J 
 
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, COLUMBUS, OHIO. 
 Francis E. Marsten, Pastor. 
 
n 
 
 AFTER EIGHTY YEARS," 
 
 PREPARED BY 
 
 FRANCIS E. MARSTEN. 
 
 ^Attend, ye people, lieare and learne, 
 
 E'en of our fathers old.'' 
 • The just shall live by faith.'" 
 
 A. H. SMYTHE, 
 COLUMBUS, O. 
 
.^ 
 
 .^ 
 
 
 Thanks are extended to W. D. Brickell, Esq., for 
 permitting the use of five of the illustrations of this 
 volume, and for other courtesies. 
 
 c/Oli¥^- ^ 
 
 I. fOESS i?irM'0}HI(J S-{ATE 50klRN*L. , 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Pag*. 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 Historical Sketch 10 
 
 The Early Church 14 
 
 Pastors of the Church 14 
 
 Ruling Elders 20 
 
 Outgrowths of the Church 23 
 
 Revivals 26 
 
 Relation of Church to City 28 
 
 Church Music 31 
 
 Women of the Church 33 
 
 Church Edifices 35 
 
 Memorial Sermon 41 
 
 Faith of the Founders 55 
 
 Obligations of Our Heritage 59 
 
 Former Pastor's Greeting 63 
 
 Monday Services 68 
 
 Greeting from Sister Churches 59 
 
 Letters 71 
 
 Reminiscences 75 
 
 History of Sunday School 78 
 
 Tuesday's Exercises 86 
 
 Introductory Remarks 87 
 
 Sketch of Isaac Dalton 88 
 
 Letters 91 
 
 The Ladies 99 
 
 Greeting from Second Church 102 
 
 Greeting from Westminster Church 106 
 
 Greeting from Hoge Church 110 
 
 Collegiate Church Ill 
 
 Eldership of Twenty-five Years Ago Ill 
 
 Trustees of Twenty-five Years Ago 113 
 
 Bits of History 113 
 
 Letters from Former Pastors 117 
 
 Bequest of the E3ghtieth Year 123 
 
 Greeting from First Congregational Church 123 
 
1806. 1886. 
 
 EIGHTIETH ANNIVERSARY 
 
 OF THE OEGANrZATlON OF THE 
 
 First Presbyterian Church, 
 
 COLUMBUS, OHIO, 
 
 O^zM-n^oca^n^JL St-ll^^ JSS6. 
 
 Rev. FRANCIS E. MARSTEN, Pastor. 
 
 The First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Ohio, -was 
 
 orga7iized February 8th, 1806, by the 
 
 Rev. yames Hoge, D. D. 
 
REV. JAMES HOGE, D. D. 
 
After Eighty Years. 
 
 IN its issue of Monday, February 8th, 1886, the 
 Ohio State Journal, of Columbus, said : 
 
 " Yesterday was a memorable day in the history of 
 the First Presbyterian Church, and the services were 
 devoted exclusively to the commemoration of the 
 eightieth anniversary of the organization of the 
 church. For years — in fact, ever since its establish- 
 ment — the First Church has been one of the leading 
 bodies in the city, and its members and congregation 
 have always numbered many of the most prominent 
 and cultured people of the Capital City. Thirty 
 years ago the semi-centennial was celebrated in a 
 most happy manner, and the arrangements for this 
 anniversary were prepared with the same degree of 
 care. It is the intention to continue the memorial 
 gathering or reunion through to-day and to-morrow, 
 the social feature being set for Tuesday evening." 
 
 The church was appropriately decorated with ever- 
 green. The memorial tablet erected to the memory 
 of Dr. Hoge was surrounded with a wreath of ever- 
 
6 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 green, above which was the date " 1806," and on 
 the opposite side the date " 1886." 
 
 The following was the order of exercises observed 
 on Sabbath morning, February 7th : 
 
 Doxology. 
 
 Invocation. 
 
 Te Deum Laiidamus. 
 
 Scripture Lesson, 90//J Psalm : 
 
 Lord, Thou hast been our dweUing-place in all 
 generations. 
 
 Before the mountains were brought forth, or 
 ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, 
 even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 
 
 Thou turnest man to destruction ; and sayest, 
 Return, ye children of men. 
 
 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as 
 yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 
 
 Thou carriest them away as with a flood ; they 
 are as a sleep ; in the morning they are like grass 
 which groweth up. 
 
 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; 
 in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. 
 
 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by 
 thy wrath are we troubled. 
 
^^ Old First Church" in Coiutnbus. 
 
 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our 
 secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 
 
 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath : 
 we spend our years as a tale that is told. 
 
 The days of our years are threescore years and 
 ten ; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore 
 years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow ; for it is 
 soon cut off", and we fly away. 
 
 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even 
 according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 
 
 So teach us to number our days, that we may 
 apply our hearts unto wisdom. 
 
 Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent 
 thee concerning thy servants. 
 
 O, satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we 
 may rejoice and be glad all our days. 
 
 Make us glad according to the days wherein 
 thou hast afiiicted us, and the years wherein we have 
 seen evil. 
 
 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and 
 thy glory unto their children. 
 
 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be 
 upon us; and established thou the work of our hands 
 upon us ; yea, the work of our hands, estabUsh thou it. 
 
Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 O, God of Bethel, b)' whose hand 
 
 Thy people still are fed ; 
 Who, through this weary pilgrimage, 
 
 Hast all our fathers led. 
 
 Our vows, our prayers, we now present 
 
 Before Thy throne of grace ; 
 God of our fathers, be the God 
 
 Of their succeeding race. 
 
 Through each perplexing path of Hfe 
 Our wandering footsteps guide ; 
 
 Give us each day our daily bread, 
 And raiment fit provide. 
 
 O, spread Thy covering wings around. 
 Till all our wanderings cease. 
 
 And at our Father's loved abode 
 Our souls arrive in peace. 
 
 Prayer, by Rev. Robert J. Laidlaw. 
 
 Hymn 435, Presbyterian Hymnal : 
 
 " Our God, our help in ages past." 
 
 Historical Sketch by the Pastor. 
 
 Memorial Sermon, Rev. R. J. Laidla^v. 
 
 Prayer. 
 
 Original Hymn, written by Francis E. Marsten. 
 
Old First Church'''' in Columbus. 
 
 Tine — Louvaii. 
 
 Beneath the shadow of Thy wing, 
 
 Great God, we bow with song and prayer^ 
 Tribute of grateful hearts we bring 
 
 For all Thy providential care. 
 We thank Thee for our heritage 
 
 Of faith and hope, and love and truth^ 
 Of holy church and open Page 
 
 To guide our feet in age or youth. 
 
 Our fathers trod the wilderness ; 
 
 And 'mid the primal forest vast, 
 In wintry hardship and distress, 
 
 Where Hand Divine their lot had cast, 
 They reared to Thee the sacred shrine ; 
 
 And kept the faith, Thy wisdom willed ; 
 With Heavenly grace Thy house did shine, 
 
 As psalm and prayer its precincts filled. 
 
 Our fathers' God, we serve Thee, too ; 
 
 Thy covenant our hope ; and may 
 We all, O Christ, our Master true, 
 
 Fresli graces gain from day to day. 
 As Thou hast blessed for fourscore years 
 
 The saintly work performed of yore, 
 So let Thy Church, through smiles and tears, 
 
 Grow by Thy Spirit evermore. 
 
 BENEDICTION. 
 
10 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 HISTORICAL, SKETCH 
 
 BY THE PASTOR, FRANCIS E. MARSTEN. 
 
 On such an occasion as this it is well to recall the 
 founders of this institution and the foundation upon 
 which they built it. The Apostle Paul declares, 
 "According to the grace of God which is given unto 
 me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the founda- 
 tion." These words have a pecuhar fitness to this 
 hour, from their association in the annals of the First 
 Church. 
 
 Thirty years ago this church celebrated the semi- 
 centennial of its organization and of the pastorate of 
 Dr. Hoge, its beloved shepherd. That it was an oc- 
 casion of great joy, the written history of the event, 
 and the lively memories of those still living among 
 us who participated in the festival, alike fully testify. 
 This text was used on that occasion, and woven into 
 one of the many beautiful devices prepared by Mr. 
 Joseph Sullivant, a descendant of one of the original 
 members of the congregation, for that festival. I 
 reproduce it because of the history which it contains : 
 
 OUR FOUNDERS. 
 
 "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, 
 as a wise master-huilder I have laid the foundation." — 
 [l Cor. iii. lo. 
 
 "First Presbyterian Church," organized in Franklin- 
 ton February 8, 1806. Pastor, James Hoge ; elders, 
 
'•'■Old First Church" in Columbus. 11 
 
 Robert Culbertson, William Read; trustees, Joseph 
 Dixon, John Dill, Daniel Nelson, William Domigan, 
 Jos. Hunter, Lucas SuUivant. The original members 
 of the congregation and their families — Robert Cul- 
 bertson, Wm. Read, David Nelson, Wm. Shaw. John 
 Turner, Edward Livingston, John Dill, William 
 Domigan, Joseph Dixon, Lucas SuUivant, Samuel 
 King, Luther Powers, Samuel G. Flenniken, William 
 Stewart, John Lisle, Joseph Parkes, David Jameson, 
 John Hunter, George Skidmore, Joseph Hunter, 
 Wm. Brown, Wm. McElvain. To these may also be 
 added the thirteen original members of the church — 
 Robert Culbertson and v/ife, Wm. Read and wife, 
 David Nelson and wife. Robert Young and wife, 
 Mrs. Margaret Thompson, Mrs. Susannah McCoy, 
 Michael Fisher and wife, and Miss Katherine Kessler. 
 
 It may be seen that even then the women were 
 by far the better half of the church. To that appro- 
 priate motto to which reference has been made, Mr. 
 SuUivant added : 
 
 'Lift up thine ej-es round about, and see; all they gather 
 themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall 
 come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy 
 side." — [Isaiah Ix, 4. 
 
 And as the generations have roUed on, how truly 
 has this promise of Holy Writ been verified unto this 
 people. 
 
12 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 It is interesting to notice what led the young 
 James Hoge, in the providence of God, to begin his 
 life-work in Ohio. A slight sketch of his history may 
 enable us the better to appreciate the motives which 
 governed him in seeking the then distant frontier, 
 with its privations, its sparse settlement, its dangers 
 from savages, border wars and ruffianism. 
 
 James Hoge, his biographer writes, was bom at 
 Moorfield, Hardy county, Va., on the 4th of July, 
 1784. His parents were both natives of that state. 
 Their ancestors were of good old Scotch stock, who 
 came to America in the latter part of the seventeenth, 
 or early in the eighteenth century. His father was a 
 man of considerable eminence in the Presbyterian 
 Church. From his induction into the ministry, until 
 1806 he was pastor of several Presbyterian churches. 
 At that time he was called to the Presidency of 
 Hampden and Sydney College, which position he 
 held at the hour of his death, in 1822. 
 
 The future home missionary was educated mostly 
 at home, though some years were passed under the 
 training of the Rev. Dr. Priestly, who was eminent as 
 an educator of that day. During 1803-5 Mr. Hoge 
 taught school in Virginia, and studied theology pri- 
 vately; for there were no theological seminaries in 
 reach of the young man then. He was licensed to 
 preach on the 17th of April, 1805, by the Presbytery 
 
'•'•Old First Church" in Coltimbns. 13 
 
 of Lexington, Va. In October, 1803, he made a 
 journey to Ohio, to see a tract of land in Highland 
 county. So much interested in the region did he be- 
 come during his visit, that he determined to make it 
 his future home. After he was Hcensed to preach he 
 apphed for, and obtained an appointment as itinerant 
 missionary in Ohio, from the General Assembly of the 
 Presbyterian Church in 1805. 
 
 From how small beginnings what great results flow 
 in the providence of God ! When James Hoge 
 started out into the great State of Ohio, it was thought 
 by some of his friends that he could not Hve more 
 than a few months, for already the hectic flush had 
 mounted to his face. But the youth who seemed so 
 feeble was destined to a long life, and to lay the 
 foundations of great works for the abiding good of 
 many generations. The General Assembly of the 
 Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, 
 assembled at Philadelphia, set apart James Hoge to 
 proceed to the State of Ohio to preach the gospel ; 
 and in order to define carefully the territory over 
 which this bishop was to exercise jurisdiction, the 
 commission included the parts thereunto adjacent. 
 It is not stated whether the fathers thought this parish 
 small enough for a sick man or not. 
 
 Here he wrought for God and humnnity ; and here 
 his descendants and their families are continuing the 
 good work he so well began. 
 
14 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 THE EARLY CHURCH. 
 
 In November of 1805, James Hoge arrived in 
 Franklinton, then the prominent settlement in Cen- 
 tral Ohio. He, according to his commission, and 
 with his wonted enthusiasm in proclaiming the gospel, 
 began at once to preach. His first services were held in 
 a two-story frame house, an engraving of which is care- 
 fully preserved among the historical relics of ye olden 
 time. Those were primitive in Ohio. tt e 
 
 little was known about the region, especially as to its 
 possible development. It was the day of small 
 things. He continued to preach, and on the 8th of 
 February, 1806, the First Presbyterian Church was 
 organized, and on the next Sabbath the Lord's Sup- 
 per was administered to thirteen members and com- 
 municants. TJiis was the first church of atiy 
 denomination that was organized within these limits, 
 now known as the city of Columbus. 
 
