragedy4       
,after the father's death1 the mother   
with her nine children moved back to    
their former home in ,parke ,county4    
,life then took on a sterner aspect for 
the boy4 ,his tender hands must perform 
their part in the maintenance of  the   
family4 ,accordingly he hired out to    
,mr4 ,jesse ,maddox1 a neighboring      
farmer4 ,his wages the first year were  
to be a pair of shoes1 ten bushels  of  
corn1 and the privilege of attending the
 district school4 ,the market  price of 
corn was ten cents per bushel4 ,even at 
this modest stipend  he admits that he  
made money1 8though not very much40     

,while in after  years of fruitful      
labors in the ministry he often remarked
 that the  question that most perplexed 
him was how to earn what he received1 it
  is not probable that the question at  
this time had assumed very serious      
proportions4    ,the most important     
stipulation in the contract was the     
privilege  of attending school4 ,but    
even this is subject to shrinkage when  
we  recall that the school system of    
,indiana was then in its first stage  of
 development4 ,it afforded no royal path
 to learning1 and the common            
thoroughfare was neither smooth nor     
flowery4 ,we would scarcely expect to   
find in the schoolroom comforts that the
 home itself was a stranger to4         
,strikingly suggestive of the interior  
aspect of those primitive seats of      
learning are the lines from ,whittier's 
8,in ,school ,days03        8,within1   
the master's desk is seen1        ,deep 
scarred by raps official2      ,the     
battered seats1 the warping floor1      

,the jack knife's carved initial4       
8,the charcoal frescoes on the wall1    
,the door's worn sill betraying         
,the feet that creeping late to school1 
,went storming out to playing40    ,to  
fit the particular building in which our
 subject first tasted  the fruit of the 
tree of knowledge1 the picture needs but
 slight  modification4 ,if anything1 it 
should be made even more simple and     
primitive4 ,the 8battered0 seats were   
made of puncheon4 ,since this word  is  
passing from common usage1 it may be    
well to explain that puncheon  is made  
by splitting a small log in two equal   
parts4 ,the split edges  are then       
trimmed down1 and the pieces thus       
treated served as a rough  substitute   
for sawed lumber4 ,to make them into    
seats1 two holes were  bored near each  
end in the unhewn side4 ,these being at 
proper angles1  wooden pins were        
inserted into them for legs4 ,the rude  
seat was then  ready for service4 ,it is
 not to be taken for granted that these 

seats  were always made perfectly       
smooth4 ,what was lacking to smooth them
 down  by the workmen was expected to be
 completed by the pupils4 ,they finished
  the task1 but often it was a long and 
painful process1 with many a  protest   
from a new gown of homespun or a pair of
 8tow-linen10 home-grown  breeches4     
,thus1 with no rest for the arms or the 
back1 with one side  scorched by the    
heat from the great fireplace and the   
other chilled by  the winter winds      
creeping through cracks in floor and    
walls and roof1  the children wore away 
the dreary hours4 ,the floor1 being     
composed  of this same puncheon1 did not
 easily warp4 ,the recess recreation    
consisted mainly in carrying fuel from  
the surrounding forest to feed the      
every-hungry fireplace4    ,whatever    
dignity the schoolmaster may have       
possessed in the eyes of his  pupils1   
certain it is he was not the original of
 ,goldsmith's creation in  the          
8,deserted ,village10 of whom the wonder

 was 8that one small head could  carry  
all he knew40 ,beyond the traditional   
essentials of scholarship1  consisting  
of reading1 writing1 and ciphering1 with
 a specially intimate  acquaintance with
 the spelling book1 he did not pretend  
to lead4 ,his  chief business was to    
govern the school4 ,he proved his divine
 right  to his throne in the schoolroom 
by his ability to handle the most       
obstreperous cases the district could   
produce4 ,the scholars were on hand  as 
a challenge to his generalship4 ,the    
hero of the school was the one who  held
 out longest against his despotic       
authority4 ,to lick the teacher was  the
 height of his ambition4 ,this realized1
 his place in the local hall of  fame   
was secure4 ,according to the philosophy
 of the times 8lickin' and  larnin'0    
went hand in hand1 lickin' being        
essential1 while larnin' was            
incidental4    ,the school house was    
three miles from the ,maddox home4 ,the 
school was  maintained on the basis that

 8whosoever will may come40 ,there was  
no  penalty for tardiness or absence1   
but as young ,newgent possessed a  real 
thirst for knowledge and was in the     
habit of making the most of  whatever he
 undertook1 his attendance was more     
regular than the average4  ,however1 the
 sum total of his schooling was limited 
to three terms of  about three months   
each1 an aggregate of nine months4      
,meager as were his  school advantages1 
they were well improved and furnished a 
foundation  for self-culture upon which 
he built as only a genius can4 ,he      
learned  to read in less than four      
weeks1 and his progress was             
correspondingly  rapid throughout4 ,his 
real school was not bounded by the walls
 of the  log school house2 it was rather
 the great school of life with its harsh
  discipline and inexhaustible          
curriculum2 and in this he grew to be   
the  peer of the ripest products of     
educational institutions4               
8,opportunities10  he says1 in his      

characteristic way1 8the woods has      
always been full of  opportunities4 ,i  
had splendid opportunities when ,i was a
 boy1 and so did  my companions2 but    
many of them1 like some young folks now1
 failed to see  them40 ,he saw what many
 fail to see1 that opportunities are not
 so much  in our environment as in      
ourselves1 and that success is not      
determined by  outward circumstances1   
but by one's own will and energy4    ,a 
habit early formed was that of turning  
everything to account in the  pursuit of
 knowledge4 ,mrs4 ,newgent1 anxious to  
encourage her children's  propensities  
for study1 furnished the home with such 
reading matter as  her means would      
permit4 ,though the family were         
separated most of the  time1 they came  
together at frequent intervals4 ,on     
these occasions the  time was well spent
 in reading and in discussing current   
topics4 ,whatever  was read became the  
subject of conversation4 ,these         
conversations often  took the form of   

argument1 in which the various sides of 
a subject were  presented and zealously 
defended4 ,thus1 he early displayed and 
developed  an aptitude for argumentative
 discussion1 which made him a master in 
debate1 and is a strong element in all  
his public discourses4    ,his          
conversion occurred when he was about   
ten years old1 while still in  the      
service of ,mr4 ,maddox1 a benefit which
 was not considered in the  contract    
with his employer4 ,this took place     
during a gracious revival  at the       
,canaan ,methodist church1 of which his 
employer was a member and  was serving  
at the time as class leader and janitor4
 ,the meeting had  been in progress for 
a number of days2 many had found the    
,savior1 and  the community was deeply  
stirred4 ,he had been sent to open the  
church  and build the fire for the      
evening service4 ,while going quietly   
about  his duties1 all alone1 the       
impression came to him quite vividly    
that he  ought to be a ,christian1 and  

he resolved to go to the 8mourner's     
bench0  that night4 ,he was never long  
in making up his mind1 and when a       
decision  was once made1 it was as a law
 of the ,medes and ,persians4 ,so he    
went to  the altar that night and each  
succeeding night for more than a week4  
,one  evening as he was listening to the
 sermon1 conviction became so intense   
that in his extremity he left the house4
 ,though it was a cold night and  the   
ground was covered with snow1 he stole  
out in the woods4 ,kneeling in  the     
snow1 this youthful ,jacob wrestled with
 ,god in prayer4 ,how long he  tarried1 
he could not tell1 but faith triumphed1 
and the next he knew  the woods were    
resounding with his shouts of victory4  
,rushing into the  church while the     
preacher was yet talking1 he put an end 
to the sermon  by his shouting and      
praising ,god4 ,the congregation was    
electrified4 ,soon  the demonstration   
became general1 and for a time          
pandemonium held sway2  but it was of a 

sort in which there were both method and
 meaning1 for its  source was from      
above4    ,like ,god's servant of old1  
he could say1 8,my heart is fixed40 ,he 
joined  the church and from that time   
never missed an opportunity to pray and 
testify in public or private4 ,at that  
time children did not receive much      
attention from the church4 ,churches    
were strong on saving souls from        
damnation1 but the idea of saving the   
entire life for service had not  taken  
deep root4 ,as a result of the revival  
there was a large class of              
8probationers40 ,when the period of     
probation had expired1 according to  the
 church law1 and they were to be        
admitted into full membership1 his  name
 was not on the list4 ,he was not       
considered a member2 at least that  was 
his version of it1 and the only logical 
conclusion the case would  warrant4 ,it 
was a sore disappointment1 but of too   
delicate a nature to  mention to his    
elders4 ,so he kept his feelings to     

himself4    ,thus matters stood for     
little more than a year1 when he learned
 that  there was to be a quarterly      
meeting at the ,otterbein ,united       
,brethren  ,church a few miles away4    
,this church belonged to the ,rockville 
,circuit  of the ,wabash ,conference4   
,rev4 ,william ,sherrill was the pastor4
 ,the  presiding elder1 who was to hold 
the quarterly conference1 was ,rev4     
,samuel ,zuck4 ,both were strong and    
good men4 ,jack had never attended a    
,united ,brethren service4 ,what        
knowledge he had of the ,church was     
gained  through conversations overheard 
in the ,maddox home4 ,ministers being   
frequently entertained there1           
conversation at such times naturally    
took  to religious channels4 ,as this   
was an age when churches did not        
entertain  the most fraternal feelings  
toward one another1 these conversations 
were  not calculated1 as a rule1 to     
produce a favorable opinion of a rival  
denomination4 ,his interest in churches 

and religion was genuine1 born of  a    
desire to know the truth4 ,hence1 is was
 not mere curiosity that led him  to    
obtain his employer's permission to     
spend ,saturday and ,sunday with a      
neighbor in the ,otterbein community so 
that he might attend the services  of   
the quarterly meeting4    ,the ,church  
proved to be his affinity4 ,whatever    
misgivings he had1  vanished one by one4
 ,the general atmosphere of the first   
service  harmonized with his            
temperament4 ,there was spirit in the   
singing4 ,his  heart burned within him  
as he listened to the eloquent sermon by
 the  presiding elder2 and when the     
pastor followed1 as the custom was1 with
 a  warm exhortation1 he was enraptured4
 ,he resolved to join the ,church4 ,as  
usual1 the decision was made without    
much preliminary4 ,he knew where he     
stood1 and stood there with both feet4  
,when he returned1 his employer1 as     
well as his own folks1 was thunderstruck
 to learn that he had become a          

full-fledged ,united ,brethren4 ,having 
put his hand to the plow1 he never      
turned back4 8,i have been so busy10 is 
a common saying with him1 8that ,i  have
 never had time to backslide40    ,it   
should be said in justice to the church 
where he first joined1 that  his name   
had been entered upon the book1 but by  
mistake it was placed  in the list with 
the full members4 ,this accounts for his
 not being  received with the           
probationers1 to which class he         
belonged1 and led to  the conclusion    
that he was not considered a member4    
,thus an apparently  insignificant thing
 may prove to be a matter of vital      
importance4    ,as a boy he possessed   
pronounced convictions and a keen sense 
of  religious obligation4 ,this is      
demonstrated by an incident which       
occurred  while he was in the employ of 
,mr4 ,jerry ,rush1 a short time after   
leaving  the service of ,mr4 ,maddox4   
,mr4 ,rush was a well-to-do farmer and  
stock  dealer4 ,neither he nor his wife 

made any profession of religion1 though 
their lives were regarded as exemplary  
and above question in other  respects4  
,some of the men who worked on the farm1
 however1 were of the  baser sort4 ,it  
seemed strange to young ,newgent that a 
man of ,mr4 ,rush's  habits would       
surround himself with men who were      
utterly destitute of  moral scruples or 
of the commonest decencies4 ,to him     
their vulgarity  and profanity were a   
source of constant annoyance4 ,at one   
time as their  coarse jests were grating
 on his sensitive ears1 he was impressed
 with  the idea that this uncouth crowd 
afforded him a field for missionary     
work4 ,the impression was not long in   
taking definite shape4 ,it came with    
the force of a challenge1 a bugle call  
to duty1 a call that he never  failed to
 heed4 ,his mind was made up that he    
would offer prayer with  these men      
before they retired that evening if ,mr4
 ,rush would grant him  the privilege4  
,it was a bold resolve1 an ordeal from  

which a braver heart might well  have   
shrunk4 ,let eloquent tongues proclaim  
the praise of those who face  death at  
the cannon's mouth1 or the inspired pen 
immortalize the hero1  who1 amid the    
applause of admiring multitudes1        
imperils his own life to  save another2 
but who would not count it a worthy act 
to place a laurel  wreath upon the brow 
of a fourteen-year-old lad who dared to 
face1 not  one ,goliath1 but a company  
of ,goliaths1 with the simple weapon of 
faith1  and demand that they bow before 
their ,god while he offered a petition  
in  behalf of their needy souls8 ,yet   
this resolute purpose was to undergo  a 
severe test4 ,the fiercest battles are  
fought in our own hearts4 ,as  the time 
drew near1 he felt his courage slipping 
away4 ,he stole out to  the barn for a  
time of secret prayer1 that he might be 
equal to the  emergency4 ,feeling       
comforted and strengthened1 he started  
to the house to  execute his plan4 ,on  
reaching the yard gate his courage      

seemed to take  flight1 and he could go 
no farther4 ,he went back to the place  
of prayer4  ,on the second venture he   
got as far as the door1 when his        
strength again  vanished4 ,not to be    
beaten1 he went back to the barn to     
fight the battle  to a finish4 ,the     
third effort won the day4 ,he hastened  
to the house1  determined not to give   
the enemy a chance4 ,the men were       
sitting about  the fire4 ,without a word
 by way of preliminary1 he stepped up to
 ,mr4  ,rush and asked permission to    
kneel with them in prayer4 ,the         
permission  was granted1 and a solemn   
hush came over the startled company as  
they  listened while the boy1 with      
trembling voice and stammering accents1 
poured out his soul to ,god4 ,he then   
sought his bed with the consciousness   
that he had done his duty4 ,a sweet     
peace filled his soul and he lay for    
hours in ecstacy of joy4    ,the next   
evening the family devotions were       
repeated4 ,but on the third  evening the

 prayer was forestalled by a            
preconcerted plan on the part of  the   
men4 ,as the time for prayer approached1
 one after another1 they arose  and     
stalked out of the room1 and the victor 
in two hard-fought battles  was left    
alone--defeated and dejected4 ,his      
spirits dropped down to zero4  ,the     
fiery dart had pierced him through and  
through4 ,in agony of soul he  sought   
his bed1 but not to rest4 ,out of the   
depth of his troubled heart  he called  
upon ,god for comfort4 ,but the fury of 
the storm seemed only  to increase4 ,in 
his desperation he felt that something  
must be done4  ,so1 about the hour of   
midnight1 he arose1 dressed himself1 and
 left the  house to go--he knew not     
where4 ,through the remaining hours of  
the night  he wandered1 directing his   
course toward the ,west4 ,daylight came1
 the  sun rose above the horizon and    
pursued its course toward the zenith1   
but his pilgrimage continued4 ,at noon  
he found himself in the city of  ,terre 

,haute1 then a mere village4 ,here he   
tarried for a time to seek  employment4 
,failing in this1 he resumed his        
westward journey4 ,he asked  for work at
 the various farm houses which he       
passed4 ,while he found kind  hearts    
who1 touched by pity for the youthful   
pilgrim1 gave him food and  temporary   
shelter1 he found no man to hire him    
until he reached ,mattoon1  ,illinois1  
nearly a hundred miles from whence he   
started4 ,work at that  season of the   
year was scarce1 and his term of service
 at ,mattoon was  brief4 ,at the end of 
three days his employer gave him his    
wages with the  intelligence that his   
services were no longer needed4    ,he  
now decided to go back to ,indiana4     
,with his three days' wages in his      
pocket1 with which he expected to pay   
for his transportation at least  part of
 the way1 he set out upon the return    
journey4 ,within the vicinity  of ,terre
 ,haute he succeeded in finding steady  
employment and a congenial  home4       

,there were two sides to this story1 and
 some months after ,jack was  settled in
 his new home he learned the other side4
 ,it was glorious news  to him4 ,the    
sequel was that ,mr4 ,rush was          
converted1 joined the ,baptist  ,church1
 and became a zealous leader in         
religious work4 ,it came about in  this 
way3 ,when ,mr4 ,rush found that ,jack  
had disappeared and diligent  effort    
failed to solve the mystery of his      
disappearance1 a feeling of  remorse    
over his unchristian conduct so         
possessed him that for days he  was     
almost in a state of frenzy4 ,remorse   
took the form of spiritual  conviction  
and genuine repentance which led to a   
glorious conversion4    ,on learning of 
the whereabouts of his young benefactor1
 ,mr4 ,rush at once  went to see him1   
and told him his side of the story4 ,he 
confessed to  ,jack that he was a guilty
 party to the scheme the men had used to
 defeat  him4 ,the boy's awkward prayer 
together with their own antipathy for   

such  pious exercises was a source of   
embarrassment to the men1 and they      
agreed  among themselves to use the     
method described to rid themselves of   
further  annoyance4 ,little did ,mr4    
,rush realize that those awkward prayers
 were to  be the means of his salvation4
        8,god moves in a mysterious way1
        ,his wonders to perform1        
,he plants his footsteps on the sea1    
,he rides upon the storm4        8,judge
 not the ,lord with feeble sense1       
,but trust him for his grace1           
,behind a frowning providence        ,he
 hides a smiling face40                 
,,chapter ,,three4        ,call to the  
,ministry--,first ,sermon--,the ,boy    
,preacher--,answering      a ,fool      
,after his ,folly--,turning a ,camp     
,meeting ,tide--,quieting a             
,skirmish--,takes a ,wife4              
,providence seemed to ordain that there 
should be one preacher in the  ,newgent 
family and that that one should be      
,jack4 ,as has been observed1  his      

religious zeal from the time of his     
conversion at the age of ten1  was      
exceptional4 ,just when the first       
impression looking toward the  ministry 
came to him he could scarcely tell1 such
 impressions having been  associated    
more or less with his religious         
experience from the beginning4  ,by the 
time he was thirteen the conviction that
 he had a 8divine call0 to  preach the  
gospel became clear and definite4 ,and  
the conviction deepened  with the       
passing of time4 ,of course1 no one     
dreamed of the emotions that  were      
stirring the boy's breast1 and to him   
the ministry was so high and  sacred a  
calling as to seem infinitely beyond his
 possibilities4 ,hence1  he dared not   
express his feelings to even his most   
intimate friends1 and  so received no   
sympathy or encouragement from any human
 source4 ,he went  about his ,father's  
business in his own way1 rendering such 
service to  the cause of his ,master as 
a boy of his years was capable of4 ,his 

zeal  knew no abatement1 and such       
diligence is sure to lead to recognition
 and  reward4    ,the minister who first
 took a special interest in him was     
,rev4 ,ira ,mater1  an able preacher and
 a sympathetic discerner of the thoughts
 and intents  of the heart4 ,between the
 man and the lad there sprang up a      
beautiful  friendship1 suggestive of    
that between ,paul and ,timothy4 ,rev4  
,mr4 ,mater  frequently invited his     
young friend to accompany him to his    
appointments1  and by way of stirring up
 the gift that was in this prospective  
,timothy1  sometimes called upon him to 
open the service1 to exhort after the   
sermon1 or perform such other public    
ministrations as were convenient4  ,rev4
 ,mr4 ,newgent has always gratefully    
acknowledged his indebtedness to  this  
spiritual father4    ,this association  
with ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mater was during his   
sixteenth and  seventeenth years4 ,he   
was small and rather delicate for one of
 his age4  ,his entire youth was a      

continual conflict with disease1 the    
entire  category of which seemed to try 
their hand upon his slender frame4  ,but
 while his body was frail1 his mind was 
strong and alert4 ,that  his positive   
temperament and seeming disposition to  
never give up had  somewhat to do in    
staving off the grim monster1 death1 is 
not at all  unlikely4    ,his first     
regular discourse was preached at the   
,stedd ,school ,house  near ,fontanet1  
in ,clay ,county1 ,indiana4 ,the school 
house was used as a  preaching point and
 weekly prayer meetings were maintained4
 ,he was a  frequent attendant at these 
services1 and one evening1 on entering  
the  house1 he was met by the leader who
 said1 8,jack1 the people are expecting 
you to preach to-night40 ,that he was to
 preach was simply a surmise1 his       
association with ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mater being
 the probable foundation of it4  ,but   
some one surmised out loud and the rumor
 gained currency4 ,observing  his       
surprise at this intelligence1 the      

leader continued1 8,you had  just as    
well begin here and now10 in a manner   
that indicated that it  was a foregone  
conclusion that preaching was to be his 
life business4  ,and ,jack preached4 ,at
 any rate1 if the effort could not be   
classed as  preaching1 it was a splendid
 substitute for it4 ,he announced as a  
text1  8,if the righteous scarcely be   
saved1 where shall the ungodly and the  
sinner appear80 ,the congregation was   
visibly affected by his fervor and      
earnestness1 some of the more           
demonstrative ones giving vent to their 
feelings in shouts of praise4 ,he was   
urged to preach the next night1 and  the
 meetings were continued for more than a
 week1 being held at various  private   
homes1 ,newgent preaching at each       
service4 ,the divine seal was  thus     
placed upon his ministry1 and the       
meeting marked the beginning of a  new  
epoch in his career4    ,a few weeks    
later the ,rockville quarterly          
conference granted him a  license to    

preach4 ,the action was taken in his    
absence4 ,j4 ,p4 ,white  was the        
preacher in charge and ,thomas ,m4      
,hamilton was the presiding  elder4 ,the
 action of the quarterly conference was 
almost a superfluous  formality1 as he  
was now so greatly in demand that he    
could not well  avoid preaching4    ,the
 boy preacher was a popular character4  
,to see a man on the ante  meridian of  
life in the pulpit was at that time     
quite unusual4 ,the  popular prejudice  
was in favor of men who had spent the   
major part of  their lives on the farm  
or in business1 thus acquiring a        
competence  that would enable them to   
proclaim that salvation is free without 
being  embarrassed or embarrassing their
 congregations on the money question4   
,hence1 a diminutive lad of seventeen1  
weighing only about eighty pounds1      
exercising the ministerial function was 
in itself sufficient to attract  the    
multitudes4 ,wherever he preached he was
 greeted by immense audiences4  ,by many

 he was regarded as a prodigy1 though he
 could not be classed as  such1         
prodigies seldom accomplishing more than
 to afford amusement for  curious       
spectators4 ,it is true1 however1 that  
he displayed qualities  unusual for one 
of his years1 though it must be admitted
 that the greater  part of his power lay
 in his intense religious zeal and      
earnestness4    ,some characteristic    
incidents in this part of his ministry  
will not  only be of interest in        
themselves1 but will at the same time   
serve to  illustrate his unique         
individuality4 ,he went on one occasion 
to fill  an appointment at what was     
known as the ,rough and ,ready ,school  
,house4  ,the name was justified by the 
prevailing social conditions4 ,like     
,paul  on ,mars ,hill1 he found that at 
least some of the people were very      
religious1 though their religious energy
 was not always directed to the  best   
advantage4 ,not infrequently does it    
transpire that men will fight  for their

 religion even when they are utterly    
averse to the practice of  it1 a fact   
which had a forcible illustration in    
this particular service4  ,he preached  
with his usual energy4 ,the house was   
crowded and the sermon  seemed to be    
well received4 ,there happened to be    
present a minister of  what was         
designated as the ,campbellite          
persuasion4 ,evidently the sermon  did  
not coincide with his theological bias4 
,he asked permission to  say a few words
 as the speaker took his seat4 ,the     
permission granted1  he sallied forth   
with a tirade of abuse and denunciation 
of the young  preacher and his theology 
in which his passion played a larger    
part than  either his judgment or his   
conscience4 ,when he finally ran down1  
,newgent  arose in a calm manner and    
said1 8,brother1 with your way of       
applying  ,scripture1 ,i can prove that 
,eve was the mother of a turkey         
buzzard40  8,prove it1 then10 shouted   
back the irascible theologue4 8,well1   

the ,bible  says that ,eve was the      
mother of all living1 and that includes 
turkey  buzzards4 ,let us be dismissed10
 and calling the audience to their feet1
  he pronounced the benediction before  
his assailant had time to reply4    ,at 
another time1 with his brother1 ,john   
,newgent1 he happened to drop  in at a  
,methodist camp meeting in ,sullivan    
,county4 ,they arrived just  in time for
 the morning service4 ,a number of      
ministers were seated on  the platform1 
among them being ,rev4 ,hayden ,hayes1  
the presiding elder4  ,rev4 ,mr4 ,hayes 
had met ,newgent on a former occasion1  
and as soon as he  saw him enter the    
camp1 rushed back and taking him by the 
arm1 led him  to the platform4 ,hayes   
was a strong1 portly man1 and the       
delicate lad  was helpless in his grasp2
 thus he was led as a lamb to the       
slaughter1  and was informed that he    
must preach4 ,though he vainly sought to
 be  excused1 yet he was equal to the   
emergency4 ,he had proceeded about ten  

minutes with his discourse1 when a man  
sitting a few feet in front of the      
platform was converted and began to     
shout4 ,he continued1 and four others   
in the congregation broke loose in like 
manner1 all of them having been         
converted through the effect of the     
sermon1 and the discourse disappeared   
in a whirlwind of praise that completely
 drowned the speaker's voice4 ,up  to   
that time there had been no move in the 
meeting4    ,john ,newgent was imbued   
with the old-school ,baptist doctrine   
and had not  sympathized with his       
brother's preaching propensities4 ,after
 resuming  their journey they rode for a
 time in silence4 ,finally the older    
brother  said1 8,jack1 you know ,i have 
always opposed your preaching4 ,but ,i  
want to  say that ,i have no further    
objection to it2 but10 he added with    
quivering  lips1 8,i want you to pray   
for me40 ,the sermon had touched his    
heart4    ,though urgent demands were   
made upon the boy preacher to stay and  

assist  in the meeting1 he was unable to
 do so1 and heard nothing further from  
it until after he had returned from the 
war1 when by chance he again  passed    
through the vicinity4 ,he stopped at the
 home of a ,mrs4 ,mayfield1  on whose   
farm the camp was located1 to get his   
dinner and his horse fed4  ,as he was   
taking his leave1 having paid his bill1 
he chanced to observe  the camp ground a
 short distance away4 ,up to that time  
he was not aware  that he was in the    
immediate vicinity of it4 ,he inquired  
of his hostess  concerning the camp     
meetings4 ,she told him that but one    
such meeting had  been held1 though the 
intention was to make it a permanent    
institution4  ,the unsettled condition  
of times during the ,rebellion prevented
 the plan  from being carried out4      
8,how was that meeting80 ,newgent asked1
 as one who had a peculiar interest  in 
it4    8,oh1 it was a grand success4    
,there was a little ,baptist preacher   
from  near ,lafayette happened in and   

preached one morning1 and just set      
things  on fire4 ,from that time on the 
meetings were powerful40    8,what was  
the fellow's name80 he asked1 but she   
could not recall it4    8,was it        
,newgent80 ,she said that sounded like  
it4    8,well10 he said1 8,i know him4  
,he isn't considered much of a preacher 
up  there where he lives1 but10 he      
added1 8you are mistaken about his being
 a  ,baptist4 ,he is a ,united          
,brethren40    ,she looked at him       
curiously for an instant and said1 8,i  
believe you are  the fellow40 ,and his  
smile told that she had guessed aright4 
,his money was returned at once1 and she
 insisted that he stay and preach  at   
the ,methodist church near the camp     
ground that night1 assuring him  that he
 would have a good hearing as there had 
been much talk about the  little        
preacher who had 8set the camp meeting  
afire40 ,this he was unable  to do1 but 
promised to return at a later date4     
,a short while after the camp meeting1  

he filled an appointment for his        
pastor1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,f4 ,moore1 at the    
,leatherwood church1 which was a part   
of the ,rockville charge4 ,the pulpit   
arrangement of this church was in       
strict harmony with the fashion of the  
times4 ,it consisted of a sort of  wall 
which shut the preacher in almost       
completely from the congregation1       
suggesting a military fortification4    
,newgent1 being small of stature1  could
 with difficulty peer over the top of   
the ramparts4 ,he was led to  believe1  
however1 that the fortification was a   
necessary precaution1  for his artillery
 had been turned loose but a short time 
when it was  evident that there was a   
hearty response4 ,bang6 ,some sort of a 
missile  struck the rampart just in     
front of him with a loud report4 ,it was
  followed immediately by another1 and  
the bombardment1 continued until  six   
discharges were fired4 ,the preacher    
withdrew within the breastworks  that   
small fraction of his anatomy that was  

exposed1 and waited for  hostilities to 
cease4 ,the congregation was at once    
thrown into a  state of confusion and   
excitement4 ,when the preacher finally  
surveyed  the situation after the heavy 
batteries were silenced1 he saw that a  
hand-to-hand skirmish was on between two
 men in the rear of the room4  ,one was 
making a desperate effort to get the    
other to the door and out  of the house4
 ,with the help of the congregation1 he 
succeeded in putting  down the          
rebellion1 and going back to his        
fortifications he finished  the         
discourse and the service was concluded 
in fairly good order4 ,the  difficulty  
was only a side issue1 the culmination  
of a grudge between  a couple of        
natives4 ,the missiles were not aimed at
 the preacher1 but  were fired from     
ambush through the open door2 the man   
for whom they were  intended happened to
 be sitting in range with the pulpit4   
,rev4 ,mr4 ,moore resigned the          
,rockville charge during the year and   

