MASTER NEGA TIVE NO. 93-81340- MICROFILMED 1993 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES/NEW YORK as part of the "Foundations of Western Civilization Preservation Project" Funded by the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES Reproductions may not be made without permission from Columbia University Library COPYRIGHT STATEMENT The copyright law of the United States - Title 17, United States Code - concerns the making of photocopies or ether reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law^ libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other photocopy or other reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research," If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of ''fair use,' that user may be liable for op/nght Infringement. This institution reserves the nght to refuse to accept a copy order if, in its judgement fuifillment of the order would invoi e violation of the copyright law. A UTHOR: SMITH, JAMES WH ATON TITLE: HE LIFE OF JOHN RO K^tv I,';-. ER PLACE: PHILADELPHIA DA TE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PRESERVATION DEPARTMENT BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET Master Negative # ^3rlJ3^025_ Restrictions on Use: Original Material as Filmed - Existing Bibliographic Record 938.5 C886 Smith, J T/heaton. The life of John P, Crozer, Philadelphia, American Baptist publication society c1868d 264 p. front, (port,) plates. I, Crozer, John Price, 1793-1866. TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 3^1'/^^ IMAGE PLACEMENT: lA .(OK . IB HB REDUCTION RATIO:_____^^. DATE FILMED: id_2=£l_k2 INITIALS A^. FILMED BY: RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS. INC WOODBRIDGR. CT E Association for Information and Image Management 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1100. Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 301/587-8202 Centimeter mi IN 1 I iimiiiiiiiiuiiiiiii liiiiliiiiliiiil TTT 7 8 iliiiiliiiil 5 6 iiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii T TTT 9 A 1 1 1 1 1 10 n 12 13 iiiiliiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiliiii 14 III! 15 mm TTT Inches 1.0 I.I 1.25 tii 2.8 2.5 ta ¥■' 2.2 1" It y£ IS. 2.0 *- u lUbu. .8 1.4 1.6 MfiNUFfiCTURED TO fillM STRNDPRDS BY fiPPLIED IMfiGE, INC. Cnlnmbia ^.Ininrrs'ftP inUjcCilPufJlruiPiirk THE LIBRARIES V-'!^>«M='' ' ?y-'< - ■' ^tri iy / / / (]/ CDlnmbta (Hnitiemftp tntlirCttpofBrtD^ork THE LIBRARIES :«:i --.--i.'; J TO HER WHO LOVED HIM IN HIS YOUTH, n^^)' c^ WHOSE BRAVE HEART CHEERED HIM IN HIS EARLY STRUGGLES, WHO, IN HIS HOUSEHOLD, BORE THE SACRED NAME OF WI FE, -'"■*'--'~*'-''^*.''^«-'^.''^v.*'"S.'''^.,'*\.--*',,'-v,/- Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1808, by AAIERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of tlie United Slates for the Eafetern District of Pennsylvania, THIS STORY OF HIS LIFE IS AFFECTIOX.^TELY IXSCRIBED BY HER FRIEXD, THE AUTHOR. Westcott k Thombox, Stereotypers, Philada. . . ,» . • * * • • t If • • I « • « • • • t ■ * • • > • ••II » I • » • .1. II • I • » I I 1 * I > I > I It I * I 1 1 I • t • * • » • » » I i It* • ' . ' I I > ' ' III ■ ,' » I > • I > I a II* 1 ' THE s Life or John P. Crozer. BY J. WHEATOX SMITH, D.D. • • • • • • • • •• • • • •• • • • • ••••• ••••• • r »»*»# A • • • • • AMERICAN* •BAPT^sr*Pem.!C•AtIb^' 'SOCIETY, . 530 .a1iC5I» Sj'REliT. • * • • • •• • , • • » • • ••*• •• • • • '"<»< CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. BIRTH-PLACE. PAGE The old Mansion in Springfield— Its little Nursery— Benjamin West— His First Effort in Art— His early Studies— The Nur- sery has a new Occupant— The Artist and the Philanthropist... 13 CHAPTER II. PARENTAGE. Immigration of Four Brothers— Mr. Crozer's Paternal Grandfather —The Grandfather's Marriage— His Maternal Grandfather- Hi? Father and Mother j^ CHAPTER III. BROTH p:rs and sisteus. His two Sisters— His two Brothers— .James the Elder Brother- Samuel, the Younger— His Mechanical Genius— Love of Study —Goes to Africa on a Philanthropic Missiion— Early Death- Origin of Mr. Crozer's Concern for the African Race 20 CHAPTER IV. CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. The Paternal Farm— Early Recollections— The Stone School-house —Master Taylor— Master Doane— The Mystery of "Carrying" —Master Pardee— Improvement in Teaching s|.nce that Day— 6 CONTENTS. PACE Religious Influences — The Society of Friends — The Lord's Day — A Mother's Teaching and Influence — Dr. Staughton — A Funeral Sermon in the Country — Wayside Efforts often the most largely Blessed — Baptism of Mr. Crozer and his Sister — Mental Improvement — The Pennock Family 24 CHAPTER V. I.TFE AS A FARMER. His Father's Farm — Scanty Help — " Small Business" — Conies of Age — Death of his Father and Mother — Alone in the Home- stead — Poor Prospects — Vain Planning — Interesting Letter 34 CHAPTER VT. JOURNEY TO THE WEST. Personal Appearance — His Black Mare — Shaker Settlement — Cin- cinnati — Valley of the Wabash — New Harmony — Robert Dale Owen — Visit to Kentucky — Journey Home — Sale of the Home- Stead 41 CHAPTER VII. ESTABLISHMENT IN BUSINESS. Grain and Saw Mill — Disappointment — Begins to Spin Cotton — More Disappointment — Commences Weaving — It does not Pay — Rigid Economy — Ready to give up — A Timely Loan — Success at last 50 CHAPTER VIII. i:OME AT WEST BRANCH. Slow and steady Progress — Purchases a Mill at West Branch — Marriage — Commences Housekeeping — Accumulates by Saving — Care for his Operatives — His First-born Son — Builds a School-house — Serious Loss — Begins to Weave — Purchases another Mill — Removal of his Home 61 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. HOME AT CROZERVILLE. PAGE Increased Spiritual Life— Diary Commenced— A Strike and its Re- sults—Temperance Cause— Help for Workmen— Severe Acci- dent — Long Confinement — A Flood — Loss of a large Fortune — Press of Work 72 CHAPTER X. HOME AT UPLAND. Original name of Chester— Change by William Penn— Care for Ministers — Tour in Pennsylvania — Thanksgiving Day — Jus- tice to his own Denomination — Opinion of Ofl5ce-seeking — Building of House of AVorship at Upland— Opening of House of Worship— Death of a Daughter— Joy from Sorrow— Church Organized— University at Lewisburg— Donation of Dr. David Jayne, Mr. Bucknell and Mr. Crozer— Liberal off'er to Uni- versity—Large Expenditures— Singing in Public Worship- In the Sunday-school — As a Worshiper — Xormal School — Cor- respondence with Dr. Wayland — Disappointment in the School — Ministerial Education — Sunday-school Library Fund — Bap- tism of a Son — Death of Mr. James M. Linnard — Early rising — In the Church — Chosen Deacon — In Prayer-meetings- Love for his Mother — Ministers' Library Fund — Endowment of University — Adieu to Christian Commission — Remarkable Birthday Record ]28 CHAPTER XI. LIFE AT ITS CLOSE. Opening of his Seventy-fourth Year— His Continued Growth- Estimate of his Character — His Business Capacity — His Tastes — His Love of Books — A man of Education — Diff'crence be- tween Learning and Education — William Pitt and Adam Smith — Education by Business and by Books — Decision of Character — The Idea of Stewardship — " Habits of Virtue" A Christian Man — Love for Christ the Inspiration of his Life — Manliness and Godliness — Concern for Frecdmen — Proposed Tour through the South— Illness — Returns from Petersburg — «5Sr«. - ?«<■;* 8 CONTESTS. PAGE Tour of Dr. Griffith and the Author— Summoned Home from Memphis— Dangerous Illness of Mr. Crozer— On a Dying Bed Looking to the Great Physician— Letters to Messrs. J. S. Newbold and Geo. H. Stuart— Charge to his Family— "Jesus is my All"— "Work for Jesus"— " No anxiety— No affright"— Prayer for his Family— His last Song— The final Response— At Rest 213 CHAPTER XII. "and their works do follow them." The Funeral— Honors tu his Memory— Extract from Will— Tributes of Regard — Crozer Memorial Fund — Acceptance of the Trust —Prayer by Dr. B. T. Welch— Report by Dr. S. L. Caldwell— Crozer Theological Seminary— The First Suggestion— Hesita- tion — Resolutions by Ministers in Philadelphia — Hesitancy gone — Decision of his Family — Endowment — Charter Obtained — Institution Organized — His Largest Work 238 PREFACE. nOON after the death of the late John P. ^ Crozer, a desire for some history of his life was quite generally expressed. His family, therefore, took counsel with their friends, and modestly shrank from any pub- lication of memoirs, unless, in the judgment of others, the work w^ould be a means of Christian usefulness. On the examination of this question, his friends did not forget that personal friendship and affection often exag- gerate the usefulness and magnify the virtues of those we love, and often give prominence in print to characters of only ordinary merit ; yet, notwithstanding, it was decided, without a 10 PREFACE. PREFACE. 11 question or a doubt, to prepare the story of his life. His papers were placed at the disposal of the author of this volume. They consisted of a few letters, of a narrative containing the incidents of his early life as recorded by him- self, and two thousand one liundred and thirty closely-written ledger pages of diary. After reading and " inwardly digesting " this mate- rial, the importance of the work was apparent. The Diary, written for no eye but his own, was evidently the key to his outward life. With that outward life, during its more important period, the author had been per- sonally acquainted ; he was now permitted to look upon its secret springs and study its hidden forces. He had known him inti- mately and loved him well, but now records his heartfelt conviction that he had signally failed to appreciate his worth. With ample material for a larger volume, the smaller size has been preferred, with the purpose of secu- ring a larger circulation and a more extended usefulness for this record of a noble Christian life. The work of composition has been per- formed in the heat of summer and in the midst of other work. It is earnestly desired that no fault of the author may be suffered to mar the symmetry of a life of singular excel- lence and beauty, and that the spirit of Chris- tian charity, which so riclily abounded in him, may be found large enough to cover— while it cannot conceal— the imperfections of his biographer. ii 1 Life of John P. Crozer CHAPTER I. BIRTH-PLACE. TEX miles west of Philadelphia, in that part of Springfield which is now called West Dale, in Delaware Connty, Pennsylvania, there stands an old but still substantial dwelling. It is a square stone structure, whose low i)iazza, small windows, and antique roof remind you of the olden time. Stand- ing apart from other habitations, and partially hid- den from the country road in the shadow of a few old trees, it has an air of quiet seclusion amount- ing almost to loneliness. The ground which rises geiitly to the north protects it from the colder winds, while southward the prospect stretches far away to hills beyond the Delaware. It is a place well suited to attract attention. The stranger stops to ask its history — nor does he stop in vain. Strange memories cluster around this venerable mansion. It was reared amid the scenes of savage life. The snows that fell upon its new-laid roof fell also on the wig- 2 13 i\ 14 LIFE OF JOHN P. CBOZFJE. warn of tlie Indian. Within sight of its eastern gable a little town that nestled in the bosom of the forest has grown to be the fourth eity of the civilized world. A race has vanished since its walls were built; another has supplied its place; and now from this old roof-tree the eye may sweej) a landscape dotted with fertile fields, with hai)py homes, with snowy sails, and note the wonders which an era of eventful pro- gress has evoked. And yet it stands unchanged— save here and there some moss-grown fissure in its solid masonry — linking the hard vicissitudes of an early settlement to the comforts and improvements of modern times; at once a monument of the old, a witness of the new. Xor is it remarkable for its age alone. In the attic, under that old gambrel, was produced a picture which challenged the admiration of art in the chief eity of Europe. The little nursery on the southwest* corner — there where a woodbine clings above the windows — gave an American president to the Roi'al Academy of England, the successor of Sir Joshua Rey- nolds, the friend and companion of George the Third. It is the birth-place of Benjamin AVest, the famous American painter. Here, when a boy of less than seven years old, he sat watching the slumbers of his Bister's child ; suddenly a smile brightened the infant's * Sometimes stated the northwest. LIFE OF JOHN P, CEOZFJR. 15 face; the babe slept on, but the genius of the lad awoke. Seizing a pen, and with only black and red ink for his colors, he sketched a likeness of surpassing merit. His mother found him at his task; and, sur- prised by his success, exclaimed, "I declare, he has made a likeness of little Sallie!" In this same old mansion, with red and yellow from the Indians, blue from his mother's indigo, and brushes from the tail of the household cat, he pursued his work; and two years afterwards, when not yet nine years old, he had transformed the old attic into a studio, and with bet- ter materials was working at his first original. Be- ginning each morning with the dawn, and forgetful alike of parents and of school, he became so thoroughly absorbed in his work as to awaken anxietv bv his absence. When search was instituted his mother found him in the attic, but her inclination to anger subsided on beholding his performance: she kissed liim with rapture, and procured his pardon from her husband and the schoolmaster. The picture was completed ; and when sixty-seven years afterwards it was exhibited in London, in the same room with the "Christ Rejected," it was thought to have touches of inventive genius which the artist had never sur- passed. When this lad had passed from his home in the forests of the Xew World to become the ''companion I M'"» -4 'i --»—■ ~;»Jfi."-~ '•--s~-^j"": -»«* • » 16 X/F^ OF JO//.V p. CEOZKR. of kings and emperors '^ in tlic Old, the old homestead became the birth-place of another child, destined also to distinction. West had become the I^-esident of the Royal Academy; nine months had passed since the delivery of his fine inangnral; when on the 13th of January, 1793, his old place in the little nursery was filled by the birth of JoHN Price Crozer. Nur- tured amid the same scenes, sheltered by the same roof, playing in childhood in the same old attic, enriched even then with the memories of an earlier time, the child grew in breadth of thought and fixed- ness of purpose, developing genius of another sort and taste of a higher order. What circumstances awoke and strenc^thened the sensibilities of this broad- browed bov we will not now narrate, but venture the thought that unless the ])icture of "Christ Rejected" is better than a life of which Christ himself was the light and glory — unless a genius to portray the ** Death of Socrates" is better than a grace to die Avith a calmness unknown to j^hilosophy, then the artist must yield to the philanthropist — and the old mansion be rememberi^d as the birth-place of one whose works were finer than the arts, even as his monument will be more endurino;. CHAPTER II. PARENTAGE. TN the early part of the last century, five brothers -*- by the name of Crozer emigrated to this country from Ireland. Their names were James, Samuel, John, Robert, and Andrew. Mr. Crozer descended from James, who was his grandfather on his father's side. Soon after the arrival of James in this coun- try, he married into a flimily of English descent by the name of Gleave, who owned a landed pro- perty in Springfield— a property which subsequently became his own. He was remembered by his grand- son as a venerable man in extreme old age, " Avear- ing a dressing-gown and cap, and leaning heavilv on his staff." He lived in Springfield, about half a mile from the residence of his son, and was glad to be enlivened at times by the visits and ca- resses of his grandchildren. The grandfather of Mr. Crozer by his mother's side came from England. His name was John Price. He died before the birth of his grandson, and no record cf him remains. His parents were thus American by birth, and natives of 2* B ' 17 18 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. Delaware County, Pennsylvania. His father's name was James Samuel, and his mother's Sarah Price ; the one, as we have seen, being of Irish and the other of English descent. His father was a carpenter and builder, pursuing this business mainly in the city of Philadelphia. When the Revolutionary war put an end to building operations, he returned to the scenes and employment of his youth; and soon after his marriage became the owner of the farm in Springfield, where the subject of this memoir was born. He was a man not only of marked enterprise and energy, but also of sterling integrity. He possessed informa- tion beyond the wants of his immediate calling, and to some knowledge of the Latin tongue added a more thorough acquaintance with the English classics. The works of standard authors, both in prose and poetry, Avhieh have come down from his lil)raiT in the old mansion at Springfield, attest his intelligence and taste. Much of that love for learning which made the son the patron of colleges and schools may be fairlv ascribed to the librarv of the father. He seems to have been a man of intellectual rather than of emotional development — less suited to cultivate the affections of his children than to command their obedience. In his religious opinions he was much in sympathy with the Smnetv of Friends, then the dominant sect LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 19 around him, but he never became a member of the order, and committed the religious training of his children mainly into the hands of their mother. This mother was one of the best of women. Althoujrh il'eble in health, and subject to frequent attacks of illness accompanied with intense suffering, she toiled unceasingly for the welfare of her children and her home. She was a meek and unassuming woman, of few words, but these spoken in great sincerity — especially free from uncharitableness in all its forms; intelligent, w^arm-hearted, and withal a decided Chris- tian. She had been educated as an Episcopalian, but it is recorded to her praise that "she loved all wor- .ship and God's peoi)le of whatever name." It was her constant aim to instil into the minds of her chil- dren the precepts of morality and religion. Such influences are never in vain. She lived to w^itness the success of her efforts and rejoice in the established character of her children, ^yith John she was espe- cially successful. He was devotedly fond of her, and attached great sacredness to her counsel. Her mem- ory is wrought into the texture of his life. In his most religious moments we shall find him thinking of his mother, and forty years after he had laid her in her grave w^e find him writing, "Oh, how my old heart swells and softens while I write of this dear woman, wiiom I am proud to call mi/ mother T' ,tt hAh ■« ■■». .1 ^niU '■ '•:,! --'ja-i'* ■■fl- MIS #-%.*■ LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZE R. 21 CHAPTER III. BROTHERS AND SISTERS. 11 HE children of the family were five in number: - Elizabeth, who became Mrs. John Lewis; James, who was the oldest son ; Sarah, who became Mrs. Samuel Y. Campbell ; John Price, the subject of this narrative; and Samuel, who was the Benjamin of the household. The sistere, although older than John, survived him. They were both married to most excellent Christian men, and are still living in their native county, illustrating in their widowed age the excellence of declinino: years when cheered bv the refinements of culture and sustained by the consola- tions of the Christian faith. The brothers of John both passed before him to their reward. James, the eldest, at the age of seven- teen enteretl upon mercantile pursuits in Philadelphia. Mr. Crozer well remembered the evening before his departure, and recalled the thoughtful look and tear- ful anxiety of his mother at cnnimittinu her first-born son to the dangers and temptations of a city life — an anxiety inexplicable to him then, but afterwards re- i I'U called and appreciated when he himself had become a l)arent. James was faithful, industrious and upright. In his after life he was always characterized by an unwavering integrity of purpose; although somewhat peculiar in his temperament, and perhaps unduly sensitive, he was esteemed by all who knew him, and lived and died a most worthy man. He never achieved such success in his business affairs as was attained by his more fortunate brother, in whose em- ploy the later portion of his life was spent. He died at Upland, at the residence of Mr. Crozer, in the month of October, 1859, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. Samuel was more than three years younger than John. He evinced in boyhood a strong love for mechanical pursuits, and an aversion equally strong to Avork upon the farm. Much of his time was spent in his father's workshop, where his skill in making a variety of articles soon brought him into notice. His ingenuity attracted a good deal of attention in the neighborhood, and made him popular with compan- ions who were ever ready to follow his lead. At seventeen years of age he left home to learn the drug business in Philadel])hia. Soon after entering upon his city life he was led to sincere and humble faith in Christ, and at the same time began to manifest a strong desire for mental improvement. He now 22 LIFE OF JOHN R CUOZER, changed his bushiess, and entered tlie machine shop of Large & Co., then the largest establishment of the kind in Philatlelphia. lie rose rapidly in the estima- tion of his employers, who seem to have set a high value upon his services. Although busily engaged during the day in labor at the shop, his evenings were spent in reading and study ; and, being gifted witli a wonderfully tenacious memory, he acquired knowledge Avith great rapidity. Possessing unusual conversa- tional powers, he could impart his knowledge witli readiness to others, and was esteemed a ])rodigy by his friends and acquaintances. He loved the society of the intelligent and good, and wherever lie went was sure of a kind reception. On the failure of Large oni ie;i yenr- old, " Master Doane" gave u|) the reins of government to Mr. Joseph Par- dee, lie was a man of more education than his pre- } LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. '11 deeessor, but in the opinion of his youthful pupil, who had already begun to study men, "he had less ability to inq)art instruction." Under Master Pardee, in addition to his other studies, he gained some knoAv- It^lge of surveying; and soon put his knowledge into ])ractice by surveying some of his father\^ fields, his only instrimients being an old compass and a two-pole chain. After reaching the age of thirteen, John attended school onlv in the winter, Avorkino^ the rest of the vear on the farm. Even in the Avinter, his studies Avere accompanied Avith Avork in taking care of the stock, cutting and carrying in the Avood, and building the morning fires. In comj^aring the present facilities for education Avith those of his childhood, Mr. Crozer said, " My teachers kncAV nothifig of English grammar, although they ])rofessed to teach something of it ; and the little knoAvledge of grammar I possess AA'as ob- tained Avithout a teacher after I Avas tAA'cntA'-one. Not one of my teachers, except ])erhaps Mr. Pardee, Avould noAV ])ass examinaticm as teacher of common schools in DekvAvare Countv. It is a matter of satisfaction to me that the education of children is noAV so much more reoardcd." But scantv as his earh^ ad\^antages Avere, they Avere more tlian made uj) by industry and ])erseA^erance, and it is })robable that, Avith the aid of the little library at home, he acquired in his youth 28 LIFE OF JOIIX P. vnOZER. LIFE OF JOHN P. CPOZEE. 29 as irood an erliipntiou ns is nsuallv attaiued bv the youth of the present day. Tlie eoininiuiity in whieli ^Ir. Crozer passed Ids chihlhood and youth was not favorable to the develo])- ment of C'lu-istian character. Tlie Friends were tlie controlling* denomination, not only in Sprini^fiold, but in the county, and comprised nearly all who made any pretension even to the outward observance of religion. Tliev had few ministers of their own, and '^lirelins: priests^' was an epithet which they freely applied to the ministers of all other denominations. Their meeting were generally silent sittings, and of course unattractive to the youno:. It was the custom of the boys to exchange visits in the afternoon of the Lord's Day, and often to engage in ])lay. John's relations on his fathers side were almost all members of a society which, in that day, looked with leniency at least upon this practice — a society so dominant in their influence that it required strong principle and no little courage to differ Avitli them in tlieir views or practices. The youtli in fho familv naturallv felt this influence, and John joined his school-mates for a time in the Sunday visitinff. But there was, at the same time, at work in the household ;ui influence of another kind. The mother had been educated under better instruction, and was a woman of decided piety. Like a good Christian ' mother, she kept a constant watch over the morals of her children. There was an Episcopal service once a month at Chester, and this the mother attended when her health would permit, taking some of her children with lier. She also taught her children to respect the Lord\s Day and keep It as holy time. One of Mr. Crozer\s dearest reminiscences of his mother was her custom of requiring him to read the Bible to her on Sunday when he w^as a little child, she accompany- ing the reading with words of comment and counsel. So far as John was concerned, she was successful in instilling Into his young mind reverence for the LoixI's Day; for in mature years he confessed that when he failed to do something to mark the day as holy time, he felt guilty of sin. The natural bent of Mr. Crozcr^'^ mind in child- hood was serious ; and as a pnpll in school we find him docile, industrious, and obedient. In referring to this period of his life, he remarked that his mind Avas exercised on the subjcK^t of religion from his earliest recollei'tlons. His sister, Mrs. Campbell, mentions an incident which took place, Illustrative of the effects of his mother's teachino:. She savs: "I do believe he was in earlv childhood one of our blessed Lord's chosen little ones. I remember once, when he must have been a very small boy, a fearful storm threw down with great violence several of the large willow 30 LIFE OF JOHX P. rnoZFR. troos whicli stood near our house. In the midst of the liuiiily eonsternation, the dear eliild standing arnonir us was heard eulling on ^Onr Father wliieh art in heaven.' '' But it was not until the age of four- teen that he was tlion^nirhlv awakened to the clninis « of the gospel, and l)ruugiit to make a full surrender of himself to Christ. On the larni adjoining his father's lived an estima- ble familv bv the name of Pennoek. On the death of a daughter in their household — a lovely Christian young woman, who was the intimate friend of Eliza- betli, tlie sister of John — Dr. Staughton eame from Philadelphia to preach the funeral sermon. The neighl)ors and friends assembled at the house of the Pennoeks, where the service was held. Under the influence of this and a few following discourses at the same ])lacc a luunber of persons were converted, among whom were John and his sister Sarah. Little (lid the excellent Staughton think, as he stood that dav under the low ceilin«»: of a farm-house room, looking around him upon the little company of neigh- bors and friends seated uj)on cliairs and benches, that there sat among the Imys a |>lain Itut liioughtful lad, not yet fifteen years old, who was to be one of the bri(/1itoy the dim light of a single home- made candle. He seems to have devoted everv vacant hour to reading. We find him at the plough with a copy of Tliomson's Seasons in his pocket, and when his team was resting in the shade he passed the time in the pleasant companionshij) of his book. ^K-^^snyiifi^''* LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 38 It is evident, from the account that remains of this period of his life, that he felt the want of male com- panions of kindred intelligence and taste. He found, however, in the household of liis friends, the Pen- nocks, opportunity for useful conversation, and was almost as intimate with them as with the inmates of his own home. To this family, which combined much true gentility with religious worth, John was deeply indebted; and w^lien, just before he beeanae of age, they removed from the neighborhood, he felt the loss of their Christian companionship and sympathy ; but the influence they liad exerted was lasting in its effect, and always remembered with gratitude. C CHAPTER V. LIFE AS A FATTMEIJ. 