 PASTORS OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 Following is a copy of the first call extended by the 
 church to Rev. James Hoge : 
 
 " The congregation of Franklinton being on sufficient 
 grounds well satisfied of the ministerial quafifications 
 of you, James Hoge, and having good hopes from our 
 past experience of your labours, that your ministra- 
 tions in the gospel will be profitable to our spiritual 
 
HOUSE IN WHICH THE CONGREGATION FIRST WORSHIPPED IN FRANKLINTON. 1806. 
 
"'Old First Church''' in Columbus. 15 
 
 interests, do earnestly call and desire yon to under- 
 take the pastoral office in said congregation, promis- 
 ing you, in the discharge of your duty, all proper supv- 
 port, encouragement and obedience in the Lord, and 
 that you may be free from worldly cares and avoca- 
 tions we hereby promise and oblige ourselves to pay 
 to you the sum of three hundred dollars in half yearly 
 payments annually for three-fourths of your time until 
 we find ourselves able to give a compensation for the 
 whole of your time in like proportion during the time 
 of your being and continuing the regular pastor of 
 this church. 
 
 " In testimony whereof we have respectfully sub- 
 scribed our names this '25th day of September. Anno 
 
 Domini 1807. 
 
 Robert Culbertson, 
 
 William Reed, 
 
 Elders. 
 
 Joseph Dickson, 
 
 John Dill, 
 
 David Nelson, 
 
 William Domigan, 
 
 Joseph Hunter, 
 
 Lucas Sullivant, 
 
 Trustees. 
 
 " That t.his call was ))repared and forwarded for Mr. 
 Hoge, with the knowledge and at the earnest request 
 
16 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 of the whole congregation of FrankHnton, is attested 
 to by Robert G. Wilson." 
 
 When it was deemed best to transfer the church 
 from the West to the East Side, ^vith the con- 
 sent of Presbytery, it was formally accomplished on 
 November 19, 1821, calling him to the Columbus 
 pulpit. He accepted the call in January, 1823. 
 
 In 1850, at Dr. Hoge's request, a co-pastor was 
 elected — Dr. Josiah D. Smith, then of Truro. He 
 was installed in December, l.'S50, and resigned Jan- 
 uary 16, 1854, to accept a call to the Westminster 
 Church, of Columbus, O. 
 
 On December 24, 1855, Rev. David Hail, of the 
 Presbytery of Allegheny, was called as co-pastor, and 
 entered upon his duties in Februar)-, 185G. He re- 
 signed in April, 1857. 
 
 The congregation met February 28, 1857, to take 
 into consideration the resignation of their pastor. 
 The Rev. Dr. Smith, of Westminster, being present 
 was invited to preside as Moderator ; Mr. Joseph 
 Sullivant then offered the following preamble and 
 resolutions, which were unanimously adopted : 
 
 " Whereas, This congregation has been notified 
 that their pastor. Rev. James Hoge, has asked leave 
 of the Presbytery of Columbus to resign his charge 
 over this church and congregation, on account of 
 advanced age, and consequent infirmity ; and where- 
 
" Old First Church " in Columbus. 17 
 
 as, in the long and intimate acquaintance that has 
 existed between us and our beloved pastor for more 
 than half a century, none but feelings of the warmest 
 affection, s\mpathy and respect have had a moment's 
 place, we are pained at the thought that our long 
 continued connection must be dissolved, and the fond 
 hope relinquished that it should continue as long 
 as our beneficent Father should spare his most 
 useful life; but in this event, as in all that has oc- 
 curred in our previous intercourse, it is the desire of 
 the congregation to defer to the expressed wishes 
 and better judgment of our beloved pastor. There- 
 fore, be it 
 
 '•'•Resolved, by the First Presbyterian Church and 
 congregation of Columbus, That we do hereby ac- 
 cede to the request of our pastor, Rev. James Hoge, 
 preferred to the Presbytery of Columbus, to resign 
 his pastoral charge of this congregation ; and that his 
 relation therewith be dissolved by the Presbytery at 
 the ensuing spring meeting. 
 
 •' Resolved, That in thus consenting this congrega- 
 tion yields to a belief, reluctantly admitted, that his 
 advanced years and enfeebled health imperatively 
 demands relief from care and constant labor; while 
 submitting to this necessity we yet hope and pray 
 that he may long be spared to exemplify, as hereto- 
 fore, the Christian doctrine in our midst, and before 
 
18 Eight Decades in the Lift of the 
 
 the people of this city and State, and that so far as 
 is practicable we may not be deprived of his enhght- 
 ened counsel in the congregation, but as a 'father in 
 Israel,' he may still go out and in amongst us, teach- 
 ing us by his life of faith, and filling our pulpit from 
 time to time whenever he may be able to proclaim 
 the unsearchable riches of Christ. 
 
 '■'■Resolved, That in looking backwards we now 
 clearly recognize the hand of Providence in raising up 
 a man of eminent prudence and ability, and sending 
 him forth to plant the church literally in the wilderness ; 
 and we acknowledge with fervent feelings of unfeigned 
 gratitude the kindness and benevolence of the 'Great 
 Head of the church' in continuing his very able and 
 acceptable ministrations among us for such a length 
 of time, and for the great measure of success and 
 influence that has attended the same ; an influence 
 not confined to the pulpit or this congregation, but 
 which has been constantly operating on this com- 
 munity for now more than fifty years. 
 
 " Resolved, That our prayers and our sympathies 
 shall still accompany our pastor ; that his memory 
 shall be warmly cherished, and that we will teach his 
 name to our children, and to our children's children, 
 as one endeared to us during numberless occasions of 
 sorrow and of joy, 'who instant in season and out of 
 season,' has so faithfully and kind'y siiown i;s the 
 
'•''Old First Church" in Columbus. 19 
 
 path of life, and nobly entitled to the plaudit of his 
 Lord, ' Well done, thou good and faithful servant.' 
 
 " Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, duly 
 attested, be presented to the Clerk of Columbus Pres- 
 bytery, and to our beloved pastor. 
 
 "J. D. Smith, Moderator." 
 
 The Rev. Edgar Woods, of Wheeling, Virginia, 
 having for some time preached to the congregation, 
 and performed other ministerial duties with great 
 acceptance, he was elected to fill the vacancy of Dr. 
 Hoge, which was appointed to take effect on the 30th 
 of June, his salary fixed at fifteen hundred dollars, 
 and the session and trustees were directed May 4th, 
 1857, to make out a call and prosecute it to comple- 
 tion according to the rules of the church. Sabbath 
 day, June 28, 1857, Dr. Hoge preached the closing 
 sermon of his ministry as pastor of this church, after 
 a connection of over half a century. 
 
 Tuesday, June 30th, 1857, Rev. Edgar Woods, 
 pastor- elect of this church, was installed by a com- 
 mittee of Columbus Presbytery, consisting of Rev. 
 James Hoge, D. D., J. D. Smith, D. D., G. L. Kalb 
 and Washington Maynard, and Elder William Blynn. 
 Rev. Edgar Woods resigned his charge February, 
 1862, with the intention of returning to Virginia j 
 and under date of February 27th, 1862, we find the 
 following record of the session : 
 
20 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 "The pastor, Rev. Edgar Woods, having resigned, 
 the session, after consultation, agreed to visit Rev. 
 James Hoge, D. D., this day in a body, to state to 
 him our condition and solicit his adv'ice. The kind 
 doctor received us. Elders Abbot, Cherry, Dalton, 
 Thomas and Awl, at his residence at four o'clock in 
 the afternoon, in the most cordial and affectionate 
 manner, showing the deepest interest in the welfare 
 of the congregation, and giving us the full benefit of 
 his mature judgment and excellent counsel. He is 
 now in the .seventy-eighth year of his age, and in the 
 full enjoyment of all his strong faculties. We had a 
 profitable and most delightful interview. 
 
 " William M. Awl, Clerk." 
 
 In the following October Rev. W. C. Roberts, of 
 Wilmington, Del., was called, and was installed No- 
 vember 11, 1862. The venerable and beloved Dr. 
 Hoge died on September 22, 1863. In December, 
 1864, Mr. Roberts resigned. A call was extended 
 to Rev. William R. Marshall in February, 1865, who 
 accepted, and was installed as pastor the following 
 month. Dr. Marshall resigning December 20, 1869, 
 the church remained without a pastor until the spring 
 of 1871, when it called Rev. Robert J. Laidlaw, of 
 Milton, Canada, who was ordained and installed Sep- 
 tember 22, 1871. Mr. Laidlaw resigned in April, 
 1875. In July of the same year Rev. Edward P. 
 
^^ Old First Church" in Columbus. 21 
 
 Heberton, of Minnesota, was called, and entered 
 upon his ministrations September 5, 1875. He re- 
 signed February 21, 1877, and on May 28, 1877, 
 Rev. Willis Lord, D. D., was called and remained as 
 a stated supply for two years and six months. Rev. 
 John W. Bailey, D. D., of Sparta, III, was called 
 December 21, 1880, and continued to supply the 
 pulpit as pastor of the church for two years. 
 
 I have carefully looked over the records of these 
 pastorates, so far as preserved, and from a peru- 
 sal of the minutes of the congregational meetings 
 of the church, the historian and antiquarian will be 
 struck by the redundance of almost superhuman vir- 
 tues and angelic traits of character that adorned 
 each individual of them. 
 
 The present pastor was installed by the Presbytery 
 of Columbus, October 4, 1883. 
 
 THE RULING ELDERS 
 
 since organization are as follows: 
 
 Robert Culbertson Ordained February 9, 1806. 
 
 Judge Wm. Reed " " 
 
 Michael Fisher " January 11, 1808. 
 
 William Stewart " Feb. 20, 1819. 
 
 Robert Nelson " " 
 
 John Laughry " " " 
 
 James Johnson Installed Feb. 12, " 
 
22 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 Hugh Forster Ordained February 12, 1819. 
 
 William Patterson " August 20, 1821. 
 
 John Long " " " 
 
 N. W. Smith Records of time lost. 
 
 James Robinson " •' 
 
 Samuel G. Flenniken... " " 
 
 Samuel M. Kilgore " " 
 
 William Clayvough " " 
 
 Ral]jh Osborn " " 
 
 Dr. N. M.Miller 
 
 John Barr . .Ordained and install'd, 1835. 
 
 Abrel Forster " " " 
 
 Isaac Dalton " " " 
 
 William Sterritt .... " " " 
 
 Lawson McCullough. . .Ordained April 1, 1840. 
 
 Walter x\mos " " " 
 
 James Cherry " " " 
 
 George Mclvlillan " June, 1849. 
 
 H. F. Huntington " May 4, 1846. 
 
 Thomas Moodie " " " 
 
 James S. Abbott " June, " 
 
 William Blynn 
 
 William M. Awl, M. D . . " April 19, 1857. 
 
 *Alfred Thomas " " 
 
 James H. Pooley, M. D . " Nov. 19, 1876. 
 
 Thomas Robinson " " • " 
 
 *Charles Albert Bowe.. " " 
 
'■^ Old First Church" in Columbus. 23 
 
 Orlando E. Lewis Ordained September, 1883. 
 
 *John N. Eldridge •' " 
 
 *Foster Copeland " " 
 
 *Edward M. Doty " October, 1885. 
 
 *VVilliam Enfield 
 
 *Charles E. Denton " " 
 
 *Henry E. Brooks " " 
 
 These '•■ compose the present session. 
 
 THE DAUGHTERS OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 The following Church organizations liave grown 
 out of this parent Church : 
 
 "Truro Presbyterian Church," organized Janu- 
 ary 4, 1827. 
 
 " Second Pre.sbyterian Church of Columbus, 
 Ohio," organized January 29, 1839. 
 
 "The Westminster Presbyterian Church of 
 Columbus," organized April 19, 1854. 
 
 '"The Hoge Presbyterian Church," organized 
 January 22, 1870. 
 
 The " Truro Church," eldest daughter of the 
 old mother, was organized by the Presbytery of Co- 
 lumbus January 4, 1827. It began with about thirty 
 members, having William Patterson and John Long as 
 Ruling Elders. In its days of greatest prosperity it 
 numbered nearly one hundred members. From the 
 
24 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 Truro Church came the Rev. J. D. Smith, so long 
 and so favorably known in Columbus. 
 
 In tlie summer and autumn of 183S, the subject of 
 colonizing was agitated among a portion of the mem- 
 bers of the First Church. It was the intention at the 
 time to form a Congregational Church. A prelimi- 
 nary meeting for this purpose was held January 22, 
 1839. Some twenty persons from the First Church 
 joined in the movement. By these it was resolved 
 on the 29th of January, 1839, to organize a society 
 to be called the " First Congregational Society 
 of the City of Columbus." But before the end 
 of the month this body of people showed their 
 wisdom and appreciation of Republican institu- 
 tions by changing the organization into " The 
 Second Presbyterian Church of Columbus," a title 
 still retained. The movement has prospered, and 
 the large and wealthy congregation of the " Sec- 
 ond" has demonstrated the wisdom of planting the 
 new church ; and while the mother still dwells in 
 her old cottage, the daughter goes in and out of 
 her stately palace. 
 
 During the years of 1850-51 the subject of an- 
 other colony was frequently talked of and urged by 
 the aged pastor. This agitation resulted in the pre- 
 sentation to Presbytery of a memorial by fifty-nine 
 members of the First Church to be organized as a 
 
"'Old First Church'^ iii Columbus. 25 
 
 separate church. The request was granted April 
 19, 1854, and the Westminster Church of Columbus, 
 the third daughter, began a Hfe which, under God, is 
 destined to years of vigor and usefuhiess. 
 
