rbimdeB'^f&iiyo^'s^^ Colleges iiitliliiliiliiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^^ £>OVV* i.MVlSlUQ BX 5995 .C5 S5 Smith, Laura (Chase) The life of Philander Chase d ^y-UJ BISHOP PHILANDER CHASE Frontispiece THE LIFE OF PHILANDER CHASE FIRST BISHOP OF OHIO AND ILLINOIS FOUNDER OF KENYON AND JUBILEE COLLEGES By his Grand-daughter LAURA CHASE SMITH NE CEDE MALIS NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 31 West Twenty-Third Street 1903 Copyright, 1903 BY E. P. BUTTON & CO. Published, September, 1903 XEbe "Rnicftetbocfter iprees, mew l!?ot6 TO MY CHILDREN GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN I DEDICATE THIS BOOK ALSO TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE DEAR ONES WHO HAVE LONG DWELT IN THE PARADISE OF GOD PREFACE IT is a source of happiness to me in writing this life of Bishop Chase that now, fifty years after his death, his work for the American Church is better known than ever before, his motives vindicated, his judgment approved, and that, in the rushing tide of life in the two great dioceses that he founded, there are some souls wise and honest enough to acknow- ledge the value and supremacy of his pioneer work for the Church in the West. The Rev. Dr. Roberts, in an address before the New Hampshire Historical Society, gives a clear-cut sum- mary of my grandfather's character: "Bishop Philan- der Chase was a mighty man, a devout Christian, a picturesque character; original, self-willed, of iron determination, extraordinary genius, courage, and in- dustry. "As soldier or statesman, Philander Chase would have achieved the kind of distinction which makes the names of men of genius household words. As missionary, pioneer, builder of foundations, his name is in a measure shadowed by the superstructure, as the foundations which sustain the monuments of the world are buried out of sight, in the ground. But the greatness of the man and the majesty of his character remain, in spite of his humanness and, in some meas- ure, because of it." This work is an attempt to put into more permanent vi Preface and accessible form than is now existent, for the in- formation and inspiration of "those that come after," the story of his labors and sacrifices for the Church of his love, giving in fewer words the facts of his life already made known in his Reminiscences (now long out of print), and adding many interesting facts hitherto unpublished. It was begun when circumstances per- mitted abundant time. While the young people of my party were exploring the churches and galleries of a foreign city, I occupied a quiet little room looking out over the snow-covered roofs under the gray wintry sky of the old Bavarian city of Munich, — a most favor- able environment for the beginning of a task, however doubtful its conclusion might be. Upon returning to my own people, I was encouraged by much friendly approval to complete the story. The manuscript was then submitted to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Davies, and to the Rev. Dr. Lowndes, of New York, who gave it their warm approbation. From these two gentlemen I received most kindly encouragement, without which the book would never have seen the light. To the Rt. Rev. Bishop Nichols, of California, and to the Rev. Dudley Chase, of Philadelphia, I render sincere thanks for much valuable information. To my son-in-law, the Rev. William Gardam, I am under many obligations for valuable aid and suggestion. Nor would these acknowledgments be complete with- out adding that I am greatly indebted to all my daugh- ters for loving help and sympathy, and especially to one of them, Laura Grover Smith, for patient, invalu- able aid throughout the period when the work was in progress. L. C. S. CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE THE FAMILY TREE I Aquila Chase, the first Englishman of the name (Chase) who settled in America — Genealogy from a.d. 1538 to 1680, from records in St. Mary's Parish Church, Chesham, England — Arms and crest of Chase family, with description copied from Heraldry — Visitation of Buckinghamshire in 1634 — Story of the arrest of Aquila Chase, his wife, and his wife's brother in " Ould Newbury " for the crime of " picking pease on Sunday " — Aquila and family in Newbury, and account of their descend- ants from Moses Chase down to date — Looking up the family tree by remote descendants in Chesham, St. Mary's Parish Church in July, 1900 — Description of the ancient church — Visit to the ancient manor-house — Private chapel dates from the 13th century. CHAPTER II SETTLING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE . . . . . lO Dudley Chase and Allace Corbett of Mendon were married, August 23, 1752 — Tribute to his mother's memory by the son of Allace, seventy-five years later — Settlement of New Hamp- shire by the brothers Chase and their father in 1763-4 — De- scription of country in the vicinity of Windsor, Vt. , and Cornish, N. H., as it was at that time — Allace Chase with seven chil- dren at Fort No. 4 — The meeting of the family in the woods — The building of a house, and her happy life in her new home. CHAPTER III PIONEER LIFE . . 1 7 A busy life — Rising prospects of the family continued — Settle- ments up the White River and its tributaries — Burning of Royalton on the White River, and the capture of half the male PAGE 23 31 viii Contents population of Randolph by the Indians — Life at Cornish as the family increased in numbers — Life and work of these young people from their youth up. CHAPTER IV THE FAMILY OF DUDLEY CHASE Deacon Chase's journey to Vermont — His dream and its fulfil- ment — Settling the new land in Vermont by his daughters and sons — The sons of Deacon Chase, five of whom were educated at Dartmouth — How they were prepared for college — Hon. Dudley Chase, of Randolph, Vt., his life and work — Ithmar Chase, the father of Salmon Portland Chase — Deacon Chase's daughters and some of their descendants. CHAPTER V THE YOUNG PHILANDER Philander, the youngest son of Deacon Chase, as a boy — His early training — An accident favored his decision to go to col- lege — His father's desire — Finding a prayer-book; its important influence upon his life — The remarkable change caused by this in the family and in his future career — The Rev. J. C. Ogden's influence upon young Philander — Publishing of the little square book by J. C. Ogden — Teaching in Bethel and Cornish — Rev. Bethuel Chittenden — Philander's first communion — Lay read- ing in several places — Graduation. CHAPTER VI STUDYING FOR THE MINISTRY 38 Philander's journey to Albany — Desire to study for the minis- try — One crown in his pocket — Rector of St. Peter's Church, Albany ; Dr. Ellison : " God bless you ! walk in ! " — A crisis — An appointment as teacher — Lay reader at Troy — Making friends — His marriage, before his twenty-first birthday, to Miss Mary Fay — Keeping house in the rear of the Van Rensselaer mansion — Birth of first son — Visit of Deacon Chase and his wife to Daniel Fay and his wife in Bethel to see Philander's expected wife — The impromptu dinner— Ordination to the diaconate in St. George's Church, New York, on the loth of May, 1798. Contents ix CHAPTER VII PAGE IN THE WILDERNESS ...,,.. 44 Appointment as itinerant missionary in the northern and western parts of New York — Hardships of separation from wife and children ; long journeys in the wilderness — Organ- izing parishes ; visiting tribes of Indians — Organizing parish in Utica — Immense work done in early youth by Philander Chase in Auburn, Canandaigua, and many other places, in 1798-9. CHAPTER VIII WORK NORTH AND SOUTH . . . . . -51 Father Nash and his self-denying life — Touching reminiscences — Mr. Chase is called to the rectorship of Poughkeepsie and Fishkill — Ordained to the priesthood in St. Paul's Church, New York, by Bishop Provoost, Nov. 10, 1799 — Importance of missions — Mr. Chase appointed to go to New Orleans by the Bishop of New York — Mr. Chase's arrival in New Orleans — Returned for his family — Founded a school and organized a parish, the first in the city — Interesting incident at the Cabildo, 1901, apropos of the first service in New Orleans. CHAPTER IX DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS 61 The journey of Mr. and Mrs. Chase to New Orleans — Loss of household goods by storm — School successful — Negro servant ran away — A pleasure trip ending in almost a tragedy — A disagreeable interloper and a dangerous situation — Wading through a bayou by night. CHAPTER X FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ...... 73 A strange story — The school still increasing ; larger quarters — Most laborious part of Mr. Chase's life; perhaps the most use- ful — Great work accomplished among the young in New Orleans — Last address to pupils and his congregation — The journey north — The meeting of his sons at their uncle's in Ran- dolph — Rev. Dr. Tillotson Bronson, Cheshire, Conn. — Rector- ship of Christ Church, Hartford, Conn. — Death of Dudley and AUace Chase ; Cornish, their burial-place. X Contents CHAPTER XI PAGE HOME-LIFE IN HARTFORD 8l Letters giving an idea of home life in Hartford — Philander Chase to his sons at school — George Chase, a boy of sixteen, to Intrepid Morse. CHAPTER XII STORIES AND STORY-TELLERS 90 Bishop Jarvis as a story-teller — Bishop Seabury — The story of Mather Byles and Bishop Seabury, as related by Dr. Jarvis — The "right hand of fellowship" as desired by Mather Byles — The impulse of the pioneer missionary must be fol- lowed — Loyalty to the Church and the prayer-book. CHAPTER XIII PIONEER MISSION WORK IN OHIO . , . .98 Parting words — Snow and sadness — A long cold journey to Buffalo — Adventures on the ice of Lake Erie — A frightful ride — How Mr. Chase managed an obstinate driver — The story of the eagles and the ravens and the frozen fish — When he adopted the motto, "Jehovah Jireh " — A breezy sketch — "Getting on," or riding by chance, means walking, thus entering the diocese of the Pioneer Bishop (yet to be) — Mis- sionary work began in Salem, Ohio — Method of conducting early missions — " The stiff-kneed mare." CHAPTER XIV ORGANIZING PARISHES AND FARM .... I09 Welcome from Judge Griswold at Windsor — Long stay at Windsor — Convention of Churchmen agreed upon — Travel on horseback — Organizing parishes — Letter to Mr. Chase's son George, in which he speaks of becoming the rector of St. John's, Worthington ; Trinity, Columbus ; and St. Peter's, Delaware — Buying farm in Worthington — Meeting his wife and little son in Cleveland — Journey and adventures in going to Worthington. Contents xi CHAPTER XV PAGE LIFE AT WORTHINGTON I20 Letters from Mary Chase telling of journey to Worthington, etc. CHAPTER XVI LABOR AND SORROW 130 Failing health of Mrs. Chase — Removal to the new house in Worthington — Convention at Columbus — Day of small things — Mrs. Chase's interest in the great work — Mrs. Chase's death, May 5, 18 18 — A little less than a year of life with her hus- band in her new home — At the primary meeting of the con- vention at Worthington on June 3, 18 18 — Mr. Chase elected Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio — His journey on horseback to Philadelphia — Refusal of some bishops to the consecration — Demand on the part of the Bishop-elect for examination of the charges before the General Convention — Satisfactory re- sult of the examination and triumphant vindication — His con- secration took place in Philadelphia by Bishops White, Hobart, Kemp, and Croes, in St. James's Church, Feb. 11, 1819. CHAPTER XVII THE NEW BISHOP AT WORK 1 38 Return to Ohio on horseback — Aunt Lucia Russell — Interest- ing incident — The Finley family — First diocesan visitation — Meeting of convention, i8ig — Division of diocese into sections — The Bishop's marriage — Incident of Jack the negro. CHAPTER XVIII TOIL AND POVERTY 145 Retrospect of the year 1820 — Young Philander's letter to brother George — Philander's college life and appointment as teacher on board the U. S. ship-of-war Guerriere, under Commodore McDonough — Little square book turns up again — Toiling without support — A crisis — A letter from a friend and its reply — A day of fasting and prayer for the distressed diocese. xii Contents CHAPTER XIX PAGE OPPOSITION AND DECISION 151 Bishop Hobart's opposition to the plan of educating young men for the ministry on western soil — Bishop Chase appointed to the presidency of the College of Cincinnati — Young Philan- der appointed to go to England for funds to found theological school in Ohio — Philander's ordination — His hopeless illness — The Bishop decides to go — Journey of the Bishop and his family to Kingston, N. Y. — Letters from over the sweet briars. CHAPTER XX TO ENGLAND FOR AID ...... 159 Opposition of family friends and of friends and enemies outside — Philander's last visit — Bishop Chase's letter to Bishop White — Sad days — Clouds — The Bishop sailed on the ship Orbit Oct. 1st — Prosperous voyage, except a storm after sighting land — First visit to Mr. Timothy Wiggin, Manchester — Visit to Ox- ford, then to London — Letters from Henry Clay to Lord Kenyon and Mr. Alexander Baring — Notices — Meeting with Lord Gambler and with Rev. Josiah Pratt. CHAPTER XXI FRIENDS AND FOES ....... 167 Business arrangements in aid of Ohio, planned by Lord Gam- bier and Rev. Josiah Piatt — Fair play — Meeting called and resolutions adopted in aid of Ohio — Committee formed — New friends : Mr. Marriott, Rev. Thomas Hartwell Home, Mr. Evans, Member of Parliament, Dr. Gaskin, Miss Duff Mc- Farlane, Bishop Ryder, Lord Bexley — The story of "Jim" again — Dr. Dowe and Mr. Joseph Butterworth — Wonderful change. CHAPTER XXII ENGLISH HOMES AND FRIENDS 177 The story of the old letter — At breakfast with Miss Duff McFarlane — Lady Rosse — Young Philander's death — Bishop Bowen's letter — The Bishop of Durham — Lady Rosse's con- tinued benefactions — Visit to Brampton Park — Lady Olivia Contents xili PAGE Sparrow — Visit at Horksley and Nayland — At church and holy communion at Nayland with Lord Kenyon and G. W. Marriott — Visit to charity school in London — Interview with the Archbishops of York and Canterbury — Another and better understanding of Ohio. CHAPTER XXIII FAREWELL AND HOME AGAIN 185 Bishop preparing for going home — Dined with Lord Bexley, Lord and Lady Teignmouth — Kindness of friends — Last visit at Oxford ; met many distinguished people at Oriel, New Col- lege, etc. — Return to London — Visit to Mr. Hoare — Visit to Blaine Castle, Barleywood, and Devonshire — Note from Hannah More — Cathedral at Exeter — Gift of printing-press and type from Lady Acland — Letter from Lord Kenyon — Ride in a post-chaise ; strange accident — Visit to Lady Russell — July 17th, sailed from London on the ship Orbit — Forty-three days on the ocean — New York, Aug. 29th — Church bells ringing — Another son — Crossing the mountains — The vine-clad home in Worthington — Bishop Nichols tells of Bishop Chase's sketches on shipboard. CHAPTER XXIV FOUNDING A COLLEGE ...... I97 The convention, 1824 — Many letters from English friends — Diocesan visits — Visit to Indian tribes, Mohawks and Oneidas — Purchase of site for college — School already begun at Worth- ington — Gift of organ — Criticisms and Jeremiads — The Bishop, Mr. Douglas, and the Bishop's little son begin the work at Kenyon — The wilderness — First Episcopal Palace — A letter to Mrs. Chase — Digging a well — Getting on without money — Sunday-school in the woods — Sunday services — A journey to the General Convention — Visit to the Oneidas in New York — An Indian teacher — A post-office at Kenyon — A plea for the West — Dr. Caswell's account of early days at Kenyon. CHAPTER XXV AN EFFORT AND A FAILURE 217 Effort of the Bishop to obtain grant of land from the Gov- ernment — Bill reported favorably by the Senate — Visit to the xiv Contents PAGE home of Mr. McGuire, whose wife is a niece of General Wash- ington — Henry Clay — " Wine of success," followed by intense disappointment — Many friends — Completion of Milnor profes- sorship — Letter to Lord Kenyon describing college buildings — An unpleasant winter journey. CHAPTER XXVI AN END AND A BEGINNING ..... 23I The beginning of a great trial — Sacrifice — Saddest thoughts — Giving up all to save the college — A lodge in the wilderness — "The Valley of Peace" — Farewell — The new home — The family reunion in the roofless cabin — Sad days — Long cold winter — Divine service in the cabin — The settlers coming from far and near to learn of things higher and better — Comfort in ministering to those poorer than themselves — Improvements made when weather allowed, fences made, draining the ground, wood-pile growing — Flowers come with spring. CHAPTER XXVII TO MICHIGAN AND BACK , 243 Easter Day, 1832 — Unexpected visitor — Journey to Michigan — Black Swamp — St. Joseph's country, the beautiful lake and fine land — Divine service at Adam's Mill, Michigan, the first in St. Joseph's country — Buying land and naming it Gilead — Breaking up the land — Planting corn — Black Hawk War — Return to the " Valley of Peace." CHAPTER XXVIII BEGINNING ALL OVER AGAIN 248 The Swiss Family Robinson expedition — Morning of hope, midday toil, evening peace — Journey to Michigan with two boys — Beauty of the new farm — some discomforts — Domestic arrangements — Building a house — Telling stories — Journey to Ohio for the family — Returning to Michigan; unfinished house — Ploughman's cottage in order — Sunday service, birds in the trees joining. Contents xv CHAPTER XXIX FAGB A boy's life at gilead . . . . . .251 Story of work and play at Gilead told by Rev. Dudley Chase. CHAPTER XXX MISSION AND FARM ....... 256 Better times — Wild animals fearless — A mill site bought — Fall crops sown — Mission work planned — Accidents and illness. CHAPTER XXXI A PROTRACTED MEETING 259 The Bishop and the ministers — How to pray. CHAPTER XXXII A NEW DIOCESE AND ITS NEEDS .... 263 The Bishop elected to the Diocese of Illinois — Giving up home at Gilead — Mrs. Chase equal to the emergency — Long journey to Illinois and return in the Quaker coach — Without a salary; no provision for the future — One church, four presbyters, two deacons, and the Bishop — Did the inspiring motto fail ? — Going to England again — Eastern churchmen dead to the wants of the great West — Sailed for England in the packet ship St. James — Meeting Mr. Wiggin in London — Death of friends : Mr. Marriott and Lord Gambier — Dining at Lord Mayor's — Venison as good as in Michigan — Letter from Lady Rosse — Much to cheer — Mrs. Chase's short letter. CHAPTER XXXIII TO ENGLAND AGAIN ....... 268 The Tyndales of Holton, near Oxford — Dr. Newman not yet in Rome — Story of the three sons — Address at Cambridge — Visit at Brampton Park. CHAPTER XXXIV BAD NEWS AND GOOD FRIENDS . . . . . 271 News of the burning of the home in Michigan — Many friends to help and comfort — Visit to Amersham, near Chesham. xvi Contents CHAPTER XXXV PAGE THE robin's nest ....... 275 The Bishop sailed on the packet ship Hannibal from Ports- mouth the 2ist of April — Arrived in New York the 27th of May — Held divine service on board ship every Sunday save one — Visited Bishop White, Philadelphia — Returned to Michigan — Preparing for Illinois — Decision where to build the college — Robin's Nest — Long journeys in a wild country — Swollen rivers — " Can swim like a duck." CHAPTER XXXVI TRAVEL AND SERVICE ...... 282 Consecration of St. James's Church, Chicago — Bishop's visita- tions — Holding services in barns, warehouses, cabins, black- smith shops ; baptizing, confirming, administering the Communion — Holding service after long days' travel at "candle-lighting" — The Bishop's visits to towns across the Mississippi — A painful accident — Asked for help and was refused by the man whose wife made " the house too hot" and brought repentance — A legacy. CHAPTER XXXVII THE NEW COLLEGE . . . . ... . 287 Delays in purchasing land — Purchasing 2500 acres of land in Peoria County, Illinois — Why shall I call my college " Jubi- lee " ? — Appeal to the whole Church — Journey south — Charles- ton — Success at Charleston — A gift from Mrs. Marryat to her cousin Mrs. Chase. CHAPTER XXXVIII A JOURNEY WEST IN 1840 ...... 29I The Bishop's visit to his friends in Vermont — His journey home with the little Laura. CHAPTER XXXIX LETTERS TO A GRANDCHILD ..... 305 Letters of Bishop Chase to his granddaughter, 1842-1851. Contents xvii CHAPTER XL PAGB MISSION WORK AND JOURNEYINGS .... 322 The mission work of the Bishop and his son Dudley in Illinois — Characteristic stories of the Bishop — Dr. Robert's appreci- ation of his character. CHAPTER XLl THE LAST DAYS ....... 337 Summing-up of the work at Jubilee — Incidents at the Cottage- school for girls — The scholarships — Fifty students in 1845 — Conferring of degrees — The last days of the Bishop— Entered into rest, 1852. THE FIRST " EPISCOPAL PALACE " IN OHIO. PAGE 204. ILLUSTRATIONS BISHOP PHILANDER CHASE . . . FrotiHspiece FAMILY CREST. " COATE " OF ARMS . . Title-pagC ST. Mary's parish church, chesham, England THE squire's house IN CHESHAM, ENGLAND VIEW OF MT. ASCUTNEY FROM CORNISH, N. H CHURCHYARD AT CORNISH, N. H. OLD CHURCH IN CORNISH, N, H. . REV. PHILANDER CHASE HOME OF HON. DUDLEY CHASE, RANDOLPH, VT. CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD, CONN. . LORD GAMBIER ..... GEORGE W. MARRIOTT LORD KENYON ..... MURAL TABLET, WORTHINGTON, OHIO GATEWAY TO KENYON COLLEGE ASCENSION HALL, KENYON COLLEGE . PRAYER CROSS, AT KENYON COLLEGE . xix 12 30 37 43 61 78 164 171 188 192 198 206 216 XX Illustrations OLD KENYON .... BEXLEY HALL .... ROSSE CHAPEL .... CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT MEMORIAL TABLET OF BISHOP CHASE BISHOP PHILANDER CHASE . BISHOP AND MRS. CHASE IN 1847 JUBILEE CHAPEL AND COLLEGE . BISHOP chase's grave AND MONUMENT PAGE 226 230 236 238 242 264 300 320 340 THE LIFE OF PHILANDER CHASE THE LIFE OF PHILANDER CHASE CHAPTER I THE FAMILY TREE AQUILA CHASE, the English ancestor of the family of that name in America, who came to New England in 1640, is a character of peculiar interest to his numerous descendants. Many of these have been "makers of history" to a certain extent, and their family tree has become of more than ordinary interest. About the year 1861, there was a stir among the descendants of Aquila concerning an estate in England, which was supposed to belong to his heirs in America. A Mr. Somerby visited England and made a thorough search of all the parish records which might shed light upon Aquila's ancestry. These investigations began in 1 861. The result of this extraordinary effort proved that the mythicale state did not exist, but it 2 The Life of Philander Chase brought to Hght some interesting facts, so far as Aquila and his descendants were concerned. In the Parish Register of Chesham, Mr. Somerby found the Enghsh record as far as Aquila the second. The first Aquila was born in Chesham and probably moved to Cornwall, where the second Aquila was born. The record is as follows : 1. Thomas, the father of the English branch of the family : Baptized in parish of Chesham. 2. Richard of Chesham : Baptized Aug. 3, 1542. Married Joan Bishop, 1564. 3. Aquila of Chesham : Baptized Aug. 14, 1580. Married Sarah . 4. Aquila, afterwards of Hampton and Newbury, New England : Baptized 1618. Married Anne Wheeler, daughter of John Wheeler. 5. Moses: Born Dec. 24, 1663. Married Anne Follansbee, 1684. 6. Daniel: Born Sept. 20, 1685. Married Sarah March, 1706. 7. Samuel: Married Mary Dudley. 8. Dudley: Married Allace Corbett, of Mendon, 1753. Philander Chase was the fifteenth and youngest child of Dudley and Allace Corbett Chase. This copy of the genealogy of the Chase family from The Family Tree 3 1542 until the birth of Aquila in 161 8 was written for the Heraldic Magazine for October, 1868, and most of the information concerning the investigations in Eng- land is copied from a pamphlet taken from that maga- zine and published by Mr. George B. Chase in 1869; also the following: "In the Heraldry, Visitation of Buckinghampshire in A.D. 1634, engraved at the head of the article (from which this is copied), is the 'Coate' of the Chase family. This 'Coate' is testified by a letter from Mr. Robert Calvert dated at Whitehall, July 18, 1634, with a pedi- gree entered by Matthew Chase." From the same source we learn that Thomas Chase, Aquila's brother, was in New England as early as 1636. In 1639 he was, together with his brother Aquila (after- wards of Newbury), one of the original settlers of Hampton, New Hampshire. About the year 1646 Aquila removed to Newbury and received several grants of land there. He made several voyages from Newbury as master of a ship. He made his will on the 19th of September, 1670, and died on the 27th of December following. He had eleven children. In Ould Neiubury, written by John G. Currier, we find the following: "Aquila Chase was induced in 1646 to remove from Hampton to Newbury by a vote of the proprietors which reads as follows: 'Granted A.D. 1646 to Aquila Chase, 4 acres of land for a house lott, where it is to be had, and 6 acres of marsh where it is to be had also ; on condition that he go to sea and do service in the towne with a boate for foure years.' " "There is a tradition," says Cofifin in his history of Newbury, "that Aquila Chase was the first person who brought a boat over the bar at the mouth of the 4 The Life of Philander Chase Merrimac River. He was undoubtedly a good pilot as well as an experienced fisherman. "The southern half of the 8 acre lot on Water St., between Greeley Lane and Chanler's Lane and next to Chanler's Lane was originally granted to Aquila Chase in 1646, the other half was owned by his brother-in- law, David Wheeler, and there on a certain memorable occasion was committed a very gross offence which the records of the County Court state." In the month of September, 1646, Aquila Chase and wife and David Wheeler of Hampton were "presented for gathering pease " on the Sabbath Day. For this offence they were to be "admonished," but the fines usually imposed in such cases were remitted by the Court. Notwithstanding this unpleasant episode, Aquila Chase and David Wheeler remained in New- bury for ten or twelve years. The story of the "crime" of Aquila as related by the author of Oiild Ncwhiiry sounds a little "sarkastical," as Artemas Ward would say, but the facts in the case have been handed down through the generations from Aquila to Moses, Daniel, Samuel, Dudley, and Philander, with some additional circumstances which may serve in these later days to extenuate the harrowing facts as above stated. Captain Aquila, on that Sunday morning, had re- turned from a long voyage and naturally had a longing for "something green." It was a late day in summer and the last crop of peas was just tender enough for cooking. Is it to be wondered at that his stern Puri- tanism for once revolted against such self-denial, and for once he sinned against the "law and Gospel" ac- cording to the Puritan faith? It is to be hoped that in The Family Tree 5 the two hundred and fifty odd years since Aquila and David have slept in their peaceful graves this sad "fall- ing from grace" has been forgotten. It may not be amiss to give the Chase genealogy in the line of Aquila a little more in detail, as his is a character likely to interest even his remote descendants, on account of his ability to hold his own against a tyrannous and petty faith; besides, we like his name,' as every American should. He had eleven children ; no doubt there are yet many of his kindred on New England soil who never heard of him. We trust none of them has committed a graver sin than Aquila. Moses was born December 24, 1663, the eleventh child of Aquila and Anne Wheeler; he was an ensign in the Essex Regiment. He married Anne, daughter of Thomas Follansbee. They had nine children. Daniel, next in succession, born September 20, 1685, married, January 2, 1706, Sarah March. They had ten children. Samuel, their son, married Mary Dud- ley. This couple had nine children, of whom Dudley, born March, 1730, married Allace Corbett, of Mendon, August 23, 1753. He died April 13, 1814. Philander was the fifteenth child of this couple and the ninth generation from Thomas of Hundritche, in the parish of Chesham, England. To add a bit of personal experience in searching for the records of long-time dead ancestors, including the somewhat elusive Aquila, so far as his birthplace is concerned : On a hazy afternoon in July we went from London to Chesham, a small country town, twenty miles by rail, through fields and groves in the lovely ' Latin for eagle. 6 The Life of Philander Chase land of England. A carriage took us from the station to the foot of the hill whereon stands the ancient parish church of St, Mary's, Chesham. One of our party sought the vicarage hidden behind the trees, for the iron gates of the church grounds were closed and locked. Meantime a company of round-eyed boys gathered around us, wondering who we might be. Ere long the vicar appeared and welcomed the strangers with great kindness, showing us about the beautiful grounds hemmed in by rare trees and flowering plants of great beauty, especially a cedar of Lebanon and a well-grown Sequoia from the Pacific coast. Tall rose trees burdened with choicest blossoms shaded the old tombs where almost illegible inscriptions defied our curiosity. This ancient church dates back to about the year A.D. iioo; a portion is still preserved of the oldest part. It was restored in A.D. 1400. Its first architec- ture was Early Saxon ; additions were Norman. Early English windows and Norman arches still remain in the nave. At the side entrance is an old tablet with a crucifix so disfigured that nothing remains but the outline of the cross. The pillars of the porch are de- faced with initials of the Goths and Vandals of early days also. The church was restored again in 1869. At that time several old frescos were found, one of which has been preserved. By very close inspection the outlines of St. Christopher and the Christ Child can be traced; for some unknown but probably sym- bolical reason, the illusion of water was realized by painting the figure as walking through a sea of fish. In the choir there are several tombs of more or less importance. On the wall is a tablet erected to the The Family Tree 7 memory of , a friend of Thomas Chase, the re- mote ancestor of the family. At each side of the chancel is a narrow slit in the wall, called the "Leper's Squint." Through these persons afflicted with leprosy (a mild form of which was quite common at a very early period in England) were allowed to see and hear the Mass. The vicar in due time brought out a venerable vol- ume, — the Parish Register. The records were written very neatly in a clear, old-fashioned hand, but difficult to read at this time. Here are found the records of the Chase family as given before. The vicar also showed us an old book containing a woodcut of the incidents connected with the plot to arrest Thomas Chase for opposing some popish custom and a brief history of that event, the purport of which was that Thomas Chase was finally burned at the stake for heresy. We were informed, much to our surprise, that the ancient manor-house of the Chases was still in exist- ence at a place two miles from Chesham, or rather that another house had been built from the material of the old one. The private chapel of the manor-house is still in existence. It was used for many years by the Chase family before the Reformation. We determined to go to this place, — Hundritche, — and the vicar very kindly went with us. The house is large, and at one time the place must have been a fine farm. Many of the outbuildings are very old and date back to the time of the Chases. The chapel has a Gothic window in one end and a small pointed window on the side. The timber in the interior is black with age. It is considered a fine 8 The Life of Philander Chase example of a private chapel of that date — about the thirteenth century. Since this visit, the vicar has furnished a copy of the records of the Chase family in the Parish Register. It has been given in outline before, but as the names in their old-fashioned spelling and the inclusion of the servants are quaint and interesting, it is added : Chesham Parish Register, Vol. I., Ijj8-i6j6 Thomas Chaase (d. 1586), Richard Chaase, and Aquila Chaase, are mentioned as follows : Thomas Cha(a)se : Son John baptized Dec. 30, 1540. Son Rychard bapt. Aug. 23, 1542. Dau. EHzabeth bapt. May 23, 1547 (8). Dau. Agnes Bapt. Mch. 9, 1551. Servant buried Aug. 3, 1562. Son Thomas buried Aug. 3, 1569. Wife Elizabeth bur. Oct. 2, 1569. Dau. Xstian married to Henry Atkins June 14, 1576. Servants married Nov. 16, 1579. Feb. 28, 1581. "Old Father Thomas Cha(a)se of Hundriche," bur. June 27, 1586. Rychard Cha(a)se : Baptized Aug. 23, 1542. Married to Joan Byshoppe May 16, 1564. Son Robert bapt. Sept. 2, 1565. Son Henry bapt. Aug. 10, 1567. Dau. Lidia bapt. Oct. 4, 1573. The Family Tree 9 Son Ezechiel bapt. April 23, 1576. Dau, Dorcas bapt. Mch. 2, 1577. Son Aquila bapt. Aug. 14, 1580. Son Jason bapt. Jan. 20, 1582. Son Thomas bapt. July 18, 1585. Dau. Abigail bapt. Jan. 12, 1588. Son Mordechai bapt. July 30, 1591. Wife Joan buried May 4, 1597. Son Jason buried June 4, 1606. "Richard Chase, senex" buried Jan. 32 [sic], 1610. Still later the tradition of the birth of Aquila, of Newbury, has, in a way, been verified. In the records of the genealogist, the late Dudley Chase, of Clare- mont. New Hampshire, it appears that Aquila, of Hampton and Newbury, was born in Cornwall in 161 8. The elder Aquila, born in Chesham and baptized August 14, 1580, may also have moved to Cornwall, as his death is not recorded in Chesham. Of the Thomas Chase, who was burned at the stake for heresy, the Vicar of Chesham, the Rev. Mr. Boutlbee, writes : ' ' There can be no doubt that Thomas Chase was of your family, but I hardly think he would have lived at Hundritche, as he seems to have belonged to the neighboring parish of Amersham." Of the chapel at Hundritche he says: "The chapel at Hundritche is pre-reformation, and I fancy would date about the 13th century. It was probably not used as a place of worship after the Reformation." As "Old Father Thomas Cha(a)se," according to the Chesham Parish Register, was buried at Chesham, it is probable that another Thomas was the martyr of Amersham, two miles from Chesham. CHAPTER II SETTLING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE DUDLEY CHASE, second son of Samuel Chase, of Newbury, who married Mary Dudley, was married to Allace Corbett, of Mendon, Massachusetts, August 23, 1753. Nearly seventy-five years after this marriage Philander Chase, the youngest son of this couple, passed through Mendon and made this record in his journal: "This is the place which I recollect often to have heard my sainted mother mention as the scene of her childhood. No one now remembers her, yet I have great reason to believe that she was once the fairest flower that bloomed on Mendon plains. Many [such] roses, no doubt, have since sprung where she raised her modest head ; they also have faded, and with her have sunk to the silent earth. May they have grateful friends to record their names, as I do that of my angel mother, Allace Corbett." From Bishop Chase's Reminiscences we learn that this couple lived after their marriage in Sutton for ten years, before entertaining the idea of going into the northern wilds to seek for a home and lands broad enough to support their rapidly growing family. Even ten years seem too short a time, since the marriage of this young couple, to allow for the birth of seven children "before going to Cornish." We will allow Settling in New Hampshire ii twelve years, and that will bring the date of this fate- ful journey up to the summer of 1765. There were then no settlements above Fort No. 4 on the Connecticut River. It seems that Samuel Chase (Dudley's father) and several of his brothers (among them Jonathan, who afterwards was a General in the war of the Revolution), accompanied him, or perhaps followed him in his perilous journey through the wilderness, or as far as Fort No. 4, — now Charles- town in New Hampshire. These men, the descendants of Aquila, must have had the courage of the true pioneer, a courage and faith in the future of their country which have since been fully justified. This beautiful valley of the Connecti- cut was then a vast forest of evergreens, maples, beech, and birch. The higher hills in Vermont and New Hampshire, clad as they are to-day in dark hemlock and spruce, were almost Alpine in gloom and mystery, especially when wintry winds and drifting snow clothed everything with their wildness, and the fear of the lurking and savage foe was too real a danger not to dread. Into this land, which had been reached from Mendon or Newbury or Sutton, came this colony of Chases. We wonder how it was done, especially by Mistress Allace with her seven little children, all of tender age. Probably the journey of about a hundred and forty miles was made by means of oxen and the two-wheeled carts used by the peasantry in Germany still, and which were used by Vermont farmers in the first half of the nineteenth century. They might be made comfortable for women and children by means of fur skins, of which the early settlers of Massachusetts had good store in 12 The Life of Philander Chase hand. It is quite possible that for a part of the way canoes may have been used, at least above "the nar- rows" of the Connecticut at Bellows Falls. No doubt these thrifty people had horses and saddles for the women, and a pillion for the elder children. They must have been guided by the trees "blazed" by the prospectors, for these colonies had already secured a grant of a township of land sixteen miles above Fort No. 4, Charlestown. This occurred in summer, "when leaves are green," and when the beautiful river Connecticut, of which the New England poet said of old, Nor drinks the sea a lovelier wave than thine, dimples and frisks as it glides over the shining pebbles toward the sea, its waters pure and sweet and cold, fed by numerous small streams, all of them abounding in the famous "spotted trout" dear to the sportsman's heart. There were doubtless camp-fires upon that long journey, and many anxious nights and days, with gun close at hand, for the father, as this whole country at that time was infested by Indians. It seems that Dudley Chase and Allace, his wife, with seven little children, reached Fort No. 4 at the early summer-time, the mother remaining at the Fort while the father with his band of workmen went up the river sixteen miles to that land of promise, "the town- ship of land," just across from what is now Windsor, in Vermont, and in full sight of the dome of Ascutney. It was no wonder that Mistress Allace Chase "shud- dered" as she reluctantly gave her consent to remain behind at Fort No. 4, while the husband and father went forward with his men, prepared to cut down the Settling in New Hampshire 13 trees and build the