1810 — 1820. FOR some years preeedinii' liis majority young Cruzer liacl the entire management of his father's farm. His father, under tlie sufferinerniitted to raise the sinipk\st stone to mark the tput. Indeed, a short time after the burial of his motlier the few i)lain stones that marked the Jast resting-pluee of his irr;\nd-pa rents were rudely torn n[) and removed, as were also many others in that MTUMont burvinir-iiround. To his lovin<;' and sensitive nature this aet was verv revolting. "1 am sorry, rrrff sorry," he says, "for I have often wished to mark and proteet the spot where lho.«-L' .so dear to me slund)er/' The proj)erty of th(^ parents deseended in eommon to liis two brothers, his two sisters, anu-in'--- in Pliiladeliihia. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 37 Mr. Crozer was thus left alone in the old home- stead with one man, a boy, and an old female relation as housekeeper. The farm was rented to him at three hundred dollars a year and the taxes. He set to work in earnest, farming now for the first tkne in his own way and on his own aecount. His love of read- ing at this time inereased; being mueh alone, it fur- nished his chief recreation. He was often sad and low-spirited at this period of his life, and records a certain recklessness and indifference as growing upon him. He blamed himself unjustly for this condition of mind, which was probably but the result of his too solitary life and too monotonous occupation. His home was sometimes enlivened by a visit from one of his brothers or sisters, but for most of the time he was confined to the society of the persons in his employ. He washed to purchase the farm, not so much from any growing love of farming pursuits as to keep it from the hands of strangers. His fellow-lieirs wished him to become the ])urchaser, and probably for the same reason. But, after long and patient considera- tion, he concluded that he could not pay for it out of its products for many years, and he had little else upon which to rely. He says: "I thought of graz- ing, dairying, vegetable farming — every plan which my reason or fancy could suggest. Sheet after sheet 38 LIFE OF JOHN R CROZER. wa>: fiiriirod over, but all in vain. I Ibund that to buy would be fatal, for I could never get out of debt. 11 le farm mud he sold to strcnir/crx. Tear a fricMcd down my cheeks as I reached this sad conciiisionJ^ The liope of becoming the owner of the homestead once al)andoned, he decided upon ii change; and early in the spring of 1S20, having found a tenant for the farm until arrangements for its sale could be com- pleted, lie sold out his implements and farm-stock at Springfield, and resolved to look about him in the world for a home, and perhaps for some other occu- pation. In the last year of his life upon the farm ]\Ir. Crozer had made the acquaintance of a lady to whom he became ten(h^rlv attached. She was the dauirhter of a neighboriiiir gentleman, reputed for the comfort of his home and the stvle of his livini;. The dauoh- ter, to lier praise be it said, discovered and ap])reciated the worth of her fiu'mer friend; but her father, under the inHueuce of feelinirs bv far too common with nen- tlemeu of his class, desired other (lualificatlons than intelligence and industry for tlie man who was to be the husband «»f hi> danghter. Mr. Crozer did not press his suit, being infinenced, not only by the objec- tions of the fiither, but al.-o by the fear that, with his own uncertain prospects, he might do injustice to the welflire of the daughter in witlidrawing her from LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 39 comforts and advantages which he had not the means to supply. On retiring for ever, as he thought, from the neigh- borhood where he had spent his childhood and his youth, he bade her farewell in a letter of such singu- lar merit that it cannot in justice to his memory be withheld. The reader will not fail to notice, in the purity of its style and the dignity of its spirit, what progress in manliness lie had made at the end of his life upon the farm : "To :\rjss "My Dear Friexd: — Permit me to greet you by so affectionate a name as ^dear friend,' for I feel for you all the regard belonging to the character of friend, added to a character infinitelv more tender, wdiicli I forbear to mention. So much good sense, such gentleness, such piety, all added to manners so unassuming, cannot fail to l)e observed and attract admirers among the most deserving men; and it is my fervent wish, that an overruling Providence may guide you in your choice of one who will be alike able and willing to make you what you deserve to be — the happiest of women. " And now permit me to say a word of myself, on whom fortune has uoxov smiled. I have been obliwd to make great exertions to overrule mv will, which 40 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. led me to regard you with more tenderness than you are aware of, unless indeed you have observed my actions. "lu eonsideration of my humble situation in life, judgment lias prevailed, and I am about to separate myself from your delightful company, in all proba- bility for ever. I could not, however, take a final adieu before yielding so for to my feelings as to make known tlie influence you have had over me. But in so doino; I have no interested motives. I wish not to eniraoe your aifections; this, on my part, would be cruel, because I am resolved never to marry a woman whom I cannot support with as much dignity and attention as she had received in her single state, which iu relation to you could not be done by me. "I must therefore look amid the forests of Ohio for one similarly situated with mvsclf; tliis is my doom; and what makes it the more painful is, tliat I cannot cherish tlic^ nMuembrance of you; )>ut, on the contrary, in duty to myself, must endeavor to forget you. My soul swells ; I can add no more. The last words that you may ever hear fioiu me are these: Could I serv^e you by laying down my life, I should do it without hesitation. Respectfully \'ours, "John P. Crozer." CHAPTER VI. JOURNEY TO THE WEST. 1820— April to December. l\/rR. CROZER had now entered upon the twenty- ^^ eighth year of his age. He may be described as a man of about tlie average height, squarely and strongly made, of robust health, and a most vigorous constitution. He was well endoAved with natural courage; and possessing a resolute will, hardship and dang(3r, at this period of his life, were attractive rather than repulsive in his view. Having decided to look about him in the world, he began his preparations, and very naturally turned his attention to the West. Western New York and Pennsylvania were then called "the AVest;" Indiana and Illinois were out on the confines of civilized life; but (jur traveler had decided on a thorough tour, and mapped out a journey which exteiuh^l west into the State of Illinois, and south to Eouisvillc nnd Lexing- ton in Kentiickv. ft At that time tlie-re were no reliable modes of pub- lic conveyance. Turnpike roads had been built to ^ -II 42 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. Pittsburg, and the National Road had been opened to Wheeling, btagts also ran daily to Cincinnati and Lexington. But in Ohio, Indiana, and farther west, the traveler must journey in the saddle or on foot. To ^\v. Crozer, who was already a practiced horse- man, traveling in the saddle was no hardshii). In the month of April we tind him mounted on a "square-built l^lnck mare" and equii)pe(l for his long journey — a journey which proved to be about twenty- seven hundred miles in length, and which he accom- plished at the average rale of forty miles a day. He shaped his course for the INIiami Valley, crossing the Ohio at Wheeling in a flat-bottomed boat, having visited on his wav his old friends of the Pennock family, who had now become residents of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. At that time the arks and keel-boats, in which the produce of the country was floated down to New Orleans, wcn-e giving ])lace to steamboats. Merchan- dise that would not be injured l)y exposure to water and the weather was still sent to market on these arks, which were little else than ratt> of lumber or timber, fastened together temporarily, to be taken apart and sold on arrival at New Orleans. On the Little Miami our traveler visited a Shaker settlement, and admired tli(Mr well-cultivated and fertile lields. Some of the i)ecidiarities of the Shakers might liave . - ... *r. ^"J LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 43 excited ridicule; but thev did not with him. Thus early he had learned to treat opinions and practices, however different from his own, with respect and charity. He says : " I made some acquaintances among this singular people, and informed myself as to their origin, doctrines, and habits. I felt no dis- position to ridicule them. It has been my aim to treat opinions differing from my own with respect and kindness." From the IMiami Yallev, Mr. Crozer iourneved to Cincinnati, then a citv of less than ten thousand in- habitants, although bv far the lars^est town Iving: north of the Ohio. At this time Cincinnati, in com- mon with the whole West, was in a troubled financial condition. The scarcitv — indeed the absence — of specie as a circulating medium had led to a wild svs- tem of banking, and a paper currency of changeful and uncertain value was destroying the best interests of trade. Our traveler had ample occasion to notice this condition of affairs, for in his day's journey of only forty miles his dollar would sometimes gain or lose fully twenty per cent. From Cincinnati, j\Ir. Crozer traveled by Vevay and Indianapolis across the whole State of Indiana to Vincennes, in the valley of the Wabash. Indianapolis was then a town of less than twenty loir houses. The old French settlement at Vincennes had then a compar- 44 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. ativc importance, wliicli now it does not possess. After a brief stay in this vicinity, lio rode up tlie vallev of the Wabash to Terre Haute, and was pleased with the appearance of the country. He thought it equal to any lie liad seen except the Miami Valley. Push- ino- his journey into Illinois, he visited a settlement of Englisli larmers whicli was attracting nuich atten- tion at the time, and returning thence to Indiana, came down the AVabasli to New Harmonv. Xew Harmonv was then in the hands of its orionnal settlers— a company of Gernians— under the leader- sliip, almost the sovereignty, of Frederick Kapp. This 'company had emigrated from Germany in 1804, and '^ established themselves in Butler C ountv, Pennsvl- vauia, at a ])lace to which they gave the name of "Harmony:" l.ut desirino; a milder climate, thev had removed, in 1814, to thcMr present situation, to which they gave the name ot " New Harmony," in honor of their old location. They held their property in com- mon, although all titles to r(>al estate Avere vested in Mr. lia])}), who was guide, irovernor, and minister of tlu' gosjK^l. His niithoritv was almost absolute, alike in temporal and in spiritual thlnirs. Their relifnous Yw\y< were luuch like tho«' of tlic Moravians, and a simi)]e piety was the saving element in their otherwise mistaken phih koj )hv. A-^ a place of tlirift, Mr. Crozer savs, ^'I have / LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 45 ff I ♦ never seen its equal. They had a beautifully laid out village, at first of log houses, which w'ere now giving way to neat brick dwellings of moderate dimensions, each house beino; in the middle of a lot and richlv surrounded by shrubbery and flowers. All the men seemed to be engaged in building, and the women were conducting the work of the farms. In one field I saw a dozen women ploughing, each driving a span of fat horses. The soil was rich and w^onderfullv productive, and the settlement w^as very flourishing.^' It continued to flourish in most respects, except in the ill-health of the company, who, five years after the visit of our traveler, sold out their estate, and return- inii: to Pennsvlvania, founded in Beaver Countv the still thriving village of Economy. Their patriarch, Rapp, lived with them until his death, in the year 1847. New Harmony, which in their hands had not been / a failure, now j^assed to the owuiership of the famous ^ Robert Dale Owen. The fine old church was turned into a place of amusement, and the schemes of Social- ism were fiiirly inaugurated. Morality was nominally insisted upon, but its relations to religion were ne- glected. As might have been foreseen. New Harmony under Owen was a ])itiable failure. Mr. Crozer, whose visit there had made him a watchful observer of its history, recorded a few years later: "This is an- 46 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 47 other instance of the folly of atteniptino; to establish eoiiiniiHiities of men by repudiating or failing to re- cogiiizu iiiu I iiristian religion as the basis of society and good government." Prof^iiinir from Indiana into Kentucky, our traveler visited Louisville. This was then a town of great activity in businc-s. ^ln:pen so fine land<. and none so highly cultivated, not even in Lancaster County, in my native State.'' The fiirms were Avorked bv slaves in small jianirs of from three to five. In 1850, ^fr. Crozer traveled a<>:ain throuii'h the same country, and was impressed with tlie great ciiange that liad come over it. He says: '*I found the soil greatly impuvcri-lud, and its productiveness a diminished. Tliir; I attribute to the bliffhtinsr curse of slavery, for a finer natural soil or a more beautiful coiuitry than this portion of Kentucky cannot be found. Yet this naturally lovely country is not even stationary; it is clearly retrograding; the lands are neglected and the houses unimproved. The town of Lexington ha.s advanced but little; its hotels are fourth rate, and all things are behind the age. If this is owing to anything l^ut slavery, I should like to kn(>w what." ]\rr. Crozer passed out of Kentucky at Coventry, which idace had then been suddenly arrested in its career of pros])erity — a career based upon an inflated currency that had now collapsed, bringing bankruptcy and ruin upon its active business. Ten days more were spent in the vicinity of Cincinnati, examining the country l)etween the Great and Little Miami rivers, which Ayas just then being fairly opened and brought into extensive culture. Later in life our traveler had an opportunity to contrast the fine towns and fertile fields of that vallev with the slaveholdinir territory south of the river, and orroatlv to the dis- advantage of the latter. From Cincinnati Mr. Crozer made his way east- ward to LTniontown. He says: "I did not then foresee that Uniontown was to be the future home of my sister Sarah." He again visited his "true and 48 LIFE OF JOHX P. CEO ZEE. tried friends/' tlie Pennocks. The happy influence which this excellent Christian family exerted over him, at the time when his character was forming, he always rememl)ered with gratitude. From Uniontown, which is in Fayette County, in the southern })art of Pennsylvania, he shaped his course northwardly across the whole breadth of his native 8tate towards the Falls of Niagara; but after riding ten days in that direction in the extreme heat of August, his faithful mare, despite the careful attention whi<*h she had always received, began to frail under the saddle ; and somewhat sorrowfully our traveler turned towards the right, for Susquelianna County, by way of Bellefonte and \\'illiamsport. Some eastern Pennsylvanians had Just then settled in that county and spoke well of its resources. !Mr. Crozer wished to see for himself Here, in the north- eastern portion of t lie State, he turned upon his course and iourneved southward to his home. During this extended journey ^Ir. Crozer saw places where he thouo-lit he midit succeed; but such was the deranoed conditii )n of tlie currency that he did not think it prudent to move into a c^nuiiry where tlie value of evervtliino^ was so changeful and uncertain. It was iiuu late in August, and the farm being rented, he found a home with his brother-in-law Lewis, at Castle Rock, a few miles distant from the LIFE OF JOHN P. fJROZEE. 49 homestead. For some months following he spent his time in reading and study. But to a man of his active temperament this could not long continue; the feeling that he ought to have some settled employ- ment w^rought increasingly upon his mind, and in- terfered with his ])rogress in intellectual pursuits. Late in the autumn the farm was sold, to be delivered in the spring, at the expiration of the time for wdiich it liad been rented. It brought much less than its estimated value. The price obtained for it was divided equally among the four surviving children, and amounted to not quite twenty-four hundred dol- lars a-piece. John's share, with about one thousand dollars which he had received on the death of his parents and some little interest thereon, constituted all he was worth. With this scanty capital he com- menced his business career, 6 D CHAPTER VII. ESTABLISHMENT IN BUSINESS. 1821 — 1825. TN the spring of 1821, Mr. G. G. Leiper, the J- purchaser of the old homestead, proposed a ])art- nership to Mr. Crozer for tlie running of a new merchant and saw mill. Thev were each to furnish half of the needed capital ; and the rent of the mills — which were owned by ^Ir. Leiper — Avas to be the equivalent for Mr. Crozer's services. The offer was accepted and the business was immediately com- menced. The mill was located upon Ridley Creek, which empties into the Delaware about three miles above Chester. The logs for the saw-mill were purchased in the Delaware, at Richmond, and rafted to the head of tide-water in the creek. From here they were hauled t(» t!ir niill, a distance of about a mile. Grain for the merchant mill was purchased in the vicinity, and manufactured into flour lor market. The main part of the enterprise, however, was the manufacture of lumber. This was carried on largely. Mr. Crozer 50 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 51 worked at the business himself, and, aided by the men he employed, had soon as large a stock of lumber on liand as could be safely accumulated. The sale proved slow. The dullness of preceding years still continued, and the anticipated revival of building operations was destined to still longer delay. Mr. Crozer foresaw disaster, and proposed to his partner to bring their business to a close. To this Mr. Leiper assented, and ]\Ir. Crozer retired from the business with all the capital he jmt in, suffering only a loss of interest and the loss of his summer's work. The partnership was dissolved in harmony and by mutual consent. Disappointed, but not disheartened, he resolved to try again. In his own words : " ^ What next V thought I. Store-keeping in town and in the coun- try, and a variety of other occupations, passed in review before me.'' In this posture of mind his attention was directed to cotton-spinning. During the war of 1812 many small manufactories, chiefly of woolen, had sprung up; but those in Delaware County, and almost everywhere in Pennsylvania, had been unfortunate. The factories were all closed, and most of them had passed from the possession of their original owners into the hands of their creditors. Only one cotton-factory in Delaware County, that of Wagstaff & Englehorn, continued running, and now 5-2 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZEB. appeared to be making money. Bnt Wagstaff was a praetieal cotton-spinner from England, and had a consequent advantage. A new tariff on imported fabrics was just then awakening tlie liopcs of cotton and woolen manufacturers, and mills that had stood still for years were speedily put in operation. ^Ir. Crozer felt the impulse of the hour, and decided to become a cotton-spinner. His first thought in tliis direction he coidd never recall. It was a business of which he was ignorant, and for which his capital was too small, and yet he was impelled by some fortunate circumstance to consider the possibility of his entrance upon it, and had suflicient intrepidity of character to brave the ditiiculties and dangers which from the outset lie foresaw. At this time a mill of a thousand spindles was considered a pretty large establishment; but to com- mence the bii-iinesi: of manufacturing, even in a limited way, reijiiired no inconsiderable expenditure. Mr. Crozer now had onlv from thirty-six to thirty- seven iiundred dollars, it was all in ready money, and witli this little capital he embarked in the enterprise. His brother-in-law, Mr. John Lewis, took a silent interest witli him, adding about two thousand dollars to the capital, but subsequently withdrew from all partnership in the business, at a time when it seemed LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZEB. 53 likely to terminate unprofitably. His sympathy and good counsel, however, were always continued, and his generous aid was limited only by his ability. Having decided upon his course, Mr. Crozer was eager to begin. He rented the second and third stories and part of the lower story of Mr. G. G. Lei- per's mill, on Ridley Creek, for six hundred dollars per year, including the use of five small tenements. He now cast about him for machinery. He wished to start with new, but all the machine-shops — of which there w^ere then but few in the country — were tasked to their utmost capacity. Impatient of delay, he bought about four thousand dollars' worth of old machinery out of a little mill near the Brandywine. It had run only two years, but was never good, being badly planned and poorly made. It was moved into the rented premises in November, and was ready to operate in February. When in after years Mr. Crozer looked back with the eye of an experienced manufacturer on all the disadvantages of his position at this time, and remembered his meagre acquaintance with the business, the smallness of his capital, the bad quality of his machinery, and his utter inability to secure competent help, he said, " It seems a miracle that I was not crushed at the outset. '^ But he was destined to still greater discourage- ments. His mill was hardly in full operation before 5 * 54 LIFE OF JOHN P. CEOZER. yarns became plenty in tlie market, and were dull of sale except for superior qualities. His, owing to the badness of the machinery, werej^oor; and sold — when they sokl at all — at low and unprofitable prices. He then decided to commence weaving, and become his own customer for yarns. All weaving at that time-— in Pennsylvania, at least — was by hand. There was not a powder-loom in the State. A man was employed to conduct tliis new branch of the business, and the weaving and dyeing of yarns was carried on Itiroclv. The jroods were sold chiefly at auction. But our manufacturer w^as once more disappointed. Weaving did not pay, and he incurred a serious loss by attempting it. He was discouraged almost to distraction ; at times he could neither eat nor sleep, so great was his anxiety and care. Experience had taught him that, if he would save himself from ruin, he nuist learn to con- duct his ( )wn business. To do this he left his board- ing-house, furnished a rocmi near the factory, and hired a woman to cook and bring him his simi)lc meals. He si)ent all his time in the factory, cxce[)t one dav in each week, which he was obliired to ffivo to l)usiness in the city. When in the factory he was dressed in coarse ])ants and a velvet round-jacket, and worked as hard at all kinds of work as anv of his hands. He saw no company except as he met LIFE OF JOHN P. riWZER. 55 some relation or friend in spending Sunday at the house of his brother-in-laAv, Lewis. He practised the most rigid economy in all his personal expenses, often going without his dinner when in Philadelphia upon business, in order to save the half dollar it would have cost. He says: "There were no eating- houses, in those days, where one could spend a shilling and satisfy the cravings of hunger." He could not afford the dinner, and preferred hunger to dishonesty. But, with all his industry and economy, he made no progress. Things did not improve, but rather grew worse. He was pressed for money continually ; all the advances he could get on his yarns were needed to pay the wages of the work-peo])le and the notes falling due for cotton. Besides, he had running debts, amounting to five or six hundred dollars, that must be soon provided for. To the pressure of these small debts he was in danger of yielding. He had decided, at the start, not to put in jeopardy a dollar of any capital but his own, and his own was now nearly ex- hausted. In his own words, "I became distressinii^ly anxious; my little all was involved, and a good deal of my brother-in-law's money. 1 had early made u]3 my mind that he should be protected and every one else ; that, when my own capital was sunk, I would go no farther. I now felt that ruin was impending. 56 LIFE OF JOHN F. VROZER. LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER. 51 My yarns would not command the lull market price, and vet it cost me more to produce them than if my machinery had been of better construction. 1 had introduced some new machinery, but if the whole — jiew and old— should be brought to a forced sale, 1 knew it would bring far less than its cost and less than its value." In much despondency of mind, he advised with his brother and sister Lewis. They proposed to be his securitv for an additional loan of six hundred dollars, if, in his judgment, it would insure permanent relief Their offer was made in such a spirit of genuine sym- pathy and encouragement as multiplied its value. Mr. Crozer took time for consideration. At first the ease seemed ho}X3less; but after days of thought and calculation, he saw his way clear to an honest accept- ance of the loan. The money was borrowed from a muucv-lender in the neighborhood — a miserly old bachelor — who agreed to lend it upon John Lewis' <('rnritv. A few days afterwards Mr. Crozer went to receive it, and savs : " It was chieflv in silver ; some of it he took from a clock-case, some from an old boot in a closet, and some from two other places of con- cealment in his bed-room on the ground floor, from wliicii all were excluded except, pcriiaps, his old house-keeper. Plis whole liouse, as well as his jjcrson, indicated the absence ui cumtort ; and yet the man \ had, besides a large farm, many thousands of dollars at interest. I was disgusted." The six hundred dollars were used in paying promptly all his outstanding bills. His mind was relieved ; his spirits Avere raised ; and, to crown the whole, a revival of business succeeded. He applied himself with renewed energy, and from that time onward was successful. In his own words, " From that day to the present I have never been seriously straitened for money. The loan of that six hundred dollars turned the scale. To my sons, who are accus- tomed to deal in thousands and tens of thousands, it mav seem strange that so small a sum as six hundred dollars should have introduced such a change in my affairs. Thev mav fancy but can never realize the m. ft ft early struggles of their father." Mr. Crozer's indebtedness to the relatives who aided him at this juncture of his affairs was always remembered with gratitude. In his estimation, it was a debt which he could never cancel, and although in after life he conferred substantial benefits upon them, he never ceased to leel that he was still their debtor. Their example, it is believed, exerted a powerful influence upon him in leading him to similar efforts in the behalf of others. Thirtv-five vears afterwards, ft ft ' a young man who had recently entered upon business 58 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. called upon him for a loan of two thousand dollars. The loan was asked as a matter of l)usine>>, and as a matter of business was refused. Some indications of disappointment and distress at its refusal induced Mr. Crozer to question the young man further, when he learned that his business was embarrassed and his credit in imminent danger. ^Ir. Crozer's sympathies were at once awakened, and on the moment he pledged him abundant relief. The young man Avas moved to tears; and in a record of the incident which remains Mr. Crozer says : ^^I could have joined him. The relief I was able to give was sweet to my own soul. I shall carry nut my promise to him promptly.'