 Sixteen years ago the attention of Presbyterians 
 was turned to the needs of the northern part of the 
 city, and Hoge Chapel was built, and a church or- 
 ganized which has been carrying on, with the help of 
 the mother church, a successful work for the Master 
 ever since. The location of the building was unfor- 
 tunate; but the time is now ripe for this church to 
 move into a better neighborhood, and one in which 
 the proclamation of the gospel can be made under 
 more auspicious circumstances. 
 
 Again the spirit of grov/th has possessed the suc- 
 cessors of the former generation, and the present and 
 future outlook for our denominational work is most 
 promising. Let us lift high the standard, and go for- 
 ward to possess the fullness of our heritage. The 
 north and the east are aHke uttering the Macedonian 
 cry. We, as Presbyterians, will be false to our trusts 
 unless the next decade beholds a great work for 
 church extension within the Hmits of our city. It is 
 hoped that the Collegiate Presbyterian Church, another 
 planting of the First Church, will soon grow from a 
 colleague into an independent stronghold of the faith. 
 
26 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 REVIVALS. 
 
 The old church was repeatedly visited with the 
 outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These revival seasons 
 were deep, quiet movements. The stately nature of 
 the pastor naturally gave direction to them. The 
 great spiritual awakening of 1857-58 was shared in 
 by this church, in common with the churches of God 
 all over the land. 
 
 It was during this time that the daily prayer meet- 
 ing, held in the basement of the old church, was com- 
 menced. 
 
 It was a union meeting of all the churches around 
 the square. When started, the purpose of the leaders 
 was to continue a special service for spiritual quick- 
 ening for a few weeks only. But the Spirit of God 
 came down with power, and the effort of a day 
 merged into a service that continued without inter- 
 mission from the 13th of March, 1858, for about 
 seventeen years. It opened at half-past eight in the 
 morning and lasted for half an hour. 
 
 The leader of one day secured a leader for the 
 next. Many now living can remember the power for 
 good which flowed out from these services. The at- 
 tendance for a long time taxed the utmost capacity of 
 the upper sanctuary. 
 
 The spiritual quickening received from these daily 
 gatherings the records of eternity will alone reveal. 
 
'■'■Old First Church''' in Columbus. 27 
 
 A number of pleasing incidents are handed down, 
 some of which are not unworthy of a place in a col- 
 lection that is in a sense a mirror of the past. 
 
 Hon. Chauncey N. Olds and Judge J. W. Baldwin 
 were among the constant attendants at these morn- 
 ing meetings. One morning, as they were coming 
 out, one said to the other: "We were at the com- 
 mencement of these prayer meetings ; let us be the 
 two who will hold out the longest," and they mutually 
 agreed to this proposition. And these two brethren 
 had the honor to be the last attendants. They met 
 and with the most tender services brought the 
 long series to its close. No wonder that life-long 
 friendships were cemented by such holy ties as these. 
 
 One morning the Rev. Mr. Gowdy, pastor of the 
 U. P. Church in Columbus, was called upon to lead 
 the brethren. He modestly arose and apologized for 
 being compelled to decline, as he could not sing 
 hymns. On account of his conscientious scruples in 
 this regard, the venerable Dr. Hoge immediately re- 
 lieved him of his embarrassment b}- avowing that the 
 brethren would all join in singing Rousses' version of 
 the psalms for that day. And psalms they sang. 
 
 Again, one morning no male was present to lead 
 the devotions, and Miss Clark, well known in the 
 community in those days, went up to the desk and 
 
28 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 read the 12th psalm, beginning, "Help Lord, for the 
 Godly man ceaseth." 
 
 THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH TO THE GROWTH OF 
 THE CITY. 
 
 The founders of this church were men and women 
 of the most sterling piety. They believed in the 
 Bible, they held with firm tenacity the faith once de- 
 livered to the saints. 
 
 So the First Church has played no unimportant 
 part through many of its leading members in shaping 
 the educational and charitable institutions of the city. 
 Those in its connection were the leading business 
 men of the old city, and their successors are still in 
 the van of progress in commercial, social, charitable 
 and religious improvement. 
 
 The grand State philanthropies, whose buildings 
 adorn our streets and suburbs, attest the great and 
 statesman-like quaHties of the mind of the first pastor 
 of this church. The impression that this man made 
 on a journalist of thirty years ago is well voiced in the 
 report of the proceedings, at the festival of the semi- 
 centennial, in a newspaper of the period: "The 
 reverened and beloved teacher who first ministered 
 at the humble altars in the wilderness, still lives to 
 consecrate the occasion with his presence, and to 
 receive the salutations of the second and third gen- 
 
^'- Old First Church'' in Columbns. 29 
 
 erations of those whom he has gathered into the fold 
 of the Divine Master." 
 
 And the estimation in which he was held by the 
 brethren of the ministry is fully exemplified by the 
 following minute, culled from the records of the Pres- 
 bytery. In dissolving this relation the Presbytery 
 made this record: "In terminating this pastoral 
 connection of nearly half a century's standing. Pres- 
 bytery would, with sincere gratitude to the Head of 
 the church, recognize the goodness and mercy shown, 
 in sparing the life and health of this revered father 
 in the ministry for so many years; in granting him 
 so much success in the immediate sphere of his 
 labors, and in raising him to a position of influence, 
 which has been so widely and beneficently felt, and 
 by which his name has obtained a distinguished place 
 among the ministers of our country." 
 
 In 1856 the oldest living member of the church was 
 Robert W. McCoy, whose upright character, and 
 straight-forward business activity had impressed itself 
 upon this community for a period of forty-five years. 
 Another man to whom this city owes a debt of gratitude 
 is Dr. William Maclay Awl, who for fifty-six years 
 was connected with this church. His life seems to 
 have been devoted to religion and works of charity. 
 His biographer says of him, that "his care and self- 
 denying labor assisted at the birth and early struggles 
 
30 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 of nearly all of the magnificent charities of which the 
 commonwealth of Ohio is so justly proud. Every- 
 where and always his Christian integrity, wisdom and 
 moderation made him a valued counsellor." 
 
 Still another, whose life in a quieter sphere did not 
 a little to impress the business world with value of 
 Christian integrity, was Isaac Dalton, who for fifty 
 years was a member of this household of faith, 
 forty-five of which he was a beloved and revered 
 elder. 
 
 As a sketch of his life and work is to be given at 
 another service during these anniversary meetings, I 
 forbear to speak further of him now. It is such men 
 who honor the Gospel, and being dead, yet speak in 
 the conscious and unconscious influence they have 
 exerted on succeding life. 
 
 Many from the church, from time to time, have 
 thus impressed themselves upon nearly every depart- 
 ment of our city's life. Scarcely an institution that 
 has been an honor or a blessing to Central Ohio that 
 has not felt the moulding hand of one or more mem- 
 bers of the old First Church. And as I, well nigh a 
 stranger to our institutions and history, have delved 
 in the musty records of the past, my admiration for 
 the qualities of brain and heart of the founders of 
 this church, and their immediate successors, has grown 
 with every fresh revelation of the grand and inspiring 
 
'•'■ Old First Church" in Columbus. 31 
 
 way they sought to shape the destinies of this city 
 and commonwealth. More and more have I been 
 impressed with the fact that our devotion to rehgion 
 should broaden all our perceptions and consecrate 
 all our faculties to the social, political and moral 
 improvement of our fellow men. 
 
 CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 About 1839 the congregation began to be agitated 
 about church music. In the old days in Franklinton, 
 and when the people worshipped in •' Trinity in 
 Unity," the church singing was performed with the 
 aid of no more formidable instrument than a tuning 
 fork. 
 
 The pious elder who led the singing stood up be- 
 fore the audience and hned off the hymn, and then, 
 with nasal twang to the voice and a see-saw motion 
 to the arm, helped the congregation sing the praises 
 of the Lord. But some of the people felt that the 
 praises of God could be the better rendered by the 
 assistance of some kind of musical instrument. 
 But the opposition was strong, and the frowns on 
 such ungodly measures were deep and ominous. Yet 
 there was one man who was equal to the emergency. 
 He was none other than the saintly Elder Dalton. 
 Tradition says that he caused a base viol to be con- 
 structed in the secret of his own workshop, and at 
 
32 FAght Decades i?i the Life of the 
 
 the appointed time had it conveyed to the organ gal- 
 lery, wiiere the choir were wont to dispense sv,-eet har- 
 mony. Hidden from the view of the congregation it 
 was played very softly. Such a voice, as helped in 
 the worship that morning, the old people had never 
 heard. " Why don't you give us such singing every 
 Sabbath ?" queried the old folks of the opposition. 
 Being thus captured with guile the objectors gave in, 
 and instrumental music became a factor in the 
 routine of divine service in the Old First. 
 
 Mr. Joseph SuUivant, as he reviewed the history of 
 the period, says : "About this time, also, occurred 
 one of those simple events which show that even a 
 church must keep pace with the times ; it was the 
 introduction of an organ into public worship. Grave 
 doubts and fears were expressed by some of the older 
 members as to its effects upon the congregation. 
 But the ladies were unanimous for it, and while the 
 men doubted and discussed, they carried the day, and 
 decided the matter by declaring that they would get 
 it themselves and pay for it. They diligently labored 
 for the purpose, and brought in the congregation to 
 help them at last." 
 
 Mr. Sullivant sa}'S he well recollects when he heard 
 the organ for the first time pealing forth its solemn 
 notes in what was then thought to be the '• lofty 
 nave" of tl^e church; and how his thoughts trav- 
 
" Old First Church " in Columbus. 33 
 
 eled back to his boyhood, when he sat in the old 
 Frankhnton church, and a venerable elder stepped 
 forth with solemn and measured tread to take his 
 place in front of the pulpit, '• and with a few sonorous 
 efforts to clear his tliroat, with uplifted hand and 
 sawing motion, pitched tlie tune for the congregation." 
 The extreme of modern ])rogress in this direction 
 is, when an artistic latter-day choir tickle the aesthetic 
 ear of the listless and fashionable congregation with 
 soft operatic airs at an expense of thousands per 
 annum. 
 
 THE WOMKN OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 From the very beginning the women have been a 
 strong factor in the prosperity of the church. Form- 
 ing a large proportion of its membership, the enter- 
 prises in which the church has engaged have always 
 proved successful when the brethren have called the 
 charmed presence of the sisters to their side. When 
 the worthies of the past wanted to build a new church, 
 they sought the assistance of the ladies. If an organ 
 was needed the good sisters were left to raise the 
 funds with which to pay for it. The marvelous 
 poverty in money and resource of the male portion of 
 the church is speedily discovered when one looks over 
 the records of the session and trustees. Even so 
 late as the time when the chapel which covers the rear 
 
34 Eight Decades in the Lift, of the 
 
 of the church lot was built, the gentlemen of the 
 Board of Trustees could discover no way under the 
 sun that so costly and arduous an undertaking as 
 building a chapel could be wrestled with, until one 
 magnanimous soul suggested, "We might call on the 
 ladies." The alacrity with which it was done and the 
 ready response that the ladies gave is witnessed by our 
 commodious chapel, which is conceded to be a more 
 cheerful place of worship than the dingy basement in 
 which the fathers studied the Westminster catechism 
 and wrestled with the angel of prayer. 
 
 It is fitting the fact be recalled just here, that it 
 was owing to the efficient leadership of Mrs. Mary E. 
 Campbell that our cliapel was ever erected. She, 
 as President of the Ladies' Aid Society, in every 
 way manifested her ability to direct in church affairs. 
 When her pastor went to her in his despondency, 
 after being repulsed by the brethren on account of 
 of what appeared to them the colossal eminence of 
 the task, and opened to her his plans and and hopes, 
 her liberal soul exclaimed, "It shall be done at 
 once." It was done. May her devout and unselfish 
 spirit possess the child of her love ! When she moved 
 in an enterprise, as if by magic her magnetic soul 
 saw and led the way to victory. May our present 
 president, her sucessor, go on as she has begun in the 
 heroic pathway of this sainted daughter of the church. 
 
FIRST REGULAR CHURCH IN FRANKLINTON, 1811. 
 Gift of Mr. Lucas Sullivant. 
 
'•'Old First Chui-ch''' in Columbus. 35 
 
 The way to victory is to lead in the path of self- 
 denial and danger. 
 
 All honor to the women of the old First Church; 
 may they continue in the future, as they have done in 
 the past, to direct its progress and inspire its activi- 
 ties. 
 
 To the ladies is due the reputation that the church 
 has so long and justly sustained of being the mission- 
 ary church of the denomination in central Ohio. 
 Their zeal and activity in the home and foreign work 
 has cheered many a laborer on the desolate frontier, 
 and carried many a page of the Gospel to heathen 
 shores. When the fiftieth anniversary came 'round, 
 it was the ladies whose energy and zeal seconded the 
 enthusiasm of that rare scholar and antiquarian, Mr. 
 Sullivant, and made the occasion an imposing success. 
 Again I say all honor to our ladies. I will not stop 
 here to mention the names of those who have been 
 leaders in every good work; they will receive recogni- 
 tion later in these services. 
 
 THE EDIFICES IN WHICH THE CHURCH HAS WORSHIPED. 
 