,newgent  was appointed to serve the    
unexpired term4 ,this was his first     
experience  in the pastorate4 ,his brief
 term of service here was characterized 
by a  revival of extraordinary results  
at ,otterbein1 his home church4         
,converts  were numbered by the scores  
and the community was shaken by such a  
spiritual upheaval as it had never      
known4    ,illustration3 ,,rev4 ,,andrew
 ,,jackson ,,newgent    ,when he        
traveled his first circuit4    ,another 
adventure should be chronicled here4 ,it
 has been said that there  are but three
 real important events in a man's life1 
namely1 his birth1  his marriage1 and   
his death4 ,the second of this great    
trio in the life  of our subject        
occurred during the period embraced in  
this chapter4 ,it  is a common saying   
with him that he does not believe in    
early marriages1  hence1 he deferred    
this important step until he was        
eighteen years  old4 ,and on the seventh
 of ,january1 #aheg1 he took to himself 

a wife in  the person of ,miss          
,katharine ,copeland4 ,she proved to be 
a worthy and  sympathetic companion1    
heroically assuming her part of the     
burdens and  responsibilities that      
belong to the family of an itinerant    
preacher4  ,that her lot was not an easy
 one may be readily assumed when we     
consider  what the ministerial calling  
involved in that early day4 ,its        
peculiar  hardships fell most heavily   
upon the wife1 yet these she endured    
without  protest4 ,brave in heart1      
gentle in temper1 and in heartiest      
accord with  her husband's interests1   
she proved to him a real helpmeet1 and  
an  inspiration to his loftiest         
endeavors4          ,,chapter ,,four4   
,conference ,membership--,brulitz ,creek
 ,ministry--,the ,modern ,knight        
and his ,steed--,abrupt ,closing of     
,family ,devotions by a ,dog on      the
 ,preacher--,an ,original ,marriage     
,ceremony--,a ,case of ,mistaken        
,identity--,a ,banner ,missionary       

,collection--,shawnee ,prairie          
,pastorate--,a ,cold ,day in            
,april--,the ,redemption of ,hell's     
,half      ,acre--,baiting for a        
,perverse ,fish--,an ,experience in the 
,whiskey      ,business4      ,rev4 ,mr4
 ,newgent was received into the ,upper  
,wabash ,conference at  ,milford1       
,indiana1 in the spring of #ahei4       
,bishop ,david ,edwards presided4  ,the 
,conference had been formed the         
preceding year by a division of the     
,wabash ,conference territory4 ,as a    
matter of coincidence he was ordained   
four years later at the ,conference in  
session at the same place with the  same
 ,bishop presiding4 ,he was now in his  
twenty-first year1 having been  quite   
prominent in ministerial labors for     
about four years1 and had a  record for 
zeal1 earnestness1 and success in       
revival work that commended  him        
favorably to the ,conference4    ,he was
 appointed by this ,conference to the   
,brulitz ,creek ,circuit1 which  gave   

him an unlimited field for the exercise 
of his zeal and talents4  ,the circuit  
consisted of eighteen appointments1 only
 two of which were  at church-houses2   
the others were at school houses and in 
private homes4  ,with little or no      
competition1 the circuit-rider was      
monarch of all  he surveyed1 though in  
most cases when he received his         
appointment he  found enough already    
surveyed to tax his time and energy to  
the limit4  ,preaching services were not
 confined to the ,sabbath1 but would    
fall upon  any day of the week1 and even
 then the intervals between             
appointments1  except during the        
periodic 8big meeting10 were usually not
 less than five  or six weeks4    ,the  
standard mode of travel was by          
horseback1 and the circuit-rider1  in   
addition to his other qualifications1   
needed to be efficient in  horsemanship4
 ,this was scarcely necessary in        
,newgent's case1 however4 ,not  being   
able to own a horse at this time1 he    

secured the loan of one from  an        
accommodating neighbor4 ,the horse was  
as accommodating as its owner4  ,it was 
quite well 8broke10 having endured the  
rigors of some nineteen  winters1 and   
was experienced in the various          
departments of farm work4  ,it had sowed
 and reaped--and eaten--its wild oats1  
and was absolutely  reliable1 at least  
to the limit of its physical endurance4 
,at any rate  the horse had many        
acknowledged good points1 as a faithful 
portrait  would have demonstrated4      
,while it may not have been in its real 
element  on dress parade1 it served the 
more practical purpose of locomotion--to
 a  somewhat limited extent4    ,as the 
rider weighed scarcely a hundred pounds1
 the horse had no cause to  complain at 
his burden4 ,and when it came to matters
 of appearance1 the  odds were not so   
unevenly balanced as might be supposed4 
,the spare-built1  smooth-faced youth1  
clad in his suit of homespun1 which was 
made with a  reckless disregard of the  

lines and proportions of his anatomy1   
might  well have recalled the lines of  
,shakespeare3        8,would that he    
were fatter1 but ,i fear him not2       
,yet if my name were liable to fear1    
,i know of no one whom ,i would so much 
avoid40    ,thus1 mounted upon his      
trusty steed1 armed with all the weapons
 of  spiritual warfare1 this modern     
knight errant of the saddle-bags rode   
forth valiantly to the scenes of the    
year's conflicts and triumphs4          
,en-route to his first appointment1 he  
found an opportunity to do some         
pastoral work which led to an episode1  
without mention of which these          
chronicles would be incomplete4 ,passing
 by the home of one of his  prominent   
members1 he stopped for a brief call4   
,the house stood on the  side of a hill1
 some distance from the road4 ,a flight 
of steps led up to  the front door4     
,ascending the steps1 he rapped at the  
door and was kindly  admitted by the    
good housewife4 ,all went merry as a    

marriage bell and the  time of his      
departure was at hand all too soon4 ,he 
asked the privilege of  bowing with the 
family in prayer before going1 which was
 freely granted4  ,the weather was warm 
and it was not thought necessary to     
close the door1  though had it been done
 in this case1 it would have prevented a
 bit  of embarrassment and incidentally 
spoiled a good story4 ,as all was so    
congenial within1 the pastor anticipated
 no molestation from without1 and  so   
injudiciously knelt with his back to the
 open door4    ,as he warmed up to his  
devotions1 he aroused from his slumbers 
a large  ,newfoundland dog1 that had    
evidently not noticed the approach of   
the  stranger1 and up to that time was  
unaware of his presence4 ,the aroused   
canine at once began an investigation1  
and when he saw what was going on1      
seemed much offended that he had not    
been consulted about the matter4  ,he   
bounded up the steps into the room1 and1
 seizing the preacher by  the luxuriant 

growth of black hair that covered his   
dome of thought1  affording an excellent
 hold for his teeth1 he zealously set   
about the  task of removing the supposed
 intruder from the premises4 ,the       
preacher  was taken unawares4 ,before he
 could assume a defensive attitude1 he  
and  the dog were rolling pell-mell1    
higgledy-piggledy over each other1 down 
the steps1 and landed in a confused heap
 on the ground4 ,devotions thus  came to
 an abrupt close2 the family came to the
 preacher's rescue4 ,all  formalities   
were dispensed with for the time4 ,by   
the united efforts of  the family1 the  
dog and preacher were finally separated 
without either of  them being seriously 
damaged1 and the new pastor of ,brulitz 
,creek ,circuit  went on his way to face
 new adversaries and new experiences4   
,illustration3 ,family ,devotions       
,interrupted4    ,he reached the home of
 ,mr4 ,jacob ,wimsett1 in ,vermilion    
,county1 on  ,saturday evening as the   
sun was dropping below the horizon1 and 

there  put up for the night4 ,this was  
in the vicinity of his ,sunday morning  
appointment4 ,it was an old-fashioned   
home even for that day2 the home        
atmosphere was more hospitable than     
conventional4 ,as the preacher himself  
was quite democratic in his temperament1
 no formalities were required4  ,he     
noticed among the various members of the
 household a young man and  a young     
woman who seemed as unobtrusive and as  
awkward as himself4 ,no  introductions  
being given1 he took it for granted that
 they both were  members of the family  
and so gave them no particular thought  
until he was  ready to start to church  
the next morning4 ,as he was about to   
take his  leave1 the young man          
approached him rather diffidently and   
requested him  to wait a few minutes4   
8,me an' the girl10 he explained1       
pointing to the blushing lass on the    
opposite side of the room1 8are a goin' 
to git married1 an' we want you  to say 
the words for us before you go40        

8,all right10 said ,newgent1 in a manner
 that left the impression that he       
understood the situation all the while1 
8give me your license40    ,the document
 was produced and the twain took their  
place in front of the  preacher1 while  
the rest of the company looked on4 ,up  
to this time he  had never served in    
that capacity and had not the slightest 
idea of a  marriage ceremony4 ,examining
 the document in a seemingly critical   
manner  for an instant as if to make    
sure that it conformed to all           
requirements1  he looked gravely at the 
trembling young couple4 8,if you are    
agreed  to live together10 he said so   
rapidly as to render his words scarcely 
intelligible1 8according to the marriage
 covenant1 join your right  hands40     
,scarcely had they time to heed the     
injunction when he continued1  8,in the 
name of ,god ,i pronounce you man and   
wife40 ,and the twain were  made one4   
,he then hastened to his morning        
appointment1 reaching the church before 

the people began to gather4 ,this was   
one of the two church-houses on  the    
circuit1 and was called ,nicholls'      
,chapel4 8,father0 ,nicholls1 one of    
the wheel-horses of the church1 and in  
whose honor it was named1 was  sweeping 
the floor and putting the house in      
order4 ,his task completed1  he went    
home to get ready for the morning       
service1 without making the             
acquaintance of the young stranger4 ,ere
 long the people began to arrive4  ,by  
the time ,sunday school commenced the   
house was quite well filled4  ,newgent  
took his seat in the rear of the house  
and received no particular  attention4  
,he was not even invited to a place in a
 ,sunday-school class4  ,however1 his   
presence incognito gave him a good      
opportunity for taking  notes4 ,he      
overheard frequent remarks concerning   
the new preacher4 ,the  people had heard
 nothing of him and were expressing     
doubts about his  being in the          
neighborhood4 ,and when ,sunday school  

closed without his  presence being made 
known1 their doubts seemed to be        
confirmed4    ,rev4 ,william ,jones1 a  
retired preacher and a member of the    
local class1  came in just as ,sunday   
school was closing and at once made     
inquiry  concerning the pastor4    8,we 
haven't seen or heard anything of him10 
was the information he  received from   
,father ,nicholls4    8,why1 there he is
 now10 and ,rev4 ,mr4 ,jones pointed to 
the diminutive lad  near the door4      
8,that fellow80 ,father ,nicholls was   
dumfounded4 8,that fellow has been here 
all morning4 ,i supposed he was some    
hired hand in the neighborhood that  had
 just happened in40    ,explanations and
 apologies were freely indulged in1 the 
supposed hired  hand entering heartily  
into the joke4 ,he was introduced to the
 astonished  congregation1 and the      
service proceeded to their entire       
satisfaction  and delight4 ,father      
,nicholls treated him kindly2 he piloted
 him to the  afternoon appointment1     

introducing him to all whom they chanced
 to meet1  invariably accompanying the  
introduction with the story of the      
forenoon  experience4    8,if ,i had    
been out hunting for preachers10 he     
would say1 in telling the  story1 8,i   
would not have snapped a cap at him40   
,the year's work on this field was a    
most fruitful one4 ,the membership was  
doubled1 and though the charge was not  
above the average in financial          
strength1 he received the largest salary
 of any member of the conference4       
,little attention was given1 at this    
time1 to the cause of missions4 ,money  
was not generally recognized as a vital 
factor in ,christian service4  ,salaries
 were meager and often consisted in     
provisions rather than cash4  ,in many  
places a strong sentiment prevailed     
against a paid ministry4  ,poverty and  
ignorance were considered necessary     
prerequisites to  ministerial piety4    
,the ,general ,missionary ,board was    
only about nine years  old1 and         

missionary sentiment had not taken deep 
root4 ,but ,newgent sowed  missionary   
seed with a lavish hand1 and had the    
pleasure of reaping at  least part of   
the harvest4 ,his ability to lead men to
 loosen their purse  strings even then  
began to be asserted in a marked degree4
 ,more than half  of the missionary     
contributions of the entire conference  
that year was  reported from ,brulitz   
,creek ,circuit4    ,his report         
attracted attention and won him         
considerable distinction  at the annual 
conference4 ,according to custom each   
pastor reported in  person in the open  
conference relative to the different    
interests of his  charge4 ,when asked   
about his missionary offering1 ,newgent 
replied1 8,here  it is10 and taking a   
woolen bag1 commonly called a sock1 from
 his pocket  he emptied its contents on 
the table4 ,the contents consisted of   
coins  of various denominations just as 
he had gathered them to the amount of   
#cc4dj1 the small change giving it the  

appearance of a larger sum than  he     
actually had4 ,however1 this was        
considered remarkable4 ,most of the     
pastors reported nothing4 ,dr4 ,d4 ,k4  
,flickinger1 the first missionary       
secretary of the ,church1 was occupying 
a seat on the platform near the         
,bishop1 and joined heartily with him in
 applause at the splendid report  and   
the unique manner of presenting it4     
,the year's work placed the 8boy        
preacher0 in a most favorable light1 and
  led to his appointment to the ,shawnee
 ,prairie ,circuit1 the strongest       
charge in the ,conference4 ,the charge  
had had the pastoral service of  ,rev4  
,thomas ,h4 ,hamilton1 a mighty man who 
stood high in the counsels of  the      
denomination4 ,it was characterized by  
more than the usual amount of  wealth   
and culture1 and withal an air of       
aristocracy that led to demands  upon a 
pastor that were most exacting4 ,rev4   
,mr4 ,hamilton was a favorite  on the   
circuit1 and the people had no thought  

of losing him4 ,his election  to the    
office of presiding elder1 however1     
necessitated the change1 and  when the  
awkward1 and1 as they thought1          
inexperienced lad came among  them1 they
 felt that their aristocratic tastes    
were outraged4 ,it was a  wet1 chilly   
day in ,april when he arrived1 and the  
crestfallen spirits of  the people made 
it still more chilly for him4 ,and when 
he learned that  the matter of rejecting
 him was being seriously considered1 the
 situation  was anything but cheerful4  
,he told the people he would remain     
until the first quarterly meeting1  when
 the presiding elder1 ,rev4 ,mr4        
,hamilton1 would be present1 and that   
he would willingly abide by their       
decision at that time4 ,this was a      
judicious step1 as it gave him an       
opportunity to prove himself4 ,so he    
went to work with his usual zeal and by 
the time of the quarterly meeting  he   
had sixty conversions with about an     
equal number of additions to the        

church4 ,all thought of rejecting the   
pastor had completely vanished4 ,in     
fact they would not have swapped him off
 for the 8biggest gun they had  ever    
heard fired40 ,such success as the      
charge had never known crowned the      
labors of that year--great revivals at  
all the appointments1 the circuit  more 
than doubled in strength1 and enthusiasm
 at high tide4 ,thus their  mourning was
 turned into laughing4 ,a unanimous     
demand was made for his  return for     
another year1 but his restless spirit   
sought new worlds to  conquer4 ,his     
motto has always been that it is better 
to go to a needy  field and build it up 
than to go where further advancement is 
impossible4  ,on this ground he asked to
 be sent to a new field4    ,one        
experience on ,shawnee ,prairie ,circuit
 is worthy of special mention4          
,contiguous to the circuit1 near ,attica
 in ,fountain ,county1 was a section  of
 country known as ,hell's ,half ,acre4  
,its leading spirit was an infidel      

doctor4 ,his influence and teachings had
 so dominated the community that  it was
 found impossible to maintain religious 
services there4 ,ministers  were        
considered proud1 indolent1 and         
altogether an undesirable lot4  ,newgent
 determined to do some missionary work  
in that benighted place1  though        
repeated efforts to that end had been   
made in vain4    ,in order to make a    
favorable impression and avoid the      
imprecation of  being proud1 he dressed 
in his everyday clothes and visited the 
district  school1 which was the         
geographical and social center1 and the 
only place  where meetings could be     
held4 ,he announced that there would be 
services  at the school house that      
evening1 to be continued indefinitely1  
and urged  the children to spread the   
news4    ,the announcement1 however1 did
 not produce satisfactory results4 ,the 
attendance the first three or four      
evenings did not exceed a half-dozen4   
,the atmosphere was rather chilly and   

the spiritual barometer did not         
indicate an early change4 ,it soon      
became apparent that the old doctor was 
the key to the situation4 ,if the people
 were to be reached1 it must be  done   
mainly through him4 ,how to capture this
 ,goliath was now the problem1  and this
 problem ,newgent set about to solve4   
,the ,sunday services having been no    
better attended than the preceding      
ones1 he decided upon a bold move4 ,on  
,monday afternoon he called at the      
doctor's home4 ,the doctor answered his 
knock at the door in person4 ,the  old  
fellow's rough demeanor and uncouth     
appearance1 his ancient cob pipe  that  
had long been entitled to a             
superannuated relation1 the musty1 dingy
  room which the half-open door         
disclosed--all seemed in striking       
harmony  with his attitude toward       
religion4 ,the preacher introduced      
himself and  explained that he was      
holding a revival over at the school    
house4 ,the  grizzled old sinner looked 

him over from head to foot1 but said    
nothing1  though the expression on his  
sin-hardened face seemed to say more    
plainly  than words1 8,well1 you little 
rascal1 you had better be at home with  
your  mother40    8,i understand10      
persisted the preacher1 ignoring the old
 gentleman's  contemptuous frown1 8that 
you are a good singer and a prominent   
citizen1  and ,i would like to consult  
you about the work and get you to help  
me40    8,help in a revival8 ,why1 don't
 you know that ,i don't believe in the  
,bible  or churches1 or religion of any 
sort80    8,well1 that needn't stand in 
the way4 ,the evenings are long and the 
young  people want somewhere to go4 ,you
 can do the singing and ,i'll do the    
preaching40    ,illustration3 ,the ,boy 
,preacher ,visiting the ,infidel4       
,that put a different complexion on     
things4 ,here was a chance for some     
fun1 and incidentally an outlet for his 
musical propensities1 for he was  well  
versed in music4 ,the idea seemed to    

take hold4 ,the grim features  began to 
relax4 ,the boys were called and told to
 8put up the preacher's  horse10 and the
 preacher was invited into the house4   
,the invitation was  heartily accepted4 
,newgent understood fishing2 he had     
fished before4  ,the hook was baited and
 he now perceived that he had got a     
nibble4 ,the  afternoon was spent to a  
good advantage4 ,conversation flowed in 
various  channels1 but fought shy of    
religion--no time for that yet4 ,he     
waited for  his fish to take the cork   
under before pulling in4 ,the doctor had
 a large  family of children1 and their 
appearance bore testimony to the fact   
that  they were strangers to church and 
,sunday school4 ,the boys spread the    
startling news that 8dad was goin' to   
help the boy preacher in the big        
meetin'40 ,and such news traveled as it 
were with seven-leagued boots4    ,that 
was all the advertisement the meeting   
needed4 ,the infidel  accompanied the   
preacher to the meeting1 taking his     

place up front1 and  led the singing    
after the droll manner then in vogue4   
,an earthquake or a  man from the dead  
would not have created more excitement  
or comment4 ,from  that time the little 
school house did not accommodate the    
crowds4    ,the sermon that evening was 
not calculated to create a very profound
  impression4 ,it was more saturated    
with ,irish humor than with real gospel 
truth4 ,the time for seriousness had not
 yet arrived4 ,but the axe was  laid at 
the root of the tree1 and the kingdom   
was nearer at hand than any  of them    
supposed4 ,as a fisher of men1 the      
preacher was still baiting for  the     
fish4    ,the next night he took for his
 theme the ,judgment4 ,this was the     
occasion  for solemn and serious facts4 
,he turned loose all the artillery at   
his  command in storming the batteries  
of infidelity and sin1 and felt the     
presence of the ,spirit in directing the
 message4 ,as he neared the close  of   
his discourse1 he turned to the doctor4 

,the wind had been taken out  of the old
 man's sails2 his face was in his hands 
and he was weeping  bitterly4           
8,what's the matter1 doctor80 he        
shouted1 in a strong1 firm voice1       
striving to make his words as impressive
 as possible4    ,the doctor did not    
answer4    8,get down on your knees10 he
 commanded as one who spoke with        
authority4    ,and the great exponent of
 infidelity went down1 and his example  
was  followed by a number of others4 ,he
 wrestled in agony and prayer until     
near midnight1 when the light broke in  
upon his long benighted soul--and  the  
fish was caught4 ,such demonstrations   
had never been seen in ,hell's  ,half   
,acre as took place in the rude school  
house that night4 ,the tide  had surely 
turned and the redemption was at hand4  
,as he dismissed the service1 ,newgent  
announced that he was ready  to go home 
with the first man who invited him4 ,a  
tall1 threadbare1  weather-beaten fellow
 accepted the challenge4 ,but when the  

preacher  started to go1 he explained   
that he didn't mean it4 8,i can't take  
care of  you2 ,i haven't any room10 he  
protested4    8,go ahead10 said the     
preacher1 8,i can sleep on dry coon     
skins and eat  roasted potatoes40 ,and  
he went in spite of the protests of his 
host4    ,the man was surely honest in  
his protest4 ,he dwelt in a hut built of
  round poles4 ,in one corner was a     
badly cracked stove that had long  done 
service for both cooking and heating    
purposes4 ,two large box-like           
arrangements partly filled with leaves  
gathered from the forest1 together  with
 some ragged covering1 served as feeble 
apologies for beds1 and  between these  
beds was a barrel of whisky4 ,though it 
was past midnight1  the wife was sitting
 up4 ,she was scantily clad1 yet her    
face1 though  careworn1 revealed a high 
degree of intelligence1 bearing evidence
 that  she had seen better days4 ,two   
little girls whose appearance harmonized
  only too well with their wretched     

surroundings1 completed the family      
circle4 ,as ,newgent entered this hovel 
his eyes rested upon such a picture  of 
destitution as he had never seen4 ,the  
whisky barrel1 however1 told the  whole 
story4    ,newgent soon had the entire  
family feeling perfectly at ease4 ,he   
played  with the children and proved    
himself a most congenial guest4 ,but he 
was  there for their spiritual good4    
,that night the wretched home1 for the  
first time1 became a house of prayer4   
,before the light of a new day  dawned  
the light from heaven broke in upon the 
sad heart of that wife and  mother1 and 
a new day dawned in her life4 ,the next 
morning the husband  likewise found the 
,savior1 and the whisky barrel1 the     
cause of so much  misery and poverty1   
vacated its place in the home1 for old  
things had  passed away and all things  
had become new4 ,another stronghold was 
lost to  the enemy4 ,a glorious night's 
work it was1 and a mighty step toward   
the  final conquest of this spiritual   

,canaan4    ,the man asked ,newgent to  
roll the barrel of whisky into the      
river4 ,but he  said1 8,no2 let us sell 
it to the druggist4 ,we can use the     
money to a good  advantage40 ,so he     
borrowed a team and wagon1 and hauled   
the whisky to the  nearest drug store1  
and received eighteen dollars for it4   
,with the money  he bought some much    
needed clothing for the wife and        
children4 ,it was his  first and only   
experience in the whisky business4      
,the entire community was swept by the  
revival4 ,multitudes were converted1  a 
church was organized1 and a church-house
 built4 ,the whisky man and the         
ex-infidel became pillars in the church1
 one serving as class leader  and the   
other as steward4 ,never was a work of  
grace more complete1  or the power of   
,god more wonderfully or graciously     
displayed in the  transformation of a   
community than in the case of ,hell's   
,half ,acre4          ,,chapter ,,five4 
,six ,months at ,rainsville--,a ,hotbed 

of ,southern ,sympathizers--,a          
,mix-up with ,saloon ,men--,a ,sermon on
 ,slavery--,fire and                    
,brimstone--,an ,antagonist             
,outwitted--,a ,sermon from the ,book of
      ,newgent--,can ,any ,good ,thing  
,come ,out of ,rainsville8      ,in     
#ahfa1 the time of holding the ,upper   
,wabash ,conference was changed  from   
spring to fall4 ,hence1 two sessions    
were held that year with an  interim of 
but six months between them4 ,this      
period was spent by ,rev4  ,mr4 ,newgent
 on the ,williamsport ,circuit in       
,warren ,county1 ,indiana4 ,he  moved   
with his family to ,rainsville1 a       
village of about one hundred and  fifty 
inhabitants1 located on ,vermilion      
,river4 ,the town was still in the      
rough1 its chief activities centering   
about two rival saloons4 ,as it had  no 
church and not a single inhabitant who  
professed religion1 the saloons  had    
things pretty much their own way4 ,the  
,newgents occupied part of a  building  

that formerly did service as the village
 inn2 the rest of it was  occupied by   
one of the saloon keepers4 ,the two     
families1 however1 did  not have        
undisputed possession of the place1 as  
it seemed to have been  preempted by bed
 bugs and fleas1 which were no          
inconspicuous feature of  life in       
,rainsville4 ,while the saloon keeper   
and the preacher maintained  peaceable  
relations with each other1 these        
aboriginal neighbors  maintained an     
attitude of hostility with a persistence
 that was worthy of  a better cause than
 they represented4    ,another thing    
that made life in ,rainsville           
interesting during this period  was the 
war which was then in its first year of 
progress4 ,the sympathies  of the       
inhabitants were decidedly with the     
,south4 ,but one man could be  found who
 claimed to be loyal to the ,union1 and 
as might be expected  under such        
circumstances1 he was not very          
enthusiastic about it4 ,they  could     

safely be counted on the off side of any
 question or movement that  involved a  
moral element4 ,with the war agitation  
to stir their blood1 the  well          
patronized saloons doing business seven 
days and nights in the week1  and the   
absence of any religious institution or 
influence1 ,rainsville  might well have 
served as a basis for the doctrine of   
total depravity4    ,the ,williamsport  
,circuit1 like most of the country      
parishes of its day1  afforded a man    
plenty of room to grow in4 ,if a pastor 
rusted out it was  his own fault4 ,but  
,newgent1 with his active temperament   
and fondness for  adventure1 was not the
 man to rust out4 ,not only the         
,sabbath1 but most  of the evenings     
between ,sabbaths were taken up with    
preaching services4  ,each alternate    
,sabbath during the ,williamsport       
pastorate he preached four  times1 which
 entailed forty-two miles of travel by  
horseback4 ,the day's  program was as   
follows3 ,leaving home at daybreak1 he  

rode twenty miles  to a ten o'clock     
appointment4 ,after the service he would
 get a 8hand  out0 for dinner and reach 
the next appointment at two o'clock1    
then to a  #d3cj service1 and on home   
for meeting at night4 ,life was both    
simple and  strenuous in the extreme4   
,the first ,sunday in this village was a
 memorable one4 ,leaving his plucky     
young wife to hold the fort1 the new    
pastor made his forty-two-mile  round1  
reaching home about sundown4 ,no        
provision had been made for  preaching  
in town1 but ,newgent resolved to give  
the inhabitants of this  inferno a      
chance to hear the gospel4 ,a rowdy mob 
was collected about  each saloon4 ,an   
air of general lawlessness1             
recklessness1 and cussedness  prevailed4
 ,games and sports of various sorts were
 maintained on the  streets4 ,horseback 
riders were galloping here and there1   
firing pistols  and performing various  
stunts in imitation of life among the   
untamed  cowboys and ,indians4 ,their   

boisterous talking and hollowing1 with  
here  and there a man staggering under  
his load of ,rainsville's chief product1
  all combined1 might well have led to  
the conclusion that the demons of  the  
lower regions had been liberated and    
were holding high carnival in           
celebration of the event4    ,when      
,newgent told his wife that he had      
decided to preach at the school  house  
that night1 she tried to dissuade him1  
fearing for his safety4 ,and  well she  
might after what she had seen of life in
 ,rainsville that day4  ,but he gloried 
in heroic tasks and heeded not her wise 
counsel4 ,he at  once set about to      
publish the appointment4 ,in order to   
find the people  he went to one of the  
saloons4 ,the saloon was full of men1   
and the men  were full of the saloon4   
,stepping up to the bar-tender he told  
him that  he was going to hold a        
religious service at the school house at
 #g3cj4 8,as  there are no church       
services in town10 he said1 8,i am sure 

you will be  willing to encourage such a
 movement by closing your place of      
business  and attending40    8,you can  
preach all you d---- please2 ,i haven't 
been to church for twenty  years10      
answered the booze dispenser with a look
 that seemed to add1  8and ,i don't     
propose to commence now40    8,but ,i am
 a stranger here1 and you don't know but
 ,i am the smartest man  in the country1
 or may be the biggest fool4 ,you had   
better come and find  out for yourself40
    ,the idea of a church service struck
 the saloon patrons as a desirable      
innovation1 and as they were in favor of
 anything that promised a  diversion1   
they began to take sides with the       
preacher4 ,their enthusiasm  waxed      
intense1 due mainly to the reflex       
influence of tarrying long at the  grog 
shop4 ,they were unanimous and emphatic 
in demanding that the saloon  be closed 
and that all go to church4    ,the      
proprietor finally said that he would   
consent on condition that his           

competitor would do likewise4    8,all  
right1 ,i'll see him10 and ,newgent     
broke for the other saloon where a      
similar situation prevailed4 ,several of
 the men volunteered to accompany  him  
and assist in enforcing the demand1 so  
that an ambassage that carried  with it 
no small authority presented itself     
before the high priest of  ,gambrinus of
 the rival saloon4 ,a delegation from   
one saloon to another1  headed by a     
preacher1 was an uncommon sight1        
especially in ,rainsville1  but it had  
the desired effect4 ,for once the       
saloons were closed and  the center of  
interest transferred to the school      
house4 ,news of the  meeting spread in  
short order4 ,the new preacher made     
himself an object of  curiosity and     
comment by his establishing diplomatic  
relations with the  governing bodies of 
the village1 and everybody was anxious  
to see more of  him4 ,so all ,rainsville
 turned out to church--men1 women1 boys1
 girls1 and  dogs--all entering heartily

 into the novelty of a religious service
 with a  real1 8sure enough0 preacher at
 the head of it4    ,newgent prudently  
made the service brief4 ,the sermon was 
not as spiritual  as it might have been 
under different conditions1 as the      
congregation was  quite sympathetic and 
responsive1 and he considered it        
injudicious to  encourage their emotions
 at that time4 ,he was more especially  
concerned  about laying plans for the   
future4 ,how to get them back was the   
question1  which he sought to solve by a
 bit of strategy4 ,so1 in addition to   
giving  them a few morsels of wholesome 
advice1 well sugarcoated with his native
  good humor1 he made the startling     
announcement that at the next meeting   
he would preach on the subject of       
slavery4 ,if anything were calculated to
  bring them back1 surely that was4     
,it was taken for granted1 of course1   
that he was an ,abolitionist and  would 
denounce the ,south4 ,the blood of those
 southern sympathizers at  once began to

 boil4 ,everybody anticipated a lively  
time1 and interest  became intense4 ,all
 felt that the foolhardy young fellow   
did not realize  the danger to which he 
was exposing himself4 ,an old gentleman1
 the  village blacksmith1 whose father  
had been a ,united ,brethren preacher1  
felt it his duty to warn the reverend   
gentleman and have him to call  off the 
entire proceedings4 ,as usual1 ,newgent 
was firm4 ,he told the  gentleman1      
however1 that he wanted to be fair to   
both sides1 so if those  who disagreed  
with him desired1 they might get a man  
to follow him and  present the other    
side of the question4    ,this they were
 only too anxious to do4 ,when the time 
came1 they had their  man4 ,by the time 
,newgent and his wife arrived at the    
little school house  that evening it was
 completely packed and an immense crowd 
was gathered  on the outside4 ,it was   
with the greatest difficulty that they  
forced  themselves through the anxious  
throng and made their way to the front  

of  the building4 ,the opponent was on  
hand1 ready to take his measure and     
smash all of his arguments4 ,as might be
 surmised1 sympathy was plainly  and    
emphatically with the southern advocate4
 ,if he could not demolish  the frail   
,abolitionist1 there were enough present
 who were ready to lend  all the        
assistance he needed4 ,the smell of     
brimstone was in the air1  indicating   
the presence of that commodity in       
unlimited quantities4 ,all  that was    
lacking for a real conflagration was    
something to touch it off4  ,and that   
something was momentarily expected4     
,after a brief preliminary exercise1 the
 preacher opened the discussion4  ,like 
the great apostle on ,mars ,hill1 he    
complimented his hearers on their       
seeming interest in the subject at hand4
 8,as the subject of slavery10  he said1
 8is stirring our country from one end  
to the other1 and as it  is a subject of
 such vital importance1 ,i take pleasure
 at this time in  presenting one phase  

of it4    8,i wish to observe in my     
remarks1 ,first1 the slave2 ,second1 his
 master2  ,third1 the law by which he is
 held in bondage2 ,fourth1 how he is to 
be  liberated2 ,fifth1 where he is to be
 colonized40 ,thus far1 well and good4  
,these were familiar topics1 and had    
been discussed pro and con even  by the 
school children4 ,hence1 his opening    
remarks were according to  expectations1
 and breathlessly they awaited what was 
to follow4    ,their consternation and  
chagrin can only be imagined when he    
proceeded  to state that the slave is   
the sinner2 his master is the devil2 the
 law  by which he is held in bondage is 
sinful lusts and habits2 he is to be    
liberated through the blood of ,christ2 
and heaven is the place of his          
colonization4 ,around these propositions
 he built his discourse without  any    
reference to slavery as a civil         
institution4 ,it was strictly a gospel  
sermon1 and his antagonist had no       
disposition to reply4    8,well1 we are 

beat10 said the old blacksmith after the
 service was  dismissed1 8but the boy is
 the sharpest fellow that ever struck   
this  town40 ,and he was not alone in   
his conclusion4    ,with a view to      
holding the audience for the next       
appointment1 he  announced that he would
 preach at that time from the ,book of  
,newgent1 the  twenty-eighth chapter and
 thirty-third verse1 8,can any good     
thing come  out of ,rainsville80    ,a  
few days after this announcement1 he    
received a call from an old  gentleman4 
,the unsuspecting brother had been      
having trouble over the ,book  of       
,newgent4 ,he stated that he and the old
 woman had been searching the  ,bible   
all week and were unable to find it4 ,he
 was kindly urged to be  present at the 
preaching service and assured that his  
troubles would all  be cleared up4      
,presumably the matter was explained to 
his satisfaction1  as he was not heard  
from again4    ,the ,rainsville         
pastorate1 though brief1 was full of    

thrilling interest1  and was not without
 substantial results for good4 ,he won  
the respect and  confidence of this     
uncouth people1 and had the satisfaction
 of seeing  many of the grosser evils   
disappear under his ministry4 ,before he
 left1  the signs of a brighter day were
 plainly discernible4 ,his influence    
with  them was turned to good account1  
as will be seen in the next chapter4    
,,chapter ,,six4        ,the ,war       
,spirit in ,indiana--,breaking up a     
,traitorous ,plot--,narrow      ,escape 
from ,enemies--,assists in ,securing    
,recruits--,becomes      ,chaplain of   
his ,regiment--,exchange of ,courtesies 
with a      ,presbyterian ,minister--,an
 ,embarrassing ,predicament--,saves     
,regiment from ,capture--,organizes a   
,military ,church--,chased by           
,johnnies--,an ,exciting ,homeward      
,journey4      ,indiana was a storm     
center during the ,civil ,war4 ,her     
position was a  strategic one4 ,she was 
regarded as the keystone of the ,north4 