first home for his family above this little outpost, built for defence against savages and crowded with women and children. In her own words, as quoted by her son long afterwards: Days seemed weeks, and weeks seemed months, and scarcely did a sun rise without witnessing my wander- ings on the banks of the flowing stream where I had parted with your father and his company of Cornish workmen. It was in one of these walks, with my chil- dren by my side, I saw at sunset a canoe coming round a point of the river bank toward me. I at first thought of the approach of savages, but I soon recognized the well-known canoe of your father, and in it our trusty neighbor, 'Diah Spalding. My heart leaped with joy, and no sooner did the canoe reach the shore than the children were in it, and on his knees ; nor did they allow him to stir till they told him that I was resolved that we should all return with him to their father in the woods. " 'Do you know, dear Madam,' said he, 'that our anxiety to put in a crop and plant the ground, for the coming summer, has been such that we have had no time to build even the semblance of a house? I am come to tell you that your husband is well, and to learn of your safety and health, and to carry back a supply of provisions. We have all slept upon the un- covered ground, and as yet have no shelter for our- selves, — much less for you and your little ones, — will you venture with them into the woods before you are sure of a refuge? ' "To this I replied: 'I will go, and with all my chil- dren endure any storm if you will give me but a safe and steady conveyance to my husband. If there be 14 The Life of Philander Chase no shelter, nor fence nor fort, his faithful arm will guard me, and his trusty men will aid him, and their God who is above all will provide.' A much smaller degree of sagacity than 'Diah Spald- ing possessed would have convinced him that Mistress Allace was mistress of the situation. This question decided, all the resources of his mind were called into action to make things ready for the flitting. "Such goods as we needed least were secured in the fort, and such as the boat would carry and we needed most, with ample provisions, were put on board, and the morning sun was scarcely risen, ere by Spalding's help and with that of the oldest boys, all things were ready for the voyage. "Spalding was a good canoe man, and with the boys to 'lend a hand' we made good progress, slow but un- ceasing. It was in time of Indian warfare, in a frail Indian canoe, and going up a rapid stream, yet we reached the little opening among the towering trees before nightfall. " 'There they are,' cried the children, 'there are father and his men; I hear his voice and the sound of their axes. ' "For a moment all was hidden from our view by the tall forest trees; this gave me time to utter what was laboring in my heart, — a prayer of faith and benedic- tion : ' May the God of our Fathers bless your father, and me your helpless mother, and you my dear children now, even now, as we shall take possession of this our dwelling-place in the wild woods; and though like Jacob of old, we have but a stone for a pillow and the canopy of heaven for a covering, may we all find God in this place, and may it be to us as the House of God Settling in New Hampshire 15 and the Gate of Heaven.' " How the prayer of this faithful woman was answered, time has told. Mistress Allace resumed her story in this way: "Pilot Spalding made fast the canoe to the willows and asked us to await his return. Your father could get no direct answer to his inquiries, 'Is all well? and have you brought us a supply of food?' — 'Come and see,' replied Spalding, and as they stood upon the bank he saw beneath the frail bark in which were his wife and children. The emotion of the moment was almost too much ; I sprang forward, the little ones fol- lowing. He received us with joy mixed with agony; 'Are you come here to die,' he exclaimed, 'before your time? We have no house to shelter you, and you will perish before we can build one! ' " 'Cheer up, my faithful,' I replied, ' let the smiles and the rosy cheeks of your children, and the health and cheerfulness of your wife make you joyful! If you have no house you have strength and hands to make one. The God we worship will bless us, and help us to obtain a shelter. Cheer up ! Cheer up ! my faithful ! • "The sunshine of joy and hope began to beam from his countenance and the news was soon told to the company of workmen, and the woods rang with their shouts in honor of the first white woman and her children on the banks of the Connecticut above Fort No. 4. "All hands assembled to welcome the strangers. Trees were felled and peeled, and the bark in large sheets was spread for a floor, other sheets were fast- ened by thongs of twisted twigs to stakes driven in the ground, and were raised for walls or laid on i6 The Life of Philander Chase cross-pieces for a roof, and a cheerful fire soon made glad our little dwelling. The space of three hours was not consumed in doing all this, and never were men more happy than these men who contributed so speed- ily to supply our wants. "Beds were brought from the canoe to the rustic pavilion, and on them we rested sweetly, fearless of danger, though the thick foliage was wet with dew, and the wild creatures of the woods howled around us. "The next day all hands were called to build a cabin which served us for the coming winter, and in which, cheered by the rising prospects of the family, and the mutual affection of all around us, my enjoyments were more exquisite than at any other period of my life." One cannot but admire, and almost envy, the happi- ness of this pure and high-minded woman in taking possession of a cabin in the wilderness with her flock of little ones (to which a little daughter was soon added), far from the comforts of ordinary life, and with so much depending upon her own hands and her own courage and strength, her faith in her husband, and her trust in God. She was indeed a woman fitted by nature and grace to be the mother of men and women. And thus this branch of Aquila's descendants began life in Cornish, New Hampshire, in 1765. CHAPTER III PIONEER LIFE THE family life begun so happily in the log cabin on the banks of the Connecticut was a very busy period during the winter following the events of that summer, so pleasantly described by Mistress AUace in the last chapter. Any one familiar with pioneer life can imagine what it was for the mother of a large family, shut in by wintry storms in a log cabin, without neighbors, and without access to aid in time of sickness or serious ac- cident. Doctors and nurses there were none, but this family seems to have been cared for, especially as, of fifteen children born to them in an incredibly short period, but one died in infancy; the remaining fourteen grew up to be men and women of a type well known in the annals of New England, "makers of history" in the true sense of the word. There is no record of how the years passed with Mis- tress Allace and her husband, but we may naturally conclude that as the "rising prospects of the family," before alluded to, continued steadily to cheer them, additional house-room must quickly have become a necessity. How soon the house on "Cornish plain" was built is not now apparent, but as the seven very soon became ten sturdy boys and girls, we imagine 2 I? i8 The Life of Philander Chase that so thrifty a couple made the flitting to three miles south of their first home in a short time. Meantime, local history indicates that the settlers from Massachusetts and Connecticut were not only creeping up the river valley, but penetrating year by year into the fertile lands of White River, in Ver- mont, and its tributary streams, the "East and West Branch. ' ' At Royalton, on the White River, in 1780, there was a considerable settlement, which was that year burned by the Indians; several persons were murdered and others taken prisoners, — in fact, every building was destroyed except a small shed which still stands. Some of these prisoners returned to their homes after two years among the Indians. Randolph, Vermont, was first settled in 1776. In 1780, the Indians, on their triumphant way from the burning of Royalton, captured seven men in Ran- dolph, half of the male population of the town. These all returned after a captivity of two years. It may be taken for granted that, before the birth of young Philander in 1775, December 14th, this large family of young people and their parents had plenty of work to do in providing for the needs of the younger ones, as well as their own. Deacon Chase, who was of Puritan stock, and his wife, kept a firm hand upon all these youngsters. Happily, however, for both him- self and his children, he had a keen sense of humor, which most of them shared with him. The three girls born before coming to Cornish were now old enough to be of great help to their mother. As soon as possible Deacon Chase provided cows for the comfort and sustenance of the growing family. Pioneer Life 19 Butter and cheese were made by wife and children. Sheep were also brought into the country ; the wife and daughters were provided with spinning-wheels, and it was not long before a hand-loom and all necessary implements for the manufacture of woollen cloth were provided, to wit : the wheels, reels, reeds, shuttles, etc. Carding the wool by hand for spinning must have been necessary, for the "rolls" could not then have been made by machinery, and this was also the work of women in a New England household. In due time flax was raised upon the farm, and then it underwent an elaborate process, — pounding in brakes, ' ' swingling' ' with a swingle knife, and beating with a beetle, until it became soft, and then it was "hetchelled." All this was work for a man. When the flax was thus pre- pared came the woman's work, spinning. This was done by means of the "little wheel," and was a work of much nicety and carefulness. No doubt Mistress Chase took this delicate work for herself. At this period all the cloth and linen for family use was made at home, — flannel and woollen cloth for underwear, coats, and trousers ; yarn for stockings and mittens ; linen for sheets and pillow-cases, towels and table- cloths; heavy yarn for bed-spreads woven in curious and even beautiful patterns, — all these and more were women's work. Beside these, there was hard work for women when hogs were killed and lard was to be "tried out," saus- ages made, pickling and preparing hams and bacon, and salting the fat pork ; and then when the fat beef was killed there was another process of pickling and salting. And then candles were to be made after the tallow was "tried out," 20 The Life of Philander Chase Add to this the fact that all the ordinary cooking was done over a fire in the big fireplace, — frying, broil- ing, and boiling, — much of the baking in a Dutch oven, potatoes roasted in the ashes, and the bread mostly from Indian corn and rye ; while pies and cakes were baked in a brick oven, with beans and meats, all pre- pared by women's work. Soap and starch were also made at home with infinite labor and painstaking. After orchards began to bear fruit, cider was made in great quantities, and cider brandy of domestic manufacture furnished enough of the necessary (?) stimulant for men of that day. Bar- rels of apple-sauce were provided for winter use also. Sugar was made in early spring from the sap of maple trees, although involving much labor both outdoors and in the kitchen. It was a gala time for the children when the snow, still on the ground, began to melt, and the boys got out the big kettles and the sap-tubs and hied themselves to the sugar bush. Of the young men who were born before coming to Cornish, now grown to manhood, there were four, Simeon, Salmon, Ithamar, Baruch ; for these the woods and streams furnished infinite delight, mingled with enough danger to heighten rather than detract from their pleasure, while adding to the resources of the family by their tributes of venison and wild birds from the forest, and trout from the cool streams coming to meet the beautiful river from the north. No doubt the boys hunted for the wild honey which wild bees had stored for many summers in the wilder- ness, and searched and found where the hill straw- berries grew and the wild raspberries ripened cool and sweet under the beech trees and in the partially cleared Pioneer Life 21 land, where sweet blackberries tempted their sisters into the dangerous fields out of sight of the smoke of the big chimney at the home. In the winter, when the moon shone bright up and down the frozen river, what a pleasure to slide or skate or drive a sled with all their might, their young hearts beating with the joy of mere living ! The humorous side of life gave these children a cer- tain pleasure which many of the same class could not appreciate; besides, by some means, they had books, scarce as they must have been. Of newspapers there could have been none; what Deacon Chase knew about the war of the Revolution was brought to his ears by transmission from mouth to mouth by the settlers down the Connecticut. The farmer of to-day may profitably look back, through the vista of one hundred and twenty-three years, to the days when the farmer of 1780 worked his woodland acres by means of a rude plough, fashioned in part by his own hand, and propelled by an ox team. All the tools were more or less made at home, at least the parts constructed of wood. The grain, most of it (rye and oats), was threshed by flails made of very hard wood, and fastened by leather thongs at the joint. These flails are curiosities now, but their cheery thump from the open barn-doors on sunny days in winter is one of the memories of the childhood of people now living. "Fanning mills" were not then invented, and cleaning the grain from fine dust and straws was done by means of a "cradle" manipulated by the farmer's strong arms. Added to these little inconveniences, matches were not in use for nearly sixty years after this period. The 22 The Life of Philander Chase coals on the big kitchen hearth-stone were not allowed to go out at night, but were carefully covered with ashes; or, should such a dire accident occur, fire must be produced by means of a flint and tinder-box, or the hot coals sent for from neighbors, if within reach. Imagine the situation in a dark night in mid-winter with a child ill with sudden croup ! Smoking was not made easy in those days; the kitchen tongs, heavy as they were, held the hot coal to the plug weed, finely shredded, or the tallow candle was held close to the cob pipe, ere the soothing weed might console its owner. But perhaps these stalwart young Chases were not addicted to or held in bonds by this habit. Mistress Allace for all these busy years was the main- spring in this extraordinary household. From 1764 to 1785 great changes occurred in her family. CHAPTER IV THE FAMILY OF DUDLEY CHASE THE three eldest girls, Mercy, Lois, Abigail, now have grown into capable young women, well prepared to become heads of homes, in all that was needed. About this time Deacon Chase acquired considerable wealth by the sale of his lands, and he evidently was an excellent business man. His farm furnished the family with the means of comfortable support. In 1780 he began to consider ways and means for provid- ing his young people with homes for themselves. For this object he proposed to invest in "more land." He therefore started out to explore the valley of the White River and its "West Branch" in particular. This journey was made on foot and alone ; and late at night, weary and hungry, he made his camp at a point near the site of old Christ Church, in what is now called Bethel, in Vermont. Here he found a conven- ient stone for a pillow, and doubtless made himself as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. He soon fell asleep and, like Jacob of old, dreamed that he saw the "Angels of God ascending and descending a ladder let down from Heaven," and this he con- sidered a token that he had found the land of promise. Upon awakening and resuming his search, he saw that 23 24 The Life of Philander Chase meadow-lands up "the Branch" were fair and fertile; he therefore concluded his purchase of a township of land, and named the same Bethel, the western portion, Gilead; and Bethel-Gilead it has been unto this day. Into this town of Bethel-Gilead came, not long after, several of Deacon Chase's daughters and their hus- bands, and one of his sons, Simeon. Mercy, born April 6, 1755, second child, and eldest daughter of Dudley and Allace Chase, married (Enos?) Child. This couple came to Bethel-Gilead and there brought up a large family. Among their grandchildren were at least three clergymen, the Rev. George P. Comings, the Rev. Stephen Child, and the Rev. Henry Safford. Lois Chase, third child of Dudley and Allace Chase, was born August 16, 1756. She married Benjamin Smith. This couple settled upon the fertile farm situated upon the West Branch of the White River in Bethel, Vermont. They were made happy by many children, most of whom emigrated to the far West. Among the grandchildren is Colonel Dudley Chase Smith, now living in Normal, Illinois. Simeon Chase, second son of Dudley and Allace Chase, was born June 14, 1758. He settled upon a portion of the township of land called Bethel. He married Molly March. This couple had but two children. "Uncle Simeon" is remembered as a very handsome old man, always in his place at church, which still stands on what was his own land. He rests in God's Acre near old Christ Church among many of his kindred. Abigail, the third daughter, was born November 9, The Family of Dudley Chase 25 1759. She married John Morse. They had several children, one of whom was the Rev. Intrepid Morse, who was a faithful servant of God and one of the earhest clergymen of Ohio. He always remained true to his first bishop. His honored grave is in God's Acre at Gambier, and his memory is blessed in the hearts of his old friends. Three sons come next upon the long list of the child- ren of Deacon Dudley and AUace Chase. Salmon, born July 14, 1761 ; Ithamar, September 27, 1762; Baruch, March 27, 1764.' Of these their youngest brother, in his Reminiscences, says: "Salmon was a barrister in Portland, Maine, of whom the late Judge Dawes of Boston was heard to say that 'he never saw him enter the court but with feelings of respect.' " He died in 1806. It is probable that this young man must have left the paternal nest very early in life, as his brother gives no further record of his career and there is no mention that he was married. He was graduated at Dartmouth, and must have been among the first of her alumni. Ithamar, the next son, also studied at Dartmouth and was for many years a member of the Council of the State of New Hampshire. He died in Keene, New Hampshire, in 1819. He married a Miss Rall- ston, and of several children, sons and daughters, one was named Salmon Portland in honor of his uncle ; his life story is on record in the annals of his country. Baruch, the next son, also a graduate of Dartmouth, ' In a copy of the family record taken from the Chase family Bible, now owned by Joseph Dudley Denison, of Randolph, Vermont, it is stated that John, born in Sutton, April 30, 1754, was the oldest son. He died in infancy. 26 The Life of Philander Chase the last of the pre-Cornish children, was solicitor for Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, for many years, and president of the Merrimac County bank. He died March 4, 1841, at his home in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He was a charming old man with a sweet and gentle face. His wife was Miss Ellen Wig- gin. She was a sister of Timothy Wiggin, of Man- chester, England. The wonder is how these boys were prepared for college. How did they learn even the rudiments of "some Latin and less Greek"? Many years after 1780-90 there were no English notes to the Latin grammar, or to Sallust or Virgil, to aid the schoolboy or girl, as some of us know to our sorrow. These boys must have just dug their way through with a de- termination that schoolboys of to-day never could bring to the Lessons in Latin viade Easy in this period of the world. But one may venture to say that in these youngsters there were high aspirations, that their souls were filled with the gladness of a pure and happy youth, although they had never tasted of what many call the pleasures of life. They had never danced at a ball, never seen a theatre, and had no idea of what is now called Society. If, as is said, the rail- road is the harbinger of a new era in life, which brings with it the habits of urban civilization, — art, music, books, and luxurious living, — that time was "not yet " for these boys. Fifty, yes, nearly seventy years after this period, the first railroad came up the valley of the Connecti- cut, in sight of Cornish plain. Prior to this, slow, covered wagons brought goods from Boston, and the farmers in the winter carried in sleighs the products of The Family of Dudley Chase 27 the valley farms to market, and the farmer men and boys drove their fat cattle and sheep there in summer. That four of these boys at that time, so nearly of an age, should have been graduated at Dartmouth, and a fifth have studied there (Ithamar, the father of Chief- Justice Chase), is a very remarkable circumstance in itself. The course of study must have been fairly good. Some rather remarkable men were trained at Dartmouth about this time, — for instance, Daniel Webster. The first child born in Cornish was Allace ; and she, as appears in letters written seventy years after by her youngest brother Philander, was his nurse, caring for him while his busy mother was attending to her great household, and playing with him in summer on the rocks which hemmed the banks of the Connecticut, whence the children could look across to beautiful old Ascutney, green with the unequalled verdure of the Vermont hills in summer, and in winter grand with their mantle of snow. What native of this land but has Ascutney imprinted on his memory, a part of his soul forever? Allace Chase, born October, 1765, became in after years Mrs. Bybye Lake Cotton, and to her was given, by her father, another farm next to her sister, Lois Smith, in Bethel. Here she lived, and died at an ad- vanced age in 1844. She was a woman of superior attainments. It is a tradition that she could repeat the whole of Homer's Iliad, and that when her brothers were in college she kept up with them in Latin and Greek. She is also remembered as the most delightful of story tellers, when she had time to give to the children. After the family came into the 28 The Life of Philander Chase Church she was most earnest and influential in her efforts to build up the parish in Bethel. She was laid to rest in the churchyard of the old church in Bethel. She had two daughters and one son. The son in- herited the genius of his mother. He was Captain Salmon Chase Cotton, one of the earliest settlers of Grand Detour, Illinois, and one of the most charming of men, as all his old friends knew. One of the granddaughters of Allace Chase married William Henry Augustus Bissell, afterwards second bishop of his native State, Vermont. Another grand- daughter married the Rev. Gemont Graves, of Burling- ton, Vermont. The latter is still living. The next daughter, Sarah, born September 14, 1767, married Jireh Durkee. She had but one son. Her grave is in the cemetery in Burlington, Vermont. Two sons came next, Daniel Corbett Chase, born January 13, 1769. He died in Philadelphia August 14, 1798, of yellow fever. Heber, born September 2, 1770, was a physician. He died in Demarara, South America, September 4, 1798. They were both un- married. Dudley, the fourth son of Dudley and Allace, was graduated at Dartmouth College. He began the prac- tice of law in 1794, in Randolph, Vermont, a town in Orange County, bordering upon Bethel, in Windsor County. He was State's Attorney for Orange County from 1803 to 181 1, United States Senator from Ver- mont from 1813 to 1817, Judge of the Supreme Court of Vermont from 1817 to 1821, and again United States Senator from 1824 to 1831. He died at his home in Randolph in 1846. The above is the brief record from a local history of Randolph. But to his The Family of Dudley Chase 29 friends and neighbors, and to all who knew him, he was much more than this. From his early Hfe, among the sturdy men of these times, he was the exemplar of thoroughness in everything that he did ; he was the best farmer, had the best fences, the best and most beautiful garden, and all the working-tools about his home were cared for properly. He soon built the finest and best house in the country, planted the finest orchards, raised the best apples, plums, and cherries that ever were seen in that country, and planned for the best and widest roads in Randolph. He adopted, or, rather, cared for when necessary, twelve children, giving the girls a portion at their marriage and educat- ing the boys. He had no children of his own. His success as a lawyer and statesman was known all over the country, and his honesty as a man and citizen never questioned. One wonders what this pure and noble man would think of the politician of to-day; the "log-rolling" of his time was of another sort. Some eminent lawyers were trained in the little office on his grounds, which is yet standing. He died at the home he built a hundred years ago. It stands embowered in the maples he planted, and looks as if it might stand hundreds of years longer. The large rooms remain almost the same ; the only serious and unfortunate change has been the removal of the chimney and wide kitchen fireplace. He and his wife Olive rest in the old graveyard at Randolph Centre. Rachel Chase, the last daughter on the list, the child- ish companion of the little brother Philander, came to Vermont and spent her married life in Royalton 30 The Life of Philander Chase on the White River. Her husband was Dr. Joseph Adam Denison, who was the authority in the medical world for fifty years in that vicinity, as also was his son of the same name, but whose life was cut short in comparatively early years. The descendants of Rachel Chase and Joseph Adam Denison are numerous, and all of them worthy of a high place in the honorable estimation of their friends. Many of them are profes- sional men of high standing in various parts of our country. Among these may be mentioned Dr. Charles Denison, of Denver, and Prof. Charles Denison, Uni- versity of Michigan. Philander, the fifteenth child of Dudley and Allace Chase, was born in Cornish, New Hampshire, Decem- ber 14, 1775. He was married in 1796 to Mary Fay, the daughter of Mary Page Fay and Daniel Fay, of Hardwick, Massachusetts. CHAPTER V THE YOUNG PHILANDER PHILANDER, at the age of fifteen, was a happy, healthy boy, handsome in person, accustomed to all the merry sports of youth, and no doubt guarded by his elders and parents from all unusual care and labor as the youngest of their flock. He says, in his Reminiscences, that up to this time, he had a decided preference for the life of a farmer. His father, like the patriarchs of old, had with his children "fed his flocks by the side of living waters in green pastures" for many years, till now he was old and gray-headed. Most of his children had left him for homes of their own. The thought of such a separation was painful to Philander's youthful heart, and for a time he was in- dulged in the pleasing dream of being the favored one who should occupy the home farm and minister to the wants of his parents in their declining years. Deacon Chase and his wife were born and bred in the Puritan faith, but both had the kindly, generous nature which disarmed the rigid laws and practices that prevailed in those early days of most of their terrors. These children in their sylvan home in the wild woods, afar from the temptations of large towns, led an innocent life, drinking in with their breath the sweet influences of nature. 31 32 The Life of Philander Chase Deacon Chase must have seen that his youngest boy had within him, if rightly trained, that which might make him "a leader of men," and although his heart would fain keep the child with him for the comfort of his old age, his anxiety that Philander, the last of his sons, " should become a minister of the Gospel " pre- vailed over his natural affection for the child so pre- cious to both parents. Indeed, it was the constant prayer of these good people that God would incline the heart of this child in this way. As the four sons who had been educated at Dart- mouth had all entered upon life in other professions, this desire was very near their hearts. Their prayers were answered in a painful way. Young Philander, while on a visit to his sister in Bethel, met with a serious accident, which crippled him for nearly a year, and soon after this he had the misfortune to break his leg, from which he suffered for many weeks. His father took this opportunity to tell his son that this very great trial might be the means of showing him the way of duty, and that he should im- mediately upon his recovery begin his studies prepara- tory for entering college. He did not add "for the ministry," but the son knew that this was implied. It seems that obedience to parents was the rule in this family. The boy's preference had evidently been averse to this plan, but he yielded to the wiser judg- ment and unselfish sacrifice of his father and mother. The work of hard study was at once begun, and in less than a year this boy passed his examination. His brothers were his tutors, and they must have been born teachers, for in the fall of 1791 Philander entered Dartmouth. The Young Philander 33 In the year 1793-94, while a member of the sopho- more and junior classes, young Philander happened to find a Book of Common Prayer. It was a rare book in those days, as every churchman now knows ; so soon after the Revolution the Episcopal Church and its members were but a "feeble folk" in numbers, and less in influence. This circumstance, trifling as it seemed, was really a very important event, leading to great changes not only in Philander's life, but in the lives of many others. Instead of carelessly looking the book over and throw- ing it aside, he studied it, he compared it with the Word of God, and the more he examined it, the more forcibly its beauties appealed to his sense of what is the true way of worship. He communicated these thoughts to his family and friends. This was evi- dently a subject that enlisted all the minds of this wonderfully intelligent family. To them the truth was the great desire of their hearts — something stable, sure, in worship and belief. This Prayer Book seemed to them, upon comparing it with their former mode of worship, as a light to guide them into the paths of peace and order. "These considerations concerning the liturgy of the Church, joined to her well-authenticated claims to an apostolic constitution in her ministry, were among the principal reasons which induced so many of the rela- tives to conform to the Episcopal Church." Instead of repairing the meeting-house where his father and grandfather had ofiiciated as Congregational deacons, they decided to pull it down and erect in its place an Episcopal church. This was effected in great har- mony ; not a voice was raised against this plan in the 34 The Life of Philander Chase neighborhood. This is certainly a most remarkable event. It is doubtful if anything like it ever occurred before or since. That a mere youth should have brought this about among his relations so long accus- tomed to Congregational worship is indeed wonderful, but that the whole neighborhood should have con- sented to this great change seems next to impossible. However, there stands the church to-day, in which divine service is still held. So far as this change affected young Philander, who was then in his nineteenth year and who, as the result of his newly acquired knowledge of the Prayer Book, had become ardently desirous of entering the ministry when qualified, the question who had the divine right and authority to ordain him, thereby giving him an apostolic commission to preach and administer the Sacraments, became to him a matter of great conse- quence. At this early period (1793-94) there were two clergy- men of the Church who at rare intervals visited Bethel and Cornish, one of whom was the Rev. J. C. Ogden, a man of talent and able to preach well. He must have taken much interest in the promising young student at Dartmouth, for he visited him in his room, and by his ardent words and cheerful, self-denying zeal greatly impressed the heart of the growing boy. Books in those days were worth their weight in gold. An English book, written by Jones of Nayland, had been published in England and somehow a few copies had been brought to Vermont. It was an essay on the Church, and the Rev. Mr. Ogden was so desirous of bringing this subject before his people that he de- termined to re-publish it in this country He had The Young Philander 35 saved a little money with which to buy an overcoat, so much needed in that cold climate, but he could pay the printer with this money and "turn his old overcoat to keep himself decent." The printer agreed to pub- lish the little essay, but, for the money given, could only print it in i6mo, making a "short, thick, square" volume; but it "told what the world is, what the Church of God is, how to find the latter, and how to know the nature of the other." This book was the means of doing much good. People were then looking for the truth. Another clergyman was the Rev. Bethuel Chitten- den, brother of the Governor of Vermont at that time. Hearing that there were a few churchmen in Bethel, Vermont, and in Cornish, New Hampshire, he came over the Green Mountains to visit these few scattered members of the fold. It was no easy journey to cross the Green Mountains then ; the distance was not great from Rutland, in Vermont, to Bethel, but the dark mountain track was all the way literally a howling wilderness, inhabited in its bleak and lonely fastnesses only by bears and wolves. At this time young Philander taught school in Bethel, when it was possible to leave his studies at Dartmouth, and also acted as lay-reader in Bethel and Cornish. The arrival of the Rev. Bethuel Chittenden at either place was a Godsend to these earnest people, for they all knew "he was a well-ordained minister of Christ." This fact seems to have been considered to be most important by these seekers after truth, which it certainly was. "This unknown servant of God was almost like St. John in the Wilderness, clothed in sheep-skin 'smalls,' 36 The Life of Philander Chase glazed by hard and frequent use, and a threadbare blue coat, yet his person was clean and his manners gentle, savoring of true piety mingled with good sense and enlivening remarks."' Mr. Chittenden had been ordained by Bishop Seabury, the first Bishop of the Church in America, and had been sent to the wilds of Vermont. Bishop Chase says in a letter to Bishop Hopkins almost fifty years after: "It was from this man that I received my first Communion, and well do I remember with what solemnity he consecrated the elements of bread and wine, to represent the 'Body broken and the Blood poured out,' once for all, on the Cross for the sins of the world. These I received from the hands of one commissioned of the Lord to give them to me. Uninfluenced by external riches or splendor, my very soul was engaged by the internal spiritual meaning of things before me, and in proportion to my faith in Christ, the Author of the Gospel of Peace, and in the Divine Commission given to His Ministers to adminis- ter this sacrament, my love to His Church has con- tinued to this day. "The poverty and humble clothing of this Ambassa- dor of Christ in no way derogated from the authority he had received from the Heavenly King. The treaty of mercy he could sign and seal, embracing more treasures than the mines of Golconda, though himself poor and distinguished by nothing but faith in the Word of His Master, the King. ' ' These were the senti- ments of this youth upon the occasion of his first Communion. ' Motto, 1849. The Motto was a little diocesan paper published by Bishop Chase for some years. The Young Philander 37 In the Reminiscences is this further proof of the youth's feelings upon this, to him and his family, the most important event of their lives: "Never will the impressions made by the solemnity of this divinely appointed means of grace be obliterated from my mind." It added to his joy and comfort that his father and mother, his uncles, his sisters and brothers, and other relatives were kneeling at his side, and although many of them had been Congregationalists, yet they were one with him now in Christian love. From that day he seemed " strengthened and refreshed " to go on his way. By the advice of the clergy above named, he read prayers and authorized printed sermons in Hart- land and Bethel, Vermont, and in Cornish, New Hamp- shire. He says further: "The conformists to the Church in all three places were considerable in number, particu- larly in Bethel, thus laying the foundation of what was for many years the largest parish in the diocese." These efforts to build up the primitive Church of God were made when the young man was a student, and principally in time of vacation and when visiting his friends on Sundays. He was graduated from Dartmouth with the degree of A.B. 1795. CHAPTER VI STUDYING FOR THE MINISTRY PHILANDER'S graduation occurred the summer before his twentieth birthday. Soon after this he attended a convention of a small number of church- men on the west side of the Green Mountains in Ar- lington, Vermont. Here he learned that an English clergyman resided in Albany, New York, and, contrary to his friends' and his own expectations, finding that he might obtain the information that he desired in the matter of studying for the ministry, he continued his journey to that city. He had no letters of introduction, and when he arrived in Albany, the first city he had ever seen, he had but one crown in his pocket ; neither had he ever seen a person who lived in this busy terra incognita, which was only a terrible wilderness to this country boy, fresh from a New Hampshire farm ; nor did he know where to look for the Rev. Thomas Ellison, of St. Peter's parish, Albany, whom he had come to see in this audacious manner. But as he naively says long years after: "I pressed fearlessly onward; God was with me, opening my way and directing my steps." Having learned from a friendly voice that the Eng- lish dominie lived in a newly built house on the clay bank, the youth mounted the plank doorsteps, and 38 Studying for the Ministry 39 with a trembling hand knocked at the door of the rector of St. Peter's, Albany. "Is this the Rev. Mr. Ellison? " was the question asked when the top of a Dutch-built door was opened by a portly gentleman in black, with prominent and piercing eyes and powdered