^ During the period of intense business anxiety and toil from which he was now emerging, ^Ir. Crozer seems, in his own candid judgment, to have made but little progress in personal j)icty. lie says: "My mind was so thoroughly engrossed that for months and years no other subject than my business could engage, or at least could hold, my attention. I feel, in review, tliat this was very sinful. Solicitude was not improper, but such total absorption was a heinous sin. God wn- imt taken into :it count, ;is lie should have been. 1 ought, in my business embarrassments, to have looked to liim in sid)niissi(.n.'" But a kind heavenly Father followed him in love, and strength- LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 59 ened him with elements of ])ower wdiich saved him from ruin. Tireless industry, indomitable perseve- rance, and unimpeacliablo integrity were the qualities which, w^itli God's blessing, achieved his success. In after years, when review^ing this portion of his life, Mr. Crozer said : " I may now, in the maturity of age and in the possession of a large fortune, recall what, in the review^ of a long life, I believe to be strictly true, that I have never intentionally or know- ingly wTonged any one in business. It has been the uniform tenor of my life to be upright and honest in my dealings. I may perhaps have driven hard bar- gains ; I know I have been sometimes close in my dealings. But a bargain or promise once made by me has always been re2:ar(led sacred and inviolable. Xo temptation to dishonesty has ever assailed me or ever crossed my mind as a sufjgestion. I wish I could make as clear a record of the thoughts of my heart in every other rcsj)ect ; but, alas! I cannot. My industiy and integrity were recognized, I believe, by all with whom I had intercourse; and, being care- ful to fulfill every pecuniary obligation or promise, I early inspired confidence. I was often much strait- ened for money, but with a full knowledge of my business resources, I was careful never to make a promise to pay without an assurance in my ow^n mind that I could comply. The })eople with whom ,- ' 60 LIFE OF JOBS F. (JROZER. I dealt early learned that I was reliable in my pro- mises, and as a conseqaenee rnnning bills were often not ealled for by my creditors for months after they w^ere actually due. This w^as a benefit to me. "I mav here recommend a similar course to any young man commencing business. Be careful never to disappoint w^ien you promise to pay ; and if you hav6 not the monev to pav bills when due and called for, say so frankly, and at the same time say when you will pay, and never suifer the creditor to call beyond the second time. If it be practicable, pay a little earlier than you had engaged to do. You will find it advantageous. Nothing is of so much impor- tance to a young man commencing business as a cha- racter for inteirvity, industry, and promptitude. The comuiunity aruund him will early recognize these qualities and duly appreciate them; and they w^ill secure a credit and a willingness to do business w ith him, thus making amends for any want of cash capi- tal. I speak with confidence on this subject. I have witnessed it in my case and in that of others." CHAPTER VIII. HOME AT WEST BRANCH. 1825—1840. THE time of danger and darkness was now' over, and Mr. Crozer may be regarded as having passed the crisis of his business life. Yet his advancement for many succeeding years w as tedious and slow. He made some money, but not much; and was still obliged to conduct his affairs with the utmost economy and care. In the autumn of 1824, a property known as Mattson's paper mill, lying on the West Branch of Chester Creek, came to auction by sheriff ^s sale. It consisted of a little mill-seat, with an old, rickety building upon it, and about one hundred and eighty acres of land. Air. Crozer bought it for seven thousand three hundred and thirtv dollars. Unable as yet to spare any part of his business capital, he mortgaged it to Mr. Thomas AYoodward for four thousand dollars, and borrowed the balance on the security of his brother-in-law Lewis. He took pos- 61 62 LIFE OF JOBS P. CROZER. session of the property in the spring of 1825, and called it " West Branch/' Being now so fairly established in business as to be reasonably certain of success, he thought himself in proper circumstances to make an offer of marriage to the lady for whom he had so long cherished an affectionate regard. Under the influence of highly honorable motives he had hitherto controlled an affection which for several years had been striving for the mastery. He had determined in the spirit of the letter written on his departure — as he supposed for ever — from his native county, to risk no happiness but his own, and never to marry a woman whom he could not support in the dignity of her single state. The way now seemed open ; and, although a present economy was still needful, he had such conlidence in the future as seemed to justify a proposal. The pro- posal was accepted, and on the 12th of March, 1825, he w^as married to Miss Sallie I^. Knowles, of his native countv. In the latter part of the same month they com- menced housekeeping at West Branch. The style in which they set out in life is not merely a matter of interest, but one of profitable instruction. Everything needful for comfortable housekeeping was provided. Mr. Crozer had a few articles of furniture, as a bed, bedding, a few chairs, and some silver spoons. Mrs. m n m LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 63 Crozer had her clothing and a few presents from her friends. They bought furniture, in addition, to the amount of a "little under three hundred dollars." The best carpet was a rag carpet ; the best chairs were Windsor ; the best bedstead cost eight dollars ; the dining-table was a second-hand mahogany ; and the breakfiist-table, which is still preserved, was an article that cost five dollars. This was setting out in a plain way — plain even for the times. Mr. Crozer savs : "It cost a little self-denial, but I have never upon reflection disapproved of our humble beginning ; for wliile we aimed to keep none but the best com- pany, I was resolved to incur no expense beyond what I could aiford." And he adds, in explanation of this, words which may well be remembered by all who hope to make headway in the world : " A differ- ent policy might liave kept us poor through life ; for / accumulated only by saving for many years after our marriaf/e" Let all who have enjoyed the hospitality of his home at Upland, where forty and even fifty sometimes shared the bounty of his dinner-table, remember that this sumptuous entertainment had its origin in the humble beginning at West Branch, where, in harmony and love, this excellent pair, in the practice of a wise frugality, were laying the foundations of their future affluence. 64 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. Mrs. Crozer liad been brought up in the enjoyment of manv luxuries. Her home had been one of eom- fort and elegance ; perhaps no gentleman in Delaware County kept so costly and bountiful a table as her father; but she was unambitious, prudent, and atfec- tionate, and entered with zeal into the plans and purposes of her husband. They usually kept but one household servant, and boarded a number of their own laborers and mechanics. They both worked hard with their own hands. They had little company, visiting at only two or three places, and only at times which did not interfere with their stated occujiations. The improvement in their style of living was only gradual, indeed almost imi)erceptiblc, for about eight years after their marriajj^e ; but it illustrated the say- ing of Solomon : " Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." In after years they were accustomed to refer without embarrassment and with many a good-humored recol- lection to the scenes of their i)lain but happy home at West Branch. One sorrowful remembrance is alone recorded : it is that they were not more strongly influenced by the motives and feelings of religion. Says Mr. Crozer, " I look back upon the fact with grief." Much expense was needfully incurred in fitting up the old paper mill for a cotton factory. It was only LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 65 a shell, and the summer was nearly consumed in making the necessary repairs. But early in August the machinery from his rented mill had been moved in, and operations were commenced. The mill which he had rented from Mr. Leiper was now abandoned, and all his business w^as confined to the newly-pur- chased property at West Branch. In transferring the machinery his operatives were subjected to a loss of three months' time. He had been obliged to stop work at the Leiper mill in May ; but by giving his hands free house-rent, and sending all their children to school at his own expense, he had succeeded in retaining their services. He managetl in this interval to disjiose of his old stock of yarns, and at favorable prices. He had now a large farm, though of rough land, and upon it a growth of valuable timber. His knowledge of practical farming came again into use. The profits of the farm, the proceeds from the sale"* of the timber, with the amount received from the rent of his tenant-houses, paid the interest on the whole sum which the property had cost him, thus giving him his mill-rent and house-rent free, instead of the cash outlay for these purposes to which he had before been subjected. His time was fully occupied through the day, and for half of each year through the evenings also, He was often engaged until a late c - E m LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER. hour in making up the wages and accounts ; for at this time he was his own book-keeper, and kept not even a clerk. On the 24th of December, 1825, their household was blessed by the birth of a son. The occasion was one of joy and thankfulness to the father even then, although he little knew how much in future years and in declining strength he was to be sustained and comforted by the filial offices of the first-born of his children. About three vears after his marriage, when his affairs began to assume a more comfortable aspect, and the pressure of too laborious occupation was in part removed, we find the religious elements of his charac- ter quickening into fresher life, and with them, as might have been expected, an awakening of his early interest in the cause of education. In the vear 1828, he built his first school-house. It was a substantial stone building, about sixty feet in length bv about forty in V»readth. It was situated at West Branch, and was designed, not only for the children of the i^eople in his employ, but as a place of worship on the Lord's Day ; and preaching was sustained, as opportunity offered, at his own expense. This building was also used for a Sunday-school, of which he became the sui)erint(iulent. It is believed that the duties which he then assumed as a Sunday- LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 67 school superintendent were continued to the end of his life. He now began to make a little headway in his busi- ness ; and, besides supporting his increasing family in comfort, was able to add a little year by year to his capital. This continued to be the state of affairs at West Branch, without any incident of a remarkable kind, until the year 1835, Avhen Mr. Crozer encoun- tered his first serious loss in business. By the death and total insolvency of his chief customer for yarns, he lost about six thousand five hundred dollars. It was nearly one-half of all he was then worth. The shock was very severe. The amount at a later period of his life would have been regarded as a trifle. In- deed, only eight years afterward we shall find him meeting a loss of more than five times the amount with composure. But now he had just struggled into comparative ease and comfort, when, at forty years of age, one-half the savings of his whole life of toil and trial was swept away in an hour, and himself thrown back into anxiety and embarrassment. He says, "My wife was ill at the time, and anxiety for her proved a blessing in disguise, as it partially withdrew my mind from brooding over my ruinous loss. For some days I felt so much cast down that I could not attend to my business, could not stay in the factory." But in a week or ten davs his native energy triumphed. 68 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZEB. He had niiich to do to meet his engiiii^enients and keep his head above water, but all went right, and by redoubling his diligenee he was able to meet the emero^eney. Hitherto he had spun yarn only, except in the ease of his early and unsuccessful experiment. Now he decided to weave also. Power-looms had at this time become common. He borrowed monev to buv twenty looms, and commenced to weave actively. It is believed that all his subsequent extensions, in both weaving and spinning, were out of profits. He was very successful in weaving and in all his business from that date. But while his business prospects were thus con- stantly brightening, he was called upon to meet a heavy domestic affliction. His little son James was taken away on the 25th of October, 1838, after a very brief and distressing illness. The blow was very sudden and unexpected, as we learn from a letter to his sister, in wliiob be inf something for a few of them, but feel it due to ourr LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 79 selves to be sparing, in consequence of the cause of their distress." During the progress of the strike he made the following record : " In a pecuniary view the cessation of work will not, I think, be any injury to me or to any of the employers. With all of us, goods, if sold now, must be sold at a sacrifice, and none of us could continue w^orkino; without makinir sales. We are therefore prepared for a long susj)en- sion." Yet as soon as the workmen were ready to yield he was willing to resume work again. He says, a few^ weeks later: "My mule-spinners have, after twelve weeks' resistance, agreed to go to work on the terms offered them when they <[uit. It has probably been no loss to me, but a great loss to them. Trade is very dull, and I do not know what to do with goods, but I shall do a little, and will put some of the spinners to work." On the following day he was overrun, at lii^^ different factories, with apj)lications for work, only a part of which he could grant. ^lany he was compelled to send elsewhere, with the fear that there also their a])])lieation would necessarily be refused. He says : " I have a heart open to the dis- tresses of my fellows, and cannot without i)ain see a human being, the most degraded, in distress." A few weeks after the strike ended, we find him mak- ing the following entry: "The S]umiing-mill stops work at four o'clock on Satnrdav, imd the weave-mill 80 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. at five. It is pleasant to see the children and work- people at liberty after the toils of the week. I should like it much if the term of working in the factories were shortened. It is quite too long for children. I am always pleased with the return of Saturday eve- ning; it brings with it peace and quiet, and usually gladness and light-heartedness with the factory-peo- ple/^ And when, before the end of this summer, the state of trade made it necessary to reduce the wages of the factory-people, we find him, at the same time, reducing the rent of their houses. Mr. Crozer knew well that the employers were the only proper judges of the rate of wages which they could afford to pay. He saw that to allow the work- people — who knew nothing of the financial difficulties of the time, and of the stagnation of business which attended it — to dictate terms, would be ruinous to the best interests of both the employer and the employed. Hence, during the strike, he stood firm as a rock. Yet, when the strike was ended, he was kind, conciliatory, careful for the welfare of his work- men. His feelings are well expressed in a few lines, which were penned at this time: "It would be gratifvinor to me to see the laboring classes have plenty of work at a fair compensation, but this can never be unless employers are prosperous. This is so plain that it is to me a subject of surprise that work- LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 81 peojile so generally rejoice in the embarrassments and downfall of their employers.'" Ever alive to the danger attending the acquisition and accumulation of wealth, Mr. Crozer strove to cultivate piety in liis own heart by frequent self- examination, tlie study of the sacred Scriptures, the reading of religious books, by secret prayer, and the diligent use of the ordinary means of grace. On August 13th, 1812, he makes this record; "I am try- ing to read Hodge's ^Way of Life,' but am much annoyed with drowsiness. I have also to lament the deadness and coldness of spirit which holds control over me in family devotion, and indifference to secret prayer. These are evidently the signs and effects of religious declension, a state of mind to be dreaded. O God ! keep me from coldness of heart, from luke- warmness, and if I ever have loved thee, revive, I pray, thy love in my heart; enable me to awake to newness of life, to put on the whole armor, and enlist anew under tlie Captain of my soul's salvation, even the Saviour, Jesus." At the annual meeting of the Delaware County Temperance Society, on the 2d of September, matters came up for discussion on which he would have si)oken, but was restrained by a nervous timidity, which he greatly deplored. On this subject he made the following entry : " I feel mortified that I am so F 82 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. unfitted for discussion as not to he able to take a part; but as it is now clear that I can never he a public speaker, I must acquiesce. My talent lies in other things, and the inability to express myself in debate or in public speaking ought to make me aim to be more useful in such matters as lie within my sphere. Oh that I could be more useful ere my life is closed ! Age is now stealing upon me, and the period of ac- tivity will soon have gone by." It may be proper here to remark, that he was during all his life an earnest friend and supporter of the temperance cause. In speaking of the meetings to which reference is made above, he savs : " The cause of temperance may fitly be called a ^righteous cause.' It unites on one common platform the best people of the nation. Whatever diversity of sentiment there may be on other subjects, on this — of temperance — every good man, every man who is not himself fond of the cup and a worshiper of ^King Alcohol,' must admit that the cause is a righteous one, and bid it God speed !" It is interesting to note that the love of reading, which characterized Mr. Crozer in his youth, was not destroyed by the cares of business ; but as the long evenings of autumn and winter ai)j)roaciie(l, he made arrangements for a course of reading. He says, Octo- ber 1st: "My son Samuel, mv daujrhier Mariraret LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 83 and myself, have this week commenced reading the Bridgewater Treatises. We design reading together for from one to two hours each evening, when we are all at home. The remarks made and the hiquiries elicited will impress the facts and arguments uj^on our minds ; and books which give enlarged views of the great Creator will not fail to enlarge the capacity of their minds. I hope also that the course of reading will restore a fondness for study in my own mind. The bewitching cares of life have nearly destroyed my relish for thought and inquiry." Mr. Crozer was a gentleman of truly catholic spirit, and took an interest in all evangelical move- ments, assisting with his influence and his money the churches of other denominations, as well as his own, if thereby the cause of Christ could be advanced. On Monday, October 4th, he made this entry: "I was yesterday at the ^Blue' meet- ing-house; a stranger was there, sent by the Pres- bytery of Philadelphia to this and the Middletown meeting-house, to make some attempt to infuse life into these decaying churches. I came away with sadness of mind. The reflection that churches and houses devoted to the worship of God should show the devastations of time is a source of pain to the Christian. This ancient edifice, truly venerable in appearance, was erected by godly men, who have for 84 LIFE OF JOJiy P. VROZER. three-quM rtors (if a centuiy ^\v\)X in death. Tliis is one of the oklest j>lac*e.s of worship in the whole eonntrv, ami its substantial and venerable walls testify, that the yeomanrv bv whom thev were erected were willing to honor God with their sul)stanee, and in that day, when farin-houses were of the j)lainest and sinn)lest kind, they were willintr to pay for a large and commodious edifice and dedicate it to the worship of Almiijlitv God. In this ancient house of God is a relic instlv valued, not because of anv inherent virtue it possesses, but from its beino; a present from the sainted Dr. Isaac A\'atts. This oood man, hearing of a church and conijreo^ation in a verv thinly inhabited region of America, sent over a copy of 'Baxter's Saints' Rest/ and in his own hand- writing requested that it should be placed in the house or session-room, to be read between morning and afternoon services. Dr. AVatts had learned, no doubt, the fact that the people were in the habit (4' stavini): durinsi' tiie intermission, as many of the con- PTooation came a loni; distance to worshin.'' Kver interested in the spiritual welfare of his work-people and neiirhbors, Air. ( 'rozer arranged for a protracted meeting in hi© cliapcl. It commenced Kovember 24th, and was conducted by Rev. J. P. Hall, assisted by several ministers of different denomi- nations, and attended by ])ersons of vaiious creeds, LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 85 thus making it a " union meeting." Sinners were soon awakened, and the diary says : " I humbly trust the work is of God. I have, indeed, no cause to doubt its being so ; but, alas ! w hen I review past scenes, and reflect, too, upon the state of my own mind at different times, having found deep conviction passing away as the early dew^, a coldness spreads over me lest the work should prove of man, more than of God. If it be of God, it will prosper. Oh that I had stronger faith and more active devotion ! Even now, while my pen records these facts, I do not feeL My heart is comparatively lifeless and cold. What shall I do ? What can I do to gain spiritual-mindedness and a more uniform devotion ? Gracious God ! direct me.'' The result of this protracted effort was the aw^akening of twenty or more persons, some of whom found j)eace in believing in the Saviour. Of the effects of the meeting on himself, Mr. Crozer says : " I have had some refreshing seasons ; last night particularly, I felt freedom in social prayer before the congregation, and experienced a sweet peace of mind." AVhile Mr. Crozer strove to cultivate personal piety, and had a strong desire for spiritual enjoyment, he did not forget the responsibility of his position. In recounting his many blessings — the blessings of health, of a happy home, of kind and excellent friends and relations, of large and increasing wealth — 86 LIFE OF JOJIX R CROZER. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 87 he says : " I think I am not so vain as to believe that my merit entitles me to such blessings ; and when 1 think of the i-esponsibility, the requirements, the stewardship, it is then I feel, and desire to feel, that special blessings are not given for naught. O God ! enable me to act as one who expects to give an accour^t of his stewardship." Near the close of the year he i)urchased at sheriff's sale a small farm adjoining his estate, and in making a note of the fact, he adds this comment: "In the increase of my earthly possessions, the adding of house to house, and field to field, oh how praiseworthy it would be if I could have a more than corresponding increase in my spiritual interest! ;My own experience goes to sustain the declaration of Holy Writ, that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kinirdom of heaven. The accumulation of wealth euirenders sordid influences, and has a direct and almost invariable tendency to stifle religious feelings. If it has in any degree— as I trust it has— been my lot to be kept from the all-absorbing influence of riches, I desire to be humble and to thank God for his i^rotectintJ- care But, alas! I liave much reason to mourn over the state of my own mind, on account of the hold the cares of the world and tlie deceitfulness of riclies take of me. A constant warfare is re(|uisite to keep from declension. O God! keep me, and 1 shall l)e kept.'' 1 On New Year's Eve, in reflecting upon the year then closing, he says : " Upon a review of the past, I would willingly believe that some little progress has been made in heavenly wisdom, and that my mind is less tied down to earth than it was twelve months ago; but I am yet far too worldly. I will strive from this time fortli, through the coming year, to devote more time to meditation, prayer, and reading God's word and evangelical books. My time is in God's hands. I have been spared many days, and may be near my end. It becomes me to draw oft' from earth, and cultivate a devotional frame of mind and a preparedness for death and the eternal w^orld." During the year 1842 there had been much distress in cities and manuflicturing communities, among the poor, for lack of w^ork. ^Vnd it dre^v to its close without any special improvement in business pros- pects or in the condition of the workmen. He had opportunity, therefore, to act as a stew^ard of the bounties of God. He says, as the last days of the year were weaning : " There is much distress and want in our neighborhood, and much more in Philadelphia. We are doing a little, and are ready to help all cases of need. Oh, how thankful should w^e be that our industry has been so blessed as to provide us wdth the means of helping others ! And I do feel thankful, too, that God has given to me and my wife the dispo- r^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "^^^^^^^^^^^ 88 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. sition as well as the means." Beside direct givinlogists establisji their position, and agree among themselves — which as yet they are far from doinir — I shall find no has already much of this world's goods in store : " It has long been the deep conviction of my mind that it can be of no benefit to my children to have more than a very moderate fortune." And in this connection he adds : "I yet hope that some field of usefulness, of a spiritual nature, may open to me, and that I may be led to enter upon it with zeal — not with blind zeal, but according to knowledge ; an honest zeal for mv divine Master, and a sincere and prayerful desire to be instrumental in spreading a love for the Lord and Saviour.'' During the autumn of this vear a very old ladv, a friend of his mother, had been visiting at Marcus Hook, and it was the intention of Mr. Crozer to * w e>rr V '•""■»MP»W«ff"J-^' '■PfM^WnplW LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 107 invite her to his house ; but the peculiar condition of things prevented, and under a press of business he had postponed a call till she was about returning to the citv. On account of the love he bore his mother he wished to show kindness to her aged friend, and he says, '^ I feel self-condemned in not having visited ere now this good old lady, the only surviving friend of my dear departed mother." How he loved and re- vered his mother and how he cherished her memory is apparent in tlio.