,with ,oliver  ,p4 ,morton1 8,indiana's 
great ,war ,governor10 at the head of   
affairs1  she was held firmly to her    
moorings1 and furnished a larger number 
of  soldiers for the ,union ,army in    
proportion to population than any other 
,state4 ,yet the ,state was constantly  
harassed by citizens who were           
unfriendly to the ,union cause1 and who 
secretly or openly sympathized  with the
 ,south4 ,secret organizations for the  
purpose of aiding the  ,confederacy were
 common4 ,conspicuous among these was   
the ,knights of  the ,golden ,circle4   
,yet many not identified with these     
traitorous  organizations were utterly  
disloyal4 ,hence1 much bitterness and   
not  infrequently bloodshed prevailed4  
,it was not unusual for men in official 
position to use their influence against 
the ,government1 or even to join  the   
army with traitorous intent4    ,rev4   
,mr4 ,newgent was serving as pastor for 
the second year on the ,clark's  ,hill  
charge1 when in the fall of #ahfc1 he   

was 8persuaded10 as he said1  8to go    
into the army for safety40 ,with his    
wife he was paying a visit to  his      
father-in-law in ,parke ,county4 ,in the
 neighborhood lived a man who  was      
captain of ,home ,guards1 but whose     
loyalty was strongly suspected4 ,a      
small brother of ,mrs4 ,newgent         
sometimes visited with his children1 and
 on  returning from one such visit1     
incidentally mentioned having seen some 
pretty guns in the barn where they had  
been playing4 ,newgent understood  the  
meaning of these guns secreted on the   
premises of this traitorous  man1 and   
telegraphed the news to ,governor       
,morton4 ,a squad of soldiers was       
dispatched to the place and some three  
hundred guns were found4 ,they were     
confiscated and a traitorous scheme was 
thus frustrated4    ,newgent at once    
became the object of a great deal of    
attention4 ,that he  was responsible for
 the exposure1 was generally surmised4  
,a plan was  formed to do away with him4

 ,on ,sunday evening following the      
episode he  was to preach at the ,oak   
,ridge ,united ,brethren ,church in the 
community4  ,in the midst of the        
service1 by a preconcerted plan1 the    
lights were  suddenly extinguished1 and 
his adversaries were about to execute   
their  design4 ,he succeeded in making  
his escape in the darkness by the       
assistance of an uncle4 ,the outlook    
seemed rather stormy1 and he was        
convinced that it was safer in the army 
than out of it4 ,leaving his wife  in   
the care of her father1 he hastened to  
,lafayette where a regiment1 the  #aafth
 ,indiana ,infantry1 was being formed by
 ,colonel ,william ,c4 ,kise4    ,at    
that period recruits were hard to get   
and the work proceeded slowly4  ,newgent
 asked the colonel what the chance would
 be for him to get the  appointment of  
chaplain4    8,what church do you belong
 to80 the colonel asked4    8,i am a    
,united ,brethren10 was the answer4     
8,i am sorry10 said the colonel1 8,i    

like the ,united ,brethren ,church and  
would like to give you the appointment2 
but this is to be a ,methodist          
regiment2 all the officers are to be    
,methodists1 and it is understood  that 
the chaplainship is to be given to a    
,methodist preacher up in the  city40   
8,will you take me1 then1 as a private80
 he asked4    8,certainly10 was the     
eager reply1 8we shall be glad to take  
you1 for  recruits are coming in awfully
 slowly40 ,there were then only seven   
companies started4 ,none of them were   
complete4 ,newgent offered to assist  in
 raising recruits4    8,if you will give
 me transportation papers10 he said1 8,i
 think ,i can get  some men over in     
,warren ,county40    8,warren ,county60 
exclaimed the colonel in disgust4 8,it's
 of no use to go  there for recruits4 ,i
 have had a couple of good men over     
there for three  weeks and they have got
 only four men40 ,but ,newgent insisted 
that he be  allowed to try4 ,he         
understood those people and felt that he

 knew how to  approach them4 ,the papers
 were finally given him1 and he set out 
for  ,rainsville in this doubtful       
territory4    ,rainsville1 it will be   
remembered1 was a headquarters for      
southern  sympathizers1 where little    
more than a year before but one ,union  
man  could be found4 ,the task was a    
challenge to ,newgent1 the kind of a    
task he delighted in4 ,taking a boy with
 a drum and flag1 he went to  the       
village and nearby points1 and soon had 
the inhabitants inoculated  with the war
 microbe4 ,the prospects of a draft     
about this time proved  an effective    
argument in favor of enlistment1 which  
was used for all  it was worth4 ,after  
an absence of six days he returned to   
camp with #ajd  men1 which was the first
 full company in the regiment1 this1    
too1 from  territory that was as        
completely southern in sentiment as     
though it had  been in the very heart of
 the ,confederacy4    ,the march to camp
 was a triumphal procession4 ,the       

company of volunteers  was accompanied  
by several hundred men and boys who fell
 in on the way4  ,as they came into camp
 about twelve o'clock on ,saturday night
 with colors  flying and giving vent to 
their enthusiasm by singing and         
hollowing1 it  had the effect of a small
 army1 not unlike that of ,gideon's     
band1 when  they multiplied the effect  
of numbers by noise and enthusiasm and  
scared  the ,midianites out of their    
wits4 ,the colonel met them with a drum 
corps  and the company was welcomed amid
 the most extravagant expressions of    
delight4 ,the fact that recruits were   
coming in so slowly gave increased      
cause for demonstration4 ,when the      
general hubbub had somewhat abated1  the
 crowd demanded a speech from ,newgent1 
and the demand was imperative4  ,though 
worn by physical exertion and hoarse    
from much haranguing1 he  gave a brief  
talk1 at the close of which1 amid great 
applause1 some one  moved that 8,rev4   
,mr4 ,newgent be made chaplain of the   

regiment40 ,it was  heartily seconded1  
and shouts of approval burst from every 
section of the  camp4 ,so1 by general   
consent the rule to make it a ,methodist
 regiment  was waived1 insofar as it    
related to the chaplainship1 much to the
  satisfaction of ,colonel ,kise1 and   
,newgent became their spiritual adviser4
    ,the ,methodist brother1 who1 it was
 understood1 was to receive the         
appointment1 came out the next afternoon
 7,sunday7 to preach to the  boys and   
get acquainted2 but on being apprised of
 what had taken place  the night before1
 he quietly withdrew1 leaving ,newgent  
in undisputed  possession of the honors 
which his tact and energy had won4      
,the regiment was finally completed and 
mustered in for a term of six  months1  
though it served considerably over time4
 ,its first service was  rendered in    
guarding the ,u4 ,s4 ,armory at         
,detroit1 ,michigan4 ,the armory  was   
threatened by ,general ,vallandigham1   
who had been banished from the  ,united 

,states because of treasonable          
expressions1 and had placed himself  at 
the head of a force in ,canada with the 
purpose of threatening the  ,union from 
the north4 ,the regiment was later sent 
to renforce ,general  ,burnsides in east
 ,tennessee4    ,this was during the    
terrible winter of '#fc and '#fd1 when  
,burnsides was  besieged by ,confederate
 ,general ,longstreet and was shut up in
 ,knoxville4  ,the hardships suffered by
 the ,union soldiers during that        
memorable siege  are matters of history 
and need not be recounted in detail     
here4 ,among  the foremost of the       
sufferers was ,newgent's regiment1 the  
#aafth ,indiana4  ,all supplies having  
been cut off1 the boys for many weeks   
had a hard  struggle to keep from       
succumbing to hunger and cold4 ,for a   
time they each  had but one ear of corn 
a day2 no tents1 and not sufficient     
clothing  for protection even under     
favorable circumstances4 ,in the midst  
of the  severest winter weather1 over   

three hundred of the men were           
barefooted4  ,newgent was the best      
dressed man in his regiment1 and it was 
with  difficulty that he got his dress  
coat to hang together at the collar2    
and he suffered no little uneasiness    
lest his trousers would dissolve        
partnership with him4    ,a few         
characteristic army experiences will    
suffice in this connection and  occupy  
the remainder of this chapter4    ,on   
reaching ,tennessee1 the regiment was   
stationed temporarily at  ,greenville4  
,the care-free boys attended services   
the first ,sunday  morning at the       
,presbyterian church in the city4 ,the  
pastor1 ,rev4 ,samuel  ,mc,corkle1      
treated them kindly4 ,they were         
delighted with the reception  accorded  
them1 and on the following ,sabbath a   
large part of the regiment1  including  
the chaplain1 turned out to worship at  
,rev4 ,mr4 ,mc,corkle's  church4 ,when  
,newgent appeared in his chaplain's     
uniform1 ,mc,corkle  at once led him up 

to the pulpit and insisted that he      
preach4 ,the  chaplain was never averse 
to preaching whenever there was occasion
 for  it1 and so consented1 under slight
 pressure4 ,he observed the pastor's    
manuscript neatly tied up with red      
ribbon1 which told him he had barely    
escaped listening to a manuscript       
sermon4 ,newgent had little sympathy    
for a written discourse and took        
advantage of the situation to indulge   
in some pleasantries at the learned     
parson's expense4 ,he told the          
congregation1 the greater part of whom  
were soldiers1 that he had no set       
discourse1 and that he never tried to   
palm off a written sermon upon a        
helpless congregation1 as such a        
procedure was 8like a doctor writing a  
prescription before examining the       
patient40 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mc,corkle accepted
  the criticism good-naturedly and      
invited ,newgent to take dinner with him
  after the service4 ,after several     
weeks of army rations1 the dinner at    

,rev4 ,mr4 ,mc,corkle's home was a most 
delightful change4    ,he returned the  
courtesy that had been accorded him by  
inviting his host  to preach to his     
8boys0 in the afternoon4 ,the invitation
 was accepted4  ,mc,corkle did not deem 
it judicious to use his manuscript after
 the  episode of the forenoon1 and was  
visibly handicapped and embarrassed in  
his attempt at extemporaneous delivery4 
,he talked but a few minutes and  turned
 the service over to the chaplain4      
,after the service the two men had a    
heart-to-heart talk4 ,mc,corkle         
confessed his chagrin at not being able 
to preach without his manuscript1  and  
expressed a determination to cultivate  
the habit of extemporaneous  delivery4  
,that the determination was carried out 
was seen in the fact  that he became a  
leader in this method of preaching4 ,and
 the two  preachers continued fast      
friends4    ,an incident more pleasing  
to relate than to undergo occurred at   
,tazewell1  ,tennessee1 where ,newgent's

 regiment had been dispatched with      
twenty-four  others to check a          
,confederate force that was approaching 
from that  quarter4 ,they went into     
camp1 building temporary fortifications 
with  the grave stones of a nearby      
cemetery4 ,about midnight the army was  
surprised by the sudden arrival of a    
force of ,confederate cavalry that      
captured some of the outposts4 ,newgent1
 with some of his regiment1 was         
garrisoned in an old building that had  
been used for a granary4 ,as the  fire  
was opened he caught up his clothes in  
his arms1 and1 mounting  his horse1     
started down the hill for a more        
healthful location4 ,the  horse stumbled
 over some rocks1 throwing the rider to 
the ground and  scattering his precious 
wearing apparel to the four winds4      
,there was no  time for trifles1 and the
 clothes were abandoned for the time4   
,they were  recovered about nine o'clock
 the next morning1 much to the relief of
 the  reverend1 whose situation in the  

meantime was as embarrassing as it was  
uncomfortable4    ,on one occasion his  
coolness and ingenuity were the means of
 saving  his entire regiment from       
capture4 ,the regiment had been ordered 
across  the ,clinch ,river in east      
,tennessee to guard a narrow passage in 
the  mountains at what was called       
,bean's ,station4 ,they had gotten      
across and  were camping in a bend of   
the river when news came that the rebels
 had  superseded them1 and three        
brigades were between them and the gap4 
,they  might easily have retreated1 but 
the river became swollen from heavy     
rains1 and to cross a swift1 mountain   
stream under such circumstances was     
practically out of the question4        
,newgent was sick at the time1 being    
cared for at the colonel's              
headquarters4 ,during the early part of 
the night the colonel came to him1      
trembling with fear1 and said1          
8,chaplain1 what on earth is to be done8
  ,there is a strong rebel force on one 

side of us1 and an unfordable stream  on
 the other4 ,if we are not out of here  
by morning every one of us will  be     
captured40    ,the rebels were confident
 that they could not get away and so    
waited  until morning to bag their game4
    8,bring six or seven of the boys    
here10 said ,newgent4 ,the boys were    
brought4 ,he told them to go down to the
 river where they would find an  old    
canoe partly filled with water4 8,build 
a fire on the bank so that its  light   
will shine across the stream1 bail the  
water out of the canoe1 put  it in as   
good shape as possible1 and then        
report40    ,they followed his          
instructions1 after which they came back
 to  headquarters1 and the sick chaplain
 got out of his bed and went back with  
them to the river4 ,though it was a     
perilous undertaking1 the men got in    
the water-soaked canoe1 and by the      
uncertain light of the fire1 made  their
 way to the other side of the angry     
stream4 ,they went to ,general          

,curtain's headquarters1 related the    
situation1 and procured a supply of     
cannon rope4 ,with the rope they made a 
cable across the river4 ,they thus      
devised a rude ferry by means of an     
abandoned and partly submerged barge    
which they raised and repaired for the  
purpose4 ,the barge would carry  about  
twelve men or one horse at a trip4 ,it  
was propelled by the men  holding to the
 cable and thus laboriously working     
their way from one side  of the stream  
to the other4 ,through the dark1 stormy 
night they toiled1  and before daybreak 
the entire regiment with all            
appurtenances was out of  reach of the  
enemy4 ,when the rebels reached forth   
their hand next morning  to bag their   
game1 lo6 it wasn't there6    ,it was a 
terrible night's work1 however4 ,the    
sick chaplain stayed with  the barge    
until the last man was saved4 ,he was   
twice thrown into the  water1 and ran a 
fearful risk in thus exposing himself at
 so critical  a time4 ,after the        

excitement of the night1 by which alone 
his physical  strength was sustained1 he
 suffered a serious relapse4 ,he was    
confined to  his bed at ,general        
,curtain's headquarters for about two   
weeks1 when he  again reported for duty4
 ,the men regarded him as their         
deliverer1 and the  satisfaction of     
having saved his comrades from the      
horrors of a southern  prison           
compensated for all he suffered4 ,for   
this heroic deed he was  complimented on
 dress parade by a special order from   
the general4    ,the following reference
 to this incident is found in the       
8,official  ,records of the ,army10     
,series ,i41 ,vol4 ,,xxxi43             
,tazewell1 ,tenn41 ,december #ad1 #ahfc4
        ,major-,general ,foster1        
,knoxville3        ,general3 ,i have the
 honor of reporting that ,i arrived here
 this      evening at about dark1 having
 left ,rutledge at #i3jj a4 m41 and     
,bean's ,station at #a3cj p4 m4444 ,at  
the crossing of the ,clinch      ,river 

7,evan's ,ford7 ,i found a sufficient   
guard1 under the      command of        
,colonel ,kise4 ,the river was rising   
quite rapidly1      but the guard had   
raised and repaired the ferry-boat1     
which was      crossing successfully1   
being pulled back and forth by hand upon
      a cable stretched from one shore  
to another4 ,i think that it      would 
be well1 as a matter of security1 to    
have another boat      built there1 and 
will so notify ,colonel ,babcock4444    
,i am1 general1 very respectfully1 your 
obedient servant1                       
,o4 ,m4 ,,poe1                          
,captain and ,chief ,engineer1 ,army of 
the ,ohio4    ,as a means for the       
spiritual welfare of the 8boys10 he     
conceived and  carried out the idea of  
organizing a military church4 ,though   
there were  various religious           
organizations among the soldiers1 and   
some doubtless  on similar lines1 yet   
this was an entirely original conception
 with  him4 ,his church took no         

denominational name1 but was made up of 
all  who were willing to become members4
 ,it was completely officered1 and      
maintained prayer meetings and church   
services at stated intervals4 ,two      
special revival meetings were held in   
which about #bej of the 8boys0 were     
converted4    ,his spiritual            
ministrations were not limited to the   
soldiers4 ,whenever an  opportunity     
presented itself he would hold services 
at nearby churches  and school houses4  
,on one such occasion he incidentally1  
to use his own  expression1 8chased     
seven ,johnnies for three and a half    
miles40 ,it was  a merry race2 like     
,jehu the entire party rode furiously4  
,but as the  chaplain had more at stake 
than his companions in the chase1 he    
managed  to maintain his position well  
in advance of the seven1 and was quite  
willing to abandon the chase by the time
 he reached camp4    ,not least among   
the interesting army 8experiences0 was  
the homeward  journey4 ,as previously   

stated1 the regiment served over the    
time  for which they enlisted4 ,the men 
were impatient and homesick4 ,their     
destitute condition rendered many of    
them almost desperate4 ,almost half  of 
them were barefooted and all were       
weakened by hunger and exposure4  ,the  
morning on which they were to start home
 the colonel announced  that they would 
proceed to ,barbersville1 ,kentucky1 and
 that there they  would find a supply of
 much-needed clothing and provisions4   
,this was a  two-days' march1 which1 in 
itself1 was no pleasing prospect under  
the  circumstances4 ,the promise of food
 and clothing1 however1 nerved them for 
the ordeal4 ,it was midnight when       
,barbersville was reached1 and to their 
utter consternation the promised        
supplies were not there4    ,things were
 looking blue4 ,the colonel said to     
,newgent1 8,you have the  best horse in 
the regiment4 ,take a couple of the boys
 and get out and  find something to feed
 these men before morning40 ,he started1

 not to  forage1 but to beg4 ,at the    
first house he came to be was met by a  
woman  to whom he stated his mission4   
,she showed him a blood spot on the     
floor  where her husband had been killed
 by the rebels1 and said that all she   
had was a half-bushel of meal1 but she  
was willing to divide4 ,it was all  he  
secured1 though he continued the search 
until daylight4 ,returning  to camp1 he 
threw the bit of meal at the colonel's  
feet1 and fell down  exhausted1 dropping
 at once into a deep sleep4    ,what    
happened during the time he slept1 when 
the real situation dawned  upon the men1
 he could only surmise4 ,the next he    
knew1 the colonel had  him aroused and  
was ordering him to ride ahead of the   
regiment to a  little water-mill about  
twelve miles distant to see what could  
be found  there1 and to arrange if      
possible to feed the men when they      
arrived4 ,he  found a few bushels of    
grain1 most of it in a bad condition4   
,when ground  into meal it made just one

 pint each for the men4 ,after they had 
eaten  their morsel1 the colonel made   
them a little speech in which he told   
them  that the next objective point     
would be ,camp ,dick ,robinson1 and for 
every  man to look out for himself until
 they reached the camp4 ,this they were 
quite glad to do4 ,and when in a few    
days they met at the camp1 they were  in
 better spirits1 and were pretty well   
supplied for the rest of the  journey4  
,the next way station was ,camp ,nelson4
 ,here they were met by the ,provost    
,marshal who declared the regiment under
 arrest for pillaging1 and ordered  them
 to stack arms4 ,while the authorities  
were arranging the details  for taking  
care of them1 the colonel took advantage
 of the delay4  8,attention1            
,battalions10 he shouted1 8,shoulder    
arms--forward march--double  quick60    
,the order was eagerly obeyed4 ,a       
8double-quick0 march was made  to       
,nicholasville4 ,this was a railroad    
town4 ,here they ordered a train  for   

,cincinnati4 ,the train steamed out of  
the station with its load of  animated  
freight just as the ,marshal with his   
guard galloped in sight4    ,the        
authorities at ,cincinnati were notified
 by wire to arrest the  regiment on its 
arrival there1 but this was anticipated4
 ,so they got off  the train at         
,covington1 crossing the ,ohio ,river by
 ferry to ,cincinnati4  ,there they got 
a train for ,indianapolis without being 
detected4 ,the  train was pressed into  
service to convey them on to ,lafayette1
 the home  of the regiment4 ,they       
reached the city on ,sunday evening1 as 
the church  bells were ringing for the  
evening services4 ,newgent1 as his      
custom was1  went to church4 ,possibly  
he felt the need of it after what he had
 gone  through4 ,he went to the ,first  
,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 and at   
the  urgent request of the pastor1      
delivered the evening discourse to the  
delight of the splendid audience4    ,it
 should be said in justice to ,rev4 ,mr4

 ,newgent that he was not a  party to   
any of the irregularities that almost   
brought his regiment  into disrepute    
after it had acquitted itself so well on
 the field4 ,he  remonstrated with the  
men and exhorted them to better conduct1
 but when  the pressure of army         
discipline was removed1 the pent-up     
energies of  these raw backwoodsmen were
 turned loose along various channels and
  could neither be suppressed nor       
regulated4 ,the officers of the         
regiment1  with the exception of        
,newgent1 were summoned before the      
proper military  tribunal at            
,indianapolis1 to answer for their      
depredations4 ,they were  acquitted1    
however1 being ably defended by         
,lieutenant-,colonel ,g4 ,o4 ,beam4     
,whether or not the verdict was a just  
one1 is of no special concern to us     
here4 ,suffice it to say that our       
subject1 though a young man1 so ordered 
his life as not only to keep himself    
unspotted from the world1 but at the    

same time to win for himself the        
confidence of even the most hardened    
sinners4 ,he was exonerated from all    
blame in advance1 and his name was  not 
brought before the court4               
,,chapter ,,seven4        ,plants the   
,united ,brethren ,banner in ,terre     
,haute--,prairieton                     
,pastorate--,difficulty with the ,sons  
of ,anak--,a ,prayer ,without an        
8,amen0--,another ,community            
,redeemed--,going to the ,wrong         
,doctor--,a      ,perverse ,colt--,an   
,unintentional ,immersion--,one ,sermon 
,that was      not ,dry4      ,it was in
 ,april1 #ahfd1 when ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent
 returned from the war4  ,his own       
conference did not meet until fall1 but 
the ,lower ,wabash  ,conference met in  
its annual session in ,vermilion1       
,illinois1 about  the time of his       
return4 ,with the view to getting back  
on the firing  line at once1 he attended
 the latter conference1 and was         
appointed to  ,terre ,haute 7,indiana7  

,mission4 ,this was strictly prospective
 work1 as  the mission was projected at 
this session4 ,the conference at the    
same  session1 following the example of 
the ,upper ,wabash ,conference1 decided 
to change the time of its annual        
meetings from spring to fall1 hence  the
 appointment was made for a period of   
only six months4 ,during this  time     
,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent devoted himself with
 characteristic zeal to laying  broad   
and deep the foundations of his church  
in this new ,macedonia4 ,that  his      
labors were fruitful is seen in the fact
 that he reported to the  fall          
conference an organized church on       
,second ,street1 with splendid          
prospects of a prosperous               
future--prospects which subsequent      
history has  abundantly fulfilled4 ,to  
him belongs the credit of first planting
 the  ,united ,brethren banner in this  
thriving city1 where the ,church has    
since  steadily grown to a place of     
prestige and influence4    ,the ,terre  

,haute pastorate was followed by a year 
at ,prairieton1 in ,vigo  ,county1      
,indiana4 ,some experiences on this     
field are worthy of note4 ,a  revival   
meeting was held in an unevangelized    
community at what was known  as the     
,battle ,row ,school ,house1 near the   
,wabash ,river4 ,the school house  was a
 primitive log building with plenty of  
ventilation4 ,the wide cracks  between  
the logs in the walls not only admitted 
a sufficiency of fresh  air1 but were a 
source of temptation to the untamed sons
 of the natives  who were wont at       
critical times to inject missiles of    
various sorts  through them into the    
midst of the congregation1 causing more 
or less  uneasiness and often confusion 
to the worshipers4 ,it was not a place  
where one could worship under his own   
vine and fig tree with no one to  molest
 or make afraid4 ,during the early stage
 of the meeting reapers were  scarce1   
and to all appearances1 were wholly     
inadequate to the demands  of the great1

 over-ripe harvest4 ,the sons of ,anak  
seemed to have a  perpetual title to the
 place1 and showed no intention of      
evacuating it4  ,at one time1 as        
,newgent was making an earnest plea for 
penitents to come  to the altar1 he     
observed a company of ruffians in the   
rear of the room  in a rather impenitent
 condition1 bantering one another to go 
forward to  the mourner's bench4 ,the   
quick wit of the preacher frustrated    
their evil  designs4 ,constant vigilance
 had to be exercised to prevent         
outbreaks and  demonstrations of a      
similar character4 ,as the meeting      
proceeded converts  multiplied and the  
odds became more and more to the        
advantage of the  faithful4    ,there   
was one wheel-horse who was the pastor's
 right hand man in the  great conflict  
with primitive elements4 ,a splendid man
 he was1 though his  droll manner was a 
subject of sport for the lewd fellows of
 the baser  propensities4 ,a            
characteristic attitude when he offered 

public prayer was  to kneel facing the  
wall1 with his back toward the          
congregation4 ,then  with his eyes      
closed and oblivious to all his         
surroundings1 he would  soar to a high  
altitude in his eloquence and fervency  
of spirit4 ,in such  surroundings1      
however1 it would have been better had  
,father ,scott1 as he  was              
affectionately called1 not forgotten his
 relation to this mundane  sphere1 for  
the situation surely demanded watching  
as well as praying4  ,especially would  
it have prevented an awkward hitch in   
the services one  evening when the      
interest and enthusiasm were at their   
greatest height4  ,intense conviction   
was capturing and humbling proud and    
defiant hearts1  and victory was        
perching upon the banners of the loyal  
band4    ,but1 as in the days of ,job1  
when the sons of ,god went to worship1  
,satan  went also4 ,battle ,row ,school 
,house furnished a good demonstration of
 the  fact that1        8,wherever ,god 

erects a house of prayer1      ,the     
devil's sure to build a chapel there2   
,and 'twill be found upon investigation1
      ,the latter has by far the larger 
congregation40    ,while the worshipers 
were in the midst of great rejoicing1   
,satan's hosts  were holding high       
carnival on the outside4 ,father ,scott 
was called upon1  as he frequently was1 
at the most critical stage in the       
meeting1 to lead  in prayer4 ,as his    
custom was1 he knelt with his face to   
the wall1 and by  chance his mouth was  
dangerously near a huge crack4 ,while   
sailing away  in the ether world1 and   
the people were hanging breathlessly    
upon his  earnest and eloquent words1   
all unexpectedly1 for some strange      
reason1  the machinery stopped4 ,it was 
unusual for a prayer to be terminated so
  abruptly without the conventional     
8amen40 ,all eyes were fixed upon       
,father  ,scott4 ,what could have       
happened8 ,it was painfully apparent    
that he was in  distress4 ,he was making

 a desperate effort to clear some       
obstruction from  his throat1 get his   
breath1 and regain his equilibrium4     
,the proximity of ,father ,scott's mouth
 to the opening in the wall was too     
great a provocation for the             
unregenerates on the outside of the     
house  to forego4 ,one of them had      
prepared a ball of mud1 and with        
accurate  aim1 threw it through the     
crack into the brother's mouth1 putting 
him  temporarily out of commission4     
,there was1 of course1 confusion in the 
midst of ,zion1 but ,father ,scott1     
whose battery had been silenced by this 
unexpected maneuver1 was soon able to   
resume operations1 and the battle  was  
pressed with increased vigor4           
,illustration3 ,a ,prayer ,without ,an  
,amen4    ,there was another neglected  
community adjacent to this charge4 ,it  
was  entirely without church services or
 religious influences of any kind4 ,in  
the community lived a well-to-do        
gentleman of the name of ,owen1 whose   

wife was an invalid4 ,being of a        
religious turn of mind1 and deprived of 
church privileges1 she desired to have a
 meeting held at her home mainly  for   
her benefit4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent was    
invited to conduct the service4  ,his   
,sundays being taken up by his regular  
work1 the meeting was held  in a        
forenoon during the week4 ,a goodly     
company of neighbors gathered  out of   
respect to the dear sister1 and she     
enjoyed the occasion so much  that she  
invited them all back for a service in  
the evening4 ,the evening  meeting      
proved still more interesting1 and it   
was decided to continue the  services   
indefinitely4 ,it developed into a grand
 revival which resulted  in many        
conversions1 the organization of a      
church1 and the building of  a          
church-house4 ,among the first to come  
to the mourner's bench was ,mr4  ,owen1 
the generous host4 ,he 8came through0   
shouting and became a strong1  staunch1 
and stormy defender of the faith4       