hair. "My name is Ellison," said he, "and I crave yours." Giving his name, the youth explained that he had come from New Hampshire, his birthplace, and he was very anxious to become a candidate for holy orders and desired Mr. Ellison's advice. Mr. Ellison's reply was most frankly reassuring : ' ' God bless you ! walk in ! " One may smile over this picture. No doubt this youth of nineteen or twenty, clad in homespun gar- ments made by the hands of his mother and sisters, wore a rustic air of the hills and woods, but withal a countenance lighted by bright gray eyes, marked by keen intelligence, and cheeks flushed with the glow of early youth. This was indeed a crisis: had the comfortable and portly Mr. Ellison been troubled with dyspepsia or the gout, things might have turned out differently, but as he had warm, honest blood in his veins and was a "fine, old English gentleman," he was evidently very favorably impressed with the youthful aspirant. "As it was a plain story," says the old Bishop fifty years and more after, "all things assumed a pleasing aspect." He soon received an appointment as a teacher in a city school, and free access to a well-chosen theologi- cal library, through the influence of his newly found friend. This was a most remarkable privilege, for at that time there was no seminary for the training of can- didates for the ministry in all this land. Mr. Ellison's 40 The Life of Philander Chase influence not only provided young Philander with the means of living and books for his course of study, but gave him the opportunity of associating with a finished scholar and a clergyman of the Church of England. No doubt these very favorable circum- stances had a marked influence in forming the character of this peculiarly gifted young man. Before the matter could be entirely arranged, a Sun- day must intervene, and Mr. Ellison very wisely gave the young man an opportunity to show of what stuff he was made. "As you say," he remarked, "you have been accustomed to read the service among your friends in New Hampshire, why not do so in this neighborhood? There are a few Church people in Troy, suppose you spend the Sunday there as a lay- reader? Your commission to do so is not inferior to others. Take a manuscript sermon of mine, and if you can read it, do so." Some young men, situated as Philander was, would have hesitated because he was out of money, or made some paltry excuse, feeling that he was but a country boy and would be timid about reading the service be- fore "city folk." Not this boy, however. He was glad to go, not only that he might defray his own ex- penses, but he was eager to take his chances and do his best among the best people ; and he was profoundly grateful to Mr. Ellison for proposing this plan. So off young Philander started for Troy with a letter from Mr. Ellison in his pocket and one of his manuscript sermons also. He soon found himself with friends, and very good and generous friends they were. It would seem, even at that early age, he captured friends without effort. I Studying for the Ministry 41 It is probable that his earnestness of purpose and sin- cerity of faith gave to his manner an attractive absence of self-consciousness. The story goes on : "All denominations then met in one house [Troy, New York, 1795], and the afternoon of Sunday was assigned for the service of the Church. The assembly was large and decorous; and though he was but the organ of others, he saw what oppor- tunities God might give him for doing good when duly qualified and authorized to perform the sacred func- tions. This encouraged him to go on with confidence in the goodness of God." But some time previous he must have formed another tie, which in the summer of 1796 was made into an in- dissoluble bond by his marriage before his twenty-first birthday to Mary Fay, a young girl of sixteen, whom he met first in Bethel, Vermont. His school in Al- bany, where he had a salary of four hundred dollars a year, was kept in Maiden Lane in an old Dutch house, in the rear of the mansion of Philip Van Rensselaer; and here the young wife joined him, and here in the following year their first son was born. This early marriage, before his ordination, was no doubt considered by his elders most unwise and im- prudent ; and so it was in some respects, but after all it nerved his heart and hand to do all in his power to win the battle of life worthily, especially as the girl he had chosen was well-born and well-bred and, as tradition declares, was a beautiful, bright, and lovely girl. A story is told of this courtship, which is the only knowledge, or tradition, rather, of this early love story that remains. This young girl was the daughter of 42 The Life of Philander Chase Daniel and Mary Page Fay, of Hardwick, Massachu- setts, both of good family. The mother was a woman of fine presence, even in extreme old age. They had come to Vermont to improve their fortunes, but found "hard times," as most early settlers do. It seems that young Philander had consulted his father and mother concerning this new departure, and this led to a little journey, on the part of the Deacon (so called by courtesy) and his wife, from Cornish to Bethel. By this time, no doubt, there were good roads all the way up the river to the junction of the White River with the Connecticut, and up the valley of the former to Bethel, and we may be sure that the old people had a comfortable "one hoss shay" and a strong horse to propel it. This visit from the parents of young Philander to those of his promised wife was unexpected by the lat- ter; and as the resources of the family were small, Mrs. Fay, upon the arrival of her rather formidable guests (under such circumstances) labored under somewhat heavy difificulties, as dinner-time was close at hand. But she was a woman of resources and, while one side of her brain was engaged in giving a proper wel- come to her guests, she was busily planning in the other side what she should get for dinner. There was no bread in the house, therefore she sent her small boy out to a neighbor and bade him borrow a pailful of flour. It was July, and as there were strawberries in the fields, another child was sent to pick them. There were green peas in the garden ; another boy was sent on this errand, while she sat calmly down to entertain her friends, as she stirred a bowl of cream into golden butter. REV. PHILANDER CHASE From an Ivory Painted Miniature. Page 43, Studying for the Ministry 43 Meanwhile her husband killed a chicken, and in an hour there were hot "short biscuits," chicken fricassee, green peas, and strawberries and cream, — a meal fit for a prince. The Deacon and his wife observed the spotless neat- ness of this home and concluded that all was well with their son, especially when they were introduced to the sweet young girl who had won the love of their young- est son, so dear to their hearts and so worthy of their best hopes. The young couple remained about a year after their marriage in the old Dutch house in Albany, while Philander taught his schoolboys and studied to prepare himself for ordination. This event was not delayed, for on the loth of May, in the year of our Lord 1798, he was ordained to the diaconate in St. George's Church, New York, by the Rt. Rev. Samuel Pro- voost, Bishop of New York, in company with the Rev. Robert E. Wetmore, who was ordained to the priesthood. Meantime the young wife had returned to her friends with her little son, and in the same sum- mer another son was born in Bethel, Vermont, to whom was given his father's name. At the time of his ordination to the diaconate, this young man, Philander, lacked several months of his twenty-third birthday. A beautiful miniature of the young deacon, painted upon ivory, represents a bright, honest face, with brown hair and dark eyes, smiling yet sedate, and apparently looking out with youthful confidence upon life as it was to come, in what seemed endless years before him. He feared nothing then ; no whisper came to him of the conflict of the future. CHAPTER VII IN THE WILDERNESS IMMEDIATELY (and this word seemed to be the motto then) after Philander Chase's ordination to deacon's orders, he was appointed itinerant missionary to the northern and western part of the Diocese of New York. At that time there were practically but three cler- gymen in all the vast diocese above the Highlands. They were the Rev. Thomas Ellison, Albany ; the Rev. Daniel Nash, Otsego ; and Urquhart, officiating a short time at Johnstown, afterwards degraded. The young deacon went back from his ordination at New York City to Albany in a sloop. He says that the voyage frequently took a week, but every tide set him forward a little, so that he was not wholly hope- less, even with the wind ahead. This journey must have been pleasant after all ; it was spring-time in the world around him, and no doubt his young heart thrilled with delight at the work before him and with the courage born of a desire pure and true to do this work as a good soldier of Christ. The Rev. Mr. Wetmore had, before his ordination, been employed by the Missionary Society in the Dio- cese of New York, which was the first organization of the kind in the Episcopal Church of America. With 44 In the Wilderness 45 great fidelity had he worked on the head-waters of the Delaware and Unadilla rivers in Paris and Duanes- burg. His health had failed and he was now a resident of Schenectady. The young deacon, Rev. Philander Chase, was named in his place as an itinerant mission- ary. The first baptism at which he officiated was in Albany, and the candidate was, it is said, Mrs. Pome- roy, a sister of Fenimore Cooper. His first sermons after his ordination were in New York City, Lansing- burg, and Troy. About this time he wrote the following sentences, full of true, humble sincerity, which, in a youth of his age, glowing with life and love and joyous hopes, are really remarkable, under these very peculiar circum- stances: "The Church in America was then in her in- fancy, hardly had she begun to rear her head, or make her voice heard among the daughters of Zion : and I myself but a youth, the least learned and experienced of her ministers. Instead of being held up by older Christian men, and by the encouraging voice of numer- ous congregations among whom I might go in and out, I found in reality no people as yet 'gathered together ' to bid me even a welcome. And yet God was gracious to me in giving me favor among a few faithful ones, who understood the Word of God and the doctrine and discipline of the primitive Church; and often was I called to the great honor of admitting by baptism many lambs into the fold of Christ, and of planting many scions in His vineyard which have since borne much fruit." Yet, all this time, he was separated from his young wife and his two little sons, and one must remember 46 The Life of Philander Chase that in the years of our Lord 1798-99 there was little communication by mail or otherwise with the then wilderness of western and northern New York and the little settlements in Vermont. Many, doubtless, were the anxious and lonely hours of his young wife, his parents, and brethren. From his own record of his early missionary work he seems to have been especially encouraged by friends in Troy. A feeling of profound gratitude is apparent in his memorials of those who generously helped him onward in his difficult and unknown way. He writes: "Years after, I met them in other scenes with the joy of the weary traveller when suddenly finding both light and shelter." And who could more beautifully and sweetly express his loving-kindness than this man towards his kindred and friends? Perhaps this gracious quality is what so soon became a power, giving him a charm for "all sorts and conditions of men," and enabling him to overcome difficulties which would conquer almost the bravest of men whom Nature has refused to endow with this gift. The secret of it was, then as now, the utter absence of self-consciousness and the absorbing desire to bring about the work in hand in the shortest time possible. From Troy, Lansingburg, and Waterford, Mr. Chase proceeded to hold services at Stillwater, Fort Edward, Kingsbury, and Lake George, also at Thurman's Patent, a country just being settled west of Lake George, where he organized a parish. At Hampton, on the borders of Vermont, he remained several weeks and organized a parish. Returning to Albany and taking sweet counsel with good Mr. Wetmore at Schenectady, he went forward to Utica. On his way In the Wilderness 47 thither he preached at a church built for the Indians at the expense of the Venerable Society for the Propa- gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. He also visited Johnstown, where before the Revolution Sir William Johnson had built a stone church, with an organ, and endowed it with a glebe for the support of a clergyman. This glebe and church had been seized at the time of the war : the church had been recovered, but the glebe was then supporting a presbyterian min- ister, while the rector was barely supported by the few churchmen remaining in the parish. He also visited a tribe of both Mohawks and Onei- das, and drew near their little cabins with much pleas- ure as the snow was two feet deep, and the wind swept over the clearing, bitterly cold. Shenandoah and his warriors were not at home, but he found the queen and the queen-mother and the princess sitting round the fire on a clean-swept hearth, the smoke issuing from an aperture in the roof. He was cheered with the comfort of this peaceful dwelling ; and as the royal dames sat around the boiling pot, making strings and garters, he thought of King Alfred under similar cir- cumstances. This tribe of partly civilized Indians was afterwards removed to Duck Creek, a reservation in Wisconsin (territory), near Green Bay, and was for a long time under the charge of the Rev. Solomon Davis. It is still a very important and large mission in the Diocese of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with many Indian communi- cants. Going onward, the young deacon reached Utica, then but a small hamlet. The stumps of the forest trees were yet standing in the streets, if streets they 48 The Life of Philander Chase could be termed, when scarcely two of them were fenced out. Colonel Walker received him in a small cottage, which he then occupied. It was by this gentleman's encouragement that he succeeded in organizing a parish. Colonel Walker was for a long period the friend and secretary of Washington, and by his aid this parish, the first in that city, was organized according to the act of legislature which the Rev. Mr. Ellison had two winters before drawn up, and procured its passage through the legislature. The parish was organized under the name, "The Rector, Wardens, and Vestrymen of Trinity Church, Utica. " Fifty years later the founder says: "Situated as this little place then was, when so few things seemed per- manent, when there was much coming and going, and scarcely a plurality of persons acted and thought to- gether, this was indeed the day of small things, which not being despised and neglected, God hath blessed the means since used with abler hands, till the well- fenced fields are indeed white and the harvest plente- ous. Blessed be His Holy Name that I have seen this before I die." Mr. Chase then went on to Paris in the same county. Here he found the families of the Blakesleys, the Sey- mours, and the Doolittles, all of whom were already interested in the growth and progress of the Church, through the efforts of a Mr. Aiken, a layman; and so earnest had he been, that a parish had been formed and the Rev. Mr. Wetmore had officiated there for some time. The Doolittle family long after moved to Wisconsin, and were always thereafter faithful mem- bers of the church of their fathers. To go on with the story of missionary work in the In the Wilderness 49 now five great dioceses in New York, with one mis- sionary and he a deacon not yet twenty-four. This was a little more than a hundred years ago. In these chapters more or less is quoted from Bishop Chase's Reminiscences (now long out of print and almost impossible to obtain), in order to make a continuous narrative of the immense work accomplished in this field, a work which is known to few among the hosts of churchmen now living. Here in his early youth Philander Chase laid many stones in the founding of the blessed privileges which are now so bountifully be- stowed upon the present generation. No civilized men greeted the young missionary as he passed through what are now large and busy cities, Salina and Syracuse. There were only two cabins to be seen and these were uninhabited, as they were used for boiling salt. Imagine the desolate picture in winter ! Where Auburn now stands he remained for some time. A Mr. Bostwick, from Lanesboro, Massachu- setts, had then just moved hither with his young and interesting family, and was living in a log cabin on the public road. Here divine service was held, attended by the settlers and their families, just opening their farms in the vicinity. Many children were baptized, including several of the young Bostwicks, so that soon there were many hearts interested in the formation of a regular parish, which took place soon after; and it was an event particularly pleasing to the young deacon, as its members were young men of understanding and earnest piety. It was twenty-four years after this when the Bishop came again to this place. Here he found his old 50 The Life of Philander Chase friend, Mr. Bostwick. A church now occupied a spot near the site of the log cabin where Mr. Bostwick's children were baptized, and where the parish was organized. There it stood where the tall trees so lately occupied the ground and shut out the light of heaven. It was a beautiful building, well finished, with pews and an organ, pulpit and altar. "This is the tree which you planted. May it bear much fruit for the Heavenly Husbandman," said Mr. Bostwick to the Bishop. In the winter of 1798-99 the missionary visited Can- andahqua,' as it was called by the Indians, who then lingered in great numbers, reluctant to leave this lovely spot, the home of their fathers. Here he was received most kindly by the Hon. Moses Atwater, Mr. Sanborn, and others. The Court House was then so far finished as to accommodate a congregation. The neighbors and those friendly to the Church met for several Sundays. The result was the organization of a parish. ' Now Canandaigua. CHAPTER VIII WORK NORTH AND SOUTH THEN onward and westward Mr. Chase went to Bloomfield and Avon on the Genesee River, — at the latter place receiving much kindness from the Hosmer family. There was then no road except an Indian trail through the Tonawanda plains, unin- habited even to the Niagara River. Therefore he re- turned by the way he came, visiting the parishes he had formed at Canandahqua, Auburn, and Utica, and then visiting Mr. Nash at Burlington, Otsego County. The young missionary gives a graphic sketch of the self-denying life and work of Father Nash, who touched his youthful heart with his own spiritual strength and fervor, while living the life of an anchor- ite with a modest and quiet devotion which in after years bore such abundant fruit. He says: "I do not pretend to more sensibility than other men, but there was something in the meeting of Mr. Nash and myself, peculiarly suited to draw out what- ever moral feeling I possess. It was a meeting of two persons deeply convinced of the primitive and apos- tolic foundation of the Church and ministry, to which on account of its purity of doctrine and the divine right of its ministry, we had fled from a chaos and con- fusion of sects. We were both missionaries, though 51 52 The Life of Philander Chase the name was not yet understood nor appreciated. He had given up all his hopes of a more comfortable living in the well-stored country at the east, and had come to Otsego County to preach the Gospel and build up the Church on apostolic ground, with no assurance of a salary, except such as he might glean from the cold soil of unrenewed nature or pluck from the few scions which he might engraft into the Vine, Christ Jesus. He lived not in a tent like the patriarch, surrounded with servants to tend his flocks and milk his kine and 'bring him butter in a lordly dish,' but in a cabin built of unhewn logs, with scarcely a pane of glass to let in light enough to enable him to read his Bible ; and even this was not his own, nor was he permitted to live long in one at a time." All this was witnessed by the young missionary who helped him in a removal, holding one handle of a basket in which were a few articles of crockery while Father Nash held the remaining handle ; and as they walked along the road "they talked of the things per- taining to the Kingdom of God." Seldom is a more interesting picture drawn by the pen, or one more artlessly and innocently given, than this living and breathing sketch of a scene in the woods, a hundred years ago. The Bishop says long after: "I cannot refrain from tears when I recall the circumstances of that day. This man, who was afterwards most properly called 'Father Nash,' was the founder of the church in Otsego County, who baptized great numbers of both adults and children, and thus was the spiritual father of so many of the family of Christ, and who spent all his life and strength in toiling for their spiritual benefit ; yet Work North and South 53 who was at this period so little regarded by the Church at large, and even by his neighbors, that he had not the means to move his small furniture from one cabin to another, but with his own hands, assisted by his wife and children and myself, accomplished the task. Well do I remember how the little cabin of one room looked as he entered it. Its rude door hung on wooden hinges creaking as they turned. How glad he was that he had been mindful to bring a few nails ; these he drove into the logs with good judgment, choosing the proper place for his hat, his coat, and for other gar- ments for his family. All this, while his patient wife was, with the children's help, building a fire and pre- paring food for — whom? Shall it be said a stranger? No ! but for one who by sympathy felt himself a brother more than by all the ties of nature, and who by this day's example learned a lesson of inexpres- sible value to him for all the days of his life hereafter." Beside Burlington, Mr. Chase visited many other places in which Mr. Nash had his small congregations, among them Butternuts and Ridgefield. Thence he proceeded alone to the Susquehanna, where, at Oc- waga, he organized a parish. The two families here who were of most assistance to him were the Honiston and Harper families. Stamford on the Delaware River was the next place which the missionary visited. Here he preached for several Sundays and was kindly treated by the family of Andrew Beers, the astronomer. So interesting were these people that he was well-nigh induced to remain among them, and with that view contributed a hun- dred dollars of his small salary to help in building their church. But Providence ordered otherwise. 54 The Life of Philander Chase He then went on to Freehold, in which was a place called Batavia. Here a Mr. Gunn was his chief friend and supporter in forming a parish, and many years after assisted him in a similar duty at Portsmouth, Ohio. The few churchmen in Hudson, Lunenburg (now Athens), at New Lebanon Springs, and in Put- nam County, were not neglected, so that it was quite autumn of the year 1799 before Mr. Chase reached Poughkeepsie, where, and at Fishkill, he was invited to remain as rector of the two parishes. The Rev. Philander Chase was ordained to the priest- hood in St. Paul's Church, New York, by the Rt. Rev. Samuel Provoost, on the loth day of November, 1799. In the beginning of his work as a parish priest, Mr. Chase, yet a very young man, not quite twenty-four, naturally was greatly disappointed that, on account of yellow fever prevailing to an alarming extent in the city of New York, the Convention of the Church was not held for two successive years, 1798-99. In conse- quence there was no public record of his services as a missionary during this time. It is more than probable that not one churchman in a thousand among the rich and powerful parishes in western New York knows who it was that laid these foundations in the wilderness a hundred years ago. The importance of missions in the destitute condi- tion of western New York still occupied his mind, although his duty to his family compelled him to re- main in Poughkeepsie. The small missionary fund had been exhausted, even by the moderate stipend af- forded him and the Rev. Mr. Wetmore, his predecessor. To replenish this by appealing to his people was at Work North and South 55 once his pleasure and duty, and although the contri- butions were limited, yet he never presented them but with an humble prayer that God would bless the day of small things to His glory. Following out his youthful convictions of the im- portance of missions, there is a fragment of a sermon giving a simple record, the only one extant, of the work accomplished by the two early missionaries who were appointed by the Committee of the Protestant Episcopal Church for the Propagation of the Gospel in the State of New York. The sermon reads: "A canon was passed by the convention of 1796, that the ministers of churches should preach sermons and make collections for the above purpose throughout the dio- cese, some time during the month of September in each year. With the fruits of the collections the Rev. Robert G. Wetmore travelled in one year 2386 miles, held divine service and preached 107 times, baptized 47 adults and 365 infants, and distributed among the poor and deserving the Book of Common Prayer. Phi- lander Chase, who succeeded the Rev. Mr. Wetmore, travelled above 4000 miles, baptized 14 adults and 319 infants, held divine service and preached 213 times, and distributed many Prayer Books and Catechisms among those whose remote situations and limited means precluded them from any opportunity of being otherwise supplied." This sermon (a youthful one) on the subject of mis- sions, although a fragment preserved through many vicissitudes, — a fire and shipwreck among them, — is such as to awaken the drowsy conscience of many an easy-going churchman in this twentieth century, a hun- dred and four years after. The young priest omitted to 56 The Life of Philander Chase mention the fact, however, that in this year's work, besides services at many other points, he organized parishes at Thurman's Patent, near Lake George, at Hampton, near the Vermont line, at Utica (Trinity), at Auburn, at Canandaigua, at Ocwaga, at Batavia, — seven in number. Mr. Chase's family joined him in Poughkeepsie, but the salary paid by the combined parishes of that town and Fishkill was not sufficient for his support and that of his family. He therefore took charge of the semin- ary at Poughkeepsie. The duties of so large a school and of two growing parishes became almost insupport- able. To add to his cares, Mrs. Chase's rapidly failing health made it a matter of utmost need that she should seek a warmer climate. But it was not until the year 1805 that the Bishop of New York, having received from New Orleans an in- vitation from the Protestant residents in that city to send them a clergyman of the Episcopal Church, ap- pointed Mr. Chase for the position. But so uncertain were the prospects financially, and so hazardous was it to undertake the removal of his invalid wife, that he decided to go first himself, and return for his family as soon as possible. Accordingly, Mr. Chase sailed from New York on the brig Thetis in October, 1805. Driven on the hard sands which surround Riding Rocks, and by contrary currents across the Gulf Stream to the Florida shore, and thence pursuing the tedious course around the Tortugas, Mr. Chase remarks that "the voyage was most unpleasant." He also says that "nothing but the kind treatment of the Captain, whose civility, even temper, and uncommon good sense were acknowledged Work North and South 57 by all on board, could reconcile him to the evils of a first voyage at sea." It is a pity that the Captain's name is not given. It may be that his passenger bore these evils so merrily and was such excellent company, that this prince of captains was enabled to bear with more than usual "even temper" his share in the mishaps of such a voy- age in the windy month. However, the brig Thetis at last reached the mouth of the great river and passed up to the " English Turn" without difficulty. Here the vessel was detained, waiting for a change of wind, and to avoid delay, Mr. Chase and a friend walked ten miles up the river to the plantation of the Hon. B — P — , then Judge of the newly ceded city of New Orleans. They were received with the utmost kindness, and no doubt the beautiful garden, hedged with orange trees bending with golden fruit, and the well-managed plantation made a delightful change for the young men, to which the hospitable welcome of a well-bred gentleman added a vivid charm. Moreover, as he says: "Soon were the courses marked out, and ways and means provided for the introduction of the first Protestant minister who had ever preached in Louis- iana." This fact may seem to many persons of little mo- ment, but in reality it was an event of great importance in the history of the Southern metropolis, for, at one time, the names of the first vestry and wardens of Christ Church, New Orleans, were not known, the records thereof having been destroyed by fire many years before. Happily, however, Mr. Chase had pre- served a copy of all the papers concerning this import- ant event, and the small box containing them was 58 The Life of Philander Chase rescued many years after from the fire which destroyed his temporary home in Michigan. These memorials were afterward published in his Reminiscences in full, and as they contained information of much importance in the history of the Church in the Diocese of Louis- iana, with much difficulty a copy of the book, long since out of print, was procured and sent to the librarian of the Howard Library in the city of New Orleans. As these records are too voluminous to be copied here, it must suffice to state the outlines, giving the names of the first wardens and vestrymen of Christ Church, New Orleans. It might be well to notice the fact that had the word "Protestant" been ignored in bringing about the establishment of this parish in this almost foreign city, peopled at that time with an alien population of French, Italian, and Spanish Romanists, there would scarcely have been a favorable result of the effort made by the Protestant citizens to effect an organization; or had Mr. Chase shown less firmness in declining to accept any call, unless it should be made according to the canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and providing that the rector, until a diocese should be formed in the Territory of Louisiana, should be subject to the eccle- siastical government and direction of the Bishop and Convention of the Diocese of New York in all things as if he were a presbyter belonging to that diocese ; scarcely would it have been possible to prevent imme- diate distraction and dissolution in an organization formed as it was by men of different opinions and ac- customed to different forms of worship. This required a change, by act of the New Orleans Work North and South 59 Legislature, in the former charter which was given to the "Protestants" of that city. This change was made in the winter of 1806-07, and thus the parish of Christ Church, New Orleans, was duly and legally organized. It is now the Cathedral Church in that city. The Wardens and Vestrymen who made the definite call to Mr. Chase after the regular organization of the parish were: Joseph Saul, Andrew Burk, Wardens; George T. Ross, Richard Relf, Charles Norwood, Joseph McNeil, John Sanderson, William Kenner, Vestrymen ; James Williamson, Secretary. Apropos to this, in April, 1901, a meeting of the citizens of New Orleans was held to decide upon the place and circumstances of a reception to President McKinley. Mr. Zacharie spoke of the fitness of hold- ing the function in the Cabildo, the Supreme Court building, on account of its historic interest; he said: "This ancient building has given birth to twenty-three States : it is to New Orleans what Faneuil Hall is to Boston and Independence Hall to Philadelphia"; and added that "the Cabildo is especially interesting for the reason that in it the first Protestant service was held on Sunday, November 17, 1805, and that the clergyman who conducted the service was Rev. Phi- lander Chase, who afterward became the Bishop of Ohio." Mr. Zacharie pointed out that a member of President McKinley's Cabinet was named Philander Chase Knox, and that his son bore the same name. He said that it was highly probable that the Attorney-General was a kinsman of the same great clergyman who preached the first Protestant sermon in New Orleans, and he thought 6o The Life of Philander Chase the Cabildo was especially the proper place to hold the reception. The paper also states that, "In the Louisiana Gazette of November 15, 1805, appeared the following notice, which corroborates what Mr. Zacharie said: 'Divine service will be held in the Principal on Sunday next, beginning at 11 o'clock precisely.' " In his diary the Rev. Mr. Chase jotted down: "Those who attended were numerous and of the most respectable Americans, and very decorous in their conduct." M CHAPTER IX DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS R. CHASE remained in New Orleans for six months before returning to his home in Pough- keepsie for his family. Meantime he had received the assurance of a competent support from the newly organized parish of Christ Church, New Orleans. Mrs, Chase then went with her husband to bid adieu to her parents and friends in Vermont and New Hamp- shire. Yet so frail was her condition and so strong were her impressions of her brief tenure of life, that she finally consented to leave both her little sons with their uncle, Dudley Chase, of Randolph, Vermont. The children were very nearly of an age, George was eight and Philander seven, interesting and beautiful little lads. Judge of the grief of the mother's heart when she bade them good-bye, as she feared, for the last time upon earth. From Randolph, on a hot summer day, Mr. and Mrs. Chase drove down the White River Valley to Cornish, the home of Mr. Chase's youth. Here were more farewells to be spoken; then on they went to Hopkinton, to the home of his beloved brother, Baruch, where he baptized his two young nephews, and then onward to Haverhill, New Hampshire, where Mrs. Chase was seized with an alarming hemorrhage of the 6i 62 The Life of Philander Chase lungs. Fortunately the physician's skill relieved her from present danger and the young couple soon arrived at Boston. Mr. Chase in his brief visit had an oppor- tunity of meeting with the "Johnsonian Club," which must have been managed on the plan of that immortal genius whose name it had taken. Here were met the Elliots, the Dexters, and the Warrens of that day. September had passed before the couple reached New York. One must bear in mind the difficulties of travelling at that time. A journey from Boston to New York involved many days of continuous coach or wagon or horseback riding over rough roads, which, for a delicate, invalid woman, must have been exhausting, even dangerous. The brig Friendship, whose Captain Mr, Chase knew, and which had been selected for the voyage, was found upon their arrival to have cleared all ready for sea, and he had only time to carry his invalid wife on board in his arms, leaving all his earthly possessions to be shipped on \}!x^ Polly Eliza, the next vessel "up" for New Orleans, Mr, Chase speaks of this circumstance as providential, as the latter vessel was wrecked, and its crew and passengers rescued after great suffering for many days. The cargo was entirely lost, including all of Mr. Chase's goods. "Happily the sea air, in spite of the great storm, proved most beneficial to the invalid, and when the ship approached a milder climate, she who was so lately languishing under the effect of a wasting disease, was now in fine spirits, able to comfort those who had been of late caring for her, cheering all by her smiles, and alive to the beauty and wonders of the ocean voyage." Upon arriving at New Orleans Mr. Chase had the Difficulties and Dangers 63 satisfaction of knowing that his wife's health was greatly improved, and he began his sacred duties under favorable auspices and with good courage. In the meantime their household goods had been already destroyed by the shipwreck of the Polly Eliza. It was March before this misfortune was made known to Mr. Chase, — when he met a little boy, a former pupil in his Poughkeepsie school, who was wearing his own son's clothes, which had been packed with the expectation that one of his little boys would come with his parents. To explain : The brig Polly Eliza had been wrecked upon the shoals of Point Sacco, the crew and passen- gers escaping to the shore. For many days thereafter these unfortunates were kept alive by the provisions made by Mr. Chase for his family, and kept from per- ishing by cold by the clothing in the boxes cast ashore by the waves. They were rescued from their dan- gerous position by a party of wreckers from Cuba, and finally, after months of suffering, brought to New Orleans. Mr. Chase lost his all — books, furniture, maps, globes, provisions, clothing. His purse was empty and his salary had been anticipated in expensive lodgings ; he had no resources from abroad, or in the land whence he came, for at that time there were no benevolent so- cieties nor generous missionary aid to help in such serious disaster. Under God, he must depend upon his own exer- tions. It was well that Mr, Chase was a born teacher. He did not lose any time in idle regret. He hired a small house, borrowed a little money, and began to receive pupils. In this undertaking the greatest 64 The Life of Philander Chase difficulty was the impossibility of obtaining domestic service. Where all are owners of slaves, none can keep house without them. He must own them or hire them from others. If a man owned a good servant, he would not part with him, and a poor one was not worth having. To borrow money and purchase was the only expedient, except to give all up and leave the country. Aided by Mr. Dow, afterwards one of the wardens of the church, he was able to borrow of the bank, and as his school soon proved to be profitable, he was not long under indebtedness. The negro Jack was bought for $500, proved to be a model servant, was put into good clothes, waited upon the family for three months, and was both modest and manly; then he shipped himself upon the Thomas Jefferson, just ready to sail for Liverpool, went with a fair wind and swift current down the river and out to sea, and was seen no more by Mr. Chase or his friends. This, under the circumstances, was a hard blow and humiliating as well, but it was not the end of the story. It was im- possible then to predict that this insignificant event would, long years after, raise him from deep distress and be the means under God of greatly benefiting His Church. The school grew apace and larger quarters were soon needed. It thus became necessary to move into town. While these changes were in progress, a dear friend proposed for the sake of health and recreation an ex- cursion after Mr. Chase's long confinement in school and public duties. Therefore, with his hired servant Jim and Captain C, he started gaily out in the pleasant month of May, 1808, for a short trip across Difficulties and Dangers 65 the lake to Bookters Springs. No doubt the young men enjoyed the bustle of providing the tent, cooking utensils, and provisions for this unusual picnic excur- sion with boyish pleasure, — at least, we hope so, in view of the denouement of the story. With all things needed to make themselves comfort- able, they passed through Bayou St. John's to the Lake Pontchartrain. Here, at the military post of St. John's, they met with great civility from the officers and the captains of the gun-boats on the lake, which is really a part of the Mexican Gulf and a beautiful sheet of water, abounding with excellent fish. From thence the friends went on board a small schooner to the Tickfaw River. A fine wind soon carried them through into Lake Maurepas, where they pitched their tent upon its shore, as the schooner could take them no farther. Here their pleasure ended and their trials began. The story from this time became distressing, all owing to the unlooked-for presence of a most disagreeable person. Life, in all times and places, has people who are especially intended by nature and training to be the kill-joy of society. Here they were joined by a friend of Captain C, with his servant, who urged them to change their plans and visit him at his new plantation. The uninvited and disagreeable guest joined in urging this plan, as it coincided with his desire to show them his own lands, and offered to bring his horses to aid the party on their way to Bayou Barbara, also promising to pilot them thither by a much shorter route by help of his com- pass. This person was "J." in the story, and the owner of Bayou Barbara was "Mr. D.," who, strangely enough, although a charming and cultivated gentleman, 66 The Life of Philander Chase yielded to the offensive patronage of J. without pro- test. Then the order of march was taken up, — first, the intruder J. on horseback with a bag of Indian meal under him and a compass in his hand, then Mr. D.'s servant with a ham on one shoulder and an axe on the other, then the hired yellow man, Jim, with a large tin cup, knife, and hatchet, flint and "spunk" to strike a fire. No matches in 1806. The rear was brought up by Mr. Chase on horseback, en- joying the pleasant company of Mr. D., who, with rifle over shoulder, walked by his side. Captain C. had remained to attend to his business at Bookters Springs. It was a delightful day, with no chilly spring wind to mar the beauty and pleasure of the Southern scene; and the self-constituted guide, J., was going fearlessly forward, calling to his followers that they would soon reach Bayou Barbara, when Mr. D. remarked that they had already gone quite far enough to have reached Bayou Barbara. At this J. seemed angry and laughed Mr D. to scorn. It soon occurred to Mr. Chase that J. did not know the route and that the party had evi- dently lost its way, but as the distance was short the situation was not alarming. The day was spent in this way, J. continually call- ing: "Come on; here we are, we shall soon be there." Clouds now obscured the sun and night was at hand. The cry was : "We can go no farther, here is water and we can rest on the dry leaves of last year. " The horses were "spancelled" and Jim struck fire; dry limbs of trees were collected and a cheerful fire soon "beat back the darkness" of the Southern night. J. continued his assertions that the morninsr would show them that Difficulties and Dangers 67 all was right, and he would soon bring them into Bayou Barbara. Jim, in this emergency, proved himself to be the "mascot" of the hungry and weary company. He plucked the large leaves of the magnolia, mixed the Indian meal with water, and placing the leaves upon the ground poured the wet meal upon them, covered the mass with more wet leaves and buried it in the hot coals. The bread after baking was delicious, and with broiled ham made an excellent supper. Jim also pre- pared a sleeping place by stakes stuck in the ground and others laid across for branches of trees to rest upon, leaving one side open to the fire, so that the sleepers could have their feet to the blaze, while pro- tected from mosquitoes by the curtain of boughs. Jim evidently knew his business, which is more than could be said of J. The next morning the latter began his work, and addressing his oratory to Mr. D., seemed to get that unlucky gentleman completely in his power. He held the compass, he owned the horses, the party was forced to follow him. The open woods were covered with prickly briars and they all suffered greatly, their clothes torn and their exposed skins trickling with blood. Thus the miserable day wore on ; the only comfort was to cheer their parched throats with sweet black- berries, which in this semi-tropical land were ripe in early May. Mr. D. was apparently bewildered by fatigue and hunger, and more than ever under the power of J. It was middle afternoon when the weary party came to a windfall of trees, where the horses were jumped over some large logs, and this proved a fortunate incident. 