-e thoughts of eternity which he occasionally records: '^I have this afternoon, while at my work, been much engaged in reflection upon death and eternitv — awful subjects — but yet facts which all living must soon realize. I thought of my revered mother, surely a saint in bliss. Oh ! shall I be permitted to join her ?" Although ^Ir. Crozer always recognized the impor- tance of intellectual culture and o-rowth in o-race, and was impatient at remaining stationary in these par- ticulars, yet in December of this year we find this record : " Business, business, business ! I get no time for reading, even in the evenings. My day of improve- ment seems to have passed by. I will try to make some use of the experience I have acquired, and to be more useful to others during the remnant of my days. 108 LIFE OF JOHN P. CEO ZEE. I am afraid of going- deeply into business again ; it is not fear of pecuniary loss, but of giving up too far to the engrossing cares of life. Xone but those who have been deeply engaged in business know how hard it is to keep the mind properly bahmced, so as to avoid yielding to the absorbing concerns of this world. Well did our Saviour caution us against the deceit- fulness of riches, and declare how liardlv thev who have them can enter the kingdom of heaven." In the Bible and Tract Societies of the county Mr. Crozer tliought he might find a fiekl of useful- ness, and be able to speak through the i)rinted pages. He therefore took an active interest in both societies, giving to them his time, his influence, and his money. He spent the anniversary of his birth, in 1844, in reading, meditation, and ])rayer; which was in accord- ance with the resolution he had made two years before : " This is my birthday. I have completed my fifty- first year. The past year, although I have had much to make it more tedious than most of its predecessors, does not appear long. Upon a review of the past year, I would fain believe that I have learned some- thino- to advantajre. Affliction of bodv and loss of property seals home the truth, that vanity is inscribed upon all earthly good. I will not, I think, again dip so deeply into business as to destroy my own leisure. LIFE OF JOHN P. CEO ZEE. 109 but will work through others. I have had but little leisure since the great freshet, but am gradually arranging for my own ease; yet the coming year I shall have much to attend to, if I am spared. I will try, through divine grace, to keep my mind un- fettered. It is not employment which is injurious. On the contrary, I believe an active life is best for me. But I must labor, and wrestle, and pray for assistance to keep my mind unshackled and live a life of prayer." A few days subsequent to this we find him in attendance, on a bitter cold day, at a meeting of the Bible Society of the county. He was anxious that work should be done, and that money should be raised to carry the work forward. He made an earnest appeal for liberal contributions. But most of those present stood aloof. One of the richest men in the county objected to so much giving for work abroad. This objection had more weight than Mr. Crozer's appeal. In referring to this meeting, Mr. Crozer says : "I have ever found that the man who is most anxious to provide for his own church and his own vicinity, and who gives most freely for these purposes, has a hand most open for distant charities. Oh, how selfish, how in love with the world, how indifferent to the cause of enlarged benevolence is unregenerate man ! 10 110 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. And duty and a sense of tnitli bid me record the lamentable fact, that the visible members of Christ's Church are deeply tinctured — flir too deeply — with the same unholy qualities. " God preserve me and mine, I pray, from contracted- ness,from f^eWfthness, from i/liberalitt/ of pocl'et or mind. I dare not cono:ratulate mvself, but T would willintrlv feel grateful that God lias, as I trust, given me a warm, feeling, and generous heart, ever accessible to sympathy, and that he has blessed me with the means of doing some good. Let me strive to increase these feelings. Let me pray for judgment to discern what objects are most worthy of assistance. And let the parsimonv of others affect me onlv bv makiuir me more free and cheerful in my gifts.'' The prayer which he offered for himself was heard, and the answer makes each year of his subsequent course shine more brightly. His contributions in- creased in freedom and cheerfulness, and Avere guided by a iir-seeing wisdom. The prayer for his familv has also been largely answered, and no doubt will continue to be, even until the end. Mr. Crozer did not read for ])astime or merelv for the improvement of his mind. Ho ever kept in view heart-culture. When reading James' "Christian Pro- fessor,^' he savs: "I see much, very much, in this book to convince me that my standard of piety is far LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. Ill too low. I will try, and strive, and pray for assist- ance to elevate it." And again, when reading the chapter on Prosperous Professors, he says: "I find much in this to caution me, much to admonish and create alarm at the thought of being rich. O God ! I pray thee, make me feel the solemn responsibility of my condition. As the steward of large and in- creasing temporal gifts and blessings, give me a dis- criminating judgment, an open hand, and a warm and devoted heart; and keep me from a hoarding, covetous spirit." Of the Life of Andrew Fuller, he savs: "What an indefatigable man, pressing forward amidst heavy and oft-repeated family afflictions, and many other dis- couragements! What a mass of labor for the good of his fellows and the glory of God ! Oh ! when I review my life, and think how little I have improved my talent, I am self-abased and deeply grieved." The cause of temperance found a patron and advo- cate in Mr. Crozer. He was always ready to aid the cause in any practicable way, and we find him, in February of this year, joining others in an effort to establish a temperance hotel at Chester, which was greatly needed. He was always present at the quar- terlv meetings of the county temperance society, and we see, in his endeavour to restore a by-law requiring the meetings to be opened with prayer, that he regarded 112 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. the favor and help of God as essential to the success of the cause. Notice having been given that the cjuestion of restoring the by-law would come up at the March meeting on a motion made by Mr. Crozer, he prepared a written speech, which he read on the occasion. There was much discussion, in opposition to the motion, as well as in its flivor, l)ut the law was restored by a small majority. In May of this year, Mr. Crozer attended the meeting of the Baptist Triennial Convention at Phila- delphia, and made himself a member by the payment of one hundred dollars. That year slavery was dis- cussed both in the Triennial Convention, and at the Home Mission Anniversarv, and the decision which was reached surprised him. The question, whether slaveholders should be appointed missionaries, was decided in favor of their appointment by nearly two to one, and on that decision he says: "So far as the assembly could do so, the chains were riveted more strongly upon the unfortunate blacks. Oh ! is Chris- tianity to countenance slavery? I heard with amaze- ment the ajred in the convention vehemently declare, that slavery was not a moral evil. Yes, this aged minister of (he gospel pronounced the dreadful curse of the nation to be no moral evil ! It is to me not a little surprising that men, in no w^ay connected with slavery, should be so ready to endorse the views LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 113 of the slaveholder. These, in my opinion, have more to answer for than even those who hold their fellow- creatures in bondage. This vexed question in all probability will sooner or later divide the Northern and Southern Baptists." Ten months after this, a Quaker friend sent him a pamphlet on the proceedings of the Society of Friends in reference to slavery. He said of this pamphlet : " I am highly pleased and struck with the prudence, the calm and steady perseverance, the slow, careful, yet un^vaveriiiff determination which characterized these conscientious men, until they accomplished their object. Would to God .that other denominations patterned after them in C'hristian prudence and steady aim ! And oh, that all that name the name of Jesus would depart from the iniquity of holding fellow- creatures in bondage and perpetual servitude !" • When the enlargement of his house was completed, and the question came up how it should be furnished, we see Mr. Crozer exhibiting his habitual conscien- tiousness. The question presented to his mind was not. What may a wealthy manufacturer do? but this: What ought a Christian to do? He says of himself and wife : "We both value consistency, and as professors of religion it becomes us to seek plainness and simplicity in all things. I do not fear a fine house and its appendages becoming our idol, yet it 10 - H 114 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. might be an inquiry how far a Christian ought to gratify himself in the kixuries of life. It is certain that the duties of charity and acts of benevolence increase with increasing means ; but I am not sure that it is improper to indulge in matters of taste in proportion to increased wealth, provided acts of liberality bear a corresponding increase." Mr. Crozer had frequent occasion to observe how much more interest some professors of religion took in politics, than in the Bible, tract, or temperance cause; and how much more ready they were to give money to advance the cause of a party, than tliey were to help extend the cause of Christ. During the Presi- dential campaign this summer and autumn, he said : "Politics are the all-absorbing subject, and religion is scarcely spoken of, much less felt. Men's minds are callous to every good impression, and I much fear that vice and immortality have spread in tlie past year through the instrumentality of political con- ventions.'' Though he had a direct pecuniary interest in some of the political questions at issue, he wished all temporal interests to be subordinate to spiritual ; Christ all and in all. He took no active part in the campaign, yet he laments that he sees in himself "little or no growth in grace, little or no increase in spirituality of mind or deadness to the world." LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 115 On the 22d of November he attended a meeting, when several ministers spoke on the importance of secret devotion. He makes this utterance on the subject : " Oli that this poor heart of mine were more engaged in private prayer, and that I might more frequently and voluntarily be drawn to pour out my soul in secret to God !" And short! v after this he made the following entry : "As a general rule, I hope I shall never fail to attend public worship : a neglect to do this would almost certainly make me neglectful of private devotion ; the one is a great aid to the other. The closet is essential to the profitable exor- cise of -public worship, and on the other hand a voluntary neglect of public worship would almost certainly be followed by a neglect of private devo- tion." Notwithstanding the care of an extensive Inisiness, and the duty he so faithfully discharged in his own family, Mr. Crozer found time to visit tlie sick, give them his sympathy, and pray with them. Repeated cases of the kind are entered in his diarv. The blacksmith who came to his assistance at the time his thigh was broken was repeatedly visited during an illness which proved mortal. A tenant, dying of consumption, was visited, carefully questioned, and instructed in reo-ard to the wav of life. Just before he departed he told his friends that he did not think 116 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. he was converted till after Mr. Crozer's last visit. In reference to that statement, ]Mr. Crozer, with accustomed modesty, says: "He must, I think, have meant that he only then felt more confidence and a stronger fiiith." Januarv 19th this entrv is made: "I yesterday visited, conversed, and prayed with the H family— one of my tenants — the female head of which is confined to her bed, in a decline." May 9th, after making a call on this woman, he speaks of her as "now apparently near the end. She seems resigned, and on a late occasion, when I was with her, she was mther anxious to depart. Until recentlv she was alarmed at the nearness of death ; I)ut seems now to be calm and without fear." And he adds in this connection: "Oh, how unfitted am I to administer consolation to a dying believer ! Oh that I possessed a deeper piety in my own soul !" These brief extracts are made to show that as a Christian Mr. Crozer recognized no distinctions of calling or social position ; but the sympathies of his kind and generous nature went out to "everv crea- ft-' ture," in the fullness of the great commission. It was the desire of Mr. Crozer that his children should be Iiaj)py in the enjoyment of innocont ])leas- ure. The older children passed their "( liristmas holidays" in the city, to which fact he alludes when lie says : " I love to contribute to the eniovment of LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 117 my children, but the old are too unwilling to make proper allowances for the young ; and it is not always easy to determine how far one should indulge them in their minority ; either extreme is dangerous. I feel that I live, in part at least, for my children ; and I therefore would seek their permanent benefit in all my plans ; and hope, while I seek their temporal good, I shall not be inattentive to their spiritual interests." The entry which the subject of this memoir made the day he entered the fifty-third year of his age shows how earnestlv he desired increase of holiness and usefulness: "I wish to spend much time to-day in self-examination and prayer, and in humiliation before God. Oh, how consoling it would be, could I, upon a review of the past, be clearly satisfied that I had subdued any untoward propensity in the past vear ; that more enlarixed benevolence had ruled in mv breast; and especially, that the love of God had more abounded in my heart ! But, alas ! I cannot see anv perceptible change, and almost fear that tliere has been a retrograde movement. O Thou, who knowest all things, look uj)on a weak, sinful man in mercy ; aid by thy Holy Spirit, and lead me to the cross ! Oh, point out my duty, and give me firm purpose of mind, that I may, with unshaken resolve, walk in thy ways ! Oh, direct me in the year I am about to commence ! And if I am spared, may the fifty-tliird year of mj! 118 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. life be one which shall manifest much growth in grace and greatly increased usefulness in thy churcli. Keep me humble; so humble and meek before thee, that thou wilt not find it necessary to chasten me * with affliction. Open some path of increased useful- ness, that I may not live in vain; enable me to con- secrate myself and mine to thy service. I especially feel the want of a stronger faith, and I shall labor and wrestle and asj^onize for an increase of this excel- lent grace. O my God ! help my unbelief; strengthen my weak faith ; enable me to see thee as my Lord and my God, my Iledeemer, my all !" In February, 1845, ^Ir. Crozer purchased the Flower estate, which was situated about two miles from Chester. It consisted of sixtv-five acres of ground, beautifully located upon Chester Creek, with a fine mill-seat. He gave to this new property the name of Upland. This purchase gave full play to that love for building and imj)r()ving which was characteristic of him ; yet in anticipating the pleasure he would derive from his favorite employment, he says: "I feel the necessity of constant striving to keep my affections from being too much fastened on this life. Oil, how fascinating arc the interests of time, and how prone we are to keep eternity in the background! How hard to live for two worlds; how I need aid from on high to enable me to do so!" •nv*"" * loti . LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 119 Mr. Crozer was not exempt from the annoyances and vexations which are inseparable from the employ- ment of unskilled mechanics and blunderinir laborers some of whom will almost always be found in a large gang of hands. His ^' fiery temper," as he called it, would sometimes for a moment gain the mastery, and then he would say something to a workman which he would immediately regret, and, at his leisure, mourn over. This liability to be thrown off his balance was a cause of great grief to him, and a matter about which he called himself to strict account. In March, 1845, he made this entry: "To-day I feel truly un- comfortable ; suffered my temper to get the better of me in matters with my millwrights. I showed much temper ; and though I perhaps had cause, I feel that this does not excuse me. I have to the principal workman expressed regret that I became anjrrv. This I did out of regard to my own character; yet, at the same time, I think, he w^as convinced that cause for offence was given me. But how shall I account to my God? How shall I convince him that I have not greatly sinned, and acted in a manner unbecominir a Christian ? Oh, I fear that I shall never overcome this rash temper ! Shame on me that religion, and reason, and age— all combined— do not soften, and soothe, and calm my fiery temper !" Mr. Crozer had received a letter of dismission from 120 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. the First Bai)tist Church in Philadelphia, and now, April 12th, 1845, he took it to the Marcus Hook Church, and became a member there. Of this matter he says: "I have certainly been a profitless member of the First Church in Philadelphia, and fear that I shall scarcely be more profitable to the :Marcus Hook Church, except in a pecuniary way, which is certainly the lowest grade of usefulness in a Christian church. Oh that I were more spiritually-minded !" Notwith- standing this low estimate of himself, he shortly after attended meeting at Marcus Hook on Sunday, and there being no minister, he took a part in the prayer- meeting, as he expresses it, "in much weakness." Mr. Crozer's reputed wealth attracted to him the ao'cnts of various religious and benevolent enterprises, and not unfrequently those who had no just claim on him. On one occasion, having subscribed to an en- terprise of the latter sort, and afterwards hearing that he had been expected to give more than he had sub- scribed, he made this entry in his diary: "Rich men nuist not expect to be thanked for their charities, but must generally expect the reverse of gratitude." The education of his children was a subject on ^'hich Mr. Crozer always exhibited the greatest solici- tude. Himself a great lover of books, he wished to ''.xcite in them a similar taste; and as the long eve- nings of winter approached, he arranged plans for a LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 121 course of reading. He says : " My beloved family will be my chief society this winter. AYe hope to spend the season jn-ofitably, and have laid plans for reading, (fee." He gave his children the advantage of attending lectures on scientific subjects, and occa- sionally attended such lectures with them. In the autumn of 1845 a lady from New England was engaged as governess, and the education of the children entrusted to her care; and when they arrived at a proper age to leave home they were placed in the best schools in the city. This winter a law-suit, in which Mr. Crozer Avas a witness, was tried ; and he gives some good, sensible advice on the subject of going to law with a neighbor: " I have seen so much of the uncertainty of law that I must always prefer amicable modes of settlement to contests of this kind. I would rather suffer con- siderable wrong than enter into litigation. God pre- serve me and mine from a spirit of contention." And, after the verdict was rendered, he said : " The attend- ance upon this case confirms me in a former opinion, that it is best to settle disputes without resort to law." At the beginning of the year 1846, a series of missionary meetings was held, in Philadelphia, in the interest of the Missionary Union, at which Dr. Jud- son was present, and also the missionaries Abbott and Kincaid. Mr. Crozer was present at one of these n 122 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. meetings, held in Sansom Street Church, and made himself a life member of the Union. Afterward he had a private interview with Dr. Judson. This in- terest in foreign missions was deepened by all he heard, and he pledged to Dr. Judson his prayers and contributions — a pledge which he faithfully kept. His birthday, January 13th, 1846, was spent in. retirement ; he occupied a part of the time in read- ing James' "Christian Professor." In recording his thoughts on the teachings of that book, he says : " It is a mirror exhibitino^ manv of mv shortcominjrs and much of mv sinfulness. In reading in rcfjard to the duties of a prosperous j)rofessor in worldly matters, I feel self-condemned. I am not given up to pomp and pleasure; I have not, perhaps, become proud and haughty, nor enslaved to the love of money. But I am worldlv-minded, and liave mv affections fastened down to life. I find no o-reat difficultv in ffivin he souirht for means of instruction for x\u^>v of his familv further advanced in years, and sources of amusement suited to the little ones. LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER. 135 It will be remembered that Thanksgiving Day, which has so long been the great social festival of New England, was, until very recently, unknown in this State. In 1847, Mr. ^:;rozer writes on that day: "Pennsylvania has but lately come into the New England plan of having a day of the autumn set apart as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God for our common blessings as a nation. More than one-half of the United States have, l)y the recommendation of their respective governors, set apart this day. I think well of the plan. And though few, very few, may regard the day in a })roper manner, yet it is acknowledging an overruling Providence as a people; and will, in a greater or less degree, direct the thoughts of some to the Source of all earthly blessings." The anniversary of his birth, January 13th, 1848, found him free from the cares of business, and at liberty to ])ass the dav, in accordance with his annual custom, in reading, meditation, and prayer. He says of his spiritual condition : " I am, perhaps, as regular as usual in external acts of devotion, but I have little liveliness of feeling, little fondness for frequent meditation, and but little freedom in secret or family prayer. Occasionally the case is otherwise— a little green spot sometimes spreads it- self around me — but these exceptions are few and far between. I find that i have done less in charity the 186 LIFE OF JOHN P. CEOZER. past year than in some former ones. There is, how- ever, ample opportunity to make amends for this ne^^eet : ahhou"'h I do not recollect any ])ressing case which 1 turned away. Excuses are so easily framed, and the heart of man so deceitful, that one can easily reason himself into the belief that, all things considered, he has done pretty well. I find such a process of reasoning in my own mind; but calm reflection tells me 1 have not done well. I am a very unprofitable servant to so good a Master; and as he has made me the steward of a large estate, it becomes me to *lend to the Lord' freely of my sub- stance. I have never lost by this loan; in mercantile lan^Tuage, ^ it has ever brought me a good return for my adventures.' "I must needs have employment. Would to God I mi"ht be directed to some field of enlarged useful- uess, in which no self-interest could ensue ! I now persuade myself that, with all my ardor for business, I am not actuated l)y the love of gain ; but I fear this is somewhat doubtful. Were I engaged in some benevolent ol)ieet, in whicli my religious feelings could be increased and strengthened, my sympathies with humanity be enlarged, and all my faculties called into action in behalf of fallen human nature, it seem< to me that such pursuits would be more suited for an old man, who has abundance of this workVs goods — ^^ LIFE OF JOHN P. CEOZEB. 137 abundance of means to secure to himself and family every desirable comfort. And now, when I am to commence my fifty-sixth year, I pray God I may be kept from the love of the world, from every pursuit which may interfere with my spiritual interest and my growth in grace. O my Lord, if it is thy right- eous pleasure, direct me clearly and decisively to some path of duty and of usefulness, apart from the ab- sorbino' influences of wealth and worldly-mindedness." A few days after, when lamenting his inability to speak and pray in public, he says : " I may perhaps be equally useful in sustaining messengers of mercy, and in operating through others. O God, grant that while I live, I may yet be more useful than heretofore, and, as I am in the full maturity of age, with large knowledge of mankind and of the business world, that my experience may be in some way brought into action for the benefit of others." In the direction of the desire for usefulness thus expressed, we find ^Ir. Grozer meeting a number of gentlemen at Mr. S. ^1. Leiper's, with a view of doing something for benevolent objects, such as the tract, temperance, and Bible cause. >\Ir. Grozer oifered to give one dollar for every three that might be raised in the county. Gorres])ondence was opened with the American Tract Society, with a view of securing the labors of efiicient colporteurs. It was natural that 12 ■■' 138 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. one who had so great faith in the power of a good book should turn to this method of usefulness in his endeavor to benefit his native county. In the spring of 1848, Mr. Crozer was engaged in improving and beautifying his grounds at Upland — a work in which he took much pleasure, and of which he says: "AVhile I am seeking to improve the exterior of my grounds, I would to God I were cultivating the unproductive ground of my own cold heart. Oh that everv noxious weed, everv foul stain, were removed ; and that I might hope, with more un- shaken confidence, that the blessings in store for the pure in heart are to be my portion !" Twenty years ago, liberality in sentiment and action on the part of other denominations in tlieir relation to Baptists was less observable than now. Mr. Crozer says : *^ While I was doing as much, or more, for other denominations than for my own, they were satisfied ; but I have not generally found a great dealof liber- alitv of sentiment amongst others. This ous^ht not to influence me in feelings of brotherlv love or Christian kindness ; but in pecuniary matters perhaps it ought. I have given to meeting-houses and places of worship for other denominations pretty liberally ; but I do not find this reciprocated by others towards Baptists. Ought I not, therefore, as an act of justice towards my own denomination, to reserve my dona- PI o m 00 m O Z n m > H C -3 > O 00 ■w'-jatKij^ieMMBiiteijiMC-"'. LIFE (fF JOnx I\ VROZEJl. 