,among attendants at the revival were   
two brothers1 8,dave0 and 8,joe0        
,walker1 notable characters in a local  
way4 ,both were proficient in the  use  
of the violin1 or1 in the vernacular of 
the day1 they were great  fiddlers4     
,even if there was nothing else to place
 them under the ban  of pious sentiment1
 this in itself would have been         
sufficient1 for the  fiddle had been so 
exclusively associated with bad company 
that it  was supposed to have absorbed  
something of the evil spirits of its    
companions1 and in the superstitious    
imaginations of many it possessed       
invisible hoofs and horns1 and a        
strange1 infernal power that was to be  
zealously avoided4 ,hence1 ,dave and    
,joe were regarded as typical 8hard     
nuts10 and it cannot be denied that they
 made an honest effort to live up  to   
their reputations4 ,they were more      
familiar with the conventionalities  of 
the country 8hoe-down0 than with the    
atmosphere of a 8big meetin'40  ,until  

the revival at the ,owen home attracted 
their attention1 they had  not been     
present at a church service since they  
were boys4 ,they became  fairly regular 
attendants at the meeting1 and in       
consequence1 both got  sick4 ,their     
illness seemed to be of a peculiar      
character1 as neither of  them could    
explain his symptoms or give any clue as
 to the seat of the  trouble4    ,joe   
became much worse one evening and by    
midnight he began to think he  was being
 beckoned across the border4 ,dave1     
whose condition was not so  critical1   
was dispatched to ,prairieton for       
medical aid4 ,while he was  gone1 ,joe  
got religion4 ,this proved to be all the
 treatment he needed4  ,all unfavorable 
symptoms disappeared1 and he set out    
post haste to meet  his brother4 ,just  
before he reached the village1 he met   
,dave on his way  home1 when the        
following colloquy took place3    8,oh1 
,dave1 ,i've got all the medicine ,i    
need4 ,it ain't pills we need1 but      

religion40    8,bless the ,lord1 ,i've  
took the medicine1 too10 said ,dave4 ,he
 had also  been converted on his return 
from the doctor's office4 ,it thus      
became  apparent that their malady was  
spiritual rather than physical1 but     
being  unfamiliar with symptoms of that 
character1 they were unable to diagnose 
the case until the remedy had been      
applied4 ,the two brothers were made    
every whit whole1 soul and body4 ,they  
hung up 8the fiddle and the bow10  and  
their talents and energies were turned  
loose along more legitimate  channels4  
,vermilion ,circuit1 in ,illinois1 was  
the scene of the next pastorate4 ,here  
a memorable experience took place as he 
was making his second 8round0  on the   
charge4 ,newgent1 like other strong men1
 has always had some  hobbies1          
legitimate hobbies in his case1 however1
 that were elements of  strength in his 
ministry4 ,one of these is punctuality4 
,he has always  been scrupulously       
punctual in meeting his engagements4 ,he

 never misses  a train from the fact    
that he is far more likely to be at the 
station  three-quarters of an hour ahead
 of time than three-quarters of a minute
  late4 ,he is a strict believer in the 
maxim of the muse1        8,better be an
 hour early and stand and wait1         
,than to be a moment behind the time40  
,in filling appointments he observes the
 same rule4 ,he finds it helpful to  be 
on hand sufficiently early to meet and  
shake hands with the advance  guards of 
the congregation4 ,it affords a tonic   
for his wits and puts him  in a mood to 
be at his best4    ,on his new charge   
was a church known as ,prairie ,chapel4 
,as usual1 in his  introductory services
 he exhorted his people to be punctual  
in their  attendance1 stating that he   
made it a point to be on time1 and that 
if he  at any time was not strictly 8on 
the dot10 they might know that something
  was wrong4 ,it so happened that at the
 very next service the scrupulously     
punctual preacher was behind time1 and  

it also happened that something  was    
desperately wrong4    ,as a sort of     
background to the scene to be here      
presented1 it would be  well to state   
that he was clad in a new suit1 as      
preachers usually were  at the beginning
 of the year4 ,the new suit consisted of
 a complete outfit  from boots to hat   
and gloves1 including also that luxury  
which not every  circuit rider could    
afford1 a fine shawl4 ,it should further
 be explained  that he was riding a     
colt1 not the nineteen-year-old variety 
with which  he traveled his first       
circuit1 but a genuine three-year-old1  
with all the  fire and perverseness of  
its kind4 ,it might also be in order to 
add1 by  way of parenthesis1 that the   
,illinois roads after the rains and     
frosts of  ,september began their       
maneuvers1 were no respecters of new    
clothes4    ,just before reaching       
,prairie ,chapel1 the road crossed a    
slough some three  hundred feet wide4   
,at this point the road was covered by  

about three  feet of water1 or perhaps1 
as it was difficult to tell just where  
the  water left off and the mud began1  
it would be more exact to say that  it  
was three feet from the top of the water
 to the bottom of the mud4  ,it was     
covered with a thin coating of ice4     
,newgent1 being the first to  pass that 
way on that ,sunday morning1 had to     
break the ice as he went4  ,the colt did
 not like the task to begin with1 but as
 this was the only  road to the church  
and was fenced on either side with a    
picket fence1 a  straightforward course 
was the only alternative4    ,the colt  
proceeded reluctantly until it reached  
the middle of the slough4  ,there it    
became possessed with the spirit of     
,balam's beast and refused  to go       
farther4 ,its purpose seemed to be fixed
 as all the entreaties of  the rider    
were unavailing4 ,the church was in     
plain view1 and1 like the  wedding guest
 of ,coleridge's immortal 8,rime10 the  
preacher could see  and hear the people 

as they were assembling1 while he was   
transfixed to  the spot4 ,finally giving
 up hope of going forward1 he tried to  
turn the  colt's head in the opposite   
direction1 when1 lo1 he found that it   
was as  averse to turning back as it was
 to going forward4 ,just what the       
beast's  plan for the future was1 could 
not well be divined1 for1 to be in the  
middle of a lake with no purpose of     
going either forward or backward was1   
to say the least1 a position difficult  
to explain or defend4 ,the final  bell  
rang for the morning service1 and the   
preacher began to realize that  his     
reputation for punctuality was in danger
 of being water-soaked4 ,a  final       
desperate effort was made to induce     
locomotion1 but to no avail4    ,it was 
a real ,slough of ,despond4 ,the        
reverend's heart sank to the bottom  of 
his new boots when he found that his    
only chance was to dismount4 ,this  he  
proceeded to do1 supposing that he could
 at least lead the beast out  of the    

water4 ,the water was by no means       
comfortable1 the mud filled his  boots1 
and apprehensive thoughts concerning the
 unpresentable appearance  he would make
 at church1 and the damage being done to
 his new suit1 and  at the same time the
 humiliation of being beaten out by a   
perverse colt1  all together did not    
tend to a devotional frame of mind4     
,illustration3 ,an ,unintentional       
,immersion4    ,taking the rein1 he     
waded forward1 expecting the colt to    
follow1 but it  had no disposition to be
 led2 he gave the rein a sharp pull1 but
 the  animal also had scruples against  
being pulled4 ,he then gave the rein  a 
jerk1 putting all of his physical       
strength1 and possibly a bit of  his    
temper into the jerk1 when1 lo6 the rein
 broke1 and the preacher1  not thinking 
of such a contingency1 went splash into 
the water1 being  completely submerged4 
,things were rapidly going from bad to  
worse4 ,it  was of no use under the     
circumstances1 to try to maintain       

ministerial  dignity4 ,gathering himself
 together1 he made his way to the fence1
 and1  loosing a picket1 he got behind  
the animal1 and with a few strokes where
  they would do the most good1 and      
unministerial maneuvers1 he got it      
started1 and by an aggressive follow-up 
campaign1 they reached the shore        
without further ceremony or delay4      
,he hastened on to the church4 ,the     
people were waiting for the belated     
pastor1 and when he arrived1 they saw at
 once there had been a valid  excuse for
 his tardiness4 ,there were four other  
ministers present1  and ,newgent tried  
to get one of them to preach in his     
stead1 but all  declined4 ,so he went on
 with the regular program1 and preached 
with his  usual zeal while the water was
 still dripping from his new suit4 ,it  
was  one time at least when the         
congregation was not bored with a dry   
preacher4    ,after service he went home
 with one of his members1 borrowed some 
dry  clothes1 and proceeded to fill his 

other appointments for the day4         
,,chapter ,,eight4        ,the ,new     
,goshen ,pastorate--,an ,old ,grudge    
,healed--,dry ,bones                    
,revived--,memorable ,year at           
8,dogtown0--8,death in the ,pot0--,the  
,hittites ,captured--,the               
8,jerks0--,other ,remarkable            
,demonstrations--,a      ,rooster in the
 ,missionary ,collection--,first        
,debate--,unpleasant      ,sequel to a  
,horse ,trade4      ,following the      
,vermilion pastorate1 two years were    
spent on the ,new  ,goshen ,circuit in  
,vigo ,county1 ,indiana4 ,this circuit  
had ranked among  the best in the       
conference1 but unfortunately had become
 weakened and  despoiled through        
internal dissension4 ,a chronic grudge  
between two of  the most prominent      
members had leavened the whole lump with
 its unsavory  effects4 ,it was one of  
those situations that afford a pastor a 
splendid  opportunity of losing his     
ecclesiastical scalp1 the very thing    

that  happened to a number of former    
pastors who undertook to heal the sore4 
,it was not ,newgent's policy to take a 
hand in neighborhood broils1 or  to     
break to the woods in the face of such  
contingencies1 but rather to  8stand    
still and see the salvation of the      
,lord40    ,his presiding elder told him
 that his first duty on going to the    
circuit  would be to get the difficulty 
adjusted4 ,it was suggested that as he  
was a stranger to both parties1 he would
 be the proper one to do it4 ,he        
replied that ,god had not called him to 
fix up old grudges between church       
members1 but to save sinners4    8,but  
unless you get this done10 he was told1 
8you had as well not go1 for  you can   
never accomplish anything until the     
difficulty is removed4 ,he  said he     
would not bother the old grudge         
directly1 and that if there were        
sinners who wanted salvation1 he was    
sure ,god could save them in spite  of  
old1 grouchy church members4 ,he        

proceeded at once to plan a revival     
campaign4 ,it is part of his philosophy 
that if a pastor's first revival  effort
 is a success it begets confidence on   
the part of the people and  paves the   
way for other victories4 ,it is1        
therefore1 the part of wisdom  to choose
 the easiest place to begin with4       
,accordingly1 he began a  meeting in the
 latter part of ,september at the ,rose 
,hill class1 where he  thought there    
were the fewest hindrances4 ,but the    
people were still busy  with their farm 
work1 and with the old trouble still    
visible around the  edges1 producing a  
melancholy ,indian summer effect1 he had
 very little  encouragement4 ,two weeks 
passed and only four persons could be   
mustered  for day services4 ,he preached
 to this quartet of faithful souls1 held
  prayer and class meetings with them1  
and encouraged them in every  possible  
way4    8,tell the people to come10 he  
said to his little band one day1 as if  
seized with a sudden revelation1 8for we

 are going to have the biggest  revival 
they have ever seen4 ,if you can't tell 
it on your own faith1  tell them the    
preacher said so40 ,they perhaps        
half-way believed what he  said4 ,at    
least they did as they were urged1 and  
the crowd was slightly  increased the   
next day4 ,and with that service the    
revival really did  begin4 ,the prophecy
 was fulfilled4 ,it was by far the      
greatest revival  the community had ever
 known1 abundantly demonstrating the    
preacher's  philosophy that when folks  
want salvation1 a few backslidden church
  members1 even with their bristles up1 
cannot prevent them from getting it4    
,new ,goshen ,class was the head and    
heart of the circuit1 likewise the seat 
of the trouble that had been its thorn  
in the flesh4 ,newgent proceeded  to    
carry out his policy of capturing the   
outposts before storming this           
stronghold of opposition4 ,the plan     
worked admirably4 ,three meetings were  
held1 each of which resulted in a       

sweeping revival4 ,he was now ready for 
the ,herculean task1 the final charge1  
,new ,goshen itself6    ,here it was    
seen how ,god moves in mysterious ways1 
using the weak things  to confound the  
mighty4 ,some two miles from town lived 
a family1 all of  whom were utterly     
irreligious4 ,the father was a drunkard 
and a notably  rough character4 ,the    
oldest daughter was an invalid1 but on  
learning  of the meeting1 she was taken 
with a keen desire to attend4 ,so she   
went to visit with a family who lived   
just across the street from the  church1
 so that it would be convenient for her4
 ,in the first service she  attended1   
she went to the altar1 and was not there
 long until she fell  into a trance4    
,this was repeated the second and third 
evenings4 ,one of  her brothers was     
present the third evening1 and when he  
saw his sister  so strangely affected1  
conviction seized upon him so intensely 
that he  likewise fell over in an       
unconscious condition4 ,when he 8came   

through0 he  was a new creature in      
,christ4 ,one after another of this     
wicked family was  taken captive by the 
power of ,god until all were graciously 
saved4    ,by this time the church began
 to rub its eyes and take notice4 ,the  
dry  bones were surely beginning to     
shake and show signs of life4 ,one      
evening  as the power of ,god was moving
 upon the people1 the two brethren who  
were  responsible for the old trouble on
 the circuit1 were seen edging toward   
each other1 and when they got together1 
they threw their arms around  each      
other's necks and wept like children4   
,the mother of one of the men  was      
present and when she saw what was taking
 place1 she sent up a shout  that really
 did wake the dead--the spiritually dead
 of the congregation4  ,walls of        
opposition suddenly gave way4 ,the fire 
from heaven fell as it  fell on ,sodom  
and ,gomorrah1 not to destroy1 but to   
wipe out old scores  and to make men and
 women alive to ,god4 ,the fortified    

city was taken4 ,the  victory was       
complete4    ,during this pastorate of  
two years1 over four hundred persons    
were added  to the church4    ,one of   
his most successful and memorable       
pastorates was that on the  ,charlestown
 ,circuit1 in ,illinois4 ,the circuit   
had a very unsavory  reputation at the  
time4 ,it was commonly known by the     
undignified and  uncomplimentary name of
 8,dogtown40 ,newgent had asked to be   
sent to the  worst charge the conference
 had1 and the reputation of ,dogtown    
made this  a matter easily determined4  
,his predecessor had been egged and     
otherwise  badly handled4    ,it was a  
serious question with the conference as 
to whether a pastor  should be appointed
 to it1 as it had proven itself so      
unworthy4 ,besides1  it was a           
proposition that few men were willing to
 face1 ,newgent being the  only aspirant
 for the situation4 ,the salary the     
preceding year was #ahj1  and there was 
not a church paper taken on the entire  

charge4    ,dogtown1 the place which    
gave the name and largely the reputation
  to the circuit1 was a straggling      
village noted only for its general      
cussedness4 ,newgent declared that it   
had never been named after a good  dog1 
but more likely after the lowest bred   
cur in the country4 ,the name1  however1
 was partially a corruption of ,diona1  
by which name the town  had been        
christened2 but the appropriateness of  
the former name was so  evident that it 
naturally stuck1 and the original name  
was well nigh  forgotten4 ,though the   
place was utterly fallen from           
righteousness--if it  ever possessed    
any--and was inclined to evil and evil  
only1 it had the  one advantage of being
 well churched4 ,it had two             
church-houses1 each  serving as the home
 for two denominations4 ,thus1 four     
denominations  were diligently casting  
their pearls into this swine-wallow only
 to  have them trampled under foot4 ,the
 ,methodists and ,baptists occupied one 

house1 and the ,cumberland              
,presbyterians and ,united ,brethren the
 other4  ,they suffered no inconvenience
 through lack of room1 as the combined  
membership of the four churches numbered
 only fourteen1 seven of whom  belonged 
to the ,united ,brethren4    ,it was one
 of those melancholy days1 a ,sunday    
afternoon in ,september1  when the new  
circuit rider arrived to fill his first 
appointment at  ,dogtown4 ,of course the
 seven members of his flock were present
 to take  his measure4 ,the task was    
soon done4 ,they were crestfallen when  
they  saw as their spiritual advisor an 
unpretentious1 boyish-looking fellow1   
somewhat below the standard size1 and   
possessing little of the air and        
dignity and gravity of a ripe circuit   
rider1 according to their staid         
notions4 ,the faithful seven1 like the  
proverbial birds of a feather1  occupied
 a portion of the house to themselves2  
their long faces turned  full upon the  
pastor1 added to the melancholy of that 

autumn afternoon4  ,nor did the small   
sprinkling of stray sheep throughout the
 plain old  building serve to any       
considerable extent as a                
counter-irritant4    ,newgent was       
keeping a 8stiff upper lip0 as he       
introduced the services4  ,the          
preliminary exercises were about        
finished1 and he was about to begin  the
 sermon2 the congregation was droning   
out a familiar tune when a raw1         
strapping native came stalking in4 ,he  
presented a unique appearance4 ,he  was 
barefooted1 his trousers were rolled up 
to his knees1 he wore no  coat1 and his 
checked shirt was unbuttoned at the     
collar4 ,no sooner was  he seated than  
another in exactly similar manner and   
costume followed4  ,one after another   
followed until upwards in thirty came   
in1 all dressed  exactly alike1 and so  
timing their movements as to give time  
for each  to be seated before another   
followed1 making the procession as long 
as  possible--to the amusement of the   

pastor and the stray sheep1 and the     
utter consternation of the faithful     
seven4    ,it struck the witty ,irishman
 at once that they were not trying to   
install  him as the ,presbyterians do   
their pastors1 but rather to forestall  
him after the manner of ,dogtown2 and he
 made up his mind not to be             
forestalled4 ,he was certain they did   
not want any religion and he had  no    
religion to throw away4 ,he had his     
subject in mind1 but he thought  it best
 to select a more appropriate one4      
,accordingly1 he announced as  his text1
 8,oh1 man of ,god1 there is death in   
the pot40 ,he talked about  twenty      
minutes1 putting in the entire time     
telling his funniest stories1  and      
pouring in one broadside after another  
of his ,irish wit and humor4  ,it was a 
diplomatic move4 ,all seemed heartily to
 enjoy the 8sermon10  except the seven  
members of his own congregation4 ,the   
proceeding was  most too irregular for  
their conventional tastes4 ,the members 

of his  uniformed guard were especially 
delighted4 ,every witticism was greeted 
with vociferous applause1 by the        
stamping of their bare feet1 clapping of
  hands1 and unrestrained1 boisterous   
laughter4    8,i would not black my     
boots to hear a long1 dry sermon10 said 
the  preacher by way of conclusion4     
8,you are a fine looking set of fellows4
 ,i  have been sent by the conference to
 preach to you1 and ,i am sure we will  
get along well together4 ,now1 if you   
see me at any time looking hungry1  or  
if it is near night1 take me in4 ,i am  
an ,irishman and easily pleased4  ,and  
if ,i see any of you near my home1 ,i   
will treat you the same4 ,but1          
gentlemen1 ,i have the most beautiful   
little wife you ever set eyes on4  ,now1
 ,i expect to bring her with me the next
 time1 and you must be sure to  put your
 boots on and fix up a little40    ,when
 he dismissed he went back among this   
raw element1 shaking hands  and talking 
freely with each one4 ,much of his time 

between that and the  next appointment  
was spent studying 8mischief0--loading  
up for the next  discharge4 ,his second 
talk was even more humorous than the    
first1 having  been prepared especially 
for the crowd and the occasion4 ,in the 
meantime  his fame had been spread      
broadcast1 and an immense crowd was     
present to  see and hear the 8wild      
,irishman40 ,a number were congregated  
at the door  for the purpose of greeting
 him upon his arrival at the church4    
,at the third appointment he had an     
overflow crowd4 ,as he was walking down 
the aisle to the pulpit1 a brother whom 
he recognized as one of the true  and   
blue seven of the first service1 plucked
 him aside and whispered3    8,parson1  
you've got 'em4 ,you're the smartest    
feller that ever struck this  place4    
,these fellers say you've got to have   
order if they have to fight  for it40   
8,that's what ,i've been fishing for10  
said ,newgent4 ,he began a revival  at  
this time4 ,ere long the great1 rough   

fellows who laughed so heartily  at his 
jokes were crowding to the mourner's    
bench1 shedding tears  of penitence1    
crying for mercy1 and piercing the air  
with shouts of  victory as one after    
another emerged into the light and      
liberty of ,god's  children4 ,a         
marvelous work was wrought in that      
sin-polluted community4  ,as the lives  
of these hardy backwoodsmen were        
transformed by the power  of ,christ1   
they became as potent for righteousness 
as they had been for  evil4 ,just how   
many were converted could not be        
definitely ascertained4  ,one hundred   
sixty-one members were added to the     
,united ,brethren ,church1  besides     
those that joined the other churches of 
the town4    ,there was an appointment  
some few miles from ,dogtown named      
,liberty4 ,it  was practically dead as a
 church1 there being but five names on  
the  roll1 and they represented very    
little in spiritual assets4 ,he began a 
revival campaign here immediately       

following the meeting in town1 which    
proved even more far-reaching in its    
results4 ,he has always regarded it  as 
the most remarkable revival in his      
entire ministry4 ,the power of ,god  in 
the conviction of sinners was           
irresistible4 ,strong men and women were
  stricken unconscious in almost every  
service4 ,as many as fifty persons      
could be counted lying in an unconscious
 condition at one time4    ,a peculiar  
feature of this revival was the presence
 of that strange1  nervous phenomenon   
among the people1 known as the 8jerks40 
,this strange  manifestation prevailed  
in many of the early revivals where     
unusual  power was displayed4 ,it was   
especially prevalent in what is known as
 the  great ,cumberland revival which   
swept over the eastern part of ,kentucky
  and ,tennessee4 ,whatever the         
explanation of this phenomenon1 it      
usually  accompanied a deep emotional   
state1 saints and sinners alike being   
subject to it4 ,the mystery of it and   

the fact that it often became  quite    
violent1 especially on persons who      
resisted the influence of the  meetings1
 gave it much weight in these early     
revivals4 ,peter ,cartwright1  in his   
well-known autobiography1 describes the 
physical effects of the  jerks as       
follows3    8,no matter whether they    
were saints or sinners1 they would be   
taken  under a warm song or sermon1 and 
seized with a convulsive jerking all    
over1 which they could not by any       
possibility avoid1 and the more they    
resisted1 the more they jerked4 ,if they
 would not strive against it and  would 
pray in good earnest1 the jerking would 
usually abate4 ,i have  seen more than  
five hundred persons jerking at one time
 in any large  congregation4 ,most      
usually persons taken with the jerks1 to
 obtain  relief1 would rise up and      
dance4 ,some would run but could not get
 away4  ,some would resist2 on such the 
jerks were usually very severe40    ,the
 meeting was accompanied by a variety of

 spiritual demonstrations1  remarkable  
both in their character and extent4 ,it 
was entirely beyond  human control4 ,it 
continued four months1 day and night4   
,most of the  time there was no         
preaching1 for there was no opportunity 
for a sermon1  and none was needed4 ,the
 people would gather1 singing and       
shouting  as they came1 and the singing1
 shouting1 and praying would continue   
spontaneously4 ,penitents would go to   
the altar without an invitation1  often 
as soon as they arrived4    ,the entire 
community was charged with a peculiar   
spiritual atmosphere1  the limit of     
which seemed distinctly drawn4 ,it was  
termed the 8dead  line40 ,on reaching   
this line the individual1 whether a     
,christian or not1  would at once be    
seized with intense religious emotion4  
,on passing out of  this region the     
change was as distinctly felt as on     
entering it4    ,so great was the       
interest in the surrounding country that
 six schools  were closed4 ,one teacher 

sent to the church for help4 ,some      
brethren went  to see what was the      
matter1 and found the entire school     
practically  prostrate with conviction4 
,school was turned into prayer meeting4 
,a number1 including the teacher1 were  
converted1 and school was  indefinitely 
suspended4    ,the pulpit and platform  
were smashed into kindling wood at one  
of the  services4 ,people performed     
physical feats utterly impossible under 
ordinary circumstances1 such as walking 
across the house on the backs of  the   
pews with their faces turned straight   
upward4 ,late one night after  the      
service had closed1 a family in the     
neighborhood heard singing in the       
direction of the church4 ,not knowing   
what it meant1 they investigated4  ,but 
on approaching the church they noticed  
that the singing was overhead  as if    
produced by an invisible choir in the   
upper air4    ,whatever question may    
enter the mind as to the nature of these
 phenomena1  there is no question as to 

the genuineness of the work of grace    
wrought  in that section of country4 ,it
 was swept as completely by the revival 
as  a prairie is swept by fire4 ,and the
 effects were abiding1 even the more    
extraordinary forms of spiritual fervor 
continuing indefinitely4    ,this was a 
season of strenuous physical activity on
 the part of ,rev4  ,mr4 ,newgent4 ,this
 meeting lasted four months1 and for    
three months in  addition he was in     
revival meetings continuously4    ,from 
being the worst circuit in the          
conference1 ,dogtown suddenly became    
the best4 ,it reported the largest      
salary4 ,and that year it led the entire
  denomination in the number of church  
papers taken4 ,prizes were offered  by  
the publisher for the largest club in   
any conference1 and also a  sweepstakes 
prize for the largest club in the       
,church4 ,newgent won both  the         
conference and the sweepstakes prize1   
which was the more remarkable  when we  
recall that there was not a paper taken 

on the charge when he was  appointed to 
it4    ,near the close of his memorable 
meeting at ,dogtown1 he announced that  
he would take a missionary offering the 
following ,sunday1 and urged the  people
 to come prepared4 ,the missionary      
meeting was full of enthusiasm1  as all 
his meetings were when a collection was 
involved4 ,as he was  exhorting the     
congregation to give freely to send the 
gospel to the  heathen1 the door opened 
and a boy bearing in his arms a large   
rooster  came walking down the aisle4   
,as an evidence that the old-time       
,dogtown  spirit was not wholly dead1   
some mischievous fellows planned to have
 some  fun at the preacher's expense by 
putting a rooster in the missionary     
collection4 ,the bird was not only      
large1 but also quite game1 and was     
almost too much for the lad who was to  
do the presentation act in behalf  of   
the gang4 ,as he proceeded toward the   
pulpit1 his courage began to fail  and  
he hesitated1 possibly waiting to see   

what sort of effect he was  producing4  
,the preacher took in the situation at a
 glance4    8,come on10 he said to the  
half-frightened lad1 8,i'm the fellow   
who likes  chicken40    ,with this      
encouragement the boy went forward and  
placed his gift in the  hands of the    
preacher1 who received it smilingly and 
thanked him for  his generous           
contribution to the missionary cause4   
,he asked one of the  brethren in the   
8amen corner0 to care for his charge    
while he finished  the service4 ,he kept
 the rooster until fall and took it to  
the annual  conference4 ,in presenting  
his report1 he related the incident and 
asked  in a jocular vein what should be 
done with the rooster4 ,a dignified1    
sober-minded brother moved that the     
rooster be sold and the proceeds be     
reported to the missionary fund1 and    
that the undignified proceedings be     
closed4 ,the motion carried4    8,all   
right10 said the wiley ,irishman1       
assuming the pose of an auctioneer1     

