file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #fdgfe-;h4htm or #fdgfe-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#fdgfe_/pg#fdgfe-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#fd gfe_/fdgfe-;h4zip7 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/twentyye arsonhor#jjweek ,illustration3 ,,bishop ,w4 ,m4 ,,weekley1 ,d4,d4 ,,twenty ,,years ,,on ,,horseback ,,or ,,itinerating ,,in ,,west ,,virginia by ,w4 ,m4 ,,weekley1 ,d4,d4 ,author of 8,getting and ,giving10 8,from ,life to ,life10 ,etc4 8,take thy part in suffering hardship as a good soldier of ,christ ,jesus40--#b ,tim4 #b3c ,nineteen ,hundred and ,seven ,united ,brethren ,publishing ,house ,dayton1 ,ohio ,all ,rights ,reserved ,preface ,it was not my purpose1 in the preparation of this little volume1 to make it an autobiography1 but rather a narration of incidents connected with the twenty years of humble service which ,i tried to render the ,united ,brethren ,church among the mountains of ,west ,virginia4 ,these incidents present an all-round view1 in outline1 of the real life and labors of the itinerant preacher1 a third of a century ago1 in an isolated section1 where the most simple and primitive customs prevailed4 ,while some of the things related will doubtless amuse the reader1 others1 ,i trust1 will lead to thoughtful reflection1 and carry with them lessons inspiring and helpful4 ,the introduction should first be carefully read by those who expect to be profited by a perusal of the pages which follow4 ,that good may come to the church1 and glory to our ,redeemer through this unpretentious publication is the prayer of its ,,author4 ,kansas ,city1 ,mo41 ,may #a1 #aijg4 ,i have examined the manuscript of 8,twenty ,years on ,horseback1 or ,itinerating in ,west ,virginia10 and cheerfully submit this note of commendation4 ,the author1 ,bishop ,w4 ,m4 ,weekley1 ,d4,d41 ,i have known for more than thirty years4 ,he entered the ministry when young1 with an undivided heart and determined purpose4 ,during the years he served the ,church in that ,state he traveled over almost the entire territory of the ,west ,virginia ,conference4 ,the country then was extremely primitive2 but simple as the mode of life was at that time1 the field was an interesting1 even an enjoyable one for a minister who could endure hardness as a good soldier of ,christ4 ,i am acquainted with nearly all the sections of the ,state referred to1 and am therefore familiar with many of the places1 facts1 and persons mentioned1 and can assure the reader that the author has given a faithful account of these in his book4 ,no statement is overdrawn or warped for the sake of effect4 ,w4 ,w4 ,,rymer4 ,columbus1 ,ohio1 ,may #c1 #aijg4 ,an examination of the following pages caused me to live my early life over again4 ,having spent twenty-three years in the ministry within the bounds of the ,west ,virginia ,conference1 and having been intimately associated with the author of this volume during the most of that period1 ,i am very familiar with many of the places1 persons1 and events mentioned1 and can testify to the correctness of the record he makes1 and to the faithfulness of the pictures drawn4 ,this book will stir the thoughts and rekindle the fire within the old itinerants1 and1 as well1 ,i trust1 arouse the young to larger activities in soul winning4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,hitt4 ,chillicothe1 ,ohio1 ,may #d1 #aijg4 ,the author of this book and myself were boys together4 ,we were born and reared within four miles of each other1 were converted in the same church1 and for years were members of the same ,sunday school and congregation4 ,we were licensed to preach on the same charge1 and spent the earlier years of our ministry in the same conference together4 ,in many instances we traveled the same roads1 preached in the same communities1 and mingled with the same people4 ,after having examined the contents of this volume in manuscript form1 ,i am sure it contains a faithful description of the varied conditions which made up the life and experiences of the ,united ,brethren itinerant minister of that time among the hills and mountains of ,west ,virginia4 ,a4 ,,orr4 ,circleville1 ,ohio1 ,april #cj1 #aijg4 ,contents ,,preface ,,introduction #i ,,chapter ,i #ae ,,chapter ,,ii #bg ,,chapter ,,iii #dd ,,chapter ,,iv #eh ,,chapter ,v #gj ,,chapter ,,vi #hf ,,chapter ,,vii #ajj ,,chapter ,,viii #aba ,illustrations ,,bishop ,w4 ,m4 ,,weekley 7,frontispiece7 ,w4 ,m4 ,,weekley ,,at ,,twenty ,,years ,,of ,,age ,w4 ,m4 ,,weekley ,,at ,,thirty ,,years ,,of ,,age ,,traveling ,a ,,district ,,house ,,where ,,bishop ,,first ,,went ,,to ,,housekeeping ,introduction ,the past lives through the printed page4 ,the ages would be blank if books were not made recording the events and achievements of men4 ,no form of history is more interesting and profitable than that which recites the career of those who1 obedient to their divine commission1 proclaimed to fellowmen the sweet message of ,christ's redeeming love4 ,the completeness of their consecration1 their undaunted courage and persistency in the face of many difficulties1 and their marvelous success evidence in them the presence of superhuman power4 ,it is the genius of ,christianity to inspire and develop the unselfish and heroic in men4 ,the splendid specimens of self-sacrifice and moral courage1 which adorn the pages of ,christian literature1 charm the reader and inspire him to more ,christlike endeavor4 ,these life-stories constitute a rich1 priceless legacy for present and future generations4 ,in this admirable volume1 ,bishop ,weekley has modestly removed the curtain from twenty years of his own strenuous ministerial life spent in the mountains and valleys of ,west ,virginia1 and given the reader a conception of what it meant to lift up the ,christ and extend his kingdom in that rugged region4 ,the book is biographical in character1 but since 8biography is the soul of history10 it is history in reality4 ,the scenes and events which he presents suggest the character of the work which others had to do in laying the foundations of our ,church in those sections4 ,it would be difficult to find more striking examples of ,christian altruism and heroism anywhere in this country than the godly men who preached the gospel among the mountains and in the valleys of the ,virginias in the early years of our denominational history4 ,these men embodied those elements of character and graces of the ,spirit which are essential to success in ,christian work anywhere4 ,having heard the call of ,god1 and having felt the spell of the divine spirit1 they yielded themselves unreservedly to the gospel ministry4 ,they possessed strength of conviction1 singleness of aim1 earnestness of purpose1 and concentration of effort4 ,as a rule these pioneer preachers had but one business--that of the ,king4 ,they were so absorbed in the saving of men and women1 and in extending the kingdom1 that they gave but little attention to present physical comforts and future needs4 ,many of them were without property1 and when they sang1 8,no foot of land do ,i possess1 ,no cottage in this wilderness10 there was a literalness about it which would have dismayed men of less faith and consecration4 ,without seeking to enrich themselves in material things they labored earnestly to bring the spiritual riches of heaven to the hearts and homes of others4 ,they were busy men--men of action4 ,they omitted no opportunities to do good4 ,intervals of rest were few and far between4 ,the modern minister's vacation was to them unknown4 ,they met their 8appointments0 with surprising regularity4 ,neither storm1 nor distance1 nor weariness thwarted their plans4 ,their announcements were always made conditionally--8no preventing providence0--but they never calculated for providence to prevent them being on hand at the appointed place and hour4 ,the strain of toil was constant1 but their iron resolution1 and the work itself1 proved a strong tonic4 ,the success of one service was inspiration for the next4 ,visiting from house to house1 exhorting the people to faithful ,christian living1 distributing religious literature1 and preaching week days as well as ,sundays made their lives full of heavy tasks1 all of which were performed with happy hearts4 ,they possessed the glowing and tireless zeal of the preaching friars of the ,middle ,ages1 and with many of them the clear flame of their zeal was undimmed until the fire was turned to ashes4 ,they were men of thought as well as action4 ,their preparation was made in the college of experience1 in which they proved themselves apt students4 ,they studied few books and only the best4 ,they cultivated and practised the perilous art of reading on horseback4 ,they pored over books and papers in humble homes by flickering candle or pine-knot light long after the family had retired4 ,it is remarkable what extended knowledge of the ,english ,scriptures1 methods of sermonizing1 oratorical style and forceful delivery these men acquired4 ,they knew well1 and by that surest form of knowledge--the knowledge born of verified experience--all they proclaimed in message to the people4 ,there was freshness of thought1 aptness of illustration1 and forcefulness of expression that was native to them4 ,the majestic forms of nature in the regions where they toiled inspired in them the sublimest thoughts of ,god and his eternal truth4 ,the marvelous results of the sermons of such men as ,markwood1 ,glossbrenner1 ,bachtel1 ,warner1 ,nelson1 ,graham1 ,howe1 ,hott1 and others proved them great preachers in the highest and truest sense4 ,they were men of tact as well as thought1 and adjusted themselves to the conditions4 ,they preached wherever the people would assemble--in leafy grove1 by the river bank1 in the humble home1 in the log schoolhouse1 in the village hall1 in the vacant storeroom1 and in the unpretentious church-house4 ,they did not always have the exhilarating and inspirational effect of great crowds1 but they preached 8in demonstration of the ,spirit10 kindling the deepest emotions in their hearers1 often arousing them to tremendous intensity and causing waves of overpowering feeling to sweep over them4 ,saints shouted the praises of ,god and penitents pleaded for mercy4 ,these heralds of the ,cross employed none of the familiar devices of modern times for securing crowds and reaching results4 ,there were no specially-prepared and widely-scattered handbills1 no local advertising committees1 no daily newspapers with flashing headlines and portraits1 no great choral or orchestral attractions4 ,what made these fallible men so forceful and successful in winning others8 ,the explanation lies in the fact of their spiritual enduement4 ,they wrought in the name of ,christ and under the influence of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,in no portion of our ,zion have ministers made stronger and more lasting impression upon the people4 ,whenever present in a home they were the guests of honor4 ,their strong personalities and noble traits of character1 as well as their calling itself1 won for them the esteem of old and young4 ,parents named their children after them1 and exhorted their sons to find in them their models for manhood4 ,in thus honoring these noblemen of ,god they exalted the work of the ministry in the minds of the young1 and prepared the way for the ,lord to call them into his service4 ,this may account1 at least in part1 for the great number who have gone into the ministry from these mountain districts4 ,let no one fancy that somber shadows rested continually upon the pathway of these ministers4 ,there was a joyous side to their ministerial life4 ,when together as a class1 or among their parishioners1 their stories and jokes were abundant1 spontaneous1 and of the purest type4 ,when they met at institutes1 camp-meetings1 and conferences they enjoyed one round of good cheer and solid comfort4 ,their services of song drowned all dull cares4 ,their lives had shadows1 but they refreshed themselves in the rifts and glorious sunbursts4 ,the people to whom these men of ,god proclaimed the gospel were not1 as a rule1 rich in material things1 but they possessed great hearts1 in which love and kindness flowed as pure and refreshing as the streams of water that rippled down the mountain side4 ,we rejoice that ,bishop ,weekley has given to the ,church this book4 ,many aged ministers1 who once toiled in the ,virginias1 will live over again the scenes of their lives as they read these pages4 ,young men will be stimulated to more earnest endeavor as they learn of the hardships and complete consecration of ,god's servants in pioneer days4 ,no one will weary in reading this excellent volume4 ,the good ,bishop has written in harmony with an established sentiment in book-making--8it is the chief of all perfections in books to be plain and brief40 ,w4 ,o4 ,,fries4 ,dayton1 ,ohio4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,the ,virginias have turned out more ,united ,brethren preachers1 perhaps1 than any other section of the same size between the oceans4 ,these pulpiteers have ranged in the scale of ability and efficiency from ,a to ,z4 ,some achieved distinction in one way and another2 others1 though faithful and useful1 were little known beyond their conference borders4 ,nor have all remained among the mountains4 ,dozens and scores of them have gone out into other parts of the ,church4 ,at this writing they are to be found in no less than nineteen different conferences1 and1 as a class1 they are not excelled by any in devotion to the ,church1 in unremitting toil1 and in spiritual fervor and downright enthusiasm4 ,some--many who spent their lives in building up the ,zion of their choice among the ,virginia hills1 have gone to glory4 ,among these heroes ,i may mention ,j4 ,markwood1 ,j4 ,j4 ,glossbrenner1 ,z4 ,warner1 ,j4 ,bachtel1 ,j4 ,w4 ,perry1 ,j4 ,w4 ,howe1 ,s4 ,j4 ,graham1 ,i4 ,k4 ,statton1 and ,j4 ,w4 ,hott4 ,other names1 perhaps not so illustrious1 but just as worthy1 are to be found in ,god's unerring record4 ,the historian will never tell all about them4 ,their labors1 sacrifices1 and sufferings will never be portrayed by any human tongue1 no matter how eloquent1 or by any pen1 however versatile and fruitful it may be4 ,footsore and weary1 dust covered and battle scarred1 they reached the end of their pilgrimage and heard heaven's 8well done40 ,what a blessed legacy they bequeathed to their sons and daughters in the gospel6 8,old ,virginia0 was1 in part1 the field chosen by ,otterbein himself1 and by his devout colaborers4 ,this was more than a hundred years ago4 ,in #aheh the ,parkersburg1 now ,west ,virginia ,conference1 was organized out of that part of the mother conference lying west of the ,alleghanies--a territory three hundred miles long1 roughly speaking1 by two hundred in width4 ,in its physical aspects the country is exceedingly rough1 and difficult of travel4 ,but the people1 though mostly rural in their customs and mode of living1 and many of them poor1 so far as this world's goods are concerned1 are warm hearted1 genial1 and hospitable4 ,when a preacher goes to fill an appointment among 8mountaineers10 he is not troubled with the thought that perhaps nobody will offer him lodging1 or willingly share with him the bounties of his table4 ,i have found things different in other parts of the country4 ,illustration3 ,w4 ,m4 ,,weekley1 ,twenty ,years of ,age ,traveling ,circuit ,the new conference was organized at ,centerville1 in ,tyler ,county1 by ,bishop ,glossbrenner1 in the month of ,march4 ,only a few ministers were present1 but they were brave and good1 ready to do1 and1 if need be1 to die for their ,lord4 ,five miles from this historic place the writer was born on the eighteenth day of ,september1 #ahea4 ,my parents1 though poor1 were honest and honorable1 and toiled unceasingly to provide for and rear in respectability their ten children1 of whom ,i was the oldest4 ,the neighborhood was far above the average in its religious life and moral worth4 ,a man under the influence of liquor was seldom seen1 and a profane word was hardly ever heard4 ,the ,united ,brethren ,church was by far the leading denomination in all that country4 ,the old log church in which we all worshiped stood on father's farm1 and our home was the stopping-place not only of preachers1 but of many others who attended divine service4 ,at times our house was so crowded that mother was compelled to make beds on the floor for the family1 and not unfrequently for others as well4 ,but to her it was a great joy to perform such a ministry for the gospel's sake4 ,her loving hands could always provide for others1 no matter who they were1 or how many4 ,for the third of a century father was the ,sunday-school superintendent in the neighborhood1 and1 for a longer period1 teacher of the juvenile class4 ,thus he saw little children pass up into other and older classes1 and finally to manhood and womanhood1 when by and by their children came in and were given a place in 8,uncle ,dan's0 class4 ,at the age of fourteen ,i was born the second time1 and united with the ,church4 ,the occasion was a great revival held by ,rev4 ,s4 ,j4 ,graham1 of precious memory4 ,seeing my oldest sister1 ,sarah1 bow at the altar1 greatly moved my young heart4 ,a few moments later ,i observed father coming back toward the door1 and thinking perhaps he was wanting to speak to me on the subject of religion1 ,i immediately left the house4 ,my state of mind became awful4 ,the next evening ,i saw mother pressing her way toward me through the standing crowd4 ,i knew what it meant1 and sat down with the hope of concealing myself from her2 but how vain the effort6 ,what child ever hid himself away from a mother's love8 ,putting her hand on my head1 she said1 8,william1 won't you be a ,christian80 ,i made no reply1 but said to myself1 8,i can't stand this2 ,i must do something40 ,how her appeal1 plaintive and tender1 made me weep6 ,it was really the first time she had ever come to me with such directness and warmth of heart4 ,to this very moment ,i can feel the touch of her hand and hear her loving appeal4 ,the next day ,i talked with other boys who were with me in school1 and asked them to accompany me to the 8mourner's bench10 which they did4 ,at that time the class1 though in the country1 numbered one hundred and seventy souls4 ,three months later1 ,i was appointed one of its stewards1 and with this office came my first experience in raising money for the ,church4 ,the next year ,i was elected assistant class-leader1 and though young and inexperienced1 ,i rendered the very best service ,i possibly could4 ,my educational advantages up to this time had been only such as the common schools afforded1 with the addition of a close application to study at the home fireside1 aided by the historic 8pine torch0 and 8tallow candle40 ,from the day of my conversion ,i could not escape the thought of preaching4 ,the duty of being a ,christian was never set before me more forcibly and clearly than was the duty of preaching2 but ,i hesitated4 ,my ignorance1 and lack of fitness otherwise for such a high calling1 appeared as insurmountable barriers4 ,i could not understand why ,god should pass by others1 better in heart and far more capable1 and choose me4 ,so the struggle went on4 ,in the mean time ,i began to read such books as ,i could secure4 ,the ,bible1 8,smith's ,bible ,dictionary10 and 8,dick's ,works10 constituted my library4 ,the last named was rather heavy for a lad only in his teens1 but ,i rather enjoyed such studies4 ,the first book ,i ever purchased was 8,religious ,emblems10 which proved exceedingly helpful to my young life4 ,when seventeen ,i preached my first sermon1 or1 perhaps ,i should say1 made my first public effort4 ,it was in an old log church on ,little ,flint ,run1 in ,doddridge ,county4 ,brother ,christopher ,davis1 a local preacher1 was holding a meeting1 and at the close of the morning services announced that ,i would preach at night4 ,what a day that was to me6 ,how ,i tried to think and pray6 ,when ,i reached the church ,i found it full1 with many standing in the aisle about the door4 ,i felt so unprepared--so utterly helpless--that ,i immediately retired to a secret place1 where ,i again besought the ,lord for help4 ,returning1 ,i started in with the preliminaries1 but was badly scared4 ,no man can describe his