68 The Life of Philander Chase Going on farther into open ground, poor Mr. D. and the servants sat down in despair. J. mounted his horse and rode off in search of "Cow Bluff," a place of which nobody had ever heard. Mr. Chase made himself the keeper of the compass for a short time, and meantime took a solemn vow never to surrender it; in fact, he determined to obey the "spirit" and not the "letter" of the law in this present emergency. To do this effectually he must win the confidence of poor Mr. D. — how? What man could not achieve the good providence of God effected and that very soon. Mr. Chase's coat was torn into tatters, but in one of the pockets he found a sheet of paper and a pencil. His memory kept the direction of their wanderings through the country where they were so unhappily be- wildered, and their present position between the Amit^ and Tickfaw ; and by asking questions of Mr. D. and the servants, he succeeded in making a rough draft of their track, and found that they had passed the source of Bayou Barbara twenty miles behind. To this Mr. D. assented, and also agreed with Mr. Chase that their hope was now to steer directly for the Amit6 River and then follow it down to Mr. D.'s plantation. At this juncture the inevitable marplot appeared flushed with confidence, immediately propos- ing a plan exactly contrary to that of Mr. Chase, for he "now knew where they were, and they would soon be extricated from all their difficulties." "Mr. J.," said Mr. Chase, "will you kindly look at this map?" He did so, but had no confidence in it and declared that to proceed in that direction would be to go back the way they came. "Not so," said Mr, Chase, "for we came in that direction," pointing Difficulties and Dangers 69 to the fallen trees over which the horses had just been jumped. This J. flatly denied, and there was nothing left but to appeal to the evidence of sight ; but on the way to the place poor Mr. D. sat down in despair, saying that he presumed J. was right and that he would trust everything to him. Stung by this evidence of weak- ness, Mr. Chase insisted that J. should follow him, and when the tracks of the horses and also the footprints of the men were plainly seen, Mr. Chase said in no very mild tones: "Are you convinced that you were wrong, and that I was right?" "Yes," J. replied. "Then will you own to Mr. D. that you were mis- taken?" "No." "But you must." "I will never own that I have been wrong." This was followed by a fusillade of oaths and abuse. Here Mr. Chase naively remarks that "happily no blows were neces- sary, but that nothing but the expectation of instant chastisement brought him to reason." It was prob- ably about this time that Mr. Chase was taking off what was left of his coat. J. yielded to the inevitable, cooled down, owned his error, promised to tell Mr. D., and agreed that Mr. Chase should carry the com- pass. The weak nerves of Mr. D. were braced by this time, and the wanderers prepared with some courage to spend another night in the dreary wilderness. Jim improvised a shelter from the impending thunder- storm ; they scraped the bone of the ham, and baked a little meal. The next morning they struck upon the track of a human being, and soon came to a deserted Indian camp, and shortly afterwards to the bank of a stream 70 The Life of Philander Chase which Mr. D. said was not the Amit^. Here they found the remains of a dwelling, and as they supposed the stream was a branch of the Amit6, they proposed to build a raft to float them thither. Finding that the cypress logs were too much decayed, this plan was im- possible, and they gave up in weary despair, hungry and fainting. One of the party suggested that pos- sibly human beings might answer to a signal ; accord- ingly the rifle was loaded as heavily as it would bear, and some one gave a loud whoop. After the third repetition there was a distinct reply. At length, after a hush of beating hearts and strained nerves, from around a point of great trees, borne on two pieces of logs, came their deliverer. After the first joy, questions were asked and answered : they found they were fifty miles from Bayou Barbara, a mile from the Amit^ River, and ten miles from Galveston. Three of the party embarked on the log raft, their new-found friend went back for the servants, and the horses were left to feed on the fresh grass in the clear- ing. They found that the kind man who had rescued them was himself in a sore strait. After bringing this large party of hungry men into his home, which was a mere tent covered with palmetto leaves, he said his provi- sions were almost gone, a sick child was on the bed made of tul6 reeds, and his wife had gone for food and medicine for the child. There was nothing to do but to go on to the next house. He said as they left: "You will have to cross or wade up to your waist in the bayou, and as it is growing dark, you must each light a piece of candle-wood, of which I have plenty, and keep close together, holding up your torches, and Difficulties and Dangers 71 the alligators will be frightened and will not touch you," "How far is it across the bayou?" said one. "Not more than forty yards; there are some deep holes, but none above the midriff." Dismal comfort this ! A trail led them to the bayou ! Now then ! The waters were black as ink, and the shadowy trees height- ened the ghastly effect under the fitful glare of the torches. Not to linger over the fearful plunge, — in they went ! The water, dark and slimy, creeping to their hips, then to the breasts of the tallest, and now the snorting of the alligators and the shrieks of the company added to the horror of the adventure. But they got across, though in a pitiable plight, much the worse for wear. Happily they found food and shelter, a good supper, and a clean bed of corn husks at Mr. Bowser's. Meantime Captain C, having transacted his busi- ness at Bookters Springs, returned to Rome ; finding neither his friend nor Mr. Chase there, he became alarmed for their safety. A large party was to start out the following morning for their relief, when happily they returned, in a state better imagined than described. Mr. Chase seems to reflect upon this unfortunate outing as only an "ideal" and not a real pursuit of health, and to regret that outside of his duty he had sought pleasure and change which he should not have done. Had he found the rest and refreshment which he doubtless needed, he might, in his future life of strenu- ous and all-absorbing work, have given more time to recreation, and to the enjoyment of the society of those 72 The Life of Philander Chase who loved him and would gladly have soothed him into rest. The truth is that he never, after this, spent an hour for pleasure only in all his life. But for all that, no man's presence was more genial or more eagerly sought. CHAPTER X FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ONE incident occurred during Mr. Chase's six years' residence in New Orleans which cannot be passed over, as in itself it is interesting, and in the later life of the Bishop it proved a providential help to him in a crisis. To quote directly from the Reminiscences: "While living below the city of New Orleans, two gentlemen, Messrs. Leonard, the one a druggist, the other a commission merchant, were residents of that city. The former came to me and told me that his brother had received a consignment of a large cargo of negroes from the slave coast of Africa, and felt it his duty to take the best care of them in his power, now that the business, against his will and expectation, had been thrown upon his hands. Some of them were even now in a perishing state, and two of them must die unless removed immediately and carefully nursed; and his object in coming to me was to ask me to allow these poor creatures to find a shelter in my kitchen. [This it is presumed was an outside building, as is customary during the summer in hot climates.] This proposal was immediately assented to, and one end of the servants' quarters became a hospital. Being care- fully and kindly nursed by the family, one of these 73 74 The Life of Philander Chase poor fellow-beings was saved from death ; the other, after lingering long, died. A coffin was made for him by the hired servant Jim; a grave was dug in the land adjoining; and my family saw the poor exile buried, believing that his soul was as precious in God's sight as that of any other human being." How these events could be represented as a sin and urged as an objection to the consecration of Mr. Chase as a Christian Bishop will be hereafter shown. The school, which Mr. Chase had founded under the stress of strong necessity, had by this time become an important feature for good in the lives of the youths of that important Southern city. Few at this day can estimate the value of such instruction as this earnest man could give, in these days of his youth and strength. He says, apropos of this subject: "After the school removed to the city and commenced under very favorable circumstances, many from town pressed into it and not a few from the country and towns up the river, — the Dunbars, the Geraults from the Natchez, the Sterlings and the Barrows from Bayou Sara, and the Percys and the Evanses from Pinkneyville and Fort Adams, all of the best. The church also flourished; the congregations were large and the number of com- municants increased." The school still increasing, Mr. Chase was obliged to find larger quarters in the buildings of M. La Branch, Tchoupitoulas Street, then the Levee in the Faubourg St. Mary. While he was conducting this school he spent some of the most laborious years of his life, and probably some of the most useful. He says in his Reminiscences: "While discharging his duty as Rector of the church, in visiting the sick, and in burying the From South to North 75 dead, the writer, as he humbly trusts, was laying the foundation of Christian education in some of the best families in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. Should any of his pupils ever chance to cast their eyes on this little book, let them be assured that although these words are written with a hand trembling with age, his heart still beats for them with warm affection, and his prayers still ascend for blessings on them and their offspring." The teacher and the scholars, and many of their children, are all "gone away into the world of light" ; — let us believe that they are now enjoying their lives, renewed by the Holy Spirit , in a higher and better way, "as the eternal years of God are theirs," In these days one can scarcely imagine the magni- tude of the work accomplished by this one man in those six years of unremitting toil in such a city as New Orleans then was. It was not that New Orleans was then or is now an unhealthful city. Statistics prove quite to the contrary, but also then as now, the yellow fever at certain periods found its victims there as in other Southern cities, and at that time even in New York. In one of these years it found and reaped a great harvest in New Orleans. Mr. Chase fell ill and became convinced that upon the fatal eleventh day the use of porter at the critical hour saved his life. It is certain that in his arduous duties he never faltered, and it must be owned even now, ninety-two years after, that here as a young man he laid the foundations wide and strong of Christian education in church and home in the Diocese of Louisiana. But imperious duty, in regard to the education of his young sons left with their uncle in Vermont, called 76 The Life of Philander Chase him back to the North. Mrs. Chase had found the Southern chmate of great benefit to her health, and now, with a mother's longing, desired to return to her children, who were growing to manhood, — fourteen and thirteen years of age. In his last address to his pupils upon his departure, Mr. Chase used the following tender words: "Sweet have been the hours I have passed with you, and grate- ful is my remembrance of them. Many of you have waxed strong and come from childhood to youth and from youth to maturity under my care. During this period I call you to witness how often and how earn- estly I have exhorted you to do your duty to God. Let memories of these instructions come often to your minds; so far as you find them to accord with the sacred Word of God, let them be imprinted upon your hearts, bear you company in your walks by day and follow you to your pillow at night. Remember the sum and substance of your instruction, — that religion is the chief thing, that to this every branch of science should aim, and without this the wisest man, in the eye of his Maker, is but a fool. Thus will you become the blessing of your day and generation, models for others to imitate when your lives are ended. So to do, and so to be rewarded, may God grant you a double portion of His Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord. "It now remains for me to say to the congregation what I may never have the opportunity again to say : My brethren, farewell! I go from you, but wherever I am I shall remember to my dying day your many instances of kindness to me. May God reward you with choicest blessings! May He build up the walls From South to North "j^ of Jerusalem which He has planted here. May He people the city with Israelites indeed, so that when the great day of accounts shall come, many who come from hence may go into the state of blessedness." There is no record of the journey to the North. It may be taken for granted that it was accomplished as before, by means of some sailing vessel from New Orleans to New York, as steamboats were not then in use on the Mississippi or elsewhere. Mr. Chase says that the sons so long separated from their parents were reunited with them at the home of their uncle Dudley, in Randolph, Vermont, and they had great pleasure in seeing their growth in stature and im- provement in mind. They were handsome, interesting, and intelligent lads, and already well advanced in their studies. It was a subject of great regret to Mr. and Mrs. Chase that there was no church in Randolph or in Bethel, where many of the kindred resided. Here it was that in Mr. Chase's early youth he had taught school, read prayers, and after his ordination preached to the faithful few of his relatives, and here he was married to his young wife, the mother of his children. He would gladly have remained, but wishing to give these promising sons the benefit of the best education possible, he went with his family to Cheshire, Connec- ticut, where he met the Rev. Dr. Tillotson Bronson, even then eminent as an educator. Here he immediately began housekeeping; the boys were placed at school, the family was settled, and the lads were safely cared for by a "teacher pious without fanaticism, learned without pedantry, strict and primi- tive without bigotry, and withal an honest, upright 78 The Life of Philander Chase man who feared God and eschewed evil." Such a picture painted in Bishop Chase's own vivid words gives to the modern mind almost an impossible being. One man came in his short life very near to this type, yet it pleased God to take him suddenly away in the midst of his years and at the height of his usefulness. This was the Rev. Dr. James De Koven, of Racine College. The home in Cheshire seemed to be a haven of rest for Mr. Chase. He spent his Sundays in Hartford, where he eventually removed as rector of Christ Church. In that city for a brief period he seemed to taste the genial pleasures of such society as pleased his taste and encouraged his hopes for his sons, with their mother in the sweet home life now made possible for them to enjoy. Mr. Chase always described this period of his life as his "day of sunshine." In the Reminiscences, he thus speaks of these years : "In the fall of 1811, I was with uncommon felicity to myself fixed as rector of Christ Church, Hartford. My residence in this city continued until 1817. Dur- ing this time the number of the faithful greatly in- creased. The attendance at the Lord's Table from a very few became a large number. I rejoiced to see the blessed effects of the Gospel of Peace, and the many examples of fruitful and holy life. In the bosom of an enlightened society, softened by the hand of urbanity and kindness, my enjoyments, crowned with abundance of temporal blessings, were as numerous and refined as belong to the lot of man. Of the time I spent in this lovely city I can never speak in ordinary terms. It is to my remembrance as a dream of more than terrestrial delight. Of its sweets I tasted for a CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD, CONN., 1792-1829. Page 78. From South to North 79 while and thought myself happy, but God, who would train His servants more by the reality of suffering than by ideal and transitory bliss, saw fit to direct my thoughts to other and more perilous duties." During the time of the rectorship of Christ Church, Hartford, occurred the death of Dudley Chase and his wife Allace, the father and mother of Mr. Chase, the former at the age of eighty-six and the latter eighty- one. They had lived together sixty-one years, and had been the parents of fifteen children, fourteen of whom had grown to mature years. From the moment of the death of the wife and mother in the year 1814, the father, who survived eight months after his wife's death, conceived himself away from home and would frequently and urgently entreat his children to carry him home to his dear wife, and yet would go to her grave and with perfect calmness speak of her with tender words of affection. When asked what he would have inscribed upon her tombstone, he replied, "This is the way to Immortality" ; and when he himself died, and was buried by her side, his children had inscribed over his grave these words from his favorite author from whose poems (which he could repeat almost in their entirety) he had selected the Christian name of his son ; An angel's arm can't snatch me from the grave, Legions of angels can't confine me there. Mr. Chase further says of this place, which he visited last in the summer of 1840: "There they both lie in the churchyard at Cornish. The evergreen pine trees grow round the enclosure, and the wind as it blows through the branches reminds one of the breath of God 8o The Life of Philander Chase by which the dead shall be revived and quickened ac- cording to the promise of the Saviour, by the prophet. " 'Thy dead men shall live; together with my dead body shall they arise ! Awake and sing ; ye that dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.' " L CHAPTER XI HOME-LIFE IN HARTFORD ETTER written by Philander Chase to his two young sons at school : " Hartford, Dec. i6, 1812, "My dear SONS: "We were very glad to see Mrs. Beach and to receive your letters by them. Phil'rs. shoes I have engaged and they will be sent by Mr. Beach. The watch, I, this morning carried to be mended and regulated — I fear more time will be required to this end, than to have it in my power to send it by this opportunity : as soon as it is done, you shall have it. "I am happy to hear, dear George, that you are admitted to the society of young men associated for religious improvement : This however is in the full trust that there will be no food for vanity in extempo- raneous effusions on the solemn subjects of our Holy Faith. If ever there should be anything of this na- ture, I enjoin it upon you to give me early notice, and from that moment you must withdraw. "I hope, Geo., that you keep your mind, as often as occasion permits, on the subject of the Holy Eucharist and that you inseparably join Devotion with all your inquiries. Nothing would give me more pleasure than 6 81 82 The Life of Philander Chase to hear you and Philander make good progress in this bounden duty and that your hearts accompany your faith, as the Soul, the body. Next Easter, should it please God, and your requirements be adequate and your conduct worthy, I shall admit you to the partici- pation of that Heavenly Sacrifice thro' which is the forgiveness of sins and Eternal Life. To this end may God bless all that you do. "And dear boys, let me say something to you of the pleasure which the news of your good conduct, brought by Mr. Beach, gave me. Never can I be too thankful that you preserve and exercise the principles of Honor and Truth and that you keep your minds and bodies from the pollutions of a wicked world. This as to the main things, I trust is the case. But George, I do not like the smoking habits of a boy of 15, especially after what has passed between you and your ever hon'd mother. "Be above board in all you do — while you are young learn to submit to the wishes of those who have a right to command and who love you. Should this not be sufificient, you will hear from me again. "Mr. Imlay and family and Mrs. Glover and Mrs. Sigourney often mention you with much affection as do many others. "I have filled my paper — should anything more occur, I shall give it to you in a post-script. In the meantime, ever be assured of my love, my prayers and my constant exertions to promote your happiness. "May God ever have you in His Holy keeping. "Philr. Chase." From George Chase, a boy of sixteen, to his cousin, Intrepid Morse, describing life at Hartford : Home-Life in Hartford S^ " Hartford, April 30th, 1814. "Dear Cousin Intrepid: "You can scarce conceive of the pleasure I felt, when I beheld the tall spires of Hartford and the cloud of smoke that rose from her buildings. 'Away with care and melancholy' was the expression I made as I jumped from the stage before our door. Our family were all well and very glad to see me. Grandmother has gone to Vermont to see Aunt Batchelor, who is dangerously ill. Our respected ancestor Grandpa died on the 13th of the month. Thus we drop off, one after the other, till all with whom we are now enjoying life (or rather enduring her miseries) shall be forgotten, beneath the turf. Our fathers where are they? and do the prophets live forever? "Uncle Dudley returned this way from Congress and we spent two days very agreeably together. As to politics, he is very much altered, instead of hitching that into conversation everywhere, he is modest and silent. Disgusted with the slave holders and company of the South, he spoke with rapture of beholding the streets here crowded with white people and rosy healthy children, issuing from school. No slaves are here forced to lift the heavy burden, to feel the lash of the negro driver, or know that they are bound to sweat for another until their labors and their life shall be finished by death. Never did Uncle Dudley appear so great and so noble as at present. His ingenuous confessions have endeared him to me more than ever. "The Church still increases and it affords us sincere delight to observe people once so violently opposed to her ordinances returning like the prodigal son, to their duty. . . . Mr. Root and Mr. Huntington, two 84 The Life of Philander Chase young men, the pupils of Parson Flint in the lan- guages, came to Church one Sunday out of pure motives of curiosity. They were astonished at the Beauty of Holiness there displayed, as they afterward told, and returned to the synagogue no more (Cheshire Meeting House). Huntington I am particularly pleased with, for he is a brother bard. ' Birds of a feather flock together.' "On Sunday evenings we used to have meetings at our house, composed principally of Church people. To these father gave such advice as was proper, or read one of Jones's lectures, or some other good book. One evening unfortunately I fell asleep owing to my infirm state of health. Father pointed to me before the whole company, in which was the long loved C. I was mortified (in the usual way of expressing it) to death, but my dear mother came up with her reserve of excuses and secured my retreat into the other room. They have since changed the meetings to the Church, where father preaches a sermon of his own. The exertion of writing and delivering three a week almost overcomes him. "I have been to the Holy Communion three times since my return. I find it of great and inestimable use to turn my thoughts and affections toward Heaven and inspire me to do good." " May 3rd. "The celebrated and the charming Mrs. Emily Phillips has favored us with her company two or three weeks since I have been home. She displayed her books, her writings and various collections for our amusement, but the greatest was the display of her Home-Life in Hartford 85 own lively talents. The more I am acquainted with her, the more I admire her extraordinary talent and taste. The Nine seem to accompany her, for one evening when the fire blazed cheerfully and every face was illumined with smiles, the whole family struck their harps, and such sweet music never was heard since the days of Orpheus and Eurydice. In short we all turned poets. The method of writing was this, each one wrote a verse upon some subject and doubling the paper down passed it to the rest. Therefore with your kind permission I will transcribe a few. My own I shall carefully conceal for conscience sake. Philander was considered passionately fond of Ally Painter, now gone to her home in Middlebury, Vermont and Orrin always bowed very low to Miss Harriet Norton. Mine they have never discovered. That 's lucky. ^' Philander' s " How desert-like the world appears to me Now Abby 's gone and left me far behind, Yet dear the place where once she us'd to be And lov'd her image form'd upon my mind. "Mrs. Phillips' " Sappho, 't is true a Muse was styl'd, But sure you '11 all agree That she was naught but Fortune's child Compared to Mrs. P. ''Mrs. Phillips' " The chill blasts of winter sure never will cease — How it pelts us with snow and with hail, The hens and the chicks and moreover the geese, Do loudly, most loudly bewail. 86 The Life of Philander Chase ''Mother's " While making rhymes and mending breeches, Which do I best, my rhymes or stitches? I 'm sure no mortal wight can tell, I do them both so very well. "Orrins " O Moon! fair planet of the night! Shed o'er the world thy splendid light, Thou type of Canandaigua's fair, Accept this tribute of a prayer. "Philander requested me to assist him in writing some poesy which he intended to send to Miss E. R. accompanied with a beautiful rose (alas ! Miss Painter). I proposed an acrostic and putting our heads together we composed the following: " Eliza dear, this blushing rose, Like Heaven's fair tints at evening's close I send to you in manner plain, Zealous your smiles esteem 'd to gain. And when, dear girl, this rose you see, Remember, oh, remember me! Of this fair rose, though short the stay, Yet let remembrance longer sway. Still as the fading flower you view Eliza, pleasing thoughts renew. "You, dear Intrepid, who like us have gnawed your pen & dash'd it to the ground, when writing acrostics, can fancy perhaps how difficult it was to make those plaguey initials come in just right. We went on smoothly until we came to the letter 'Z,' here was a Home- Life in Hartford Sy full stop, in vain we tortured one poor word a thou- sand ways. We thought of zig-zag, zana, zephyrs, but all would not do, till I popped upon the word zealous (by looking in the dictionary) and we succeeded. Pray give us joy. "Thus far, dear cousin, I have written a great deal concerning myself. I now revert with increas'd pleas- ure to you and yours. I have reserv'd this page to give you freely my mind concerning certain subjects. I have asked father what he would think if I should enter into the society of the Moravians. 'If you had any real design of going there I would tell you, but it is not possible you should have got any such whim in your head.' 'Well, suppose I had what would you say?' 'AH I should say would be this, you would one day bitterly repent it.' From my father's opinion given more freely upon this subject, forgive me In- trepid, if I say, I cannot much regret your disappoint- ment. The Moravians are apostolic and indefatigable people, but they entirely seclude themselves from the innocent pleasures sent by kind Heaven to cheer us in this Vale of Misery. Your motives are good in en- deavoring to Christianize the savages, but are there not among people of our blood, country and habits, those who although their Christian light faintly gleams like daybreak, are greatly ignorant of the sublime truths of our holy Religion? Would it not be more useful to endeavor to lead them in the right path than the very uncertain prospect of bringing but a few natives to Christianity? Their minds are fix'd and their prejudice against white people for their fraud and treachery is insurmountable; at the present time too, it is particu- larly dangerous. These few thoughts, dear coz, I have 88 The Life of Philander Chase flung together, hoping you will excuse their boldness and imperfection and view only the heart and feelings with which they are delivered. "This letter I have written at different times, and therefore excuse the want of regularity, the mistakes, egotism, &c. with which it is crowded, and I am your affect. "George Chase." "The gallant Com. McD. was confirmed with us two or three years since, — perhaps you do not re- member him, as his utmost exertions had procured him little celebrity on the lake. The Secretary of the Navy is his bitterest enemy merely because he is a federalist. Such conduct ought at once to displace him from office. "The Commodore married a Miss S in Middle- ton. He is a communicant of our Holy Church. His bravery is needless for me to mention, he has prov'd it by the most glorious actions. "Last night an express came in town announcing the arrival of between lo and 1 1 sail of the line off New London, and that they had demanded the surrender of the place, giving them one day to prepare. They can never take the place until half the men are killed. Such enthusiasm prevails here and everywhere. A great many young men have gone from this place. Thus you see the effects of this hasty, ill judged and wicked war, when will it end? Heaven knows! "Salmon was here to return with aunt, when we arrived home. I wish. Intrepid, he had more experi- ence. Would you believe it? he has enlisted in the U. S. Army, and he even wished to associate with the troops here in town. Could you but once behold Home-Life in Hartford 89 these miserable creatures you would exclaim, 'Alas, for my country when its honor is defended by such creatures as these.* "There has been a great deal of trouble with them, too tedious for me to write & unentertaining for you to hear. One anecdote I cannot help repeating. Parson Flint, Sunday before last, took this text ' Fear God & honor the King.' A soldier originally a sailor from the frigate Macedonian bellowed out from the gallery, 'Avast there all hands, by — , I '11 have nothing but "honor the Congress."' He had never been in a church or meeting-house before. His officer after service threatened him very much, — 'Oh,' said he, 'if the fellow spoke five words more I 'd hauled him out of his bunk.' "Write me a long letter soon & tell me where I shall direct the answer. Tell me of every circumstance that has befallen you, what were your thoughts when climb- ing the steeps of the Green Mountains and what have been your adventures on the romantic banks of the Hudson? "My dear father sends his best love to you & tells you to continue in that path of virtue you have so sin- cerely begun. He cannot write to you at present, for he has scarcely time to write his two sermons a week, and besides he sees a great deal of company. "Pray excuse this hasty, ill written scrawl and be- lieve me your affectionate friend. "George." "P. S. — Dear Mother sends her love to you & re- quests you to remain as good a churchman as you were at Cheshire; for she says, unless you 'abide with the ship,' you cannot be saved." CHAPTER XII STORIES AND STORY-TELLERS THE time has now come when the spirit of the " Pioneer of Missions" in this country could no longer linger in the delights of his lovely home in Hartford. His wife had been restored and another son had been born during his happy life there. Never were people more beloved, never was pastor more be- loved in return, never one more affectionately remem- bered for generations after, than the rector of Christ Church during these six fruitful years from 1811 to 1817. But before the final good-byes are said, there is space for one of Bishop Jarvis's stories as related by him to Mr. Chase. The Bishop had warmly welcomed Mr, Chase to his diocese, and cordially invited him to his home, and during the interval before accepting the call to Christ Church, Hartford, he took occasion to visit Bishop Jarvis in New Haven ; and greatly did the younger man enjoy the Bishop's company for one very good reason, that he told good stories, "long in telling," but always good at last, so that one had only to be patient in order to be highly gratified in the end. Mr. Chase characterizes these sketches as historical and biographical, illustrative of truths beginning to fall into disuse, as possibly the truth illustrated in the fol- lowing story has done in some quarters. 