8how much am ,i offered for the rooster8
 ,how much do ,i hear8 ,how much80      
,some one ventured a bid4 8,sold10 said 
the preacher-auctioneer amid a  roar of 
laughter1 and the conference proceeded  
to more serious matters4                
,illustration3 ,a ,unique ,missionary   
,offering4    ,it was on this charge    
that he had his first debate4 ,his      
popularity  and success in winning      
converts led to a challenge from a      
brother in  the ,christian 7,disciples7 
church1 who was then serving as pastor  
at  ,charlestown1 ,illinois4 ,the       
question discussed was the divinity of  
,christ4  ,newgent took the positive    
position1 affirming that 8,christ is the
 very  and eternal ,god apart from his  
human nature40 ,the debate was held at  
,salisbury1 ,illinois1 creating a great 
deal of interest and attracting a  large
 crowd4 ,that the contest resulted in an
 easy victory for our subject  was      
attested by the fact that he received an
 offer from the elders of  his          

opponent's church of fifteen hundred    
dollars a year to become their  pastor1 
which1 at that time1 was considered an  
enormous sum4    8,i would not preach   
your doctrine for fifteen hundred       
dollars a year10 he  said1 8to say      
nothing of losing my time and           
self-respect40    8,we are not asking   
you to preach the doctrine10 they said1 
8all we ask  is that you become our     
pastor2 you are at liberty to preach    
your own  convictions40 ,but he was not 
on the market4    ,another interesting  
experience during this pastorate came as
 the sequel  to a horse trade4 ,one of  
his neighbors1 a brother in the ,church1
 coveted  his fine driving horse1 and   
bantered him for a trade4 8,i have the  
very  horse you need10 he urged1 and    
offered what seemed to be a fair        
bargain4  ,and after the usual          
ceremonies and preliminaries1 the deal  
was pulled off4    ,the next day being  
,sunday1 the pastor hitched up his new  
horse early1 and  taking his wife and   

babe1 started for his appointment4 ,the 
animal soon  showed signs of treachery1 
arousing the suspicions of its owner1   
but they  went on4 ,they got on quite   
well until they came to a low swale in  
the  road over which the water stood    
several inches deep4 ,when they were    
about  half-way across1 the horse       
stopped and looked back to see if they  
were  coming4 ,but they had also        
stopped4 ,newgent1 who had some         
knowledge of  8horseology10 saw that    
they were in for it4 ,it being a warm1  
summer day1  an innumerable multitude of
 mosquitoes soon collected to express   
their  sympathy and to divert the       
attention of the unfortunate family from
 their  troubles4    8,here's a chance  
to show that we can keep sweet10 said   
the preacher to  his wife1 8even under  
trying circumstances40    ,the          
circumstances were indeed trying1 for he
 spent a couple of hours  trying to     
argue the horse out of his position1 but
 the horse was not open  to conviction4 

,at the same time he was making a       
desperate effort to keep  sweet1 which1 
with the mosquitoes diligently plying   
their trade--as it was  too good a      
business opportunity for them to let    
pass--and the hour for the  morning     
service passing1 was not as easy a task 
as it would have been  under less trying
 circumstances4    8,well10 he finally  
said to his wife1 sweetly1 8we are going
 out of here40    8,when80 was her meek 
reply4    8,just as soon as possible40  
,and removing his boots and some other  
parts  of wearing apparel that could be 
temporarily dispensed with1 he got out  
of the buggy and carried the baby to a  
dry place4 ,he then removed his  wife to
 the shore1 after which he proceeded to 
unhitch the horse from  the buggy1 or   
rather to unhitch the buggy from the    
horse1 as the buggy  was movable and the
 horse was not4 ,a strategic plan was   
then inaugurated  by making a natural   
appeal to the animal's stubbornness4    
,this was  done by hitching the horse to

 the rear axle-tree of the buggy1 which 
proved a decided success1 at least to   
the extent of getting both the  horse   
and buggy out of the water4 ,newgent    
then hitched up according to  the       
conventional style1 and with his family 
started homeward in deep  meditation4   
,he filled no appointment that day4 ,he 
found it difficult to  see the point in 
his neighbor's argument that 8this was  
the very horse  he needed10 unless it   
was to stimulate the grace of patience1 
which is a  much-needed quality in a    
preacher4 ,since then he has stoutly    
maintained  that it is a bad thing for a
 preacher to swap horses--unless he is  
sure he  can make a better trade4       
,,chapter ,,nine4        ,labors at     
,mattoon1 ,illinois--,a ,persistent     
,campaign and a ,great                  
,victory--,second ,new ,goshen          
,pastorate--,a ,coincidence--,success at
      ,prairieton--,laboring in the     
,shadow--,the ,death of ,mrs4           
,newgent--,a      ,bishop's ,tribute to 

her ,character4      ,the scene of his  
next labors was ,mattoon1 ,illinois4    
,this was a city of  some ten thousand  
inhabitants4 ,it had been marked by a   
mushroom growth1  having sprung from a  
small village within a few years4 ,more 
attention1  however1 had been given to  
its material development than to its    
moral and  religious welfare4 ,it had   
eleven churches1 but what members they  
had1  were received mostly by letter4   
,like the city itself1 the churches were
  made up of a conglomeration of        
heterogeneous elements4 ,all were       
lacking  in efficient organization1     
stability1 and vital godliness4    ,rev4
 ,mr4 ,newgent's church1 the ,united    
,brethren1 like most of the others1  was
 new in the city4 ,it had but twelve    
members when he took charge4 ,he at     
once conceived the idea of enlisting the
 various churches in a great and        
much-needed revival campaign4 ,he met   
the local pastors and proposed that  all
 join in a concerted1 evangelistic      

effort--each to begin a meeting in  his 
own church on the same date and continue
 until victory was achieved4  ,the plan 
was unanimously agreed to1 and on ,new  
,year's ,day the campaign  began4    ,it
 was a stubborn fight4 ,the bombardment 
was kept up by all the churches  through
 the entire month of ,january with no   
apparent results4 ,one after  another of
 the pastors then became discouraged and
 hauled down his  colors4 ,by the end of
 ,february all the batteries had ceased 
except two1  one of them being          
,newgent's4 ,some of his members1       
convinced of the utter  futility of the 
effort1 counseled him to quit4 ,but he  
was determined to  fight it out on that 
line if it took all summer2 and it      
looked as though  it might take several 
summers4 ,the largest congregation he   
had during  those two months numbered   
twenty-four4    ,with the beginning of  
the third month there were unmistakable 
evidences  of a thaw4 ,interest was     
awakened1 congregations increased1 and  

on the  fifth day of ,march the ice gave
 way completely4 ,at the morning service
  the altar was crowded with anxious    
penitents1 and twenty-one were          
graciously converted4 ,the news was     
heralded throughout the city4 ,it was   
as though a mighty miracle had been     
wrought4 ,newgent's church became the   
center of intense interest1 the subject 
of conversation in the stores  and shops
 and on the streets4 ,at night it seemed
 as if all ,mattoon was  seized with a  
sudden impulse to go to church4 ,the    
house was filled long  before the       
appointed hour for worship1 and the     
sexton reported that over  five hundred 
people were turned away4 ,the few days  
following witnessed  stirring scenes in 
that church4 ,multitudes were converted2
 no definite  account could be taken of 
their number4 ,one hundred and          
twenty-eight  members were added to the 
,united ,brethren ,church1 and other    
churches of  the city profited largely  
from the fruits of the meeting4 ,it was 

the  first genuine revival ,mattoon had 
ever enjoyed4    8,what ,i lacked in    
sense1 ,i made up in holding on10 was   
,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent's  modest comment on
 the situation4 ,but in this case       
holding on was only in  keeping with his
 usual good judgment4 ,it was a case    
where not only prayer  and fasting1 but 
also perseverance were required4        
,perseverance1 however1  is one of his  
strong points4 ,as a pastor he made it a
 rule to continue a  meeting until      
success was realized1 a rule that seldom
 had to be waived4    ,his labors at    
,mattoon were followed by a pastorate of
 two years on the  ,new ,goshen charge1 
making1 with a former pastorate of the  
same length1  an aggregate of four years
 of pastoral services on this field4    
,during  these four years he received   
over six hundred members into the       
,church and  built two church-houses4   
,his work here was also made memorable  
by what  might be termed his first great
 debate1 the details of which are       

reserved  for the next chapter4    ,the 
year following was a dark year in his   
experience1 made so by the  failure of  
his wife's health1 which resulted in her
 death4 ,he was  serving the ,prairieton
 charge1 a charge he had served some    
years before4  ,his labors here were    
attended by the usual success--gracious 
revivals1  increased spiritual life and 
activity1 churches thrilled with new    
zeal  and power4 ,a coincidence worth   
noting in this connection is that his   
two  terms of service on this field     
resulted in an equal number of          
accessions  to the ,church1 #bjc in each
 case4 8,i do not think10 he quaintly   
remarked  concerning his second         
pastorate1 8that these were the same    
#bjc that ,i  received when ,i was there
 before40 ,the sorry experiences of many
 pastors  with vacillating church       
members occasioned and justified the    
remark4    ,a great meeting at          
,prairieton stirred up the congregation 
and led to  the rebuilding of their     

church4 ,it was1 however1 a great       
struggle4 ,the  church was not strong   
financially1 and the task almost        
overtaxed their  resources4 ,rev4 ,mr4  
,newgent labored unceasingly to pull the
 enterprise  through to a successful    
consummation1 contributing of his own   
scanty  means over three hundred        
dollars1 which necessitated the selling 
of some  of his household goods4    ,and
 now1 to add to his already heavy       
burdens1 came that which for some  time 
had been recognized as inevitable1 and  
under the deep shadow of  which he had  
been laboring with a heavy heart--the   
death of his companion4  8,kitty0       
,newgent1 as she was affectionately     
called by her husband and  intimate     
friends1 was never strong in body1 and  
for many months she had  lingered near  
the land of shadows4 ,on the day set for
 the dedication of  the church1 for the 
success of which they both prayed and   
toiled and  struggled so heroically1 she
 passed triumphantly to her heavenly    

home4  8,her sun went down while it was 
yet day40    ,she died about eight      
o'clock in the morning4 ,bishop         
,jonathan ,weaver1  who had been secured
 to dedicate the church1 was on the     
ground for that  purpose4 ,when it was  
learned that the pastor's wife had      
passed away1 the  ,bishop and members of
 the church suggested that the          
dedicatory services  be postponed4 ,but 
as she had helped to plan the day's     
program1 and was so  anxious for the    
success of the occasion1 ,rev4 ,mr4     
,newgent urged that the  plans be       
carried out4 ,so the program of the day 
was carried out tenderly  and lovingly1 
the church set apart to the worship of  
,almighty ,god1 while  he and his three 
motherless little ones remained in their
 sad home by the  silent form of the    
precious wife and mother4 ,bishop       
,weaver remained to  conduct her        
funeral4 ,the following account and     
worthy tribute from his  gifted pen was 
published at the time in the ,religious 

,telescope1 the  official organ of the  
,united ,brethren ,church3    8,some    
time ago ,i arranged with ,brother      
,newgent of the ,prairieton ,circuit1   
,lower ,wabash ,conference1 to attend   
the dedication of a church on his  field
 of labor4 ,accordingly ,i left home on 
,saturday1 ,june #ac1 and reached       
,prairieton late in the evening4 ,upon  
my arrival there ,i learned that        
,brother ,newgent's wife was very ill2  
yet ,i supposed she might recover4      
,sunday morning the bell tolled and ,i  
knew that some one had passed away4  ,i 
immediately started for ,brother        
,newgent's home1 and on reaching it     
learned that his wife had just died4 ,it
 was1 indeed1 a sad sight4 ,for         
seventeen years they had shared the     
sacrifices and trials incident to  the  
life of an itinerant4 ,now he was left  
with the care of three little  children 
to fight the battles of life alone4     
,brother ,newgent1 as he is  wont to do1
 labored hard to get the church in      

readiness for dedication1  anticipating 
a good time4 ,but it was a sad day4 ,we 
attended to the  service and dedicated  
the church with feelings of deep        
sympathy for the  pastor1 who1 with his 
little ones1 sat beside the earthly     
remains of a  beloved wife4    8,sister 
,newgent was a patient1 kind-hearted    
,christian woman4 ,she had  been in     
delicate health for a number of years1  
but neither murmured nor  complained4   
,and when the end came1 she quietly fell
 asleep in ,jesus4 ,on  account of her  
delicate health1 ,brother ,newgent1 for 
a number of years1  seldom remained away
 from home over night4 ,he would fill   
his appointment  and ride home after    
services4 ,but no matter how late at    
night he would  return1 he would always 
find a light burning1 and usually she   
would sit  up until he returned4 ,but   
the light is gone out--no1 it is burning
 still4  #8,there's a light in the      
window for thee1 brother4'0             
,,chapter ,,ten4        ,first ,great   

,debate--,the ,debate as an             
,institution--,the                      
,challenge--,opponents get ,weak-,kneed1
 ,prolonging ,maneuvers--,a      ,hungry
 ,multitude ,unfed--,battle             
,begins--,questions ,discussed--,an     
,improvised ,creed for his ,opponent--,a
 ,premature ,baptism--,an               
,opponent's ,tribute to his             
,genius--,crowning the ,victor4      ,in
 the earlier days of the church great   
stress was laid upon matters  of        
doctrine4 ,mooted theological questions 
occasioned much controversy  among the  
8brethren40 ,preachers gave special     
attention to the particular  tenets of  
their respective churches1 often        
decrying with heavy hearts the          
doctrinal shortcomings of sister        
denominations4 ,while this was a fault  
of the times which a broader ,christian 
spirit is overcoming1 yet it had  its   
compensating features4 ,in an age of    
controversy it became every man  to have
 some knowledge1 not only of his own    

church1 but also of other  churches4 ,it
 is a fact that people generally were   
better informed on  doctrinal lines than
 in these latter days when the church is
 swinging so  near the opposite extreme4
 ,the doctrinal sermon was then the     
order of the  day1 while now it is the  
rare exception4    ,the public debate   
was a popular means of testing the      
merits of rival  religious systems1     
though in reality it was more a test of 
the men  engaged than of their theology4
 ,nor was the debate confined to matters
  religious4 ,its field was unlimited4  
,in politics it was a favorite method   
of testing political issues and leaders1
 and of spreading political             
information4 ,the great                 
,lincoln-,douglas debate is a notable   
instance4  ,hence1 while it has lost    
prestige somewhat1 the debate once was  
an  honorable and powerful institution4 
,the victor in such a contest was       
regarded much as the ancient ,greeks    
regarded the winners in the ,olympian   

games4 ,and he was greatly in demand to 
defend the doctrines of his church      
against their adversaries4 ,every pastor
 needed to cultivate the debating       
faculty to some extent1 at least1 for   
self-protection1 just as it was         
necessary for the early ,new ,englanders
 to carry their guns with them to       
church4    ,it was during ,rev4 ,mr4    
,newgent's second pastorate at ,new     
,goshen that he  had his first great    
debate1 and was thrust by force of      
circumstances into  the debating arena4 
,among his numerous converts were a     
large number who  held the faith        
enunciated by the ,rev4 ,alexander      
,campbell1 and commonly  designated as  
8,campbellites40 ,this stirred the      
controversial fires1  and in consequence
 he received a challenge from members of
 that body  to debate publicly certain  
questions on which the two churches     
were1  perhaps1 more content to differ  
than to agree4    ,he was quite content 
to promulgate his faith in the ordinary 

way1 feeling  that the results of his   
work were sufficient proof of the       
genuineness  of his theology4 ,hence1 he
 sought to avoid being pressed into this
 sort  of contest1 even proposing to    
secure a man to represent his church4   
,but  they regarded him as the high     
priest of his profession1 and as they   
had suffered at his hands1 they demanded
 that he represent his side in  person4 
,seeing there was no honorable way of   
escape1 he reluctantly  consented1 and  
preliminaries were arranged4    ,his    
opponent was a ,rev4 ,mr4 ,price4 ,the  
place selected was a beautiful  grove   
near the village of ,west ,liberty1     
,vigo ,county1 ,indiana4 ,a vast  throng
 of people were present the day the     
debate was to open4 ,but they  were     
doomed to disappointment4 ,just as they 
were getting ready to begin1            
representatives from the opposition     
approached ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent and asked
  if they might be permitted to let the 
,rev4 ,william ,holt1 ,d4,d41 champion  

their side instead of ,mr4 ,price4      
,doctor ,holt was a recognized giant    
among  the ,campbellites4 ,he was a     
veteran of thirty-two battles in the    
debating  field1 and was one of the     
foremost expounders of the tenets of his
 church4    ,whether or not it was the  
wish of ,mr4 ,price to be relieved1 it  
was quite  evident that there was a lack
 of confidence somewhere4 ,at any rate  
the  opposition felt more secure with   
their cause committed to the hands of   
their great captain1 armed1 as he was1  
with education and eloquence1 and       
skilled in the art and science of       
debate4 ,all felt that it was to be a   
great contest1 significant in its       
results1 and that no chances should be  
taken4    ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent consented 
to the change on condition that the     
debate  be postponed a couple of months 
to afford time for further preparation4 
,the condition was accepted1 and the    
multitudes were sent away hungry1       
disappointed1 and dejected4 ,the        

responsibility was thrown upon the      
,campbellites1 as their unwillingness to
 let ,mr4 ,price champion their side    
was the cause of the postponement4 ,for 
the ,irish circuit rider it was a       
diplomatic stroke1 a bloodless victory  
to begin with4    ,the two months were  
well spent by ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent in    
preparation for  this greater contest4  
,the delay only seemed to increase      
popular interest  in the affair2 and    
when they again met1 the crowd was even 
larger than  before4 ,the discussions   
consumed eleven days4 ,however1 the time
 was  divided into two sections with an 
intervening period of four or five      
weeks4 ,it was estimated that from eight
 thousand to ten thousand people        
attended daily throughout1 among them   
being a large number of ministers  of   
various denominations4 ,six boarding    
tents did a thriving business4 ,in      
fact1 the debate was the great event of 
the year4 ,a political campaign  could  
not have created more interest and      

excitement4    ,the discussions covered 
six propositions1 as follows3    #a4    
,the church of which ,i1 ,william ,holt1
 am a member1 is identical in  doctrine 
and practice with the ,church of        
,christ1 as revealed in the             
,scriptures4 ,holt affirmed4    #b4     
,jesus ,christ is the very and eternal  
,god1 separate and apart from his  human
 nature4 ,newgent affirmed4    #c4      
,water baptism is for the remission of  
the past sins of the penitent  believer4
 ,holt affirmed4    #d4 ,the ,holy      
,spirit bears a direct1 immediate1 and  
personal testimony to  the believer of  
his pardon4 ,newgent affirmed4    #e4   
,immersion is the only act of ,christian
 baptism4 ,holt affirmed4    #f4 ,after 
a person is sufficiently instructed in  
the written ,word1 the  ,holy ,spirit   
operates directly upon the heart in     
regeneration4 ,newgent  affirmed4    ,in
 most respects the two men were well    
matched4 ,holt was a man of             
scholarship1 a deep1 logical thinker1   

and possessed oratorical ability of  a  
high order1 which1 with the practice    
afforded by thirty-two debating  bouts1 
rendered him an antagonist not to be    
despised4 ,newgent1 then in  his prime1 
possessed a splendid physique1 a strong1
 musical voice that  seemed never to    
tire1 which was especially adapted for  
out-door speaking4  ,though not a       
product of the schools1 as was his      
opponent1 his mind was  strong1 clear1  
and alert4 ,he was ever a close student1
 not only of books1  but of human       
nature4 ,he could readily analyze a     
proposition as much by  intuition as by 
logic1 and discern at a glance the weak 
places in his  opponent's position4 ,his
 wit and humor served him well in such  
matters4  ,when he turned the shafts of 
ridicule upon a weak point in the       
position  of an opponent1 it was as     
though all the batteries1 field pieces1 
grape  and canister1 and every other    
instrument of destructive warfare had   
been  turned loose at once4 ,as there   

were none of the scholastic or bookish  
elements in his style1 he invariably had
 the sympathy of the masses4    ,doctor 
,holt made the opening address1         
affirming that his was the only  true   
church--8identical in doctrine and      
practice with the ,church of ,christ  as
 revealed in the ,scriptures40 ,he      
referred to various doctrines held by   
his church and supported them by        
,scriptural authority4 ,in most cases   
they  were doctrines accepted by all    
evangelical churches1 affording no      
ground  for controversy4 ,the address   
was eloquent and logical4    ,when      
,newgent arose to reply1 he complimented
 the brother's address and  expressed   
his approval of much that was said4     
8,but now1 ,mr4 ,moderator10  he        
continued1 8,i would like to know what  
church my brother belongs to  when he   
asserts that they believe thus and so4  
,he frequently referred  to #8,my       
church4' ,if he belongs to a church1 how
 are we to know1 in the  absence of a   

written creed1 what the doctrines of his
 church are8 ,shall  we take his        
statements8 ,that would not be safe1 for
 ,i find that they  differ among        
themselves on various important points4 
8,according to ,mr4 ,webster1 he has no 
church4 ,webster says1 #8,the ,church of
  ,christ is the universal body of      
,christ4' ,paul speaks of the #8whole   
family  in heaven and earth4' ,all      
saints in heaven and on earth belong to 
the  ,church of ,christ4 ,this includes 
the children4 ,when the disciples asked 
,jesus who was greatest in the kingdom  
of heaven1 he #8called a little  child  
unto him and set him in the midst of    
them1 and said1 ,verily1 ,i say  unto   
you1 except ye be converted and become  
as little children1 ye shall  not enter 
into the kingdom of heaven4'    8,hence1
 his church is not ,,the ,church of     
,christ1 neither is it ,a church  of    
,christ4 ,again1 according to ,webster1 
#8,a church of ,christ is a body of     
,christian believers1 observing the same

 rites and acknowledging the same       
ecclesiastical authority4' ,it denies   
all creeds and all ecclesiastical       
authority4 ,hence1 it cannot be ,a      
church of ,christ40    ,he then appealed
 to the president1 urging that1 in the  
absence of a  written creed1 they should
 take the writings of their recognized  
church  leaders to ascertain what the   
doctrines of his opponent's             
church--granting  that it was a         
church--were4 ,the president so ruled4  
,it then became the  duty of ,doctor    
,holt to show that the doctrines        
indicated were the  doctrines of his    
church according to the church          
authorities1 and also  that they were   
,scripturally sound2 and furthermore to 
prove that other  doctrines promulgated 
by the church leaders1 which he had not 
mentioned1  were in strict harmony with 
the ,word4    ,this opened up a bigger  
field than even the great high priest of
  ,campbellism was prepared to occupy4  
,newgent was as familiar with the       

teachings of his opponent's church as   
,doctor ,holt was himself1 and had      
foreseen and prepared for this          
emergency4    8,i knew you would not be 
prepared for this1 so ,i thought ,i     
would be good  to you10 he said in a    
manner suggesting a cat's habit of      
playing with  a mouse just before       
crushing its bones1 8,i have1 therefore1
 prepared a  creed from the writings of 
,mr4 ,campbell and other leaders of your
 church1  which will enable us to       
ascertain what your church teaches40    
,he then read the following improvised  
creed1 the different items of  which    
were based upon statements cited in the 
writings of recognized  authorities of  
the church ,doctor ,holt was so         
zealously defending3    ,i4 ,we profess 
before all men that we believe in water 
baptism by  immersion2 that it is the   
great panacea for all spiritual         
maladies4    ,,ii4 ,immersion is the    
line between the saved and the lost4    
,,iii4 ,immersion is regeneration1      

conversion1 and the new birth4    ,,iv4 
,immersion is obeying the gospel2 it    
alone is the act of turning to  ,god4   
,v4 ,repentance1 pardon1 justification1 
sanctification1 reconciliation1         
adoption1 salvation1 a good conscience1 
a pure heart1 love to ,god1 saving      
faith1 acceptable prayer1 the reception 
of the ,holy ,spirit1 and the           
intercession of ,christ for us1 all     
depend upon immersion4    ,,vi4         
,immersion is the converting act1 and is
 the most important of all the          
commandments4    ,,vii4 ,the water is   
the mother of all ,christians4          
,,viii4 ,we further believe that the    
,apostles set up the kingdom of ,christ 
on the ,day of ,pentecost4    ,,ix4     
,that the gospel was first preached by  
,peter1 that the first ,christian       
baptism was administered1 and that the  
reign of grace began on the ,day of     
,pentecost4    ,x4 ,that the kingdom of 
,christ has apostatized and become      
totally corrupt4    ,,xi4 ,that the     

meaning of the ,christian institutions  
was lost in the ,dark  ,ages1 and that  
no one pleaded the true cause of ,christ
 from the great  apostasy until ,mr4    
,campbell's day4    ,,xii4 ,that the    
true foundation of the millennial church
 was lost1 and that  it was laid again  
in the present century4    ,,xiii4 ,that
 we have restored the ancient gospel4   
,,xiv4 ,that ,mr4 ,campbell1 with       
others1 has from nothing reorganized and
  established the kingdom of ,christ on 
earth4    ,,xv4 ,that salvation is alone
 in the society to which we belong1 and 
which  was established in the present   
century4    ,,xvi4 ,we believe in a     
reformation produced without the ,holy  
,spirit1  without godly sorrow1 or      
mourning1 or prayer1 or any act of      
devotion  whatever4    ,,xvii4 ,that a  
mere persuasion that the gospel is true 
is all the faith  required4    ,,xviii4 
,that even a believer is not pardoned1  
born of ,god1 or in  possession of      
spiritual life until after immersion4   

,,xix4 ,that no sinner has a right to   
pray before immersion4    ,,xx4 ,that in
 regeneration there is no change of the 
moral powers or inward  evidence of the 
same4    ,,xxi4 ,that sinners are buried
 in the water in order to kill them to  
sin4    ,,xxii4 ,that salvation is by   
works4    ,,xxiii4 ,we deny the divine  
call to the work of the ministry4       
,the foregoing propositions had been    
carefully selected with proof           
statements by ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent4 ,to  
square them by the ,word of ,god was a  
task that even a greater than ,doctor   
,holt might well have shrunk from4  ,and
 the opening battle which was to decide 
the question as to whether  or not the  
church of ,doctor ,holt's choice was    
identical in doctrine and  practice with
 the ,new ,testament church resulted in 
a decided advantage in  favor of the    
,irishman4    ,among the amusing        
incidents connected with the occasion   
was an attempt on  the part of the ,holt
 allies to create a demonstration       

favorable to their  cause4 ,on the day  
when the subject of baptism was up1 a   
rumor came to  ,newgent's ears that a   
pretended convert to his opponent's     
doctrine would  present himself for     
admission to the ,campbellite ,church at
 the evening  service4 ,a baptismal     
service would then be held the following
 morning in  a nearby creek in the      
presence of the crowd1 affording ocular 
evidence  that the champion of immersion
 was gaining ground4 ,this1 attended    
with all the pomp and display necessary 
to make it impressive1 it was  expected1
 would prove a staggering blow to       
,newgent1 from which even his  wit and  
humor would not enable him to rally4    
,he did not give much credence to the   
rumor1 scarcely believing that any  one 
would resort to such tactics1 but       
thought it best to keep at least  one   
eye open4 ,the evening services were    
held in the churches1 both              
denominations being represented in the  
village4 ,each church would have        

preaching by a visiting minister of its 
own faith4 ,ordinarily those who  cared 
to attend would go to their own church1 
the champions themselves  remaining at  
home to rest and gird themselves for the
 next day4 ,newgent1  however1 curious  
to learn whether there was any          
foundation for the rumor1  on that      
particular evening attended the service 
at his opponent's church4  ,to his      
surprise1 he saw ,doctor ,holt there4   
,he then smelled a rat4 ,at the  close  
of the sermon1 ,doctor ,holt arose1     
delivered a brief exhortation and       
opened the doors of the church4 ,and the
 rat smelled stronger4    ,all doubts   
were dispelled when an old1             
rusty-looking gentleman limped  forward 
and gave the preacher his hand4 ,this   
was the convert that the  eloquence of  
,doctor ,holt had won to the standard of
 ,campbellism--an old1  decrepit man1 by
 no means distinguished for learning or 
intelligence1 who  had been imported    
from an adjoining county for the        

occasion6    ,illustration3 ,,rev4      
,,andrew ,,jackson ,,newgent    ,at age 
of forty4    ,the doctor was1 of course1
 glad that one penitent was making the  
8good  confession10 and announced that  
on to-morrow morning at eight o'clock1  
just before the day's exercises would   
begin1 they would repair to the  creek  
and 8baptize the brother into ,christ40 
,at this juncture ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent   
arose and asked if he might say a  few  
words4 ,the permission was granted4     
8,doctor10 he said1 8,i have been       
taking it for granted that you were     
sincere in advocating that the          
penitent's sins were pardoned only in   
the act of baptism4 ,now1 here is  a    
dear brother desiring to flee the wrath 
to come4 ,suppose he should  die before 
eight o'clock to-morrow morning1 and    
thus be lost4 ,who would  be            
responsible8 ,he is getting old4 ,aren't
 you running an awful risk in  exposing 
his soul to eternal death until         
to-morrow8 ,doctor1 don't you  think it 

would be safer and more consistent to   
take this brother at once  to the creek 
and baptize him into ,christ80    ,the  
doctor admitted that he was right1 and  
ordered the candidate to  be baptized   
immediately4 ,a small bodyguard took him
 to the creek and  reluctantly performed
 the task4 ,thus evaporated the scheme  
from which the  opposition had hoped to 
reap so largely4 ,they did reap largely1
 but not  what they expected4 ,in his   
opening remarks the next morning1       
,newgent  recited with dramatic effect  
the story of the exploded plot1 taking  
ample time to do it justice4 ,the story 
was told with many a humorous and       
oratorical flourish1 producing roar     
after roar of laughter from the great   
audience4 ,the house thus built upon the
 sand fell upon the heads of the  unwise
 builders with most disastrous effect4  
,as an illustration of his peculiar     
power over the minds of his hearers1    
the following tribute from a titled     
minister of the ,campbell faith will    

serve well4 ,he was taking his usual    
rest during the noon intermission1  when
 the reverend gentleman who wore a      
,d4,d4 and a silk hat1 approached  him1 
and after introducing himself1 said3    
8,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent1 they have told me 
that you attended school but three      
months in your life1 and also that this 
is your first debate4 ,i am  convinced  
that in this you have been              
misrepresented4 ,i heard ,doctor ,holt  
deliver his opening address to-day1 and 
,i thought no man on earth could  answer
 his argument4 ,but when you got up to  
speak1 you had not proceeded  five      
minutes until the people had forgotten  
all he had said4 ,the same was  true of 
the second address1 and ,i saw at once  
that our man was beaten40    ,newgent   
told him that he had had but meager     
school advantages4 ,in a  former chapter
 it is stated that he attended school   
three terms of three  months each4 ,but 
as school attendance then was very      
irregular at the  best1 the gentleman's 