feelings under such circumstances4 ,many a preacher who scans these pages will appreciate my situation4 ,i spent a good part of the first fifteen minutes mopping my face4 ,i seemed to be in a sweat-box2 but by the time ,i reached my sermon1 or whatever it might be called1 the embarrassment was all gone4 ,i still remember the text3 8,and ,i will bring you into the land concerning the which ,i did swear to give it to ,abraham1 to ,isaac1 and to ,jacob2 and ,i will give it you for an heritage4 ,i am the ,lord40 ,it was immense2 but the most of young preachers begin just that way4 ,at this distance from the occasion1 ,i do not recall anything ,i said1 and am glad ,i cannot4 ,however1 there was one redeeming feature about the effort1 and that was its brevity4 ,in twenty minutes ,i had told all ,i knew1 and perhaps more4 ,i have never been able to understand why the people listened so patiently4 ,they really seemed to be interested1 but why1 or in what1 ,i have never known4 ,i have not tried that text since1 and ,i do not think ,i ever shall4 ,it is too profound to even think of as the basis of a discourse to common people4 ,dr4 ,j4 ,l4 ,hensley1 when pastor of ,middle ,island ,circuit1 early in the sixties1 had a somewhat singular experience in this same log church4 ,while preaching one ,sabbath morning in midsummer from the text1 8,the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head10 the people at his left suddenly became excited1 and looking around quickly for the cause1 he observed a snake1 about two feet long1 crawling in a crevice of the wall near the pulpit4 ,reaching for his hickory cane1 which he always carried1 he dealt the wily creature a blow which brought it tumbling to the floor1 remarking at the same time1 8,the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head40 ,thus in the midst of his discourse he was furnished an illustration which made a profound impression upon his hearers1 and aided greatly in bringing the truth home to their hearts4 ,the presiding elder1 ,rev4 ,s4 ,j4 ,graham1 my spiritual father1 by authority of a quarterly conference held at the ,long ,run appointment1 ,october #bc1 #ahfi1 gave me a permit to exercise in public for three months4 ,shortly after this ,i was prostrated with lung fever1 which soon developed the most alarming aspects4 ,though the ailment was outgeneraled1 the process of recovery was slow4 ,in fact1 one of my lungs was so impaired that consumption was feared4 ,a noted physician1 after carefully diagnosing my case1 frankly told me that nothing could be done for my lung2 but ,i did not believe a word he told me4 ,i had decided that ,i would make preaching my life work1 and believed that ,god would give me a chance to try it4 ,it might be noted here that ten years later this same doctor was in his grave1 while ,i was a better specimen of physical manhood than he ever was4 8,commit thy way unto the ,lord2 trust also in him1 and he shall bring it to pass40 ,what will he bring to pass8 ,the right thing1 and in the right way4 ,such has been my observation and experience in all the years that have come and gone since the hand of affliction was so keenly felt4 ,december #be1 #ahfi1 ,i was granted quarterly conference license in a regular way1 and attended the annual conference which met in ,hartford ,city1 ,mason ,county1 the following ,march4 ,much of the time while there ,i was not able to walk from my stopping-place to the church1 though not a half dozen blocks distant4 ,some of the brethren feared that ,i would not live to get back home again4 ,but ,i wanted a circuit4 ,with that end in view ,i had gone to conference1 and no amount of persuasion could turn me aside from the one great purpose that had taken complete possession of my soul4 ,i was entering the work with a full knowledge of what it meant4 ,i had heard the brethren talk of their privations and abundant labors1 and1 as well1 of their victories and joy of heart4 ,the report of the year then closing was most suggestive4 ,the eighteen fields of the conference contained one hundred and sixty-seven preaching places1 and had paid twenty-four men a little less than #adj each upon an average1 not counting outside gifts4 ,west ,columbia ,circuit paid its two pastors1 ,revs4 ,w4 ,b4 ,hodge and ,i4 ,m4 ,underwood1 #djj4 ,the next highest was #cci4ai1 and was paid the brace of pastors who served the ,glenville charge--,revs4 ,w4 ,w4 ,knipple and ,elias ,barnard4 ,the other sixteen pastorates ranged from #bfg4ae down to #ce1 the last named amount having been received by ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,boggess1 on ,hessville ,mission4 ,the ,parkersburg ,district paid ,elder ,graham #bbg4hg1 while ,west ,columbia ,district only reached #aeb4he for its superintendent1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,perry4 ,to the support of each of the districts1 however1 the parent missionary board added #ajj4 ,when the ,stationing ,committee reported1 my name was read out as the junior preacher for ,philippi ,circuit1 with ,rev4 ,a4 ,l4 ,moore1 pastor in charge4 ,this appointment was given1 as more than one assured me in later years1 simply to satisfy my mind4 ,no one expected me to go to it4 ,as the field already had a man1 my failure to reach it would make no difference in any way4 ,returning home ,i told father what had been done1 and that ,i must have the necessary outfit for a circuit-rider2 namely1 a horse1 a saddle and bridle1 and a pair of saddle-bags4 ,no matter what else a man had1 or did not have1 in those days1 these things were essential to efficiency among the mountains of ,west ,virginia4 ,at once ,i began preparations for leaving home4 ,mother was thoughtful enough to make me a pair of leggings which buttoned up at the sides and reached above the knees4 ,no one article made with hands was ever more valuable to a ,virginia itinerant than leggings4 ,philippi ,circuit was seventy-five miles distant among the mountains1 and would require1 owing to the bad roads1 two and a half days of hard travel on horseback to reach it4 ,at the appointed time1 ,april #aa1 #ahgj1 early in the morning1 ,i rode out of the old lane and up the hillside4 ,all ,i had of earthly possessions was in my saddle-bags4 ,one end contained my library1 7,bible1 ,hymn-book1 8,smith's ,bible ,dictionary10 8,binney's ,theological ,compend10 8,religious ,emblems10 and one volume of 8,watson's ,institutes107 while in the other was stored my wardrobe1 scant and plain4 ,when far up on the side of the hill ,i looked back and saw mother standing on the porch4 ,she had not ceased to watch me from the moment ,i started4 ,tears unbidden filled my eyes1 and with these came an appreciation of our home that ,i had never experienced before4 ,the home had been humble1 to be sure1 but it was ,christian4 ,we had a family altar1 from which the sweet incense of prayer ascended daily to ,god4 ,i could truthfully say3 8,jesus1 ,i my cross have taken1 ,all to leave and follow thee40 ,a mile distant ,i joined1 by a prearranged plan1 ,rev4 ,g4 ,w4 ,weekley1 my uncle1 and ,rev4 ,isaac ,davis1 both of whom were also en route to their distant fields of toil4 ,at the end of the second day we reached ,glady ,fork1 on ,lewis ,circuit1 where my uncle lived4 ,how weary after so long a ride6 ,at that time my health was still so precarious1 and my strength so limited1 that ,i could not walk a hundred yards up grade without resting4 ,to dismount from my horse1 open and close a gate1 and then get back into the saddle1 exhausted me4 ,remaining over a few days with my uncle1 ,i tried to preach on ,sunday morning1 but found myself exhausted at the end of twenty-four minutes4 ,in a few days1 however1 ,i was sufficiently rested from my long ride to journey on to my own circuit1 where ,i soon found the preacher in charge1 and plans were discussed for the year's work4 ,this was historic ground4 ,it was an old ,united ,brethren field1 having been traveled by ,statton1 ,stickley1 ,warner1 ,hensley1 and others1 in the late fifties and early sixties1 when it included twenty or more preaching-places1 spread over portions of several counties4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,philippi ,circuit contained at this time the following appointments3 ,romines ,mills1 ,gnatty ,creek1 ,peck's ,run1 ,indian ,fork1 ,mt4 ,hebron1 ,green ,brier1 and ,zeb's ,creek4 ,later ,i added two more--one on ,big ,run1 and the other on ,brushy ,fort1 at the home of 8,mother0 ,simons4 ,two of the preaching places lay 8beyond0 the ,middle ,fork ,river--a rolling1 dashing stream1 fresh from the mountains1 and at times dangerous to cross4 ,it was so clear that a silver piece the size of a quarter could be seen at a depth of several feet4 ,the first time ,i attempted to ford it ,i put my life in jeopardy4 ,because the bottom could be seen distinctly1 ,i imagined it was not deep1 but after a few paces ,i was in mid-side to my horse1 and going deeper every step4 ,perceiving the danger ,i was in1 ,i tried to turn my horse about1 and did so only after the greatest effort1 owing to the almost irresistible current which was gradually bearing horse and rider downward4 ,going to a house near by ,i made some inquiry about the stream1 and was told that if ,i had gone ten feet farther ,i should have been swept away by the swift running waters4 ,how grateful ,i was to ,god for the deliverance4 ,during the following winter my life was endangered by floating ice at the same crossing-place4 ,brother ,moore about the same time1 perhaps a little later1 seeing he could not ford the stream1 decided to lead his horse across the ice at a point below the regular crossing1 where there was but little current2 but when twenty feet from the shore toward which he was headed1 the ice gave way1 and the faithful animal went under4 ,having hold of the bridle rein1 however1 he managed to keep his head above the water until a passage way was broken through to dry land4 ,one instinctively shudders as he recalls the dangers which at times thrust themselves suddenly across the pathway of the early preachers of the ,virginia and ,parkersburg conferences when the fields were so large and travel so excessive4 ,brother ,moore informed me1 as we looked over the charge1 that ,i would have to take the 8outsiders0 for my support1 as the circuit only paid #cjj1 and he could not get along on less and pay rent4 ,it struck me that he was about right1 so ,i readily agreed to his proposition4 ,then what8 ,well1 at each preaching place ,i found a 8sinner0 who agreed to serve as my steward1 and these men did well1 everything considered4 ,for the year ,i received #ig1 including an overcoat and several pairs of yarn socks4 ,at one of the appointments an unfortunate episode occurred over my salary4 ,the steward one day stepped over the line1 and got after some of the church-members for money4 ,he very well knew they were abundantly able to help1 but they flatly refused4 ,this so upset him1 so ,i was told1 that he expressed his opinion of them in language far more vigorous than polite4 ,it is a joy1 however1 to note in this connection that some of these stewards soon became ,christians1 and active helpers in the ,church4 ,out of the pittance ,i received1 possibly all1 or more than ,i was worth1 ,i added to my little library1 which could easily be put in one end of my saddle-bags when ,i left home1 the following books3 8,bible ,not of ,man10 8,conversation of ,jesus10 8,jesus on the ,holy ,mount10 8,pilgrim's ,progress10 8,dying ,thoughts10 8,bible ,text ,book10 8,jacobus on ,john10 8,god's ,word ,written10 8,paley's ,theology10 8,our ,lord's ,parables10 8,webster's ,dictionary10 8,bible ,true10 8,rock of ,our ,salvation10 8,companion to the ,bible10 8,dictionary of the ,bible10 8,credo10 8,rise and ,progress of ,religion in the ,soul10 and 8,hand of ,god in ,history40 ,this1 of course1 was not a lavish purchase of books1 but it did pretty well for one with a cash income of not more than #ge4 ,we had some good revivals that year4 ,ninety-nine were received into church fellowship1 while many more were converted4 ,at ,indian ,fork we held meeting in a little log cabin1 about twenty feet square1 with a great fire-place in one side4 ,it is surprising to see how many people can be crowded into so small a place when they are anxious to attend a revival4 ,night after night for weeks this little room was packed like a sardine case4 ,but the outcome was glorious4 ,some of the best citizens of the community were reached and won to ,christ4 ,after a few services were held1 and it was seen how insufficient the little room was to accommodate the many who wanted to come1 we put on foot the project of building a church1 and immediately set about the work4 ,the plan was so unique that the whole neighborhood became interested4 ,some felled trees2 others 8scored and hewed0 the logs2 those who had teams volunteered to haul them1 while others still made shingles1 or helped with the foundation2 8for the people had a mind to work40 ,before the meetings closed the house was up and ready for use--an edifice which served as a place of worship for many years4 ,the people all over the circuit were kind and forbearing1 and greatly encouraged me by waiting on my ministry1 and hearing what little ,i had to say4 ,i visited all classes of persons1 rich and poor1 and had all kinds of experiences4 ,in some homes ,i enjoyed the hospitality offered2 in others it was not so highly enjoyed1 but keenly appreciated4 ,at one of the preaching points a certain brother insisted upon my going home with him for dinner after the morning service1 which ,i consented to do4 ,it was a rainy day4 ,he lived in a cabin of one room on the hillside4 ,on either side of the dwelling was a shed4 ,under one of these he kept his corn2 under the other1 where we entered the house1 the hogs slept and the chickens roosted4 ,his only piece of regular furniture was a chair4 ,as to where and when he got it ,i did not inquire4 ,long poles reaching across the room and fastened to the walls1 with a forked stick under them in the center1 constituted a kind of double bedstead4 ,when ,i entered the door ,i observed a large 8feather tick0 piled upon these poles4 ,finally1 something moved under it1 and then a boy of ten or twelve summers1 almost suffocated1 crawled out and made for the door4 ,his purpose1 no doubt1 was to hide from the preacher when he saw him coming1 but finding he could not get his breath1 decided to retreat to another place of concealment where there was more fresh air4 ,i did not eat much dinner4 ,i told 8mine host0 that ,i was not hungry1 and1 in fact1 was not4 ,they had only a broken skillet in which to bake bread1 fry meat1 and 8make gravy40 ,as soon as possible ,i excused myself1 and started for my next appointment4 ,indeed1 ,i was glad ,i had another one that day4 ,many other amusing incidents occurred during the year4 ,these always find a place in the itinerant's life1 and it is well1 perhaps1 that they do1 as they offset in a measure his somber experiences4 ,i am frank to confess that it is easy for me to see the funny side of a happening1 if it has one1 and to enjoy a joke though it be on myself4 ,in the early days of the ,west ,virginia ,conference1 what was known as the 8plug hat0 was much in evidence among preachers4 ,such 8headwear0 was a distinguishing mark1 hence no circuit-rider with proper self-respect1 or wishing to give tone to his calling1 could afford to don anything else4 ,being young1 and somewhat ambitious to hold up the ministerial standard1 at least in appearance1 ,i determined to secure one as soon as ,i could get a few dollars ahead4 ,however1 the way opened for the gratification of my wish sooner than ,i had expected4 ,brother ,moses ,simons had one he didn't care to wear1 so ,i bantered him for a trade4 ,it was in first-class condition1 but entirely too large for me4 ,even after putting a roll of paper around under the lining1 it came down nearly to my ears4 ,what was ,i to do8 ,i must have a high-topped hat1 but was not able to purchase a new one4 ,at last ,i decided to wear it1 if my ears did occasionally protest against its close proximity to them4 ,it distinguished me from common people for the next two years1 and so answered well its purpose4 ,one day as ,i was riding up a little creek between two high hills ,i passed a group of urchins who evidently were unused to preachers4 ,they watched me in utter silence till ,i had passed them a few yards1 when one of them piped out1 8,lord1 what a hat40 ,no doubt they had an interesting story to relate to their parents when they returned to their humble cabin home4 ,not long after this ,i met a gentleman1 so-called1 in the road1 and bade him the time of day1 as was my custom4 ,he returned the salutation with1 8,how are you1 hat80 and passed on without another word4 ,to me this was exceedingly offensive1 for ,i was sure there was something in and under the hat1 and any such remark was an uncalled-for reflection upon my dignity and the high calling ,i represented4 ,i did not know the man1 and to the best of my knowledge have never seen him since1 but to this day1 though removed from the event more than a third of a century1 ,i harbor the thought that if ,i ever do run across him ,i shall demand some sort of reparation for the insult4 ,the annual conference met in ,pennsboro1 ,bishop ,weaver presiding4 ,during the year ,i had improved much in health1 owing to my horseback exercise and the great amount of singing ,i did1 which doubtless had much to do with the development of lung muscle4 ,at conference ,i went before the committee on applicants with eight others1 five of whom were referred back to their respective quarterly conferences for further preparation4 ,for some reason the examination was unusually critical4 ,one question propounded to each was1 8,do you seek admission into the conference simply to vote for a presiding elder80 ,there was some doubt in my case on a doctrinal point1 according to the report of the chairman1 ,rev4 ,w4 ,slaughter1 an erratic old brother4 ,he said the boy was all right1 except 8a little foggy on depravity40 ,possibly ,i was1 for ,i didn't think much of that portion of our creed4 ,however1 ,i see more in it1 and of it1 after all these years1 than ,i did then4 ,in the light of my observations and experiences with men1 ,i am not inclined to deny the doctrine4 ,i was appointed by this conference to ,lewis ,circuit1 an old1 run down field1 embracing parts of three counties4 ,rev4 ,isaac ,davis was sent along as a helper 8in the ,lord40 ,we had grown up together in the same neighborhood1 and were members of the same congregation4 ,he was a young man of sterling moral qualities1 and proved himself a loyal and valuable coworker4 ,after spending a few days with our parents and friends1 we started1 early in ,april1 for the scene of toil to which we had been assigned for the year4 ,from the day we left home we ceased not to pray that the ,lord of the harvest would give us at least one hundred souls as trophies of his grace1 and to that end we labored constantly4 ,we found the following regular appointments3 ,glady ,fork1 ,hinkleville1 ,union ,hill1 ,little ,skin ,creek1 ,white ,oak1 ,waterloo1 ,indian ,camp1 ,walkersville1 ,braxton1 and ,centerville4 ,soon we added two more1 namely1 ,bear ,run and ,laurel ,run4 ,the charge agreed to pay us #baj1 but fell a little short1 reaching only #agj4 ,of this ,i received #ij1 and ,brother ,davis the remaining #hj4 ,the assessment for missions was #be1 and about #aj for other purposes1 which we regarded as a pretty high tax for benevolences4 ,yet the entire amount was raised after a most vigorous and thorough canvass of all the appointments4 ,as ,i now remember1 no one gave more than twenty-five cents4 ,our protracted meetings lasted more than six months1 and resulted in the reception of one hundred and one persons into church fellowship4 ,while in the revival at ,hinkleville1 a great shout occurred one night over the conversion of some far-famed sinners1 during which the floor of the church gave way and went down some two feet4 ,before dismissing the people1 ,i announced that we would meet and make repairs the next day4 ,at the appointed time it seemed that nearly all the men and boys in the country round about were on hand1 ready to render what service they could in repairing the house of the ,lord4 ,this was a revival of far-reaching influence4 ,the country for miles around