 The church which was organized in a private 
 house in Franklinton was the first church of any de- 
 nomination in the limits of central Ohio. The con- 
 gregation continued for some little time to worship 
 here. The call of that First Church to its first pastor 
 
36 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 Rev. James Hoge, is before you all to-day. [The 
 ancient call, neatly framed, occupied a niche in front 
 of the pulpit]. In 1812 a brick house was erected 
 for the accomodation of the congregation. This was 
 built mainly through the instrumentality of Lucas 
 SuUivant. The war being then in its height, the 
 government took possession of this frontier church 
 for a store-house. In March, 1813, a violent storm 
 blew in the gable end of the building; a large quantity 
 of grain stored within was wet, and as a result its 
 swelling burst the walls asunder, and the building was 
 destroyed. The government, however, paid for it. 
 In 1815 a new house of worship was erected. It was 
 located on the edge of the village on the western 
 bank of the Scioto river. It had a fine situation, 
 commanding a beautiful view of the stream, and near 
 to the wooded island, known as the "British island," 
 from the fact that some war prisoners were confined 
 there a short time. Like nearly all the old churches, 
 it was in cheerful proximity to a beautiful burying 
 ground. In the meantime, while the congregation 
 was worshiping in Franklinton, the east side of the 
 town was growing rapidly. Columbus began to at- 
 tract settlers. The pastor of the church found a 
 pleasant home on the east side. About 1814: he 
 began to hold services in a log cabin on the corner of 
 Spring and Third streets. Whereas the majority of the 
 
^'' Old First Church'" in Columbus. 37 
 
 congregation had now taken up their residences at the 
 east side of the Scioto, it was deemed expedient for 
 the accomodation of the congregation that ground 
 should be purchased and a suitable house of worship 
 erected at the east end of the settlement. The pastor 
 was most enthusiastic in his advocacy of this measure, 
 although as we may suppose it was opposed by those 
 who had determined for one reason or the other not 
 to move to the east side. For the accomplishment of 
 this purpose an agreement was entered into and 
 money subscribed. Among the progressive men of 
 that period I find the names of Barr, Osborn, Miller, 
 Brown, Hoge, Culbertson, Loughrey, Sullivant, Mc- 
 Coy and Kerr. Each of these gave $100 for the 
 new project. At the corner of Front and Town streets 
 a lot was secured. Here a frame house, costing 
 $1,050, was built. Its modest dimensions were forty 
 by sixty feet. It long held the name of "Trinity in 
 Unity," on account of its peculiar construction, which 
 is well represented in the accompanying cut. 
 
 In the old records is an account of the incorpora- 
 tion of the First Presbyterian Society of Columbus, 
 June 20, 1821. The incorporators were N. W. Smith, 
 James Taylor, John Hunter, David Taylor, William 
 Leathern, John Long, William Mcllvaine, William 
 Patterson, Thomas Adams, Dan Ross, Andrew Cul- 
 bertson, Robert Lisle, W. W. Shannon, John Thomp- 
 
38 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 son, J. M. Strain, Sam King, John Kerr, Robert Nel- 
 son, Gustavus Swan, Lincoln Goodale, Henry Brown, 
 John E. Baker, Samuel Parsons, James Dean, Joseph 
 Miller, James Cherry, Samuel G. Fleniken, William 
 Long, John Loughry, James O'Harra, Robert W. 
 McCoy, James Shannon, Jacob Overdier, James 
 Lindsay, Wihiam Stewart, John Barr, Michael Fisher, 
 John Starr and James Hoge. 
 
 In 1827, the congregation having become convinced 
 that the meeting house in which they worshiped was 
 quite dilapitated, unfit for divine service, and uncom- 
 fortable, a committee of five was appointed to de- 
 vise plans and adopt measures for building a new 
 house of worship. Messrs. Gustavus Swan, Dr. L. 
 Goodale, R. W. McCoy, Otis Crosby, and Dr. Sam- 
 uel Parsons, were appointed said committee. But 
 the characteristic feeling of poverty abroad in our 
 congregation prevented any good results. 
 
 In 1828, we find the Trustees gravely ordering that 
 Mr. Brown purchase one half dozen sconces or candle- 
 sticks for the meeting house. These sconces were 
 little pieces of tin suspended on the wall by a nail 
 through the upper end, the lower end being turned at 
 right angles, and formed fOr the reception of a tallow 
 candle. When these were all lighted, the place was 
 filled with a dim religious gloom, for their feeble rays 
 only served to make darkness visible. 
 

 PRESENT CHURCH BEFORE ALTERATION. 
 
'■'■ Old First Church" in Columbus. 39 
 
 Again on January 18, 1830, it was resolved, that it 
 was expedient for this Society to build a meeting- 
 house. They arose and built, but again the star of 
 empire went toward the east, and an edifice quite 
 imposing in those days graced the public square. It 
 could be said of it then that it was the laigest and 
 handsomest building in the city, and Trinity in Unity 
 became a thing of the past. 
 
 On March 8, 1830, it appears that Lyne Starling, 
 Gustavus Swan and Robert W. McCoy were instru- 
 mental in building this meeting-house for the congre- 
 gation, upon certain conditions. 
 
 The present edifice was remodeled in 1859. Since 
 then, the congregation has continued to worship in 
 this structure. Now, as we come to the 80th anniver- 
 sary of the church, the existing building is occupied 
 very much under the same conditions as prevailed in 
 the old Franklinton church sixty-seven years ago. 
 
 Not until May 18, 1852, were the Trustees re- 
 quested to take measures for lighting the church with 
 gas. To-day the electric light is agitated by not a few. 
 
 In 1856, the present edifice was a regarded as a 
 spacious and elegant temple, but now, in the rapid 
 march of modern improvement, the times demand 
 changes equal to the requirements of the rapidly 
 growing population of a great city. 
 
 Said the venerable pastor in his address on the 
 fiftieth anniversary: "There has never been any 
 
40 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 serious dissension in the congregation ; peace and 
 harmony have generally prevailed, and the cases of 
 discipline have been few, and have produced no 
 serious injury. 
 
 "There have been several seasons of peculiar religi- 
 ous interest in the congregation. The first, perhaps 
 the most remarkable instance of this kind, began in 
 1807, and continued during the greater part of two 
 years. In this season there were fifty or sixty con- 
 verts that united with tlie church, increasing the num- 
 ber four-fold. Taking into consideration the number 
 who were in the congregation as hearers of the Gospel, 
 this increase is seldom witnessed in our day. 
 
 "Perhaps twice as many persons have united with 
 us from other denominations as have gone from this 
 church to others." 
 
 In closing this sketch, I feel that I cannot do bet- 
 ter than to quote one of the concluding paragraphs of 
 Mr. Joseph SuUivant's "History of the First Presby- 
 terian Church." "The future of this congregation," 
 says the historian, "is in the hands of God, who has 
 promised to be ever present with His church. The 
 members may find that the best way to secure future 
 progress and continuance is to be faithful in the dis- 
 charge of present duty. And when the sons and 
 daughters of this church shall come from afar, from the 
 North and the South, from the East and the West, 
 
'■'Old First Church" in Columbus. 41 
 
 when our with their children shall gather themselves 
 together to celebrate the hundreth anniversary of the 
 organization of this church; may they have the same 
 cause for thankfulness for past mercies, and a de- 
 termination to make better efforts for the future. 
 May they be able to report greater progress and the 
 accomplishment of greater good, but the same peace 
 and harmony which up to this time has characterized 
 the church founded bv their fathers." 
 
 MEMORIAL, SERMON, 
 
 Preached by Rev. Robert J. Laidlaw, Pastor from 
 September, 1871, to April 1875. 
 
 ''And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and 
 prophets. Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone: 
 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth 
 unto an holy temple to the Lord: In whom ye also are 
 builded together for a habitation of God through the 
 Spirit." — [Ephesians ii, 20-22. 
 
 The word temple is applied in Scripture to an indi- 
 vidual Christian, to a particular cluirch, and to the 
 redeemed church as a whole. From its use in this 
 text I invite you to consider with me a few features 
 of the life of the church that is organized and built 
 up after the Apostohc ty{)e. I will have no reference 
 to the jieculiar kind C'f edifice known as a church, but 
 
42 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 to the men, women and children who associate for 
 worship in connection with such an edifice. The 
 church the Bible is most concerned with is not a 
 building composed of various kinds of inert matter, 
 reared into form and sightliness by human hands. It 
 is a spiritual structure, a building of God, an house 
 not made with hands. 
 
 Theyfrj-/ thing to be noted of it is that it is not in 
 man's power to build it. Man may attend to all the 
 forms connected with gathering human beings to- 
 gether, and organizing and edifying them, but when 
 he has done all, and has called his organization by 
 the Scripture name, he has no power to breathe into 
 it the breath of life, so that it v/ill become a living 
 church. My text says, " Ye are built" and it is 
 implied that the work has been done, not by any 
 human artisan, but by a Higher Hand. " Ye are 
 God's husbandry : ye are God's building." The Al- 
 mighty is both the architect of the edifice and the 
 foreman of the work. He attends to the choosing of 
 the rough material, to the hewing of it out of the 
 rugged rock, and to the drawing of it from the hole 
 of the pit whence it is digged. The stones are all 
 chosen of God, and precious. As workers together 
 with God we are only humble laborers by the day. 
 If we do faithfully and well the work the Master as- 
 signs us, our responsibihty ends. 
 
'•'■Old First Church" in Columbus. 43 
 
 The second thing to be noted of a church of the 
 Apostohc kind is its foundation — the Holy Scriptures 
 — called in the text " the foundation of the Apostles 
 and prophets." In this age of wondrous diversity 
 people sometimes band together for purposes of wor- 
 ship and religious culture, without having any refer- 
 ence to the teaching of Scripture in framing their ar- 
 ticles of agreement. Some go further, and have no 
 regard for the authority of Scripture in the doctrines 
 taught. We are sometimes told that the creed of 
 the church of the future will be based upon the re- 
 searches of science. I am not unfriendly to science, 
 nor in the slightest degree opposed to accepting all 
 the light it can furnish. But if you insist upon 
 making the results of its discoveries the substance of 
 all I shall teach to perishing men, I must be allowed 
 to thrust in at least this objection, that the whole 
 framework and constitution of nature, with which 
 science deals, belongs to an earlier period than the 
 fall of man, and it is, therefore, not to be expected 
 that we will find anywhere in that generation a rem- 
 edy for a disease which not only belongs to a later 
 formation, but was imported from a clime to which 
 the researches of science have no access. It was the 
 entrance of sin that made an after revelation a neces- 
 sity. This revelation, therefore, is the Gilead in 
 which alone we can find the needed balm, and it is 
 
44 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 only from the lips of its many inhabitants we need 
 hope to hear of the true Physician. 
 
 A church must not only be based upon Scripture, 
 but upon the whole teaching of Scripture. In this 
 cold world a house that is set up on a few pillars, so 
 that the winds can blov/ and the snow and ice collect 
 underneath it, is apt to be chilly and cheerless. The 
 neighbors will seldom care to drop in and spend an 
 evening with its occupants. There is something 
 analogous in the life of a church which has for its 
 foundation only a few separate scripture doctrines, to 
 the neglect of the great breadth and fullness of the 
 teaching of the Bible. If I rejoice in having but a 
 iQ\N prominent truths as the pillars that support my 
 church's creed, and neglect to fill up the spaces be- 
 between these pillars with every word that has pro- 
 ceeded out of the mouth of God, words of counsel 
 and comfort and cheer, tlien the atmosphere of my 
 church may suit me, but to my neighbor, of opposite 
 temperament and different education and experience, 
 my church will be comfortless. And if my neighbor 
 sets up his church upon a few other skillfully con- 
 trived doctrines, which he regards as the essential 
 supports of religious life, to the neglect of the other 
 parts of Scripture, then, while his church may fairly 
 suit his convenience, it will not be the place for me 
 And so it comes to pass that for want of a sufficiency 
 
'■^Old First Church" in Columbus. 45 
 
 of scripture truth in all its variety underlying the Hfe 
 of the different denominational organizations, the 
 representatives of these separate organizations are 
 often not as neighborly as they should be. Let the 
 whole Word of God be made the basis of every 
 church's Hfe, and then Baptist and Episcopahan, 
 Methodist and Presbyterian, will often be found sit- 
 ting by one another's nresides, enjoying the comforts 
 of each other's homes. But while a church must 
 have the whole of scripture truth as its basis, the 
 truth must not be thrown loosely beneath it, but 
 must be wisely gathered and compacted together. 
 In other words, tlie church must rest upon a system 
 of truth, and must be built up according to definite 
 principles laid down in that system. 
 
 You ask a man what the basis of his religious behef 
 is, and he answers, "'The Bible." You ask again, 
 " But what are the fundamental truths in your creed?" 
 If he answers, " I have no creed ; the whole Bible is 
 my creed," you begin to suspect that he has no 
 definite religious behef; he is of the Anti-Church 
 party. The words which enter into the formation of 
 an elegant literary style are all in the dictionary; but 
 if you ask a man whose style he most admires, Ma- 
 caulay's, or Johnson's, or Addison's, or whose, and 
 he tells you he admires Webster's Unabridged Dic- 
 tionary most, what will you think ? The forest con- 
 
46 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 tains all the materials needed in the building of a 
 dwelling; but if you ask a man what kind of a dwell- 
 ing he prefers, and he says he prefers to Hve in the 
 woods, you conclude that he is either a savage or 
 insane. The Bible is a great forest. In it are trees 
 of all kinds, and the leaves of every one of them are 
 for the healing of the nations. In it are all kinds of 
 fragrant flowers, so that the smell thereof is as Leb- 
 anon. In it also are rocky steeps, and even wastes and 
 solitary places, which have their use. And while it is 
 true that one may find a degree of temporary shelter 
 and much passing enjoyment by resorting to this vast 
 thicket, yet, if he would find in it a home and a per- 
 manent resting-place for his soul, he must take the 
 materials he finds so abundant in it, and therewith 
 build himself a house. And this leads me to note the 
 third thing to be specially attended to in the building 
 of a church. 
 
 THE CHIEF CORNER STONE. 
 