90 Stories and Story-Tellers 91 The principle involved is really of great importance, and as the "gems of wit and humor are scattered in the path" of the story there will be no harm in enjoy- ing the Right Reverend's manner of telling it. Bishop Jarvis was an intimate friend of Bishop Seabury's, the first American Prelate, and his immediate successor in the Episcopate of Connecticut. Great was the privilege to have been an eye-witness of the good deeds of him who had connected the Apostolic Church of God in the old world and in the new. This blessing Dr. Jarvis enjoyed for many years. In grave history all does not appear which is interesting to men of taste to-day, who want some- thing more than dry facts about such a character and career as Bishop Seabury's, "A man who would do and dare as he did, alone and at the hazard of all his substance, even of his life, to go in search of 'that good thing' which he believed Christ gave to His Apostles and they to their successors, the Bishops, to the end of the world, must have had a faith which few possess. Knowing this, the Church in Connecticut regards the memory of Seabury as the Syrian Christians found in India venerated the name of Thomas, the Apostle, by whom their Church was founded." Mr. Chase now having the opportunity to learn from one who had seen and known Bishop Seabury, begged Bishop Jarvis to tell him something of the sayings and doings of the former, after he returned to his native land with the right to wear the vestments of a bishop. "How did his own brethren receive him, and how did others who profess and call themselves Christians receive him?" The story answers these questions in Bishop Jarvis's own words: 92 The Life of Philander Chase "As to that matter, besides what is aheady in print, — and precious Httle for some reason or another has been brought before the public, much less than the subject demands, — I happen to know some things, not exactly from the mouth of the venerable Diocesan, for he would be the last to speak in praise of himself, which may answer your question. One anecdote will illustrate the whole subject. "The dramatis personce are few, but of importance. They are Mather Byles, the head of the Congregational Church in Massachusetts and Connecticut, or rather all New England ; Dr. Parker, rector of Trinity Church, Boston, and our then newly consecrated Bishop Sea- bury, who had been set apart (as was supposed by those who knew not the particulars) for all New Eng- land. It was well known by some intelligent ministers of the Congregational Church that the Bishop claimed, jure divino, the Apostolic commission to ordain the ministers of Christ. The conclusion was, that if he were right, they were wrong; and as men are generally unwilling to own themselves in an error, no small op- position was raised against Bishop Seabury. "Among others who felt the pains of a question of validity in Congregational ordination was the Rev. Mather Byles, of Boston, a man of great wit and learn- ing. He said within himself, as he afterwards owned : 'If this Bishop Seabury prevails, the Congregational clergy are virtually denied to be regularly ordained ministers. What then shall be done? Bishop Seabury will not ordain us, unless we all be qualified as he shall think fit, or unless we all agree to use the liturgy of the Church or something like it ; no.w, however this might suit some, yet all will not be satisfied. Can I not get Stories and Story-Tellers 93 this Bishop to acknowledge the validity of Congrega- tional orders? Though our power as ministers accord- ing to our platform did come from the people, yet if a Bishop should sanction it, who shall say it may not do? ' Not many months elapsed before the originator of this scheme had a fair opportunity to try it upon Bishop Seabury. It was announced that he had come to town and been received by Dr. Parker and his numerous congregation, and that of Christ Church, founded by the Rev. Dr. Cutler, former president of Yale College, then an Episcopalian. And said Dr. Byles: 'Bishop Seabury shall know while in this city, that there is such a person in it as Mather Byles, and I will so contrive as to make the prelate, clad with all authority as he is, to acknowledge in scriptural lan- guage the validity of all the New England ministry. I will make him give me the "right hand of fellow- ship," which will be all we want.' The day was fine, and the Bishop, the guest of Dr. Parker, was dining with several gentlemen of the parish, when there came a messenger with a note from the Rev. Mr. Byles, which the bearer would deliver to none but the Bishop. Accordingly he entered the dining-room and held up a letter directed to the 'Right Reverend Father in God, Samuel, Bishop of all New England.' 'The hand- writing,' said Dr. Parker, 'is that of the Rev. Mr. Byles. I have ever treated the gentleman well, and I am sur- prised that he should have taken this opportunity to play off his wit upon my friend and guest,' 'What 's the matter?' said the Bishop. 'The matter is,' said Dr. Parker, 'that Mr. Byles, hearing you have arrived, wishes to bring the Episcopal office you hold into ridicule, by holding up to contempt the title which is 94 The Life of Philander Chase given to the bishops of an EstabHshed Church, by ap- plying it in a country where there is no such Church, and no such pretensions ; in short, Mr. Byles means the whole as a quiz and I am very sorry for it.' " 'Quiz? ' said the Bishop. 'Is there a man in Bos- ton who would quiz Samuel Seabury? Let us break the seal and see what are the contents of this letter.' So saying, the note was opened and found to contain nothing more than a respectful invitation to Bishop Seabury and Dr. Parker to tea that afternoon at a stated hour, and it concluded with a statement that there was a particular wish for a favorable reply, as Mr. Byles had something of great importance to say to the Bishop. " 'Is there any quizzing in this?' said the Bishop. 'You will see,' said Dr. Parker. 'Tell Mr. Byles,' said the Bishop to the messenger, 'that I will wait upon him at the hour stated.' 'And,' said Dr. Parker, 'tell him that Dr. Parker will come too.' "The time came when the Bishop and Dr. Parker began their walk to the house of Mr. Byles. The house and yard of Mr. Byles were enclosed within a high board fence. When the gate was opened, they discovered Mr. Byles dressed in his best, with his bands on, at some distance from them, in an attitude of great formality, making an obeisance at every step. His bows were so formal as to require more time than to allow him to meet his guests half-way from the house to the gate, so that they had well-nigh reached the doorstep before he began to speak and when his mouth was open, from it proceeded the most pompous words. Raising his head and looking the Bishop full in the face, he said : ' Rt. Rev. Father in God, Samuel, Stories and Story-Tellers 95 Bishop of all New England, I Mather Byles, as repre- sentative of all the clergy of the Congregational Church of Massachusetts Bay and in other places, bid thee a hearty welcome to Boston and give thee, and hope to receive from thee, "the right hand of fellowship." ' "The Bishop when he saw the extended and trem- bling hand of Mr. Byles, coolly replied: 'Not so, Mr. Byles, with your leave I can't do this, but as you are a left-handed brother, I give you my left hand.' " Before the time came when Mr. Chase was compelled to obey that impulse, which had ever been at work within his consciousness since his early missionary days in the wilds of western and northern New York, let us pause for a time and endeavor to show what he was giving up, and to what he was going. He was giving up his lovely home, among attached and loving friends, who honored him as their rector and friend, who respected him as a man in social and ministerial life, and also loved him for his many kindly and endearing qualities in all relations, as a husband and father and as a friend and neighbor. Among his parishioners were many families well known in the history of Christ Church, Hartford : the Sigourneys, the Imlays, the Tudors, the Beaches, and many more who had by their Christian kindness made him and his family most happy during the six years spent among them. The church and the number of communicants had greatly increased ; his worldly affairs were not restricted by the hand of poverty ; his young sons had both entered college after a most satisfactory examination, and both were admitted to the junior class. Another son had been added to the family ; and his wife's health was only comparatively restored; 96 The Life of Philander Chase yet such was his ever-recurring sense of the need of missions, especially in Ohio, then the "far West," that he could not rest ; in short, he was a born "pioneer," ready to do and dare. Thus he entered upon what proved a triumph of faith above every obstacle, and also a sad ending, humanly speaking, of the great and noble work upon which he had ventured his hopes, his fortune, his very life and that of his best beloved, his home and friends both in this country and England. When he left Hartford, his home, wife, and children, he literally took leave of all that makes life in this world desirable to a man in the prime of manhood, to enter upon a life of poverty, self-denial, suffering, con- stant care, weary trials without sympathy, among the rough and scattered settlements of a wild new country ; his plans were to be condemned in high quarters, his qualifications for the bishopric suspected, through weary months of waiting; yet he was at last the con- queror, as, eighty years later, it has been fully acknow- ledged by the descendants of those who would vainly call in question his churchmanship. As a matter of fact no bishop of the church in this country has ever been more loyal to her principles, or more careful in carrying out her worship according to the Prayer Book. And, supposing he had listened to the voice of pru- dence and comfort for himself and family, — there were excellent reasons for so doing; the health and ease of his frail and often suffering wife, the pleasure of caring for his sons in college, and besides all that, the familiar presence of friends and relatives, loving and beloved, with the almost certain prospect of rising in his profes- sion to a position of power and honor, without the Stones and Story-Tellers 97 strenuous effort of building up the Church from its foundations in a distant State, where no provision had been made by the Church at large for missions in any form, — would he not have been justified in giving up his great plan for educating young men in the West, who were ' ' sons of the soil " ? Many good men thought so, but his own soul would have condemned him. He never could, from any of these motives, have aban- doned what, first, last, and forever, he believed to be right ; and thus he became, as a late writer has said : "One of the builders of our country, the 'great pioneer bishop,' the son of the typical pioneers of the New England blood of Vermont and New Hampshire." M' CHAPTER XIII PIONEER MISSION WORK IN OHIO R. CHASE met his flock for the last time on the 2d of March, 1817, and administered to them the Holy Communion. He had delivered no farewell sermon on that sad day, yet all present were in tears and all went silently away, praying that God would watch over and protect their friend and pastor; and one may believe that these prayers were heard by Him who hath all things in His hand. The rector walked from the church to his home on Burr Street alone; "cold blew the night wind, drifting fast the snow. ' ' One may imagine how his heart was chilled, how drear the prospect seemed, when early next morning the stage called for him, the farewell words were spoken to wife and child, and he began his melancholy journey to "the Ohio." Bishop Clark, of Rhode Island, refers to this in a commemorative sermon preached in Christ Church in 1879. "Some of you can recall the ministry of the ardent and energetic Bishop Chase; and perhaps you now remember that wintry afternoon when he held his farewell service, while the snow was beating against the windows in the plain, old, wooden building where you then went up to worship. You may have seen him starting the next morning in the storm, as he went Pioneer Mission Work in Ohio 99 forth relinquishing the comforts and refinements of the place where, he declares, he passed the sunniest por- tion of his eventful life, to discharge the rough work of a pioneer of the Church in what was then a western wilderness. I do not know that any of those whom I address to-day can recall the scene, for it is now more than sixty years since he laid down his rectorship of this church, to become, two years afterward, the first Bishop of Ohio, and, in 1835, the first Bishop of Illi- nois. And as an indication of the estimate that was placed upon his labors here, I quote from a long letter addressed by the wardens and vestry, 181 8, to the standing committees of New Jersey and Pennsylvania: 'When he entered upon his parochial duties here he found the parish weak and containing scarcely thirty communicants, and when he quitted it he left it aug- mented in members and in attachment, and with com- municants increased to about one hundred and ten.' As there was very little of commonplace in the life of Bishop Chase, so there were no neutral tints in his character ; the lines were sharply drawn and the color- ing deep and strong. Right or wrong, he was not to be easily diverted from his course, and his own strong conviction that he was sure to be right was one of the secrets of his power. He was never ashamed of his Divine Master, and did not seem to know what the fear of man meant." The four hundred miles from Hartford to Buffalo on Lake Erie made but the beginning of the journey to Ohio. Coach-bodies set on runners were the means of winter travel in those days. The snow held until Mr. Chase reached Canandaigua, from thence the coach went on wheels. This caused lOO The Life of Philander Chase much suffering in body and mind, as he feared that a trouble caused by a long residence in a hot climate would unfit him for the laborious life before him. However, he comforted himself with prayer and pa- tience, two words that go very well together and prove a panacea for pains of many kinds. Mr. Chase preached on Sunday at Batavia and also at Buffalo, where he found a few houses, and fewer hopes of "getting on." There was no coach and no other means of conveyance on the southern shore of Lake Erie, and it might be a month before the ice would give way. "To an ardent mind," says Mr. Chase, "bent upon progress, these were circumstances most unpleasant." Travel on the frozen lake, though considered dangerous, was still continued. While looking over this rather chilly prospect, Mr. Chase espied a man standing upright on his sled with his horses facing the lake. "Will you kindly inform me whither you are going?" said Mr. Chase. "Up the lake," replied the man. "And will you allow a stranger to ride with you for a reasonable compensation? " "I am only going twelve miles, but if you wish, jump in." Mr. Chase obeyed, and as he afterward remembered this incident, was amazed at his temerity in view of the dangers he encountered farther on. He always felt that a loving Father guided and protected him, hiding from him step by step the way, and bringing him safely to the end through all. This twelve miles was soon over, a mere beginning. The ice on the lake reached only to Erie ; the spring winds and the waves Pioneer Mission Work in Ohio loi of Lake Erie on the Pennsylvania shore had rendered the ice unsafe, and the spring floods and absence of bridges rendered a journey by land impossible. The settlements through the new country were few and far between ; in short, the outlook was most dishearten- ing. Mr. Chase had thought when the chance offered for "getting on" twelve miles, that it would be some- thing gained; and as he, with his luggage, jumped into the farmer's sleigh, he was cheered by the pres- ence of a fellow-traveller, a Mr. Hibbard, who just at that moment asked the same privilege. Hardly had this little trip ended when an opportun- ity presented of engaging another man, to take both gentlemen twenty-five miles farther on to Cattaraugus Creek. The ice up to this time seemed strong. It was not cold, and the sleigh with no friction glided swiftly along, propelled by a fine pair of horses ; before dark they were at Cattaraugus Creek. It was a dismal scene. No human habitation on this side of the dark, muddy stream, pouring its overflowing waters upon the ice, far and wide over the lake. There were houses on the other side, to which it was understood they were to be carried for the money agreed upon. The stream could not be forded, it was now too deep and rapid. "What shall we do? " was asked the driver. "I have brought you to Cattaraugus Creek," said the man, "and I want my money," throwing out Mr. Chase's trunk and coat and Mr. Hibbard's valise upon the beach. "But you do not intend to leave us here, where there is no house, to perish? " "I agreed to bring you to Cattaraugus Creek, and here you be." I02 The Life of Philander Chase "And my money is in my pocket, which is another fact!" said Mr. Chase. "Now hark you! if you leave us here, as the night is coming on, where there is no sheher, we shall die ; this was no part of the contract between us. But there is no use in further parley ; as this obstruction was unexpected and may cause you some delay, we are willing to pay you extra for helping us out of this trouble. Now ! turn your horses out upon the ice till you get beyond the part weakened by the warm, muddy water of the creek and then cross the stream and take us round to yonder house, which we saw before dark." By this time the sun was down and dark clouds covered the northeast horizon. The man surlily but immediately obeyed, and lash- ing his horses, took them out to what seemed a safe dis. tance. "Now turn to the left," said Mr. Chase. And he adds: "It was terrible to hear the water pour over the runners as they crossed over this muddy stream in a dark night, so far from the shore. But it was done, and the man, well rewarded, went his way; and our- selves, tired and hungry, found shelter and refreshment in Mack's Log Tavern." The next morning was cold and clear, — no wind. A fine, large horse was put before a sleigh, or rather a cutter, in New England style, large enough to accom- modate the travellers and the driver who was engaged to take them to the Four Corners, a place where there were two log cabins five miles short of the Pennsyl- vania line. It was sunrise before the party started. In going out upon the frozen lake, they passed be- tween mounds of ice and sometimes over large cakes thrown up by the storms of winter. But the driver Pioneer Mission Work in Ohio 103 knew his way, and horse and cutter were both strong. Mr. Chase says: "The scene before us, as we came out from the mounds of ice, was most brilliant and even sublime. Before us, up the lake, was a level ex- panse of glassy ice from two to three miles wide, be- tween two ranges of ice mountains, all parallel with the lake shore as far as the eye could reach. On this expanse and on these mountains, and on the icicles which hung in vast numbers and in infinite variety of forms, from the rocky shore on the left, the rising sun was pouring his cheerful beams. Light and shade, brilliance and darkness, were in such proximity and so blended as to produce a most bewildering effect. As we drove through this scene of beauty and sublimity, we were taught a striking lesson of God's care, even for the wild eagles who were feasting upon the fresh fish just from the ice, as they sat upon these frozen mountains, each with a fish in his claws." "What noble birds! Where do they get these fish at this season?" was asked. "They get them," said the driver, "from the top of the ice. They were thrown up last winter in the storm and being frozen at once, have kept perfectly fresh till this spring, and the sun thaws them out for the eagles and ravens, who at this time have nothing else to eat." As the driver told this simple fact of the eagles, the fish, and the ravens, Mr. Chase's thoughts turned upon his lonely and almost discouraged condition. "And will not He who feedeth the eagles and ravens feed and support a poor, defenceless, and solitary missionary, who goeth forth depending on His mercy to preach His Holy Word and build up His Church in the wilderness?" he asked himself. I04 The Life of Philander Chase From this hour he adopted as his motto, "Jehovah Jireh," "The Lord will provide," — the answer of faith. It was not quite noon when the Cattaraugus driver stopped on the ice opposite the Four Corners. Thus far had the Lord helped. The travellers left their luggage on the bank and walked up to the two cabins. Mr. Chase, perceiving a pair of fine horses standing with harness on, and a man at work near-by, said : "Who owns these horses?" "I do," said the man. "Have you a good sleigh?" "Yes." "Will you put them before it at once, and take us up the lake as far as the Pennsylvania line? " At this the man hesitated, but finally said: "I have just moved from the east and want money bad enough, having expended every cent in moving my family. The wind puts the water in the lake in motion and causes the ice to crack dangerously, but if you will give me a little extra, I think I will go." The bargain was soon made, and after eating a few doughnuts to allay their sharp hunger, and hearing the man whistling to his dog and cracking his whip over his prancing horses all ready to start, they ran to the shore and seated themselves in the sleigh. On they went over the ice at almost railroad speed ; for the horses had a good driver and the travellers felt their spirits rise in the exciting but dangerous race for life that it really was, — for the cracks in the ice became visibly wider as they advanced. But no word was spoken. The horses having trotted without injury over the narrow cracks, became accustomed to leap over the wider ones, but none were wide enough yet Pioneer Mission Work in Ohio 105 to let in the runners lengthwise, and the travellers thanked God silently for every successful leap. The horses seemed to enjoy the excitement ; no whip was needed. The driver clung to his seat ; swifter and swifter the good beasts carried them on until a house was in sight, and the driver pulled up to the smooth, pebbly shore. The driver said : "This is the place where I promised to bring you, — the Pennsylvania line. You are now on the lake shore of that State." Mr. Chase replied: "I will go no farther on the lake. "I am glad of that," said Mr. Hibbard, "my heart has been in my mouth all the way." "Why did you not say so? " said Mr. Chase. "Because," said Mr. Hibbard, "I was ashamed to own I had not as much courage as a minister! " The driver received his pay, called for his dog, and was off for home. Once more the travellers were left upon the lonely beach. Any one who has seen the breaking up of ice on any one of the Great Lakes in the early spring can well feel the breeziness of this little sketch. Probably it was not without a certain very piquant enjoyment for all three of the men concerned. It is to be hoped that the brave driver and the fine horses, as well as the dog, got over the cracks in the ice safely. There was a lonely log hut on the beach not far away ; and our travellers, finding no accommodation for man or beast, succeeded in hiring a boy to carry Mr. Chase's trunk on horseback for two miles, where they found a comfortable house, obtaining food and lodging for the night. io6 The Life of Philander Chase They found no way to "get on," however, therefore went on foot, occasionally catching a ride on a country wagon, and sending the luggage on to Erie by means of a chance vehicle going in that direction. From Erie they succeeded in getting a conveyance to Coneaut Creek, in Ohio ; and thus the future Bishop of Ohio entered into his diocese that was to be ! Mr, Hibbard, at this point, left his travelling companion of days, and they never met again. Here Mr, Chase began his missionary work in Ohio, Coneaut Creek, now Salem, was then a cluster of a few log houses. There was not a churchman in the place. Mr. Chase held service, using all that was possible from the Prayer Book, and preaching, "All present 'admired' the prayers; this was good so far, but it would have been much better had they joined in them," On Monday, the 17th, Mr. Chase obtained convey- ance to Ashtabula, where he remained and officiated for a week, when a Mr. Seymour took him on to Rome. It would seem that up to this time, in this part of Ohio, there were no public means of travel. Another matter is worthy of note, — that Mr. Chase remained long enough in these new towns, not only to hold service and preach, but to instruct the igno- rant in the ways of the Church, and to seek for those who might hitherto have known something of its usage, and who had already been baptized. The weather having changed to severe cold, he and his friend, Mr. Seymour, suffered severely; but they at last arrived at the home of a Mr. Crowell, near Aus- tinburg, who was an ardent churchman and welcomed Mr. Chase with expressions of joy. He had always Pioneer Mission Work in Ohio 107 kept his Prayer Book through all the varying influences of friends and neighbors, — his family being at variance with him also, — yet he hoped in time they would all see more clearly, and for this he had always prayed. "And here," said Mr. Chase, "his prayer was heard, and in the end the whole family was trained in the way of primitive order." The same night Mr. Chase held service in Mr. Crowell's house, — the neighbors coming in from their cabins in the surrounding forest, lighted by their hickory torches. From Mr. Crowell's home in the wilderness, Mr. Seymour returned to Ashtabula, when the question arose how should Mr. Chase get to Windsor, a town where there were several churchmen. Mr. Crowell offered to lend him his "stiff-kneed mare" to help him over the watercourses, which kindly offer he accepted. It was ten miles to Windsor, and the road, except for two or three miles, was through a dense forest. The path, a part of the way, was rough with frozen mud, and the poor beast with her stiff knee limped sorely. Before the second mile was over, in attempt- ing to avoid a log on one side and a deep hole on the other, she caught her "game leg" and fell with the rider's foot under her, fast in the stirrup. A few struggles and his leg was released, but the poor animal lay there still. On examination her leg was found fast between two logs, and a long lever was needed to set it free. A rail was taken from the fence and then the puzzle came, where to stand? If he stood far enough back to raise the log by bearing on the outer end of the lever, he was not near enough to put a block under the log to keep what was gained. io8 The Life of Philander Chase After several fruitless attempts, he felt inclined to indulge in a hearty laugh at the ridiculous figure he cut by the wayside, thus bothered. Sympathy for the poor suffering beast, however, enabled him, by great exertion, to throw off the log from her leg and she was once more on her feet. Mr. Chase left her at a house near-by, to be sent back to the owner, and with his bruised and aching foot went on his way to Windsor as bravely as he could on his own legs. Hap- pily the way through the woods was frozen, with much smooth ice. "What a blessing to a man with sprained ankle and a bruised leg! " CHAPTER XIV ORGANIZING PARISHES AND FARM ARRIVED at Windsor, Mr. Chase met with a warm welcome from Judge Solomon Griswold, a brother of Bishop Griswold. This good man was from West Windsor, Connecticut, and with a few families had come to northern Ohio when it was an entire wilderness. "I am rejoiced," said he, "to see a Church clergyman, one who is duly authorized to ad- minister the Sacraments. I have read prayers here in the woods for several years. The scattered flock of Christ has thus far been kept mindful that there is a fold : you, I trust, have come to gather them in and to feed them with Heavenly Food. I bless God that I see you among us. I had begun to think that our Church would never visit the frontier." Such joy there was that a Church minister had come, that a considerable congregation was gathered that night, divine service held, and a sermon preached. This, after such a day as Mr. Chase had spent with the stiff-kneed mare and his long walk through the forest with a sprained ankle ! Notice was given out at this meeting that divine service might be expected next Sunday, and of the intention of the minister to cate- chize the youth, to baptize the children, and administer the Holy Communion to all such "who truly repented log no The Life of Philander Chase of their sins, steadfastly purposing to lead new If J ives. "All this is mentioned here," Mr. Chase goes on to say in his Reminiscences, "because it is frequently in- sinuated by the enemies of the Church that she admits communicants to the Lord's Table without due prepa- ration. This is not true when our clergy do their duty ; this great obligation was deeply impressed upon my heart when commencing the parish of Christ Church, Windsor." For this reason Mr. Chase stayed in Windsor several weeks before he administered the Holy Com- munion. As a matter of course, he felt the need of Confirma- tion, but there was no bishop to care for the sheep of this distant field, at that time. He baptized forty-five in this place, gave the Holy Communion to seventeen persons on Easter Day, and preached many sermons. While in Windsor there was a consultation of persons from various townships near as to the expediency of holding a Convention, at the beginning of the coming year, at Columbus. This was agreed upon with "great unanimity and zeal." Thus this earnest and high- souled missionary inaugurated his great work. To go back to the injured leg; before he arrived at Judge Griswold's, it was so swollen that the boot could not be drawn off until the next day. Imagine his discomfort while holding service ! After this, Mr. Chase was obliged to travel entirely on horseback, leaving his trunk at Windsor, with the intention of buying a horse as soon as possible. Here, however, he was spared the necessity, for a friend vol- unteered his horse for use during the whole journey, Organizing Parishes and Farm 1 1 1 and he joyfully says : "There are some names in Sardis whose garments are not defiled with covetousness. " After this he spent a month in organizing parishes at Ravenna, Middleburg, Zanesville, and Columbus. Grass did not grow under the feet of his horse in these days of early spring, neither did this robust missionary forget his duty to his family, for he wrote to his wife to come on to Buffalo in the spring, send their house- hold goods to Sandusky, and come herself to Cleveland by the middle of June, where she might expect to meet her husband. He must have taken a great deal for granted in making such an arrangement, which he himself acknowledges, for there were then no canals, no railways, no steamboats on the Great Lakes. The only packet of any kind that sailed Lake Erie was the brig Michigan, and even she was a trading vessel, not intended for passengers. Meantime, great uncertainty attended his appoint- ments. He had fixed on no place for his home ; he knew not whither he should travel; where he should make his visits was unknown to him ; and yet he had given directions for the removal of his family and effects, as if all were a certainty. This was done in May, and from the centre of Ohio he went to Cincin- nati, officiating as he passed through Springfield and Dayton, and arriving in Cincinnati late on Saturday. Dr. Drake received him kindly and made provision that he should preach "in the brick meeting-house with two steeples" the next day. The congregation was large and attentive, and at the close notice was given that if any present were desirous of forming a parish attached to the Episcopal Church, Mr. Chase would meet them at Dr. Drake's immediately after the 112 The Life of Philander Chase service. At this meeting a goodly number of the "most respectable citizens" were present, among them General William Henry Harrison. Mr. Chase does not give any further information in regard to the founding of the first parish in Cincinnati. It is supposed to have been St. Paul's parish, now the cathedral of that city. Up to this time the story of Mr. Chase's missionary work has been taken, in part, from the Rcniifiiscences, which was written by him from memory. In the fol- lowing letter to his son George, he describes his wife's arrival at Cleveland, and their journey to Worthing- ton, where he had bought a small farm, and where he intended to make his future home : " WoRTHiNGTON, Ohio, July lo, 1817. "My dear son George: "Yesterday your mother and I took a ride from this place to Columbus, where, at the post-office, I found a letter from you dated the 30th of May. If you had known the abundance of mercies which the good God was pouring upon us, almost to a miracle, to your father, mother, uncle and aunt, and little brother on their journey hither, you might have spared yourself the trouble of that part of your letter which related to them. While at Columbus, before my visit to Cincin- nati, I addressed your mother at Clarence near Buffalo. My letter, dated the 12th of May, just said: 'Send the goods to Sandusky, yourself be at Cleveland a month hence.' "This done, I went on my journey by way of Day- ton, Lebanon, Cincinnati, Williamsburg, Newmarket, Chillicothe, Circleville, Lancaster, and thence to Co- Organizing Parishes and Farm 113 lumbus. At Worthington I held service the first Sun- day in June, and the same week I promised to become the rector of St. John's Church, Worthington, Trinity Church, Columbus, and St. Peter's Church, Delaware, fifteen miles north ; bought five lots in this village and a farm of one hundred and fifty acres on the way to Columbus, — good land, sixty acres under cultivation, good apple and peach orchard, fruit plenty, no build- ings. "I received from the trustees of Worthington Acad- emy the appointment of Principal. Monday, the 9th, I set my face toward Cleveland, to fulfil my appoint- ment with your mother. The week previous I went to Delaware, Thursday to Norton on the frontier. Returned to Delaware, and on Sunday held divine ser- vice and administered the Communion in Berkshire, where there is a parish to which I shall minister until it can be otherwise supplied. "After starting for Cleveland on Monday, my course was northeast, travelled twenty-two miles on a bad road to Frederick, a settlement on the head-waters of the Licking River. Thursday, rode through a fine dry chestnut and oak country, thirty-six miles, to the Lake Fork of the Mehicken, which empties into the White Woman at Coshocton. On Wednesday, rode towards Worster, twelve miles to dinner through a country similar to that of yesterday. Here I took a northerly direction through a country just beginning to be settled, soil very rich and roads muddy. Next day went twelve miles to Medina — to be the county seat, soil very rich, beautifully situated. Next day, Friday, held divine service in Medina and rode on to Liverpool, eight miles, where I held service again the 114 The Life of Philander Chase same day. Saturday it rained all day, rode only two miles to another lodging place. Sunday, rode in the morning four miles to Columbia, where live the brothers of the Rev. A. Bronson, of Vermont. Here I preached, morning and evening, and was much cheered by the prospects of the Church. "Monday, June i6, 1817, a day marked in my calen- dar, I mounted my horse for Cleveland, now twenty miles off. I was in company with Esq. Bronson. Crossing the Rocky River twice without any accident though the water was deep and no bridge, I found we were on the ridge road which is all along the lake sandy, and very good. My horse somehow or other kept the lead and went very fast. 'What 's the matter? ' said Mr. Bronson. 'Are you riding for a wager? ' 'Some- thing more important,' said I. 'I can guess what that is,' said he. "At half-past one I dismounted from my horse at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, opposite Cleveland. Safe in the boat. 'Pray Mr. Boatman have you any late arrivals from Buffalo?' 'Yes, the Michigayi lies off and has just brought her passengers ashore. ' ' Were there any ladies aboard?' 'Yes, there were two, who, with a young gentleman, had charge of a child. They have just gone up town.' 'Pray, Landlord,' said I as I entered an inn, *do you know or can you tell me, who — where — I can find — ' 'Your family, Mr. Chase? Yes, we know you and them ; thej^ are at a tavern safe and sound, waiting for you.' "It seems my arrival had been known from one end of the village to the other. Soon had I your dear mother and little brother in my arms, blessing God in one breath and asking a thousand questions in another. Organizing Parishes and Farm 115 "Tuesday I had service at Cleveland. Wednesday I left your mother to return my horse, which through all my journeyings was a borrowed one. The owner (God bless him !) lived sixty miles east of Cleveland at Windsor, which you will remember was where I organ- ized my first parish in Ohio. Thither, then, I went, leaving your mother and her precious charge, to steer her course in the first inland navigation wagon, of which there are many of great convenience and safety, passing from Cleveland to Canton. "Next day, Friday, mounted my horse with a pros- pect of twelve miles through a mere forest to Windsor, In half an hour it began to rain in sheets through the whole distance. Oh ! if you could have seen me plunging through the deepest mire, midrib to my horse, wet the blessed while as water could make me. But the trouble is over, I arrived safely among my loving Christian friends and all was well. "On Saturday we had service, — a large congregation, and all rejoiced to see me. On Sunday, I held service all day and gave the Communion to twenty-three, where till last Easter the Holy Sacrament had never been given since the creation of the world. "Monday, with a man carrying my trunk which I had left in Windsor, I went over my old route to Parkman and Ravenna, the county seat where the court was in session, I had service at Ravenna, — the congregation very large, church much increased. Here I saw Mr. B. of Vermont. He told me (will you be- lieve it?) that he left Mrs. Chase and family safe and well in Canton. What news for me! At least four days sooner than I expected. On Wednesday night I was with them again, rejoicing. ii6 The Life of Philander Chase "The same evening I hired a wagon, good and new, with two fine horses, and Tuesday morning started with bag and baggage. Here we cut a figure. Good roads and luck through Kendal seventeen miles, stayed at a mere hut. On Friday started in good spirits, but what? Never were such roads, the horses 'stalled.