was thoroughly stirred4 ,one of the leading men became interested one night1 and decided upon a new life4 ,as he approached the church the next day he heard us singing what was then a very popular song--8,will the ,angels ,come80 ,the words and melody fairly charmed him1 and kindled new hope in a life that had been given over to sin4 ,as he opened the church door1 the key of faith opened his heart's door to the ,savior1 and he rushed down the aisle to tell us of his wonderful experience4 ,it was all victory that morning4 ,the conversion of such a man profoundly affected the people1 and led to many more decisions for ,christ4 ,during this meeting my colleague arose one evening to preach4 ,as he had the test1 with book1 chapter1 and verse all by heart1 he did not open his ,bible1 but began by saying1 8,you will find my text in ,revelation1 third chapter1 and twentieth verse40 ,just then an apple fell through a hole in his coat-pocket on to the floor4 ,as he stooped to pick it up1 another fell out4 ,returning them to his pocket1 he again started--8,revelation1 third chapter and twentieth verse10 when suddenly the two restless apples dropped out again4 ,after picking them up1 he started in the third time1 8,you will find my text in10--but all was gone4 ,he couldn't even think of ,revelation4 ,the audience was at the point of roaring1 so in the midst of his confusion he turned to me and said1 8,brother ,weekley1 what is my text8 ,i don't know what nor where it is40 ,i answered1 8,behold1 ,i stand at the door and knock40 8,yes1 yes10 he said1 8,i remember it now10 and proceeded with his discourse1 but did not recover that evening from the knock-out blow he had received4 ,preaching through such a long revival campaign was no easy thing1 when ,i had only a few sermons in stock1 and these were all 8home made40 ,i think the material in them was all right1 but the mechanical construction was not according to any particular rule4 ,i endeavored to give my hearers plenty to eat1 but ,i did not understand how to serve the food in courses4 ,it was like putting a lot of hominy1 and pork1 and cabbage1 and beans into the same dish1 and saying to the people1 8,here it is2 help yourselves40 ,but as a few sermons could not be made to last indefinitely1 ,i was compelled to apply myself to study1 no little of which was done on horseback4 ,every itinerant in ,west ,virginia at that time had to do the same thing4 ,while this method of study was not the most desirable1 it nevertheless had its redeeming features4 ,ofttimes1 after riding a dozen or fifteen miles over rough1 hilly roads1 ,i would alight1 hitch my horse1 and while the weary animal was resting1 mount a log near by and practice to my heart's content the sermon ,i was preparing for my next appointment4 ,again and again did ,i make the welkin ring as ,i preached to an audience of great trees about me4 ,does this appear amusing to the reader8 ,do you doubt that such experiences ever occurred8 ,if so1 ask some of the earlier preachers of the conference who are yet living if they ever did such a thing while circuit-riding among the mountains4 ,did we ever feel lonesome as we traversed the forests or climbed the hills8 ,not for a moment4 ,it was an inspiring place to be4 ,the birds sing so sweetly there4 ,the gurgling1 murmuring streamlets are ever musical as they steal their way along through gulches1 over their rocky beds4 ,the scenery is sublime4 ,nature's book stands wide open1 and abounds with richest lessons and illustrations4 ,no wonder ,glossbrenner and ,markwood1 ,warner and ,howe1 with a host of others1 could preach6 ,the very mountains amid which they were born and reared conspired to make them lofty characters1 and majestic in their pulpit efforts4 ,while ,union ,biblical ,seminary1 and our colleges generally1 are grand1 helpful schools1 let it not be forgotten that 8,brush ,college0 is not without its advantages1 and should be given due credit for the inspiration and rugged manliness it imparts to its students4 ,my home this year was with ,brother ,james ,hull1 on the headwaters of ,french ,creek1 fully forty miles from the nearest railroad station4 ,mother ,hull was one of ,god's noble women4 ,she professed sanctification1 and lived it every day4 ,i can never forget her helpfulness to me1 a mere child in years and service4 ,i must see her in heaven4 ,if ,i returned home after each ,sabbath's work1 it required one hundred and fifty miles travel to make one round of the circuit4 ,my associate also had a good home on another part of the charge2 but unfortunately for him1 and for some others as well1 his zeal led him into trouble4 ,brother ,mike ,boyles1 with whom he stayed1 was a good1 true man1 and was ever delighted to have a preacher with him4 ,one ,sunday he went to see a friend a few miles distant1 and innocently carried home on his horse a large1 nice1 well-matured pumpkin4 ,his purpose1 no doubt1 was to prepare a special dish for his guest2 but his preacher was not pleased with such an infraction of the ,sabbath law4 ,a short while after this he discoursed in the neighborhood church on the text1 8,i stand in doubt of you40 ,among other things1 he said he stood in doubt of a church-member who would go visiting on ,sunday and carry 8pumpkins0 home with him4 ,brother ,boyles very naturally made the application a personal one1 and ever afterward refused to be reconciled4 ,during the year ,i married two couples4 ,one of the men was a horse buyer1 and was considered 8away up0 financially4 ,of course ,i expected no insignificant sum for my services2 it ought to have been ten dollars or more2 but let the reader imagine1 if he can1 my disappointment1 if not disgust1 when he handed me forty cents in 8shinplasters40 ,by 8shinplasters0 ,i mean a certain kind of currency which circulated during our civil strife in the early sixties1 in the form of five1 ten1 twenty-five and fifty cent certificates4 ,speaking of this wedding recalls the fact that it was on this circuit1 while visiting my uncle the year before1 that ,i married my first couple4 ,i remember1 too1 that ,i approached the occasion with great trepidation4 ,it was an awful task4 ,but the eventful hour finally came4 ,the parsonage1 so called1 where the nuptials were to be celebrated1 was a log cabin of one room4 ,the kitchen1 which stood several feet from the main building1 was the only place offered in which to arrange the toilet4 ,at last ,i stood before the young couple and began the ceremony1 which ,i had committed to memory4 ,yes1 ,i had it sure1 as ,i thought4 ,i had gone over it twenty times or more4 ,in practising for the occasion ,i had joined trees and fence stakes1 and ,i know not what all1 together2 but at the very moment when ,i needed it1 and couldn't get along without it1 the whole thing suddenly left me4 ,there ,i was4 ,after an extended pause and a most harrowing silence ,i rallied1 and began by saying1 8,we are gathered together40 ,just then my voice failed me2 it seemed impossible to make a noise1 even4 ,i fairly gasped for breath1 for that was the one thing ,i seemed to need most4 ,at last the effort was renewed4 ,how ,i got through ,i never knew4 ,i seemed to be in a mysterious realm1 where the unknowable becomes more incomprehensible1 and when all the past and future seem to unite in the present4 ,finally ,i wound up what seemed to be long-drawn out affair1 and pronounced the innocent couple man and wife4 ,i am glad they always considered themselves married4 ,i have but little recollection of what ,i did or said during the ordeal4 ,in fact1 ,i do not care to know1 since ,i am so far away from the occasion4 ,yes1 that was my first wedding4 ,the year was not without its material enterprises1 for we completed the churches at ,glady ,fork and ,waterloo1 repaired one at ,indian ,camp1 and started a new one at ,laurel ,run4 ,some of these stand yet as moral and religious centers1 and1 at times1 through the intervening years1 have been the scenes of great spiritual awakenings4 ,conference was held at ,new ,haven1 in ,mason ,county1 with ,bishop ,d4 ,edwards in the chair4 ,while our report was thought to be fairly good1 ,i asked for a change1 believing that ,i could do better work on another field4 ,the favor was granted1 and ,hessville ,mission assigned me as my third charge4 ,at the close of this year there were thirty-one ministers employed in the conference1 whose aggregate salary was #d1eea4gg1 or an average of #adg each4 ,the three presiding elders received1 all told1 #hdc4hc4 ,these figures indicate something of the sacrifices made by the men who gave themselves to the early work of building up the ,church in the ,virginias4 ,greater heroism of the apostolic type was never displayed by any of the sons of ,otterbein1 nor can any part of the country show greater achievements for the work done4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,hessville ,mission embraced portions of ,harrison and ,marion counties1 and was made up of the following preaching places3 ,quaker ,fork1 ,glade ,fork1 ,indian ,run1 ,big ,run1 ,little ,bingamon1 ,ballard ,school-house1 ,salt ,lick1 ,plumb ,run1 and ,paw-paw4 ,in all this territory we did not own a single church edifice4 ,by fall ,i had added ,dent's ,run1 ,bee ,gum1 and ,glover's ,gap1 making twelve appointments in all4 ,at the last named place ,i held a revival in a union church4 ,the meeting was good1 and telling most favorably upon some of the best families of the town1 when an unknown miscreant at an early morning hour applied the torch and reduced the building to ashes4 ,all ,i lost in the conflagration was my ,bible and hymn-book4 ,moving into a schoolhouse near by1 the meeting was continued1 and a class organized4 ,by the middle of the winter there had been sixty-five accessions1 but from that on till spring ,i had to lay by on account of measles4 ,at ,little ,bingamon we had a great meeting4 ,the entire community was deeply stirred4 8,aunt ,susan0 ,martin was my main helper and standby4 ,while devout in life1 and strong in faith1 she had a blunt1 honest way of saying things which often amused the people4 ,at this meeting two of her children made a start4 ,one was a son of some fifteen winters4 ,he literally wore himself out by his night and day pleadings at the altar1 and became so hoarse that he could scarcely talk4 ,his mother was greatly agitated over his condition1 and grew exceedingly anxious to see the intense struggle terminated4 ,one evening she bowed at the altar with him that she might1 through instruction1 show him a better way4 ,she did not believe that bodily exercise could be made to avail anything in seeking salvation4 ,finally1 for a moment1 she lost her patience1 and said1 8,now1 if you don't quit this kind of praying you will kill yourself4 ,stop it1 ,i tell you1 or ,i'll box your ears good4 ,the ,lord isn't deaf1 that you should #8holler' so loud40 ,then turning to her husband who1 at the time1 was a professed moralist1 though faithful in attending and supporting the church services1 she said3 8,george1 you ought to be ashamed of yourself4 ,not a word have you for this poor child4 ,now come and talk to him4 ,to stand and look on is no way to do40 ,the dear sister was right1 not only in thinking that the father ought to help the son1 but in protesting against unnecessary physical demonstrations in seeking religion4 ,it is not the loud praying or constant pleading that saves men1 but faith in the world's ,redeemer4 ,rev4 ,h4 ,r4 ,hess1 one of the leading ministers in the ,west ,virginia ,conference1 was soundly converted and received into the church during this meeting4 ,what a good home ,i had while on this charge6 ,brother ,daniel ,mason1 a father in ,israel1 whose life was as pure as a sunbeam1 took me to his home and heart1 and treated me very much as the ,shunammite did ,elisha4 ,he built me a little room on his porch1 and put therein a bed1 bookcase1 table1 and candlestick4 ,the worth of such a place to a young minister is next to incalculable4 ,twice a day he read the ,word and prayed4 ,he was on good terms with his ,lord1 and talked to him with the greatest assurance4 ,some of the sweetest memories of my earlier ministry cluster about this ,christian home4 ,the fruition of the upper and better life he now enjoys as the reward of his faith1 service1 and devotion while here below4 ,the circuit agreed to pay me #ajj1 and kept its contract4 ,the first quarter ,i received #ad4ha1 the second1 #ah4ce2 the third1 #ag4ge2 and the last #di4je4 ,the conference added #ej1 which pushed my support up to #aej4 ,with this salary1 much above the average for a single man1 ,i could afford to pay #ba4ej for a new suit of clothes1 and #d for a new 8two-story0 silk hat4 ,on my way to conference a few days were spent with friends in the home neighborhood4 ,rev4 ,e4 ,lorenz1 father of the music writer1 was living and preaching in ,parkersburg at this time4 ,he had organized a ,german congregation1 and held services in the lecture-room of our ,english church4 ,the ,committee on ,entertainment sent me to stay with him during the conference session which was held in the city4 ,thoughts of that superlatively ,christian home linger with me to this day4 ,i shall never forget how parents and children bowed together in prayer1 morning and evening1 and how each took part in the devotions4 ,too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the importance of prayer in the home4 ,nothing else1 on the human side1 so anchors the family and builds up character4 ,the fact that the fire has died out on so many domestic altars is1 itself1 proof that family religion does not receive the attention it once did4 ,at this conference ,i was permitted to pass the second and third years' course of reading1 which put me in the class to be ordained4 ,i can never blot from memory the prayer offered by the lamented ,doctor ,warner at the ordination service4 ,he seemed to pour out his very soul in petition to ,god for the young men being set apart to the work of the ministry4 ,i wept like a child while he thus prayed1 and anew pledged to ,jesus and the ,church the service of my life4 ,grafton at this time was constituted a mission station1 and made my field for the coming year4 ,the town then 7#ahgc7 had a population of about three thousand souls1 and was located mainly on a steep hillside4 ,in fact1 it stands about the same way yet1 though containing several thousand more people4 ,we had no church-house1 and no organization1 though there were a few members scattered through the place4 ,seventy-five dollars were appropriated by the conference toward my support4 ,a preaching-place called 8,old ,sandy10 some twelve miles distant1 was also given me4 ,here we had a gracious revival4 ,i later took up two more points--,maple ,run and ,glade ,run--and organized a class at each4 ,at the close of the year these country classes were formed into a separate charge1 and became self-supporting4 ,illustration3 ,w4 ,m4 ,,weekley1 ,thirty ,years of ,age ,presiding ,elder ,at ,grafton the work progressed slowly1 and with some difficulty for a time4 ,a friend gave us1 free of charge1 the use of a church-house which1 by some means1 had fallen into his hands4 ,the first thing was to organize a ,sabbath school1 which started off well4 ,when certain church partisans saw the outlook1 they offered to take part in the school1 and adroitly got possession of the offices4 ,when ,i discovered the real situation1 ,i determined to bring the matter of control to an issue1 and did4 ,i deliberately stated that ,i had been sent there to organize a ,united ,brethren ,church and ,sabbath school1 and proposed to carry out my instructions4 ,i was pleased to have teachers and other helpers from sister denominations join in the work1 ,i added1 but the school would be reported to my conference4 ,the result is easily imagined4 ,our friends1 so-called1 suddenly dropped out1 and from that day to this the identity of the school has never been questioned4 ,the seventy-five dollars appropriated by the conference was about all ,i received1 and twenty-five dollars of that went in a lump to the centennial fund4 ,if a kind family had not taken me in1 free of cost1 ,i could not have remained the year through4 ,for the second year the support given was about the same4 ,the third year there were two of us to support1 hence a special effort had to be made to increase the pay4 ,three hundred and twelve dollars was the amount actually received1 eighty dollars of which was paid on rent2 but we lived well2 no such thing as want seemed to be within a thousand leagues of our humble home4 ,we were thankful for cheap furniture and home-made carpet4 ,yea1 more1 we were happy4 ,god's ravens carried us our daily portion4 ,in the early spring of #ahge1 we began the erection of a chapel which cost1 lot and all1 #b1hjj4 ,but a part of it had to be built the second time4 ,just as the frame was up and ready for roof and siding1 a storm passing that way piled it in a promiscuous heap4 ,this occurred on the seventeenth of ,july4 ,immediately1 however1 the work of reconstruction was undertaken1 and the edifice was completed in early fall1 and dedicated by ,doctor ,warner4 ,such experiences try a young man's nerve and purpose1 but invariably prove a blessing when the difficulties accompanying them are overcome4 ,that year ,i took up an appointment at the ,poe ,school-house1 two miles out of town1 and organized a class4 ,in those days the preacher was expected to look around for new openings1 no matter where he was or how large his field2 there is no other way to expand4 ,my criticism of many of our young preachers to-day is that they do not try to enlarge their work4 ,they seem never to look beyond the nest into which the conference settles them4 ,they will live on half salary1 and whine about it all year1 rather than get out and look up additional territory4 ,under fair conditions1 the young man who is devout and active can secure a good living on any field4 ,faith and purpose and push will win every time4 ,the year closed with fifty-three members1 and ninety-five in the ,sunday school4 ,the conference again convened in ,parkersburg1 with ,david ,edwards this time as bishop--the last session he ever presided over4 ,at this period the battle in the ,church over the secrecy question was waxing warm4 ,west ,virginia had lined up on the liberal side4 ,the bishop1 being pronouncedly 8anti0 in his views1 determined to enforce the rules of the ,church in the matter of admitting applicants into the conference4 ,a brother who appeared for license was known to belong to some fraternal order1 so the good bishop held him up4 ,this brought on a crisis4 ,all was excitement4 ,some things1 it was clear1 would have to be settled then and there1 and they were4 ,doctor ,warner arose1 in the midst of the flurry1 and demanded that the young brother be sent to the appropriate committee1 which he said was thoroughly competent to deal with the question4 ,the bishop was on his feet also with the fire of determination fairly flashing in his eyes4 ,however1 when he fully realized that1 with an exception or two1 the entire body was against him1 he gracefully yielded1 thus happily bringing the unfortunate conflict to a close4 ,by morning1 matters had again assumed a normal condition1 and the bishop kindly requested that all reference to the controversy be expunged from the records4 ,notwithstanding ,bishop ,edwards' somewhat radical position on the secrecy question1 he was greatly loved by all our brethren1 and by none was his death more sincerely mourned4 ,on ,sunday he preached on ,elijah's translation2 a few days thereafter he was himself translated4 ,from ,grafton ,i was sent to ,new ,haven circuit1 in ,mason ,county1 one hundred and sixty miles west4 ,to get there ,i was compelled to borrow twenty-five dollars4 ,dr4 ,j4 ,l4 ,hensley kindly entertained us until a house could be found2 for as yet there was not a parsonage in the conference4 ,this was considered one of the best fields we had4 ,the first year it paid me four hundred and sixteen dollars1 and the next1 four hundred and twenty-seven dollars1 with a few presents in the shape of vegetables1 groceries1 and the like4 ,of course1 ,i paid rent out of this--thirty-six dollars one year1 and fifty the other4 ,i had only four appointments--,new ,haven1 ,bachtel1 ,union1 and ,vernon1 and these were close together4 ,during the two years1 one hundred and thirty were