 The corner of a building is the most important 
 point to be guarded in laying the foundation. It 
 is the point at which there is the greatest pres- 
 sure by reason of the meeting of two walls. In 
 every building there are several corners. This is 
 true of the church. Like the great completed temple 
 above, of which an earthly church is but a poor 
 
Old First Church'^ in Colianbiis. 47 
 
 miniature, it lieth four square, and the length is 
 as large as the breadth. It is important that each of 
 the four corners shaU be well supported. Under one 
 we find the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God; 
 under another the doctrine of the personality of the 
 Holy Ghost; under a third the doctrine of man's in- 
 telligence and oiiginal likeness to God ; but when we 
 come to the fourth we find that it is the chief corner. 
 Here the treacherous quicksand of man's sinfulness 
 has been touched. Here the natural foundation is 
 most insecure. 
 
 Yet it is at this corner the only door of entrance is. 
 It is at this corner the Heaven-reaching tower is built, 
 for here we find laid, firm as the everlasting hills, 
 Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages, so that the whole 
 structure stands out against the sky in majestic 
 grandeur and eternal security. And as we gaze in 
 thankful adoration, that Rock which once opened its 
 side and poured forth a stream of blessing to satisfy 
 all thirsty souls, opens its mouth and speaks to us, 
 saying: "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, 
 elect, pi^ecious ; and he that believeth on him shall 
 not be confounded." Jesus Christ is and must al- 
 ways be the Chief Corner Stone. If the life of a 
 church be made to rest on any other — on the doctrine 
 of the culture and development of man's natural 
 powers apart from the atonement made by Jesus for 
 
48 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 human guilt, or on the doctrine of the Fatherly com- 
 passion of God, irrespective of the finished work of 
 His Son, then the house is not securely built. "Other 
 foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
 The next thing to be considered is the rearing of a 
 church, or as it is set forth in the text, its growth — 
 " It groweth." A church is not merely an aggrega- 
 tion of human beings. It is rather an amalgamation. 
 The relation between the members is not simply that 
 which is formed by writing their names on the same 
 communion roll, nor by arranging their persons side 
 by side in the same pew. In tlie church, which is 
 fashioned after the apostolic model, a process of as- 
 similation takes place among the members. As they 
 worship together, they begin to be of the same mind 
 one toward another, and to be of one mind in regard 
 to many things. They learn to love the same kind 
 of spiritual food, and to receive the truth from the 
 lips and heart of the same man. They cease to be 
 one for Paul, another for Apollos, and a third for Ce- 
 phas. They become adjusted to one another and 
 spiritually unified ; or, in the language of our text, 
 "fitly framed together," not as to their social tastes 
 and conditions it may be, and not necessarily in their 
 business relations, but in Christ. It is by being all 
 united to Him, and by all possessing His mind, all 
 
'■^ Old First Church" in Columbus. 49 
 
 marching to His step, and all having a common in- 
 terest in His work and the doing of His will that the 
 unity comes. 
 
 The trouble with many church organizations is that 
 they are not churches. They are only congregations. 
 The members are not bound together so as to form 
 one body. They are only gathered together. The 
 congregation differs from the church as the heap of 
 untrimmed stones differ from the completed wall. A 
 congregation does not groiv. It only increases in 
 size by the adding of new members, as the stone 
 heap increases by the addition of new stones. The 
 moment the idea of growth enters by the members 
 being individually trimmed and pohshed beneath the 
 molding hand of God's word — or the moment the mem- 
 bers thus influenced are brought to find and fill the 
 partic'dar places for which the Great Master Builder 
 has designed them, then it ceases to be a congregation, 
 and becomes a church. A large congregation may 
 be gathered in a year, or a month, or perhaps by the 
 mere ringng of the bell, but it may require years be- 
 fore that congregation can be so cemented together 
 that it shall be a church in which " the whole body 
 fitly joined together and comijacted by that which 
 every joint supplieth maketh increase of the body 
 unto the edifying of itself in love." 
 
 The A/j/thing we shall consider concerning the prop- 
 
50 Eight Decades m the Life of the 
 
 erly organized church is the general direction and effect 
 Oi" its growth. The growth of some churches is inward 
 rather than upward. The object of their growth seems 
 to center upon themselves as material organizations. 
 The best part of their energy is expended in the ef- 
 fort to live and move and have a respectable being. 
 They strive to have attractive brilliance in the pulpit, 
 attractive beauty in their building, an attractive audi- 
 ence in the pews, and a fair showing in the columns 
 of the pubhshed records of their denomination. The 
 growth of some other churches is outward rather than 
 upward. They have their visiting committees for 
 doing work among the poor at home. They have 
 their Home Mission workers and their Foreign Mis- 
 sion bands, their sewing circles and their social gath- 
 erings, and when these forms of activity are the 
 evidence of real life within they are to be specially 
 commended. But it is possible for a church to ex- 
 pend its energies in all these directions, and still fail 
 to meet the apostolic requirement. In the ideal 
 church the main feature of progress is m the direction 
 of holiness. " It groweth unto an holy temple in the 
 Lord." Every one of its members is builded into it 
 for an habitation of God through the spirit. If the 
 growth of the organization be not in this direction it 
 is not properly a church. It dges not answer the 
 true end. If it does not make those whom it gath- 
 
'■'■Old First Church" in Columbus. 51 
 
 ers into its membership better men and women — 
 more unselfish, more gentle, more loving, more true, 
 more God-like ; if it has not the effect of making 
 those who wait upon its services more Christ-like, 
 it does not deserve tiie name of a church. If it sim- 
 ply furnishes a kind of instruction and entertainment 
 suitable for Sabbath hours, and affords its audiences 
 a convenient channel for the conveyance of their 
 weekly offerings to quarters where they may be 
 needed, it is only a common school with an eleemosy- 
 nary department attached, a lecture association which 
 bestows its charitable ])roceeds upon worthy objects, 
 and has the power of conferring nameless degrees of 
 respectability upon all who attend upon its lecture- 
 ships. 
 
 It is to be feared that many of the churches of this 
 age are not in the regular line of Apostolic succes- 
 sion; not as to their forms and usages, and outward 
 appearance, but in the essentials of their hfe, and in 
 the main direction and effect of all their services. 
 To which order of churches does this church belong? 
 To what class has it belonged in the past, and what 
 will be its record in the future? To many, if not to 
 all of us, these are questions of momentous interest. 
 Most of us who are gathered here to-day have had 
 some share in the moulding of this church's charac" 
 ter, and we have all an account to give of the influ- 
 
52 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 ence we have exerted upon its life. We did not 
 organize it. It is older than we. They that founded it 
 as the Master's workmen have all fallen asleep: We 
 entered upon the work with the foundation laid — the 
 old foundation tried and sure. Have we built upon 
 this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, 
 hay or stubble ? Have we helped to build a church, 
 or have we only helped to add to a congregation ? 
 These questions cannot be answered now, but they 
 will yet be answered, for " Every man's work shall be 
 made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it 
 shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every 
 man's work of what sort it is." 
 
 Dear friends, never has this church been so favora- 
 bly situated for true growth as now. Never were 
 there so many sacred memories and hallowed asso- 
 ciations connected with its life, to bind its members 
 to it and to one another and to Heaven, whither 
 so many of its members have gone. It is by 
 their hearts being touched and tenderly iniiuenced 
 that the members of congregations become mem- 
 bers of churches. Cherish fondly, then, every 
 tie of affection by which God's house may be 
 made dearer to your hearts. Ye do well to revive 
 the memories of the years that are gone. As ye 
 linger over the days that are past, and bygone scenes, 
 whether sad or joyous, are recalled, and the faces of 
 
"Old First Church" in Columbus. 53 
 
 the departed come back to you along the path whither 
 away they went, and you feel that during these me- 
 morial days, as you call the long roll of your venerable 
 church — not the roll you keej) on earth, but the com- 
 plete roll which Godkeejis in Heaven, may the season 
 be to you one of precious blessing. Thankful for all 
 the souls that have been born into the kingdom 
 here ; thankful for all the weary ones that have been 
 refreshed, the mourners that have been comforted, 
 the weak that have been strengthened, the wanderers 
 that have been won back to Godj thankful that to 
 you in God's rich mercy there is still extended the 
 infinite privilege of being both blessed and made a 
 blessing in connection with this dear, dear old church, 
 let your solemn vow be that you will be more devoted 
 to all its interests and more faithful to all its offered 
 privileges than ever in the past. May the strength 
 which was given to the first pastor of this church to 
 fit him for all the duties he was honored during his 
 long life to discharge be graciously given also to its 
 present pastor. May his bow long abide in strength, 
 and may the arms of his hands be made strong by 
 the iiand of the mighty God of Jacob. And th.rough 
 the divine blessing vouchsafed in Pentecostal effusion 
 and outpoured upon office-bearers and ordinary mem- 
 bers and adherents alike, may this church be a true 
 household of the faith, knit together by the bonds of 
 
54 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 intimate spiritual fellowship, so that even to those 
 who are as yet aliens from the commonwealth of 
 Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, 
 your beloved pastor may soon be able to say, as he 
 welcomes them to true fellowship with Christ and 
 His people : "Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers 
 and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and 
 of the household of God. And are built upon the 
 foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ 
 Himself being the chief corner stone ; in whom all the 
 building, fitly framed together groweth unto an holy 
 temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded 
 together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." 
 
 SUNDAY SERVICES. 
 
 On Sabbath evening a congregation that filled the 
 house to overflowing gathered at the union service of 
 the First Church and her daughters. Following is 
 the order of service : 
 
 Singing ; by the Sabbath School and Choir. 
 
 Anthem. 
 
 Scripture Lessofi. 
 
 XXVIIth Psalm; Rev. R. D. Colmery. 
 
 Singing ; by the Sabbath School and Choir. 
 
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN- CHURCH ERECTED IN COLUMBUS, SPRING STREET, NEAR THIRP. 
 
'■'■ Old First Church'' in Cohiinbiis. 55 
 
 Prayer ; Rev. Robert J. Laidlaiv. 
 
 Singing ; bv the Sabbath School. 
 
 Address: ''The Faith of the Founders;'" Rev. 
 Wm. E. Moore, D. D. 
 
 Address: "-The Bequest of the Eightieth Year to 
 the One Hundredth;'' Rev. Nathan S. Smith, D. D. 
 
 Singing ; by the Sabbath School. 
 
 Address: "-The Obligatiofis of Our Heritage;" 
 Rev. D. R. Colmery. 
 
 Address: ''A Former Pastor's Greeting;" Rev. 
 Robert J. Laidlaiv. 
 
 Singing; by the Sabbath School and Choir. 
 
 Prayer ; by the Pastor. 
 
 Doxology. 
 
 Benediction ; Rev. Dr. Moore. 
 
 A large chorus from the Sunday School had care- 
 fully prepared most delightful and devotional music, 
 appropriate to the occasion. 
 
 THE FAITH OF TH75 FOUNDERS. 
 
 REV. WM. E. MOORE, D. D. 
 
 I am requested to speak of "The Faith of the 
 Founders." The topic is a fruitful one, and might 
 
66 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 lead us out in many directions. But we affirm of 
 them — 
 
 I. That they had faith in God. That they were not 
 unbelievers. The storm of French infideUty which 
 swept over the land after their bloody Revolution 
 had spent its force. The revivals of 1800 and 
 subsequent jears were most fruitful in Pennsyl- 
 vania, Virginia and Kentucky, whence most of the 
 founders came. They believed in God. They be- 
 lieved in the Bible as His Word, the only infaUible 
 rule of faith and practice. They believed in that 
 Word as sufficient to guide and control human con- 
 duct; to correct the abuses of man's Hberty; to build 
 the fabric of society securely by freedom under law. 
 They did not believe in the union of Church and State. 
 But they did not believe in the possibility of a State, 
 stable, secure and free, without the saving influences 
 which are excited by the Church. They shewed their 
 faith by their works. They put the Church at the 
 foundation of the commonwealth which they came to 
 found. They built the House of God humble and 
 plain, side by side with the cabins in which they shel- 
 tered their families Many of them were men who 
 professed their faith and united with the httle church 
 in the wilderness. 
 
 II. Of the various forms of doctrine which pre- 
 vailed then as they prevail now, they believed in that 
 
"(9/;/ First Church" in Columbus. 57 
 
 which bears the common name of Calvinism, which 
 was taught by Paul and Augustine. They had 
 learned it from the Westminster confession of 
 faith, and from its catechisms. Its strong, clear 
 statements commended themselves to their reason, 
 their conscience and their experience. They believed 
 in the eternal purposes of God, as expressed in His de- 
 crees, and as consummated through the free agency 
 of men. They were sure that what God purposes 
 will come to pass, and they were sure that his pur- 
 poses contemplate the ultimate reign of peace and 
 righteousness through His gospel preached, believed 
 and obeyed. They recognized Christ as the only Lord 
 of the conscience, and the Holy Spirit as the only and 
 all sufficient interpreter to them of His word. With 
 such faith in the Triune God, they allowed no man 
 — pope, prelate, priest or preacher — to stand between 
 them and the throne of infinite wisdom, grace and 
 love. They feared God with holy reverence, and 
 because they feared him they feared no man. 
 
 Such faith may have made them too self-asserting, 
 too independent for the times of partial knowledge, 
 and imperfect development of Christian character. 
 But they were honest and sincere. We do not can- 
 onize them, but we gratefully recognize the strong 
 meat of their doctrine in the works which "do fol- 
 low them," now that they "rest from their labors." 
 