189 tions for tlieni ? I am not sure this would be right, althougli quite universally ])raetise(l. 1 have not vet been governed by this feeling, but perha])s I may be hereafter/' Christmas, 1848, was a day of grand gathering of relations at the beautiful Upland home. Al)out forty came to dinner, and, in consequence of a storm, more than half the visitors remained throuo-h tlie nidit. It was a jovous and festive occasion. Beautiful, and in some cases costly, presents were provided. Con- cerning Christmas gifts, Mr. Cn )zer remarks : " There is a refinement of feeling and sentiment, in connection with the practice, that meets my views, and I hope it may be kej^t up to tlie latest generations.'' On the 13th of Jamiarv, 1819, as on previous birthdays, we find Mr. Crozer reviewing the past, and earnestly desiring higher attainments in holiness and a num' useful Christian life: "Would that I had more engagedness in spiritual exercises, more freedom in family and social ])rayer, more ardor in public devotional exercises ! But the j^ast is gone, and cannot be recalled. I am resolved, in God's streno:th, that I will seek his glory more in the coming year ; that I will cast around me with more earnestness to be use- ful, in the way in wliich the Lord has qualified me to be useful, by honoring him with mv sid)stan-ce." In February of this year, his daughter Elizabeth 140 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 141 made a public profession of religion, uniting with the church in Phihulelphia of which tlie Rev. A. D. Gillette was pastor. Tliis act ^ave ^Nlr. Crozer great satisfaction. In INFarch, his daughter Margaret asked permission to unite with the Episcopal Church, of which her mother was then a member. Her father acceded to her request ; for, well as he loved his own denomina- tion, and firmly as he held its distinctive i)rinciples, he would not, even for the happiness of having his dauo-hter associated in church relations witli himself, exert any controlling influeuce upon her mind. He greatly loved our Baptist idea of "soul liberty," and was accustomed to accord to the opinions of otliers the same respect which he asked for his own. At times he does not seem to have been so generously met in the exercise of this Christian liberality as he desired. In relation to some such occasion, he says : "Althouro])riate action. A few weeks later he ex|)resses the intention of iving more for religious uses, and for education at LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 145 . home and al)road. In compliance with this resolu- tion, he is busy, during a part of the year, in erecting an academy at Chester, where his sons and those of his neighbors might be educated. He also responded generously to the calls of the University at Lewisburg, and entertained the project of building at Upland a house of worship at his own expense. The academy at Chester was completed in November, at a cost of about fifteen thousand dollars. Mr. Crozer was a keen observer at the public meet- ings which he attended, and was sometimes very plain in his criticisms on those who are so anxious to make speeches. After his return from one of these annual oatherintrs he makes this comment: "I was less edified than at some of our annual meetings. All passed off harmoniously, as is usual, yet too much prating by some, too strong a disposition to make speeches. I cannot s[)cak myself, and am therefore, perhaps, too much inclined to censure those who speak much; yet the speeches on this occasion were evidentlv useless — idle talk — wastino; much time and cdifviuiT no one." AVlien weightv matters were under discussion, and were treated Avitli a j^ravitv suited to their importance, he was ever an attentive and pleased listener. But the whole luibit of his mind made him restless and dissatisfied when grave men wasted many words on trifles, or men of little judgment 13 146 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER. 147 paraded their flipi^ant platitudes wlien subjects of great moment were to be considered. Tlie building of a church had for a long time occu|)ied his mind. At the beginning of the year 1850, when he made the purchase in Chester, and re- solved on buildini>: ii" academy, lie savs: "I may also, possibly, erect a church edifice at Chester. On this, however, I am not quite decided, on account of the peculiar condition of mv own family. It must be a subject of deep, mature consideration and anxious prayer. I hope and trust that whatever I mav be led to do will be for the best." In Se})tember of the same year he refers to the subject again : "I have long thought and talked of building a place of Avorsliip, either here at Upland or at Cliester. I feel it mv duty to do somethin(^ vet am much embarrassed as to the line of duty. :My divided family — divided in denominational feeling — is a serious difficulty, and bears hard upon me when I bring the matter close homo to my mind. I know not what is best. It becomes me to pray more earn- estly for the Lord's direction.'' It was not, however, until the opening of the new year, 1851, that he finally decided on the i)roper course to pursue. On the l^orh of January lie writes: "I have at length decided to build a meeting-house at Upland. I shall keep the lot I |)rovided at Ches- ter, and may probably hereafter build there also. Upon mature reflection there does not seem sufficient material at Chester for a Baptist church at present. Our meeting-room at Upland is very unpleasant in hot weather. It, therefore, seems to be my duty to provide a comfortable place of worship here. The congregation may probably be as large, or larger, than if it were at Chester. I hope that good may result." In April, 1851, the building of a house of worship was begun, and while the walls were going up he expresses an earnest desire that the work might prove a : to the worshipers, and especially to the members of his own family. It being an indi- vidual enterprise, and Mr. Crozer (piite alone as a Baptist in the neighborhood, he naturally felt his own personal responsibility, and the work of every day was carried to the throne of grace. His anxiety for the conversion of his children was intense, and is often expressed in his diary. And the Lord was about to give him the earnest desire of his heart. This year his son licwis and his daughter Sallie gave evidence of conversion. AVhen Sal lie returned home from a visit, during wdiich she had been eniovino: the benefit of a protracted meeting, he makes the following entry in his diary : ''She appears thoughtful and happy. Four of my beloved children, I trust, are Christians; and one dear boy is in heaven; 148 LIFE OF JOHX P. moZEM. my first-born son is dutiful, and a useful man in society; he must yet be a Christian; God will in mercy bring him into the fold of Christ ; I trust, I hope, I fervently pray, that my heavenly Father will do it. I believe; help thou my unl)elief, my gracious and divine Master/' With such wrestling with God for the conversion of his first-l)orn, we can anticipate with reasonable confidence the result. On the 4th of January, 1852, an event occured which gave Mr. Grozer great happiness. His wife, w^ho was a member of the Episcopal Church, had for a long time been considering the question of her duty in regard to ba[)tisni, and the proposed baptism of her daughter Sallie seemed to her a verv suitable occasion on which to decide this question. Her pre- ference had always been in the favor f;f the prac- tice of Baptists, but she no^v reached the conclu- sion that no other mode is scriptural. On the first Sunday of January, 1852, Mrs. Crozer, her daugliter Sallie, and her niece, Mary Lewis, were buried with C^irist in baptism by the Rev. A. D. Gillette, in Philadelphia. In recording this event, Mr. Crozer savs : "I ^on.oely can realizL' :he fact; what I have so many years wished has now come to pass. Oh, how it becomes me to be thankful !" He was all the more ])leased w ith this act of his wife, from the fact that the chuivh which was soon to be f ^ LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 149 organized at Upland, on the completion of the new house of worship, would now comprise so many of his own familv. In his customarv birthdav reflection, on the 13th of this month, he says: "My beloved comj)anion in life, than whom a more tender, faithful, and devoted never lived, has, after years of reflection and prayer, been led to adopt the peculiar views of her husband in reference to baptism, and was im- mersed. My Sallie has also been led in the way of her father's views, and I trust we shall walk hand in hand, taking sweet counsel together and going to the house of God in company." In regard to his spiritual state, he says on his birthdav of this vear : '^I fear my emotions are be- coming less lively. I have -tiong desires to be useful and less fondness for business pursuits with a view to profit, but these |)erhaps are more the effects of age and my reasoning upon the shortness of remaining life, than of increasing devotion to God. I would, however, fain lio) e there is some growth in grace, some progress in the divine life." Early in February there was a meeting at the l\ev. Joseph H. Kennard's church in I^hiladelphia, in be- half of our Home Mission enterprise in Xew Mexico, which ^Ir. Crozer attended, and in which he was much interested. The missionary. Rev. H. W. Reed, and his wife, visited Upland the same week, and 13 ' 150 LIFE Of JOHN P. (ROZKR. received not only synipatliy, but a generous donation in aid of the mission. Mr. Crozer apparently made it a point to bring- his family into personal contact with missionaries, that they might take an early interest in efforts to evangelize the wc^-ld. He did just what a father sliould always do if he Avishes his children to grow up fast friends of missions ; and the result of this training is evident to the Christian public. Mr. Crozer's own Jdnd and sympathetic feelings for persons engaged in mission work are expressed in connection with the record he made of Mr. and :\rrs. Reed's visit: "I think in the case of foreign and domestic missionaries we sliould do much for their comfort and enjoyment; and I think the attentions our family incline to show to such are grateful to their feelings." One of the little kind- nesses to Mrs. Keed was the presentation of an expensive book which she desired to have. ^Ir. Crozer expressed great anxiety in regard to the opening of the new house of worship, and ^hat would follow. When it was about readv for dedica- tion he said of it: "I have spared no expense U^ make it attractive. But, alas ! what are bare walls, stone and mortar, wood and iron combined/ The living temple is yet to be l)ullt u]) ; the Mively stones' are iK.t \i^{ there: and n«» voiee of love and mercy has yet been heard. AVe have no minister, no LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 151 church. I have built the outside — the porch as it were — but the spiritual l)ody needs a stronger hand than mine." March 28 th was fixed upon as the day for dedica- tion. The day had been looked forward to by Mr. Crozer with deep solicitude. On the day preceding the dedication he thus presents to us the hopes and the fears which alternated in his heart; and at the same time shows his submission to the will of that God for whose y:lorv he had built the house: "A stoi-mv, disao:reeable dav ; wind easterlv, and a pros- pect of a dull day to-morroAv. I am very anxious ; but the weather is not for me to decide. I have just now finished all the preparations. And feeling that my work of preparation is complete, I shall this afternoon labor to eom]i(>se my mind and commit all to the Lord. It is my prayer that all may be right ; but I and the people about me are far too unimport- ant to expect peculiar fav(^rs. I am not to expect the ecpial laws of Omnii)otence set aside in my favor. God sends his rains upon tlio just and upon the un- just ; and whatsoever he does is right. I must in deep humility cast myself upon him. And, if the day proves unfavoral)le to a congregation, some other dav, manv other J word's Davs, mav smile upon us. And a church mav orow and flourish in after time, even if now adverse winds should Vk* ]iermitted to 152 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZEIL blow upon 118 and scatter our hopes." The morning, however, opened bright and clear, in j)leasing contrast with the weather of the previous day. ^Ir. Crozer says: "Contrary to my expectations, the Lord's Day was delightful — the air pure, clear, and cahn; a briglit sun and the face of nature cheerful. I awoke about five o'clock, and, looking out of my chamber window, beheld a bright star. My heart bounded, not intU'cd with the joy of youth, yet with all that would be expected of age." The "bright star" he accepted as a good omen, and it gave him pleasure akin to that ex})erienced by the wise men Avhen they saw the star in the East. For it was in the hope tliat the Saviour would there manifest his presence that the liouse was built. The ministers present on the wcasion were greeted by a large audience. Mr. Gillette pix?ached an a})- propriate discourse from the text, "Lord, 1 have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth,'* and at the close of tlic sermon offered the dedicatory prayer. In the afternt. This ouolit not to be." To this cotidemnntion of himself, how- ever, his friends woukl hardly subscribe. Few men gave with such readiness as he, and fewer still (;ould more courteouslv tli(»uirh tirndv decline when declina- ture was necessai*v. In December of this year Mr. Crozer visited the factories at \\'est Branch and Crozerville, for the first time in many months, and having become familiar with the more spacious buildings at Upland, was impressed with the contrast : "The old mill," he says, " looked small and roui»li ; and 1 can liardlv realize that the little, low-ceiling room which 1 was in to- dav was in reality the same — formerlv niv card-room, where I had spent -o many weary and tedious hours at the cards — where I had toiled through long, anxious days and evenings — where 1 had figured and calculated until both mind and body were so absorbed «■' that 1 could neither talk nor think of anvthin<>: v\^i\ This incessant toil was indeed the foundation of niv fortnne, and enabled me to surmount manv serious difticulties j but on the other hand it contracted my mind, stifled the relish 1 once had for literary pur- suits, gave me a distaste for study and in a measure for society to(>, and I think made me less useful. I gained one point, it is trtie : 1 ])ecame a man of for- tune, and now it becomes mo t<^ use that fortune as a means of good." Whenever the fact of his large possessions was presented to his mind, there came along with it the thotight of his stewardship; hence this record made, December 30, 1854 : '' My mind is a good deal engaged as to what I shall do with my «:ains. I shall not pull (knvn my barns and build greater, Avherein to 14 * I. 162 LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER, bestow my goods. I shall not say to my soul, ' Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years/' but in God's strength I shall cast around me to be highly useful. I feel it my duty, and shall pray for strength to discharge this duty — to give all future increase of my fortune to acts of benevolence. O God, give me, I pray thee, wisdom and decision of mind to carry out my resolution in a manner which may promote thy glory and the happiness of my fellow-creatures.'' When, in January, 1855, the balance-sheet of the previous year's business was laid before him, he says : "AVealth flows in from all sources. I feel, as often before in making up my yearly accounts, oppressed with the responsibility of my stewardship. I am indeed perplexed how I shall use, as I ought to, the great and increasing stores of wealth which God has bestowed upon me." The next month he says : " My exercise of mind now is (and I wish to deepen the exercise), how shall I best enn)loy time and fortune to advance tfie good of mv fellows? God has not en- (lowed me with the great talents of "VVilberforce and Jay, of wliom I have just been reading. I cannot attract attention in the senate or in the pulpit. My talent is of a more sordid character — to accumulate wealth. And I thank God that I have, as I trust, an increasing desire to emph)y that wealtli in doing good." When, on his liirtliday in 1855, he repeated LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER 163 his resolution to appropriate to acts of benevolence and charity his future gains, he says : " I feel that this important resolution is surrounded with many difficulties; and that of selecting the proper objects of benevolence will not be the least. My feelings are not much inclined toward building cluirches or contributing largely toward them, and yet I am aware that importunities will be pressing in this line ; and I have alreadv found that the man who p-ives a good deal will disappoint very many, as he will have to encounter the unreasonable expectations of many applicants." In allusion to the fact that he had fixed on no plan of action in the matter of giving away his increase, he utters this ])rayer: "O God, my heavenly Father! oh, for my Saviour's sake, turn my aftections more toward thee, and enable me to keep thy glory steadily in view during the residue of my pilgrimage! Keep me, oh keep me, from selfisluiess ! Give me firm purposes of mind, so that I may, in the evening of mv davs, do more for mv race than I have done through my threescore years, which have departed to return no more for ever !" In November, 1855, having read the life of Amos Lawrence, of Boston, who had given in charity so larij::clv, Mr. Crozer savs: ^^ I am within less than five years of being as old as Mr. Lawrence was 164 LIFE OF JOHN P. cnoZFR. at his death. Am 1 doiiii»: mv diitv? is an iiKiiiirv worth mv .scrioll^^ attention. I liavo but recentlv horonio rich: hut there is the more cause for irreater activity in doing jJ^ood. I will stir myself while life and liealth are spared.'' Under the intiuenee of sucli feelino:s as these he was directed in his tliouuhts to the Universitv at Lewisburg. He had long entertained the opinion that this univei-sity would acconiplisli a larger useful- ness if located in the vicinity of Phi ladeli)hia; that, while it was geograi)hieally more central at Lewis- burg, it would be far more accessible to all portions of the State if it were removed to a location to\\ard which the interests of the State naturallv tended, anf its removal to the vicinity of Philadeli)hia. Tin- noble offer was de- clined. In the light of all whicli was then known by the Board, it is believed it was unwisely declined; but ill the light of what i< imw known, and in view of the contemplated chanure whereby the theological work (»f the university may probably be tian.-ferred • • 1 ( to Upland, it may l)e (piestioned if their action has not resulted in good. That is a merciful Provi- LIFE OF JOlJy P. CROZE E. 165 deuce which presides over the mistakes of men, and directs our action, even when it errs, to the accom- plishment of future good. Mr. Crozer acquiesced pleasantly in the decision of the Board. He w^as too kind a man to desire the removal unless it coidd be accomplished harmoniously. He returned from the meeting at Lewisburg richer by fifty thousand dollars than he went, yet deeply regretting tlie loss of an opportunity to carry out the resolutions which, in his Master's strength, he had formed — of larger pecuniary usefulness. About this time he made this entry in regard to giving: '^I love to give; must set a guard over my- self, lest the good designed be lost in the luxury of giving. I love to make money almost a< well as a miser; and I love to give it away for cliaritable pur- poses, I think, as well as most men. I formerly felt, sometimes, a shade of passing regret after parting with my money; but such feelings have long since passed away; and it is now umningled ideasure and calmness. God grant that, during the residue of my life, I may continue to possess a warm heart and an open hand; and that I may be able to exercise discre- tion and iudii-ment in mv donations!'' A few davs after this, when glancinii^ aoaiu over the lives of Wilberforce and Howard, he says : ^' Won- derful men in their respective spheres of action! My 16G LIFE OF JOIiy P. CROZE It. soul is borne down with a sense of my own uscless- ness. They were hiynien like myself, but effected wonders. I have not the jx^sition, the edueation, tlie elo(|uenee of Wilberforee, or his talent; but I, per- haps, have fully as mueh intelleetual foree as Howard, and niiiiht do somethiuu" with mv talent and fortune eombined. But mv davs are hastening away, and I am doing almost nothing for my fellow-men." In the spring of 1857 he speaks of a large exj)endi- tiire, for whieh he finds ample (M>mi)ensation in the hoi)e that it will prove a benefit to his fellow-men. He refers, no doubt, to plans he had formed for the erection of a Lyeeum at Upland, and of liis noruial gcliool — an enterprise whieh he had now begun, and wliic'h he describes more fully as it ai>proaches its completion. Just before commencing this work of usefulness, we fnid him writing in his diary: "'Oh that 1 may be enabled, bv mv louo-sutfering and forbearing Lord and Master, to double my diligence to make my own calling and election sure, and io expend my large pecuniary means for the good of my fellow-creatures, and to feel deeply the high rt'>j)onsil)ility of my stewardship! I want to be like Jesus, the spot- less Lamb of frod. T want to go i<> him. a- a little child to an earthlv lyarent, and lav all mv earthlv eares before liim. I will cast myself into his arms LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 1G7 renewedly, for all my hopes are in his [>recious name. ?,» There are found scattered, throuoh both his diai-v and his letters during the last twentv vears of his lile, expressions similar in import to the above. The Lord Jesus was evidently drawing his servant nearer to himself. He was led, as fre(|uently the disciples of Christ are, to a deeper and fuller api)reciation of the glory of his charactei* and the riches of his grace. The name of Jesus was coniino; to be dailv more })rccious to him. Lisensibly ])erha]>s to himself, but verv noticeablv in his writings, he came to sneak of his Lord more and more by his personal name. On a review of the records which he made durino: these later years, we see that the strong expressicjus of [)er- sonal feeling toward Jesus, which marked his dvinc; hours, are the result of no sudden impulse: tliey fol- low naturallv from the nearer and more endeariuir fellowship with his gracious Lord into which he had been <»:raduallv drawn. How l)usv ^L\ Crozer was in doino- jjood to his fellow-men, we can infer from an entry in his diary, which describes the work of a sinjrle dav: "Meetinjr of Business Committee of Media Institution for Fee- ble-minded Children, and the settlement of contrac- tor's account. Then, noon -day prayer-meeting ; and I have, 1 think, never h'en jn-esent at a more stirring 16S LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. and edifying prayor-meeting. The room <|uite lull, and a divine infliienee seemed manifest. Manv hearts melted, many souls were devoutfy engaged. I felt that it was good to be there. In the afternoon at four o'clock. Board of Colonization Society. I had notice to attend an important committee meeting at Sunday School Union, at the same hour; als(> a meeting of the Children's Home Trustees, at the same hour; and of the Pennsylvania Baptist Convention at three o'clock. All the latter 1 had to miss." Three davs later he savs : ^' I have o-iven awav pretty largely to many objects, and I think I am reallv desirous to add to them, both in varietv and amount, as cases present themselves for action which I think of the right kind. But in these gifts I find discrimination an essential element ; and consequently must disa}>})oiiu many apjdicants." He closes the mention of this subject witli the ])raver: "O mv Lord, enable me to make some amends for the sad waste of mv time and talents. Mav I burn, as it were, to do good. Lead me to o])jects of usefulness ; make me an instrument in thv hands to o-lorifv thee in my humble way, in doing good t<> tliy cj-catures on eartli. T fervently entreat thee, () my heavenly Father, to pity and forgive, for Christ- -akc, my weight of sins, both of commission and omission." Mr. Crozei* was a devout worshij)er, and gave I LIVE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 169 earnest heed to proprieties which should be always observed by members of a Christian congregation. On the subject of singing as an act of public worship, his mind was exercised, as the minds of many sincere Christians have been. In relation to those who lead he says: "Singing in places of devotion is designed as worship ; and should, I think, be the act of real worshipers. I would not exclude all others, but such only should take the lead ; such only should have the responsibility. Singing 'also, when well performed, has a happy influence in calming the mind and sooth- ing each ruffled passion ; antgaa»«WBa'4ai..«-r s— . LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER. 173 about forty -five thousand dollars, and I shall endow the institution with the balance of one hundred thou- sand dollai-s (say, fifty-five thousand dollars) certainly; probably much more, if my life is spared and the school shall promise great usefulness. "Now, How shall I shape this institution to be most useful to this my native neighborhood and to the community generally ? is the question I desire to submit to you. My mind leans strongly to a school of more popular character than a university — some- thing of the nature of a liigh school, with a normal de])artment, and for both sexes. Our common-school teachers in this vicinity are often sadly deficient. I desire it to be an institution where a thorough educa- tion can be had for practical or lousiness life, but the dead languages not to have undue prominence. "I wish to have the school open in the autumn; and it is therefore now time to determine its character. One thing especially embarasses me, viz. : how to secure a permanent religious element, for I have not thought of giving it a denominational <.*haracter or bias. "The foregoing will give you some idea of my position in this enterprise ; and any advice or sugges- tion will niucli oblige me. " Yours respectfully. "John P. Crozer." 