received into the ,church4 ,the next conference was held at ,bachtel1 which gave me my first experience in caring for such a body4 ,bishop ,weaver presided and preached the word mightily on ,sunday4 ,he had been popular even since his first visit to that section1 in #ahgj4 ,by request of ,hon4 ,george ,w4 ,murdock1 a wealthy business man in ,hartford ,city1 three miles west1 he went down there and preached in our church on ,sunday evening4 ,mr4 ,murdock was an ardent admirer of the bishop4 ,six years before he had entertained him in his home1 and was charmed by him as a preacher and conversationalist4 ,after spending the first hour with him1 he slipped into the kitchen and said3 8,wife1 he is the most wonderful man ,i ever met4 ,do come in and hear him talk40 ,the old gentleman never forgot the bishop's sermon on ,sunday4 ,for weeks afterward he would talk about it in his store1 and elsewhere1 sometimes in tears1 nearly always ending with the observation1 8,he is a wonderful man40 ,it might not be out of place to note here that the good bishop more than once shared the benefactions of his wealthy friend4 ,during my second year on this charge1 a peculiar and most trying experience came to our home4 ,a great revival was going on at the ,union appointment4 ,the altar was nightly crowded with earnest seekers1 some of whom belonged to the best families in the community4 ,early one morning a young man came hurriedly to the place where ,i was stopping1 and calling me out1 said1 8,mr4 ,weekley1 ,i have been sent to tell you that your babe is dead40 ,hastening home ,i found the faithful mother watching at the side of the withered flower1 and anxiously awaiting my coming4 ,how loving the ministry of friends had been2 nor did their tender interest abate a whit until the little lifeless form was put away to sleep in the cemetery on the hillside1 in the family lot of ,dr4 ,hensley4 ,the reader may be anxious to know what ,i did under the circumstances4 ,there was but one thing to do1 that was to seek the guiding hand of duty4 ,our little one was gone4 ,just as the thoughtful florist takes his tender plants into their winter quarters before the frost appears1 or the chilling winds sweep the plains1 so a wise1 loving1 merciful ,father had plucked up the little vine which had rooted itself so thoroughly and deeply in our hearts1 and transplanted it in his own heavenly garden4 ,yes1 ,charley was safe2 so ,i returned to my meeting with a tender spirit1 and the work continued with great power4 ,more than one preacher who reads this incident will recall the time1 or times1 when he1 too1 passed under the cloud1 and walked amid the shadows4 ,again and again ,i have been made to feel that some people do not sympathize with the minister and his wife1 as they do with others1 when the death angel tarries and lays his withering hand upon a young life4 ,somehow they seem to think that the cup1 when administered to the preacher's family1 is not so bitter--that the thorn does not pierce so deeply4 ,but ,i know better1 and so do a thousand others4 ,it is said of ,dr4 ,daniel ,curry1 a great man in ,methodism in his day1 that he was so grieved over the death of his little boy that after returning home from the cemetery he went into the back yard1 and observing his little tracks in the sand1 got down on his hands and knees and kissed them4 ,words cannot express my sympathy for the faithful pastor and his family1 and my admiration of that faith1 devotion1 and heroism which in so many instances are necessary to keep them in the work4 ,mason ,county was one of the first fields occupied by the ministers who crossed the ,alleghanies westward4 ,among these were ,g4 ,w4 ,statton1 ,j4 ,bachtel1 and ,moses ,michael4 ,however1 prior to this1 preaching had been kept up on the ,virginia side by pastors of the ,scioto ,conference4 ,the main one was ,jonas ,frownfelter1 whose name deserves a place alongside the heroes enumerated in the eleventh chapter of ,hebrews4 ,on one occasion1 when the ,ohio ,river was out of its banks1 and too dangerous for the ferryman to venture across1 he plunged in a little below the town of ,syracuse1 swam his horse across1 and came out at ,hartford ,city1 a half mile below1 singing like a conqueror3 8,from every stormy wind that blows1 ,from every swelling tide of woes1 ,there is a calm1 a sure retreat10 etc4 ,all honor to those who put their sweat1 and tears1 and blood into the foundations of the conference1 thus enabling others to build safely and successfully4 ,early in the fifties a paper known as the ,virginia ,telescope1 was started in ,west ,columbia1 ostensibly in the interest of the whole ,church1 but later developments proved that the object was to organize a ,southern ,united ,brethren ,church1 making the slavery question the basis of the separation4 ,when the presiding elder1 ,g4 ,w4 ,statton1 became aware of its purpose1 he threw his official influence against its continuance1 and succeeded1 by the aid of others1 in eliminating it as a disturbing factor4 ,the reader will pardon me for taking up these early historical threads1 woven long before my day as an itinerant1 but ,i have done so with the view to preserving in permanent form interesting facts not generally known1 and nowhere written into the history of the ,church4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,in ,march of #ahgh1 the conference assembled in ,grafton1 with ,bishop ,j4 ,j4 ,glossbrenner as its presiding officer4 ,at this session the brethren greatly surprised me by electing me one of the presiding elders4 ,no thought of such a thing had ever entered my mind4 ,i could not see the propriety of putting a young man1 not yet twenty-seven1 over men of age1 ability1 and experience1 hence it was with no little diffidence that ,i accepted the ,west ,columbia ,district1 in the bounds of which ,i had already worked two years4 ,the district contained only eleven charges1 but these were widely scattered1 embracing all or parts of ,cabell1 ,mason1 ,jackson1 ,wood1 ,putnam1 ,kanawha1 and ,roane counties1 and were as follows3 ,milton1 ,point ,pleasant1 ,cross ,creek1 ,thirteen1 ,jackson1 ,red ,house1 ,fair ,plain1 ,sandy1 ,new ,haven1 ,wood1 and ,hartford ,city4 ,later1 ,walton was added4 ,the salary assessed the district was #dbe2 out of this ,i had to pay traveling expenses1 provide a house to live in1 and pay a hired girl4 ,under such conditions ,i could afford a house of only three rooms4 ,i never believed in a preacher1 or any one else1 for that matter1 living beyond his income4 ,debt is an awful devil for the itinerant to contend with1 and should be avoided at all hazard4 ,in all the years of my ministry ,i have never left a pastoral charge or district owing any one thereon a nickel4 ,if a man is fit to be a preacher1 debt will distract his mind and put a thorn in his pillow2 it cannot be otherwise with a sensitive nature4 ,god save our young men from the habit and curse of debt-making4 ,no little of my travel1 while on the district1 was by boat on the ,ohio and ,big ,kanawha rivers4 ,only one of my fields was touched by a railroad1 and that was sixty miles from where ,i lived4 ,my custom was to go by boat to the point nearest the place of the quarterly meeting1 and then walk the remaining distance1 whether it be five or twenty-five miles4 ,often ,i might have secured conveyance for the asking1 but ,i felt that it was humiliating to be always annoying somebody for favors1 nor have ,i changed an iota in all these years in this regard4 ,if a preacher wants to make himself a nuisance among his parishioners1 he can easily do so by constantly making demands upon them which look to his own comfort and that of his family4 ,many a time ,i walked from twelve to fifteen miles in a day1 held quarterly conference1 and preached twice4 ,occasionally the distance would stretch out to twenty miles4 ,i did not mind the labor so much as ,i did the suffering from sore feet2 walking in the hot sun or over frozen roads1 hour after hour1 often caused them to blister and bleed4 ,in these experiences ,i was not alone2 many others1 some of whom yet live1 suffered the same or kindred hardships4 ,in ,february of #ahgi ,i was called home to my father's4 ,after a day or two ,i tried to return1 but upon reaching ,parkersburg found the river so frozen and clogged with ice that the boats could not run4 ,it was ,thursday afternoon4 ,my quarterly was at ,oakhill1 fully forty miles distant1 the next ,saturday at two o'clock4 ,the roads were badly frozen and almost impassable4 ,when ,i saw the situation ,i determined to make the trip overland as best ,i could2 if ,i could not find assistance along the way1 ,i would walk it4 ,leaving the city at four o'clock1 ,i traveled on till darkness overtook me1 when ,i turned aside and knocked at the door of a humble cabin and asked for lodging1 which was cheerfully granted2 but ,i had made only a few miles4 ,in addition to the rough roads1 ,i was burdened with a good-sized grip and overcoat4 ,the next morning at daydawn ,i resumed my journey4 ,once during the day ,i rode two or three miles in somebody's sled1 but beyond this ,i got no help4 ,long after the dinner hour ,i secured a cold lunch1 which the reader may be assured was relished by a tired1 hungry man4 ,an hour before sundown ,i reached ,sandyville1 where a warm supper was enjoyed at a little hotel4 ,still ,i was fifteen miles away from the point for which ,i was aiming1 and felt that ,i could go no farther without help2 but a kind friend generously agreed to loan me his horse to ride as far as ,ripley1 seat of justice for ,jackson ,county1 from which place the mail-carrier was to lead it back the next day2 but the poor animal was shoeless1 and went crippling along at a snail's gait over the rough ground4 ,two miles distant ,i had to cross ,sandy ,creek1 and found it partly frozen over4 ,it was too dark to discern the danger of fording the stream4 ,after repeated efforts1 ,i succeeded in getting the horse on to the ice1 but as quick as a flash it fell broadside1 pitching me--,i never knew where nor just how far2 but the horse beat me up1 turned its head homeward1 and disappeared in the darkness4 ,what did ,i do8 ,well1 what almost anybody else would have done under like circumstances4 ,i took the back track and returned to the village where the animal belonged1 and found that it had returned in good order4 ,the next morning my feet were so sore that ,i could not wear my shoes1 but was fortunate in securing a pair of arctics in which to travel the rest of the journey4 ,by noon ,ripley was reached1 where conveyance was secured which enabled me to make the place of meeting and call the conference on schedule time4 ,some one may suggest that ,i was foolish for making such an effort to reach the quarterly when nothing apparently unusual was at stake2 maybe ,i was1 but such was my way of doing4 ,i always believed that a preacher ought to fill his engagements promptly unless providentially hindered1 and then he ought to be fair enough not to blame providence with too much2 but few days are ever too cold and stormy1 or nights too dark to keep a man from his appointments if he is anxious to preach the word and minister to his people4 ,i here record the fact1 with feelings of satisfaction and pride1 that in more than a third of a century ,i have not disappointed a dozen congregations4 ,as ,i see it1 a preacher succeeds in his work just as business or other professional men succeed in their respective callings4 ,he must bestir himself1 and permit no obstacle to get between him and duty2 any other policy means failure4 ,at it everywhere and all the time1 and keeping everybody else at work1 are the only ways to win for the ,church and maintain a good conscience before ,god4 ,conference met in ,hartford ,city4 ,the chart showed that a good year had been enjoyed1 #a1ced new members being reported4 ,of this number1 #ece were credited to ,west ,columbia ,district4 ,the second year on the district was like unto the first--full of toil1 responsibility1 and peril betimes4 ,as an indication of what was required of a presiding elder in order to aid his pastors and keep the work of the district well in hand1 ,i relate the following experience3 ,a rainy winter morning found me on ,milton ,circuit--the last charge in the southwestern part of the conference4 ,i had an appointment that evening at ,cross ,creek1 thirty-five miles east4 ,the mud in some places was knee deep to my horse1 but on and on ,i traveled1 over hills and along meandering streams1 sometimes walking myself up and down steep places in order to relieve my weary horse4 ,at last1 when it was nearly dark1 ,i halted on the bank of the great ,kanawha1 opposite the town of ,buffalo4 ,but how was ,i to get across the threatening stream8 ,the ice lay piled in great heaps on either shore2 the man who tended the ferry hesitated to come after me when ,i called to him1 but he was given to understand that in some way ,i must be gotten over4 ,finally he agreed to make the attempt1 and after hard rowing1 landed me on the opposite side but below the regular coming-out place1 and where the ice was badly gorged4 ,then the real difficulty of the venture was apparent4 ,we had to get the horse up over the great blocks of ice that lay at the water's edge1 and it was to two of us an exciting time2 no one can describe it on paper4 ,holding on to the animal1 pulling my best at the bridle-rein all the while1 the ferryman pushing with all his might1 we finally scrambled over the ice and through narrow passageways until a place of safety was reached4 ,how thankful ,i felt when it was all over1 and how ,i loved that horse6 ,doctor ,warner used to tell how his faithful horse once swam an angry stream1 and that after the shore had been reached in safety he dismounted1 put his arms around the neck of his deliverer1 kissed his lips1 and wept for joy4 ,itinerating in the early days of the ,west ,virginia ,conference meant all this1 and sometimes much more4 ,when ,i got to the church1 two miles farther on1 ,i found the congregation waiting and ready to join in the service4 ,it might be stated1 in this connection1 that in those days the coming of the 8elder0 was an extraordinary event1 and seldom failed to bring out the entire community4 ,the following evening ,i had an engagement to preach at ,mount ,moriah1 still farther east some thirty miles4 ,it rained the day through4 ,a part of the journey ,i followed a single trail1 popularly known as a 8hog path40 ,such a route relieved me somewhat from the mud1 but1 being in the woods1 ,i could not carry an umbrella over me1 hence had to take the rain as it came2 but ,i must not disappoint the people4 ,they had my word for it that ,i would be there1 and the promise must be sacredly kept4 ,it was a little after dark when ,i caught a glimpse of the lights in the old log church2 but1 hold6 ,i suddenly found myself up against another serious difficulty--,parchment ,creek was out of its banks4 ,there seemed no show for getting over except to plunge in and swim my horse4 ,i hesitated2 already wet and cold1 ,i was loath to make the attempt4 ,i would have to carry my saddle-bags on my shoulder if ,i saved my ,bible1 hymn-book1 and sermons2 the water would come to my waist1 to say the least4 ,then another trouble appeared2 it was too dark to see the road or landing-place on the opposite side1 and ,i might drift below it with the current and not get out at all4 ,while thus cogitating1 ,i heard some boys talking on the other side as they were going to church4 ,calling to them1 ,i said1 8,boys1 can't you in some way help me over the creek80 8,who are you80 was the reply4 8,i'm the preacher10 ,i answered1 8and want to get to the church40 ,after a short consultation among themselves1 one of them shouted back1 8,all right2 we'll bring the skiff after you40 ,soon ,i heard them push out from the shore1 and in a few moments they landed near me4 8,now10 said one1 8you get in here with ,bill1 and ,i'll swim your hoss over10 and in less time than it takes to pen the happenings1 he was in the saddle on his knees and starting for the water4 ,did he get over safely8 ,yes1 indeed2 he entered the stream above the usual place of going in1 hence the horse swam1 not against the current1 but at an angle with it4 ,in every way possible ,i thanked those boys for their kindness to me1 for they had certainly kept me from putting my life in peril4 ,if they are still living and should happen to glance over these pages1 they will readily recall the event4 ,the church was nearly full of people1 and ,i certainly enjoyed preaching to them4 ,the great ,father had been graciously with me to guide my ways and to protect my life4 ,how glad ,i will be if1 on the morning of the eternal to-morrow1 ,i shall find that the service that evening helped some soul heavenward6 ,rev4 ,w4 ,w4 ,rymer1 over thirty years ago1 nearly lost his life in this same region on account of high waters4 ,his horse either could not or would not swim1 but plunged furiously when beyond his depth4 ,the heroic itinerant stayed in the saddle as long as he could1 but was finally dislodged and went down4 ,in the midst of it all he retained his presence of mind and aimed for the nearest shore1 which was not far away4 ,being unable to swim1 he crawled on the bottom a part of the way1 and at last found himself where he could stand with his head above the water4 ,the horse1 fortunately1 came out on the same side4 ,commenting on the incident1 ,mr4 ,rymer says3 8,after my deliverance1 it was clear to me that ,i had been near death's door1 and also near heaven4 ,two thoughts followed2 one was3 #8,if ,i had not escaped1 ,i would now be in glory1' and ,i confess ,i felt good over the reflection4 ,the other was3 #8,no1 it is better that ,i got out1 for if ,i had drowned1 my parents would have had great sorrow4' ,i took it all to mean that my work was not yet done1 and soon experienced great peace of mind4 ,almost thirty-one years have come and gone since then1 but the ruling purpose of my heart all the while has been to preach ,jesus4 ,before thirty-one years more have rolled around1 ,i shall have gone through death's river--yes1 through to the other side1 where ,i shall see my ,lord face to face40 ,let the reader be assured that there is a profound satisfaction in looking back to those times of trial and suffering1 of battle and victory1 when the ways of ,providence were so plain1 and when an unspeakable jay crowned the years of toil and service4 ,after another ride of twelve miles from ,mount ,moriah1 ,i reached my home in ,cottageville1 near the ,ohio ,river4 ,how inexpressibly delightful to be at home again with wife and little ones6 ,what a heavenly place home is when love and sunshine await the itinerant's coming6 ,while he ministers to them1 they also minister tenderly to him2 such mutual love and helpfulness is to be found nowhere else4 ,my support for the year consisted of #dbg4hc in salary and #bb4da in presents4 ,fifty dollars of this went for house rent1 and fully as much more for traveling expenses4 ,beside these outlays1 we kept hired help in the home all the time4 ,buckhannon1 ,upshur ,country1 was the seat of the next session of the conference4 ,the noble ,bishop ,glossbrenner was with us in the fullness of the ,spirit1 and charmed us with the warmth and sweetness of his gospel messages4 ,as recording secretary1 ,i edited a little 8daily10 which gave the proceedings of the conference4 ,this was the first and last attempt of the kind4 ,such an arrangement is nice1 to be sure1 and sounds well when we talk about it1 but it always costs more than it is worth4 ,the town papers are usually willing and anxious to report the work4 ,during the session a most amusing incident took place4 ,a colored brother by the name of ,waldo came to me at the noon hour on ,thursday1 and asked me to marry him that evening at eight o'clock4 ,i said1 8,waldo1 ,i cannot grant your request4 ,we have an evening session of conference1 and ,i must be there4 ,however1 if you will put it off till nine o'clock1 ,i will be on hand40 ,but to such an arrangement he would not agree4 ,the long-looked-for moment could not be delayed4 ,eight o'clock was the hour about which clustered the sweetest anticipations of his life4 ,the goal toward which he had striven must be reached and won on schedule time4 ,so1 with a twinkle of the eye1 characteristic of the negro1 he exclaimed3 8,good ,lawd6 