58 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 III. Of the forms of church government under 
 which tlie visible church exists, " the faith of the 
 founders " was in that which is known as Presbyterian- 
 ism. Monarchy, whether of Pope or Prelate, they 
 rejected as the usurpation of the prerogatives of the 
 One Lord Jesus. Democracy — the rule of the casual 
 majority, controlled by no fundamental law, reviewed 
 by no superior and impartial judicatory — was, to their 
 mind, equally subversive of the authority of the church's 
 only Head. The church visible, in their view — they 
 drew their view from the Bible — is, as to its polity, a 
 democratic republic, ruled, under its Lord and Head, 
 by an Eldership, chosen by its members without re- 
 gard to age or sex, charged with the administration of 
 the ordinances and the discipline of the body, subject 
 to the review and control of Presbytery, Synod and 
 General Assembly, themselves bound in their judg- 
 ments by the Word of God and the constitution of 
 the church. A form of government, simple, scrip- 
 tural and most wisely adapted to secure the utmost 
 possible Hberty of the individual that is compatible 
 with subjection to law and order; at the same time 
 most efficient in combining its units, whether churches 
 or individuals, in one powerful and efficient host. 
 
 Their faith showed itself by their works. They 
 drew from their doctrine and their pohty practical 
 inferences which are reahzed in our day in the free 
 
''Old First Church" in Columbus. 59 
 
 commonwealth, in the system of common education, 
 and in the magnificent charities which are the pride 
 and glory of the State. 
 
 " Whose faith follow, considering the end of their 
 conversation, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and 
 to-day, and forever." 
 
 THE OBLIGATIONS OF OUK HERITAGE. 
 REV. R. D. COLMERY, PASTOR HOGE CHURCH. 
 
 I have been introduced to represent the youngest 
 daughter in this family reunion. And I wish in the 
 very outset to correct a misapprehension that may 
 arise in the minds of some, growing out of this pecu- 
 har relation which we sustain to the household. You 
 all know it is a very common thing to regard the 
 youngest as the spoiled child in the family. But we 
 would fain hope that there is no spoiled child in this 
 household. And if so, it is alike creditable to the 
 mother and all her daughters. Indeed, we feel rather 
 inclined to congratulate ourselves that we are entitled 
 to the distinction of the favorite child, because 
 of the tender sympathies that cluster around 
 the helplessness of youth, for we are yet in our 
 teens, and because we bear the paternal name. 
 
60 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 We are happy in the assurance that we have 
 not only enjoyed the confidence and affection of our 
 older sisters, but also the tender love and care of our 
 common mother. We have reasons for hearty con- 
 gratulations among ourselves that we, the children, 
 assembled in family reunion under the maternal roof 
 to-night, are possessed of all the elements essential 
 to constitute a prosperous and happy family. Truly, 
 in view of all the benefits secured to us by our godly 
 progenitors, who laid the foundations of our Zion in 
 the wilderness, we can take up the refrain which was 
 sung long, long ago, " The lines are fallen unto us in 
 pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage." 
 
 It is a well recognized principle among us, based 
 upon the Divine Word, that where distinguished 
 favors have been conferred, or a rich inheritance 
 bequeathed, there are corresponding responsibili- 
 ties and obligations imposed. For instance, if 
 some one should present me witli a hundred thou- 
 sand dollars, it would lay on me a weighty responsi- 
 bility as the beneficiary and custodian of such a fund. 
 Whether it would prove a blessing or a curse to me 
 would depend upon whether I used it for the glory of 
 God, or for my own personal and selfish gratification. 
 Children are held responsible, and justly so, for the 
 proper use of the pecuniary bequests of their parents. 
 And so we are accustomed to hold the children of 
 
'''•Old First Church'' iti Columbus. 61 
 
 Christian parents to a stricter accountability than the 
 children who have never been blessed with a godly 
 parentage. And the same rule applies to nations, 
 Christian and heathen. Indeed, the rule is of uni- 
 versal application, for " Unto whomsoever much is 
 given, of him shall be much required." And, "Freely 
 ye have received, freely give." Under the inspira- 
 tion of this Divine law we ought to estimate the obli- 
 gations of our heritage. And what a heritage it is 
 that has been bequeathed to us ! The institutions of 
 the Gospel — the church for which the Savior died, 
 and the channel through which inestimable blessings 
 flow down to us— the church, that grandest of all 
 institutions — which God has organized for the conver- 
 sion of the world. Such a bequest from our pioneer 
 ancestry is worth more to us than millions upon mill- 
 ions of gold. This heritage which they have be- 
 queathed lays on us great responsibilities. In their 
 day of pioneer life they could only do the work of 
 the pioneer. With the greatly increased facilities at 
 our command we should now be sowing and reaping 
 abundant harvests. If it belonged to them to lay the 
 foundation of God's Temple, which they did in faith 
 and prayers and tears, it now devolves on us to build 
 a grand and beautiful superstructure. If they intro- 
 duced the leaven of Christianity, we must diffuse it. 
 We must lengthen the cords and strengthen the 
 
62 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 stakes of our Zion, so as to keep pace with the 
 growth of our city. This should be our special home 
 mission work. But, more than this, our vision must 
 reach to the circumference of our own country, and 
 away beyond the seas ; and wherever we see a brother 
 who has never heard of the glad tidings that have 
 been handed down to us, to him we must stretch out 
 the hand of beneficence, and send him the message 
 of mercy. And thus, from this city as a Christian 
 centre, must go forth, to the very extremities of the 
 earth, an influence that will bless and save oar 
 fellow-men. Here is a work in which pastors and 
 elders and members should all unite. 
 
 Let us, my friends, not prove ourselves unworthy 
 of the invaluable bequest of our forefathers by our 
 failure to recognize the obligations of our heritage. 
 But, trusting in the God of our fathers to help us in 
 rearing the superstructure, as He helped them in 
 laying the foundation, let us unitedly prosecute our 
 work with untiring diligence, till we are called to lay 
 down our work and take uu the crown. 
 
'■^Old First C/iurch" in Columbns. 63 
 
 A FORMER PASTORS GREETING. 
 
 BY REV. ROBERT J. LAIDLAW. 
 
 As I have been kindly introduced as a former 
 pastor of the church, I will take the liberty of a 
 friend, and speak freely and without premeditation 
 I feel a deep interest in the prosperity of this church, 
 and in the best welfare of the city that has grown up 
 around it. Nearly fifteen years ago I came to make 
 this city my home. On the 22d of September, 1871, 
 I was ordained to the office of the ministry by the 
 lajing on of the hands of the Presbytery of Columbus 
 in this sacred place — a place that will always be pe- 
 culiarly dear to me. Just fourteen years ago to-day 
 it was my happiness to lead my wife into this church, 
 a young bride. We began our home hfe among you, 
 and during the four years of our stay formed attach- 
 ments so strong that our hearts still turn toward 
 Columbus, Ohio, more fondly than toward any other 
 place. 
 
 If I now speak in a paternal sort of way, and say 
 any word that may seem like a word of needless ad- 
 monition, you will kindly charge it to the account of 
 the pastoral feehng I still cherish toward you. Fob 
 
64 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 lowing in the line of the remarks just made by Dr. 
 Smith, and knowing the earnest desire that is in the 
 heart of every one of the Presbyterian pastors of the 
 city, I would propose the question : Has the growth 
 of Presbyterianism in Columbus during the past ten 
 or fifteen years kept pace with the rapid growth of 
 this flourishing city? Some twelve or thirteen years 
 ago there were four Presbyterian churches here, with 
 an aggregate membership of somewhat less than one 
 thousand communicants. The whole population of 
 the city was then not more than forty thousand. 
 Now the city's population has grown to seventy or 
 seventy-five thousand, and there are still the same 
 four churches, with two missions recently begun, and 
 with a total membership of a little more than one 
 thousand. The pastors of these churches hope to 
 see Presbyterianism making more rapid strides in the 
 immediate future, and are extending their plans and 
 church operations so as to have their hopes realized. 
 But they cannot accomplish this work alone. The re- 
 sult will depend upon the co-operation of the people 
 of their respective charges. Let me provoke you to 
 good works by speaking a little of my own city. For 
 the past eight years I have been the pastor of St. 
 Paul's Presbyterian Church, in the city of Hamilton, 
 Canada, a city which during these years has grown 
 only from thirty-one thousand to forty thousand 
 
'■'^ Old First Church'" in Columbus. 65 
 
 inhabitants. During these eight years two new Pres- 
 byterian churches have been organized, and the 
 membership of one of the others has more than dou- 
 bled. In that city of only forty thousand inhabitants 
 there are seven Presbyterian churclies, with an aggre- 
 gate membership of two thousand eight hundred 
 (2,800) communicants. There are, besides, eight 
 Methodist churches, several of which are large ; seven 
 Episcopal churches, of like size and strength ; one or 
 two Baptist churches, with two or three missions; 
 a Congregational church, with one mission ; two large 
 Roman Catholic churches ; a Jewish synagogue — and, 
 in short, all the religious denominations are fully 
 represented. If you ask me how it is that there are 
 so many flourishing churches in that city, I need only 
 say it is because there are many. Religion is conta- 
 gious. Churches are mutually helpful. Like trees in 
 the forest, they draw each other heavenward. Plant 
 one church in a city, and it will not have influence 
 enough to advertise itself and its work so as to com- 
 mand the support of the community. Plant another, 
 and church life and work will be more spoken of, and, 
 therefore, better advertised, to say nothing of more 
 important spiritual results. But still there may be 
 need for another, and another, and another, up to the 
 limit that is reached when the whole population has 
 been overtaken. Six Presbyterian churches in this 
 
66 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 city should flourish better than four, and perhaps 
 eight better than six. There are beautiful new streets 
 and avenues, with no Presbyterian church or Sunday 
 school within easy reach. Already you have recog- 
 nized the fact that this state of things must be rem- 
 edied. ■ I have said that this edifice is very sacred to 
 me. Yet if it were necessary that this dear old church 
 should be removed, to be within more convenient 
 reach of the new homes of the great majority of its 
 members, while I could not but regret to see it pass 
 away, who would allow any sentiment of attachment 
 to either the building or its site to stand in the w\ay of 
 the advancement of Christ's Kingdom ! But it may, 
 perhaps, not be necessary to have this church re- 
 moved. Let the congregation divide, amicably and 
 on equitable terms, so that those going out would 
 take with them the blessing of the mother church, 
 and while the new organization would soon grow 
 strong, sacred associations would help to gather new 
 members to the old church to take the places of those 
 who had gone. This we have seen take place elsewhere, 
 and why not here ? But I have confidence in your 
 wisdom and zeal, and know that this question will 
 receive the attention it demands, and will be answered 
 in the way that will best serve the interests of Presby- 
 terianism, and of rehgion in general in this large and 
 prosperous city. Should we be permitted to meet 
 
" Old First Church " in Columbus. 67 
 
 again in coming years, I trust it may be to look back 
 with devout gratitude to this memorial day, bearing 
 our testimony that it was the day on which a fresh 
 impulse was given to the progress of the Presbyterian 
 cause in this city, resulting in the planting of new 
 churches, or of old churches in new fields, where 
 their growth will be vastly greater and more gratifying 
 than could be possible under the continuance of pres- 
 ent circumstances. 
 
 I have made these remarks unsolicited by any of 
 my brethren, and without their knowledge of my in- 
 tention to speak as I have spoken, for I have spoken 
 without premeditation, using the liberty of a friend in 
 remembrance of your kindness tome in the first years 
 of my ministry, and the kindness of your pastor in 
 urging me to come to rejoice with you on this inter- 
 estinsr memorial occasion. 
 
68 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 MONDAY SERVICES. 
 
 Again Monday evening a goodly congregation joined 
 in the commemoration services of the occasion. 
 
 The pastor spoke of the lessons of the hour, and 
 the many reasons for thanksgiving and gratitude this 
 congregation had; and especially that eighty years 
 ago the Lord had His servant, James Hoge, to organ- 
 ize a church in the wilderness, and plant the vine 
 which had borne in the past, and was continuing to 
 bear, such abundant fruit. 
 
 The following hymn, used in the service thirty years 
 ago by the congregation which assembled to celebrate 
 the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the 
 church, was read by the pastor, and sung : 
 
 [From bternhold & Hopkins' Collection (1609). Tune: 
 " Coionation.''j 
 
 Attend je people, heare and learne, 
 
 E'en of our fathers old. 
 And which for our instruction 
 
 Our fathers have us told, 
 
 That thev and their posteritie 
 
 That were not sprunc^ up tho' 
 Should have the knowledge of the lawe, 
 
 And teach their seede also — 
 
"(9A/ First Church" in Columbus. 69 
 
 That they may have the better hope 
 
 In God that is above, 
 And not forget to keep His lawes, 
 
 And His precepts in love. 
 
 Friends and pastors of neighboring churches were 
 present with their greetings. Rev. Drs. Trimble, 
 Gladden, Mullenix, Craft, and Rev. Mr. Aylesworth 
 and Laidlaw, took part in the service. 
 
 After prayer, and singing the hymn, 
 
 " Oh, God of Bethel, by whose hand 
 Thy people still are led, 
 Who through this weary pilgrimage 
 Our fathers all were led," 
 
 Rev. Joseph M. Trimble, D. D., the Nestor of 
 Methodism among us, was introduced, and responded 
 in these words : 
 
 Afy Dear Friends of the First Presbyterian Church : 
 I am glad to be with you to-night to share with 
 you the pleasure of your eightieth anniversary greet- 
 ings. I have known something of your history, 
 especially of the ministers who have served you in 
 the Lord. It was my privilege to know the venera- 
 ble Dr. James Hoge, the founder of the church, who 
 served it so long and so well. I heard my Grandma 
 Trimble speak of entertaining him in her log cabin 
 before I was born. I met him first in Hillsborough, 
 on a visit to his brother, the Rev. Samuel D. Hoge, 
 
70 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 the pastor of the Presbyterian Church of that village. 
 I met him afterward when a student in the Ohio 
 University. He was a trustee of the University from 
 1823 to 1852. 
 