information was not far from the truth4 
,he informed  his friend1 however1 that 
he had always been a hard student1 and  
thus had  atoned in some measure for the
 meagerness of his school advantages4   
8,well10 said the doctor of divinity1   
8,i expected to remain until the  close 
of the debate2 but ,i see that our man  
is fighting a losing battle1  and ,i do 
not care to stay and see him defeated40 
,and after a few further  remarks1 he   
bade ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent a courteous    
good by and left the  grounds1 not      
desiring to see the end of a contest    
that boded no good  thing for his cause4
    ,the gentleman's unwilling prophecy 
was fulfilled1 no doubt1 to a larger    
degree than he himself anticipated4     
,newgent seemed to gain power and       
momentum to the last4 ,when the great   
contest closed1 defeat was plainly      
written upon the countenance of every   
,holt sympathizer1 while ,newgent  was  
showered with compliments and           
congratulations from his admiring       

friends4 ,a delegation of ,baptist      
brethren1 headed by the pastor of  the  
,first ,baptist ,church of ,terre       
,haute1 rushed forward and placed a     
ten-dollar hat on his head in behalf of 
that denomination4 ,commendations  and  
substantial tokens of approval came from
 representatives of a number  of        
denominations4 ,and the occasion ended  
pleasantly for all1 except the  number  
whose theological bias was plainly and  
painfully indicated by  their           
crestfallen spirits4          ,,chapter 
,,eleven4        ,subsequent            
,debates--,the ,owen ,contest--,he ,gets
 his      8,treat0--,opponent's         
,confession--,dressing 8,stone0--,a     
,scared      ,baptist--,invades the     
,lutheran ,ranks--,measures ,steel with 
,doctor      ,ingram--,dissertation on  
,infant ,baptism--,opponent's ,early    
,flight--,concludes the ,debate         
,alone--,the ,haw ,debate4      ,as the 
preceding chapter has shown1 our subject
 was not a debater from  choice4 ,he was

 thrust into the debating arena by      
circumstances4 ,his  memorable victory  
over ,doctor ,holt placed his name in   
big letters among  the leading debaters 
of the time1 creating demands for his   
services in  this capacity that could   
not well be resisted4 ,besides being in 
constant  demand to expound and defend  
the doctrines for which he stood1 by his
  own1 and other denominations of a     
kindred faith1 he figured in some       
thirteen debating bouts1 a detailed     
account of which would of itself  make a
 good-sized volume4 ,hence1 a few       
passing references to some of  these    
contests1 with some characteristic      
incidents1 is all that will be          
attempted here4    ,shortly after the   
debate with ,doctor ,holt1 he received  
an urgent appeal  from ,rev4 ,james     
,griffiths of the ,united ,brethren     
,church at ,potomac1  ,illinois1 to come
 over to his ,macedonia and help him4   
,controversy between  the ,christian and
 ,united ,brethren churches of that     

section was at white  heat4 ,the        
,christian ,church1 under the leadership
 of a ,rev4 ,mr4 ,owen1  was pressing   
the battle to the gates and making      
things unpleasantly  interesting for    
,rev4 ,mr4 ,griffiths1 who was not of a 
controversial turn  of mind4 ,he felt1  
however1 that the safety of his cause   
demanded that  his adversaries be met   
upon their own ground with their own    
weapons4 ,his  presiding elder1 ,rev4   
,j4 ,w4 ,nye1 joined in the request that
 ,rev4 ,mr4  ,newgent go to the rescue4 
,accordingly1 a debate between ,owen and
 ,newgent1 covering the usual mooted    
questions between the two denominations1
 was arranged4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,owen  was    
scholarly and serious1 but utterly      
lacking in the humorous element4  ,his  
dry logic was no match for the fiery    
eloquence and quick wit of his  ,irish  
antagonist4 ,like the bridegroom at a   
wedding1 he was a rather  inconspicuous 
figure1 except that his part was        
necessary to the carrying  out of the   

program4 ,it was an easy victory for the
 ,united ,brethren and  their allies1   
resulting in a cessation of hostilities 
and a reign of  peace in that section of
 ,zion4    ,a more notable contest was  
that with ,dr4 ,w4 ,b4 ,f4 ,treat1 then 
president  of ,indiana ,state           
,university1 at ,bloomington4 ,doctor   
,treat1 as his  position would indicate1
 was a man of fine scholarship4 ,he was 
a minister  in the ,christian ,church1  
zealous in the defense of its doctrines1
 and had  won many trophies as a        
debater4    ,the preliminary            
arrangements for this debate were made  
by a couple of  ministers1 one a        
representative of the ,christian        
,church1 and the other a  ,united       
,brethren4 ,newgent and ,treat were     
secured by the two churches as  their   
respective champions4    ,as the two    
champions were introduced on the        
occasion of the debate1  the following  
bit of repartee was indulged in by      
,newgent1 who had been  suffering from  

some slight temporary ailment3 8,i am   
sorry you are not in  good trim10 said  
,doctor ,treat1 8,i had hoped to find a 
man who would be  able to put up a good 
fight40    8,oh10 said ,newgent1 8,i    
think ,i'll feel better when ,i get my  
,treat40    ,in his opening remarks1    
,doctor ,treat again indulged in some   
pleasantry  at ,newgent's expense4 ,he  
referred to his opponent as having been 
born  in ,green ,county and cradled in a
 sugar trough4 ,newgent replied that he 
had missed it four miles as to the place
 of his birth4 ,the sugar trough  part  
of it1 however1 he did not deny2 but as 
the trough had served well  to cradle   
the different members of his mother's   
small family of nine  children1 he was  
quite sure the rude cradle suffered no  
violence at his  hands4    ,the learned 
doctor further tried to discount the    
scholarship of his  opponent by         
referring to a postal card received from
 him on which  there were two words     
misspelled4 ,to this ,newgent also had  

an answer4  8,great speakers10 said he1 
8are usually deficient in other lines4  
,i now  understand why the doctor is    
short on debating2 all his strength has 
gone  into his spelling40    ,the usual 
questions were discussed1 six in number1
 the same as in  the great ,holt debate4
 ,the arguments were listened to by     
thousands  of interested and            
enthusiastic spectators1 among them     
ministers and  dignitaries of various   
denominations1 and persons of prominence
 in  educational1 political1 and        
professional circles4 ,as to the result 
of the  contest1 ,doctor ,treat's own   
confession1 as brought out in the       
following  incident1 will suffice3    ,a
 debate between ,newgent and a ,rev4    
,dr4 ,j4 ,w4 ,stone1 of ,st4 ,louis1    
,missouri1 also a minister of prominence
 in the ,christian ,church1 was         
scheduled to take place a few weeks     
later4 ,in the meantime ,doctor  ,stone1
 anxious to learn all he could          
concerning his opponent1 sought  an     

interview with ,doctor ,treat4 ,he met  
him at a church dedication at  which    
,treat was officiating4 ,the two men1   
with others1 were entertained  for      
dinner at the same home after the       
morning service4 ,at an opportune  time1
 ,doctor ,stone introduced the subject  
in which he was especially  interested1 
and the following conversation between  
the two men took  place1 being overheard
 and reported to ,newgent by a gentleman
 who leaned  toward his side of the     
question3    8,are you acquainted with a
 ,united ,brethren preacher in ,indiana 
of the  name of ,newgent80 ,doctor      
,stone inquired4    8,i am10 was        
,president ,treat's answer4    8,did you
 not debate with him some time ago80    
8,i did40    8,is he a scholar80    8,i 
do not know40    8,is he logical80      
8,i cannot tell4 ,he claimed that he    
went to school only a few months40      
8,how long did you debate with him80    
8,six days40    8,what80 said ,doctor   
,stone in astonishment1 8,you debated   

with him six  days1 and could not tell  
whether or not he is educated80         
8,well10 continued the university       
president1 in a meditative mood1 8,i    
will  say that he is--forceful40        
,doctor ,stone looked blank for a       
moment1 and then ventured with a smile1 
8,may be he whipped you80    8,i don't  
know10 was the guarded answer1 8but ,i  
am inclined to believe  that my people  
thought he did40 ,observing that ,stone 
was intensely  interested1 ,treat       
inquired3    8,are you thinking of      
debating with him80    ,stone answered  
in the affirmative4    8,can't you get  
out of it in some honorable way80       
,stone replied that he was not wanting  
8out of it40    8,but you may want out  
of it10 was ,treat's not very assuring  
reply4    8,why1 is he not fair in      
debate8 ,is he not a gentleman80        
8,yes10 answered ,treat1 8so much so    
that all your people who know him  love 
to be with him and hear him talk40 ,and 
the conversation drifted  into other    

channels4 ,but ,doctor ,stone1 being    
from ,missouri1 waited to be  shown4    
,and the debate was held according to   
schedule4    ,about this time ,doctor   
,stone was enjoying no small degree of  
notoriety4  ,he had debated with a      
,methodist minister in southern         
,illinois1 and so  completely mastered  
him that he acknowledged his defeat in  
sack cloth and  ashes1 and joined the   
,christian ,church4 ,stone was taking   
advantage of his  newly-acquired        
popularity in waging a relentless war   
against the 8sects10  as he termed them1
 when some of the ,pedo-,baptists       
secured ,newgent to meet  him in debate4
 ,and the challenge was brought to the  
great1 self-important  ,doctor ,stone4  
8,newgent60 said this supposed ,goliath 
with a contemptuous sneer4 8,he  can't  
debate4 ,he's an ,irish peddler who used
 to sell table-cloths in my  father's   
neighborhood40 ,the committee informed  
him that they were willing  to risk     
their case with the ,irish peddler4     

,however1 ,stone's visit to  ,doctor    
,treat to get information concerning the
 ,irishman would indicate  that his     
contempt was more feigned than real4    
,the debate was held in a small town in 
southern ,illinois1 where the  doctor   
had been making havoc of the 8sects40   
,the table-cloth story became  current1 
and much speculation was indulged in    
concerning the supposed  vender of      
household commodities4 ,his coming to   
the village was awaited  with intense   
interest4 ,when the train on which he   
was scheduled to  arrive pulled in at   
the station1 a curious and enthusiastic 
crowd was  waiting to get a view of the 
man who dared to dispute the wisdom of  
,doctor ,stone4 ,as he stepped from the 
car1 a gentleman who knew him said1     
pointing him out1 8,there's the         
table-cloth peddler40    ,a hearty      
salute was given by the crowd4 ,newgent1
 having been apprised of  the story1 was
 equal to the occasion4 ,as soon as the 
hubbub ceased1 he  addressed the crowd1 

turning the table-cloth story against   
his opponent  in the following speech3  
8,gentlemen1 if you have come here to   
buy table-cloths1 you will be           
disappointed4 ,i have changed my        
occupation4 ,i have been informed that  
there is some fine stone in southern    
,illinois1 so ,i have come down here  to
 set up my shop and spend a few days    
dressing ,stone40    ,the 8,stone       
dressing0 joke superseded the           
table-cloth story and became a  catch   
phrase throughout the debate4    ,it is 
likely that ,stone often called to mind 
the friendly advice of  ,doctor ,treat1 
and regretted that he did not take it4  
,he could cope  neither with the        
argument1 the quick wit1 nor the        
physical endurance of  his opponent4    
,his voice failed completely1 and the   
last two addresses  of ,newgent were    
unanswered4 ,the ,stone-dressing        
business proved eminently  successful4  
,an amusing incident occurred in        
connection with a debate in ,kentucky   

with a ,doctor ,fairchilds1 an eminent  
,baptist minister4 ,a story came to  the
 ears of ,doctor ,fairchilds after he   
came on the ground1 to the effect  that 
,newgent was a man of extraordinary     
scholarship1 that he was master  of some
 thirteen languages1 etc4 ,the doctor   
was visibly disconcerted by  the story1 
and after hearing ,newgent's first      
address1 was fully persuaded  that it   
was true1 especially the part relating  
to the thirteen languages4  ,he was     
quite nervous1 and utterly broke down   
about the middle of the  program1       
leaving the supposed master of thirteen 
languages easily master  of the         
situation4    ,while on his official    
rounds as superintendent of the         
,tennessee  ,mission ,conference1 he    
once chanced to invade a ,lutheran      
community1  which set in motion a train 
of influences that terminated in a      
debate  with a representative of that   
body4 ,this was about eight miles from  
,greenville4 ,he was visiting a ,united 

,brethren family that had moved into    
the community1 and in company with his  
host1 called at the district  school1   
and made a talk to the pupils4 ,through 
the influence of his  host1 the school  
house was secured for a preaching       
service that evening4  ,other influences
 then began to be felt1 and the meeting 
was continued  indefinitely1 resulting  
in a sweeping revival1 the organization 
of a  ,united ,brethren church1 and the 
building and dedication of a            
church-house  within two months from the
 close of the revival4    ,this         
occasioned great concern among the      
,lutherans who lost quite heavily  as a 
result of the ,united ,brethren         
invasion4 ,to regain their lost ground1 
they challenged ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent to  
debate certain doctrinal questions  with
 a representative of their church4      
,newgent was then in his element1  in   
the debate1 and answered that he would  
be ready at any time to  accommodate    
them4    ,the ,lutheran champion was    

,dr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,miller1 president of one  
of their  church schools4 ,the          
much-mooted question as to what body    
constituted  the true church was the    
first taken up1 ,doctor ,miller posing  
as the  representative of a church whose
 doctrines and usages are identical with
  those taught and exemplified in the   
,new ,testament4    ,this placed upon   
,miller the ,herculean task of defending
 the various  tenets and practices      
peculiar to his church4 ,among other    
specimens of  ,lutheran creed1 ,newgent 
read the following3 8,the infant's heart
 is  corrupt1 and it cannot be saved    
unless baptized by a ,lutheran minister 
with heavenly1 gracious water40 ,when   
asked if his church taught that1        
,doctor ,miller admitted that it did4   
,newgent showed this bit of dogma up in 
a bad light by the use of an  object    
lesson4 ,borrowing a baby from a mother 
in the audience1 he held  it up before  
the crowd1 stating that the 8little     
rascal's0 heart is  corrupt and its only

 chance for salvation was by being      
baptized according  to the ,lutheran    
formula4 8,now10 he continued1 8,i want 
this brother to  demonstrate to this    
audience how a baby must be saved4 ,i   
want him to  change this baby's heart   
from a state of corruption to a state of
 purity4  ,i want to see how a baby is  
saved1 for1 according to his theology1  
,i have  three babies in hell40    ,the 
brother winced under this outburst of   
sarcasm4 ,he refused to baptize  the    
child1 which1 had he done so under the  
circumstances1 would scarcely  have made
 his doctrine appear less obnoxious4    
,other peculiar ,lutheran  tenets       
appeared to the same disadvantage under 
similar treatment1 and  the church's    
hope of gaining its lost ground         
completely vanished4 ,the  debate       
popularized the ,united ,brethren       
,church1 giving it a strong hold  in the
 community4 ,flag ,branch1 a flourishing
 rural church1 stands as a  monument to 
,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent's labors in that    

section4    ,another contest worthy of  
special note was with a ,baptist        
minister  at ,blue ,springs1 ,tennessee1
 in #ahhb4 ,the mode of baptism was a   
live  question throughout that region4  
,the battle line was drawn by the       
,baptists and ,pedo-,baptists4 ,they    
finally agreed to have the question     
discussed in a public debate1 each side 
to furnish its champion4 ,three         
churches were represented on the        
immersion side1 and seven on the other4 
,the immersionists secured as their     
representative1 ,doctor ,ingram1 a      
prominent ,baptist divine of ,virginia4 
,newgent was selected by the            
anti-immersionists4 ,the debate was to  
cover six propositions and to  continue 
six days1 one subject being slated for  
each day4    ,the ,baptists were very   
desirous of including infant baptism in 
the list  of subjects to be discussed4  
,this was a question that ,newgent had  
never  debated1 and in which he had very
 little interest4 ,but to accommodate   

the ,baptists1 he consented to defend   
the practice of infant baptism4 ,his    
opponent proposed the question1 stating 
it as follows3 8,resolved1 ,that        
infants are fit subjects for baptism40  
,newgent consented to affirm it4    ,it 
was slated for the second day4 ,in his  
opening remarks1 ,newgent said3  8,mr4  
,president1 this is a peculiar question2
 but my brother wrote it and  insisted  
that ,i affirm it4 ,it is peculiar from 
the fact that ,i am not  to prove that  
the child needs baptism1 or that there  
is any command for  infant baptism1 or  
that there ever was an infant baptized4 
,i am simply  asked to prove that a     
child is a fit subject for baptism40    
,at these remarks a storm of protest    
arose from the immersionists4 ,they     
expected him to defend the vast array of
 teaching that the various              
,pedo-,baptist bodies had put forward on
 the subject4    8,keep cool10 he said  
to the immersionist part of the crowd as
 they  were clamoring for a hearing and 

creating no little confusion4 8,doctor  
,ingram and ,i signed these papers1 and 
we agreed to be governed by the  board  
of moderators4 ,this question simply    
deals with the child's fitness  for     
baptism4 ,i appeal to the moderators40  
,the moderators sustained his  position4
    ,he then asked his opponent whether 
or not the ,baptist ,church would       
baptize a subject until he was converted
 and became as a little child4  ,his    
opponent stated that it would not4 ,this
 gave him a splendid  foundation for his
 address1 and1 at the same time1 removed
 the last  foundation stone from under  
his opponent1 so far as infant baptism  
was  concerned4 ,he made an earnest and 
eloquent address1 showing that the      
child is a type of the heavenly citizen1
 and as such possesses special  fitness 
for all the sacraments of ,god's house4 
,while he was talking1 his attention was
 called to ,doctor ,ingram4 ,the        
doctor1 grip in hand1 was making rapid  
strides toward the railroad  station4   

,his moderator and some friends were    
accompanying him1 trying to  persuade   
him to remain4 ,but he could endure it  
no longer4    ,the doctor's retreat     
caused a great sensation1 relished      
immensely by the  ,pedo-,baptists1 but a
 bitter dose to the immersionists4      
,there were yet  four days of the       
program remaining4 ,newgent's side      
demanded1 as they were  paying him for  
his work1 that he remain and carry out  
his part of the  program4 ,this he did1 
but as the debate had only one end to it
 during  those four days1 it spoiled the
 excitement1 though it served well the  
purpose of those who had employed him4  
,among his later debates was one held in
 #ahih at ,mechanicsville1 ,indiana4    
,dr4 ,j4 ,w4 ,haw1 of the ,christian    
,church1 was his opponent on this       
occasion4 ,doctor ,haw had been holding 
revival meetings in that part of        
,indiana1 and being dogmatic in style   
and controversially inclined1 was       
unsparing in his denunciations of other 

denominations4 ,his aggressions  and    
criticisms were disturbing the          
equilibrium of some of the brethren     
whose churches were being used as a     
target by this ecclesiastical  ,nimrod4 
,they wrote to ,newgent1 then in        
,tennessee1 urging him to champion      
their side against ,doctor ,haw in      
debate1 offering him fifty dollars  per 
day and expenses for his time4 ,he      
consented on condition that the         
propositions were fair and that the     
reverend gentleman in question was a    
representative man in his church4    ,he
 was referred to a two-column article in
 a current number of  the ,christian    
,standard relating to ,doctor ,haw4 ,the
 article was  extravagant in the use of 
adjectives describing the doctor's      
ability and  achievements1 stating that 
he was the leading debater in the       
,christian  ,church1 having had more    
such battles than any other man in it at
 that  time4 ,this was quite            
satisfactory to ,newgent1 as at that    

period he did  not care to waste any    
shot or shell on small game4    ,in     
this1 as in all other such contests1    
,newgent abundantly sustained  his      
position and satisfied the expectations 
of his supporters4 ,his  experience1    
self-control1 complete mastery of the   
subjects in hand1  humor1 and physical  
endurance made him an antagonist that   
even the  greatest debater in a debating
 church could illy cope with4 ,the      
general  verdict of even ,doctor ,haw's 
own sympathizers was that it was        
decidedly a  one-sided affair4          
,,chapter ,,twelve4        ,perrysville 
and ,centerpoint--,industry ,rewarded   
from an      ,unsuspected ,source--,a   
8,slick0 ,wedding--,fruitful ,labors at 
,centerpoint--,a ,one-,sided ,union     
,meeting--,the ,doctrine of the         
,resurrection ,again ,demonstrated4     
,a year on the ,perrysville charge in   
the ,upper ,wabash ,conference1 followed
  by a year at ,centerpoint1 in his own 
conference1 the ,lower ,wabash1         

covering #ahgd to #ahgf1 closed ,rev4   
,mr4 ,newgent's work in the pastorate   
for a season4 ,it was from the latter   
charge that he received his  appointment
 from the ,home1 ,frontier1 and ,foreign
 ,missionary ,society as                
,superintendent of the ,tennessee       
,mission ,conference4 ,from thenceforth 
he  was destined to serve the ,church in
 a larger capacity1 though there is no  
work that he regards as more exalted or 
more vital to the progress of the       
kingdom than that of the pastor4 ,and it
 is but just to say that there is  no   
work in which he has been happier or    
more in his element4 ,the pastor1  he   
regards1 as the pivotal man in the      
church militant1 around whose           
personality must revolve all the        
machinery of its organized life4 ,hence1
  in whatever position he has been      
placed1 he has ever been in fullest     
sympathy with the men on the firing     
line1 and has sought in every way to    
encourage and magnify their work4       

,his going to ,perrysville was in       
response to an urgent appeal from his   
intimate friend1 ,dr4 ,j4 ,w4 ,nye1 then
 a popular presiding elder in the       
,upper ,wabash ,conference4 ,his work   
here was fruitful and congenial1 and    
marked by some rich experiences1 which  
he carries with him as refreshing       
memories4 ,one of these teaches a       
practical moral lesson1 namely1 that    
honest industry has its reward in more  
ways than one4    ,it need not be       
explained here that industry is a part  
of his religion4  ,he believes with     
,paul that it does not injure1 or lower 
the dignity of  a minister to labor with
 his hands4 ,in this1 as in other       
respects1 he  made himself an example to
 the flock4 ,odd moments are always     
occupied  in diversions of a practical  
character4 ,the outward appearance of   
the  parsonage never failed to testify  
to his thrift and good taste4 ,a garden 
served as an outlet to his surplus      
physical energies as well as a means  of

 supplementing the usually modest       
income4 ,under his skillful hand it     
invariably became a thing of beauty and 
an object of just pride4    ,some five  
miles from ,perrysville lived a         
horny-handed son of the soil1 a  man who
 made industry not only the chief       
element in his religion1 but  the sum   
total of it4 ,he was an infidel in his  
belief--or disbelief--and  regarded the 
church as an imposition1 and preachers  
as an indolent1  worthless lot4 ,passing
 through the village one day1 he noticed
 ,rev4 ,mr4  ,newgent's garden4 ,it was 
by far the finest he had seen4 ,his     
surprise can  only be imagined when1    
upon inquiry1 he learned that the owner 
of it was  one of those lazy preachers4 
,a few days later he drove up to the    
parsonage with a barrel of flour1  which
 he unloaded and unceremoniously rolled 
upon the porch4 ,this time  the surprise
 was on the preacher1 as a reputation   
for benevolence was  a thing of which1  
up to that time1 the infidel could not  

boast4 ,he  explained that ordinarily he
 had no use for preachers1 but as he had
  found one that was not lazy1 he       
8wanted to help him40 ,the donation was 
an expression of his regard for the     
minister who showed a willingness1      
according to the infidel's conception of
 the term1 to earn his bread in  the    
sweat of his face4    ,another incident1
 picked up at random1 occurred one cold 
day during the  winter of his stay at   
,perrysville4 ,a couple whose appearance
 did not  indicate a superabundance of  
worldly prosperity1 came to the         
parsonage  to be married4 ,they had come
 from the adjoining county1 the boundary
  between the two counties being the    
,wabash ,river1 on the bank of which    
,perrysville was located4 ,the river was
 frozen over4 ,the couple traveled      
afoot1 having crossed the river on the  
ice4 ,the preacher explained  that they 
would have to recross the river before  
the ceremony could  be performed1 as the
 law required that marriages be         

solemnized in the  county in which the  
license was issued4 ,so he conducted the
 matrimonial  candidates to the river4  
,when the preacher was satisfied that   
they had proceeded beyond the  half-way 
point on the river1 he ordered the      
couple to halt and join  hands4 ,by this
 time their presence had attracted the  
attention of the  young people who were 
out on the ice in large numbers enjoying
 the  fine winter sport of skating4 ,as 
the wedding was a public function1 no   
restrictions being placed on attendance1
 the ceremony was performed in  the     
presence of an enthusiastic multitude4  
,the service completed1 the groom1 who  
was unacquainted with ministerial       
usages1 inquired as to the amount of the
 fee4 ,to save him the  responsibility  
and further embarrassment of determining
 the sum to be  paid for the service1   
the preacher suggested that a dollar    
would be  sufficient1 fearing lest he   
might set the price too high for his    
purse4  ,even at that it was painfully  

evident that the young man's financial  
rating was overestimated4 ,after        
nervously fumbling through his pockets  
he  was able to produce but fifty cents4
 ,in his dilemma he found it necessary  
to call upon his bride for financial    
assistance4 ,happily she was equal to   
the emergency1 and supplied the deficit 
from her own purse4    ,illustration3   
,the ,young ,man's ,financial ,rating   
,was ,over-estimated4    8,this is the  
fairest wedding ,i have ever seen10 said
 the preacher4 8,it  has always been my 
opinion that the lady ought to help pay 
the preacher1  and she receives as much 
benefit from the ceremony as does the   
man4 ,i  hope you will always share each
 other's burdens in this way40 ,and     
wishing  them happiness and prosperity1 
he sent them on their way rejoicing4    
,the local paper gave a flowery account 
of the wedding that took place  on the  
ice1 stating that it was the 8slickest0 
wedding that had ever  occurred in that 
section4 ,but the minister's fee and the

 manner of paying  it was not allowed to
 become public1 lest it should become a 
troublesome  precedent in matrimonial   
circles4    ,the following year1 which  
was spent on the ,centerpoint charge1   
was  a most fruitful one4 ,here1 as in  
so many other places1 he found a        
splendid opportunity of demonstrating   
his favorite doctrine of the            
resurrection--the resurrection of dead  
churches4 ,the spiritual life  of the   
churches at ,centerpoint was at ebb     
tide1 and had been for an  indefinite   
time4 ,soon after his arrival the       
,methodist pastor1 who was  also new in 
the town1 called upon him to confer as  
to their plans for  revival work4 ,as   
workers were scarce1 it was thought best
 to plan their  meetings so that they   
would not conflict4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent1
 ,abraham-like1  let his brother do the 
choosing1 and the brother1 perhaps as   
anxious  as ,lot to get in on the ground
 floor1 decided to commence a revival at
  once4 ,newgent began a meeting at the 

same time some few miles in the         
country4 ,newgent's meeting immediately 
developed into a revival of so  great   
proportions that it became the one      
overshadowing event of the  whole       
country1 drawing the ,methodist pastor's
 congregation from him and  rendering it
 impracticable for him to continue4 ,his
 situation was a  rather lonely one4 ,in
 his extremity he sought another        
interview with his  fellow pastor1      
proposing to close his meeting at once  
if ,newgent would  join him later in a  
union revival effort4    ,this ,newgent 
consented to do on three conditions1 as 
follows3    #a4 ,that the meetings be   
held in the ,united ,brethren church4   
#b4 ,that the ,united ,brethren pastor  
do all the preaching4    #c4 ,that the  
,united ,brethren pastor do the         
managing4    ,hard as the conditions    
seemed1 the brother agreed to them4 ,the
  conditions1 in fact1 look egotistical 
and perhaps selfish on the surface1  but
 when the ,united ,brethren pastor      

explained his reasons for them they     
were seen to be neither4 ,on the        
contrary they were meant for the highest
  good of both churches1 and were       
abundantly vindicated by the outcome4   
,he was intensely anxious that          
,centerpoint have a genuine revival of  
religion4 ,to promote such a revival at 
any cost was his purpose4 ,that  this   
purpose might be realized he would not  
permit modesty1 formality1 or  any other
 creature to stand in the way4    ,the  
,united ,brethren ,church was the more  
commodious and had the advantage  in    
location4 ,this was the reason for the  
first condition4 ,the reason for  the   
second and third conditions was that    
,centerpoint had been preached  to      
death4 ,a change of methods was         
imperative if the people were to be     
reached4 ,he wanted a meeting without   
preaching1 without too much human       
agency1 but where ,god himself might    
control to his own glory4 ,only by      
having the management left to him could 

he apply the remedy needed  according to
 his diagnosis of the case4    ,his plan
 was now to be put to the test--a       
revival without preaching1 the  laity to
 do the work as they felt divinely      
moved4 ,the meeting began on  a ,friday 
evening4 ,but with no life there could  
be no real activity4  ,the chariot      
wheels dragged heavily at the first4 ,on
 ,sunday morning he  announced that at  
four o'clock p4 m41 a children's meeting
 would be held4  ,aside from selected   
helpers1 only children within a certain 
age limit  would be admitted4 ,such     
meetings even at that date were quite   
uncommon4  ,the announcement1 therefore1
 aroused a great deal of curiosity4 ,but
 that  was one point in the             
announcement4 ,something must be done to
 stir the  people4 ,there must be a new 
avenue of approach to their cold hearts4
    ,the children's service produced the
 desired effect4 ,at the appointed  hour
 the house was filled to overflowing4   
,there were three helpers1  all         

ministers1 present1 who did their part  
according to ,newgent's  directions4    
,songs were sung1 prayers offered by the
 ministers as they  were called upon1 a 
brief talk by the leader1 some simple   
propositions1  and the meeting closed in
 less than a half-hour from the time it 
began4  ,but that half-hour turned the  
tide in ,centerpoint4 ,the children     
became  the vanguard in a religious     
movement that was to shake the town from
  center to circumference4 ,many of them
 went home weeping to speak of the      
longing of their tender hearts to       
fathers and mothers1 who1 in turn1 were 
awakened to a consciousness of their own
 need4    ,at the evening service which 
followed1 seventy-five persons came to  
the  altar1 most of whom professed      
conversion4 ,the revival was no longer a
  problem4 ,it spread throughout the    
town and community like fire in dry     
stubble4 ,the church arose from the     
grave of lethargy and formalism1 cast   
off her grave clothes--and the doctrine 