* This is the term given to that very pleasant position moving people are in, who get stuck in the mud and have to get oxen to draw them out. And we got on but twelve miles the whole blessed day, and even that would not have been accomplished had I not hired the third horse. "At Worster I entered upon my old track, but there had been so much rain that it could not be followed by reason of an inundated prairie. A Mr. Skinner said that he would go with us and help us to get over the Lake Fork of the Mehicken, at a place three miles be- fore we came to his house, where some of the party at least might stay over the night. "The sun was an hour and a half high when we reached the river, not very wide, but deep and rapid. Two or three men were with Mr. Skinner's wagon, and there were two or three sons of the forest who had come to help us, well acquainted with the water and good swimmers. They were from fourteen to sixteen years old and the most alert and obliging fellows I ever saw. "The only means of transportation we had was a canoe from twelve to fifteen feet long, and broad enough in the broadest place for a man of my size to sit down by squeezing a little. Well! — how sped we? The horses were first mounted one by one, six in num- ber, by our brave young lads and plunged headlong Organizing Parishes and Farm 1 1 7 into the rapid current. Pray fancy to yourself this lively scene, your mother with your little brother in her arms, who could scarcely be restrained from [jump- ing out for] love of the wild flowers on the bank, and Elmira sitting on the baggage. The young woodsmen mounted the horses with more adroitness than a riding master, without a bridle, and dashed them down the steep bank into the stream, to them, bottomless. The first you would see after this would be the heads of the boys and the horses, and then, from the re-bound and struggle of the animal, the forelegs striking in quick succession the swift surface of the stream ; then by cufifing one side and then the other, as they steered up or down the stream, the boys got them safely across, and the horses were soon feeding in the green pastures on the other side. "Now for our wagons, our baggage, and our precious selves ! The bodies of the wagons were poised on our little canoe, a pound's weight would seem to be fatal on either side, yet the lads managed them. Did you ever see rope dancers.^ I have, and I assure you it was nothing to this. The boys stood on the bow and stern of the little canoe and got everything across the flow- ing tide. The wheels were transported in the same way, and such was the smallness of the skiff and the rapidity of the current that the wheels, as the bow of the canoe was kept nearly up the stream, were set in motion as if they were on land propelled by a horse. "Then with your little brother in my arms I com- mitted myself to the mere pig's trough. Did I look back to your mother as we pushed this precious load from the firm land? I did; a mother's prayer was ii8 The Life of Philander Chase read in every feature, and a mother's prayer was graciously answered. We got safe to shore, "What think you of my feehngs as our brave lads took on board their next precious cargo, your mother and Aunt Elmira? I watched the motion of the little ark of safety till all was well, "Unconscious of its speed we saw not the fast-setting sun, and the shades of evening were upon us. It bade us make haste and be off. Our carriage was soon ready, our goods replaced, and we went on our way to the very new settlement, where Mr. Skinner was be- ginning to make his home and where he opened his farm and plantation three months ago. Good cheer made amends for the dangers we had suffered. In the morning (Sunday) it rained, and we had two more forks to pass. At this hour they were fordable, but might not be so with an hour's rain. To go on was a necessity. On Monday through the bad roads we reached Frederick. On Monday to Berkshire, on Tuesday to Worthington. "The next day, although much fatigued, your mother went to see my farm, and, happy I am to say, she is pleased beyond my expectations. The apples are fit to make pies, and the peaches almost begin to blush. I am now very busy in building a barn and farmhouse. As to my house in town, it must be left until I am better prepared. "My dear George, remember my prayer is always for you, that you may be kept in peace, in health, and safe from sin. Do nothing without your uncle's ad- vice. Write to me often, and remember with what tender affection I am Your Father, "Philander Chase." Organizing Parishes and Farm 119 "In closing this letter long years after," says Mr. Chase, "I am thrilled with the memories of the days when it was written ; the son to whom it was addressed has long since gone, and his younger brother also. Their dear mother went away even before the sons, yet the providence and goodness of God remain as fresh to me as ever: the same hand that then upheld me and kept me and them in His care, now sustains the aged frame of the husband and father in the dis- charge of his overwhelming duties and in sustaining his painful trials." CHAPTER XV LIFE AT WORTHINGTON OF the mind and character and Christian sentiments of the wife and mother spoken of by Mr, Chase in the preceding letter, one may judge from a letter written in 1817 to a dear friend, Mrs. Mary Tudor, whom she had left in her happy home in Hartford, Connecticut : "My dear Mrs. Tudor : "It is not because I have forgotten my good friends in Hartford, or my promise to you in particular, that I have delayed so long in fulfilling it. Indeed so rapid and unexpected, and so evidently directed by Divine wisdom, are the late scenes of my life, that I have had no time but to wonder and be grateful. "On the 13th of May, just before sunset, I imprinted the last kiss on the cheek of my son George, who had lingered behind the carriage unwilling to take his final leave of his mother and little brother; to say with what emotion I drew down the curtain would be impossible. 'Father of Mercies! ' said I in my heart as I took my last view of the place where I had once hoped to spend my days. 'Into Thy hands I commend myself and the events of my future life. Whatever it be Thy will to inflict, give me grace to endure, and whatever of Life at Worthington 121 prosperity Thou hast in store for me, give me grace to be thankful. Preserve, O God, the life and health of my dear husband and for the rest ' ' Thy will be done. ' ' ' "The Sunday after I left Hartford, I spent in Utica, where several friends called upon me. At Canandaigua Miss Clark, Miss Chapin and Miss Holley. There is a beautiful church here, built since these young ladies returned from Mrs. Royce's school, and they have in their clergyman a very amiable and promising young man — Mr. Onderdonk of New York. "On the tenth day after I left Hartford I reached Batavia without accident, and in much better health and spirits than when I set out upon my journey. At this place I left the stage coach and hired a wagon to take me to my sister's in Clarence. On the evening of the 25th we arrived in safety at the habitation of my sister, and were welcomed with much cordiality to the woods and the comforts of an infant settlement. The next day, without allowing myself time to rest, I set about arranging things for a summer residence in the woods. "A fortnight passed away and I was content and happy, anxious only to hear from my husband, of whom I had no intelligence. On the 9th of June, a person who had been at Buffalo on business, brought me a letter from Mr. Chase, which said 'I am on my way to Cincinnati; in good health. Send the goods to Sandusky and come yourself in a packet to Cleve- land where I will, (God willing) meet you by the middle of next month, with wagons, horses, conductors, etc., to your heart's content.' Dated at Columbus, May I2th, 1817. "I found I had no time to lose and immediately set 122 The Life of Philander Chase about preparing myself for the journey. At the same time, it set in to rain and it was not until the 15th of the month at 4 P.M. that I was able to go on board for Cleveland. The wind was fair and the hope of soon meeting my husband put me in good spirits. " 'I think you have been at sea,' said a passenger, 'and must be acquainted with the danger of overloading the vessel. Pray, do you not think we are in danger if we should have a blow? ' "We had beside other lading, nine hundred barrels of salt on board. For a moment Hope let go her anchor ! "I was safely landed at Cleveland on the 17th of June about 10 A.M. and with other passengers went to the only decent public house in the place. As soon as I arrived and the host appeared, I asked him if there was a clergyman here by the name of Chase. 'No.' 'Has there been any one here of that name? ' 'No. A Mr. Searle has been here, but no Mr. Chase.' I then directed my brother to go to the post-office for letters. He returned in a moment with no letter. Not more than ten minutes passed, when a gentleman inquired for Mrs. Chase, and when he was shown into the room said that he had just heard of my arrival and thought it would be gratifying to me to learn something of my husband! 'I heard him preach yesterday,' said he, 'and he will be here in a few hours.' "In a few hours, indeed only three, I found myself in my dear husband's arms. He is browner and older, but in good health and spirits. May the goodness of God to me this day forever warm and animate my spirit ! "We were in Cleveland two days, and then Mr. Chase Life at Worthington 123 left us to visit some of the newly formed parishes on the Reserve and to return a horse loaned him to visit throughout the State. "I and my family proceeded in a covered wagon to Canton, where we waited four days for Mr. Chase; he having joined us, we again set forward, passing through Kendal to Worster, distant thirty-five miles from Can- ton, over the worst roads that can be imagined. From Worster to Frederick, forty miles, the roads are good, and the country delightful. Indeed when I passed over this part of the country I forgave those writers who, in describing this new world appear rather to be speaking of a world of imagination than one of reality. This country is varied with hill and upland, and one may fancy the prairies to be cultivated meadows adorned with beautiful and fragrant wild flowers, and skirted with a mingling of wild plum and crab-apple. The uplands are gently ascending and thinly scattered with beautiful forest trees. Here one may imagine some gentleman of taste and fortune has fixed his residence, and in adorning the lands about his home has so artfully disposed his vines and trees as to be taken for Nature's rival. Were it not for the certainty that this beautiful and picturesque country is inhabited by persons not famous for neatness, taste or civiliza- tion, one would imagine some castle or villa amid scenery so delightful. "From Frederick to this place, the soil is rich but the country is new, yet everywhere affording abundance where man is not sparing of his labor. On the first day of July we arrived at this place. "I cannot tell you with what emotions I beheld this spot, which is probably to be my home for life. At 124 The Life of Philander Chase any rate, if I should ever be called upon to seek a new home again, I shall be spared the pain of breaking attachments and separating from friends as much to be valued for their mental attainments as for their Christian lives. But may God avert the necessity of another removal. "With my husband and children around me and living in the midst of people on whom the ordinances of religion have a beneficial influence, and where the sphere of my husband's influence is greatly enlarged, I am content till the Great Shepherd shall call me to the fold of everlasting rest. "Oh ! if there is anything that wholly weans us from the world, it is having no place in it that one can call home, living like our ancient exemplars, 'strangers and pilgrims ' even in a land of promise. " Worthington, the place of our present residence, is pleasantly situated on the left bank of the Whetstone, one of the branches of the Scioto River. It is but thirteen years since the first family moved into this wilderness. The settlers are for the most part from New England, sober and industrious people. "There is a large brick academy with several hand- some brick houses ; a large cotton factory and a church are to be built next year. Mr. Chase is appointed principal of the Academy, an ofiice at present merely nominal. This is the field designed for Philander, if it shall please God to preserve his life and health and to keep him 'unspotted from the world.' "To you, who can so readily enter into my feelings, I can say, that if any evil should come to this dear boy, it would require the utmost exertion of my Christian faith with unfeigned sincerity and resignation to say Life at Worthington 125 'Thy will be done ' ; knowing my own heart, I pray to our Father in Heaven that He will spare me the trial I should be so little able to bear. "I endured the journey hither much better than could have been imagined, but my little Dudley has not been so well and requires much care." Here this letter was laid aside and nothing was added to it until October 20th, a period of several months, during which the brave heart of this gentle and lovely woman had evidently been fighting with homesickness in the strange and ungenial conditions of life in a new country, where competent nurses and ordinary house- hold service could not be obtained. Ill herself, and gradually sinking with that illusive disease, consump- tion, and with her little son seriously ill, she evidently rallied all her failing strength to do her utmost to live for the sake of those she loved. This touching letter is resumed October 20, 181 7: "You see, my dear Mrs. Tudor, by the different dates of my letter that I have long been neglectful of my acknowledged obligation. This is owing to my baby's illness and that we are unable to procure any help. With a sick child who requires by day and night my constant care, it was not surprising that this state of things should bring on my old trouble, hemor- rhage of the lungs. This brought on so great a weak- ness at times, that I could scarcely arise from my bed, but as the weather became cooler and the little boy is better, I think I am somewhat improved. The weather is fine and I have been able of late to ride every morn- ing, which has contributed much to my health and to 126 The Life of Philander Chase that of my little son. May I be duly thankful for all my blessings. "I have just learned by a letter from Philander of the alarming sickness which prevails at Cambridge. May the good God protect my boy ! I know not how it is, nor why it is, but my heart has been full of anxiety ever since I have been in this place. My im- agination is not apt to get the better of my judgment, but in this case I own myself to be a very child. "I hope all Mr. Chase's friends will forgive him for his seeming want of attention to them. He has scarcely an unoccupied moment ; the care of his parishes and of the infant church in this new world, and the necessity of providing a shelter for his family during the coming winter, completely fill his time. "Tell dear Mrs. Adams that I have the satisfaction of informing her that I am not likely to become the joint inhabitant with the pigs and fowls of a log cabin, and though we have not everything we could wish for, we have enough to be thankful for. "Among those I knew in Hartford I know of none whom I am likely to forget. "My illness and that of my family must apologize for my delay in writing; even now, I write with my boy at my elbow, talking or crying, while on the other hand is the daily provision for my family. "Remember me most affectionately to Mr. Tudor, and may God have you both in His Holy Keeping. "Ever your friend, "Mary Chase. "Mrs. Mary Tudor." Letter from Mary Chase to her son George, giving impressions of the early days at Worthington : Life at Worthington 127 " Worthington, Ohio, Nov. nth, 1817. "My dear SON: "By Mr. Russell I write you for the first time since my arrival in this new world. Not that I have ceased to think of you very often and to pray God for you, with a fervor of a fond parent separated from her dar- ling children. O, when I meet you again, may I find you such as my heart will fondly acknowledge and my mind justly commend ! "Your father having written to both of you, when we first came here, and given a description both of our journey and situation in this place, our hopes and prospects to come, it remains to me only to pick up the scraps of information which may perhaps be links in the chain of the information communicated to you by your father. "It was rather a singular circumstance in the events of my life that the first intelligence I should receive of you after my arrival in this country, should have been by the way of the President of the United States.' Yet so is the fact ; he said he saw you and left you in good health with your uncle in Vermont. "Your father has quite recovered his health since his coming to this country, and he enters into the business of farming with the enthusiasm which is so peculiar to himself. He has been setting out apple trees, and six hundred is to complete his orchard for the present. Peach and apple trees there are now growing and pro- ducing fruit; a nursery and a variety of other fruit trees will complete the projects of the present year. "Little Dud is full of mischief as he can be, and altogether a most lovely and interesting boy. His ' James Monroe. 128 The Life of Philander Chase hair is rather long with a curl at the ends, soft and glossy, his eyes bright with intelligence, rosy cheeks, a double chin, and is altogether one of the best formed children I have ever seen, insomuch that a lady told me she would take him for a model if she were going to draw a Cupid ; and as to his mind (thanks to a merciful Creator) it is by no means below mediocrity. He has (what I dare say will please you) an evident partiality for martial music, and will dance and march with all the fervor imaginable. Without being able yet to speak plainly he will point out a number of the letters, and seems to delight to be able to do so. He is persevering in his disposition, but will relinquish his most favorite pursuit out of affection to his friends. Blessed be God for all His mercies to me, in making me the parent of children with so many and rich en- dowments. May neither I nor they forget that the life and talents He has given were for improvement and for eternity, and when we go thither, may none of us be wanting. "My health has not been very good since I have been in this country, but is better now than it has been. "A blessing seems to be attending everything rela- tive to our coming into this country. Our journey and meeting were next to a miracle, and everything we have put our hands to do seems to have had the Divine blessing added. May I ever be duly sensible of and thankful for all the mercies of God toward me and mine; and what shall I say more — be a good boy and remember that you are as a son to your uncle and aunt ; never forfeit their love for you by any downright disrespect or disobedience. Friendship is easily kept, but when lost is not easily regained, and you are now Life at Worthington 129 arrived to manhood, and what was excused and for- given in the child will long be remembered in the man. "I do not feel quite well or I believe I should not have written you quite so dull a letter and one so little interesting, but my spirits are not always good, and when I think of the distance between me and my chil- dren, I am quite in the blues; but now I can do noth- ing for them but commit them with my blessing into the hands of a merciful God. May He have them now and ever in His Holy keeping. "Mary Chase." 9 CHAPTER XVI LABOR AND SORROW OF this time, the fall of the year 1817, Mr. Chase says: "The declining health of Mrs. Chase was the sub- ject of the deepest solicitude and incessant watchful- ness, which, joined to the care of building and furnishing a comfortable home for my family during the coming winter, caused the circle of my duties as missionary to be somewhat confined. Worthington was given half my services, and Delaware and Berkshire each its portion. In these alone I baptized more than one hundred, and before winter the communicants had in- creased from a very few to sixty-five." On the 5th of January, 1818, there was holden, ac- cording to previous notice, a Convention of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church at Columbus, Ohio, nearly in the centre of the State. It consisted of two clergymen in full orders and nine delegates only ; and though few in number, they proceeded with the order and regu- larity required in the most numerous assemblies. They had met together in the name of the Lord and His blessing they implored. A President and Secretary were appointed, and the following resolution was unanimously adopted previously to all other business. ''Resolved: That we, the members of this Conven- 130 Labor and Sorrow 131 tion, are in communion with the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and also that we do unanimously adopt the general constitution and canons of said Church." At this Convention, a diocesan constitution was adopted, a report made on the state of the Church, and a committee of respectable persons appointed, whose duty it should be to raise means for the support of a bishop. At the close of the proceedings of the convention, is the following record : ''Resolved : That the members of this Convention view with lively emotions of pleasure the flourishing, though infant state of our Church in Ohio, and that the committee earnestly recommends to the several parishes in the State that each send at least one dele- gate to the convention to meet in Worthington on the first Monday in June next. "Philander Chase, *' President of Convention. "David Prince, ' ' Secretary. ' ' This was indeed the day of small things, as shown in the above Convention, but the spirit of its members, its unanimity, its hopefulness promised well for what has been accomplished in the Church of the Living God since this event, now eighty-four years in the past. In the mind of the dear wife and loving mother, whose year of life with her husband, in this new land, was now drawing to a close, this meeting of the small number of churchmen was in reality the planting of a standard in this Western world, which would gather the 132 The Life of Philander Chase soldiers of the Cross to contend for the "faith once de- Hvered to the Saints " to the end of the world. To quote from the Renimiscences: "To her eye it was like the little cloud arising from the sea betokening abundance of rain in spiritual showers upon a dry and parched land. All therefore who were present at this convention were treated by her with the utmost respect, as instruments in God's hands of planting the Church; she honored them and gave them all the attention, personally, her feeble frame would permit." From that time she failed ; her prayers that she might be spared the agony of losing her dear son were granted. Not in the way her friends would have chosen. She went on her way to the world of light and life, patiently and humbly bending her sweet spirit to the will of God, blessing her beloved husband and children with her last breath when, on the fifth day of May, 1 818, she found her rest. A little less than a year ago, she had left her dear home in Hartford, where her life had been surrounded by the loving presence of congenial friends, and where her sons now in college could spend their holidays with her. This happy circle was now broken, her first-born son who had been kissed for the last time on the day she left, she never saw again ; and her son at Harvard, the be- loved Philander, also never met his mother again in this life. Within a few years these beautiful boys too had passed beyond. The little son Dudley, who could not feel his loss, was alone left of those whom she had loved, and for whose welfare her life had been one con- tinual prayer. There were other friends, dear brothers and sisters in Vermont, who would all gladly have Labor and Sorrow 133 ministered to her comfort, and who by the stern neces- sities of Hfe were deprived of this privilege. And thus this beloved woman died, and was buried under the chancel window of the new church at Worthington. Her prayer was answered that she might never be called upon to find a second home, or to endure the sorrow of parting again from those she loved. The tablet to the memory of Mary Chase, in the church at Worthington, bears this inscription • '* SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF MARY CHASE FIRST WIFE OF THE FIRST BISHOP OF OHIO PHILANDER CHASE, SEN. D.D. AND DAUGHTER OF DANIEL AND MARY FAY BORN AT BETHEL, VERMONT, 1779 MARRIED JULY I9TH, 1 796 DIED MAY 5TH, 1818 IN THE FAITH OF THE ATONEMENT BY THIS FAITH SHE LIVED THE LIFE OF THE RIGHTEOUS. IN DEATH SHE HAD THE HOPE OF A BLESSED RESURRECTION TO ETERNAL LIFE." ** THIS TABLET IS INSCRIBED BY THOSE WHO KNEW HER MANY VIRTUES AND WHO HOPE BY FOLLOWING HER EXAMPLE TO MEET HER IN ANOTHER AND BETTER WORLD." To the husband and father, there was little time for the luxury of sorrow ; stern realities were before him. The strong man buried his dead, cared for his infant son as best he could, and faced the facts of his almost hopeless condition. 134 The Life of Philander Chase The Convention, called for the Primary meeting in Columbus, was close at hand, and it met at Worthing- ton on June 3, 1818, not a month since Mrs. Chase's death. At this meeting Mr. Chase was elected to the bishopric of the Diocese of Ohio. Proper notices of this event were sent to the standing committees of the various dioceses, and the Bishop-elect started off for his consecration (on horseback) at Philadelphia, And now comes one of the most inexplicable and malicious, almost diabolical events, which cannot even now be accounted for, except by the agency of some evil spirit from the nether world. It is difficult to imagine a man or men bad enough to give harbor to such evil thoughts against an innocent man whose life and work distinctly gave the lie to the infamous story. Upon his arrival at Baltimore, Bishop Kemp in- formed Bishop Chase that there was opposition to his consecration as bishop. What rendered the matter peculiarly distressing was that the Standing Committee refused to act on the case, except by withholding their consent. Bishop White observed that if there were a majority of the standing committees in other dioceses beside Pennsylvania, the consecration might take place, but in that case he should decline being one of those who would join in the consecration. To this Mr. Chase replied that he, himself, would never think of proceeding a step in pursuit of conse- cration until all were satisfied of its lawfulness and propriety ; yea, more, he should think it his duty to cease from preaching and ministering in holy things altogether; for, understanding that the objections affected his moral character, it was obvious that, if Labor and Sorrow 135 true, they unfitted him for the discharge of his duties as presbyter, as they did for those of bishop. To meet the objections, therefore, was both his wish and his in- dispensable duty. "But," said Bishop White, "the standing commit- tees refuse to take up the business in any shape, alleg- ing that they are not the proper tribunals." "Then," said Mr. Chase, "I request a meeting of the General Convention, and stand pledged that the Diocese of Ohio will demand the same; for it seems unreasonable that a Bishop-elect of any diocese should, by reason of agitation affecting his character, be sacri- ficed for want of a proper tribunal before whom he can meet his accusers and repel their charges." The justice of this position was obvious. The Standing Committee took the matter in hand, and after due investigation, all was found satisfactory by the board. Bishop White was present at every meet- ing, and when all was brought to a close, that venerable prelate was heard to say that he was "satisfied that the gentlemen who had opposed the consecration of the Bishop-elect of Ohio would do well to consider if, upon a similar charge, their own lives would bear a like in- vestigation." And thus, without even naming his assailants, Mr. Chase records the fact that this shameful scheme to ruin the life of a true man came to an ignominious end. He also remarks, apropos of this defeated plot, that he is "grateful to a Divine Providence that there are some now living who can bear witness to the truth of this statement." This event occurred more than eighty years ago; now, of course, there is no man living who can fully o 6 The Life of Philander Chase explain the true inwardness of this plot, so cunningly prepared and which so nearly succeeded, — the courage of its victim alone preventing its accomplishment. As was stated in a previous chapter, the foundation of this incredibly malicious effort to destroy the Bishop- elect of Ohio was the fact that, at the request of a re- spectable gentleman of New Orleans, Mr. Chase, then a resident and the rector of the first Episcopal church there, admitted two sick negroes taken from a slave ship into the servants' quarters of his home as an act of mercy. The gentleman to whom the cargo was consigned was evidently not a monster of cruelty, but a man of conscience enough to care for the comfort of two wretched human beings, savages, utterly helpless and without friends. Mr. Chase was requested to give shelter to these poor wretches in their extremity, to which request he ac- ceded. After weeks of suffering, cared for by the family, one of the men died and the other recovered. This is all the accusation brought forward, so far as known, against the Bishop-elect of Ohio, to prevent his consecration. One can only wonder how such a base transaction could have been so far successful that even Bishop White had evidently pre-judged the matter and practi- cally decided against the Bishop-elect, until the latter brought home to him the obvious injustice of the scheme, when Bishop White could not but consent to give Mr. Chase the opportunity to refute the charges brought against him. In the end Mr. Chase simply refers to it in these words: "To an ardent mind, thus assailed in a strange Labor and Sorrow 137 city, with few or no acquaintances and far from home, the delay of nearly four months required to answer the most futile and malicious accusations was long and painful." And then he goes on to say what few men could say under such galling circumstances : "But I am thankful it was then so ordered, for it taught me patience, and, by the grace of God, qualified me for far greater trials which were in store for me." On the nth of February, 1819, the consecration of the Bishop-elect of Ohio took place in the city of Phila- delphia, by the Rt. Rev. William White, D.D. ; Bishops Hobart of New York, Kemp of Maryland, and Croes of New Jersey, being present and assisting. The Rev. Dr. Beasley preached the consecration sermon, in St. James's Church. In connection with this simple record of little known events, which will never be fully explained, we find the following affecting words written long after: "Blessed be the Hand that covered the events of the future and the suffering afterward endured in Ohio. One oppo- sition by God's grace had been overcome; yet the fact of its being of an unrighteous and cruel character, groundless as well, and evidently urged by secret op- ponents, whom I could not, nor even desired to dis- cover, proved the existence at every step of danger, and the necessity of unremitting prayer and vigilance." At this time, eighty-four years ago, the gentle wife and mother had gone to her early grave only a few months previous. Even now one may be thankful that she at least was spared this trial, which was borne in such a spirit by the lonely man who, very human as he was, was able to overcome all his enemies by that faith which sustained him even unto death. CHAPTER XVII THE NEW BISHOP AT WORK TO quote again from the Reminiscences. The Bishop says: "With what mingled emotions of fear, hope and joy I set off for Ohio from Philadelphia on horseback, as I came, is quite impossible to tell. I remember the cold, the piercing wind, the snow and the slippery roads up and down the Alleghanies. My horse became so strained that I was obliged to buy another, fresh and young. With this faithful animal I kept pace with the stage coach, then passing to Greensburg, not far from Pittsburgh." But to what did the Bishop return? On the 3d day of March, 18 19, he arrived at his home in Worthing- ton, Ohio. His young wife was in her early grave. He was the Bishop of a great diocese in extent, with- out a salary and with practically so few clergy as to make the cause of the Church almost hopeless (five only in number), a vast emigration rushing in to buy the fertile land, and such a mere handful of soldiers to lead in the battle for the faith, "against sin, the world, and the devil." What was he to do? An affecting circumstance occurred previous to his journey to Philadelphia, which was the means of bring- ing great comfort to the home at Worthington. A 13S The New Bishop at Work 139 niece of Mr. Chase, a young widow, who had recently emigrated from Vermont and soon after lost her hus- band, came to her uncle's home with her little daugh- ter. Welcome indeed at the time was her presence to the lonely man ; and ever, until after the Bishop's death, did this lovely woman remain the faithful, ten- der, loving friend of himself and his children, a char- acter as marked as his own for devotion to the Church of her love. It was she who welcomed the Bishop when he returned from his consecration to his home, and who cared for his infant son in his absence, and, as he long after said, became one of the chief instru- ments in founding both Kenyon and Jubilee. There are still some who remember "Aunt Lucia" well as the incarnation of loving-kindness, one of the saints of God. After the Bishop's return, Mrs. Russell's presence was a great relief to him in his home, and he imme- diately arranged his domestic affairs, to enter entirely at his own charge upon his diocesan duty. He hired a trusty man to take charge of his farm and went on his way, as in the early days of the Church, preaching, baptizing, administering confirmation and the Lord's Supper to many; and "wherever he went a blessing seemed to follow him." His custom was to spend days, even weeks, in the larger towns, teaching the ignorant, seeking for those who had once enjoyed the services, and becoming per- sonally familiar with those whom he met and who were likely to become interested in his great work. He believed in his work ; it was to him the great and absorbing passion of his life. Nothing else was so im- portant ; everything else must give way to the needs I40 The Life of Philander Chase of this one cause. He had as a true pioneer the pro- phetic vision, could see in part, at least, what this Great West might become, what were its needs, and the infinite importance of planting the seeds of truth in the beginning. Thus in these early days of hardship and toil he be- came, as has been truly said of him, "one of the makers of our country." At this first of his diocesan visitations, an interesting circumstance occurred, showing in what way the Bishop fulfilled his apostolic commission in those simple and comparatively unworldly days. As he was about to turn his face homeward, having passed through many places, he heard of a family in sickness and distress who wished for the administration of the Holy Communion. These people were from Ireland, and in their own country were called English Protestants. In emigrating from their native land to the earliest settlements in Ohio, they had suffered much hardship and deprivation, particularly in their religion, by the entire absence of any of its ministra- tions. Finley, the patriarch of the family, was still alive, yet only so much alive as to be raised from his bed to a sitting posture to salute the Bishop as he ap- proached. As the old man grasped his hand he burst into tears and sobbed aloud : "I see my spiritual father, my Bishop, the shepherd of the flock of Christ, oh! sir, do I live to see this happy day? Yes, it is even so. Now let thy servant depart in peace." As the venerable man showed forth his joy in the coming of the Bishop, thus bringing to him and his family the means of grace, all present were greatly affected. The neighbors and the family were hastily summoned and The New Bishop at Work 141 the Visitation Office was said. This was the begin- ning of a good work among these people. The soil in their hearts was broken up by the words of this beau- tiful office for the sick. After this the different branches of the family and many neighbors were summoned, and the Bishop pro- ceeded to the work of instruction. The nature and obligation of the Christian covenant of baptism, and as renewed in the Holy Communion, were dwelt upon; and the little company was dismissed with earnest words to seek for the blessing of God in their prayers and lives. In the morning at dawn, the Bishop went again to the bedside of the dying man. The family and friends coming quickly together, at sunrise he again addressed his interesting congregation. The Bishop, with heartfelt joy and grateful exaltation, read in the countenance of this little flock the effect of the instruction given the day previous. "Every face beamed with holy fear and love, speaking at once of the modest, the believing and obedient Christian." And when the Bishop, having duly examined them, called for "the persons to be confirmed," eleven out of the little circle came forward. The office was be- gun, and many of these received the Holy Communion, and several others who had been before confirmed. This service was in a cabin, with scarcely a pane of glass to let in the light of day and with a floor of roughly hewn planks. "The old man gazed with unspeakable joy on the scene before him, the symbols of the Dear Lord's Death were given and received, pledges of eternal love where he was fast hastening. Giving him my blessing, I departed." 