 I was stationed in Columbus for two years, from 
 September, 1840, to 1842, where I was privileged to 
 renew my acquaintance with the venerable Dr. 
 Hoge, and share his friendship and fellowship. I 
 returned to this city in September, 1860, and had 
 the opportunity of renewing our adquaintanceship. 
 He was a man I highly prized for his many virtues, 
 his useful life and his moral influence upon society. 
 The extent of his usefulness will not be known in 
 this world. The future world will alone reveal it. 
 I was privileged to attend the services held in this 
 church, where his many friends and admirers were 
 gathered to pay their last loving tribute to his worth, 
 and to participate in the services. I have known all 
 the minister save one (Rev. Hall), that have served 
 you as pastors, and have been privileged on several 
 occasions to fill your pulpit. Why may I not join 
 you in the services of this interesting occasion, 
 bringing to you the fraternal greetings of the church 
 of my fellowship ? 
 
 May the Great Head of the Church grant you so 
 abundantly of His grace that your future prosperity 
 may be even more abundant than your past. 
 
^'^ Old First Church'^ in Columbus. 71 
 
 Dr. Gladden brought the greetings of the Congre- 
 gational brethren. 
 
 Rev. N. A. Craft, D. D., spoke for Wesley Chapel 
 in an eloquent and friendly speech. 
 
 The pastor contrasted the Ohio of 1806 and the 
 Ohio of 1886 in the elements of civilization, the 
 energy of modern thought, the progress of ideas, the 
 wealth of invention. He gave reminiscences gleaned 
 from Mrs. Isabella Hunter, the oldest living member 
 of the church, and read the following letters and 
 telegrams : 
 
 The University of Wooster. ) 
 WoosTER, O., Feb. 4, 1886. j 
 
 To the Rev. Francis E. Marsten : 
 
 Dear Sir and Brother: Thank God that it was 
 not written of the church: "And if by reason of 
 strength they be fourscore years., yet is their strength 
 labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly 
 away;" but rather: " Thy days shall be /w/^ in the 
 land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," and " thy 
 sun shall fiever go down !" Thank God that the 
 church by which the generations live in Christ, lives 
 after them and for the " generations yet to come," to 
 show unto them as they come, " the praises of the 
 Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works 
 that he hath done." Psalm Ixxviii. 
 
 Allow me to congratulate the church not only 
 
72 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 upon the fulfillment of God's promises, but upon its 
 own fulfillment of their conditions. Among these 
 varied activities it is fitting that I should signalize the 
 effective interest now being taken by the church in 
 the completion of a memorial to its own venerable 
 founder, in connection with an institution of which 
 he may be called the father. I return to the 
 assembled congregation the hearty acknowledgments 
 of those specially charged with the duty of pressing 
 that enterprise to a successful conclusion, and ven- 
 ture to ask that somewhere among the sentiments 
 which refer to the church he loved, and as indicat- 
 ing its pride in his wisdom and foresight, one may be 
 proposed signalizing his influence in planting the 
 Synpdical University he so faithfully cherished. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Sylvester F. Scovel. 
 
 Richmond, Va., Feb. 8, 1886. 
 
 Rev. Francis E. Marsten : 
 
 My heart is with you in this service. I wish I 
 
 could be with you in person. 
 
 Moses D. Hoge. 
 
 110 East Nineteenth St., 'J 
 New York, Feb. 5, 1886. J 
 
 My Dear Bro. Marsten : I should like to be 
 
'■'•Old First Church'" in Columbus. 73 
 
 with you on Monday next and Tuesday, to join in 
 your commemoration. May God abundantly bless 
 the First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, and 
 you, its pastor. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Howard Ckosby. 
 
 First Cong. Ch. Parsonage, \ 
 
 NoRWALK, Conn, Feb. 5, 1886.]" 
 
 My Dear Marsten : I am just in receipt of 
 your spiritually appetizing menu for the 8th inst. at 
 the First Presbyterian Church, and would be glad to 
 share in the feast of such fat things as I know you 
 and your people will prepare. I am glad that "if by 
 reason of strength you are fourscore years, your 
 strength is not labor and sorrow," but that peace and 
 prosperity attends the rejuvenation which you so 
 richly have secured to the church. 
 
 I do not forget that I had a voice in the advent of 
 the successful pastor, nor the many courtesies so ever 
 received by me at your church ; so I do not cease to 
 plead for you and your church the crowning blessing 
 of our Lord in the great benediction. 
 
 Though I am speaking from a congregational par- 
 sonage, yet I find that my heart reaches out to the 
 Presbyterian Church, which I served, with such hap- 
 piness to myself, with a warm and loyal affection, and 
 
74 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 no less because it numbers in its ministry so valued a 
 friend and brother, my love for whom is so shared by 
 the venerable church that now celebrates its eighth 
 decade. 
 
 Hoping to see you again during this coming sum- 
 mer, and with hearty love to the family, as ever, your 
 
 sincere friend, 
 
 Edward Anderson. 
 
 Congregational House, 
 
 1 Somerset St., 
 Boston, Feb. 5, 1886. 
 
 Rev. Francis E. Marsten, Columbus, Ohio : 
 
 Dear Brother : I have this morning received a 
 programme of the exercises connected with the eight- 
 ieth anniversary of the organization of the First Pres- 
 byterian Church, Columbus, Ohio. It would give me 
 very great pleasure to attend that anniversary, in view 
 of my interest in the pastor and his family. The exer- 
 cises themselves will not be lacking in interest. But 
 it is rather a long journey for one to take at this sea- 
 son of the year, and this difficulty of locomotion, this 
 confinement of our spirits in temples of clay that are 
 not easily transferred from one point to another, 
 stands in the way of many of our greatest enjoyments. 
 Bye and bye we shall not be so hindered, and may 
 have ample time and opportunity to consider at length 
 
'■'■Old First Church" hi Columbus. 75 
 
 all such occasions and the great interests connected 
 with them. 
 
 Grateful for your kindly remembrance, and with 
 best wishes for the happiness of yourself and house- 
 hold, and ever growing influences and power in your 
 
 church. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 N. G. Clark. 
 
 REmiNISCENCSS OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 
 CHURCH. 
 
 BV MRS. REBECCA L. AWL. 
 
 My father, John Loughry, came to Ohio in 1816, 
 with a view of locating in its capital. Finding a Pres- 
 byterian Church organized in Franklinton, with a 
 pleasing young pastor, Mr. James Hoge, he concluded 
 to make Columbus his home. 
 
 In the fall of 1817, he brought out his family from 
 Indiana, Pa. I was then eight years of age. Our 
 residence was on High street, between Friend and 
 Mound streets. I remember, the following spring, I 
 walked to Frankhnton, a distance of a mile and a 
 half, to attend "meeting" in a brick house built by 
 Mr. Lucas SuUivant. 
 
 Our first church building on this side of the river 
 was erected in 1818, on Front street. The entire 
 
76 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 structure, support and furniture, were of walnut, the 
 only timber to be obtained then in these parts. 
 Father superintended the construction, and was one 
 of the ten men who subscribed one hundred dollars 
 each for that purpose, and it was a big sum for that 
 period. Soon after its completion, my school teacher. 
 Miss Reed, a New England lady, who taught us in an 
 upper room of a relative's dwelling, on Friend street, 
 suggested there should be a Sunday school connected 
 with the church. She consulted with several ladies, 
 my mother one of the number, and obtaining their 
 hearty co-operation, she advised them to solicit dona- 
 tions from the merchants and young men in business. 
 Here we note the antiquity of the utnveicotue mode of 
 raising funds for the church and charitable objects, 
 which everyone avoids. Money being scarce, a book- 
 seller, Mr. Kilbourne, offered red-covered pocket Bibles 
 in exchange for colored maps that were in demand 
 in the State. Several of my companions and myself 
 painted enough to become possessors of the whole 
 Bible, the Sunday school affording only Testaments, 
 and Bibles were considered great prizes. Small tracts 
 were given us for learning verses for each Sunday. 
 Mrs. Andrew Backus, mother of Mrs. McElvaine, of 
 this church, was my first Sunday school teacher, and, 
 as long as she lived was a faithful friend who never 
 forgot her pupils. 
 
SECOND CHURCH ERECTED IN COLUMBUS, "OLD TRINITY IX UNITY. 
 
'■'■ Old First Church" in Columbus. 11 
 
 I recall an event that caused great excitement in 
 our little community about 1819 or 1820 A young 
 man named Amos Rathbone was drowned in the 
 Scioto river. His relatives were Methodists, and they 
 had but a small house of worship. Our church — 
 " three in one," as it was called, on account of the 
 spacious audience room, under three pointed roofs — 
 offered their building to them for the funeral services. 
 The house and surrounding grounds were crowded 
 with sympathizing friends and curious strangers. 
 
 I united with the Presbyterian Church in 1829, in 
 Danville, Ky., while attending Dr. Birch's Female 
 Seminary. Elizabeth Hoge, afterwards Mrs. Dr. Noll, 
 of Mobile, Ala., united at the same time. Shortly 
 after this I was married, and went to Somerset, Ohio. 
 Remained there till 1833, when Dr. Awl concluded 
 to move to Columbus. We brought our "letters" to 
 the church of my girlhood. It had changed its loca- 
 tion to the present site, and was increased in propor- 
 tions and in membership. The walnut benches and 
 pillars of the Front street building were transferred to 
 the basement for the use of the Sunday school, and 
 subsequently two of the posts were given to my hus- 
 band, who used them to support a grape arbor, and 
 they stand in that place yet, and bid fair to celebrate 
 their cente?mial of durability. 
 
 Except one year's sojourn in Dayton, my connec- 
 
78 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 tion has been with this dear old church since 1833, 
 and I rejoice to celebrate this eightieth anniversary 
 with young and old, surprised to find I am the only 
 surviving member of the congregation of 1817, and 
 thank our Heavenly Father, who has blessed me in 
 seeing its growth, prosperity and usefulness, and trust 
 He will bless us and future generations as in years 
 past, and many through it may find the way to ever- 
 lasting peace and joy. 
 
 Rebecca L. Awl. 
 February 8, 1886. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 
 
 BY MISS KATIE GARDNER. 
 
 It is greatly to be regretted that the records of the 
 Sabbath school of this church have not been pre- 
 served. 
 
 For this reason we can not vouch for the perfect 
 correctness of dates and statistics. In the absence of 
 these, we have been obhged to depend upon the mem- 
 ory of a few of the elder members of the church. 
 
 About as early as the year 1810, Dr. Hoge gathered 
 and taught the children of the vicinity in his own 
 house, getting such assistance as he could. But with 
 this effort his brethren found fault, because he per- 
 
'■'^ Old First Church" in Columbus. 79 
 
 sisted in devoting a part of the time to teaching them 
 to read and spell. There being no public schools at 
 that time, and very few educational opportunities for 
 the poor, the young pastor very wisely proposed to 
 use a portion of the time to so doing. This his breth- 
 ren thought too secular for the Lord's day, and his 
 efforts were finally abandoned. 
 
 About the year 1818, the regular church school, 
 which still exists, was formally organized, with a care- 
 fully prepared constitution and by-laws, similar to the 
 one still in use by the school. Its founder was a 
 woman, Miss Sarah Reed, tlie teacher of the select 
 day school of the then small town. It is very evident, 
 from subsequent results, that the mantle of this hum- 
 ble servant of the Lord fell upon her sisters in the 
 church, for it is a significant fact that in all succeed- 
 ing years this school has been faithfully served and 
 nourished by earnest Christian women, and we think 
 the record from that day to the present will show a 
 predominance of them as workers there over those of 
 their brethren. 
 
 A complete list of the Superintendents who were 
 the successors of Miss Reed has not been kept, but 
 we are able to recall the honored names of Mr. Henry 
 Jewett, Mr. Peter Campbell, Mr. Ralph Osborne, Miss 
 Richardson, Rev. Mr. McCutcheon, Mr. Isaac Dalton, 
 Mr. Moses Hoge, Mr. Abial Foster, Mr. Horace F. 
 
80 Eight Decpves in the Lift of eth 
 
 Huntington, Mr. William Blynn, and Mr. Thomas 
 Hoodie. Of these, none are working with us now. 
 
 In 1855, Mr. Alfred Thomas was the successor of 
 Mr. Moodie, and continued to fill the i)lace with great 
 acceptance to the school for eighteen consecutive 
 years. At the end of that time he gave up the posi- 
 tion for that of teacher of a young men's Bible class, 
 at which post he is still enabled to labor. 
 
 In 1874, Mr. C. A. Bowe, who was then Assistant 
 Superintendent, succeeded Mr. Thomas, and held the 
 office one year. He was not only faithful in his duties 
 as Superintendent, and successful for one young and 
 inexperienced, but added greatly to the prosperity and 
 enjoyment of the school by training the voices of the 
 children in hymns of praise, and by personal visits 
 to the sick and the poor, and kindly sympathy with 
 the little ones. 
 
 Mr. Henry C. Noble followed Mr. Bowe, in 1875, 
 and continued to fill the place with great favor until 
 October last, when he yielded to an urgent request to 
 take charge of a Bible class, after a faithful service 
 of ten years. 
 
 Upon his resignation, the school unanimously elected 
 Col. Peabody, who, although a comparative stranger 
 among us, is not a stranger to the interests of the 
 Sabbath school, and has entered heartily into the work 
 here. 
 