of the resurrection was again           
abundantly demonstrated4                
,,chapter ,,thirteen4        ,becomes a 
,missionary ,superintendent--,second    
,marriage--,an      ,unexpected         
,welcome--,forms a ,quaker              
,friendship--,the ,spirit ,moves      in
 a ,quaker ,meeting--,a ,quaker's       
,prayer ,answered--,builds a            
,college--,shows ,what to do for a ,dead
 ,church--,another ,tilt on the         
,doctrine of ,baptism--,conversion of a 
,dunkard ,preacher--,turns a      ,great
 ,movement in the ,right ,direction4    
,in the fall of #ahgf1 ,rev4 ,mr4       
,newgent entered upon his duties as     
,superintendent of the ,tennessee       
,mission ,conference1 under appointment 
of  the ,home1 ,frontier1 and ,foreign  
,missionary ,association4 ,in the       
meantime  he had married ,miss ,annie   
,crowther1 of ,terre ,haute1 ,indiana1  
who1 under  the divine blessing1 abides 
as the companion of his joys and sorrows
 amid  the lengthening shadows4 ,she is 

a woman of rare and excellent qualities1
  which especially fitted her for her   
position as the wife of an active  and  
ambitious minister4 ,she is in fullest  
accord with her husband's  ambitions and
 tastes1 and has contributed her part   
toward the success  of his career4 ,he  
freely accords to her this credit4 ,with
 this queenly  woman ordering its       
affairs1 the ,newgent home has ever been
 a haven of  real rest1 a retreat for   
,god's servants especially4 ,it extends 
a welcome  and hospitality--a true home 
spirit--that at once makes the wayworn  
pilgrim  feel at ease in body and mind1 
and charms the hearts of the young as   
well4    ,at the time of their removal  
to ,tennessee1 the ,united ,brethren    
,church  was new in the ,south4 ,its    
attitude of open hostility to slavery   
largely  shut it out of regions south of
 ,mason and ,dixon's line4 ,the         
,tennessee  ,conference then had less   
than four hundred members1 with only six
 houses  of worship4 ,so a great field  

spread out before the new               
,superintendent1  taking him back to    
conditions in many respects similar to  
those in which  he began his ministerial
 labors4 ,it was still a time of        
reconstruction  in church affairs as    
well as in matters political4 ,but his  
was a work of  construction rather than 
of reconstruction4    ,aside from the   
need of laborers and the vast           
opportunities afforded for  building up 
the church in this section1 one reason  
he had for accepting  this appointment  
was the condition of his own and his    
wife's health4 ,both  were threatened   
with failing health1 and a change of    
climate was advised1  the high altitude 
of eastern ,tennessee being recommended 
as especially  adapted to their physical
 needs4    ,they arrived at ,limestone1 
,tennessee1 on a ,friday evening in     
,september4  ,here was illustrated how  
his fame as a genial1 good humored      
personality  had spread throughout the  
,church1 so that the people felt that   

they were  acquainted with 8,jack0      
,newgent 7later ,uncle ,jack7 even      
though they had  never met him          
personally4 ,arriving at the city some  
time after dark1 worn  by the long      
journey1 the discomforts of which were  
aggravated by their  poor health1 they  
little dreamed of finding in that       
particular realm an  acquaintance or    
anyone who had any concern for them4    
,great indeed was ,newgent's surprise   
when1 as he alighted from the train1  a 
gentleman1 a total stranger1 with a     
lantern on his arm1 stepped up and  in a
 familiar manner accosted him1 8,hello6 
,is this ,jack ,newgent80    ,he had    
been so familiarly known as 8,jack10    
that he had resolved to be  known by the
 more grave and dignified appellation of
 ,andrew ,j4 ,newgent  when he came into
 his new kingdom4 ,but his expectation  
perished1 as it  would have done even   
had the circumstances been otherwise4 ,a
 man's name1  like his clothes1 is a    
part of him1 and if it does not fit1 his

 friends  will persist in trimming it   
until it does4 ,the personality and the 
title  cannot be unequally yoked        
together4    8,well10 said the reverend 
gentleman from the ,hoosier ,state1 8,i 
suppose if  ,i should land in the heart 
of ,africa1 some ,hottentot would come  
rushing  out of the jungle and say1     
#8,hello1 ,jack ,newgent6' ,who are you1
 anyway80  ,the stranger was ,mr4 ,w4   
,c4 ,keezel1 a prominent layman in the  
conference1  who had been advised of    
their coming by ,dr4 ,d4 ,k4            
,flickinger1 ,secretary  of the         
,missionary ,society1 and was there to  
take them to his hospitable  home4 ,it  
was a pleasant surprise1 and they felt  
at once that they were  among friends   
whose hearts ,god had touched with his  
spirit of kindness  and tenderness4     
,their anxieties were dispelled1 and    
they felt as near  heaven in ,tennessee 
as in ,indiana4    ,next day his host   
took him on a ten-mile ride by horseback
 over a  mountain road to a quarterly   

conference1 where he met a number of    
ministers1 and began to get acquainted  
with his new co-workers4 ,his  presence 
filled the little band of faithful      
toilers with new hope and  courage4 ,he 
preached the following day 7,sunday7 at 
a neighboring church  to an immense     
crowd4 ,here he met ,rev4 ,eli          
,marshall1 a minister of repute  in the 
,quaker--or ,friends--church1 with whom 
he was destined to form a  close        
friendship1 a friendship which revealed 
later to both of these  servants of ,god
 how mysteriously ,god moves in answer  
to the earnest  prayers of his faithful 
children4    ,rev4 ,mr4 ,marshall was   
not only an able minister1 but was also 
a  successful business man1 being the   
owner of several plantations4 ,he took  
,newgent to his home1 and later showed  
him a congenial cottage on one of  his  
plantations4 8,this is at thy disposal10
 he said1 8if it suits thee40  ,newgent 
replied that it was just such a place as
 he was looking for1  as it was but a   

short distance from town and the        
railroad station1 and  inquired as to   
the rental value4    8,just move in10   
said ,marshall1 8we will talk about that
 some other time40    ,but when ,newgent
 insisted1 he set a nominal price1 which
 indicated  that he was not especially  
concerned about the financial side of   
the  transaction4 ,he furthermore       
insisted on transporting ,newgent's     
household  goods from the station1 but  
this privilege he was compelled to share
  with ,mr4 ,keezel4 ,while they were   
moving his goods from the train1 his    
,quaker neighbors set to work and filled
 the smoke-house with provisions1  and  
supplied sufficient fuel to last him    
through the winter4 ,such  expressions  
of kindness and generosity seldom had   
been seen4    ,the fourth week in       
,october was the time for the ,quakers' 
yearly meeting1  to be held at ,rev4    
,mr4 ,marshall's home church4 ,he had   
issued an order  to ,newgent to have no 
engagement for that time1 as his        

presence and  help were desired at the  
meeting4 ,under the circumstances there 
was but  one thing to do1 and that was  
to respect the order4 ,these meetings   
were  matters of no small significance  
in that denomination4 ,they usually     
lasted several days1 and were great     
seasons of fellowship4 ,they were very  
largely attended so that the program    
sometimes had to be carried out in      
several sections4 ,newgent had never had
 the privilege of attending a  ,quaker  
meeting1 but his appreciation of the    
,quakers by this time knew no  bounds4  
,he first went to the meeting on        
,saturday morning and was surprised to  
find more than a thousand people on the 
ground4 ,his friend1 ,rev4 ,mr4         
,marshall1 met him immediately and said1
 8,if the ,spirit moves thee to  preach 
to-day1 we want thee to preach in the   
church this morning40 ,some  one was to 
preach in the school house nearby4 ,the 
,spirit moved1 and  ,newgent preached4  
,in the afternoon he was 8moved0 to     

preach again4 ,he was urged to preach   
again at night4 ,this time the ,spirit  
was not consulted1 but his preaching    
had touched a responsive chord in the   
,quaker heart1 so it was taken for      
granted that the ,spirit would be       
favorable4 ,an out-door service and a   
service in the school house besides that
 in the church were required in  order  
to accommodate the crowd4 ,newgent      
declined to preach at this time1  not   
wishing to usurp the honors that        
belonged to the ,quaker preachers4  ,but
 the ,quaker 8,spirit0 refused to let   
him off4 ,he was even urged to  sing a  
special song1 which was a great         
departure from ,quaker usage in  those  
days4 ,while preaching with his usual   
power1 it was evident to him  that great
 conviction prevailed in the            
congregation4 ,as he had been  invited  
to depart from one of the ,quaker       
usages1 he now felt bold to  depart from
 another4 ,indeed he felt strongly moved
 by the ,spirit to give  an invitation  

for seekers to come to the altar4 ,the  
invitation given1  the altar was soon   
crowded with anxious penitents4 ,he then
 called upon  the ,quakers to come      
forward and to sing and pray with the   
seekers4 ,this  a considerable number   
did1 casting aside all reserve1 and the 
meeting  became a typical ,united       
,brethren revival4 ,it was one time when
 the  ,spirit 8moved0 beyond question in
 a ,quaker meeting4    ,he was given    
right of way in the church on ,sunday   
morning1 ,sunday  evening1 and ,monday  
evening4 ,a new element was thus        
diffused into  ,quakerdom4 ,he held a   
meeting in that same community a few    
weeks later1  in which the ,quakers took
 a leading part1 and which resulted in  
about a  hundred conversions4    ,the   
best part of the whole procedure came to
 light when ,newgent called  to pay his 
landlord the small pittance that was due
 on rent4 ,rev4 ,mr4  ,marshall refused 
to accept even the nominal amount that  
had been agreed  upon4    8,let me      

explain10 he said1 8,i have never told  
anybody what ,i am going to  tell       
thee--not even my wife4 ,some three     
months ago ,i moved my foreman out  of  
that house1 and began to pray for the   
,lord to send us a good1 live  preacher 
from the ,north4 ,i had got tired of    
these slow-going ,southern  fellows4    
,but ,i forgot to tell the ,lord to send
 a ,quaker4 ,so the ,lord  was free to  
send whomsoever he pleased4 ,and the    
first time ,i heard thee  preach1 ,i    
said1 #8,there is the answer to my      
prayer4' ,now1 it would not do  for me  
to charge rent of the man the ,lord sent
 in answer to my prayer1  when he is    
living in the property ,i vacated for   
him when ,i besought the  ,lord to send 
him4 ,that house is for thee as long as 
thee wants it40    ,when this noble soul
 was called to heaven some years later1 
,rev4 ,mr4  ,newgent was called from a  
distant ,state to preach his funeral4   
,truly1 he  was a man of ,god4    ,when 
the conference projected a college      

enterprise at ,greenville1 ,rev4  ,mr4  
,newgent took up his residence at that  
place so as to give personal  attention 
and encouragement to the institution4   
,this college was  afterwards moved to  
,white ,pine1 ,newgent being the leading
 spirit in the  matter of relocation4   
,he served as financial agent and       
supervised the  construction of the     
building4 ,through his personal efforts 
the building  was erected and paid for4 
,the evangelistic gift and executive    
faculty1 both of which were prominent   
in our subject1 peculiarly fitted him   
for the duties of ,missionary           
,superintendent amid such conditions as 
the ,tennessee ,conference  presented4  
,much incipient work had to be done4    
,the routine work of his  office        
required only a small portion of his    
time1 leaving him free to do  the work  
of an evangelist1 to encourage weak     
churches and to survey new  territory to
 conquer4 ,this narrative has already   
afforded many examples  of his          

constructive work along these lines4    
,one more characteristic  incident may  
not be out of place4    ,near           
,limestone1 ,tennessee1 was a church    
which was so unpromising that the       
quarterly conference seriously          
considered abandoning it and disposing  
of the property4 ,it was well located1  
but there were strong churches on       
either side1 and the little church1     
overshadowed as it was by these older   
organizations1 had never been able to   
gain a proper standing4    8,let us give
 it another chance10 said ,newgent1 who 
was presiding at the  meeting4 8,i will 
hold a meeting there at the first       
opportunity1 and  we will see if it can 
be saved40 ,he held the meeting         
accordingly and  received ninety-seven  
members into the church1 and the little1
 struggling  church was lifted to such a
 position of prestige and prominence    
that it  overshadowed its rivals1       
becoming a strong center of religious   
influence4    ,but it was not enough to 

merely get people converted and brought 
into the  church4 ,they must be taught  
in the doctrines of the church1 so as   
not to  get their doctrinal ideas from  
other sources4    ,one of the strong    
churches of this community was of the   
,dunkard order1  and mainly through its 
influence a strong immersion sentiment  
prevailed4  ,at the close of the revival
 there were a large number of applicants
 for  baptism4 ,according to prevailing 
custom1 all expected to be immersed4    
,it was in order on such occasions for  
the baptismal service to be  prefaced by
 a sermon on baptism4 ,rev4 ,mr4        
,newgent took advantage of the          
opportunity to make some remarks on the 
mode of baptism1 which was the  one live
 subject in religious circles4 ,in his  
discourse he said3    8,we often hear   
people say1 #8,i want to be baptized as 
,jesus was4' ,i do not  share this      
sentiment4 ,for in one essential respect
 ,jesus' baptism was  different from    
ours4 ,it was for a different purpose4  

,he was baptized to  fulfill the law2   
we1 because we are sinners1 either for  
the forgiveness  of sins or because they
 are forgiven4    8,but we may be       
baptized in the same manner in which he 
was baptized1 and  if you wish1 ,i will 
tell you what that was4 ,paul said1     
#8,he was made a  priest like unto his  
brethren4' ,jesus said1 #8,i am come1   
not to destroy  the law or the prophets1
 but to fulfill4' ,he fulfilled every   
jot and  tittle of the law4 ,the law    
required a priest to have the water of  
consecration sprinkled upon his head    
when he was thirty years of age4        
,hence1 if ,christ was made a priest    
like his brethren1 it is easy to see    
that his baptism was the same as that of
 the priests1 his brethren1  and that   
the water was sprinkled upon his head at
 the age of thirty2  otherwise he would 
not have fulfilled every jot and tittle 
of the law40    ,a prominent ,dunkard   
preacher present made a public statement
 at the close  of the discourse to the  

effect that1 while he had always        
believed and  taught that ,christ was   
baptized by immersion1 he was now fully 
convinced  that he had been mistaken4   
,when they came to the baptismal        
service1  all the applicants chose the  
mode of sprinkling1 though they had come
  prepared to be immersed4    ,under his
 capable and aggressive leadership the  
conference maintained a  steady growth4 
,at first its territory was confined to 
the eastern part  of the ,state4 ,but in
 the early nineties he1 with some other 
ministers1  advanced to the central and 
western parts of the ,state on a sort of
  missionary-evangelistic campaign4     
,they held a number of meetings and     
were successful in winning quite a      
sprinkling of converts4 ,the work thus  
accomplished made possible the          
organization of what was then known as  
the ,tennessee ,river ,conference in    
#ahif4    ,one of the most important    
events in connection with the ,tennessee
  ,conference1 and which was brought    

about mainly through his influence1     
occurred in #ahie4 ,it is referred to as
 follows in ,berger's ,history of the   
,united ,brethren ,church1 page #fad3   
8,about two years ago a movement which  
had been for some time in process  of   
development1 began to take definite     
form1 resulting in considerable         
additions both of ministers and laymen  
to the ,united ,brethren ,church4 ,the  
greater number of these came from the   
,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 some     
from the ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 ,south1 and a 
few from other denominations4 ,those    
coming from the ,methodist churches were
 attracted chiefly by the milder  form  
of episcopal government in the ,united  
,brethren ,church4 ,there was  for them 
no possible inducement in material or   
worldly considerations4  ,they could not
 look for larger salaries or easier     
fields of labor or  lighter sacrifices1 
nor was the prospect of official        
promotion better  than in the churches  
from which they came4 ,nor could they   

bring with  them any of the             
church-houses or other property which   
they had aided in  building4 ,no thought
 or hope of this kind was entertained2  
much less was  any effort made to do so4
 ,influenced by principle alone1 and in 
the face  of present loss1 they chose to
 cast in their lot with us1 and they    
have  addressed themselves earnestly to 
the work in their new relations4 ,about 
twenty-five ministers in all1 with a    
considerable number of members1 have    
thus connected themselves with the      
,united ,brethren4 ,among the leading   
ministers of the movement are3 ,dr4 ,t4 
,c4 ,carter1 ,rev4 ,w4 ,l4 ,richardson1 
,j4 ,d4 ,droke1 and others4 ,they have  
been given a cordial welcome by  the    
,united ,brethren ,church1 not in any   
spirit of proselytism1 for no           
proselyting was done1 nor from any      
desire to reap where others have sown1  
but with an open heart and door to      
receive any persons who love our  common
 ,lord and desire to cast their lot with

 us40    ,it seems a pity1 however1 that
 church history is so silent in regard  
to  ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent's connection    
with this event1 for it was he who      
turned  this movement toward the ,united
 ,brethren ,church4 ,those who refused  
to  tolerate what they considered abuses
 of episcopal supervision in the two    
great ,methodist bodies were in the very
 act of forming a new church4 ,in  this 
movement ,dr4 ,t4 ,c4 ,carter1 now      
,bishop ,carter1 occupied a conspicuous 
place of leadership1 as he did in every 
great religious movement in that  part  
of the country4 ,his name was a         
household word in all that realm1  and  
when he spoke1 multitudes reverently    
listened4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent met  him1 
and showed him a ,discipline of the     
,united ,brethren ,church1 believing    
that it set forth the very principles of
 church government for which  these     
great souls were contending1 and thus   
presented the alternative of  connecting
 themselves with a denomination that    

afforded what they wanted1  or of adding
 to the number of denominational        
organizations which many  believed were 
already too many4 ,doctor ,carter       
suggested that ,disciplines  and other  
,united ,brethren literature be sent to 
the leading ministers of  the movement4 
,this was accordingly done2 and as a    
result they decided to  connect         
themselves with the ,united ,brethren   
,church4    ,they were formally received
 in a special conference held in        
,knoxville4 ,a  number of the ,bishops1 
general officers1 and leading ministers 
and laymen  throughout the denomination 
attended this conference1 which was     
presided  over by ,bishop ,weaver4 ,one 
of the leading ministers of the         
movement1  in delivering the welcome    
address on that occasion1 made use of   
the  following language3    8,i am      
certain that one-half the membership of 
both churches 7the  ,methodist bodies7  
heartily prefer a church government of  
the people1 by  the people1 and for the 

people1 to their own4444 ,in view of    
these things1  ,i may venture to say    
that a strong church that will fill the 
valleys and  mountains of this country  
with a religious paper devoted to       
,arminianism  and liberty1 and will     
follow up this plan with men and with   
churches may  expect a glorious         
welcome40          ,,chapter ,,fourteen4
        ,autumn--,the ,fading           
,leaf--,fruit in ,old ,age--,his ,later 
,labors--,present ,home4      8,we all  
do fade as a leaf10 was the lamentation 
of an ancient prophet in  a melancholy  
mood4 ,the fading leaf speaks in sad but
 beautiful language  of waning vitality4
 ,it is the harbinger of autumn1 telling
 us that nature  is getting ready to    
close her books for the season4 ,it     
brings with it a  tinge of sadness      
mingled with sweetness2 for there is    
compensation in  even the saddest       
experiences4 ,what would the year be    
without the pensive  days of autumn8    
,they are the golden fringes of the     

bounteous summer  season4 ,sad1 indeed1 
would they be if the summer has been ill
 spent4 ,then  might the melancholy wail
 arise from the forlorn heart1 8,the    
harvest is  past1 the summer is ended40 
,but when autumn looks back upon a      
springtime of bountiful seed-sowing1    
and a summer of bountiful reaping1 it   
becomes the year's climax of joy1  the  
beneficiary of all its blessings4       
,enriched by the summer's heritage1  it 
is beautiful and peaceful and happy4    
8,we all do fade as a leaf40 ,may it be 
said philosophically4 ,the fading of    
the leaf reveals more perfectly its     
innate qualities1 and rounds out its    
brief existence4 ,the red or brown or   
yellow1 in mute language1 tells its     
life history and closes the book4    ,it
 is said of the aged1 sometimes1 8,they 
are set in their ways40 ,that is        
because in them character has become a  
finished product4 ,the incidentals  and 
accidentals have become eliminated1 and 
the accumulated results of  years of    

striving and hoping1 sorrow and pain1   
defeats and victories are  plainly      
discernible4 ,personal traits stand out 
in bold relief so that all  may         
fittingly say1 8,behold the man40       
,thus1 ,uncle ,jack--for we may now use 
this affectionate designation1 having   
passed his three score and ten1 is now  
in the autumnal glory of a life         
beautiful and bountiful in its fruitage4
 ,and so the autumn of his life is      
enriched and made fragrant by the year's
 benedictions4 ,blessed1 indeed1  is he 
to whom it is given to enjoy a long     
period of service1 and who can  then    
gracefully let his mantle pass to others
 whom ,god has called and  prepared to  
receive it4 ,to grow old sweetly1 to let
 the sun go down amid  the splendors of 
an unclouded evening sky1 is the        
crowning glory of old  age4    ,blessed1
 indeed1 then1 is ,uncle ,jack4 ,he     
approaches this period in life1  not    
only in the spirit of a true            
philosopher1 but in the spirit of a true

  ,christian4 ,he still lives in the    
sunshine1 he keeps the windows open  to 
the breezes that bring to him the       
fragrance of flowers1 the song of       
birds1 and the 8music of the spheres40  
,the world smiles upon him and he       
returns its smile4    ,he has lived in  
an active1 changing age1 but has always 
kept up with the  procession4 ,he       
performed a vital part in the changing  
order in which he  lived and moved and  
had his being2 and he who helps to      
fashion events1  who has a part in      
directing the movements of progress1 is 
not likely to  be left behind or to be  
trampled under foot4 ,he not only kept  
pace with  the world1 but with a        
prophet's vision1 he anticipated the    
course of  human events4 ,so1 as great  
changes approached1 he was ready to     
march out  to meet them4 ,like a true   
prophet1 he had a message for his own   
day and  generation1 but the message was
 more potent because he had a vision of 
things yet to be4    ,in him is         

illustrated the ,psalmist's observation 
concerning the children  of ,god1 8,they
 shall bring forth fruit in old age40   
,for him there is  no 8dead line40 ,the 
body may lose its agility2 it may fail  
to do the  bidding of the mind properly1
 but the mind and heart remain abreast  
of  the times4 ,the dead line means more
 than physical infirmity1 and it often  
occurs that the mind lingers near that  
dread spot while the body is in  its    
prime4 ,the dead line belongs to the    
mind and not to the body1 and  hence1   
taking that view of it1 there is no dead
 line for ,uncle ,jack4    ,it is given 
to but few men to continue in the public
 ministry until they  pass their three  
score and ten4 ,uncle ,jack had never   
been out of the  active connection in   
some form from the time he entered the  
ministry  until his seventy-third year1 
giving more than a half-century of      
unbroken  service to the public work of 
the ,church4    ,in the interest of     
accuracy and completeness1 more specific

 mention  should be made of his later   
work4 ,after spending eleven years as   
presiding elder in ,tennessee           
,conference1 he returned ,north for a   
time1 serving as pastor at ,veedersburg1
 ,indiana1 as college pastor at         
,westfield1 ,illinois1 as pastor at     
,olney1 ,illinois1 and three years  as  
presiding elder in ,upper ,wabash       
,conference4 ,his work as pastor at     
,veedersburg included two periods1 one  
of three years'1 and the other  of four 
years' duration4 ,this was one of the   
wealthiest and most  influential        
churches in ,upper ,wabash ,conference4 
,returning to ,tennessee--now ,east     
,tennessee--,conference1 he was again   
elected to the presiding eldership1     
serving five years in that relation4    
,altogether he spent twenty-one years in
 the ,tennessee ,conference1 serving    
five years in the pastorate besides     
sixteen years in the presiding  elder's 
office4    ,his last work in the        
pastorate was at ,clarinda1 ,iowa1 being

 called from  there to the field agency 
for ,indiana ,central ,university at    
,indianapolis  by the trustees of that  
institution4 ,he has always been        
interested in the  educational work of  
the ,church4 ,in his varied experience  
in religious  work he has seen          
demonstrated in so many ways the need of
 an educated  ministry4 ,so he entered  
upon this latter work with a deep       
conviction of  its importance1 and with 
the earnestness and zeal which          
characterized his  labors all through   
life2 but finding his physical strength 
insufficient  for its taxing demands1 he
 was compelled to relinquish it4    ,in 
the fall of #aiaj he again attended the 
,east ,tennessee ,conference  session1  
desiring only to enjoy its fellowship4  
,he had no thought of  assuming again an
 active relation in the conference1 but 
his brethren  were loath to let him     
escape4 ,when the election of presiding 
elder was  called1 their minds once more
 centered upon him1 and he lacked but   

four  votes of being the unanimous      
choice of the conference4 ,this1        
however1  brought him to face a delicate
 matter which set a task for his tender 
conscience4 ,seeing that his election   
meant the crowding of a worthy young    
man out of an appointment1 he very      
generously resigned the office with     
instructions to the ,bishop that this   
young man be given the place4    ,his   
present home is at ,odon1 ,indiana4     
,here he finds himself among            
sympathetic friends1 and is near the    
scenes of his early childhood4  ,he     
takes pleasure in doing what he can in  
the local church1 setting a  wholesome  
example to the membership by his        
faithful attendance at all  the services
 and by loyal and liberal support of all
 its interests4 ,here  he enjoys the    
hearty good will of old and young alike1
 and has frequent  calls for addresses  
at various functions1 where he is always
 greeted with  unfeigned delight4       
,while not employed in a regular way by 

the ,church1 an appreciative  public    
will continue to recognize his worth1   
and keep ajar the door of  opportunity  
for rendering valuable service to his   
fellow men4          ,,chapter          
,,fifteen4        ,character ,sketch4   
,the analysis of a flower is the work1  
not of the florist1 but of the          
botanist4 ,the florist sees in the      
combination of the various parts the    
beauty of a perfected whole1 while the  
botanist sees the parts separated  and  
classified but loses sight of the flower
 itself4 ,the florist's  viewpoint is   
preferable to that of the botanist4     
,this is no less true in  dealing with  
human life than in the treatment of a   
flower4 ,however1 in  the interest of   
thoroughness1 some attention should be  
given to a study  of the particular     
elements of character which give to our 
subject his  peculiar individuality and 
made possible that degree of eminence   
which  he has won for himself4 ,the task
 is not an easy one4 ,this is true in   

the case of all men of superior         
strength4 ,the sources of power are so  
embedded in the depths of one's         
personality as to make them difficult to
  trace4 ,in the presence of such men we
 are instinctively aware of their       
superiority1 but if asked to give a     
reason for our impressions we would  be 
unable to do so4 ,the power of a        
personality is to be felt rather than   
explained or analyzed4 ,it is this      
invisible1 undefinable something  that  
lifts the man above the level of the    
commonplace and gives him a  commanding 
influence among his fellows4    ,the    
strength of some characters is due to   
one or two exceptionally strong  traits1
 while in other particulars they may be 
correspondingly weak4 ,the  world sees  
only the mountain peaks of strength and 
upon them it builds  its estimate of the
 man4 ,to this rule ,rev4 ,a4 ,j4       
,newgent is one of the  rare exceptions4
 8,like a tree planted by the rivers of 
water10 the  distinctive feature of his 

life is rather in the full and          
symmetrical  development of the various 
qualities of mature and well-rounded    
manhood4  ,hence1 he is essentially a   
man of the people--not a man of one     
class1 but  of all classes1 the         
embodiment of the true spirit of        
democracy4 ,like  ,paul1 he can be all  
things to all men without sacrificing   
principle or  dignity or losing the     
respect of any of them4 ,his sympathies 
are broad  and deep1 and go out to all  
alike4 ,there is no assumed or conscious
  superiority to create a barrier       
between himself and the humblest soul4  
,he observes no arbitrary distinctions4 
,whoever he chances to meet is  at once 
a friend and brother4 ,he possesses in a
 large degree the rare  faculty of      
making people feel at home in his       
presence4 ,fads and snobs  and          
artificiality he hates as he hates sin4 
,the glitter and tinsel show  of life   
are counted as dross1 but the pure gold 
of human character that  needs no       

outward adornment is his delight4       
,his well-balanced temperament enables  
him to so adjust himself to  different  
conditions1 that he is invariably master
 of the situation  in which he may be   
placed4 ,in the home1 whether marked by 
riches or  poverty1 culture or          
illiteracy1 he is always the same genial
 guest4 ,to  the children1 young people1
 and old folks alike1 the presence of   
8,uncle  ,jack0 is always welcome4 ,in  
his public ministry1 whatever the       
demands of  the occasion1 he is ready to
 meet them4 ,never is he at the mercy of
 his  surroundings4 ,not many months    
ago1 while doing service as field       
secretary  for ,indiana ,central        
,university1 he was secured by the      
pastor of a country  church to hold an  
all-day meeting4 ,the morning program   
was interfered  with by a severe        
rainstorm1 so that besides himself and  
the pastor1  only three persons were    
present4 ,yet1 he preached to his small 
audience  with his wonted zeal and      

earnestness1 the effort being pronounced
 by  those who heard it superior to the 
one in the afternoon1 when he had the   
inspiration of a full house4    ,he     
never follows the beaten paths simply   
because others have walked  therein4    
,the fact that some one else did a thing
 in a certain way is not  sufficient    
reason why he should proceed upon the   
same plan4 ,he imitates  no one and it  
is safe to say no one imitates him1 for 
the reason that he  is so intensely     
original2 the processes of his mind are 
so completely  his own that no one could
 well repeat them4 ,bishop ,edwards once
 said1  8,there is one man whose sermons
 no one has ever tried to copy2 that man
  is ,newgent40 ,this originality has   
been a valuable asset in debate4 ,his   
opponent might come with his mind well  
furnished with all the laws of  logic1  
the tactics known to debaters1 and the  
arguments on both sides  of the question
 well in hand1 only to find his         
materials practically  useless4 ,rev4   