142 The Life of Philander Chase This incident is the more interesting because such instances are now so rare. The bishop comes for two hours, officiates, takes off his robes, hurries into his carriage, and takes the cars for the next station. During this early visitation St. Paul's Church, Steubenville, Ohio, was organized. The destitute churchmen in Virginia across the river were visited, and a parish at Wheeling was formed. The first diocesan journey over, the Bishop returned to his home to meet his clergy in Convention for the first time as their Bishop. He was welcomed to his diocese with words of lov- ing-kindness which not only touched his heart, but cheered and encouraged his hopes. A part of this address is as follows: "With no ordinary feelings. Right Reverend and dear sir, do we advert to the present situation of the Church in the West. It is a rose planted in the wilderness, may it be watered with the dews of Heaven; may it be nourished by the con- tinued blessing of Him who is the foundation of good- ness, until it bloom in beauty and perfection." To which the Bishop replied in kind, touching with much earnestness upon the subject so near to his heart, — the need of more laborers in the field ready and willing to go forth, giving of their best to the great work so urgently needed. Immediately after this convention at Worthington, Benjamin Birge, of Lexington, Kentucky, was admitted to the holy order of deacons, and the same day seventy- nine persons were confirmed by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Chase. This was the convention of 1819, after which the Bishop divided his time among his domestic, parochial, and diocesan duties. The parochial district The New Bishop at Work 143 consisted of Worthington, Delaware, Berkshire, and Columbus. The others were twelve and fifteen miles away, which in his absence on diocesan duty were kept together by lay-readers. The Rev. E. Searle held a position at the north, em- bracing more than a hundred miles in circumference. The Rev. Samuel Johnston was in the south, residing in Cincinnati. The Rev. Mr. Doddridge, of Virginia, officiated a part of the time in the eastern counties of Ohio. The Rev. Intrepid Morse, now admitted to priest's orders, took the town of Zanesville, the newly formed parish of Steubenville and several other places as missionary ground under his care. Nearly all these extensive regions were visited before the Convention of 1819; the scattered members of Christ's fold were sought for in the deep forests, and many who had never before acknowledged a Divine Saviour were disposed by the grace of God to forsake their sins and come into His primitive Church. This was a cheering star in the midst of a dark night. In this year 18 19, Bishop Chase was married to Sophia May Ingraham, daughter of Duncan and Su- sanna Ingraham, of Philadelphia. Mrs. Chase was a sister of Mrs. Leonard Kip, the mother of Rt. Rev. Wm. Ingraham Kip, the first Bishop of California ; she was also the sister of Mrs. Sparrow, the wife of the Rev. Professor Sparrow of Kenyon, afterward of Alexandria. A curious incident occurred in the same year; Jack, the negro, who slipped away from his comfortable home with Mr. and Mrs. Chase, while they lived in New Orleans, is the hero of an interesting episode in the Bishop's history. As before stated, Jack had sailed away in the year 1807. In the year 18 19, he 144 The Life of Philander Chase returned to New Orleans, was identified, and was im- prisoned to await the arrival of the legal powers, to be sold for the benefit of his master. At this juncture, Dr. Dow, the Bishop's old friend, apprised him of these facts, which put a new face upon an old picture. As much as he needed money, the Bishop would never consent to sell the unfaithful Jack, but wrote imme- diately to Dr. Dow and other friends to emancipate Jack and let him go whither he wished, provided he would pay his prison fees and costs of suit. The reason why Jack's story is again referred to will be re- vealed later, when he becomes an important person, though only a poor, faithless servant ; for he proved an instrument in the hand of Providence of rescuing the Bishop of Ohio from great distress in London. CHAPTER XVIII TOIL AND POVERTY IN this way the father writes of Philander : " In the retrospect of the year 1820, the first object which presents itself to the memory, is the dear image of my son Philander, who came to me in March of that year, from a sea voyage." While preparing for college. Philander spent his time in part in teaching a country school, where during his leisure hours, he wrote to his brother George in this manner: "I am no boaster, and though I yield the palm to you in study, I will give you a short history of my campaign in the field of literature. In the first two weeks of my residence here, I had no books, and I rummaged Mr. E.'s library until I found the Edin- burgh Encyclopedia, down to the letters Ch., and at once commenced reading. Soon after came books from home, and I must refer you to the following cata- logue: Gillies's Greece, four volumes, Percival and Perseus, Lord of the Isles, Pleasures of Monory and Hope, Solyman and Almena (silly thing), Silliman's Travels, Terence's Comedies, Tacitus, Mrs. West's Letters to her Son, Mrs. West's Letters to a Lady, Tibullus and Propertius. Am now reading Longinus (tough enough). I have renewed the study of Hebrew, 10 145 146 The Life of Philander Chase and have studied a little in Euripides and Grceca Ma- jor a. One may be a little surprised to read this list even in these days of superior advantages, especially as this lad was hit sixteen, and was at the time teaching a large country school. His father remarks long after this dear boy had entered into rest, that when the time came for Philan- der to enter Harvard, he sent him alone to be examined and to take his place according to his merits. The examination was long, with no one to vouch for his attainments, and as usual, very critical. It resulted in his taking his place in the junior class nearly at the head, thus mounting over two years. His brother George, one year older, also entered the junior class at Yale under similar circumstances. Young Philander passed with great credit through his collegiate course, and was in his senior year when his father left the Eastern for the Western States. Such was his moral and religious deportment that he was admitted as lay-reader and a candidate for Holy Orders, under the supervision of Bishop Griswold. This was done at the instance of Commodore Mac- Donough, who had for some time past known his pious and manly character, and, being well assured of his competent learning, had asked him to become a teacher on board the Guerriere, of which vessel he had the command, and go with him to Russia and thence to the Mediterranean in the place and with the pay of Chaplain. Few officers ever united the character of piety and bravery more intimately than Commodore MacDon- ough. It was this truth, known for several years past Toil and Poverty 147 by young Philander (for his father had prepared and pre- sented the Commodore for confirmation at Hartford), that caused him to accept an offer of such great im- portance while yet so young. Philander's life was brief indeed, after his return from his long journey abroad, but it was full. In his short day of strenuous toil, how great was the work he accortlplished before his lovely spirit went away into the life beyond ! "In this voyage," says the Rev. Mr. Rutledge of Charleston, S. C, in his obituary sermon printed in 1824, "he had opportunities of visiting many cities in the north of Europe as well as Rome, that city of palaces, where he remained some time, and also to tread the classic shore of the Mediterranean with the feelings of a Christian and a scholar. The performance of his duties in one of the most difificult of all stations for a youth not yet twenty was much assisted by his having for a commander one in whose heart was the spirit of the Lord ; that his labors were valuable and beneficial on board the frigate I have often heard his commanding officer declare." During the Bishop's travels in the year 1820 he ad- ministered the rite of confirmation at Portsmouth, Ohio, and a man presented himself who seemed ac- quainted in an unusual way with the worship of the Church. Upon inquiry, he said he had derived his in- formation from a "little square book " which had lost its title-page, the name of its author, and the place where it was printed. All he knew of it was that he had brought it from Vermont to Ohio, and since then he had read it, many times, compared it with his Bible, and liked it well. 148 The Life of Philander Chase It proved to be a copy of the "little square book " by Jones of Nayland, which the Rev. J. C. Ogden of Ver- mont printed so many years ago with the little money saved carefully for a much needed overcoat to protect himself from the wintry storms of Vermont, but which he gave up and concluded to "turn his old coat," that he might give to his people what they needed to learn, paying the printer himself. This for the love of God and the souls of men. In this case it found its way to one soul at least, long years after. In the fall of 1820 and the winter of 1821, matters came to a crisis. To show how little interest existed, at this time, in the affairs of Ohio, while Mr. Chase had been toiling there without support or missionary aid, had organized many parishes, been elected Bishop in 18 18, and duly consecrated on the nth of January, 1 8 19, and for two years borne the burden and heat of the day without money or price, it is only necessary to mention that in the report of the General Convention of 1820 on the state of the Church in different dioceses, we find the following words : "From the remote region of Ohio little information has come, but several con- gregations are known to have been gathered, one at Dayton and one at Miami." One would suppose that the Convention had never heard that a Bishop had been consecrated for Ohio, and that almost with his life's blood he had begun his great work. At this time, in fact, the Bishop was entering upon a great struggle. He returned from a wintry visita- tion. Remember — no comfortable cars or steamers in those days, only rough wagons or horses' backs, through mud and snow and sleet, bogs and corduroy at best. He found little ease in his home-coming for Toil and Poverty 149 either soul or body. Three parishes to be supplied near Worthington, his home hitherto comfortable, but now, not a dollar remained after paying the "hired man," and no promise for a future supply. There was but one way. He must do the work of the man himself, — that is, haul and cut the wood, thresh the grain by hand, build the fires, feed the cattle and horses, — all this, besides "the care of the churches." No discharge from this Christian warfare. When all this came upon him there arose in his breast a secret and painful doubt: "Have I been right in accepting this office? Am I being punished by this distress for past errors and mistakes? The Apostles were called by the Saviour of men to become 'fishers of men.' They could say that God would surely care for them, they need not leave the Word of God and serve tables, while I must leave the Word of God and serve stables. It was an agonizing thought that for me, at this time, there was no time for study or thought ; my heart sank at the need of being forced 'to daub with untempered mortar.' At this time the Bishop received a letter from a friend in an Eastern city. It was filled with expres- sions of great kindness and seemed to take it for granted that the Bishop of Ohio was well supported, and that all things were made fit for his high ofifice and work. In his almost hopeless condition, surrounded with difficulties, without money and with the ever- present need for missionaries, he felt that he might at least make known to this friend (Dr. Jarvis) the true state of the Church in Ohio. Accordingly, a letter was written which gave a history of the past, and the present sad condition of the diocese. It was written 150 The Life of Philander Chase with a hand indurated with labor and bleeding with the cracks and fissures of exposure, only worthy of notice for the cruel facts it contained. Years passed away before he thought of this letter again. The Bishop's work in his great diocese is summed up in the year 1820, thus: Travelled on horseback 1279 miles. Confirmed 174 persons. Baptized 50 persons. Preached 182 times. At the close of the Bishop's address at the Conven- tion of 1820, he urged the formation of a Diocesan Missionary Society, also the appointment of "a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer, in which all mem- bers of our communion may join, in which after con- fession of sin they may beseech the Great Head of the Church to take pity on this part of His Mystical Body, that He would not leave it comfortless, but would send forth and maintain faithful ministers to guide, foster, and feed it." The last Friday in August was the day appointed for this service. Young Philander, then in deacon's orders, was se- lected to bear this message to the bishops and make a personal application for aid. This duty he performed, and though the claims of the General Missionary So- ciety were then being urged, the young deacon re- turned with $2,910.19. Thus a star of hope dawned, and temporary relief came to the little band of the Bishop and six clergy. CHAPTER XIX OPPOSITION AND DECISION UNTIL 1820 the Church had hardly touched Church life beyond the Alleghanies. An itinerant priest here and there had ventured into this vast region, but, for the most part, those of our own communion beyond the mountains were as sheep having no shepherd. The Rev. Joseph Doddridge, who itinerated in wes- tern Pennsylvania and Virginia in 1811, says that a large portion of a great region including Kentucky and eastern Ohio had been originally settled by Church people from Maryland, Carolina, and Virginia. When they crossed the mountains they left their Church be- hind them : in their old homes they had enjoyed its privileges as they had those of the sun and the soil, without much thought or appreciation, but now that they were lacking they missed them sadly. The half- dozen clergy wandering through this wide-spread region of poverty and religious confusion met together and begged the Church to come and look after her children, but they begged in vain. Mr. Doddridge declares that "he had no expectation of even being buried by a churchman when he should die." He affirms in a letter to Bishop Hobart in 18 16 that "if the Church had used her opportunity, there might have been four or five bishops in this country, surrounded by a 151 152 The Life of Philander Chase numerous and respectable body of clergy, instead of having our very name connected with a fallen Church." And Bishop Hobart was the very man who a few years later fought with all the might of his strong nature, his high position, and his powerful social ad- vantages, as the head of the Church in the great diocese and rich city of New York, against Bishop Chase's plan of educating Western young men, "sons of the soil," for the ministry in the Diocese of Ohio. Bishop White is still earlier upon record as taking slight interest in a distinct effort made by the Conven- tion of Pennsylvania, which had appointed a committee to raise a fund to send missionaries where and when they saw fit. Little came of it. It was not until six- teen years later that a committee of three bishops, three clergy, and three laymen was appointed to con- sider the situation, and granted the power to send a bishop into the new States and Territories, if it seemed advisable. In 181 1, the committee reports that it can- not see its way to take any action. A Convocation was called afterward at Washington, Pennsylvania, asking Bishop White to organize the Church in the West, but after waiting eighteen months for an answer the members were told that nothing could be done. No wonder that the hour had struck for the true pioneer churchman to change all this. In 1 82 1, nothing having been provided for the sup- port of the Bishop of Ohio, he was obliged to accept the offer of the presidency of the college at Cincinnati, as the farm at Worthington was inadequate for the support of his family. The removal thither late in the fall was accompanied with much distress to all con- Opposition and Decision 153 cerned; during the journey they were benighted in the woods near Derby, long rains having rendered the roads almost impassable. The Rev. Mr. Osborne, the first president, had already left the college, and in consequence the duties fell heavily upon the new president. He remained through the winter and the next autumn. In September, 1822, he held his commencement exercises and conferred degrees upon several young men of the senior class, closing with a most touching appeal, as follows: "One word more before we part : remember that however well resolved and strong to pursue your journey you may at present feel, yet your resolutions are but vain and your strength is but weakness without the Hand of God to continually support you. To Him, there- fore, look, in all the vicissitudes of life. In prosperity remember that it is God alone who gives it, in adversity. He who alone orders it for your benefit; to Him then address your prayer for strength to bear the one and the other. Depend on Him in life, and He will sup- port you in death; obey His voice in prosperity, and He will hear yours when in adversity you cry unto Him for help. Make Him your Friend, your Father, and your God, and He will be your Sun and your Shield here, and hereafter crown you with eternal glory." This year, 1822, the Bishop suffered a severe illness" at the house of Mr. Putnam, near Marietta. This ill- ness was of so long duration that the order of his visits was deranged, and it was not until Whit-Sunday that he could resume his work. In 1821, the Rev. Edward B. Kellogg was received into the diocese from New York, also the Rev. Mr. Spencer was stationed at Pequiaand 154 The Life of Philander Chase Springfield, The Rev. Intrepid Morse went to Steuben- ville, and the Rev. P. Chase, Jr., took charge at Zanes- ville. It was during these two years that the absolute necessity of providing for the training of young men for the ministry among their own people and on their own ground became so apparent to the minds of all who ever gave it a worthy thought that it was proposed that young Philander should go to England for the purpose of making an appeal to churchmen in that country for this object. A meeting between the father and son took place on the evening before the opening of the annual convention in June, at Worth- ington. The young man, although far advanced in the fatal illness which ere long ended his life, had travelled one hundred and fifty miles on horseback to fulfil this engagement. Weary and ill, his father led him to his bedroom, where a bright fire was burning; and where for some time the father watched, and the son rested under the temporary relief of an anodyne. Wakeful, and at last able to speak, the son, whose mind seemed to glow with an almost supernatural bril- liance, earnestly entreated his father to take the place designed for himself in the mission to England, in aid of Ohio. A friendly article in the British Critic pub- lished in London by some stranger who had taken pains to read the Bishop's addresses and the journals of the three years previous, and who had warmly com- mended them to the consideration of the Church in England, had so encouraged the young deacon that, although knowing that his own life was fast ebbing, and that he should see his father no more in life, he urged the Bishop to go in his stead. At the close of the convention the Bishop requested opposition and Decision 155 all the members to meet him in consultation ; the pro- ject, though opened with great seriousness and with earnest prayer for Divine guidance, was at first opposed by nearly all present. It was considered visionary, but at last was agreed to by the clergy, and silent consent (impliedly) given by the laity. There was still hope that the young man might rally and have strength to take the voyage, but, at his ordination to the priesthood a few days later, he was obliged to be held up by his companions to enable him to go through the service. It was then that the father decided, with what agony none may know, to go to England himself, for it was indeed a matter of life or death for the Church in Ohio. There was no money except a small legacy recently left the Bishop by a bachelor uncle, about enough to take him across the ocean. The Angel of Promise who had whispered to him in the early days of his work in Ohio came again to him, bringing its cheering motto of faith, "Jehovah Jireh." Inspired by this hope, which to a less sanguine nature, or rather to a more faithless heart, would seem so frail a support in such a fateful venture, the Bishop went cheerfully on in his preparations. To quote his own words: "All was prayer to God, with rejoicings in His Providence. If we fail, we die; but better that than linger here and see the Church of God for want of ministers dying round us. If we succeed, Zion will lift up her head and all her daughters, the little churches we have founded, will rejoice." Prudence said: "Wait! stay! do not risk every- thing. ' ' Faith said : " Go : God will provide. ' ' To his brethren, the bishops, he wrote explaining his reasons 156 The Life of Philander Chase for this great undertaking. He also wrote the follow- ing note of communion and charity to each one of the bishops: "Beloved Brother in God: "The Bishop of Ohio, being about to sail for old England on the ist of October next, to accomplish de- signs of great importance to the primitive Church of God in the Western States, earnestly desires you, his Right Reverend brother. Bishop of , to cause prayers to be offered up to Almighty God, for his pre- servation from all evil, and that it would please Him, who hath the hearts of all men in His hands, and all events at His control, to prosper the endeavors of His servants to the glory of His great Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. "Philander Chase. "Diocese of Ohio, July 29, 1823." The Bishop and his family, consisting of his wife and three children, left their home in Worthington on the 4th of August, 1823, in his family carriage drawn by two faithful horses, one of which bore the classic name of Cincinnatus. The Bishop himself was the coachman. The journey was delayed by illness at Chillicothe. At Steubenville he met once more his son Philander and his nephew, the Rev. Intrepid Morse. At Ashtabula, the Rev. Mr. Hall received priest's orders. Here a very perplexing incident occurred. The ' ' paper of commendation " had been signed by the Rev. Messrs. Doddridge, Keller, Morse, Johnston, and Chase in favor of the Bishop's plan ; but now Mr. Hall (just ordained) and Mr. Searle refused to add their names to opposition and Decision 157 it. This was a blow. Unanimity among his clergy was of the utmost importance. "A human arm hath failed us," said the Bishop, "we must go on, trusting more fully in God." The coach was ready, the last adieu said. This was scarcely done, when a messenger arrived on horseback, requesting the Bishop to turn back to Ashtabula, for there were persons there, from Medina, who wished his presence to settle difficulties in Mr. Searle's parish. During the arrangement of these affairs, Mr. Searle reversed his decision, and both he and Mr. Hall signed the Bishop's commendation papers. Thus the obstacle was removed. It was a "far cry" from Ashtabula to Buffalo by horse-power. It should be borne in mind that there was not a locomotive in the then known world, or a rod of iron track. The road travelled was on the shore of Lake Erie, the waves often dashing up to the horses' knees. An accident occurred e7i route, and the party was detained at Buffalo, where since a former visit a church had been built. The Bishop preached for the rector, and afterwards visited our great American wonder, the Falls of Niagara. Very wild it was in those days. It took the party in the coach a week to go from Buffalo to Cherry Valley, where Father Nash still lived, the first missionary west of Albany, and the founder of all the parishes in Otsego County. As a pupil to his teacher, as a son to his father, as brother to brother, so did the Bishop pay his devoirs to this venerable servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. The party arrived at Kingston on the 15th of Sep- tember, the home of Mrs. Chase's mother, eight hun- dred miles from Cincinnati. The Bishop and family, 158 The Life of Philander Chase long separated from their relatives, were welcomed cordially, but a mysterious gloom pervaded the coun- tenances of the mother and other friends. The ex- planation was not fully made until the tired and dusty travellers had reached their rooms, which were upon the ground floor, when over the sweetbrier bushes, which screened the windows, came a packet of letters thrown by an unseen hand. They were all addressed to the Bishop and sufficiently explained the silence and sadness of the family. Their contents had been made known to all the friends. They all condemned the Bishop's plan in toto, threatening ruin, and entreating that every means should be used to prevent the Bishop from going another step on a tour which must prove fatal to him and to the happiness and prosperity of his family. "Then," said his wife, "we must go home and die among our neighbors." The rejoinder was, "Never! " These good friends unknowingly took the best means for bracing every nerve in the Bishop's body and soul; no more doubt troubled either husband or wife in this battle. The matter was settled. CHAPTER XX TO ENGLAND FOR AID ARRIVED in New York, the Bishop received the same persistent opposition that developed in Kingston. "Ruin was sure to result." Even intimate friends had been spoken to, and had been so influenced that they used every effort to cause an abandonment of the venture. The Bishop says, apropos of this: "All these kind friends lived on the eastern side of the mountains, therefore their opinions should not be heeded, as they were one-sided judgments, for t/iey had never been on the other side of the mountains." The matter, however, did not end with friendly and pitying advice, such as was given in the letters thrown over the sweetbrier bushes. He was now told that the opposition to the scheme for aid would go with it to England. "You will be opposed in England by the weight of the Church in America, and that in the strongest manner." The Bishop's reply was that he could not believe it. As an instance of the extremity of the ill feeling against the only course open to the Bishop at this time, the following is worthy of notice. A letter written by an eminent lawyer to a gentleman formerly residing in London, now living in America, asking the favor of letters of introduction to men of character in 159 i6o The Life of Philander Chase London for the Bishop, was returned with the compli- ments of the Honorable Gentleman, saying that "he had been advised to refuse any letters of introduction to his friends in England." At this time letters from Bishop Ravenscroft of North Carolina and Bishop Bowen of South Carolina cheered the Bishop's fainting spirits by their expres- sions of ardent approval and earnest encouragement in his plan. These good men knew and realized the needs of the West, and were generous enough to help instead of hinder in this great work. During these days of waiting, young Philander, summoning all his remaining strength, came on to New York to bid his father a last farewell. Before sailing, Bishop Chase wrote a letter to Bishop White on the subject of going to England for the relief of the Church in Ohio, and this letter was unhesitatingly approved by Bishop White, who advised its immediate and general circulation. It gave reasons which, to a generous mind, could not be disputed with any show of honor and justice. The Bishop, many years after, says of this letter: "It was written in a sick room during intervals of great sorrow and suffering, oppos- ing friends about me, a wide ocean before me, and beyond it scenes as untried as those in another world, and withal a portentous cloud ready to burst upon me. Under such circumstances, I asked the 'prayers of the Church for persons going to sea.' In this I was denied." With all the evils of the twentieth century, it is scarcely to be believed that such an instance of utter heartlessness could occur now among Christian gentlemen. The ship Orhit was to sail on the ist of October. To England for Aid i6i But one clergyman in New York accompanied the Bishop to the ship. The invalid son rode to White- hall, and there he bade his father his last farewell. Soon the anchor was up and the ship was out at sea. The Bishop reflects: "I left behind me my dying son, my suffering diocese, my anxious wife, helpless chil- dren, and my angry friends. Who was to welcome me across the wide and weltering sea? None whom I knew; but I well knew who would attempt to drive me from the English shores, for from this person's lips I heard the promise." To cut short the story of this painful and almost in- credibly cruel threat, sufifice it to say that it was carried out completely to the letter. The voyage was on the whole a prosperous one for those days, when sailing vessels alone could cross the Atlantic. The ship was almost near enough to the harbor at Liverpool to meet the pilot, when a great wind blew it back, and ship and passengers were in much danger for several days, finally landing at Liver- pool the Sunday after the storm began. Baruch Chase, an older brother of the Bishop, had married an Englishwoman, a sister of Timothy Wiggin of Manchester. With Mr. Wiggin at this time resided the Bishop's nephew, Benjamin Chase. Therefore to Manchester the Bishop repaired to visit these friends. He found a most generous and kindly welcome, — even more, immediate approval of his plans, most encourag- ing to his sore and burdened heart. These kind friends took counsel together. Mr. Wiggin became deeply interested, and from his precious sympathy the Bishop drew encouragement and strength to go forward. The Bishop was advised by Mr. Wiggin to remain 1 62 The Life of Philander Chase some days in Manchester, where he met with two clergymen who were much interested in his plans, and from them he learned that the threats made in New York had been carried out to the utmost. "Notices " against him had been made public ; even handbills had been circulated. Before going to London, the Bishop visited Oxford, and there also, although treated by his hosts with much respect and consideration, he had incidentally painful confirmation of this fact. Nevertheless, he was deeply impressed with the charms of that venerable and beautiful city, and with the services at St. Mary's by the Rev. Mr. S., who on their way to dine at the Provost's informed the Bishop of his "decided opposi- tion to the Ohio plan, having heard the exact state of the case from another quarter." This remark, coupled with the request that "the Provost should not be troubled about the matter," was a quietus. One may imagine the completeness of this rebuff. Upon the Bishop's arrival in London, with no friend to meet him in that great city where his mysterious enemy had already begun his work, no wonder that his heart sank and his faith in the future fainted within him. Still he had the courage to do the work of the hour, and that was to call on Sergeant Sellon in the Chapter House of St. Paul's Cathedral, and deliver a letter from his son, the rector of St. Anne's Church in New York. Here Sergeant Sellon informed him that a printed paper in opposition to his mission had been circulated, and that no stone was left unturned to ruin it. Mr. Sellon assisted the Bishop in finding lodgings at No, 10 Featherstone Buildings, High Holborn. Here, with plenty of time for reflection, he could contemplate To England for Aid 163 the present and anticipate the future. One thing was certain, however, that everything possible had been done in London to render null all his efforts to build up and keep alive the Church of God beyond the Alle- ghanies. He further says: "My opponent must think he is doing right ; I will not reproach him, on the con- trary, I most devoutly pray for him. With this state of mind, I am enabled to rest in quietness and con- tent." Henry Clay and Lord Gambler had been joint com- missioners, representing the United States and England at the Treaty of Ghent, and had become fast friends. When Bishop Chase went to England, Mr. Clay gave him letters to Lord Gambler, and also to Alexander Baring. These were duly forwarded ; both received most courteous replies, and in due time, he received an invitation to visit Lord Gambler at Piatt Hall, his home. At this time another notice appeared in the papers, with additional objections to Bishop Chase's plan. He was called a "schismatic," and it was represented that the Bishop of the Diocese of New York had archi- episcopal jurisdiction over Ohio, and Bishop Chase had no right to ask for aid in England for his diocese. In short, nothing was undone that might serve to injure Bishop Chase and his cause. These efforts did not prevail in the end, for it was determined that there should be no contention ; the fight should be all one- sided. Thus gladly is this subject dismissed, or only recalled as the "serpent hiss of ecclesiastical hatred." On the 4th of December, the Bishop met Lord Gambler, according to appointment, at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street. After the business of the 164 The Life of Philander Chase Bible Society, at which Lord Gambier presided, was over, he took the Bishop in his carriage and they rode together to his residence at Iver. While on the way his Lordship alluded to the letter which had been the occasion of the present interview, and his pleasure in paying civility to one whom his excellent friend Mr. Clay of America was pleased to commend to his acquaintance; yet candor required him to mention that he had received, from another American gentle- man, statements of quite a different character, which had had an unfavorable effect on his mind. An ex- planation being respectfully asked, his Lordship men- tioned from whence these statements came and that they were both in print and manuscript. The Bishop says: "Perhaps nothing but conscious innocence in the exercise of the common privilege of an unenslaved mind could have dictated an appropriate reply to such a communication, made with such candor on such an occasion, and from so dignified a person. The words of that reply were gone after they were spoken, they could not be recalled : but memory still supplies the expression of satisfaction in his Lordship's countenance when I earnestly requested that an oppor- tunity might be granted to disabuse his mind by ex- plaining the whole case, and defending the character of an injured man and his more injured diocese. 'This shall be freely done,' was his reply. 