15* 174 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. " Providence, April 12, 1858. "My Dear Sir:— Your favor of April 8tli has just readied me. I will offer a few suggestions on the subject which occur to me. " Your views of this subject correspond very much w^ith my own. I see verv clearlv the defect of ordinary college education. It is, from its character, limited to a very small class, and reallv affects hardlv anv but those entering what is called the professions. It has no place really for merchants, manuficturers, mechan- ics, and men of business generally. It absorbs so much time in the study of what they do not want, and gives so little time to what thev want, that thcv will not take the course. An institution such as vou propo^T is calculated to accomplish great good. The normal department I consid(»r of great value. '^ The general character of the school is, however, in many respects already fixed by the buildings, which, you write, are approaching completion. The union of the sexes in a sclux )1 (►f this kind is a feature with which T have no practical acquaintance. It was done wlien I was a boy; but, as I remember, with some d i -a d va n ta jres . "You ask what shall be done to maintain the religious cliaracter of the institution? This is the most difficult thing in all the undertaking. It creates the great danger of all our institutions of learninL^ LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 175 I know the difficulty in a college ; but what it would be, or how best guarded against, in an institution such as yours, I should hardly dare advise. A sen- sible, practical teacher, who had done the work him- self, could best decide. "The difficulty is simply this: Young persons at the age of your people require the most restraint and are the most unwilling to submit to it ; and too frequently their parents take sides with them. The ever-increasing temptations render the danger more and more pressing. Much depends on the selection of the right man to organize the school and give it its first bias. In this, I trust, the good Lord will direct you. He who has put it into your heart to do this thing has, I doubt not, been preparing the means to aid you in carrying it to perfection. May he direct and guide and bless you in it ! I am, " Mv dear brother, " Yours trulv, "F. Waylaxd. " J. P. Crozer, Esq." As the time approached for opening the school, he says: "I feel deeply solicitous. I hope I have done riirht, but sometimes led that I have not taken the best measures. Yet I cannot but trust that all will prove well. I shall try to commit all to my Lord and ^Laster, and seek his guidance. 176 LIFE OF JOHN K VROZER. The school was (hily opened on tlio completion of the edifice in September, lSo8. The design, as set forth by its founder, was, '' to furnish at a reduced cost a comprehensive, thorough, and practical educa- tion for business, teaching, college, and any literary or professional pursuit/' As an institution, it was eminently worthy; i)ut from tlie first it became a source of anxiety to its founder. The scarlet fever in a malignant form apj)eare tlie >e(piel will disclose. And the subsequent history of this spacious edifiee, when it was crowded with the sick aud wounded of our patriot soldiery, and its final consecration as a '^■ M VF^-, 180 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZEE, Among the many charities wliieli claimed liis attention and received liis generous aid, was the "Pennsylvania Trainino; School for Feeble-minded Cliildren." Perhaps no class of our suffering fellow- creatures have been more sadly neglected than the unfortunate children who come within the scope of this noble charity. It is not surprising that, with his tender and sympathizing nature, he should have become deeply interested in the wellare of such an institution, or that from an early period of its history his name should have been associated with its })ro- gress. His diary al)ounds in evidences of the deep interest which he cherished in its welfare. He de- voted much time and money to the acconn)lishnient of its objects. As early as 18(30 his donations to it had reached the sum of $10,000. He was a faithful working member of its Board ; and on the death of its president, the lamented Bishop Potter, Mr. Crozer was elected his successor. Some years before the close of his life Mr. Crozer resiii^ned his ])lace as teacher in the Sundav school — a place wliich he had held for over thirty years — but continued to act a- -ii[)erintendent. Eighteen months after the ehunire he made this entrv in his diarv: "I desire to feel thankful that I have [)ersevered, under many disconragements, to preside as sn|H'rintendent ; for altiiougii I iuive no evidence of |)ersonal nseful- •II Ill, #■ Hiiit'ii >i ,1 ao LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 181 I ness in the recent cases of conversion, yet I do feel that my unwearied perseverance as superintendent has had a general good influence on teachers and also on learners. To-day we liad nine baptized, seven of whom were from the Sundav-school, and the interest still continues. The hand of God is in the w^ork.'- rhe congregation at the liouse of worship erected by ^Ir. Crozer at Upland increased so much that in l^(il tlie building was limnd to be quite too small, and ]Mr. Crozer enlarged its capacity at an expense to himself of about eight thousand dollars. The re- dedication of the house was an occasion of very deep interest to him and to liis iamilv. AVhen the murmurs of Southern discontent Avere followed by the rumbling of war, Mr. Crozer was oppressed in spirit. He was a lover of peace — a hater of war and bloodshed. He had always re- garded slavery as a stain upon the flag; in j^olitical economy, a blunder; in morals and religion, a wrong. With the spirit which could countenance and defend it, he had nothing in common. To the idea of its further extension, he was firmly opposed; but, in com- mon with most of his brethren at the Xorth, he had regarded it as sectional and not national — an evil which must be left to the action of the States in which it unhappily existed. Hence he favored all proper con- ciliation and forbearance, but not to the stifling of free 182 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. discussion or tlie suppression of the truth. He would have said with AVhittier: *' Hold, while ye may, your struggling slaves, and burden God'3 free air With woman's shriek beneath the lash, and manhood's wild despair ; Cling closer to the cleaving curse that writes upon your plains The blasting of Almighty wrath against a land of chains!" And with Whittier he would have added : " We wage no war — we lift no arm — we Hing no torch within The fire-damps of the quaking mine beneath your soil of sin. We leaveyon with your bondmen, to struggle while ye can W^ith the strong upward tendencies and God-like soul of man." He had hoped that this fruitful cause of dis- sension miglit have })assed away without a disrup- tion of the ties which bound the States in union. Believing w^th Ednuuid Burke, that "It is supreme neef.«.*?V?/ alone — a necessity that is not chosen, but chooses — a necessity paramount to deliberation, that admits no disctission and demands no evidence — which can alone justity a resort to anarchy," he coidd hardly believe tliat the South would enter upon hos- tilities in the l)ad cause of chatti'l slavery. Xo such necessity existed. They had suffered neither in ])er- son nor estate. The person of a Southern man was as safe in Boston as in Charleston. His cotton had never brought him larger profits; and even his slave LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 183 was daily increasing in his market value. No iron had entered his soul, and there w^as no justification for resort to that last and most terrible of ordeals. Educated in the love of the republic, and taught from the Scriptures his duty of obedience to the civil trovernment, he reo:arded rebellion as a crime involv- in**- anarchy. Much as he loved peace, strongly as he had hoped that never again, in this country, should we incur the calamities of war; yet, when the nation^^ property was seized by force, when hostile batteries were opened upon a national- fort, he felt that there was no escape — that force must be met by force, and disobedient wickedness subdued. In the fearful conflict which ensued he stood firmly, from the first, bv the cause of his country. He invested largely in the national loan in that early period of the war when such an investment was a test of patriotism. His spacious building, which had been erected for a normal school, he placed at the disposal of the government for a hospital, at a time when every inch of room was needed for the sick and wounded of our suiferino; armv. He contributed to the raising of troops in the county, and risked that largest venture of a father's heart — a son to command them.* He himself remained at home to labor in a work of no less importance — the work of the Christian Commission. * Captain George K. Crozer. 184 LIF-E OF JOHN P. CROZE R. Of this institution lie was one of the founders. In company with ^Ir. George H. Stuart, he was a[)- pointed to represent the city of Philadelphia at that meeting in Xew York, Xovember 14, 1861, at whicli the Commission was originated. From Sep- tember, 1862, to the end of the struggle, he was a working member of its executive committee. He was one of the few men who, from the first, enter- tained no doubt of its success. His uniform cheerful- ness and iirmness, even in the dark davs of its earlv history, did much to strengthen and encoura.;i^ others. IVIany u ;?oldier, whose wounds were dressed, whose fevered lips were moistened, upon whose ear the words of Christian consolation fell like sweetest music, was indebted to the cheerful courage and the manlv firmness of this unwaverinir friend of tlie Commission. He was not only a faitliful lal)orer in the work of the Commission, but a very generous contributor to its funds. On one occasion, when the Commission held its memorable meeting in the ( 'hurch of the Epiphany, he subscribed five thousand dollars; and four membett of his ftimilv, fourteen hundred more. The sum of his contributions to the cause of his coun- try during' the www iiiclndiiig amuunis to the Chris- tian Commission, donations to various hospitals, moneys for the raising of troops, and subseripiions for LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 185 the suffering freedmen, were hardly less than twenty thousand dollars. To tlie Commission alone, he gave the sum of ten thousand five hundred dollars, aside from the subscriptions of his family. The desire to be useful, which Mr. Crozer so often expressed in the last twenty years of his life, was intensified with advancing age. One autumn evening, while walking his piazza, and looking out on the beautiful scenery that surrounded his Upland home, the falling leaf with its variegated hues attracted his notice, and the fading glory of forest and glade sent his thoughts retrospecting over days and years long since gone by, he says: "I need such reflections to remind me that I am now an old man on the vergre of etcrnitv, and to make me more active in mv as^e to glorify my Lord and Master. Oh, that this feeling would not leave me for one hour while I remain on earth!" To his daughter, Mrs. Benjamin Griffith, he wrote on his birthday, in 1862, the following letter, whicli will aptly illustrate the cliaracter of his communica- tions to his children, while, at the same time, it indicates the ordinary tone of his reflections at this period : "Upland, January 13, 1862. ''My Deaii Daughter Libbie: — This is my birthday. To-day I complete the allotted time for 16 ■*■ 186 LIFE OF J any p. vnozFU. man on earth — tlireescore and ten years; and, tliont-'h mv health is i^^ood and my natural force but partially abated, it well becomes me to pause and meditate over the past, and to look upon what future time the Ahniirhtv mav allot to me on earth as a kind of extra allowance — a special dispensation, for which I am increasedly responsible to him. "Your father has been highly blessed in life. Blessed with a pious and devoted mother; with a mmt excellent constitution of body ; with a mind not below, perhaps rather above, mediocrity ; with a fair moral training in early religious impressions — whicli, alas ! for very manv vears of mv life were i)artiallv set aside — which have ended as I trust in sincere love to God a::d faith in our Lord Jesus Christ — yet often with many doubts and (M^nflicts. Blessed, too, in habits of industry and untiring api)lication, scarcely surpassed by any. Blessed in the results of this industry, aided as it was by the gift <^f a sound and discriminating jtidgment in business matters, which has resulted in a large ncrnmiilation of property. "If I know mvself at all, I feel tliankful for these gifts, and do feel them as gifts of my heavenly Father, attended, especially the last mentioned, with a solemn and awful responsibility, which sometimes op}n'esses me. "But I have far higher earthly blessings to record. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 187 The foremost of these is your precious mother. My habits of life, as you know, are domestic ; and my highest enjoyments have ever been in the bosom of my family. The kind and affectionate welcome and tender sympathies and embraces of this loved one have been the solace (»f my life. "I should be most ungrateful if I failed to esteem her the choicest gift which the Almighty has bestowed upon me. Truly, all other earthly blessings sink into insignilicance compared with this. "And in my dear children, one and all, oh, how am I blessed ! how may I rejoice that all of you have, as I ti ust, given yourselves to the Saviour ! that you are all conscientious and exemplary in life ! Ambition may have prompted me to desire that my sons should iill more conspicuous places in society. But such desire, when it presents itself, soon yields to the reflection that they are correct and res])ectable younir men, and useful in their callinii:, and in all probability may — some o^ them, at least — occui)y more useful places in life than their father has done. " But I can readily yield every ambitious desire for the hope that my children are Christians, sincere Christians. You will see from the foregoing, my dear damrhter, the tone and character of mv reflec- tions on this my birthday. ]My heart is much drawn out in love to mv d(^ar fnniilv. I have made no 188 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. reference to mv urandehildren ; vet I find myself becoming more and more attached to tliem as years increase and as I near mv end. "A ftill heart to-day would dictate a longer letter, but I close with the prayer — the j)rayer of a devoted father — that you and yours may be blessed in life as I have been and still am. It would be almost sinful to wish for vou greater blessings than these. " Your affectionate father, " John P. Crozer." Another letter, which he sent to his daughter, Mrs. W. Bucknell, in the following year, will be found interesting, as it shows his care for the usefulness of his children. It is also interesting from the statements of his own later views of ])ractical benevolence : "Upland, June 8, 18G3. " My DexVr Daughter Maggie : — Mv desire is to have vou hijxhlv useful ; and as i)ecuniarv means add greatly to one's ability to do good, I commit to you now, while I am living, a considerable part of what would be your portion after my decease. " I will not dictate to vou how vour income shall be disposed of. A disposition prevails pintty generally in the religious community, especially amongst pious ladies, to give largely for tlie erection of church LIFE OF JOHN P. (JROZER. 189 edifices and the support of churches and ministers. This is all well enough, if not done to the exclusive, or even partial, neglect of suff.-ring humanity. " Of late years my inclination is towards the poor and needy and the afflicted. I wish I could always look personally after individual and familv cases of suffering and want ; but, in the absence of this ability, I must work through societies and individuals ; and I am thankful, or try to be, that I have the means and the disposition to do much for physical suffering. "All I enjoin on you, my dear child, is that vou will not suffer your income to accunudate ; vet on the other hand that you will not anticipate it by con- tracting debts, or making promises in advance of your actual receipts. " Most affectionately, your flither, " JoHx P. Crozer." About this time he savs : " I am chief! v en^rao'ed in reading the Sunday-school publications, and feel in- creasingly interested in behalf of children. I think that efforts to shape the minds of the vouno« are of the gn^atest consequence, and I am deeply desirous to do something for their permanent benefit.'^ It was under the im})ulse of this desire, coupled with a wish to act somewhat in undenominational modes of use- fulness, that he attached himself to the American 190 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZEB. Suiidav-school Union. In this society he took the same interest, acted with the same energy, and gave M ith the same liberality, that he afterwards manifested in the American Baptist Pnblication Society. When he finally resigned liis place in the Board, and retired from active participation in its affairs, he writes : '' I love the Sunday-school Union cause, and regret that its interests have not abler and wiser advocates." His donations and loans to the Sunday-school Union amounted to a very large sum. In less than three years after he ceased to act with the Sunday-school Union, he gave shape to his desire to do something for "the permanent benetit" of chil- dren bv o-ivinu* to the American Baptist Publication Society, in trust, ten thousand dollars in aid of Sun- day-school libraries. The gift is known as the " John P. Crozer Sunday-school Library Fund.'' The par- ticulars of the gift and its acceptance are taken from the records of the society : "Upland, Febmary 18, 1864. " To the Board of Managers of the American Baptist Publication Society : "Peak Bketitrex: — Each succeeding year of my life I become more deeply impressed with the import- ance of reliirious effort on behalf of those in child- hood and early youth; and as a natural consequence, LIFE OF J OILY P. CROZER. 191 I I I wish our Society to devote increased attention to the publication and more w^ide circulation of evangelical Sunday-school literature. "I think many of the books we circulate, part of them, too, of our own issues, might be dispensed with, or substituted by others of a more evangelical character. But in the hands of our able Publication Committee, I doiil)t not, a change for the better will be kept in [>rogress. " I have been much exercised in my own mind as to what mode I might best adopt, in order to aid the society in effecting g(K>d by its labors in the Sunday- school work. A decision has finally been made to encourage the fot^^iatiox of Sunday-schools in desti- tute places, where no such schools have heretofore existed, and to aid, to some extent, those which have been newly formed. And witli this object in view, I pro|)Ose to donate in trust to the American Baj)tist Publication Society, in per[)etuity, the sum of TE:N THULfeAM) DOLLAKS, subjeci to the following conditions and reservations, viz. : "This sum often thousand dollars is to be invested and kept in United States or in Pennsylvania State Government loans, or in the funded debt of the city of Philadel}>hi:., or in bond and first mortgage on 102 LIFE OF JOHN P. CEO ZEE. real estate in said eity, or in well-seeured ground-rents, also to be in said city — as may be decided upon and approved by any existing Board of ^Managers at any stated meeting of said Board. Such approval, how- ever, must have the sanction of two-thirds of the members of the Board. The yeas of those voting in the affirmative must be so recorded on the minutes. Negative votes may also be recorded, if required by the Board, or if asked for bv the member or members casting negative votes. "Should the American Baptist Publication Society, at anv future time, bv anv reirular and legitimate proceeding or action, decide to change its name or title, or to become united with, or merge into, any kindred society of the Baptist denomination eugaged in a similar work, then this donation may be placed under the direction and subject to the control of such new arrangement. But the purj)oses of the donor, as herein specified, are to be regarded; and neither the jjrincipal sum ot ten thousand dollars, nor the income OF revenue accruing therefrom, is to be directed or suffered to flow into anv new channel, or for other objects than those herein specified. "The income, or revenue, which may accrue from the investment of this principal sum of ten thousand dollars ia to form and become a fund for the supply of books and jiublications to neir Sunday-schools LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZEE. 193 * I k \ formed, or in progress of formation, in destitute places; and to be equally applicable for schools of white and of colored children. "All api)lications for aid, out of this fund, are to be disposed of in the usual way by the Board of Managers; with this condition, however, that no school shall receive the benefit of this fund to a greater amount of value than that of the one-hundred- volume library issued by the society, and which, until recently, was sold for ten dollars. "Long experience has confirmed me in the opinion that gifts and benefactions are most valued and gene- rally more effective wlien not obtained without some cost or effort. I would, therefore, strongly recom- mend to this and to all future Boards to require, as a general rule, that applicants for aid from this fund shall, as a condition, be required to purchase from the Depository books equal in value to the amount donated. There may, and probably will be, isolated cases where a departure from this rule may seem desirable; therefore, Avith tlie foregoing expression of what seems proper as a rule, the donor gives a discre- tionary power to the Board. "The terms and conditions of this donation are to be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the members present, and to be spread in full upon the minutes of the Board ; and the officers to be empowered, as soon 17 N 194 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. as the money is })aid Into tlie treasury, to furnisli tlie donor with a certified copy of the whole proceedings connected with the transaction. "John P. Crozer." RECEPTION OF THE DONATION BY THE BOARD. After tlie reading of this communication, the fol- lowing resolutions, on motion of J. W heaton Smith, were unanimously adopted, viz.: "WiiKiiEAS, John P. Crozer, Esq., of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, has generously tendered to the Board of the American ]]a[>tist Publication Society the sum of iQw thousand dollars, as a donation for a special purpose, and on certain conditions as set forth ill the above communication; ^^ Resolved J That this Board do cordially and grate- fully accept from Mr. Crozer said donation for the purpose and on the conditions named by him. ''' Resolved J That this fund shall be entered on our minutes, and be known hereafter in our records, as tlie John P. Crozer Sunday-scuool Library Frxi). ^^ Resolved J That in this large addition to our means of usefulness, bestowed thus unexpectedly by one Avliose bounty we have so often shared, we recoirnizc anew the kindness of our htavciily Father. And while we tender our heartfelt 2:ratitu^.^>^ 204 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. The Inability of pastors of small cluirclies to pur- chase needeil tlieological books was a subjoct that engaged the attention of ]\Ir. Crozer; and in order to remedy it in some degree, he set an example worthy tlie imitation of those who survive him. From the records of the Publication Society the following in- teresting communication is taken: "Upland, February 28, 1865. " To the Board of Manar/erH of the American Baptist Publication Society : "Dear Brethren: — I have felt much concern of late in reflecting upon the severe privation and sacri- fices of many of the pastors of our small churches. Those especially of new organizations are subject to not a few of these, having exhausted all their pecu- niary resources to secure an education, and have often to enter upon pastoral duties, with a very limited salary as a means of support, without the ability to secure even a scanty library. With a view to render some small aid to such in obtaining useful books, I propose to donate, in trnst, to the American Baptist Publication Society, in perpetuity, the sum of FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS, subject to the following conditions and reservations, viz.: The sum of five thousanplicants for aid should purchase from our depository an amount of books equal in value to the amount do- nated. More freciuent variation from this rule mav bo proper and necessarv in the distribution for ministers'' libraries than for Sundav-schools, vet the same recom- mendation is now given, leaving, ho;^vever, a free dis- cretionary power with the Board. *'The benefits of this donation are intended for all pastors of Baptist churches in the United States, re- cognized ns such /)>/ the Ihxinl of the Aincrimn Iktptist Publication Societu. without retrard to color. As manv applicants may be living in remote places, and un- kn-^wa t0 any member of the Board, it nuist be IJFE OF JOHN P. CEOZER. 207 I required as an indispensable condition that satisfactory reference be given, and replies made in such form as the Board may deem proper. "The terms and conditions of this donation are to be confirmed bv a two-thirds vote of the membei^ present, and to be entered in full upon the minutes of the Board ; and the officers to be empowered, as soon as the money is paid into the treasury, to furnish the donor with a certified copy of the whole proceeding. "Yours, with a fraternal respect, "John P. Crozer." ACTION OF THE BOARD OX THE RECEPTION OF THIS DONATION. The following resolution, on motion of J. Wheaton Smith, was unanimously adopted: " Resolved, That we accept this liberal offer of our brother, John P. Crozer, with its accomj)anying con- ditions ; that we rejoice with him in the prospect thus opened of new usefulness in a most interesting field ; and that wd' place on record our heartfelt grati- tude to God, by whose continued favor we have this new proof of unsolicitcHl Christian generosity." The amount was placed immediately in the hands of the treasurer, and invested, by the order of the Board, in the seven-thirtv Government notes. i 208 LIFE OF JOny p. CROZER. Mr. Crozer^^ aversion to disputes and contentions has been referred to already in this narrative. He was naturally a peacemaker; and this trait of his character led him to pursue a conciliatory course in his policy. He loved all Christians of whatever name, and delighted to unite in work and worship with religious organizations composed of the various evangelical denominations. While this continued to be his feeling to the end of his life, he vet feared that it had sometimes led him too far ; and inclined him, by too strong a love of harmony and union, to the supj)ression of his individual convictions of truth. After long yeai^ of experience ar.d observation, he made this record in his diary: "The pursuance of a middle or conciliatory course sometimes leads to a compromise of right, and gains neither the friend- ship nor respect of either side. A more fearless main- tenance of what I believe to be rioht in relio-ion, as well as in secular affairs, would, I think, have made me more respected, and far more useful than 1 have been." In February of the previous year (18G4) the atten- tion of Mr. Crozer had been again directed to the University at Lewisburg. The question of its per- manent location at T.cwisburo; Imd been definitelv settled, and settled adversely to his wishes. On this subject his opinions had experienced no change. But LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. l09 he was still, as he had always been, deeply interested in its Avelfare. It had ample grounds and commo- dious buildings, but its funds were insufficient to meet its necessary ex])enses. Its debts were steadily in- creasing, and nothing but a more ample endowment could ensure its continuance. In this condition of affairs, Mr. Crozer offered, through Dr. J. R. Loomis, the able president of the university, to subscribe the sum of twenty thousand dollars, on condition that the larger sum of one hundred thousand dollars, inclusive of his own subscription, should be obtained witliin a specified time. The offer was liberally responded to, and at the annual commencement of the univcrsitv, in July, 1805, the amount was reported as subscribed. In recording the facts in his diary, Mr. Crozer says: '^ I am now readv to i)av over the twentv thousand dollars. I am satisfied that I have saved the institu- tion; and I think I mav claim to have done it, for it was on the brink of ruin. Others, however, might have done what I did, yet none seemed likely to do it." He concludes the record of this year (1865) with these words: "In entering upon a new vear, mv seventy-third, I cannot but be serious. Shall this 3ear be mv last? Omniscience can onlv solve the question. I would not, if I could, j)ry into the things which are f )rbidden me to know. O mv Lord IS - 210 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. and Master! teach me how to live; so teach me to number my days that I may apply my heart unto wisdom; teach me how to prepare for the summons which may come this year — which must come ere long. I wish to he ferventlv thankful to mv God for a con- tinuance of health and comfort. These I have enjoyed in an eminent de^i^ree throu2:h a Ion": lil'e.'