the thing's gone too fah now2 no putting it off40 ,of course ,i had to arrange for another secretary under circumstances so vitally essential to the brother's happiness and welfare4 ,the reason why he chose me to perform the ceremony1 he said1 was because ,i had converted him eight years before4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the third year on the district brought the usual routine of duties and hardships4 ,by the help of ,brother ,john ,dodds1 who gave me fifty dollars1 ,i was enabled to purchase a horse and buggy1 paying #abe for the entire outfit4 ,this arrangement relieved me of much walking4 ,the horses and mules occasionally used during the previous years were borrowed or hired4 ,my muleback riding1 however1 was suddenly broken off by a rather painful incident which occurred one night4 ,striking a bit of good road1 ,i spurred the animal into a gallop1 but something happened2 its forelegs seemed to give way1 and it turned a complete somersault4 ,with my arms extended1 ,i went on1 like a flying-machine1 several feet before ,i struck the ground4 ,the fall nearly killed me4 ,i rolled about in agony for a while before ,i thought of the mule1 but when ,i was able to get up ,i observed the treacherous beast leisurely eating grass in the fence corner near by1 as if nothing had happened4 ,i never liked a mule after that1 and1 to the best of my knowledge1 have not been on one since4 ,i never thought it out of place to have a little innocent fun once in a while4 8,laugh and grow fat10 is an old adage which has more in it than some people suppose4 ,a long1 wry face is a poor sign of piety4 ,to assume a look of seriousness1 as though religion were made up of clouds and shadows and disappointments1 is a false representation of the ,christian life4 ,if any person on earth has a right to be cheerful and to smile all over his face1 it is the one who honestly endeavors to serve ,god1 and has his eyes throneward all the while4 ,yes-- 8,a little nonsense now and then ,is relished by the wisest men40 ,certainly1 then1 there is nothing wrong in those not so wise enjoying it4 ,one blustery ,march day1 after a long1 irksome ride over the hills1 ,i was passing a farm-house where two young lads were chopping wood4 ,here is an opportunity1 ,i thought1 to have a little sport2 so1 reining in my horse1 ,i called1 8,say1 boys1 can you tell me how far it is to where ,i want to go80 ,in an instant one of them replied1 8,yes1 sir2 three lengths of a fool2 get off and measure40 ,it was no time to talk back1 or to interpose objections to such rudeness with a presiding elder4 ,i had gotten myself into the difficulty1 so had to get out as gracefully as possible4 ,bidding them the time of day1 ,i passed on1 descanting in an undertone upon the subject of depravity1 and wondering what was to become of the rising generation4 ,since then ,i have deemed it wise to approach the average boy somewhat cautiously1 as one never knows when or in what direction his gun will go off4 ,about this time1 and perhaps in connection with this trip1 ,i had an amusing experience with a brother who appeared before the quarterly conference for license to preach4 ,when asked to state his views on depravity1 he frankly admitted that he did not fully understand the doctrine1 but said he believed that man was 8teetotally deprived40 ,before the examination was over the conference was clear in its judgment that it could not afford to credential a man who was deprived of common sense4 ,during the year it was my privilege and pleasure to convey the greetings of my conference first to the ,west ,virginia ,conference of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 and then to the ,baptist ,association of the ,state4 ,both were large1 influential bodies1 and received with marked cordiality the messenger sent by the ,united ,brethren4 ,while our people of the conference were loyal1 and believed in a robust1 aggressive denominationalism1 they were free from that narrow1 bigoted sectarianism which is so unlike the religion we profess4 ,they were cordial and generous in their treatment of others1 and always ready to grasp the hand of fellowship1 no matter by whom extended4 ,they believed in union1 and do yet4 ,as far back as #ahgj1 the following was spread upon the conference minutes3 8,,whereas1 ,the tendency of the times is toward a more intimate union among the various religious denominations of the country2 and1 whereas1 negotiations are now going on between the ,evangelical ,association and the ,united ,brethren in ,christ1 looking toward their union2 therefore1 8,resolved1 ,that we1 as a conference1 entertain the idea of such a union most favorably1 and hope that it can be effected on terms alike honorable to both denominations40 ,bishop ,glossbrenner again presided at the next session of conference1 which convened in ,parkersburg4 ,the aggregate salary reported by my district for pastoral support was #b1jcf1 and for the presiding elder1 #daa4ba4 ,the thirty-four pastors in the entire conference received1 all told1 #f1ece1 or an average each of #aib4 ,think of it1 ye who scan these lines6 ,men of ,god working twelve months for a pittance2 men of brains and character1 of devotion and heroism2 think1 too1 of their families6 ,the wife and mother at home continually1 with but few social1 or other advantages2 the little ones barefooted the year 'round1 and sometimes far removed from school and church--all that the husband and father might preach1 and win sinners to the ,cross4 ,glorious record1 this6 the dear ,lord has it in his book4 ,does some one ask how our men died8 ,like conquerors4 ,awhile before conference ,william ,h4 ,diddle1 my predecessor on the district1 and a comrade in toil1 was called to the heavenly home4 ,the end was beautiful1 and found his soul in rapture4 ,when far out in the river he shouted back1 8,do not be excited4 ,if this is death1 ,i am not afraid to die40 ,his life had been as pure as a sunbeam4 ,his unselfishness was a marvel to many4 ,he literally gave himself for the good of others1 and thus became one with his divine ,christ1 both in sacrifice and service4 ,as he entered the gates ,i think ,jesus said3 8,stand back1 ,gabriel2 stand back1 ,michael2 stand back1 all ye angelic hosts1 and make room for one who must be next only to myself40 ,what a change from a poor1 three-hundred-dollar circuit6 ,for the fourth time ,i was sent back to the district1 but ,i returned with the feeling that this must be the last year4 ,in my report to conference ,i had asked to be relieved from district work1 but the brethren did not see fit to grant the request4 ,i am1 and always have been opposed to long terms of office4 ,the duties entailed by positions of trust usually are such as to interfere with systematic study4 ,this is the main reason why many officials narrow down in their pulpit work to a few sermons4 ,they do not have time to prepare new discourses4 ,then there is a tendency among those who hold office1 whether in the annual conference or general ,church1 to develope a spirit of bossism1 which is incompatible with ,united ,brethrenism4 ,perhaps the men in office are not so much at fault as is the system which keeps them there4 ,they somehow get the notion that they must have a finger in everything1 and that nothing can be done exactly right without them4 ,there may be1 and are notable exceptions1 of course1 but they are few and widely separated4 ,having been elected to the ,general ,conference1 with ,z4 ,warner and ,e4 ,harper as associates1 ,i attended the meeting of that body which occurred in ,lisbon1 ,iowa1 the following ,may4 ,this was all new to me1 but the conference was hardly so interesting as were the vast prairies of ,illinois and ,iowa1 and the marvelous products of the great farms to be seen on every hand4 ,in feeding our horses and cattle in ,west ,virginia1 we almost invariably allotted to each just so many ears of corn4 ,even the swine we expected to butcher were given a daily allowance2 but in ,iowa ,i was surprised to see chickens1 hogs1 cattle1 and everything else given free access to the compile4 ,but such is their way of doing out ,west4 ,the rich soil is transmuted into corn1 the corn into pork and beef1 and these into gold1 which has developed on the material side a wonderful country4 ,during each of the four years ,i spent on the district1 we held a ministerial institute4 ,this portable school of the prophets was suggested by ,rev4 ,e4 ,harper1 now a presiding elder in ,north ,nebraska1 as far back as #ahge4 ,a whole week at a time would be spent in hearing recitations and lectures1 and the work was most thorough4 ,our studies embraced ,old and ,new ,testament history1 systematic theology1 ,christian ethics1 homiletics1 church history1 mental and moral philosophy1 ,english grammar1 the ,english ,bible1 etc4 ,some of the textbooks used were gone through again and again in the course of a few years4 ,we used charts1 maps1 the blackboard--in fact1 everything that would aid in the study of the ,word1 quicken a desire for knowledge1 and increase the preacher's efficiency in the pulpit4 ,dr4 ,warner was at first our main preceptor2 and what a teacher he was6 thorough1 clear1 and enthusiastic2 he knew what he wanted to say1 and how to say it4 ,he was mighty in the ,scriptures2 and as a pulpiteer and platform speaker had no equal in his conference1 and perhaps nowhere else in the ,church4 ,later1 others took part in the work of instruction1 which greatly pleased him1 relieving him of much of the burden assumed in the outset4 ,a resolution was adopted to the effect that any preacher who wilfully absented himself from these gatherings1 designed especially for his mental and moral improvement1 should be left without work until all others had been employed4 ,this policy was drastic1 to be sure1 but in the end it proved a blessing to our ministry4 ,much of the clerical material we had on hand was exceedingly raw1 but genuine1 nevertheless1 and susceptible of being wrought into a highly-finished and useful product4 ,one young brother affirmed1 publicly1 that the crucifixion occurred seventy years before the flood2 another1 in preaching on ,daniel in the lion's den1 said he didn't know how he got to ,babylon unless he had been shipwrecked4 ,both of these were good men1 and one of them proved very successful as an itinerant4 ,cases of such dense ignorance were rare1 of course1 but to such brethren the institute was of incalculable value1 as history1 geography1 chronology1 and other features of biblical study were made a specially4 ,but let no one be deceived into thinking that all1 or a majority were illiterates4 ,far from it ,some were giants in the pulpit1 and were heard with gladness by the multitudes4 ,one after another1 other conferences took up the institute idea1 until it prevails to-day in one form or another in nearly all the conferences1 and no doubt will remain a permanent fixture in the methods of the ,church4 ,the plan is a good one1 and commends itself especially to young men who are striving for self-improvement in the pulpit1 and along lines of practical work4 ,however1 before the institute should come the college and seminary4 ,at a time like the present1 when money is abundant1 and the beneficiary aid of the church may be drawn upon1 every one looking toward the ministry should seek and secure the help proffered by these great institutions4 ,the character and mission of any denomination depend upon the type of its preachers4 ,the ,united ,brethren ,church is no exception to this rule4 ,grafton was the seat of the next conference1 ,bishop ,j4 ,dickson directing its business4 ,the year had been fairly successful in various ways1 but the salaries remained exceedingly low4 ,over the conference they average #bjb4hh4 ,my own was #dcc4ah1 with the addition of #gd4ej in presents4 ,of the thirty-seven charges reported1 only two paid as much as #djj2 five paid from #cjj to #cej2 eleven from #bjj to #cjj2 while all the rest fell below #bjj4 ,but the brethren were ready and willing to try it again4 ,the secretary says at the close of the proceedings3 8,the unanimity among the preachers and delegates1 and the deep solicitude manifested by all for the prosperity of the conference1 made the entire session remarkably pleasant40 ,referring to the ,sabbath evening service1 he adds3 8,at the close a number of the ministers made brief remarks relative to their past hardships1 and bespoke the prayers of the conference for success during the coming year4 ,this part of the service was deeply affecting40 ,yes1 ,i remember the occasion well4 ,dr4 ,landis1 of the ,seminary1 was present1 and wept with the rest of us1 as he listened to the story of more than one who was willing to 8endure hardness as a good soldier of ,jesus ,christ40 ,the following will indicate the courageous attitude of the conference on questions of moral reform3 8,,whereas1 the use of tobacco is expensive1 filthy1 unnecessary1 and1 therefore1 an evil1 and1 8,,whereas1 it is especially unbecoming for ministers of the gospel to surrender to an acquired appetite1 defile the body1 the temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 and thus1 by example1 encourage the young to do likewise2 and1 8,,whereas1 this evil cannot be remedied so long as ministers freely and openly indulge in it1 therefore1 8,resolved1 #a4 ,that from this time forward no person be granted license to preach by this ,annual ,conference who persists in the use of tobacco4 8,resolved1 #b4 ,that all licentiates who indulge this habit be required to give it up before taking upon themselves the vows of ordination40 ,the significance of this action will be more fully appreciated when it is understood that ,west ,virginia is a tobacco-producing ,states and that its use1 in one form or another1 is pretty general among the people4 ,a report on temperance1 which mercilessly arraigned the liquor traffic1 and its political abetters1 was also adopted4 ,here is a sentence or two from it3 8,believing as we do that prohibition is both humane and holy1 we can have no sympathy for a policy1 or a ,christianity that ignores it at the ballot-box40 ,men who were willing to work for a pittance1 which meant that they and their families were to go scantily fed1 and half clothed1 all for the sake of redeeming their native ,state1 could not be expected to condone the offenses of the liquor dealer1 or to have decent respect for those who did4 ,illustration3 ,house ,where the ,bishop ,first ,went to ,housekeeping and ,where ,his ,first ,child ,was ,born1 ,grafton1 ,w4 ,va4 ,the next two years were spent in ,parkersburg4 ,during the first we had a blessed revival which continued several weeks2 in all1 more than seventy joined the ,church4 ,but during the second year the work was hindered by circumstances beyond human control4 ,a great sorrow came to our home4 ,by degrees the shadows deepened1 until the mother of my three children bade us a final adieu1 and pushed out into the unseen4 ,god pity and help the itinerant to whom such an experience comes6 ,but my own mother1 now of such precious memory1 was ready to take the little ones1 and to bestow upon them that wealth of care and love which never fails to enrich the life4 ,the next year was given to the financial management of the ,west ,virginia ,normal and ,classical ,academy1 located at ,buckhannon4 ,while the school did excellent work for a few years1 it eventually went down for want of material support4 ,in view of the losses and disappointments and alienations caused by its failure1 ,i am not sure that the conference did a wise thing in starting it4 ,little colleges have their advantages1 ,i grant1 but trying to operate one at every crossroads on faith and enthusiasm1 is too much of a good thing4 ,by consent of the conference ,i agreed to give a few months to the business management and associate editorship of the ,west ,virginia ,freeman1 the ,state prohibition organ4 ,during this period ,i made a partial canvass of the ,state in the interest of a prohibition amendment then pending4 ,it would require a whole chapter to tell of my experiences with the old political partisans1 some of whom fairly went into spasms at the very mention of prohibition4 ,our presidential candidate1 ,john ,p4 ,st4 ,john1 had defeated ,james ,g4 ,blaine1 so the ,republicans affirmed2 hence they were ready to vote against anything1 or anybody1 the angel ,gabriel not excepted1 who believed on any point as ,st4 ,john did4 ,many of these were ,christians1 so-called1 and some of them members of my own ,church4 ,i knew them well2 and be it said to their everlasting shame1 that they went against the amendment1 just as did every whiskyite in the ,state4 ,under our system of government the ballot has in it a moral element1 and therefore will meet us at the bar of final reckoning4 ,it not only has to do with our political1 industrial1 and educational affairs1 but with the church and family as well4 ,what show will a man have at the last day whose ballot has constantly belied his profession as a ,christian8 ,i have never been able to understand how he could enthrone his ,lord in the affairs of state by voting a ticket perfectly satisfactory to the drunkard-maker4 ,it remains for an allwise ,god to determine what disposition shall be made of these vicious ballots when the judgment day comes4 ,personally1 ,i have no respect for1 or confidence in any ,united ,brethren or member of any other church who1 knowingly1 votes for a man for any office who is opposed to my ,christ and the cause for which he stands4 ,being ever ready to 8speak my piece0 against the saloon and its allies1 ,i was constantly stirring up a 8hornet's nest0 over the business4 ,when ,i spoke against it1 whether in public or private1 ,i never hesitated to pay my respects to the machine politician1 since ,i regarded him and rum as closely related4 ,as the result1 some of the newspapers and office-seekers got after me with a vengeance4 ,this ,i confess was to my liking1 since ,i felt sure ,i was making at least some kind of impression upon them4 ,then it gave me a chance to answer their criticisms1 and puncture their fallacies4 ,the following extract from one of my replies may be of interest to the reader4 ,the principle laid down will always hold good3 8,all at once the saloonist and politician are becoming greatly concerned over the question of #8pure and undefiled religion'2 and well they may1 for if religion is effectually taken into politics they will as certainly go out4 ,this they fully understand1 hence yell themselves hoarse in trying to divert attention when the pulpit begins to let the light in upon their devilish business4 ,while a man is a minister of the gospel1 he is also a citizen in common with other men4 ,the fact that he pays taxes1 lives under1 and is subject to the laws of our commonwealth1 makes him such4 ,then most assuredly he has the same right as other men to be heard upon great political issues that affect the well-being of his country4 ,if not1 why not8 ,touching all moral and political affairs which have to do with the home1 the individual1 and the general good of the community1 the pulpit has ever stood at the front1 and so it ever will1 unless it sells out to the saloon4 8,the truth is1 under a government like ours1 presumably ,christian1 all political questions have a moral phase1 and to a greater or less extent involve the question of religion4 ,in other words1 every question in politics touches at some point the work of the pulpit1 therefore it is right and proper for the minister to discuss before his people1 prudently1 of course1 the moral bearings of all these issues4 ,there is nothing that the liquor ring1 and old-line politicians would rather do than to stifle the utterances of the pulpit1 for well they know that the molding of sentiment1 and the training of the moral forces by which the eternal ,god proposes to overthrow and dash in pieces their strength1 must there begin40 ,in ,may of this year1 #ahhe1 ,i attended my second ,general ,conference1 which met at ,fostoria1 ,ohio1 in company with ,z4 ,warner1 ,e4 ,harper1 and ,s4 ,j4 ,graham4 ,the occasion was an historic one4 ,radicalism was given a black eye2 the forces of the ,church were realigned1 and the clouds which had so long hung over our ,zion were pierced by the sunlight of a new day4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the time of holding the annual conference