,mr4 ,newgent's method being so unique1 
his approach to the  subject from such  
unexpected angles1 and his presentation 
of unheard-of  arguments in defending   
his position1 while transgressing no    
valid law  of debate or of logic1 made  
him a law unto himself4 ,the opinions of
  other men rather than being accepted  
as authority1 only serve to quicken  his
 thought and incite to investigation4   
,in preaching he is purely              
extemporaneous1 often deferring the     
selection of a text or theme until      
after he enters the pulpit4 ,but his    
resourceful mind1 well stocked with     
information1 the result of general      
reading and observation1 and his        
aptness at illustration1 rendered safe  
for him what to some men would be  a    
hazardous undertaking4    ,while        
original in his thinking1 he never      
discredits the opinions of  others1 no  
matter how widely they may differ from  
his own4 ,honesty and  sincerity he     
regards as superior to articles of      

faith4 8,if no one gets to  heaven      
except those who believe as ,i do10 he  
often says1 8the audience  there will be
 rather small40 ,david said1 in his     
haste1 8,all men are  liars40 ,if ,rev4 
,mr4 ,newgent should err in his judgment
 of mankind1 it  would more likely be in
 the opposite direction4 ,a source of   
strength  is his faith in men1 their    
possibilities and aspirations for better
  things4 ,to be a leader of men1 this  
faith is imperative4 ,beneath the       
surface shale of human differences1     
selfishness and error1 may be found  a  
sub-stratum of genuine manhood4 ,and    
upon this the true builder must  build4 
,he must recognize that he is dealing   
with intelligent beings who  can think  
and feel1 and who are possessed with a  
sense of honor and  self-respect4 ,the  
man who would inspire others to higher  
things must not  despise or ignore these
 vital factors of individual            
consciousness4 ,there  are sacred       
precincts in every life which the owner 

has a right to guard  as with a flaming 
sword1 and which should not be          
approached except with  unsandaled feet 
and sanctified hands4 ,that there is    
more real incentive  to noble effort in 
a vision of the possibilities and beauty
 of a noble  life than in the lash1 is a
 prominent article in ,rev4 ,mr4        
,newgent's  faith4 ,the spirit of       
8anti-ism0 and the methods used by a    
certain type of  evangelists of pouring 
out the vials of their sarcastic and    
vituperative  wrath upon men and things 
in general are offensive to him in the  
extreme4  ,hence1 the positive note is  
always dominant in his preaching4       
,the secret of getting on with men is in
 knowing what chord to strike to  get   
the desired response4 ,that he knows    
well the secret1 the achievements  of   
his career bear ample testimony4 ,an    
incident in his boyhood may not  be out 
of place here1 as it illustrates the    
principle by which he has  been actuated
 throughout his entire life in his      

relations with men4 ,he  was employed at
 a saw-mill4 ,the logs were hauled from 
the forest to the  mill with oxen4 ,that
 an ox team is no friend to grace1 is   
the general  verdict of those who have  
experimental knowledge of ox-driving4   
,one  large1 burly team in particular   
that was noted for obstinacy and general
  degeneracy1 had defied all the skill  
and whips and profanity the driver      
could produce4 ,he repeatedly had gone  
to the woods for his load and  returned 
with the empty wagon4 ,at a critical    
point in the road the team  would balk  
and refuse to budge until the wagon was 
unloaded4 ,it became a  standing        
challenge to the entire crowd1 different
 ones of whom accepted  the challenge1  
with the same result4 ,finally ,jack1 as
 he was then called1  asked permission  
to try4 ,he was only a spindling lad of 
a hundred-weight  avoirdupois1 and the  
very suggestion was met with jeers4     
8,have you ever  driven oxen80 he was   
asked4 8,no10 was the reply1 8but ,i    

think ,i have ox  sense40 ,they finally 
consented1 but no one expected anything 
but another  failure4 ,the driver       
offered him the whip4 8,i don't need the
 whip10 he  said1 and started for his   
charge4 ,he made friends with his dumb  
servants1  rubbed their ears1 spoke to  
them coaxingly1 and soon had them on the
 way  to the woods4 ,he took the        
precaution to provide himself with a    
small bag  of corn4 ,he succeeded in    
getting the log on the wagon and again  
patted  the oxen1 and as a reward of    
merit1 gave them each a nubbin1 letting 
them see that there was more in the bag 
that would be available if they  proved 
worthy4 ,thus1 as he said1 he 8sooked0  
them along1 and to the  astonishment of 
the mill hands1 arrived in an unusually 
short time with a  large log4 ,it was   
not only a lesson to the men1 but to    
himself as well1  by which he has       
profited throughout his entire life4 ,he
 has verified the  fact many times that 
8sooking0 will succeed with men as well 

as oxen when  the whip will fail4       
,there are two kinds of leadership among
 men4 ,one is the arbitrary  leadership 
of the boss2 the other is natural1 a    
true leadership1 which  has for its     
basis personal strength and merit4 ,the 
former is transient1  having no real    
place among thinking and liberty-loving 
people4 ,the other  is abiding1 for the 
true leader is ever in demand4    ,this 
latter type is quaintly set forth in    
,longfellow's 8,song of ,hiawatha03     
8,as unto the bow the cord is1      ,so 
is unto man the woman2      ,while she  
bends him1 she obeys him1      ,though  
she leads him1 yet she follows40    ,it 
is the woman's leadership--controlling  
by obedience1 leading by  following4 ,a 
paradox1 perhaps1 but supported by the  
logic of actual  achievements in every  
realm of human endeavor4 ,the workman   
controls the  force of a stream by      
obeying that force4 ,should he plant his
 turbine  on the hilltop and command the
 water to flow up the hill and turn the 

wheel1 the stream would only laugh at   
his impudence as it rippled on its  way4
 ,but when he plants his wheel in the   
current1 the stream at once  becomes his
 servant4 ,it is the principle observed 
by the engineer1 the  sailor1 the       
electrician1 or the aviator in          
harnessing and utilizing the  various   
forces of nature4 ,the same principle   
lies at the basis of all  true          
leadership in society1 church1 or state4
 ,the strict observance of  it has      
enabled ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent to touch the
 motive springs of character  by means  
of which men are aroused to action4 ,his
 close sympathy with  men ever gives him
 an unconscious1 commanding influence4  
,and this  influence is always turned to
 account in their own uplifting and in  
the  advancement of righteousness4 ,out 
of over a half-century in the public    
ministry1 about one-half of his time has
 been spent as presiding elder4  ,this  
official relation does not afford the   
opportunity for evangelistic  and other 

forms of direct church work as does the 
pastorate2 so that  definite1 visible   
results cannot readily be computed4     
,yet1 few men have  built for themselves
 greater or more enduring monuments in  
the line of  tangible results4 ,more    
than six thousand members have been     
gathered  into the denomination through 
his labors4 ,thirty church-houses stand 
to  his credit as a church builder4 ,he 
has officiated at about one hundred     
dedicatory exercises1 a recognition of  
his ability as a money-getter4  ,on     
,chautauqua platforms and special       
occasions of both a religious and       
semi-religious character he has been a  
prominent figure4 ,and his advice  is   
always at a premium in the counsels of  
the denomination4    ,it has been well  
said1 8,when ,god made wit1 he          
pronounced it good40  ,rev4 ,mr4        
,newgent has demonstrated the practical 
utility of sanctified  wit and humor4   
,it is possible1 however1 that his humor
 has led to  more misconception of his  

character than any other thing that     
could  be mentioned4 ,the trait that    
touches the most popular chord is likely
  to be so magnified as to shut from    
view others of equal or greater         
significance4 ,the fame of an author not
 infrequently rests upon a  single      
production1 and that by no means his    
best4 ,edward ,eggleston did  not regard
 the 8,hoosier ,schoolmaster0 as the    
best of his works1 but  multitudes who  
have been charmed by that simple story  
will never know  that he ever wrote     
anything else4    ,that ,rev4 ,mr4      
,newgent has in some degree suffered in 
a similar manner  is1 therefore1 nothing
 more than might be expected4 ,yet1 if  
his humor1  in the minds of some1 would 
reduce him to the level of a mere       
jokesmith1  to him it has been an       
invaluable asset4 ,it has served to open
 the way  for the assertion of the more 
substantial and practical qualities2 it 
has enabled him to capture hostile and  
even riotous audiences2 with it  he has 

battered down strongholds of opposition2
 it has been an effective  weapon       
against false doctrine1 hypocrisy1 and  
deep-seated vice in its  various forms2 
it has served as the sugar coating for  
truths that were  unpleasant because of 
a perverted taste2 he has found it a    
splendid tonic  to dispense with more   
solid food to aid the digestion of      
mental and  spiritual dyspeptics4 ,his  
humor is of the spontaneous sort1 ready 
to boil  over whenever the lid is       
removed4 ,it flows out through his      
discourses and  conversations as        
naturally as the stream gushes from the 
fountain1 and is  always mellowed by    
tenderness and a deep human sympathy4   
8,where dwellest thou80 was asked of the
 ,son of ,man4 ,the question was of     
greater significance than the           
interrogator supposed1 and the answer   
was  even more significant4 ,the ,savior
 did not say1 in ,galilee or ,palestine1
  or ,nazareth1 but simply1 8,come and  
see40 ,a man's habitation is not a      

matter of geographical boundary4 ,should
 the question be addressed to ,rev4     
,mr4 ,newgent1 he would say1 8,i live on
 the sunny side of the street40 ,a      
critic of ,emerson said that because of 
his unorthodoxy he was doomed to  go to 
hell4 ,a contemporary who was acquainted
 with ,emerson's kindly and  genial     
disposition remarked that if he did1 he 
would change the climate4  ,rev4 ,mr4   
,newgent not only lives on the sunny    
side of the street1 but  he carries     
sunshine with him4 ,he has a knack of   
distilling sunshine  from every         
circumstance of life4 ,he changes the   
climate to suit his own  temperament4   
,with ,solomon1 he believes in the      
medical virtues of a smile1  that 8a    
merry heart doeth good like a medicine40
    ,he was once called to visit a woman
 in the mountains of east ,tennessee1   
whom he had never seen4 ,she was        
supposed to be dying of consumption4 ,it
  was late at night when he arrived and 
the weather was inclement4 ,the         

physician was leaving the house as he   
approached4 ,on learning who he was1    
the physician told him he was too late2 
the lady was dying4 ,he went at  once to
 her bedside1 and found that the death  
sweat had begun to gather  and the death
 rattle was in her throat4 ,he lifted up
 her head gently  and spoke to her4 ,her
 face brightened1 and presently she     
began to talk4  ,she told him that she  
was glad he had come1 that she must soon
 die1 and  feared she would have to go  
without seeing him4    ,but in a voice  
tender but cheerful1 he told her he was 
glad to do her any  favor1 and added1   
8,but don't be in a hurry about going4  
,i wouldn't go  to-night1 if ,i were    
you4 ,the night is dark and stormy1 and 
you might get  lost in these mountains4 
,you had better wait until morning4 ,it 
will be  so much better to go in the day
 time40 ,she smiled at the eccentricity 
of  the remarks1 and seemed to make up  
her mind to take the advice4 ,morning   
found her much improved1 having         

apparently decided to postpone the      
matter  indefinitely4 ,and contrary to  
the predictions of her physician and    
friends1 she recovered to thank the     
preacher rather than the physician  for 
prolonging her days4    ,to him there   
are 8sermons in stone1 and books in the 
running brooks40 ,he  finds in the      
commonest things and most commonplace   
occurrence of everyday  life1 lessons of
 practical truth that enrich and adorn  
his discourses4  ,once while in his     
company we were stopping at a hotel for 
dinner4 ,while  we were seated at the   
table1 some one dropped a coin in the   
slot of an  automatic music machine1 at 
which it began to grind out a familiar  
tune4  ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent on observing 
the operation1 quoted the language of   
,job1  8,i caused the widow's heart to  
sing for joy10 and added1 8,don't you   
suppose that was ,job's way of making   
people sing for joy--with a bit of      
money80 ,and subsequently the           
illustration was used with fine effect  

in a  discourse on benevolence4         
,underlying all1 and harmonizing all the
 elements of his personality is a  firm 
and abiding faith in ,god4 ,it is       
doubtless easier for some persons to  be
 religious than for others4 ,in this    
respect he has been favored4 ,the       
natural bent of his mind from earliest  
childhood was toward religion4          
,converted at the age of ten1 his entire
 life has been controlled by a  strong  
and steady devotion to religious ideals4
 ,his faith is broad and  well balanced4
 ,religious affectation and fads have no
 part with him4  ,his religious         
character was formed amid the strife and
 controversies of  various creeds in a  
day when creed was everything4 ,these   
controversies  drove him to a critical  
study of the various systems of theology
 in the  light of the ,bible4 ,he made  
the ,word of ,god his sole authority in 
all  doctrinal matters4 ,that which he  
recognized as supported by the ,book1 he
  made his own4 ,that he defended       

without apology or compromise4 ,while he
  is dogmatic to a large degree1 his    
dogmatism is of a practical sort4 ,he   
believes that there is a vital relation 
between doctrine and ,christian         
character4 ,a true life cannot be built 
upon erroneous or crooked  theology4 ,he
 often deplores the fact that the church
 has swung away from  the strict1       
doctrinal teaching of the past1         
believing that in consequence  it has   
suffered the loss of spiritual vitality 
and zeal4    ,his faith is as simple as 
it is broad and deep4 ,the essentials of
  religion are few and easily           
comprehended4 ,the simplicity of gospel 
truth  when properly presented is one of
 its strongest attractive elements4  ,in
 many instances the simple gospel has   
been complicated and obscured  by a mass
 of theological rubbish heaped up by men
 more interested in a  creed than in the
 ultimate truth4 ,if the rubbish is     
cleared away1 the  truth will shine     
forth clear and distinct in its beauty1 

and men will  accept it4 ,to remove the 
rubbish and give a clear setting to the 
simple1  vital elements of ,christian   
faith seems to have been a large part of
 his  appointed task4 ,this is among his
 chief contributions to the cause of    
pure and undefiled religion4    ,to the 
simplicity of his faith should be added 
another quality1 perhaps  best described
 by the word 8practical40 ,with him     
faith is an intensely  practical thing4 
,the faith that expresses itself merely 
in stock phrases1  articles of a creed  
or church membership is1 to say the     
least1 a base  counterfeit1 a useless   
commodity4 ,nothing seems to him more   
irreligious  than the religion that     
begins and ends in noise4 ,genuine faith
 has a  personal1 spiritual1 and        
commercial value4 ,its highest          
expression is in  doing something that  
ought to be done4 ,it crystallizes into 
character1  and contributes to human    
welfare4 ,it places its possessor upon  
the broad  highway of the world's need1 

bringing him into sympathetic touch with
 the  throbbing heart-life of humanity4 
,thus he maintains the sound ,scriptural
  philosophy that faith is to be tested 
by works4    ,the church has profited   
largely from his beneficence4 ,a habit  
which he  has followed throughout his   
ministry is1 as he says1 8to live like a
  poor man and give like a rich         
man0--that is1 like a rich man ought to 
give4 ,he never turns down a worthy call
 for help4 ,even should there be a      
question as to the merit of the call1 he
 usually gives it the benefit of  the   
doubt4 8,his house is known to all the  
vagrant train10 and1 to borrow  another 
quaint phrase from ,goldsmith1 8even his
 faults lean to virtue's  side40 ,the   
tramp that comes to his door gets with  
his dinner a genial  smile and wholesome
 words of admonition1 even though the   
dinner1 the  smile1 and the admonition  
are lost upon a worthless subject4      
,in dedicating churches he has made it a
 general rule to give his own           

subscription for an amount equal to the 
largest on the list4 ,on a number  of   
occasions1 under pressure of a great    
need1 he has pledged more than  he was  
worth1 in the faith that ,god would open
 the way for meeting the  obligation4   
,and his faith in every such case has   
been vindicated4 ,his  life illustrates 
the ,bible doctrine of increasing by    
scattering4 ,he  surely has scattered   
with a lavish hand4 ,he has not only    
observed the  ,lord's tithe in his      
benevolence1 but has gone quite beyond  
it1 even to  the giving1 in some        
instances1 of the greater part of his   
income to the  ,lord's cause4 ,yet with 
it all1 he has increased in temporal    
possessions4  ,he has honored ,god with 
his substance1 and ,god has smiled      
graciously upon  him1 so that with      
,david he can well say1 8,i once was    
young1 but now am  old1 yet have ,i not 
seen the righteous forsaken1 nor his    
seed begging  bread40          ,,chapter
 ,,sixteen4        8,lights ,out0--,a   

,dirge of the ,war4      ,a marked      
characteristic of ,uncle ,jack1 as these
 pages have shown1 is  his peculiar     
ability to establish and maintain strong
 ties of personal  friendship4 ,this has
 been evident even from his youth4 ,he  
has gathered  friends from all walks of 
life1 and their name is legion4 ,the    
list  has always been characterized by  
names that were written large in  the   
annals of ,church and ,state4           
,conspicuous among these is the late    
,lieutenant-,colonel ,james ,t4         
,johnson1 of ,rockville1 ,indiana1 a man
  distinguished for talent and          
achievement in various fields4 ,the     
twain  were boys together1 and the      
friendship thus early formed continued  
until  severed by the death of ,johnston
 in #aijd4 ,when ,newgent was first     
winning  laurels as a boy preacher1     
,johnston often walked five miles to    
attend his  services4 ,they were young  
men1 mere youths1 when the ,civil ,war  
broke out4  ,both heard and responded to

 their country's call at that dark time 
when  not only the country's honor1 but 
her very existence was at stake4 ,both  
served under ,general ,burnsides1 and   
both held official positions in the     
army1 ,newgent as chaplain of his       
regiment1 and ,johnston as lieutenant1  
later lieutenant-colonel4 ,after the war
 was over1 each won honors and  served  
well his generation in his chosen       
profession1 the one as a  minister of   
the gospel1 the other as a lawyer and   
politician4 ,johnston  found room near  
the top in the legal profession1 and at 
the same time  represented his district 
three successive terms in ,congress4 ,he
 ranked  high as an orator1 and1 like   
his clerical friend1 was much in demand 
at  reunions and other gatherings of the
 soldiers1 the two men frequently       
dividing time upon such occasions4 ,had 
,newgent chosen politics as a  career1  
he would doubtless have become a        
political leader4 ,had ,johnston  turned
 his attention to the ministry1 he would

 have taken rank in all  probability    
among the leading preachers of his day4 
,but there was one sad difference       
between them--,johnston was skeptically 
inclined4 ,while the two men maintained 
the highest regard for each other1  and 
frequently were associated together in  
their work1 the subject  of religion was
 one point on which1 to the regret1     
possibly1 of both  parties1 they were   
not in accord4 ,johnston's skepticism   
however1 was not  of the positive sort4 
,he represented the honest doubter      
rather than  the avowed disbeliever4    
,his wife was a devout ,presbyterian1   
and while  he could not subscribe to the
 tenets of the church1 he never         
disparaged  the church or its work4     
,every worthy cause found in him a      
sympathizer  and liberal supporter4 ,his
 honor and integrity were never         
questioned1  and he enjoyed the full    
confidence and esteem of his fellows4   
,it is a  matter of satisfaction that   
such a life was not permitted to go out 

in  the dark4 ,and ,newgent had the joy 
of finally leading him1 just as his sun 
was sinking below the horizon1 to a     
simple faith in ,christ and a blessed   
assurance of his acceptance with ,god4  
,during his last illness1 which covered 
a period of six months1 the  colonel was
 visited frequently by local ministers1 
but owing to his  reputed skepticism and
 his high professional standing1 the    
subject of  religion was not pressed    
upon him4 ,there is a tendency to fear  
big men  in matters of religion not     
easily explained and not easily         
overcome1  and it is quite probable that
 many a great life has ended without the
  consolations of religion that1 were it
 not for this tendency1 might have  been
 led into the light as readily as a     
little child4 ,oh1 how ,christians  fear
 the logic of the world1 and yet1 the   
sword of the ,spirit is a  greater      
weapon than all the world's artillery6  
,newgent visited him almost daily during
 this time1 and on one occasion         

determined to broach the subject of     
religion4 8,colonel10 he said1 in his   
usual tactful manner1 8while you are    
shut in here1 would it not be a fine    
opportunity for you to read the ,bible  
through80    8,well10 he answered1      
8,laura and ,i tried it2 we took it up  
by books1  but we got stalled40 ,it was1
 of course1 the colonel himself who 8got
  stalled40 ,laura1 his wife1 was a     
,christian1 as has been noted1 and her  
faith was not shaken by ,scriptural     
difficulties4    8,what was your        
trouble80 ,newgent questioned1 with a   
view to encouraging  conversation along 
that channel4    8,well10 he said1 8we  
got to the book of ,job4 ,i could not   
reconcile the  book of ,job with the    
idea that ,god is our ,heavenly ,father1
 full of love  and mercy4 ,if ,job was  
,god's child and a good man1 as the     
,bible says he  was1 how could a loving 
father allow a loving1 obedient child to
 be so  abused and tempted by the devil8
 ,i can't see through it40    ,after he 

had delivered his speech on the         
difficulties of the book of ,job1  and  
unburdened his mind somewhat1 ,newgent  
drew near to him1 and speaking  very    
simply but earnestly1 said3 8,colonel1  
you are a great lawyer1 but  you are    
only a child in the ,bible4 ,your       
trouble is that you commenced at  the   
wrong place4 ,when1 as a little child1  
you started to school1 your  teacher did
 not start you in the advanced studies4 
,she put you in the ,a1  ,b1 ,c class4  
,now1 don't be in too big a hurry to get
 out of your ,a1 ,b1 ,c's  in the study 
of the ,bible1 for there is where you   
belong4 ,i have been  making a study of 
,god's ,word for many years1 and ,i want
 you to listen to  me a while4 ,i think 
we can get over the rough places after a
 while4 ,do  you have any trouble with  
,jesus ,christ8 ,he was ,god's dear son1
 yet he  had to suffer more than any    
man1 but his suffering was for others4  
,so we  learn from ,job's sufferings    
that he has helped millions to trust    

,god in  the dark40    ,this was the    
colonel's ,a1 ,b1 ,c lesson in religion4
 ,the visits and  conversations were    
continued day after day1 until a couple 
of days before  his death1 when the     
truths of the preceding lessons were    
clinched in the  following conversation3
    8,colonel10 said the preacher1      
resuming their lessons1 8you had one of 
the  best mothers in the world1 did you 
not80 ,he admitted that he had4    8,she
 taught you to say your little prayers80
    8,yes10 said the great man1 as the  
tears started from his eyes4    8,and   
you never doubted her word80            
8,no--never40    8,that was simple faith
 in mother4 ,now1 in your mind go back  
to mother1  and though she is dead1 look
 up into her face as when you were a    
child1  and trust her as you did then4  
,that will represent the soul looking up
 to  ,jesus and trusting him for        
salvation4 ,that is all ,christ requires
 of a  sinner40    ,as the preacher     
finished this little homily on faith1   

the colonel was  weeping like a child4  
8,jack10 he sobbed1 8is that all there  
is in coming  to ,christ to be saved80  
8,that is all there is10 and before the 
preacher could continue the  discussion 
further1 the light broke in upon the    
humble and contrite  heart4 8,i've got  
it10 he interrupted with much emotion1  
at the same  time grasping the          
preacher's hand with all the strength   
his six-months'  illness had left him4  
,thus1 the man who all the years of his 
eventful  career1 by his own wisdom and 
logic and learning knew not ,god1 was at
 the  last critical moment melted and   
transformed by the light from ,calvary1 
and a great life was snatched as a brand
 from the eternal burning4 ,the  lawyer1
 the statesman1 the scholar1 the orator 
received the kingdom of  heaven on the  
,savior's easy terms1 8as a little      
child10 and two days  later his soul    
passed into the presence of ,jehovah4   
,rev4 ,mr4 ,newgent delivered the       
funeral oration4 ,men of prominence from

  various parts of the country helped to
 swell the vast throng that was  present
 at the funeral service4 ,the story of  
the colonel's conversion  from          
skepticism to simple1 saving faith in   
,christ was related by the  speaker1 and
 produced a profound impression4    ,the
 paper with which this chapter is       
concluded refers to the life-long       
association of the two men1 ,johnston1  
the 8young cavalryman of ,indiana10  and
 ,newgent1 the 8boy chaplain40 ,it was  
read before a special meeting  of the   
,steele ,post ,g4 ,a4 ,r41 and auxiliary
 orders of ,rockville shortly  after    
,johnston's death by ,mrs4 ,white1 the  
wife of ,judge ,a4 ,f4 ,white of  that  
city4 ,judge ,white was also a soldier  
and a life-long friend of  ,johnston and
 ,newgent4 ,the doctor referred to in   
the paper had served as a  physician in 
the ,confederate army1 but afterward    
took up his residence in  ,rockville1   
where he built up a large practice4 ,the
 three men were present  with the wife  

when ,colonel ,johnston died1 and helped
 to make up the  scene in the death     
chamber so dramatically described in the
 paper4        8,,lights ,,out40        
8,it is midwinter in east ,tennessee in 
#ahfc4 ,the rivers are      flooded1 the
 valleys desolate1 the mountain gaps    
gorged with      snow4 ,it is the home  
of mountain patriots2 it must be held at
      all hazards to the last4 ,this is 
,lincoln's solemn wish2 it is      a    
part of ,grant's giant plan when        
,mission ,ridge is stormed4      ,a     
young cavalryman of ,indiana is one of  
the ten thousand who      keep freedom's
 vigils along the ,clinch1 the          
,holstein1 and the      ,french ,broad4 
,he munches his meager rations of       
parched corn2 he      rides the wild    
mountain roads night and day2 he obeys  
to the      letter his orders to hold to
 the last man the ford of a remote      
mountain stream4 ,a buckshot buries     
itself in his wrist1 making      a wound
 which heals long after the war and a   

scar which he      carries to his grave4
 ,the old flag stays in east ,tennessee4
        8,he has a comrade from a       
neighboring county who shares with him  
the suffering and sacrifice of that     
desperate campaign1 he is      the 8boy 
chaplain0 of the brigade4        8,it is
 the same winter along the ,rappahannock
 and the ,rappidan4      ,the snow1 like
 a measureless shroud1 covers the       
numberless      dead of the debatable   
land between the ,potomac and the       
,james4      ,there is another soldier1 
a mere boy1 a young artilleryman from   
the ,shenandoah1 who is one of the      
thousands who hold ,lee's      unbroken 
lines4 ,his battery long since won its  
title to glory4      ,it helped to clear
 the mountain gaps of the ,blue ,ridge2 
its      red guns helped feed the fires 
which lighted up the valley of          
death for ,pickett's dauntless charge4  
,ill fed1 ragged1 but      inbred with  
the chivalry of the ,south1 he is in it 
all4 ,there      is victory at          

,chancellorsville1 but defeat at        
,gettysburg2 but      ,st4 ,andrew's    
cross still gleams blood red on the     
breast of the      ,south1 ,the ,stars  
and ,bars still flash defiance from     
,marye's      ,hill4        8,the young 
artilleryman also has a comrade from the
 valley1 a      young trooper who rides 
with ,ashby's cavaliers in all their    
wild forays4        8,two flags1 two    
oaths of allegiance1 the culminating    
hates      of a hundred years1 separate 
these two young soldiers of the         
,north and the ,south4 ,but they are not
 alien in blood1 they are      brothers 
of the same race1 ,anglo-,saxon from the
 first ,americans      to the last4     
,they speak the same tongue1 their      
mothers read the      same ,bible1      
prayed to the same ,god2 their          
forefathers fought      for the same    
country--,nathaniel ,greene at          
,yorktown1 ,washington      on          
,cambridge ,heights4        8,it is     
midsummer of #aijd4 ,the cavalryman of  

'#fc is dying2      not in the weary    
hospital of pain2 not on the perilous   
edge      of battle4 ,more than forty   
years have passed since the grim        
midwinter of east ,tennessee4           
8,it is the home he has made for his    
declining years4 ,the rooms      are    
cool and sweet1 a broad porch looks down
 a quiet street1      familiar books are
 everywhere2 his escutcheon over the    
mantel      shows his soldier record    
from '#fb to '#fe--the old1 old story   
of duty and glory4 ,a blue book on the  
table tells briefly      his struggle   
from the farm to the halls of ,congress2
 the      faces of statesmen1 kinsmen1  
and friends look down from their        
appropriate places on the walls4        
8,the good right hand of the veteran    
lies in that of another2                
grief-stricken she keeps her vows1 'till
 death do us part4'        8,a          
grey-haired man holds the other4 ,it is 
the soldier of      the ,rappahannock4  
,lee's battery boy of '#fc is the       

trusted      physician1 the medical     
confidant1 and ministrant of the ,union 
soldier4 ,with all the knowledge of a   
learned and skillful      physician1 he 
has fought the common enemy for the life
 of      his dying friend4 ,but the odds
 are too great4 ,old pains1 old         
ailments1 old wounds of '#fc outmatch   
the medical arts of #aijd4      ,but the
 doctor has known the grief of defeat   
before4 ,once a      long time ago he   
yielded to the inevitable in the        
orchards      of ,appomattox4 ,he lays  
his ear close over the failing heart    
to catch1 if he can1 its last lingering 
drum-beats in the      battle of life4  
,he places his fingers on the pulseless 
wrist1      searching for its last faint
 throb--and they rest motionless for    
a moment on the old scar of '#fc4 #8,it 
is over1' he says very      softly4     
8,a low word of prayer for the widow and
 fatherless falls      from the lips of 
the grey-haired minister at the foot of 
the bed4 ,it is the #8boy chaplain' of  

the dead veteran's      old             
brigade--youthful to the end4 ,another  
man beside him1      thin-visaged and   
bent4 ,it is ,ashby's old trooper1 and  
his eyes      are full of tears as he   
walks slowly out of the room4           
8#8,lights out4' #8,the bands in the    
pine woods cease4 ,a robin      sings   
close by1 as they will in summer        
evenings2 the fragrance      of         
old-fashioned flowers steals in through 
the white window      curtains4 ,the sun
 sinks behind the church across the     
street1      the shadow of its belfry   
coming in at the open door4 ,and over   
all1 ,lincoln's worn face looks down    
from its place among the      pictures  
on the wall4 ,even now with the hush of 
death upon us      all1 we hear his     
plaintive prophecy of long ago3 #8,we   
are not      enemies but friends4 ,we   
must not be enemies4 ,though passion may
      have strained1 it cannot break the
 bonds of our affection4 ,the           
mystic chord of memory1 stretching from 

every patriot grave and      battlefield
 to every living heart and hearthstone  
all over this      broad land1 will yet 
swell the chorus of the ,union when     
touched      again1 as they surely will 
be1 by the better angels of our         
nature4'0