^ As we have seen, the work of the Christian Com- mission had enjraijed much of ^Ir. Crozer's interest from its first organization in 1801. He had given time, sympathy, and large material aid to the noble work. But the war had at length come to an end. The benevolent work of the Commission, of course, could not cease with the suspension of hostilities. For some months afterward there were still calls upon its resources — calls which the liberality of its friends enabled it to meet. But at length the time came when the work which had been so faithfully prosecuted was to end, and the laborers in the Com- mission were to bid each other, in their official ca- pacity, larewell. On the 11th of January, 1866, Mr. Crozer makes this record of his last meetinfi: with them: '^The Christian Commission met. It was the liist meeting here. The Board was nearly full. I could not stay until the close; but at half-past two P. M. I took each member bv the liand and bade him a cordial farewell. 1 felt verv solemn when T thoufrht LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 211 tliat we were to meet, as the Christian Commission Board, no more." We now come to his last birthday, January 13, 1866, and to the last record he made in his diary: "My gifts of benevolence have, I think, exceeded those of any preceding year; and in commencing a new year it is my desire — and I pray God to give me grace to carry out that desire to fulfillment — to do greatly more than in any past year of my life. Eter- nity seems near, and I tcish it to be so. I would to God that I could live with my staff in mv hand. Few men have been more richlv blessed in eveiv earthly good — a vigorous constitution, an active mind, with industry, perseverance, and a good busi- ness judgment. Providence placed me in such a position in life as brought these qualities of body and mind into active play. My wife, too, affectionate and desiring to make me hapj)y; children generally kind and considerate, indeed, almost invariably so; and surrounded bv much to make life desirable. These blessings have followed me through a long life, and while it is natural that thev should bind me to life, I feel that I ought to be cheerfully willing, after enjoy- ing them so long, to surrender them all at the Mas- ter's call. O Lord, give me the disposition to be daily, hourly willing to die! And oh! may my faith be firm, that when I am called hence, no doubt or LIFE OF J (JUS 1\ CnOZER. fear i^luill bo suffered to flit across my niiiul. I want to (lie in stroug faitli. it has never been my privilege to possess that strong and unwavering faitli wliieli is given to some. O God, for Christ's sake, pity and strengthen an old man, so soon to put off this mortal life, and to launch into the eternal world I ^l\ time is in thv hand. O God, make me all thou wouldst have me to be! I here close; and beginning the j&eveiily-fourth year of mv life, I desire to do it in the fear of God and under a deep sense of my dependence. li maif be — nnd it is by 7W means unlikely — that 1 am now penning the lad anniversary record ; if so, the will of the Lord be done ! Amen f* The reader Mill have noticed that, in his birthday reflections, Mr. Grozer had often contemj)lated death, and looked upon its possil)le approach with compo- sure; but often as he had touche those whose cimI is r.car. In the spirit of these closing sentences we behold the sunset beauty of a day fast fading into night — the autumn glory of a well-sjKMit lile. CHAPTER XI. LIFE AT ITS CLOSE. MR. CROZER entered itpon the duties of the open- ing year in the enjoyment of his usual health, and ill the full maturity of his powers. It is promised to "those that be planted in the house of the Lord," that "they shall still bring forth fruit in old age." This promise was happily fulfilled ; and we find him in the seventv-fotirth vear of his life with faculties unimpaired by age, and with larger conceptions of usefulness than perhaps ever before. It is related bv Allan Cunnino-ham of the dis- tinguished painter whose name is associated with Mr. Crozer's in the circumstances of his birth, that as old age benumbed liis faculties and began to freeze up the wellspring of original thought, the daring intrepidity of the man seemed to grow and augment. Immense pictures, embracing topics which Avould have alarmed a less lofty spirit, came crowding thick upon his fancy. There is something so brave in these colossal efforts of an old man's genius as makes us lenient to their faults, and tempts us strongly to 213 . 1 4 4 214 LIFE OF JOHN F. CIWZKR. forget that, beneath the grandeur of his conception, the ^V}]] of his arrangement, and the sjdendor of his cok^'ing, there is a lack of true vitality — that he wanted warmth and imagination to be the restorer of a stvle which bewildered Barrv and lived in the dreams of Kevnolds. In the not less noble sphere in which the subject of this memoir moved, we find him steadily advancing: as he grew older, he grew grander, escaping in a remarkable degree the frailties incident to age. His whole life was a gnnvth; and it may be said of him with truth, that he did not cease to grow until he began to die. So true is this, that now, in the ma- turity of his age, his aftluenct^, and his usefulness, we find (mr most fitting opportunity for an estimate of his character. Mr. Crozer was not so largelv endowed bv nature as at first might be supposed. A sound ])ody, a sound and well-balanced mind, with a certain moral sensitiveness in a somewhat unusual measure, seem to have made up the sum of his natural endowments. His early advantages, as we have seen, were limited. He was born in a retired country neighborhood, with its necessarv lack of social advantaires and culture. His school education was scanty. His teachers were incom})etent, and often ignorant ; and his studies ceased in his thirteenth vear — soon af\cr they were I I LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER, 215 fairly begun — except as they were pursued in winter and accompanied with work. The length of his life upon the farm was also against him. Had it ceased when his muscular strength was developed and his frame settled and compacted, it might have proved advantageous; but remaining at hard labor to the twenty-eighth year of his age was unfavorable to the l)est development of his powers. AVhatever may be said, either in prose or poetry, of the pursuits of farming as they are practised now, in those days they furnished little incitement to mental activity. Eating, drinking, and sleeping were almost the only relaxations they afforded from incessant toil, and their tendencv was to reduce any ordinary man to the lowest point of intelligent existence. But he struo-o-led bravelv to surmount these ob- stacles, resortino: to read ins; and studv to make amends for his meagre opportunities at school. We have seen him, at twentv-one, sitting* down bv himself to the mastery of English grammar — grammar being one of the higher branches, not comprised in the regular course at the ^'little stone school-house." AVe have found him at the plough with an English classic in his pocket, and began to believe '^ there was some- thins; in him." We followed him on his horseback iournev of nearlv three thousand miles; and watched 216 Z/F/i" OF JOJiy p. CROZER. LIFE OF JOHN P. rPOZER. 217 him on his return, as he chose a new occupation, and entered upon the trials and danake of their example, the lives of Howard 19 218 LIFE OF JOBS P. CROZER. and Wilberforoe. He is foiul of the writings of Kobert Hall and of Andrew Fnller, and pores over the pages of Paley, of Home's Introduction, and of Butler^s Analogy. We find him familiar with Gib- bon and Hume, with Johnson and Goldsmith, with Prescott and ^lacaulav. He still reads p]nf my weakness and suffering." During his illness a letter of friendly condolence was received from Mr. J. S. Newbold, and also one from Mr. Geo. H. Stuart, with whom he had been intimatelv associated in the work of the Christian %i Commission. Mr. Crozer, punctual even now, insisted on send- ing answers. Too weak to write, he dictated his replies, one of his daughters acting a,s his amanuensis : To J. S. Newbold, Esq., he dictated the following: ''Upland, Muivh 3, isr.f). "My Deaii Fiuend: — ^ly daughter has just in- ibrmed nic that a syinpatlilzing letter wa< ror-oived from vou some davs ai!;(). The familv, on account of iiiv extreme prostration, iiad thought it best to conceal from me even communications of triendship. But LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 229 with you, my dear friend, sympathy under every cir- cumstance is sweet. We have acted much together, and harmoniously, not only as men of business, but as Christian men. It is possible that it may be the will of God we shall meet no more on earth, but a bright future is before us. Farewell, my dear friend. Be steadfast in faith. Pray for your friend, that he may be resigned to the will of God, whether in life or in death. " Affectionately your brother in Christ, " J. P. Crozer." His rejdy to Mr. Stuart's letter was as follows: Upland, March 3, 1866. " Mv Dear Chrlstiax Friend :— It has pleased my heavenly Father to afflict me sorelv, but he has graciously granted me his kind support in affliction, and I have been enabled to kiss the hand which chas- tised. It had been my impression that this illness would be my last — that I should no more mingle with my Christian friends on earth. To me, the future still seems uncertain, although my family think I may recover. I Avish to submit all to my hea- venly Father for life or death. If life is prolonged, it is my fervent desire to consecrate its remnant entirely to the service of my Master. Portions of my family, with myself, had gone to Washington to 20 230 LIFE OF joiiy P. cnozER. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 231 participate in the delightful service^* of the Christian Commission, but prostration compelled me to hurry home. Do von, mv dear brother, work on as a standard-bearer in the great cause. We shall meet around the throne if we meet no more on earth. AYork on fearlessly, as you have done. I am grateful for the remembrances of my dear brethren in prayer, and would ask a continuance thereof. How incon- ceivably small denominational differences appear on the threshold of the eternal world ! Mv weakness compels my daughter to write for me. " Your brother in Christ, " J. P. Crozer." In an interval of his terrible illness, when com- paratively free from suffering, he said to his wife and his children, who were all assembled in his room: " You are my stewards, my almoners to carry on the work which I have so imperfectly begun. You must take it up where I have left off, and do it for me. Oh ! T had so much still to do ! See that vou are faithful stewards." Once, wlien his wife with Samuel and ^Irs. Buck- nell were standing by his bed-side, he said, " You, as a Christian gentleman, and you, as Christian ladies, will have immense responsibilities thrown upon you. Oh, be faithful ! You, my dear wife, will have a large income. Oh, use it for God ! Be faithful in vour stewardship." These injunctions Avere often reiterated during his sickness, and enforced with a look of earnest pleading, which evinced their deep sincerity. In the forenoon of AVednesday, March 7, his wife and his sister, Mrs. Campbell, and his seven children, being present, Charlotte Elliott's familiar hvmn was repeated to him : "Just as I am, without one plea But tliat tliy blood was shed for me, And that tliou bid'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come I "Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come ! "Just as I am ; — thou wilt receive ; Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; Because thy promise I believe, — O Lamb of God, I come, I come ! "Just as I am !— thy love unknown Has broken every barrier down : Now to be thine, yea, thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come !" Until his strength failed, Mr. Crozer joined in the utterance of the words. After requesting his mouth to be moistened, he spoke of not having the full hap- w ■■-«B»i*^!r- J ■• ■> ^ 232 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZKIl. piness and full assurance of faith which he desired, addinor, " The dvinji stroke is not on me now. I wish it w^ere, that I might breathe my soul out into the bosom of my God." He then asked Samuel to lead in prayer, addressing him as " my dear first-born." He desired them in their devotions to ask, not so much for his restoration to health, as for more joy and peace in believing, and that no cloud might rest upon him in his dvinoj hour. On the Ibllowins^ dav he took a final leave of a young friend who was present, of his private clerk, and of John Prettv, his orardener. The latter had been in his employ for seventeen years, and was, as we have seen, his fellow-deacon in the church. To him Mr. Crozer said, giving him his hand, "John, my old friend, we shall see each other no more in the flesh. There are many things I should like to say to you, but I cannot say them now. I am the subject of many imperfections ; nevertheless, I can say, the Saviour is mine and I am his. ^ I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of right- eousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give to me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his ap[)caring.'" He then addressed a few words to each niciubcr of his familv, Bpeaking with much appropriateness and marked ten- X LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 233 derness to each; and again charged them all with great solemnity to be " faithful stewards." The same night, after being bathed by his wife, he said to her, " Now pray that I may sleep the sleep of death." She replied, "Oh, no! my dear, I cannot pray that prayer." "Well, then," he said, "pray any prayer that seemeth to Him good." During the night he rested some; and early the next morning said, " I shall die in the faith of Jesus." The day was one of intense suffering, accompanied with fearful spasms of agonizing pain. For two hours he was supposed to be dying ; but, at intervals, he exclaimed, "My God doeth all things well," "my God doeth all things well ;" and again, *'Jesiis, JesiiP, light divine, Shine upon us ! ever shine !" On Saturday, the day before he died, he said, "Jesus is my all. He is my only hope — my only Saviour. I have no trust but in him — he is my Saviour ; and though lie slay me, yet w ill I trust in him." He then recognized his son-in-law. Dr. Grif- fith, for whom he had asked daily ; and who, on reach- ing home only the afternoon before, had been but partially recognized. " My dear son-in-law, you have my welcome. Oh, work for Jesus ! work for Jesus ! work for Jesus!" repeating the words three times. 20 * 234 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. Mr. Bueknell, his other son-in-law, then took Dr. Griffith's place. Mr. Crozer took his hand, as he had taken Dr. Griffith's, and said, " I am sustained throughout. I am so blesseil — no anxietv — no at- fright." Mr. Bueknell said, " You feel the everlast- ing arms underneath you?" He responded with earnestness, and with a glow of heavenly radiance upon his features, " Oh, yes ! underneath me — under- neath nie, Xo more — now let me die." His children then sang to him the hymn, "There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Ininianuers veins; And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains," « A little later they said: "Father, we are all w^ith you — mother and all vour children." He answered: "I did not know it;" and then commenced a prayer in these words: "Under peculiar circumstances I come to thee, O Lord. I commit my family into thy hand. I know not how to commit them, but I feel that they are — they are — " After a pause, in which the mind reeled for a moment, he added: "Bless them;" and then, as if faith had heard the answer, he added, "God will protect my babes! He will protect my babes !" They then all joined in singing the beautiful hymn, LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 23o " Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee! Let the water and the blood, From thv riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure — Cleanse me from its guilt and power." He responded: "I have no other. I want no other. My only trust — my only hope — my God — ■ my Saviour." About noon they sang, "Jesus, I love thy charming name; 'Tis music to my ear ; Fain would I sound it out so loud That earth and heaven might hear." With an expression of great joy upon his counte- nance, and with hands upraised, he joined in the song. When it ceased, he said: "I love Jesus with my last dying breath. Now sing, 'Salvation, oh, the joyful sound!'" The hymn was sung; and afterward another favorite of his: " Majestic sweetness sits enthroned Upon the Saviour's brow ; His head with radiant glories crowned, His lips with grace o'erflow." "I am in a strait betwixt two," he added, "long- ing to depart." They then sang, 236 LIFE OF jony r. crozer. " On Jordan's stormy banks I stand, And cast a wishful eye To Canaan's fair and happy land, "Where my possessions lie." As a paroxysm of pain returned, he rejieated: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." As his wife sat by his bedside holding his hand, he ex- claimed: "Sweet is the journey — sweet is the journey. My head upon my Maker's breast — my head upon my Maker's breast !'' Then stretching forth the other hand, he said: "Give me thy hand, Jesus: I want no other hand but thine." This day of joy was followed by a night of intense illness. He was dvintr for manv hours. About five the next morning, one of his daughters repeated to him the Scripture commencing: "For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." She then, with lips close to his ear, asked if he still loved Jesus. One hand and all one side were paralyzed ; but raising the other hand, he answered distinctly, "Yes." This was his last intelligible word. He died at half-past nine, on the morning of Sunday, March 11, 18(3G. He had liv^d to see the li";ht of the dav he loved so well: and as the children of the Sunday-school were singing their songs of morning praise, their friend and patron ' ■""•fl lint. i»,- ." ' " 1 T&? P - ? - r Jtl LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER, 237 passed to the songs and worship of the white-robed throng. "Dear as thou wast, and justly dear, We will not weep for thee ; One thought shall check the starting tear — It is that thou art free. "And thus shall faith's consoling power The tears of love restrain ; Oh, who that saw thy parting hour Could wish thee here again? "Triumphant, in thy closing eye The hope of glory shone ; Joy breathed in thy expiring sigh, To think the race was run. *'The passing spirit gently fled, Sustained by grace divine ; Oh, may such grace on us be shed. And make our end like thine I" CHAPTER XII. "and their works do follow them.'' f\N the Wednesday following liis departnre, the ^ remains of Mr. Crozer were borne to their rest- ing-place, in the family bnrying ground at l^pland. The citizens of Philadelphia eond)ined with the citi- zens of his native county in doing honor to the sad occasion. Mercliants, manufiicturers, and ])rofessional men united in paying their respects to his memory. The stately mansion of its late owner was crowded to its utmost capacity, and the village church was flir too small to receive the long procession which followed his remains. The ministry of his own denomination in Philadelphia attended in a body. Clergymen of other branches of the great Christian flimilv— in- eluding the Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Methodist- were also present. It was a touching sight to witness the deep feeling manifested by his o]ieratives. As they stood by his coffin, and gazed upon his inanimate form, tears flowed a|)ace, and rolled down the cheeks alike of the women and the men. 238 LIFE OF JOHN P. CEO ZEE. 239 The religious services at the church were conducted by the pastor. Dr. J. M. Pendleton. The Eev. William Wilder, a former pastor of the deceased, offered prayer. Dr. Pendleton preached from 2 Tim. iv. 7 : ''I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.'' He was followed in remarks by the estimable Dr. J. H. Kennard, so soon to join the friend of wliom he spoke, amid the realities of the eternal world. Some closing words were added by the author of this narrative ; and Rev. Alfred Lee, the venerable Bishop of Delaware — a personal friend of the departed — read a service at the grave. The will of Mr. Crozer was written bv himself. It is a very remarkable document. An extract from it will illustrate how naturally religion may be blended with business, and the dry, hard forms of a legal instrument, be suffused with the warmth and beauty of the Christian faith : EXTRACT from WILL. "My special desire, left here on record for my children and descendants, is, that harmony, union, and love may ever continue amongst them. I have some- times witnessed unhappy family dissensions in the distribution of estates; but I earnestly entreat that this may not be the case in my loved family. That 240 LIFE OF JOHN P. VROZER. family inherits a large estate compared with the for- tunes of their aneestrv ; and I have, to the best of mv judgment, distributed this estate without partiality. I have sought to guard my daughters against indis- cretion or misfortune, in securing a portion of their estates in trust for the benefit of themselves and their heirs and relatives by blood; but I have left to each in residue a pretty large amount subject to their own disposal. "I recommend to my beloved wife to distribute in deeds of charity and benevolence all her surplus income ; but at the same time to maintain a liberal, though unostentatious style of living, such as her large income will well allow and sanction. She will, I am sure, seek to continue that same moral and religious influence over her household which we have, for so many years labored, however imperfectly, to pursue. Lastly, I commit my family, to whom I am most devotedly attached, to the keeping of that Almighty Power who has promised to regard the widow and the flitherless. I have been signally blessed through a long life — my health has been uni- formly good; I have had great worldly prosperity; have been e^ptvially blessed in a most estimable con- sort, who has ever devoted her untiring labors to the welfare, comf )rt, and ha]»[>iiie^s of her husband and family. Our children have been kind and affection- LIFE OF JOHN P. (JUOZKR. 241 ate ; I have been spared, too, to see them grow up to man and womanhood, and four'-' of them settled in life. Oh that I were more thankful for these many and great mercies ! I have, with my loved wife, though in conscious weakness, endeavored to train my children by precept and example in the Mear of the JiOrd ;' and let me now entreat my dear family and descendants, when the hand which now writes shall be palsied in death, to cherish recollections of their father's labors and prayers ; and, while they pity and seek to forget his imperfections, which are many, let them regard his here recorded last injunction — to live for ctcrnltij. My hojie is in and through the merits of Jesus Christ alone. Let my dear family love and serve and confide in him, and in him onlv." For months following his departure the bereaved family continued to receive new testimonials to his worth ; and learned, as they had never known it before, how dearly he had been loved, how high in public estimation he had stood. Among the many expressions which w^ere received was one from the Board of the American Baptist Publication Society, signed by Mr. Henry Croskey — w^ho had been called to fill temporarily the office of Chairman, vacated by the death of Mr. Crozer — and attested by Dr. J. * Five at the time of his dentil. 