having been changed from spring to fall1 the next session was held at the ,simmons' chapel1 in ,lewis ,county4 ,i was again made presiding elder1 stationed on ,parkersburg ,district1 and soon moved to ,pennsboro1 where my headquarters remained for the next four years4 ,my diocese extended from ,parkersburg to ,irondale1 a distance1 east and west1 of one hundred and sixteen miles1 and from the ,ohio ,river on the north far interior to the south4 ,the fields embraced were ,parkersburg ,station1 ,parkersburg ,circuit1 ,volcano1 ,pennsboro1 ,troy1 ,middle ,island1 ,littles ,mills1 ,grafton1 ,irondale1 ,hessville1 ,tanner1 ,sylvan ,mills1 and ,smithton4 ,a vast amount of hard work1 ,i soon discovered1 would be necessary to make anything like a commendable showing in a territory so large and difficult to cultivate4 ,the first duty with me was to care for my preachers4 ,it was my notion then1 and my views have not changed in all these years1 that if a presiding elder wants his men to do good work he must1 first of all1 do his best for them financially4 ,if the salary was insufficient1 and it nearly always was1 as ,i have shown many times over1 it had to be supplemented in one way or another4 ,if the stewards were worthless1 ,i asked them to resign4 ,if they did not know how to collect1 ,i went along and instructed them as best ,i could4 ,in some cases we would canvass the entire neighborhood with a two-horse team and wagon1 and gather up flour1 corn1 potatoes1 chickens1 meat1 eggs1 sorghum1 butter--in a word1 anything and everything that could be used at the parsonage1 or exchanged for groceries4 ,when nothing better could be done1 ,i would load up my own horse with flour and meat and lead him to the preacher's home with his precious cargo of provisions4 ,then what a good time we would have6 ,some who are yet at work in the conference were helped in this way4 ,i also found it profitable to have the people on each field1 if at all possible1 make the pastor a present of a new suit of clothes each year4 ,the plan is usually a popular one1 and in most cases can be worked1 if placed in the hands of the right persons4 ,it is the equivalent of just so much extra cash to the preacher4 ,but with some it may be a query as to how ,i managed the indifferent pastor4 ,sometimes one way1 and sometimes another4 ,every presiding elder1 ,i suppose1 has his own methods4 ,my plan was first to aid and encourage him all ,i possibly could4 ,i tried to prove to him1 in a substantial way1 that ,i was his friend1 and wanted to help him make his work a success4 ,if1 after all this1 he persisted in being a failure1 ,i frankly told him he would have to drop out4 ,such a step requires courage1 ,i know1 but it must be taken once in a while4 ,no railroad company or any other business concern would think of employing inefficient1 untrustworthy men2 such a policy would be suicidal2 nor can an elder afford to supply his fields with those who are utterly devoid of fitness for a work so high and responsible4 ,a man may be a 8good fellow0 in many respects1 and promise to support his elder if continued in active service1 but these things should have no weight in the matter of appointments4 ,the welfare of the church should always be considered before that of the individual4 ,if either must go down1 let it be the preacher4 ,why put him in a position to chill1 discourage1 and perhaps wreck a whole charge8 ,nor should a man be employed if inefficient by reason of age or poor health4 ,the fact that a minister was once successful is no reason for continuing him indefinitely in the pastorate4 ,a record of usefulness1 ,i know1 is a crown of glory to any old1 worn-out toiler1 but with such glory he ought to be satisfied4 ,i have always hoped1 and still do1 that ,i may have sense and grace enough to retire of my own accord before my conference is compelled to put me on the shelf4 ,the church1 however1 should provide a comfortable living for her servants when they can no longer remain at the front4 ,they deserve such recognition1 and to withhold it is to sin against them and the ,god whose they are1 and whom they have served4 ,with reference to the presiding elder1 or superintendent1 ,i will further say that he is the most useful and important man we have if he does his duty faithfully2 otherwise he is the biggest bore in the church4 ,he is not a success if he does mere routine work and nothing more4 ,he must reach out4 ,he must be larger than his district1 yet strive all the while to make it as big as himself4 ,he must keep things going4 ,if resourceful1 he will always find a way to inspire and profit his men1 if there is anything in them to respond to his efforts4 ,if he is not a general1 he is not fit for the place4 ,he must go panoplied with helmet and breast-plate1 shield and sword1 ready to fight1 preach1 or die1 on a moment's notice4 ,how the church and pastor are to be pitied when compelled to suffer three or four official visits during the year from an old1 dry stick1 destitute of sympathy and enthusiasm4 ,the year was not without its incidents1 both serious and amusing4 ,during one of my quarterlies held in the ,big ,fishing ,creek region a fight occurred among some of the toughs as they went from church on ,saturday evening4 ,in an article to the county paper ,i took occasion to criticise1 rather sharply1 such behavior1 and emphasized the fact that the officers of law ought to do their duty in all such cases4 ,in fact1 the derelict officials were as severely arraigned as were the offending pugilists4 ,three months later ,i was in that section again2 after the ,sabbath morning services1 at ,mt4 ,olive1 ,i went to ,laurel1 some miles away1 to fill an evening appointment4 ,after riding quite a distance along a high ridge1 which overlooks all the country around it1 ,i turned down a little ravine which lead to ,laurelrun2 but suddenly my cogitations were interrupted by a big1 burly sixfooter1 who knew of my coming and was waiting for me4 ,stepping in front of my horse1 he blurted out1 8,are you the feller what wrote that piece in the paper about me80 ,i replied that ,i did not know who he was1 or what 8piece0 he referred to4 8,i'm one of them fighters you wrote about in the ,star10 he said1 8but what you writ wasn't true1 so ,i thought ,i would wait for you here40 ,in the meantime we were both moving slowly down the hill1 and he was at my side4 ,if ever ,i did hard1 double-quick thinking1 it was then4 ,i knew what he was there for1 and a general mix-up seemed inevitable4 ,i at once decided on a policy4 ,i would talk him out of any evil intent he might have1 if it were possible to do so2 if not1 and nothing else would suffice1 ,i would get off my horse and stay with him just as many rounds as ,i could1 with the hope that somebody might come along and help me out1 if help was needed4 ,i began to explain how and where ,i got my information1 and how ,i felt over such unbecoming conduct on the way from divine worship4 ,at this point he interjected the remark that my informant was a liar1 using adjectives and expletives which would not look well in print4 ,but ,i kept on with my speech1 using all the eloquence and fervor at my command4 ,i expatiated on the sacredness of worship1 and portrayed in the most vivid colors possible the beauty and praiseworthiness of the young man who honors the gospel1 and loves and lives in peace with all men4 ,though there was blood in his eye at the start1 ,i soon observed that ,i was gaining on him4 ,by and by he began to sanction what ,i said4 ,it was clear that ,i had his attention1 so ,i kept on talking something good to him until he finally stopped me as abruptly as when we first met1 saying1 8,wal1 ,i guess ,i'le go back4 ,i kinder thought ,i'd like to ax you about it4 ,good-by40 ,what a feeling of relief came to me as the fellow disappeared4 ,a scrap1 and possibly something worse1 had been avoided4 ,i at once decided1 however1 that the country editor thereafter would have to look elsewhere for information when such brawls occurred4 ,such a narrow escape from--,i did not know what--convinced me that at least in that particular locality the work of a newspaper correspondent was incompatible with that of a presiding elder4 ,it was on one of my visits to this same field that ,i made some of our own dear people very cross over a little verse1 purely original1 which ,i wrote on the blackboard4 ,nearly everybody used tobacco in some form4 ,many of the women were snuff dippers1 and smoked the pipe1 while nearly all the men either chewed or smoked1 or did both4 ,the stanza ran thus3 ,who can chew the dirty stuff1 ,in the sacred place of prayer8 ,who can smoke or rub snuff1 ,and feel that ,god is there8 ,years afterward1 ,i was told that some were still talking about that bit of poetry4 ,the district paid a salary of #dif4ec to the elder4 ,out of this he paid for house rent and car fare1 #aaj4 ,the thirty-seven pastors of the conference received an average of #adj each4 ,the highest salary1 #dhj1 was received by ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,hitt1 on ,parkersburg ,station1 #ajj of which was put into rent4 ,the good ,lord only knows how he managed to keep his family in respectability1 entertain his many visitors1 and meet other legitimate expenses1 on the pittance of #chj4 ,and the same query may be raised in the case of nearly all his colaborers2 but they somehow succeeded in making ends meet4 ,as one of them expressed it1 8,when my wife scrapes the bottom of the flour barrel1 ,god always takes notice40 8,this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith40 ,in addition to the aggregate salary received1 the 8presents0 amounted to #a1bgf4bh1 or about #cd1 upon an average1 to each pastor4 ,the net increase in the membership of the conference was #efd1 an excellent showing4 ,but the most vexing problem was financial4 ,times were hard1 money scarce1 and the people generally poor4 ,yet we believed and wrought in expectation of larger things4 ,thank ,god1 they are coming4 ,pennsboro was the seat of the next conference session4 ,bishop ,weaver presided4 ,perhaps the most striking event of the occasion was the presence of ,dr4 ,lewis ,davis1 of ,union ,biblical ,seminary4 ,it was his first appearance among us4 ,probably the wide difference between his views and those of the conference on the secrecy question had kept him from making an earlier visit2 but his presence was highly appreciated by us all1 and in turn he greatly enjoyed the courtesies accorded him by the brethren4 ,as ,i bade him good-by at the train1 he said1 8,didn't we have a glorious time8 ,i am glad ,i came4 ,wish ,i had come long ago40 ,the second year on the district was more trying and laborious than the first4 ,the preacher placed in charge of ,volcano ,circuit resigned before the holidays1 and not being able to secure a suitable supply1 ,i decided to keep up the work myself in connection with the duties of the district4 ,the nearest point was ten miles from my home1 and the farthest twenty-five2 this gave me seven preaching-places2 namely1 ,zion1 ,volcano1 ,st4 ,paul1 ,long ,run1 ,big ,run1 ,harmony ,grove1 and ,freeport4 ,i could give the charge only an occasional ,sabbath1 hence was compelled to do my preaching and visiting among the people on week days4 ,i held three revivals1 preached eighty-three sermons1 and collected all the conference benevolences2 for this extra service ,i received #aej4 ,serving as pastor and presiding elder both1 kept me from home nearly all the time4 ,it was no uncommon thing to reach home late at night1 and then leave early the next morning2 but to work was a pleasure and joy2 ,i did not mind the loss of sleep4 ,there was not enough terror in the storm1 or 8warring elements10 to prevent the filling of my engagements4 ,no day was too cold1 or night too dark to travel1 if1 by so doing something could be done toward lifting up the district4 ,i hope there is no egotism in what ,i here say4 ,there is none4 ,i simply state the facts4 ,i lay no claim to superior devotion over my brethren who worked at my side1 and were loyal to the core4 ,no others but brave1 true men can succeed among the mountains1 or anywhere else for that matter2 but in some places more faith and courage and sacrifice are necessary than in others4 ,how ,i pitied my family4 ,they were alone almost constantly year in and year out4 ,under such circumstances it was impossible for me to know my children well1 or for them to know their father4 ,this statement may be a revelation to many4 ,if any are in doubt as to its correctness1 let them ask the opinion of those who have done district work for years at a time4 ,i never left home without first commending my loved ones to the care of the sleepless ,eye2 nor did ,i at any time while absent forget them in my devotions4 ,too much cannot be said for the faithful wife of the itinerant4 ,but alas6 her worth1 ,i fear1 is not appreciated by the church as it deserves to be4 ,people watch and criticise her1 to be sure1 as they do but few other women1 but as a rule she is not accorded a very large place in the achievements of her husband4 ,indeed1 ,i sometimes fear the minister himself does not realize her true relation to his success in soul-winning4 ,god only knows her anxiety and heart-yearnings as she struggles with the problems of the home in the absence of her husband4 ,what a care the children are to her6 ,but she toils on1 as best she can with the means1 sometimes sadly limited1 at her command4 ,the fact is1 many a successful preacher to-day would be out of the work but for his devoted wife4 ,when ready to quit1 and turn aside to some other occupation more lucrative1 she put her womanly heart up against his1 and urged him on to duty4 ,said one of these noble helpers3 8,husband1 ,i know we are poor4 ,our carpets are old and faded1 and our furniture is scant and plain4 ,i know our dear children are barefooted1 and can't go to school2 but ,i want you to keep on preaching40 ,with a faith unfaltering1 and a courage invincible1 she was willing to stay in the field--ready to serve1 ready to sacrifice1 ready to die1 and1 thank ,god1 ready for heaven4 ,her interest in her husband1 ,god's servant1 knows no abatement4 ,day and night she is before the throne in his behalf2 and are not her petitions heard8 ,if not1 whose will be8 ,we must not deceive ourselves4 ,she has a divinely-appointed place in the work of redemption1 and one of tremendous significance--a helper in soul-saving4 ,her reward is sure4 ,as she stands by her husband's side on coronation morning1 she1 too1 will hear heaven's 8well done0 for the loyal1 royal part she has taken1 and the service she has rendered in the 8ministry of reconciliation40 ,in the earlier days of the conference1 district work was exceedingly laborious1 because of the vast mountainous territory to be traversed4 ,if some of the circuits embraced from ten to twenty appointments1 extending over portions of three or four counties1 it is evident that the presiding elder had his hands full in superintending twelve or fifteen of these fields4 ,the journeys on horseback were long and fatiguing2 it was no uncommon thing to change horses at the end of a twenty-five mile ride through the mud1 or over the frozen roads4 ,in the midst of one of these long trips1 ,dr4 ,warner once stopped a few minutes in ,pennsboro1 at the home of ,mrs4 ,caroline ,sigler1 one of ,god's jewels1 and after putting his tired animal away1 mounted a fresh one and started on toward his appointment1 eating a piece of cold corn-bread4 ,as the good woman looked after him she could not keep the tears back4 ,she knew something of the hardships which had fallen to his lot2 yet those hardships were borne with a martyr's courage for the sake of the ,church he loved1 and in which he died4 ,on a certain ,friday morning ,i was to leave for my second quarterly on ,littles ,mills charge1 a circuit with which the reader is already familiar because of the happenings ,i have related in connection with it4 ,the distance was some thirty-five miles4 ,the day brought with it a fearful snow-storm1 which seemed to make it unwise for me to attempt the trip on horseback2 but ,i meant to hold the meeting4 ,wife and children said1 8,don't go this time40 ,others interjected3 8,you are foolish4 ,nobody will expect you40 ,but they were mistaken4 ,the people did look for me4 ,taking the train in the evening ,i went to ,parkersburg1 forty miles1 and the next day to ,new ,martinsville1 fifty-seven miles1 and then walked sixteen miles1 partly ,saturday evening1 and the balance of the way the next morning1 arriving in time for the #aj3cj services4 ,i was glad ,i went ,the pastor needed me1 and anxiously awaited my coming4 ,i should never have felt right over the matter if ,i had disappointed him4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,in the days of which ,i write1 a quarterly meeting was a great event1 and to many it was a rare privilege to see and hear the 8elder40 ,during the summer and fall1 especially1 the attendance in many instances would be immense4 ,not unfrequently the women and children present would more than fill the house1 which made it necessary to seek a 8shady bower10 if one could be found4 ,if convenient1 the seats were removed from the church and used in the grove1 but often this could not be done4 ,more than once ,i have backed up against a tree1 or mounted a log1 and preached to a crowd scattered over a quarter acre of ground4 ,on one of these occasions a young girl1 of fifteen summers1 perhaps1 but large for her age1 went to a house nearby and got a bucket of fresh water1 and bringing it to me in the midst of my discourse1 asked me if ,i would have a drink4 ,i paused long enough to accept the courtesy1 and1 after thanking her for her thoughtfulness and kindness1 continued my talk4 ,such an infraction of the rules governing divine worship to-day in many sections would greatly amuse the people1 no doubt1 and perhaps greatly annoy the preacher2 but it was seldom noticed by speaker or congregation a third of a century ago among the mountains4 ,when there was no grove near1 or the atmosphere was too chilly1 or the ground too damp to hold out-door services1 we were sometimes sorely defeated by the crowds that came4 ,i here give in full an article which ,i furnished the ,telescope on the peculiar provocations of the elder3 8,to be a presiding elder in the ,parkersburg ,conference means to travel over a large territory1 and to do a vast amount of hard work on small pay2 but all this is nothing compared with some other things that we have to endure4 ,it is no uncommon thing in this country for a presiding elder to make a failure in the pulpit because of some circumstance1 or a combination of circumstances over which he can have but little or no control4 8,many of the houses in which we worship are by far too small to accommodate the congregations that generally gather on quarterly meeting occasion4 ,indeed1 many of our meetings are held in schoolhouses1 only intended to seat fifty or seventy-five scholars4 ,now put two hundred persons1 or more1 into such a space1 standing the most of them around the wall1 and in the aisles1 and then distribute from fifty to one hundred around the house on the outside1 each striving to get his head in at a window1 and any one1 though he be unused to such things1 can see the difficulty of preaching under such circumstances4 ,if the people listen with interest they must be comfortably situated4 8,in many country districts away from the railroad1 the time kept by the people varies so materially that it is next to impossible to get them together at the same hour4 ,no two clocks agree1 hence the people begin to assemble at ten o'clock in the morning and keep on assembling till noon4 ,at the appointed hour the elder announces the first hymn1 and then leads in prayer4 ,during these opening exercises1 perhaps twenty-five persons have come upon the ground1 and as soon as the amen is heard they make a rush for seats4 8,another hymn is sung1 and still they come4 ,the text is finally announced1 but what of it8 ,the people keep on coming4 ,the middle of the sermon1 by and by1 is reached1 and the preacher is still annoyed2 not for three minutes at any time has he had an open field4 ,only one more proposition to discuss2 it is the most important one4 ,his strength has been reserved mainly for it2 but just as he begins to lay it open1 having secured