'Will your Lord- ship be pleased to say it shall be uninterrupted? ' To this an immediate assent was given, and the time fixed was the next day after breakfast in his study. Nearly the whole day on Friday his Lordship spent in his library with me, employed in the examination of the papers and documents pro and con, relating to the ob- JAMES, LORD QAMBIER (ADMIRAL). Page 164. To England for Aid 165 ject for which I had crossed the Atlantic. After a full investigation, Lord Gambier observed that had he known what he now saw, he would not have returned so polite a note to as he did in answer to his letter which accompanied the 'notices.' The Bishop spent a delightful Sunday at Iver, and after breakfast Monday morning, his Lordship in the most affectionate and polite manner gave his opinion, advice, and an assurance of his support to the Ohio cause; at the same time, he expressed his fears of its success in England. "Nearly all," he observed, "were prejudiced, and but few can have the opportunity of having their minds disabused. You will have to row against wind and tide ; my advice is that you stand on your own ground and rely under God on your own statements, supported as they are by your own life and character. Make your publication, but do it in as few words as possible. Your introduction to me from Mr. Clay forms your introduction to the Church Mission- ary Society, at the head of which as President stands my name. To the Secretary, the Rev. Josiah Pratt, I shall give you a letter which you will present with my compliments; and be assured you have my good wishes." "With what anxious steps I was the bearer of Lord Gambler's letter to this good man need not be told. With books and papers all around a well-lighted room, warmed by a cheerful fire, sat the Rev. Josiah Pratt, as I suddenly, perhaps unexpectedly, entered the room. Turning around and facing the door he saw a man ap- proach, of no ordinary size and evidently no inhabitant of London, and against whom, as he has since remarked, he was very much prejudiced. A civil bow was inter- 1 66 The Life of Philander Chase changed and the letter from Lord Gambler presented. He read the letter and received me very kindly. I made a summary of my affairs and left with him some papers. He told me that had not only pub- Hshed notices in handbills and sent them to him, but caused them to be inserted in the Rejuembrancer, a work much read in England. "The Rev. Mr. Pratt observed when I came away that even as far as he had gone in considering the case, he had no hesitation to assure me of his good wishes and of his endeavor to accomplish what I wished, and accordingly wrote to Lord Gambier requesting a meeting of some influential persons to take into con- sideration the whole matter." CHAPTER XXI FRIENDS AND FOES AVERY encouraging letter from Lord Gambler came soon after the events of the last chapter, and from this time both Lord Gambler and Mr. Pratt were the Bishop's faithful friends, manifesting the most earnest desire to aid the cause of Ohio, and con- stantly showing the utmost generosity and loving- kindness to him socially. This great change was brought about gradually, especially in Lord Gambler's case, because he had been brought under the influence of the slander so freely circulated and so artfully used. These two honest men had the Briton's love of fair play, and when they were convinced that the Bishop's statements were absolutely true, and that he was bear- ing up under a load of obloquy without retaliation, they gave him their full confidence and at once set about doing all in their power to aid him in his struggle, not only for his suffering diocese, but for his personal honor as a man and as a Christian Bishop. At this time, Mr. Pratt said had made himself liable to the most severe retaliation. "His methods, as well as the whole spirit of his opposition, have not been founded in truth and fair representation and all of them are overbearing. He could therefore be righteously han- dled with great severity, but your plan is best, not to 167 1 68 The Life of Philander Chase retort nor to recriminate, but suffer and forbear for the sake of the Church in America. Your interest would lie in coming forward to the British public by an appeal to their sense of justice; many would open their hearts and hands to assist you, and your utmost desire would be gratified in the collection of funds for an institution in Ohio, but this would make a division and create bad blood in America; better will it be, to return back to your own country possessed of little, with peace and a good conscience than with much, and 'contention therewith.' At this point in the Bishop's mission, the sky began to brighten. Both Lord Gambier and the Rev. Mr. Pratt thought it best to pubHsh a statement of the condition in Ohio, and the need of educating young men for the ministry, on their own soil, for the work of the Church. An appeal of this kind must find favor in many hearts. Mr. Pratt also wrote to the Bishop's opponent of the change in his sentiment, and of the great regret he now felt for the course taken in the beginning. A meeting of several clergymen took place late in December on Bishop Chase's behalf. The Rev. Mr. Pratt was chairman. The merits of the Bishop's cause were discussed from beginning to end, and the confi- dence of the committee increased at every stage of the inquiry. The resolutions of the clergy, given below, will show the wonderful change in the opinions of fair-minded men towards the Bishop of Ohio. At this meeting, held on the 31st of December, 1823, various documents relative to the visit of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Chase to England were taken into con- sideration, when the following resolutions were adopted ; Friends and Foes 169 and at a subsequent meeting, held on the 7th of Jan- uary, 1824, the Rev. Henry Budd, M.A., minister of Bridewell precinct, and rector of White Roothing, Essex, in the chair, the said resolutions were confirmed : " I. That the spiritual wants of the Diocese of Ohio, in the Episcopal Church of the United States, the only diocese yet established in the Western territory, call for special provision and assistance. "2. That appropriate and adequate provision for the supply of the spiritual wants of the said diocese re- quires the establishment of an institution on the spot, in which natives of the country may be trained for the ministry, at an expense within their reach, and in habits suited to the sphere of their labors. "3. That the Rt. Rev. Bishop Chase is fully justi- fied, by the circumstances of the case, in appealing to the benevolence of this country ; and in undertaking to be the messenger of his diocese on the occasion, notwithstanding the privations and difficulties insepara- ble from such a mission ; that the Rt. Rev. prelate is entitled to the veneration and gratitude of those who desire the extension and increasing influence of our holy faith, especially in that pure and primitive form in which it is propagated by the Protestant Episcopal Churches of Great Britain and America. "4. That this meeting does, therefore, tender to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Chase its respectful acknowledg- ments and afTectionate regard, and pledges itself to the adoption and prosecution of such measures as shall seem best adapted to promote the object of his visit, and thinks it due to him, under the circumstances in which he has been placed in this country, that he 170 The Life of Philander Chase should be relieved to the utmost of personal labor and responsibility. "5. That however Bishop Chase might be justified in laying before the people of this country, in his own name, a statement of the facts of the case, in reference to some objections which have been here published, and might even seem called upon to do so, in vindica- tion of himself; yet, taking into account the painful consequences of a contest, and understanding that it is the Bishop's wish and determination to avoid, to the utmost, appearing as a controversialist in this country, this meeting would express its respectful and cordial approbation of the Christian forbearance of Bishop Chase in abstaining from such a course of proceeding. "6. That a statement of the peculiar wants of the Diocese of Ohio and the object of Bishop Chase's visit, be drawn up in a conciliatory spirit, and avoiding as much as possible all matter of controversy; and that the said statement together with any documents which may appear requisite be circulated in the name of the friends of Bishop Chase, at the discretion of a Commit- tee to be formed for those purposes. "7. That the Rev. Thomas Hartwell Home, the Rev. Josiah Pratt, the Rev. Henry Venn, the Rev. Thomas Webster, and the Rev. Samuel C. Wilkes do form the said Committee, and be further charged with making the most effectual arrangements for promoting the object of Bishop Chase's visit to this country. "8. That a subscription be opened in behalf of the Diocese of Ohio, and that Henry Hoare, Esq., be re- quested to act as Treasurer of the fund, and the Rt. Hon. Lord Gambler and Mr. Hoare to allow the pro- ceeds to be vested in government securities, in their QEORQE W. MARRIOTT. Puge /;/. Friends and Foes 171 joint names, until the same shall be drawn for by the proper authorities. "That these resolutions be respectfully submitted to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Chase. "H. BUDD, Chairman.'' One of the clergy present at the meeting was the Rev. Thomas Hartwell Home, author of the letter in the British Critic which first led to the idea of appeal- ing to England for help, also the Rev. Mr. Wilkes, and many more. The Bishop of St. David's became a warm friend at this time, and another who seemed to have a heart full of good-will and a manner made of genuine sunshine came to the Bishop's aid in the most unexpected way. Such a friend as is seldom found in this cold world was G. M, Marriott, generous, true, and loving. Mr. Pratt did not "allow grass to grow under his feet" in publishing the resolutions of the clergy. Meantime the new friend, Mr. Marriott, continued to show the kindest and most generous attention. It would seem that he was trying to make amends for the unjust and false impression he had at first innocently received. At this period of the Bishop's visit in England he spent some days in Halifax, Bradford, and Hudders- field, enjoying the hospitality of many distinguished clergymen, and meeting again his first and best friend Mr. Wiggin, e7i route. His heart was cheered by the delightful friends he met at these lovely English homes. The Bishop writes : "At dinner one day, where all were friends, several 172 The Life of Philander Chase clergymen and others being present, the body was refreshed and the mind delighted with the cheerful converse. The papers from the parcel containing the periodicals were thrown on the table. Breaking them open, out dropped an anonymous pamphlet, the whole tendency of which was to disparage and abuse the Bishop of Ohio and his seminary. This was a stroke altogether unexpected, and being quite off my guard, the effect through the mind on the bodily frame had well-nigh proven fatal." The Bishop was obliged to retire to his room at once in great distress, body and mind. His friend Mr. Wiggin was constantly by his bedside, and did everything and said everything that could alleviate the present distress. He had brought letters with him from Manchester — some of these of a cheering char- acter — others from America concerning the declining health and almost certain death of the Bishop's son in South Carolina. The latter brought singular relief, for they caused him to shed tears. At this second visit to Manchester he spent two weeks with his good friend Mr. Wiggin with the hap- piest results, receiving tokens of kindness and good-will from nearly all the clergy of that city. Mr. Pratt's encouraging letters, also Lord Gambler's, continued to reach him, while numbers of new friends gave him warmest welcome. At this time he visited a Mr. Evans, member of Parliament from Derbyshire. This proved also a happy circumstance, he meeting many friends and en- joying, after his dreary loneliness in London, great pleasure in their kindness. All these were interested and most helpful. Friends and Foes 173 With Lord Kenyon and Dr. Gaskin many others became deeply interested in Ohio's cause. Then came an extraordinary climax of events. At this time, after all the efforts to injure the cause of Ohio and to destroy the character and influence of its Bishop, the proposi- tion was made by the persons heading the opposition that the Bishop should give one third of the money collected for Ohio to the General Theological Seminary of New York, promising grandly a stay of the "un- pleasantness " if this plan were accepted! Soon after, the Bishop dined with Mr. W. G. Mar- riott and there met Miss Duff Macfarlane, the daughter of a Scotch Bishop, who seemed to take an interest in Ohio, and was most desirous of further information. This circumstance proved afterward to be much in his favor. At this time he met Lord Kenyon. The ap- peal for Ohio had been published and was doing much good. Some time later, the Bishop enjoyed a delightful surcease from his wearing anxiety in the society of many pleasant people at Cotesbach, near Lutterworth, meeting again Miss Duff Macfarlane. Apropos of this lady, the Bishop remarks: "Little did I think that she would be instrumental in opening a door of prosperity to me, although in London the outlook still remained very gloomy." After returning to London he met the friends already in sympathy with him, and also Bishop Ryder and Lord Bexley for the first time. He also met the Bishop of Durham, who received him with great kind- ness, asking for more of the printed appeals and taking leave of him with the prophecy of success. This opin- ion, as it proved, was a true one ; yet the means by 174 The Life of Philander Chase which it should be brought to pass were hidden. All London was prepossessed against the Bishop, with the exception of a few who had been convinced by private interviews. The withdrawing of the objection con- tained in the "Notices," if they could be said to have been withdrawn, did not obviate the difficulties. They were considered to be in full force, although, for secret reasons, not urged as at the first. The prelates of the Church of England and all their friends, excepting those aforementioned, viewed the Bishop as a "factious schismatic." And what could remove so mighty a difficulty as this? The Bishop felt his hands tied. Consider first the British Parliament, — not a man of them felt any interest in the affairs of Ohio except the few mentioned, but harbored great aversion to the name and cause of the Bishop. And how came they to change their minds, so as in any considerable num- bers to support what they had before rejected and de- spised? In answer to this, take the following plain narrative told by Bishop Chase : "In the year of our Lord, 1824, the British Parlia- ment was much divided on the great question of the National Redemption of the Colored population in the West Indies. "Now there was a man in London, a member of Parliament, who acted with Mr. Wilberforce in most things, and was his particular friend in this. This man's name was Joseph Butterworth, a gentleman of great benevolence and intimately acquainted with the police of London. Through this channel he had known me ever since I took up my residence in No. 10 Featherstone Buildings. He knew that I was there Friends and Foes 175 unknown and unnoticed from November until Spring, and he had thought little of me, because others did so, and how came Mr. Butterworth to think otherwise of the neglected being living in No. 10 Featherstone Buildings, High Holborn? Simply because Dr. Robert Dow of New Orleans came to town. How could this gentleman influence Mr. Joseph Butterworth? The story was this : "Dr. Dow had emigrated from Scotland to New Orleans when young in his profession. In that city he had accumulated a fortune and desired to spend the evening of his days in his native Cathcart, among his relatives. He removed from New Orleans to Scot- land ; stopping in London to invest his funds, he in- quired who was a proper person to give him advice, when he was referred to Mr. Joseph Butterworth. After this interview a conversation occurred, some- thing like this : Mr. B. — So you are from America, Dr. Dow? Dr. D. — Yes, just arrived and now my pecuniary concerns are settled, shall hasten on to Scotland. Mr. B. — Were you acquainted with Bishop Chase? Dr. D. — Yes, he used to be our pastor in New Orleans, and I was his physician and his intimate friend. Mr. B. — If this be the case, you can tell us some- thing of his real character, is it good or otherwise? Dr. D. — Always good; and why the question? Is he in town? Mr. B. — He is, and has been since November last, and while another American prelate who has also been in town during the same period is treated with great respect, he is neglected, and, from what is circulated in 176 The Life of Philander Chase the papers, it is presumed that the ill opinion of him is in some way well founded. Pray put us right in this respect, if we be wrong. Here the honest Dr. Dow took occasion to express both his surprise at what had been uttered by Mr. B. and to answer his question, in a manner the most favorable. Mr. B, — But there must be something singular in this gentleman or he would not be voluntarily in the situation in which the British public now regards him. Dr. D. — Singular! I never knew anything singular in him but his emancipating his yellow slave, and that I should suppose would not injure him here in Eng- land, though we in New Orleans thought it foolish, as well as singular." Here the Doctor told the story of the yellow slave Jack, which appears in a previous chapter. This story caused a great alteration in Mr. Butterworth's mind. Bishop Chase and Mr. Butterworth after this became friends, and the former writes of meeting Dr. Jebb, the Bishop of Limerick, the Rev. Leigh Richmond, and many others at the latter's house. The Ohio cause grew and waxed strong, and sub- scriptions of considerable amount came in, few could tell why. The cause of this wonderful change was un- known until some time after the Bishop received a let- ter from Dr. Dow, giving an account of this disclosure. Dr. Dow says: "I pressed the fact on the mind of good Mr. Butterworth that you willingly emancipated your slave, though he was an ungrateful fellow. I mentioned it as a proof of your consistency of conduct, as relates to your profession and the part of the United States you inhabit." CHAPTER XXII ENGLISH HOMES AND FRIENDS IT will be remembered that in the winter of 1821-22, the Bishop had sent a letter in answer to the in- quiries of the Rev. Dr. Jarvis of Boston as to the ways and means by which the Episcopate of Ohio was sup- ported. This answer, though composed in haste while surrounded by painful circumstances and only intended for the eye of a friend, yet might be supposed to be somewhat descriptive, and feelingly expressed. It went into some particulars of privation and suffering, too humiliating to the Church to be exhibited to the gratification of her enemies, or the mortification of her friends ; yet every word was true, and served to show not the ways and means by which the Bishop of Ohio was supported, but that there was no support at all, that he travelled at his own expense, that he paid his laborers to earn his bread at home, and when the means to do this failed, he had to labor, wait on himself, and perform the menial offices of his domestic affairs, though at the same time discharging the duties of the Episcopate, also those of a parochial clergyman. This letter, long since forgotten, was actually in the hands of a lady in London, who had been several times in his company at Mr. G. W. Marriott's in Queen's Square, silently listening to what was said of and by 177 178 The Life of Philander Chase the American Bishop till she was convinced that it was he who had written the letter. She desired an inter- view. Her letter was dated on Good Friday evening, and expressed a wish to see the Bishop at the house of her relative, adding these words : "I assure you I feel that you will do me a great favor in coming so far, but I hope you will not regret it. I am, "Most truly and affectionately yours, "Duff Macfarlane." The Bishop says: "The invitation to breakfast with this lady was ac- cepted. The conversation was on ordinary topics till the breakfast was over. It was then that she produced the letter and asked if I were the author of it. Some- thing like amazement ensued. The eye ran rapidly from one end of a very indifferent letter to the other, and the signature could not be denied, nor the con- tents of the letter. I had forgotten many things, and had to read several lines together, in order to refresh the memory. At length all rose to view, and that the whole, perhaps, was presented as an obstacle to be sur- mounted by an apology for having disgraced the Church by submitting to menial employments. The truth was that since in England I had become so accustomed to find obstacles laid in my way, that everything coming suddenly upon me partook of the quality of stratagem. This idea was soon dissipated by the kindness of the lady who repeated the question: 'Are you, sir, the author of this letter?' 'Yes, Madam. And I have reason, I think, to ask how this letter came into your English Homes and Friends 179 possession? ' In answering this, the lady went into a history of the whole matter. She said her father had written to Dr. Jarvis requesting some information con- cerning the American Church, the number of dioceses and clergy, the manner of raising the salaries for the bishops; that Dr. Jarvis, after some delay, had sent an answer in respect to all the dioceses but that of Ohio, the Bishop of which, he said, was under peculiar diffi- culties, on which he would make no comment, but send his own letter to speak for itself, hoping to apologize to the Bishop for the liberty taken when they should next meet. This lady had influence with others, and through the same information, which she disseminated, the cause gained friends. "Lady Rosse was made acquainted with the Ohio cause through Miss Macfarlane alone, and on her munificence, it may be said, the crowning success of the whole depended. In this train of providential events, the ugly letter which was written under the most painful circumstances was the means of great good to Ohio." On the evening preceding Good Friday, 1824, the Bishop received the sad news of the death of his be- loved son Philander, in a letter from Bishop Bowen of South Carolina, who said : "I have reason to believe that Philander died in perfect peace, having been blessed throughout his illness, and even to his latest moments, with the spirit of the serenest resignation. 'Tell my father,' said he to me, very shortly before his death, 'that to be sepa- rated from him thus early is the bitterest part of death ; tell him I died in perfect faith in the merits of my Saviour and the mercies of my God, though sometimes, i8o The Life of Philander Chase through the sense of sin not unrepented of, but yet possibly unpardoned, trembling and afraid.' To- day, the 3d of March, we committed his remains to the ground. His funeral was attended by all the clergy of our Church in this city." Of this event the Bishop speaks in this way: "I have lived to see my dear Philander pass through the years of childhood and youth ; I have lived to be the instrument of his ordination to the Christian ministry ; I have seen him a husband and father ; he is now gone, having finished his course, short indeed ; he has now entered into his rest, leaving me to travel the rest of my journey alone. It is God's will; I am content." One may conceive something of the agony of this moment, although comforted with the certainty of the dear young man's fitness for another life, for human nature can but sorrow at the early coming of death to one so fitted for usefulness and happiness, — a young husband and father, dying far from his home, yet ten- derly cherished and cared for by kind friends^ particu- larly the Rev. Mr. Rutledge, who was to him a loving brother even unto the last. Philander was buried under the chancel window of historic St. Michael's, where this beloved one now rests in the peace of God. After Easter, the sun of success began to shed gen- uine cheer upon the Bishop's hopes. Many generous and kind friends were touched by his manly and ear- nest life, and although in deep sorrow and in sore difficulties, his honest purposes were apparent. His unfeigned desire to carry "the faith once delivered to the Saints" to those who so sorely needed it was so sincere that many generous souls responded. It was Eno-Hsh Homes and Friends i8i o said that "England had not seen such a bishop in a thousand years." The interview with the venerable Bishop of Durham is one of the pleasing incidents connected with this period. He was ninety years old, yet well and cheer- ful. Another effort contrary to the alleged withdrawal of the opposition to the Ohio cause was made. This and other extraordinary efforts at this time, instead of in- juring the cause of Ohio, induced good men to reverse their opinions, as shown in the following extract from a letter: "I received your packet with the appeal yester- day, and to say that I was pleased with it, is to say but little. I was surprised and delighted. It made me at once close with Bishop Chase's views, notwith- standing all I had heard. Bishop Chase's zeal is with- out any mixture of fanaticism. What he says of the young men being educated in Ohio, and all the reasons, bring the recollection of facts with which we are all acquainted. I am particularly obliged to you for sending me the appeal. If you have a copy of my sermon remaining, pray give it to Bishop Chase as from a clergyman beyond the mountain who has read and feels his appeal. Mr. McKenzie has just read it. I never saw him in such raptures with anything." This letter was from the Rev. Charles Fyvie, Inver- ness, Scotland. Meantime the Bishop's early and faithful friends continued their kind offices, cheering his anxious heart by loving-kindness in every way. About the middle of May, Lady Rosse sent the fourth hundred pounds. i82 The Life of Philander Chase The Bishop during June visited Cambridge and afterwards at Brampton Park, the house of Lady OHvia Sparrow, which he describes in a letter to his wife: "The walks, the gardens, the fields and flowers, joined to many paintings and much beautiful statuary, were all surveyed. Lady Olivia is a grandmother, yet is apparently quite young and beautiful; her equal in this respect, I think I have never seen. Like us, she lost a darling son with consumption. Her household is very numerous. When assembled for prayers in the great hall, I counted fourteen maids and many men servants. A poor blind girl, trained for the purpose, played the organ, and few congregations have I ever heard sing more melodiously." The Bishop also writes of a visit in another English home: "I am now at the vicarage of Great Horkesley, the present incumbent being the Rev. William Ward. "The country,, as we rode swiftly through it, was level and the hamlets pleasant. The tired horses with which we started were sent back, and the rest of the journey performed by relays. These, as we passed on, were furnished at the proper stages with great speed. No silence in such a ride as this. Neither dis- tance nor time is counted. "At four, arrived at Horkesley. The fields invited us to walk. We strolled together to a point whence we could overlook Nayland, the place so dear to Lord Kenyon as a pupil, and to myself as a sincere admirer of the Rev. William Jones. Nayland is in a valley. A small river runs through its verdant and flowery bosom. The gently rising grounds adorned the reced- English Homes and Friends 183 ing view, and in the midst was the modest church where once that holy preacher proclaimed the Gospel. In distant prospect on every side are six churches, the names of which were told me, but I have forgotten them. No matter, Nayland church is enough for me now to dwell upon. "Turning our faces to Horkesley vicarage, how pleas- art was our converse ! The glebe proving by its neat- ness the incumbent's taste and virtue; its walks, how well kept ; its trees, how well trimmed ; its flowers, how fragrant, and how tastefully arranged, — but what are these compared with the inhabitants within? There was Charlotte, gentle in her manners, next sat Mary with several smaller buds of promise, — and here comes the dinner, entirely English, plenty without profusion, the best served in the best manner. The day passed off, as few do in this mortal world, without a subject of regret." " Whit Sunday, 1824, "I spent this holy day in Nayland church. What pleasure mingled with reverence did I enjoy, as I entered this venerable building and saw the pulpit where that good man preached, and received the Sacra- ment from the Altar of the Lord where he once min- istered ! In the vestry there is a vault stone under which are the earthly remains of the author of the Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity. The Bishop says: "I remember, long afterwards, my feelings when I knelt at the altar with good Lord Kenyon and his friend Marriott, and how I realized afresh there the Communion of Saints. I remember re- turning with my friends to Horkesley and attending the 184 The Life of Philander Chase afternoon service, where Mr. Ward, the vicar (after- ward the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man) officiated. I remember going from the church to the vicarage and witnessing the order and beauty of an English family, bred up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, — their zeal for the truth, their sympathy in the suffering of others," After the Bishop's return to London, through the agency of Mr. Butterworth, the Bishop attended a meeting of the charity children in St. Paul's Cathedral. He writes : "A more imposing sight was never presented to my view, — these little ones of the Church, collected by her maternal care from the most indigent portions of the city, clothed, fed, and educated by her tender- ness and at her expense, — thirty thousand the whole number. The third part now actually assembled in decent attire, as is their annual custom, to appear before the Lord in the vast amphitheatre of praise and thanksgiving to Him who made the world and re- deemed mankind for the Light of His glorious Gospel, without which the world would never have known a Charity School, made no ordinary impression on my mind. I will always remember it as a means of mercy and grace to my soul forever." At about this time the Bishop was accorded an inter- view with the Archbishops of York and Canterbury. After certain explanations were made regarding the state of the Church in America, these great men in the Church came to another and better understanding in regard to the work of the Church in Ohio. CHAPTER XXIII FAREWELL AND HOME AGAIN THE Bishop was now making ready for the long journey home. His last days in London were crowded with events, visitors, dining and breakfasting with old friends and new friends. He writes : "On Friday morning dined with Lord Bexley, Lord and Lady Teignmouth. On Saturday, the 12th of June, I set off for Oxford before breakfast. Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Marriott and good Mr. Pratt came into my little parlor at my lodgings to see me and to help me to get ready, arrange my papers and wardrobe, and above all, to encourage and bless me. In recurring to this fact even at this distant time, I can hardly refrain from tears when I recall their kindness, — how disinter- ested, how benevolent, and how tender! " The Bishop's visit at Oxford at this time was profit- able in many ways. It gave him an opportunity to clear up some painful misunderstandings, and to make new and powerful friends, among them the Rev. Mr. Dallin of York. The Bishop says of his visit to Oxford: "I received the Holy Communion from the hands of the Bishop of Oxford. At the ordination in Christ Church services were very impressive; attended St. Mary's; Mr. J. Bull preached an excellent sermon. Dined in the Hall 185 1 86 The Life of Philander Chase of Oriel with the Vice-Provost and the fellows most agreeably. Attended evening prayer in Oriel Chapel. Nothing can exceed the order and beauty of God's worship as exemplified in these young men. On Mon- day, the 14th of June, dined with Dr. MacBride, Master of Magdalene, — present the Dean of Exeter, who was Provost of Worcester College, the Vice-Provost of Oriel, Mr. Pusey, Mr. Duncan of New College, Mr. Barnes, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University. "At New College the dinner was most pleasant, the company of the students and fellows agreeable. I attended their chapel services; the anthems in choirs are exquisite, the grounds and gardens attached to the college are very pleasing, from them we have a view of the magnificent tower of Magdalene." On the 24th of June, the Bishop breakfasted with good Mr. Pratt and family, and the same day went with Mr. and Mrs. Marriott to Mitcham. The object of his journey was to pay a visit to Mr. Hoare, the banker, and to be introduced to his daughter and son- in-law, Sir Thomas and Lady Acland. In the course of the afternoon Sir Thomas urgently requested that he might introduce the Bishop to his friends in Bristol, Blaise Castle, Barleywood, and Devonshire. He went to London the same evening, and the next day dined with Mr. J. Goldsmith, and met Mrs. Frederick Thurs- ton, Lord and Lady Seymour, Colonel Cheney, Bishop Jebb of Limerick, Rt. Rev. Henry Goulbourn and his brother Edward, — a delightful company. The 26th of June the Bishop spent in the ancient city of Colchester, and went to see once more the dear friends at Horkesley, spending Monday in Colchester and then a day at Blaise Castle with many friends. Farewell and Home Again 187 Never was there a more kind and sympathizing people than the Christian citizens of Colchester, old England. At parting these friends kneeled down to pray for a farewell blessing. On June 29th the Bishop went to London, the scene of his sorrows and joys, and this day the scene of his farewells. Mr, Marriott accompanied him to Picca- dilly, and there at half-past eight, June 29th, 1824, they parted to meet no more till the Great Day. The Bishop rode all night, arriving at Bristol at ten o'clock in the morning, and enjoying a bachelor break- fast with the Dean of Bristol. After this he accom- panied Sir Thomas and Lady Acland to Barleywood, the home of Hannah More. The note received by the Bishop from Mrs. Hannah More is characteristic of her and her age : "Mrs. Hannah More presents her most respectful regards to the Bishop of Ohio. By a letter just re- ceived from Sir Thomas Acland she is encouraged to flatter herself with the hope of a visit from the Bishop on Friday. Honors are not always pleasures, but in the accomplishment of this kind plan they will be iden- tified. Sir Thomas hopes to get away from his sick sister in time to accompany the Bishop. Should that not be the case, Mr. Harford will have the goodness to give him the necessary information for reaching Barley- wood, where he will condescend to visit a convalescent in her sick chamber, who will be much gratified to see him." The Bishop writes: "Towards the stranger from America, her manners were in every respect engaging. With Sir Thomas, Mrs, More used all cordial frank- ness, elevated sentiment, and chastened wit. Not a 1 88 The Life of Philander Chase moment of time was lost. Words fitly spoken 'like apples of gold in network of silver ' filled . . . the conversation." On the 5th of July the Bishop visited the venerable Cathedral at Exeter, spending a very happy day at Sir Thomas Acland's. It was Lady Acland who was in- strumental in purchasing the printing-press and types for the Ohio Seminary, which became of much im- portance to the Bishop's friends. Sir Thomas accom- panied him in his post-chaise a long way on his road back to Bristol, where among his many letters he re- ceived the following from Lord Kenyon : "Gredington, June 26, 1824. "My very dear Bishop: "Like dear Mr. Marriott, I feel quite grieved at the thought of bidding you farewell, probably forever in this world. In all such sorrows the true comfort is, what I have experienced in my most melancholy loss, the hope of the faithful, and the reflection that time is very short compared to eternity. Very sincerely shall I feel the like comfort in parting with you, my much- prized friend. And all the intercourse I have had with you, and all I have known of your doings have but in- creased these consolations, and the humble endeavors not to counteract, but by God's gracious aid to en- deavor to forward His unmerited mercy. "I shall hope to meet you at Manchester on the loth, and to see you and good Mr. Wiggin at my venerated aunt's at Peel Hall. "I am anxious that my daughters shall see you and receive from you that apostolic blessing which few can value more than I shall for them. . . . GEORGE, LORD KENYON. Page Farewell and Home Again 189 "God bless and prosper you, prays your obliged and affectionate friend, "Kenyon." Leaving Bristol, the Bishop writes that he "found all seats in common coaches taken, and was obhged with another gentleman to hire a post-chaise, rode all night, coachman fell asleep, pitched back and broke in the glass window, horses took fright, fellow passenger jumped out, coachman having recovered his seat, gave the reins to me and went back to find his other passen- ger, soon came up and helped him to a seat, but alas! he had lost his reason. It was just at daybreak when this happened ; the man growing troublesome, the coachman was ordered to drive fast. It was about ten miles to Birmingham, and on arriving at the inn, sent for a surgeon. The man was bled and came to his senses, and I never saw a more grateful person, when told what had happened. "Caution, don't jump out of the coach." After this the Bishop drove to Stretton Hall, the residence of Lady Rosse, his benefactress. Hitherto the acquaintance had been only by letter. Now it was face to face. Her Ladyship was sitting alone at her tea table when the Bishop was bidden to walk in. She said afterwards: "I had figured to my mind a small and emaciated form in the person of Bishop C, but instead of that a very large man darkened my door." When endeavoring to express his gratitude for her great benevolence to the Ohio cause, he was stopped on the threshold of his speech by her saying: "Bless your heart. Bishop Chase, you have done me a greater favor than I you ; I am more blessed in giving igo The Life of Philander Chase than you in receiving. God's Words assure us of this; besides your cause is a good one, and I am morally sure the funds will not be misused, and that is more than I can say elsewhere. When good Miss Macfarlane wrote me of your case and pointed out the way in which I might serve you, my spirit rejoiced, and I have not for many years enjoyed so happy a winter." When the evening was at a close Lady Rosse bade the Bishop farewell, saying she should probably not be awake early enough to bid him adieu. The next morn- ing he came down with great caution lest he should awaken his hostess, when she met him in the drawing room with many good wishes, and gave him Bishop Wilson's Sacra Privata, a book that was always very precious to him. I remember distinctly that ever after- ward the Bishop carried this little book and used it with great comfort. The Bishop records: "On the 9th of July approach- ing Manchester. The pleasantness of the evening, the voices of boys at play, the mild smoky atmosphere, the chapel dimly discovered, my heart in the fond expect- ancy of embracing friends, the truest and best in Eng- land. No words can record the rest. This was Mr. Wiggin's home. "On the loth of July, I bade farewell to this dear place and went with Lord Kenyon to the home of his aunt at Peel Hall. This singular dwelling united many humble houses, was built in days of yore, the last in 1637. "From Peel Hall with Lord Kenyon went to Liver- pool, where Mr. Wiggin joined us." Lord Kenyon came over to the city on July 15th, with his son and three daughters, for a farewell inter- Farewell and Home Again 191 view, which was accompanied with prayer and bene- diction. This meeting and parting will long be remembered ; perhaps those who knelt together may remember it still, though all who were present have doubtless long since passed "through the grave and gate of death into the Paradise of God." Strange to say, the Bishop's old neighbor and friend, Dr. Dow, formerly of New Orleans, came to see him here, and confirmed by word of mouth what he had related in the letter about Mr. Butterworth being won to the Ohio cause by the story of the yellow man Jack. The i6th was the day fixed for sailing for America, but contrary winds prevented. The ship Orbit, Cap- tain Tinkham, the same in which the Bishop sailed for England, took him back to America. The ship sailed on July 17th. The Bishop writes that Sir Charles Palmer, Dr. Trevor, Dean of Chester, and others, came to the ship and ceased not their tokens of Eng- lish kindness until he was out of sight. Forty-three days were spent on the ocean in the months of July and August. The Bishop arrived in New York, August 29th. His landing was at White- hall wharf, where not a year before he had said good- by to his son Philander. It was Sunday night ; church bells were ringing for evening service and never had he more reason to rejoice and say: "Let the people praise Thee O God, yea, let all the people praise Thee." He went immediately to Kingston, where he had left his family, to which had been added another son, and soon went to Hartford and presented him before the Lord for Holy Baptism. He was given the name of that dear son whom God had taken to himself. To cross the mountains with a family in 1824 was 192 The Life of Philander Chase more trouble and took a longer time than to go to Europe and back in a steamer of the present day. One month was occupied in reaching Worthington from Kingston. The pleasant home in Worthington was embosomed in trees, twenty and thirty feet high, covered with wild grapes, purposely left for shade and beauty. One may imagine the pleasure of the children and their elders to be at home under their own vines. The peaches were ripe and the apples red and yellow in the orchard. It was on the return voyage on the ship Orbit, and during the Bishop's stay in England, that he made the sketches of which Bishop Nichols of California wrote so charmingly some years ago in the Pacific Church- ?nati. He says: "It would be safe to say that every one of the narrowing number of those now living who knew Bishop Philander Chase (Bishop of Ohio, and late of Illinois, 1819-1852), retains that strong personality of his in sharp and clear silhouette. Even a stranger who did not know whom he was addressing once said to the Bishop, 'Whoever and whatever you are, I know you are at the top.' Most of those who were in any way associated with Bishop Chase can tell a characteristic story or two of him, and his own story of his life in the two volumes of his published Reminiscences is full and not easily forgotten. Though the writer of this belongs to a later generation, he has had some choice opportunities to hear such anecdotes and to learn of the rugged, noble manhood and telling work of the pioneer Bishop. In old Christ Church parish, Hart- ford, Connecticut, where the writer's rectorship came sixty years after the rectorship of Bishop Chase, there REVERED BE THE MEMORY OF PHILANDER CHASE Ma