21 Q •242 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZE R. H. Castle, Secretary;' another from the Executive Committee of the American Baptist Missionary Union; also a very interesting communication from his former associates of the Christian Commission, signed by ^Ir. Geo. H. Stuart, Bisliop Simpson, ^Ir. Stephen Cohvell, ^Ir. Joseph Patterson, and Horatio Gates Jones, Esq., the surviving trustees. Communications of similar character, all expressive of regard for Mr. Crozer personally, and indicative of hi«j:h esteem for his Christian character, Avere re- ceived from the American Baptist Home jNIission Society, the American Sunday-school Union, the Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-minded Children, the Union School and Children's Home, the Woman's Hospital of Philadel})hia, the Penn- sylvania Colonization Society, the Delaware County National Bank, the Pennsylvania Baptist General Association, the Pennsylvania Baptist Education Society, and the Philadelphia Baj^tist Association. Mr. Crozer's desire, so often expressed, that the work of Christian beneficence which he had begun might go on in the lives of his children, was destined to be happily fulfilled. A\ itliin a month from the time when they laid him in the grave, they estab- lished, as a tribute of respect to his memory, a mis- sionary memorial fund, in which, to use the beautiful thought of Dr. Caldwell, " They allow the spirit LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 243 which ruled his earthlv life to build his monument." The fund was given in trust to the American Baptist Publication Society. The particulars of this tasteful gift are gathered from the records of the Society. "Upland, Pa., April, 1866. " To the Board of Managers of the American Baptist PuhUcation Soeiett/: " We, the family of the late John P. Crozer, desire to erect a Missionary Memorial. His humility as a man, his devotion to the cause of Christ, his dislike of w^orldlv show, his favorite mode of bene- ficence, — unite with our own personal preferences, in su'i-irestino: that this Memorial should not consist in a monumental pile of marble or granite, the magnifi- cence of which might please the taste of some occa- sional observer. The Memorial, it seems to us, should be one that, by its influence under the Divine bless- ing, will bring, through all coming time, joy to the des- olate, sinners to Christ, and glory to God. We, there- fore, deem it best to establish a Missionary Memorial. "And, knowing that the dear departed one was deeply interested in the religious condition of the Freedmen of this countiy, and that, previously to his death, he w^as earnestly considering the best mode of aiding them, — we, his widow and children, would take up and complete his unfinished work; and, LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZKR. tiierefore, offer to the Board of the American Baptist rublieation Society, in trusty the sum of Fifty Thou- sand Dollars, to be sacredly held by you as the JOIIX p. CROZER MEMORIAL FUND FOR MISSIONS A.MONG THE COLORED PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY. " This Missionary Memorial Fund, consisting of fifty thousand dollars, we tender to you in j)erpe- tuity, on the following conditions and limitations, viz : "1. That it shall be invested and kept in either United States or in Pennsylvania State Government loans, or in the funded debt of the city of riiiladel- phia, or iu bond and first mortgage on real estate in said city, or in first mortgatre u]>on Pennsylvania Central liailroad, or in well-secured ground-rents in Philadel])hia; as may be decided upon and approved by any existing Board of Managers, at any stated meeting of said Board; such approval, however, must have the sanction of at least two-thirds of the entire Board; and the names of those voting in the allirmative must be recorded on the minutes of the Board. "2. Should the American Baptist Publication Society, at any future time, by any regular or le^riti- mate i)roceeding or action, decide to change its name or title, or become united Avith, or merged into any kindred society of the Baptist denominatic n, enirao-ed LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 24 o in a similar work, then this donation may be placed under the direction, and be subject to the control of such new organization ; but the purposes of the donors, as herein specified, must bo sacredly regarded, and neither the principal sum of fifty thousand dollars, nor the income accruing therefrom, shall be diverted, or suffered to flow into any other channel, or for any other object, than those herein specified. If, at any time, the principal sum of the said fifty thousand dollars, or any part thereof, or the income accruing from the said principal sum of fifty thousand dollars, shall be diverted from the objects and purposes herein specified, then the said principal sum of fifty thousand dollars shall revert back to the donors, their heirs or assigns. "3. That the Society shall keep open, upon its ledffcr, an account entitled The John P. Crozer Mis- sionary Memorial Fund, to which shall be credited the income from the invested principal of fifty thou- sand dollars, and to wdiich shall be charged all donations made on the account of this Fund. " 4. That the income, or revenue which may accrue from the investment of this principal sum of Miy thousand dollars, shall be expended annually as fol- lows, viz : "(1.) One-fourth of the income from this Memo- rial Fund shall be used aiumally in supplying 21 - 246 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. Sunday-school library books and publications to Bap- tist Sunday-schools of colored children. "All applications for aid from this Fund shall be carefully considered and acted upon by the Board of Managers, and grants shall be made only to such schools as are found to be really needy, ^o school shall receive the benefit of this fund to a greater amount of value than from ten to sixteen dollars. " Our own observation confirms us in the opinion, previously expressed by the departed loved one to whom this Memorial is erected, that gifts are more valued, and, generally, more eifective, when not obtained without some cost and effort on the part of the recipients. We, therefore, strongly recommend, that, as a general rule, Sunday-schools applying for aid from this fund, shall, as a condition, be required to purchase from the Board books equal in value to the amount donated. " (2.) One-fourth of the income from this Memo- rial Fund shall be expended annually in support- ing good Sunday-school missionaries among the colored people, who shall seek to strengthen and im- prove the Sunday-schools already in existence, and to aid in the formation of new Baptist Sunday-schools, wherever there is a hope of their being permanently sustained. "(3.) One-fourth of the income fr m the said LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 247 Memorial Fund shall be annually exj ended in furnishing colored pastors of churches with suitable books for their libraries, to aid them in their pulpit preparations. " The benefits of this fund shall be given only to those pastors who are recognized by the Board of the American Baptist Publication Society as ministers of good Christian character and of approved ministerial standing in the denomination. And we require that the Board will, at all times, take the requisite mea- sures to fully satisfy themselves with reference to the worthiness of each applicant, especially when living at a distance. No pastor may receive a greater amount from this fund than from ten to sixteen dollars' w^orth of books. " Without positively specifying the books that shall be given in each case, we would strongly recommend, that the grants shall consist of books like the *En- cyclopiedia of Beligious Knowledge,' ^The Blood of Jesus,' * Fuller's Works,' 'Pengilly's Scripture Guide U) Baj)tism,' * Baptist Church Directory,' and the like. The books furnished shall all be well bound and in good salable condition. "(4.) One-fourth of the income from the said Me- morial Fund shall be expended annually in aiding young colored men, members of Baptist churches, and approved by the churches to which they belong 248 LIFE OF J any r. crozkr. and the institutions of learning at whith they are studyhig, as proper eandidates for the gospel ministry, in obtaining such literary and theological instruction as their talents and circumstances may require. The aid may be given in the form of necessary text-books, and in the payment of tuition; and shall be extended by the Board through the school or institution, that, in their judgment, is, at the time, most eifectually prosecuting the work of training a ministry for our colored churches. "5. It is the desire of the donors that the income from this Missionary Memorial Fund of fifty thou- sand dollars shall be divided and expended equally each year in prosecuting the four kinds of mission- work above indicated. But, should the demand for aid in behalf of any one of the above specified kii^ls of mission-work not be equal in any given year, after a proper publicity has been given of the existence of such aid, to the one-fourth of the income, for the vear, from the Memorial Fund of fiftv thousand dollars, then, in such case, the unexpended balance iriay be expended for such of the other specified kinds of mission-work as, in the judgment of the Board, needs it most. "G. This Memorial Fund is given expressly for tlie benefit of tlic co/o/w? people. But, if at any time, the race should l)ec()me extinct or greatly reduced, so LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER. 249 I that from these, or from any other reasons, the de- mand on the Board for aid for the colored people, in either of the four kinds of mission -work herein specified, is not equal to the income accruing from the said INIemorial Fund of fifty thousand dollars, then the unexpended balance may be used by the Board in furnishino; libraries to Avhite Sunday-schools and to i^astors of white churches; under the same conditions and limitations as Mr. John P. Crozer specified in his donations to tlie Society for these inirposes. "7. It is especially stipulated that the yearly in- come derived from one-eighth part of said ]Memorl\l Fund shall be expended in the four different ways above designated, among needy applicants from evan- gelical churches irrespective of denomination. And this, in the opinion of the donor of this eighth part of the Memorial Fund, will accord with the views of the beloved parent, whose language on his dying bed was : ' Hoav small denominational differences appear on the threshold of eternity!' It is further stipulated, tnat such publicity shall be given to the provisions of this article as the Board of the Ameri- can Baptist Publication Society shall deem just, and, that in the event that, at the expiration of any year, any portion of the income derived from said one- eighth part shall remain undistributed, the said 250 LIFE OF JOHN P. CEOZER. Board of the American Baptist Publication Society shall distribute this reniaininj^ portion as hereinbefore directed concerning the income derived from the other seven-eighth parts of said fund. "8. That the Board of the American Baptist Pub- lication Society shall publish annually a detailed report of the grants made, and of the work done by the expenditure of the income from this ^Ip:morial Fund of fifty thousand dollars. A copy of said report shall be sent annually to each of the donors while they live, and to some one representative of each after their death. '' The donors shall have at all times the privilege of examining the records of the Board, respecting the investment of the principal sum of fifty thousand dollars constituting this INIissionary Memorial Fund, and of the expenditure of its income. "9. The terms and conditions of this donation must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the mem- bers of the Board, and shall be spread in full upon the Minutes of the Board, and be read in their hcar- injr as often as once a vear; we suggest that it be at the first regular meeting in eacli year. This movement had the cheerful co-operation of all the members of his family, ^or will they claim the credit of the enterprise for themselves. They be- lieved that simple justice to his memory required ■ i LIFE OF JOHN P. CBOZER 251 that a work, which he had contemplated with so much interest, should be thus promptly consummated. After tlie reading of the above communication, the following resolution was unanimously adopted: '' llesolved, That this Board gratefully accept this generous donation of the family of the late Mr. Johj^ P. Croze R, upon the terms and stipulations named.'' All the members of the Board present, being nine- teen in number, voted in the affirmative. Whereupon the secretary announced, that more than two-thirds of the resident members of the Board havino; voted in favor of the resolution, the Memorial Fund had been accepted witli its stipulations by the Board. On the acceptance of this trust by the Board of the Society, in the manner, and on the conditions proposed, the amount was at once passed over to the treasurer, and by a unanimous vote of the Board, invested as follows :— $15,000 in U. S. 7.30's; $15,000 in Penn. 11. R. 1st Mortgage Bonds; $10,000 in City Cs, New; $10,000 in State 6s, War Loan. AMien the announcement of this laro-e donation was made to the Society, at its annual meeting, May 21, 18G6, Bartholomew T. Welch, D. D., led the congregation in a ])rayer of thanksgiving, that will never be forgotten by those who united in it. The Society, by a unanimous vote, placed upon its record the fi)llowing commendatory minute : 252 LIFE OF JOHN P. CIWZER. " The Committee to which was referred the i^ropo- sition to t.-iublish the John P. Crozer Missionary Memorial Fnnd, ask [)erinission to report : "John P. Crozer is happy in a double life. Death has given him a place elsewhere, and yet has not been able altoirether to lake him awav from his old sphere. Gone forward into the world of light be- yond, not his name only, but his spirit, still lives here, in those born of his blood, showing that money is not the only heritable i)OSsession. For it is no dishonor to his family — tliev will count it their joy — to trace their noble beneficence back to a spring in him, whose name they are proud to bear. They allow the spirit which ruled his earthly life also to bnild his monument, no^v that he is dead. They let him still live, they help him to live grandly, and wiih a longer, unending life of good in the work which they emi)ower this Society to do. They trust his memory, not to local and perishable stone, but to a work which shall lind its [)lace wherever there is a black man in America — in a work which has some- thing of the immortality of the gosi)el itself. They miirht ^ liive bond in stone' that his name should endure. They wisely choose t<> commit it to the gratitude of the poor, and to link it with the pro- gress of the knowledge of the kingdom of God. It is no uncertain trust. Pie shall live, known or I LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 253 unknown, in the >vords of teachers, in the pages of books, in the tuition of ministers, so long as this country shall have a ministry for his Redeemer. Though the name were forgotten, he will live in a work which is for the eternal word of God, and in the immortal minds of men, and through the genera- tions of a future whose end is not to be seen. " But this Society, ready and solicitous to do honor to Mr. Crozer, accepts this trust, not for his sake more than for the good of the race, which, from his early days, touched the symiiathies of his jjenerous soul. As his sun sinks into another horizon, theirs rises in the east. They come up stretching their hands of hope northward, and their life comes out of his grave. So has Providence timed this magnifi- cent gift with a magnificent opportunity. Both of them ^ve hail with grateful praise to God. We hear in them the call of our Lord to this Society. It is the first step and prophecy of a destiny laid upon us to meet and bless this race coming up out of their darkness and sorrow after the light of Clirist. It is our ordination to one of the divinest ministries of our time. It leads where, unless faith fail, and love to Christ and his poor shall die, there will be others to follow. We a^'c encouraged, then, to take up this trust in the spirit in which it is imposed. Their honor for the head of their family is ours 22 :254 LIFE OF JO US P. CROZKR. also. Their and liis purpose of blessing to the en- franchised bondmen, to the children of Africa, is ours. Trustees ')f n benefit so ample, so timely, so free, we should count it our honor to fulfill, to en- large it. The Society will not hesitate to express its feeling in reference to this proceeding. The following resolve is offered : '^ Besoh'cdj That this Society, accepting and approv- ing, in its purpose and conditions, the trust com- mitted to the I^oard by the family of the late !Mr. John P. Crozer, with its great and welcome obliga- tions, also places upon its record its appreciation of this unusual and magnificent benefaction, and herebv offer to ^Frs. Crozer and her children the assurance of cordial sympathy, both in the loss they have sustained and in the honor they propose to the lamented head of their familv. " For the Committee, "S. L. Cat.dwell." This useful and beautiful benefaction was onlv the becrinninfr of that new life which Mr. Crozer was destined to live in the lives of his children. In addition to continuing and eidarging his annual cha- rities, they nuw contemplated a measure of much larger l)eneficence. The institution of learning which had been established at great cost at U})land had i.^ a < i u < u u o o u X N O "*f(!yN^>^;: i^'TT^'sf^ V'' ^ u LIFE OF JOHN F. CROZER. 255 proved a disappointment to its founder, from causes which have already been described. During the war for his country he had placed the building, as we have seen, at the disposal of the government, for a hospital, at a time when it was greatly needed for the sick and wounded of our patriot soldiery. It was now occu- pied temporarily by a military school; and it became a question for his children to determine for what purpose this costly structure should be permanently used. About three months after the death of Mr. Crozer a member of his family suggested the idea of devoting it to the i)urposes of theological instruction. The suggestion Avas received with favor, and became a frequent topic of conversation in the household. Its situation was suitable, being about fifteen miles south of Philadelphia, and Avithin half a mile of the city of Chester, on the Philadelphia and Bal- timore Railroad. The building, also, was found to be admirably adapted to the purpose. Had it been designed expressly for a theological school, it would hardly have been diiferent. It was substantially built and provided with all needful conveniences, having accommodations for a hundred students, and enclosing a neat chapel, large enough to contain about four hundred persons. It had ample grounds, com- manding an extended view of the Delaware, with its snowy sails, on the one hand; and of a fertile agricul- 256 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. tiiral district, dotted with suburban residences, on the her; and containing a fine natural grove, which stretches to the margin of Chester Creek, whose full and flowincr waters mark the eastern boundary of the place. But, before reaching a final decision, it was thought best to deliberate and consult. "Is a new seminary needed? Will the denomina- tion receive and sustain it ? Will its establishment interfere with the prosperity of our University at Lewisburg ?" were questions that were often pondered with anxiety. Mr. Crozer had done very much to establish the University at I^ewisburg; and his widow and children were unwilling to do anything, however good in itself, that could possibly affect it injuriously. As early as the middle of July, 186G, and before the family had reached any decision whatever, one of their number addressed a note to Dr. J. R. Loomis, President of the University at Lewisburg, inquiring whether, in his judgment, it would be wise to endow a theological seminary at Upland ; to transfer theo- logical instruction from Lewisburg, but to leave witli the University all its present endowment ; and so secure to the State two strong institutions — one for the literary, the other for the theological, training of our ministry. Dr. Loomis replied, that during the coming vacation he would visit the city and confer on the subject. :?iK*Si&'' LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 257 In the following September, a member of the family visited the Philadelphia Conference of Baptist Ministers, then in session, to consult with them with reference to the propriety of the proposed movement. There were present at the conference about fifty ministers. After a full consideration of the matter, the following preamble and resolutions, prepared by Dr. Geo. W. Anderson, were adopted with perfect unanimity and great enthusiasm : " Whei-easj We have learned that it is the desire of the Messrs. Crozer that the buildings erected by the late J. P. Crozer, Esq., at Upland, for a normal school, should be employed in some way directly in the service of the Lord ; and " Whereas, We believe that the establishment of a thorouirhlv furnished theological seminary at that place would meet tlie hearty apj)roval of the brethren generally in this and in neighboring States ; therefore " Resolvedy That we approve, and heartily recom- mend the appropriation of the building for this purpose. " Resolved, That we have a high appreciation of the University at Lewisburg, and desire that it may con- tinue permanently in its present location, enlarging its means of usefulness year by year. Yet in our judgment the time has come when its real prosperity >0 * R 258 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZE R. will be promoted by transferring the work of theo- loo-ical instruction to a distinct and well-endowed institution near to this city ; leaving it with all its present endowment and apparatus to prosecute its literary work. " Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to convev to the Messrs. Crozer, and the Boards and Facultv of the Universitv at Lewisburg, our action on this subject, and to take such measures as may be necessary for the securing of the important object which we contemplate." Earlv in the next week, Dr. Loomis and Prof Bliss visited the city, when an informal meeting of brethren was held to conft r with them. Dr. Loomis acted as chairman, and Dr. Boardman as secretary of the meeting. After an intercliange of views, the following paper was unanimously ordered to be sent to the Crozer family : " Phiijvdelphia, gept. 20, 1866. " To INIessrs. Samuel A. Crozer, J. Lewis Crozer, Georo-e K. Crozer, and Robert 11. C^rozer :— Dear Bre- thren: An informal gatheringof a tew persons interested in the welfare of Ba]>tist cliurches, was held at the rooms of the American Ba|)tist Publication Society, yes- terday afternoon. The persons present were,— Rev. Messrs. J. R. Loomis, G. R. Bliss, W. Wilder, B. Griffith, P. S. Henson, J. H. Castle, J. Cooper, G. A. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 259 Peltz, K. Brooks, and G. D. Boardman, and ^lessrs. W. ^y. Keen, W. Bucknell, C. B. Keen, and H. G. Jones. " The question of a Theological Institution at L^)- land, especially in its bearing on the prosperity of the University at Lewisburg, was freely discussed. The hope which has been awakened that such an institu- tion may be established on a broad basis, with wner- ous provision for all its wants, animated every one of the comjDany with joy and gratitude. The brethren from Lewisburg entered heartily and fully into the consultation, and the following vote was unanimously adopted : " Resolved, That we express to the brethren Crozer our high gratification at learning of the purpose which they are contemplating, to establish a Theological school at Upland on the most munificent basis, — our hope that this plan may be carried out, — and our gratitude to God that he has suggested to them so grand an enterprise, promising incalculable good to the Church of Christ. " Be assured, dear brethren, that this vote gives but feeble expression to our feelings in view of the splendid enterprise which God has inclined you to consider, or to our conviction of the magnitude and value of the results which must follow the endow^- ment of such a seat of theological learning. I 260 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. " While we thus commuuieate to you officially J he proceedings of the meeting, we wish also to express personally our ap[)reciation of the broad Christian generosity and enterprise which contemplate a project so grand in its proportions and so full of jiromise. We are, in the service of Christ, yours truly, " J. R. LooMis, Chairman. *' Geo. D. Boardman, Secretary/' At the above-mentioned meeting arrangements were also made to confer, informally, with the Trustees of the " University at Lewisburij." The way was now open, and all reasonable doubts being removed, the family hesitated no longer. On the 2d of NovemlxT thev iointlv agreed to endow a Theoloijical Seminarv, and U> call it, in memory of him whose name they so justly desired to perpetuate, "The Crozer TiiEoLociUAi. Seminary." The meeting of November 2, 186G, at which this conclusion was reached, deserves a passing considera- tion. It was held in that room of the residence at Upland which Mr. Crozer had used for his private office — the room where he wrote in his diary, where he often bent in secret earnest supplication, blending in one common prayer the welfare of his family and of the world. And now that prayer is answered. Around the table where he wrote, the chair at which LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 261 he knelt, his family are gathered, — and gathered for the welfare of the world. If the spirits of the de- parted are permitted to revisit the scenes of their earthly labor, how joyfully did he hover over the group he loved so well! how benignantly did he smile upon the work they were about to consummate! His venerable widow is seated in the chair he used to occupy; all her children are around her; — her four sons, Samuel, Lewis, George, and Robert; her three daughters, Mrs. Bucknell, Mrs. Griffith, and Emma ; and her two sons-in-law, Mr. Bucknell and Dr. Grif- fith — and together they consecrate to the holy cause tliey have espoused the princely sum of $275,000. This sum was composed as follows : The building and grounds, valued at . . $80,000 Cash for erection of professors^ houses . 30,000 Cash for endowment 140,000 Cash for library, by William Bucknell, Esq. 25,000 Total $275,000 On the fourth of April, 1867, the Legislature of Pennsylvania conferred upon the infant seminary a charter. The Trustees met for organization on the 12th of June. On the 21st of the same month the Board resolved u})on the establishment of four departments of instruction : — 2G2 LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. LIFE OF JOHN P. CROZER. 263 1. Interpretation of the Bible; 2. Christian The- ology; 3. Church History; 4. Preaching and Pastoral Duties. The building and lands have been conveyed by deed to trustees, named in the act of incorporation. The houses for professors are in process of erection. All the monev for the endowment fund has been paid into the hands of the treasurer, and is now bearing interest ; and the purchase of books from the library fund has already commenced. Some of the profes- sorships have already been filled by competent men, and others will soon be appointed. Thus, in the founding of a school of learning for his native county, Mr. Crozer, although disappointed, and at times al- most disheartened, was yet laying the foundations of a lar^i-er enterprise than he then conceived. Nor was it bv accident ; for he had built in [)]Mvcr, for the honor and glory of his blaster and the wellarc of his fellow- men. His diary, under date of August 21st, 1858, savs : "As the time approaches for opening my school I feel deeply solicitous. I hope I have done right, l)ut sometimes feel that I may not have taken the wisest measures; yet I en n not but trust all will prove well, and I commit all to imj Lord and Mastei^ and seek his guidance.^' A life thus guided will not often err. It is hard for such a spirit to make mistake. An 1 unseen hand is shaping the future of him who thuis lives for duty and for God. In the purchase, a year later, of the additional land, not needed then for the school, but now so indispensable to the wants of the seminary, Mr. Crozer was also guided by a wisdom from above. His diary, under date of October 2G, 1859, contains the passage : " Bought to-day a tract of land of thirty-six acres, near the school, at a high price. I scarcely know why I buy it ; but it may hereafter be desirable." Thus providentially was he guided to a result so important to the future of this noble enter- prise. He had aimed at the accomplishment of a use- ful purpose, and humbly sought the blessing of Heaven upon his effort; but he little thought his prayers would be answered in such liberal measure ; strll less, that a source of anxiety and disappoint- ment would be so signally transfused into the crown- ing feature of his usefulness ; and less than all, that when his earthly life was ended, this least successful of his well-meant plans should be the one to bear his name, and best perpetuate his memory. When the new life he desired to live in the use- fulness of his children is ended, and their dust is mingled with his under the shadow^ of the funeral trees which mark the family resting-place at Upland, the work of his benevolence will continue, and other 261 LIFE OF JO IIS P. CROZER. generations, with men of other races and in distant lands, will cherish and adorn his memory. Death is but the blissful consummation of such a life, "for I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth ; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their icorks do follow thaiu' — Follow them whither/ Whither they go, nor linger a whit behind — on through all their changes — on and into — and through — all their eternity. " Think ve the notes of holv sons: On Milton's tuneful ear have died ? Tliiniv ye that Kaphael's angel throng Has vanished from his sidef Oil, no ! — We live our life again : Or warnilv touched, or coldlv dim. The pictures of the past remain — 3Ian^8 works shall foll&w himT' THE END. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES This book is due on the date indicated below, or at the expiration of a definite period after the date of borrowing, as provided by the hbrar>' rules or by special arrangement with the Librarian in charge. DATt BORROWED OATe OUE DATE BORROWED ' DATE DUE C28 ^747 M'.OO 938 . 5 C^86 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 0032196431 si *^