the attention of the audience1 the door creaks and in come a half dozen women4 ,a general stir follows4 ,the seats are all full2 something must be done1 so a half dozen men get up and surrender their places4 ,still the people come4 ,the preacher is on the home stretch1 but is badly disheartened4 ,he has preached to the people1 to be sure1 but a good part of the time to the backs of their heads4 ,not half of those present when he began can tell what his text is4 ,indeed1 he is so confused sometimes that he hardly knows himself what it is4 ,he has just one more illustration to give4 ,he hopes to make it tell1 and is succeeding well4 ,the audience for a moment is silent as death2 but of a sudden the door opens again and a few more try to enter4 ,in an instant every eye is turned1 and the thread of thought is dropped1 and the preacher sits down disgusted and dissatisfied4 8,of course it is not always this way1 but frequently such is the case4 ,on such occasions the people go home no wiser than when they came4 ,having been to meetin' is the only pleasing thought enjoyed4 8,too many dogs go to church4 ,i am not much of a friend to the canine race at home1 much less at church4 ,dogs piously inclined are the meanest dogs in existence4 ,if they would go under the house or even under the benches in the house1 it would not matter so much1 but they will not do that4 ,they walk up and down the aisle1 and dare even to enter the pulpit where the presiding elder is4 ,all this attracts attention1 and detracts from the sermon4 ,once in a while a dog fight occurs during service1 and two or three men have to interfere to adjust the difficulty4 ,if the elder intimates that the congregation or neighborhood is a little too doggish to suit him1 somebody gets mad and calls him a #8stuck up' sort of a man4 #8,beware of dogs1' said ,paul4 ,many a good sermon has been spoiled by them4 ,in ,west ,virginia1 especially1 they are disturbing elements4 ,i would favor a war of extermination4 8,but things are much better with us now than they were twenty-five years ago4 ,we have larger and better houses of worship1 and fewer dogs in proportion to population4 ,we expect a great improvement in the next quarter of a century40 ,it was not an uncommon thing to see a glorious revival start at the quarterly meeting4 ,the love-feast1 which almost invariably occurred on ,sunday morning before the sermon1 was usually an occasion of deep interest4 ,how the old veterans would talk6 ,how eloquent some of them were in their simplicity6 ,how they relished such spiritual feasts6 for such they were2 and no wonder they were enjoyed by some1 for they had traveled1 maybe on foot1 twenty miles or more to get there4 ,to such the day was a veritable ,pentecost4 ,sometimes in the midst of the sermon or sacramental service1 8hallelujahs0 would be heard4 ,yes1 once in a while the people shouted1 and nobody objected to the noise or excitement4 ,i am no prophet1 but will risk the statement that when the church gets so far along that no more hosannah's are heard1 it will be about time to reconstruct things and start anew4 ,a red-hot testimony-meeting in many of our city churches1 on the quarterly communion occasion1 would make the recurrence of the day and the coming of the elder an event of greater significance than it seems to be at present4 ,such a service would doubtless lubricate the machinery of the church1 and make the work go better4 ,the present plan of enlarging districts has its commendatory features1 to be sure1 and in some respects it works well1 yet the old rgime1 which made it possible for the elder to be present at all the quarterlies1 had its advantages4 ,a word here respecting the genuine hospitality of the people might not be out of place2 this1 however1 is characteristic of ,southerners4 ,the presiding elder was not compelled to put up with the pastor all the time because nobody else wanted or invited him2 far from it4 ,a half dozen or more at a time would claim him as their guest4 ,instead of wondering where he would or could go1 he was puzzled to know which of the many invitations to accept4 ,how it embarrasses a man to be in a neighborhood where no one seems to want him4 ,or1 if entertainment is proffered he may be further embarrassed by a question mark at the end of the invitation1 8,well1 are you going with me80 or1 8,if you've no place else to go1 come with us40 ,i have been chilled many1 many times since leaving the mountain ,state by just such half-hearted treatment4 ,nor were the presiding elder's official duties performed without an occasional break caused by a wag or ignoramus4 ,rev4 ,g4 ,w4 ,weekley was traveling a circuit in ,gilmer ,county with ,rev4 ,e4 ,harper as his elder4 ,at a certain meeting the latter was presiding with his usual grace and dignity while the pastor1 being a stickler for law1 was making the ,discipline the rule of his business conduct4 ,a young man was before them for license to preach4 ,he seemed to be all right1 and had made a favorable impression upon his pastor4 8,you will please state before the chair and conference10 said the pastor to the applicant1 8what your reasons are for desiring permission to preach the gospel40 ,in an instant the young brother was on his feet4 ,the question was easy1 he thought1 and so his answer was clear-cut4 8,well10 he said1 8,i always had a desire to see the country1 and ,i thought that being a preacher would give me a chance to do so40 ,then it was that the elder wilted and the preacher collapsed1 and the quarterly conference looked blank1 while the dear young brother felt himself the hero of the occasion4 ,we met at the ,bethel church in ,mason ,county1 in ,september of #ahhg1 to make reports and to review the work of another year4 ,bishop ,kephart was with us for the first1 and ,dr4 ,warner for the last time4 ,to show our appreciation of ,dr4 ,warner1 the conference gave him a purse containing #be4jj in silver4 ,my district paid1 in salary and presents1 #ebf4bj1 out of which #aec was expended for rent and car fare2 #c1gbj miles had been traveled by rail1 #ida on horseback1 and #dae on foot4 ,the average salary in the conference was a fraction over #bjj4 ,including 8presents10 which were considerable in some cases1 only one charge1 ,parkersburg ,station1 went above #ejj4 ,one other1 ,pennsboro1 reached #djj2 eight got above #cjj1 while seventeen paid less than #bjj each4 ,the financial report generally was much better than that of the previous year4 ,the aggregate increase in ministerial support on ,parkersburg ,district was #fjj4 ,slowly but surely we were pushing ahead and making progress1 but at a cost known only to those who were on the field4 ,the third year on the district was similar to the preceding one1 fraught with toil and responsibilities1 but not without its spicery1 which often did much to enliven the routine work required4 ,one of the first things ,i did was to secure a horse and buggy4 ,by using the carriage when the roads would admit of it ,i relieved myself of a good deal of horseback riding4 ,during the winter and early spring no sort of vehicle could be used because of the bad1 and sometimes dangerous condition of the public thoroughfares4 ,nor is the situation in this respect very much different at present from what it was forty years ago4 ,great changes have been wrought in other regards1 but the roads1 for the most part1 remain the same1 and will so continue through the centuries to come4 ,i had a somewhat provoking experience1 once upon a time1 as ,i journeyed with my uncle from ,troy to ,west ,union1 a distance of twenty-five miles4 ,as the roads were exceedingly muddy ,i was concerned more than usual about a new suit ,i was wearing1 having pinned the skirts of my clerical coat around my waist in order to keep them clean4 ,we finally struck a place where the thin mud was half knee-deep to the horses4 ,midway in this mud-hole was a good-sized rock1 but not being visible1 my steed stumbled over it onto his knees1 running his nose into the mud up to the eyes4 ,when he went down ,i went over his head1 and into the puddle face foremost4 ,fearing that the animal would get on me1 ,i suddenly rolled over and then bounded to my feet4 ,what a picture ,i presented6 ,i am sure ,i was no subject for artist or poet4 ,my sleeves were full of mud and water to the elbows1 my hat and umbrella both were submerged1 and1 to add to my chagrin1 when ,i looked up at my uncle1 from whom ,i had a right to expect at least a little sympathy1 he was lying over on his horse's neck laughing his best4 ,going to a stream nearby1 ,i took off my coat and plunged it into the water many times over1 much like washing and wringing a bed quilt1 until the worst of the mud was off4 ,but such an experience was a mere incident with a mountaineer4 ,when my clothes got dry and the mud was brushed off they seemed to be all right1 and ,i went on with my work just as though the awful mix-up had not occurred4 ,during the year a great sorrow came to the conference4 ,on the #bdth of ,january the news was flashed over the wires that ,doctor ,warner was dead4 ,in the next week's ,telescope 8,delta0 referred to the sad event as follows3 8,the announcement of ,dr4 ,warner's death has cast a deep sadness over the conference4 ,no other conference can feel his loss as we feel it4 ,in a peculiar sense he was ours4 ,no man ever had the hold upon our preachers that he had4 ,we can scarcely realize that he has gone from us to return no more4 ,he may have made mistakes in some things1 like other men1 but he was a good man4 ,that his soul during his last earthly hours should he #8wonderfully filled with the peace of ,god1' is just what we might have expected4 ,for thirty years he endured the hardships of a ,west ,virginia itinerant1 sometimes traveling day and night1 and making the greatest sacrifices to build up the church he loved4 ,naught but devotion to ,god's cause ever led him to do so much for it4 ,but his work now is done4 ,perhaps we should not grieve over his departure1 but we cannot help doing so4 ,the entire conference weeps4 ,said a brother1 #8,why didn't the ,lord take me1 and spare ,brother ,warner8' ,this expression serves to show how keenly his loss is felt40 ,bishop ,n4 ,castle held the next conference at ,new ,haven4 ,during the session ,i received a telegram that ,i had been nominated by the prohibitionists of the fourth district for ,congress1 a compliment which ,i appreciated all the more because the honor came unsought4 ,yes1 ,i was a prohibitionist1 and am yet1 and expect to remain one until something better claims my support4 ,the four hundred votes cast for the ticket in the district represented a thoughtful1 moral1 courageous element of which ,i have always been proud4 ,only such people1 as a rule1 vote the prohibition ticket4 ,as ,i entered upon the fourth year of district work ,i determined it should be my last1 at least for a while4 ,i had been kept away from my books already too long1 and consciously realized that1 while ,i might be gaining a little some ways1 ,i was losing in others4 ,the church cannot find its highest ideals in men who live wholly outside their libraries4 ,it is study--familiarity with the thoughts and methods of others--that broadens a preacher4 ,the map studied by many of us is too small1 and needs to be enlarged so as to extend the vision4 ,if we would see and know things1 we must look and search after them4 ,the man is exceedingly unfortunate who1 having eyes1 refuses to see1 and having intelligence1 neglects the acquisition of knowledge4 ,my advice to the young man at the threshold of the ministry is1 8,buy good books and read them2 study your discourses thoroughly and with an eye to somebody's salvation1 and then give the people the very best that ,god has put in you40 ,this was a good year for the district4 ,as it was to be the last1 ,i determined to make the best record possible for my successor1 to duplicate or excel4 ,to succeed meant to go all the time4 ,distance1 bad weather1 dangerous roads1 swollen streams1 or any other circumstances were seldom allowed to get in the way4 ,when ,lincoln was asked if he thought the war would close during his administration1 he replied1 8,i don't know1 sir1 ,i don't know40 8,what1 then1 is your purpose80 was further asked1 to which the characteristic answer was given1 8,peg away1 sir1 peg away40 ,it is this1 everlasting 8pegging away0--forcing one's way through difficulties1 and surmounting obstacles--that wins1 not only in ,west ,virginia1 but everywhere else4 ,buxton wrote3 8,the longer ,i live the more deeply ,i am convinced that that which makes the difference between one man and another--between the weak and powerful1 the great and insignificant--is energy1 invincible determination1 a purpose once formed1 and then victory or death40 ,i quote ,buxton's words because they are gold1 and have in them the ring of triumph4 ,illustration3 ,,traveling ,a ,,district ,the year brought its usual harvest of incidents--some serious1 others laughable and amusing4 ,it is well to have a streak of fun occasionally flash across our pathway to enliven a journey1 or some task to which we have set our hands4 ,one bleak ,monday morning in ,december ,i was riding along a high ridge in ,wetzel ,county on my way home from a quarterly just held in that region4 ,to my right a few rods ,i observed a young man husking corn4 ,he was evidently working his best to keep warm1 and1 of course1 not in a very good condition to be fooled with by a stranger2 but ,i thought ,i must say something1 and run the risk of an explosion4 ,reining up my horse and getting his attention1 ,i called to him1 8,go it2 that's the way ,i got my start40 8,yes10 he said1 with lightning speed1 8and a thunderin' start you got10 and then made the fodder rattle so that if ,i had replied he could not have heard me4 ,to be honest1 ,i had not the disposition to talk back1 for nothing suggested itself at the moment as an appropriate response2 but for the next mile ,i laughed over the episode and considered myself fortunate that nothing more serious had happened4 ,i might add that not far from this place ,rev4 ,s4 ,j4 ,graham1 years before1 suddenly found himself in a kind of menagerie one frosty morning4 ,in those days laymen would frequently make long trips with the preacher or elder2 spending several days from home4 ,they thought less about business and more about the church than some do at present4 ,on the occasion referred to1 ,brother ,n4 ,kuykendoll was with the elder4 ,one night they lodged with a friend in his little log cabin of one room4 ,of course they were well treated and given the best the humble home could afford4 ,their host arose early next morning and built a fire in an old-fashioned fire-place1 which admitted of a 8back log0 and 8fore sticks0 before the 8kindling0 was put in4 ,soon the shanty was warm4 ,the lay brother awoke first1 and1 glancing about the room1 said to his bed-fellow in a low tone3 8,brother ,graham1 get up2 the millennium has come40 ,the preacher raised himself on his elbow and looked1 and sure enough there was a strange mixture of animals lying on the hearth before the fire--a pet lamb1 a pet pig1 a huge dog1 and two or three cats4 ,years afterward ,i heard these brethren talk and laugh over the experience with as much zest as if it had occurred only the week before4 ,to indicate something of the work done this year1 and that had to be done to carry out the program of a presiding elder1 ,i here insert a few pages of a brief diary which ,i kept3 ,january #a1 ,i wrote3 8,i now begin a new year4 ,god help me4 ,my time1 strength1 soul--all must be given to the work of the church4 ,with my family ,i took dinner with ,brother ,c4 ,r4 ,brown1 a precious man40 #b4--8,worked on a sermon on coveteousness4 ,got #8,sweet ,sicily' and read it40 #c4--8,voted for town corporation officers4 ,wrote a number of letters4 ,brother ,poling came in the evening1 and spent the night with me40 #d4--8,worked hard on my sermon on coveteousness40 #e4--8,went to ,parkersburg in the forenoon1 and held business meeting at night4 ,all was pleasant4 ,lodged with ,pastor ,martin40 #f4--8,preached from #a ,cor4 #ac3ab in the morning4 ,good meeting4 ,audience melted to tears4 ,attended ,sabbath school at #b3cj p4 m41 conducted the quarterly experience meeting at six1 and preached again at #g3cj4 ,house full of people40 #g4--8,returned home on early train4 ,with wife went to hear ,methodist preacher at night40 #h4--8;,at home1 studying and answering correspondence40 #aj4--8,went to ,parkersburg again4 ,dined with ,brother ,j4 ,h4 ,spence4 ,assisted in meeting at night40 #aa4--8,with the pastor visited eleven families4 ,large crowd at evening service40 #ab4--8,went to ,red ,hill1 six miles distant1 and held quarterly at #b3jj p4 m4 ,preached in the evening40 #ac4--8,preached at #aj3cj a4 m4 from ,titus #b3i4 ,good feeling4 ,large sacramental service4 ,shout in the camp4 ,pastor ,devol leaped for joy4 ,preached again at night40 #ad4--8;,came to the city and returned home4 ,all well40 #ae4--8;,in study all day4 ,attended ,m4 ,e4 ,church at night4 ,an interesting revival in progress40 #af4--8;,at home preparing for dedication40 #ah4--8,left home on early train1 and reached ,buckhannon at #d3jj p4 m4 ,went to ,mt4 ,washington1 eight miles in the country1 and preached at night on the #8,prodigal ,son4' ,thirteen seekers at the altar and four more asked prayers4 ,lodged with ,brother ,reese40 #ai4--8,rode fourteen miles to #8,uncle ,jimmy' ,hull's for dinner1 and then went to ,union ,hill where ,i preached at night4 ,met ,elder ,graham40 #bj4--8,rained hard4 ,congregation small4 ,raised #he4 ,at night tried it again4 ,good feeling4 ,secured #fh4ej more and dedicated church4 ,opposition from another church40 #ba4--8,rode sixteen miles to ,buckhannon through a fearful snow-storm4 ,went to ,weston on train and rode seven miles in the country40 #bc4--8,returned home4 ,found all well40 ,i now turn to the ,march record because it has to do with one of the sad things which not unfrequently comes to the itinerant4 #ae4--8;,i started at noon for ,troy ,circuit1 reached ,auburn late in the evening40 #af4--8,visited ,father ,williams and wife4 ,the latter has been in bed three years4 ,read the ,word and prayed with them4 ,both got happy4 ,sung a hymn or two for them4 ,held quarterly at #b p4 m41 and preached on #8,stephen1 the ,first ,martyr4' ,a good time40 #ag4--8,sunday4 ,held prayer-meeting at #aj a4 m41 and preached at #aa4 ,large communion4 ,big shout in the camp4 ,collection #bj4 ,talked again at night4 ,one of the best quarterlies ,i ever held40 ,i pause here4 ,on ,monday evening ,father ,perry came1 and preached for us4 ,after returning from church he turned to me and tenderly said1 8,now1 ,brother ,weekley1 ,i have a little news for you4 ,as ,i came through your town this noon ,i was told that your youngest child was critically ill4 ,the doctor regards her case as dangerous4 ,i would have told you sooner1 but ,i knew it would so trouble you that you could not enjoy the service4 ,i knew also that you would not dare start home in the night1 and thus endanger your life4 ,so ,i waited4 ,now leave her with ,god2 get what rest you can1 and then be off by daylight in the morning40 ,but ,i got no rest4 ,it was a long1 long night of tossing and anxious waiting4 ,at day dawn ,i started4 ,the muddy roads were frozen over1 but not sufficiently to bear up my horse4 ,a part of the time ,i walked4 ,it seemed ,i could make no headway at all1 and didn't make much in some places4 ,when within two miles of home1 ,i called at a farm-house and inquired if they had heard from my family1 and they told me they had not4 ,this brought me relief1 for ,i was sure they would have heard the news if the child were dead4 ,at #a p4 m4 ,i landed safely and found1 sure enough1 that a blessed ,providence had kept the black-winged angel from our home4 ,how such harrowing experiences try the very soul of the over-worked1 half-paid1 care-worn man of ,god1 who must spend all his time and strength away from home in some obscure field6 ,they test the material that enters into his composition4 ,to put the ,cross and sinful souls before one's own family requires great faith--faith in the ,redeemer1 faith in his church1 and faith in the winning1 victorious power of the gospel2 and this is what every itinerant in ,west ,virginia had to have4 ,to indicate the nature and work of our preachers' institute4 ,i return to my diary and give the items of a few days4 ,july #i4--8;,at home preparing for institute which meets to-morrow40 #aj4--8,went to ,smithton1 and took charge of institute4 ,rev4 ,h4 ,t4 ,athey assisted some4 ,lessons were in ,old ,testament history and homiletics4 ,revs4 ,h4 ,t4 ,athey1 ,h4 ,r4 ,hess1 ,r4 ,m4 ,hite1 ,g4 ,a4 ,davis1 ,j4 ,p4 ,piggott1 and ,w4 ,h4 ,albert were present40 #aa4--8,met at #h a4 m4 ,recitations4 ,hess gave a talk on the #8,apocalypse4' ,davis preached at #g p4 m4 ,good sermon40 #ab4--8,recitations as usual4 ,davis made an address on #8,prayer4' ,good4 ,hite read a paper on #8,fore-ordination4' ,discussed4 ,piggott preached well at night40 #ac4--8,recitations as usual4 ,i read a paper on #8,divorce and ,adultery4' ,also presented a diagram of ,solomon's ,temple4 ,hess preached4 ,good meeting40 #ad4--8,sunday4 ,i preached at #aa a4 m4 ,large crowd in grove4 ,good liberty1 and good attention4 ,athey preached at #c3jj p4 m41 and did well4 ,returned home40 ,the records of a few days immediately following may also be of interest4 #bd4--8;,drove with my family to father's1 fifteen miles distant40 #be4--8,started for ,hessville quarterly4 ,drove thirty-seven miles to ,father ,mason's40 #bf4--8;,drove to ,bee ,gum ,station fifteen miles further east4 ,good meeting in afternoon4 ,preached at night40 #bg4--8,sunday4 ,discoursed at #aj3cj a4 m4 on #8,the ,new ,testament ,church4' ,preached again at three o'clock on #8,benevolence and ,honesty4' ,led song service4 ,drove fifteen miles back to ,brother ,mason's40 #bh4--8,left at #f a4 m4 and drove thirty-seven miles to father's40 ,but it is needless to further reproduce here the jottings made long years ago4 ,the brief memorandum given is but a fair index to the activities of the entire twelve months1 or1 ,i might say1 to the forty-eight months spent on the district4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,buckhannon was again the seat of conference1 and was in charge of ,bishop ,weaver4 ,this was his last visit to ,west ,virginia4 ,my district reported about #fjj conversions and accessions to the church4 ,the average salary for the pastors of the conference was #bcj4 ,after paying house rent and car fare1 ,i had #cfe4gi left for the support of a family of five1 and with which to purchase books1 papers1 and stationery2 but ,i did not complain2 it was more than the average circuit-rider was getting4 ,on this little sum we seemed to live fairly well1 and imagined ourselves as respectable as anybody in the town4 ,in looking over my report1 ,i see at its close the following significant statement3 8,now1 brethren1 suffer a word more4 ,i kindly and earnestly request that you relieve me from district work4 ,eight years out of the past eleven have been given to this kind of service4 ,while ,i certainly appreciate what you have done for me1 ,i must say that ,i am tired of the place1 and am anxious that some one else take it4 ,all there is in it1 whether money1 distinction1 responsibility1 or hard work1 ,i cheerfully surrender to some one else1 with the earnest wish that he may prove more efficient than ,i have been1 and that under his labors enlarged blessings may come to the district40 ,this was my last year as a presiding elder in the dear old conference4 ,it is now many years since ,i was transferred to another field1 but almost daily my thoughts go back to my native home1 and to the twenty years of unceasing toil given to the building up of the church in that mountainous region4 ,indeed1 ,i could scarcely get away4 ,it was no easy matter to sever the relations of a life-time4 ,in looking over my brief record of daily happenings ,i find that ,july #af1 #ahhi1 while pastor at ,buckhannon ,i wrote3 8,received a letter to-day from ,rev4 ,c4 ,wendle1 urging me to come to ,rock ,river ,conference4 ,bishop ,kephart also writes in like manner4 ,do not know what to do1 but must do right4 ,lord help me40 ,october #c1 ,i expressed my thoughts and feelings as follows3 8,at home trying to pack our goods4 ,what a task it is6 ,is ,god in this8 ,i do hope so4 ,it is so hard to leave ,west ,virginia4 ,these hills and valleys all seem sacred to me40 ,the last time ,i visited my parents before removing ,west1 ,i was deeply affected to see how frail they seemed1 and thus referred to it3 8,parents are getting old4 ,how they are bending beneath the weight of years6 ,alas1 how short life is6 ,twenty years ago when ,i left home father had no gray hairs4 ,now his head is white as wool4 ,mother6 what a faithful soul6 ,how self-sacrificing6 ,anything to help her children and make herself a blessing to others4 ,heaven is anxious to get such an angel4 ,may earth keep her yet a long while40 ,these excerpts from my diary indicate that it cost me something--a heart-struggle1 at least1 to turn my back upon scenes and associations which were as sacred as life itself4 ,but in making the change ,i felt ,i was following the leadings of ,providence1 and that all would be well in the end4 ,the fellowship of the brethren ,i left behind was sweet4 ,those who looked on were compelled to say1 8,behold1 how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity40 ,there was as little jealousy and self-seeking and rivalry in the conference as ,i ever found anywhere4 ,we all were poor1 and could sing like the old ,methodist pioneer on his four weeks' circuit3 8,no foot of land do ,i possess1 ,no cottage in the wilderness2 ,a poor wayfaring man1 ,i lodge awhile in tents below2 ,or gladly wander to and fro1 ,till ,i my ,canaan gain4 8,nothing on earth ,i call my own2 ,a stranger to the world unknown1 ,i all their goods despise2 ,i trample on their whole delight1 ,and seek a country out of sight1 ,a country in the skies4 8,there is my house and portion fair2 ,my treasure and my heart are there1 ,and my abiding home2 ,for me my elder brethren stay1 ,and angels beckon me away1 ,and ,jesus bids me come40 ,there was another verse we all cherished1 and often sung it1 as it seemed so appropriate3 8,a tent or a cottage1 why should ,i care8 ,they're building a palace for me over there2 ,though exiled from home1 yet still ,i may sing1 #8,all glory to ,god1 ,i'm the child of a ,king4'0 ,in all my travels throughout the ,church ,i have never found any conference that could sing as the ,west ,virginians did4 ,diddle1 ,harper1 ,graham1 ,orr1 ,hitt1 ,holden1 and ,wood were among the earlier men4 ,later their places were taken by ,cunningham1 ,piggott1 ,sallaz1 ,slaughter1 ,carder1 and ,robinson4 ,but it is hardly fair to name a few4 ,all could sing2 and so they can to-day4 ,singing was an inspiring feature of every conference gathering4 ,it made the air electric1 and caused high voltage pressure4 ,we would sing on the train1 on the boat1 at the hotel--everywhere4 ,on our way from conference1 in #ahgi1 we all stopped at a hotel in ,weston for dinner4 ,as usual1 the singers were lined up in a little while1 and fairly shook the old inn with some of their latest and freshest selections4 ,before we quit1 the town was thoroughly stirred up4 ,people left their business places and came to listen4 ,women and children stood in the doors of their homes1 or looked out at the windows1 and wondered what it all meant4 ,two young men1 some blocks away1 heard the singing and started on a run for the hotel4 ,as they passed some parties one of them was heard to say1 8,i'll bet five hundred dollars they are ,brethren preachers40 ,professor ,diddle1 assisted by others1 published the ,west ,virginia ,lute in #ahfh1 which had a tremendous sale1 both among our people and those of other churches4 ,then ,baltzell's music1 probably ,golden ,songs1 came next among our own publications4 ,this was also a popular book1 and one of great merit4 ,while it contained many imperfections1 it was nevertheless thoroughly 8orthodox0 from our view-point4 ,the author was not a scientific music writer4 ,he did not grind his songs out at the organ in a mechanical way1 but manufactured them in his heart4 ,such music always takes4 ,there is something about it that gets hold of the soul and stirs its deepest emotions4 ,i do not understand what that something is1 but it is there1 all the same4 ,it was a very common remark among the people of other churches3 8,if you want to hear singing1 get a lot of ,brethren preachers together40 ,we had no organs or pianos in any of the churches1 with skilled performers to lead the audience4 ,to aid in getting the 8pitch10 a 8tunningfork10 or horn was used--a clever little device which every leader carried4 ,but few of the brethren1 however1 understood the grammar of music4 ,they had had no special training--but no difference2 they could sing anyhow4 ,they were not poets1 but had the poetic touch4 ,i have heard these men of ,god again and again sing until the audience was fairly entranced1 and until the fire of joy was kindled to a flame in their own hearts4 ,they were rivals of ,israel's shepherd king1 and wrought things more marvelous than he1 through the melodies they sang4 ,while their music was not classical1 it seldom failed to strike fire4 ,the people liked it1 and were charmed1 encouraged1 and1 in a thousand instances1 saved by it4 ,mr4 ,alexander1 the great revival singer1 has the right view of things4 ,he writes3 8,musicians often say to me1 #8,why do you not use classical music1 above the style of gospel songs8' ,i reply1 #8,when you can show me similar effects following such high-class music in moving the hearts of men and women1 ,i will use it fast enough4 ,until then ,i shall keep to gospel songs1 which have a wonderful way of reaching everybody1 because they touch the soul40 ,volume1 fervor1 soul1 enthusiasm1 is what we want in all our church music4 ,away1 forever1 with that operatic nonsense which the artistic would introduce into our present-day religious services4 ,what glorious revivals were promoted4 ,like cyclones they seemed1 at times1 to lay everything low in their course4 ,how sinners wept and repented6 ,how saints shouted aloud for joy6 8,wild fire60 does some one suggest8 ,may be it was2 but it achieved wonderful results4 ,the present ministry of the conference1 with a great majority of the true and tried laymen who constitute the very backbone of the church1 were converted in just such meetings2 and it is quite likely that the leading ministers and laymen of every other conference in our ,zion were converted under like circumstances4 ,call it 8wild fire0 if you will1 but ,i would like to see a good deal more of it4 ,a revival that arouses a whole community and brings fifty or a hundred1 or perhaps two hundred into the kingdom1 some of whom become prominent preachers of the word1 while others become very pillars in the church1 is not to be ignored or decried by those who are too slow and formal and dull to create a stir4 ,better have a little 8wild fire0 than no fire at all4 ,personally1 ,i believe in excitement4 ,nothing worth thinking about is ever accomplished in its absence4 ,we cannot relish food1 or enjoy sleep1 until first excited by hunger or fatigue4 ,why should not the church manifest as much zeal and enthusiasm in her work as political parties or commercial clubs do in theirs8 ,i am tired of that contemptible sentiment which stands ready1 everywhere1 and all the time1 to denounce everything that has to do with the emotions4 ,religion1 ,i readily grant1 does not consist of noise and bluster4 ,it means vastly more than that4 ,nor does it consist in sitting around like so many lifeless knots on a log4 ,we are told that it is the lightning and not thunder that kills4 ,true enough1 but lightning in the absence of thunder is harmless4 ,lightning makes the thunder4 ,in our work but little was said about the new theology1 or higher criticism4 ,watson and ,ralston in their theologies1 and ,smith and ,clark and ,lange and ,barnes in their expositions1 seldom referred to the new-fangled theories which confuse and chill and curse some of the churches to-day4 ,we all believed that ,moses wrote the ,pentateuch1 and ,paul the ,epistle to the ,hebrews2 and personally ,i have never had any reason for changing my views4 ,it had never occurred to us to put ,job and ,jonah on the fictitious list4 ,we actually believed and preached that they lived and wrought1 one in the land of ,uz1 and the other in ,nineveh1 after escaping from the whale's belly4 ,we tried to tell of the awfulness of sin1 as well as the joys of religion4 ,we believed in a heaven1 and would often talk and sing and preach about it until we felt ourselves within its very suburbs4 ,when ,jesus said1 8,and these shall go away into everlasting punishment10 we supposed he meant it1 and no one attempted to put an artificial bottom in the 8bottomless pit40 ,we divided our time pretty well between ,sinai and ,zion4 ,the decalogue and beatitudes were included1 ofttimes1 in the framework of the same sermon4 ,we knew there were some inaccuracies in the authorized version1 but nothing sufficiently serious to affect the fundamentals of ,christianity4 ,we were justified1 as we thought1 in preaching the whole ,bible1 as it was commonly understood and interpreted1 because in doing so we were blessed and sinners were saved4 ,the 8mourners' bench0 was always a part of the program in our revival work4 ,while no one insisted that a man must be saved at the bench1 if saved at all1 we believed1 nevertheless1 that coming forward and bowing at the altar was a good way of confessing sin1 and of plighting fidelity to ,jesus ,christ4 ,i would not serve as pastor of a people who objected to the use of an altar4 ,if some of the unsaved wanted to seek their ,lord elsewhere1 and in some other way1 ,i should not object2 but ,i should insist upon it that those who wanted to come forward for prayers should have the privilege of doing so4 ,it is refreshing to see how simple and direct ,dr4 ,torry1 8,billy0 ,sunday1 and 8,gipsey0 ,smith are in their methods1 and the wonderful results that follow4 ,they do not mince matters4 ,they go to the people with a burning message from the ,throne1 and deliver it1 no matter what anybody may think or say about it4 ,with sledge-hammer blows they drive it home to the hearts of their hearers1 that no man can be saved until he confesses his sins and his ,savior4 ,they follow1 largely1 the old line of revival work--and succeed4 ,the preacher who cannot build a fire in his church is a failure4 ,in no other way can he attract attention4 ,the church of ,god has been used to fire from the beginning4 ,moses got a good warming-up before the burning bush on ,horeb2 so did ,elijah1 and others1 on ,carmel4 ,the disciples were not ready to preach or the church to work until a burning ,pentecost came1 and fire-flakes fell from heaven upon them4 ,we need great revivals1 and can have them1 if we are willing to pay the price4 ,one serious hindrance to the work is the fact that too many profess to have found a 8new way40 ,they council moderation1 and would have us go about the business with that cold1 mathematical precision which the astronomer employs in measuring the heavens4 ,as the result1 many of our revival efforts turn out to be very moderate affairs4 ,they are self-constituted appointees to shut off steam and put down the breaks1 and they succeed4 ,what we need is more steam2 that is1 purpose1 push1 and power4 ,and ,i rejoice in the thought that the thing for which we have waited and prayed is at hand4 ,the semi-skepticism and indifference which have so handicapped the work of evangelism in the last twenty-five years1 are giving place to larger activities and simpler methods4 ,we are facing the morning light4 ,the reaction and readjustment will bring in a new era of moral and spiritual triumphs in soul-winning4 ,the church at large knows but little about the excessive labors and sacrifices of the earlier ministry in ,west ,virginia4 ,my heart still weeps as ,i think of what some of the brethren endured4 ,but1 brave souls they were1 they did it because they loved the church and her ,christ4 ,only three or four remain who were in the conference when ,i joined thirty-seven years ago4 ,four others--,revs4 ,e4 ,harper1 ,i4 ,m4 ,underwood1 ,a4 ,orr1 and ,dr4 ,j4 ,l4 ,hensley--have located in other conferences1 but the great majority have gone to heaven4 ,from hillside and mountain-top they ascended to a place of honor by their ,lord1 to live in the white light of the throne forever4 8,oh1 how sweet it will be in that beautiful land1 ,so free from all sorrow and pain2 ,with songs on our lips and with harps in our hands1 ,to meet one another again40 ,does any one inquire to know the real secret of their power8 ,it is not easily explained4 ,they had intellectual girth1 but this was only incidental to their success4 ,their surroundings were inspiring1 their spirits exuberant1 their physical endurance tremendous1 their zeal unflagging1 but the secret lay deeper2 these were only tributary4 ,it seems to me that the one quality which exalted them1 and gave them the mastery over men was reality4 ,they were genuine4 ,god counted them among his captains1 and they were loyal to the last4 ,duty and destiny were to them overwhelming suggestions4 ,in them were wrapped up the present and the eternal hereafter4 ,i can still hear ,brother ,graham singing as he rode through storm and heat1 carrying aloft the banners of the church3 8,above the waves of earthly strife2 ,above the ills and cares of life2 ,where all is peaceful1 bright and fair1 ,my home is there1 my home is there40 ,chevaliers1 divine6 8,their burning zeal no langour knew1 ,for ,christ1 his cause1 his tempted few2 ,at home1 abroad1 where'er their lot1 ,their much-loved theme they ne'er forgot40 8,one soweth and another reapeth10 is the divine law4 ,the foundations of the church among the ,virginia hills and mountains were laid amid self-givings1 known only to ,him who gave to his servants their marching orders1 and who accompanied them every foot of the way4 ,a better day has come to the conference4 ,the fields of labor have been greatly reduced in size1 pastoral support has been improved1 educational advantages have been increased1 which means so much to the itinerant's family1 and in other respects conditions made many-fold better4 ,the present membership is #ae1jjj divided among sixty circuits and stations4 ,two hundred and six church edifices1 worth #bdc1hfi1 are reported1 and thirty-eight parsonages valued at #ca1ici4 ,the territory embraces four districts4 ,while the number of presiding elders might be diminished1 it would not be wise to try the experiment of giving one superintendent charge of the whole conference4 ,the country is too rough1 the distances too great1 and the public facilities for travel too meager for one man to do it all4 ,the average salary paid the pastors in #aijf was #cgi4de1 including house rent and special gifts4 ,three of the charges went to between #hjj and #ijj2 one paid from #fjj to #fej1 and eight others over #ejj each4 ,the presiding elders averaged #efc4ig4 ,for all purposes #ej1ehi4di was collected4 ,these figures show that in spite of the adverse circumstances with which we have had to battle for the last half century1 real progress has been made4 ,but more ought to be done in the next fifteen years than has been accomplished in the last fifty4 ,some portions of the ,state are becoming immensely wealthy through the oil and mining industries4 ,our people are sharing in the general prosperity1 and many of them are growing rich4 ,the commercial possibilities of the ,state are great and promising as its hidden treasures are brought to the surface1 and put on the world's market4 ,the work of the present ministry is to broaden the benefactions of our membership by teaching them the true meaning of ,christian stewardship and the obligations which it imposes4 ,in proportion as this is done1 salaries will be increased more and more1 the offerings to the various benevolent societies multiplied1 and larger sums provided for ,otterbein ,university and ,union ,biblical ,seminary4 ,there is quite a stretch of time between the penning of these lines and the day ,i started for my first circuit4 ,thirty-seven years is a good while4 ,my experiences have been numerous and varied4 ,the way at times has been rough1 the tasks difficult1 and the responsibilities great1 but1 after all1 if ,i had my life to live over ,i should spend it in the gospel ministry1 and start again in ,west ,virginia4