ELDER ALFRED THOMAS. 
 
' Old First Church " in Columbus. 81 
 
 The school was first held in a frame house on the 
 bank of the Scioto river, near the corner of Town and 
 Front streets. Of those in the school at that time 
 we find only the names of two scholars — Rebecca 
 Loughery, now Mrs. Dr. Awl, still a serviceable and 
 beloved member of the church, ever active and use- 
 ful, and bearing fruit in old age, and Isabelle Dalzell, 
 now Mrs. Joseph Hunter, who, though once an active 
 Christian worker, has been called aside to the quiet of 
 a sick chamber, where she has still glorified her Master 
 by patient endurance and submissive waiting. 
 
 When our present church edifice was built, in 1830, 
 the basement of the same, then about six feet below 
 the street, was finished for the occupancy of the Sa,b- 
 bath school, and, in contrast with former accommoda- 
 tions, this new room was considered an excellent ex- 
 change, although some present here to-night can well 
 remember the brick floor and the little narrow win- 
 dows, which admitted only a dim light upon the sun- 
 niest day. The doors were painted a dark red, and 
 the seats, which were like huge boxes, being of black 
 walnut, gave the room a most gloomy appearance. 
 Those rude benches, which were in striking contrast 
 with the tasteful little settees of to-day, were the pews 
 *of the former church, and though only suitable for 
 grown-up people, were removed to the new room for the 
 use of the children. They were about eight feet long. 
 
82 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 with straight backs so high that the young heads could 
 not be seen above them, and upon each seat was 
 nailed a square piece of black tin, bearing in bright 
 yellow figures the number of the class. At one end 
 of the room were placed two large, close, sheet-iron 
 stoves, which served the double purpose of warming 
 the basement and the church above. A small cup- 
 board, capable of holding two or three hundred vol- 
 umes, contained the limited hbrary, which consisted, 
 not of pretty stories, with their attractive titles and 
 bright bindings, but generally of exaggerated memoirs 
 of pious children, who came to an early grave, or the 
 hves of reformers and martyrs, and books of like char- 
 acter, the reading of which could never interest or 
 profit a child. These books were invariably bound in 
 dark blue, black or marbled paper bindings, the 
 sombre effect of which was in perfect keeping with 
 the gloomy furniture of the room. 
 
 Next to the great improvement in Sunday school 
 books stands the marked advance in Sunday school 
 music. Although it was always the custom to open 
 the school with singing, the sweet voices of the chil- 
 dren Avere seldom heard, as both the time and words 
 were far beyond their comprehension. Such a thing 
 as a musical instrument never made its appearance 
 in our school until the year 1859, and as our aspira- 
 tions were not extravagant in those days, we were 
 
" Old First Church " in Columbns. 83 
 
 content with a very ordinary melodeon, and second- 
 hand at that. 
 
 We may well date the improvement of both the 
 music and choice of singing-books to the entrance 
 that year of Mr. R. D. Dunbar into the school. The 
 little blue-covered books, about four inches long and 
 one inch thick, without notes, were then exchanged 
 for the sweet, soul-inspiring hymns of the "Oriole," a 
 collection of gems in our use for years, and never 
 surpassed by any of its successors. With Mr. Dun- 
 bar's patience, and perseverance, and kindly manners, 
 he soon practically answered the question, " Who 
 shall sing if not the children — did not Jesus die for 
 them ?" Since his departure to join the choir above, 
 the school has never lacked kind friends, who have 
 patiently taught the cliildren to sing, and have added 
 much to their enjoyment and profit in the duty of 
 praise. 
 
 From time to time, various methods have been 
 adopted to increase the interest and attendance of 
 the school. In 1830, a committee of ladies not con- 
 nected with the school gave themselves to the work 
 of gathering in and looking after the wants of new 
 scholars. In 1859, Rev. Edgar Woods, the pastor of 
 the church, proposed a similar effort, which resulted 
 in great good and large increase of numbers. At an- 
 other time, Mr. Woods offered prizes to be given to 
 
84 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 the scholars who should bring in the largest number 
 in a prescribed time. These were a very handsome 
 copy of the Bible, costing $25, and an elegant copy of 
 the "Pilgrim's Progress," costing $10. This unpre- 
 cedented offer stimulated the school to great exer- 
 tion, and our pastor was rewarded for his generosity 
 in seeing large additions to the school as a result. 
 
 This school has always been very liberal in its 
 contributions. For many years it assumed the entire 
 support of children in heathen lands, some of whom 
 bore the honored names of James Hoge, Horace 
 Huntington, Alfred Thomas, and Catharine Robin- 
 son. 
 
 Each pastor, from the time of Dr. Hoge to the 
 present time, has set apart a special service for the 
 children. Dr. Hoge would sometimes call them 
 together to examine them in regard to their knowl- 
 edge of the shorter catechism, and it was the custom 
 of Rev. J. D. Smith, in 1850, to visit the Sunday 
 school once a month, and converse with each class 
 upon the subject of personal religion. Mr. Woods, 
 Mr. Roberts, and Mr. Marshall, held a monthly con- 
 cert, while Mr. Laidlaw and Mr. Heberton pursued 
 a similar plan quarterly. 
 
 Among those who were connected with the school 
 in its early days, but very few remain. Some are 
 still at work in other fields, whilst others, too infirm 
 
'■^ Old First Church'" in Columbus. 85 
 
 to be actively engaged, are helping with their prayers, 
 and a still greater number rest from their labors, 
 and " their works do follow them." Around each 
 endeared name clusters a sweet savor of Christian 
 remembrance, and "they being dead, yet speak." 
 
 While we may not despise the day of small things, 
 we are justly proud of our convenient and comfort- 
 able chapel, built in 1873, at a cost of $15,000. To 
 no one is more credit due for our present pleasant 
 surroundings than to the late Mrs. Peter Campbell, 
 whose unceasing efforts did more to secure us our 
 present Sabbath home than those of any other mem- 
 ber of the church. 
 
 In this retrospect, no thought furnishes such true 
 satisfaction as the fact that this school, from its very 
 foundation, has been richly blessed in spiritual things, 
 and the church of Christ, both here and elsewhere, 
 has received into her membership some of her most 
 consistent workers from this humble nursery, and in 
 the Sanctuary above, many a redeemed one is sing- 
 ing the praises of Him whose name they first learned 
 to lisp in this school. 
 
 Looking upon the past, we are led to exclaim, 
 "What hath God wrought!" Looking at the present, 
 let us raise a grateful Ebenezer. Looking at the 
 future, let us place as a motto over our dear school 
 tonight, "Except the Lord build the house, they 
 labor in vain that build it." 
 
86 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 EXERCISES ON TUESDAY. 
 
 The social event of the occasion occurred in accord- 
 ance with the following invitation : 
 
 Tuesday, February 9. 
 
 Reunion of Members, Past and Present, at 6.-30 
 p. m. in the Chapel. 
 
 Collation. 
 
 Singing Fatwrite Old Hymns. 
 
 A Character Sketch. 
 
 Reading Letters from Absent Members. 
 
 Resp07ises in Behalf of the Daughters of the Church. 
 
 Words frofii Former Pastors — ReiK Drs. Woods., 
 Roberts, Laidla^v atid Lord. 
 
 Bits of LListory. 
 
 Calling the Roll, and Responses. 
 
 The Present and Future Outlook. 
 
 Singing — '■'The Sweet Bye and Bye P 
 
 If not able to be present, please respond by letter or 
 telegram. It is hoped that a large representation of 
 the church will be in attendance to erijoy the fellowship 
 of the occasion. 
 
'"'• Old First Church^^ in Columbus. 87 
 
 Though owing to the great desire of many to be 
 present, the attendance had to be restricted to the 
 members of the congregation and a few invited 
 guests, the spacious parlors of the chapel were 
 thronged with a numerous company. Nearly four 
 hundred sat down to the bountiful tables at one 
 time. The pictures of the church edifices first built 
 in the wilderness, and the six successive changes in 
 the place in which the church had worshiped, elicited 
 intense interest on the part of the younger genera- 
 tion. 
 
 Owing to the taste and skill of the ladies in charge, 
 the most ample and delightful accommodations were 
 afforded to all participants. 
 
 When the large company was seated at the tables, 
 Mr. P. W. Huntington, who presided at the ban- 
 quet, arose and said: 
 
 "The pastor has assigned to me the pleasant duty 
 of presiding here to-night. The occasion is one full 
 of interest to us all, and if some of the memories of 
 the hour are tinged with sadness, they are more ten- 
 der and lasting on that account. It was customary 
 among the founders of this church to invoke the Di- 
 vine blessing on the bounties of the board. We will 
 follow their example in that regard." 
 
 (Invocation by Rev. N. S. Smith.) 
 
88 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 COLLATION. 
 
 "It was also customary among the founders of this 
 church to return thanks, after each meal, for the pro- 
 vision made for their wants. In this, too, we will 
 follow their example." 
 
 (Thanks returned by the pastor.) 
 
 Then the presiding officer proceeded with the in- 
 tellectual feast of the evening in the order as arranged 
 on the programme. 
 
 SKETCH OF AN OLD AND WORTHY CITIZEN. 
 To the Editor of the Ohio State Journal : 
 
 It seems eminently proper that the death of such 
 a man as Isaac Dalton, which occurred at Shreve, O., 
 on the 18th inst., should be noted in the press of the 
 community where for half a century his daily walk in 
 life has been such as to inspire the highest trust and 
 the profoundest respect in the minds of two genera- 
 tions of men. 
 
 Mr. Dalton was born in the villlage of Warner, 
 New Hampshire, in the spring of the year 1801, and 
 was, therefore, at the time of his death, seventy-nine 
 years of age. He received, in his native village, the 
 ordinary New England common school education, 
 and emigrated to this city in 1831, where he at once 
 became connected with the First Presbyterian Church, 
 

 ELDER ISAAC DALTON. 
 
^^ Old First Church'' in Columbus. 89 
 
 under the pastorate of the late Dr. James Hoge. In 
 the spring of 1835, Mr. DaUon was elected an Elder 
 of the First Presbyterian Church, and continued in 
 that office to the time of his death, a period of forty- 
 five years. He held various places of public trust, 
 but it was in work of practical benevolence that he 
 took the greatest interest. During the prevalence of 
 cholera in the years 1849 and 1850, he was appointed 
 by the City Council a member of the special Board 
 of Health. Many of our older citizens can testify to 
 the efficiency and devotion with which he adminis- 
 tered the duties of this office. Under his direction, 
 and by his hand, the sick were tenderly nursed, and 
 the destitute kindly and amply provided for. In 
 1862 he was appointed, by Governor Tod, Superin- 
 tendent of the Home established near the railroad 
 station for the use of soldiers temporarily in the city. 
 Here he was engaged until the close of the war. 
 There are many active business men in this commu- 
 nity who remember with what untiring zeal he pros- 
 ecuted, day and night, the arduous duties of this post, 
 and there are thousands of men, the land over, who 
 recall with gratitude the fatherly care bestowed upon 
 them when sick and distressed by this man, who, 
 while ministering to their bodily comforts, failed not 
 in the higher and nobler work of strengthening their 
 spiritual understanding. The latter years of Mr. Dal- 
 
90 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 ton's life were spent in pleasant travel and in study. 
 He was buried on the lOth inst. from the church in 
 which for so many years he had been an ofhcer. 
 
 Possessed of a retentive memory and a taste for 
 reading, Mr. Dalton accumulated a large library, 
 composed chiefly of books on religious subjects, the 
 careful study of which gave discipline and complete- 
 ness to a mind at all times balanced by plain good 
 sense, and finish to a character of perfect rectitude — 
 a rectitude that seemed to spring not merely from a 
 heart well guarded by conscience, but from an even 
 poise of intellect, which could not incline to tempta- 
 tion or stoop to wrong. The impressions left on this 
 community by his daily walk and conversation will 
 be deep and lasting; but the congregation of the 
 First Presbyterian Church, before whom he passed in 
 and out for more than a generation, suffer a peculiar 
 loss in his death — the loss of his shining example, of 
 his valuable counsel, of his clear and practical exhorta- 
 tions, of his fervent, specific prayers. Such men, 
 whatever their denominational associations, elevate 
 the public morals. Their influence is good, not only 
 in the traces they may leave as teachers, but in the 
 higher respect of the people for Christian character 
 challenged by their conspicuous integrity. 
 
 P. W. H. 
 
 Columbus, February 20, 1880. 
 
'■'■Old First Church" in Columbus. 91 
 
 LETTERS FB.C1VE ABSENT MEMBERS and ERIENDS 
 
 Columbus, Ohio, February 5, 188G. 
 Rev. F. E. Marsten : 
 
 Dear Sir: We regret very much that it is impossi- 
 ble for us to attend any of the evening services, as 
 neither of us have help, and our youngest girl is too 
 small to take out in the evening. Yours truly, 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Walcutt. 
 
 2 Woodland Terrace, ) 
 
 Philadelphia, Feb. 19, 1886.) 
 
 Rev. F. E. Marsten : 
 
 Dear Friend: I hope you and your family are 
 well. I write to say that sister Sarah (I mean my 
 husband's sister, Sarah J. Gill), sends kind remem- 
 brances to yourself and family, and wishes me to say 
 that she united with the First Church the summer of 
 1832. She was an active member of its different 
 societies, and a teacher in the Sabbath school for 
 many years. I reached Columbus the second day of 
 November, 1833, and handed in my letter the first 
 communion after. Very truly, your friend, 
 
 Mary S. Gill 
 
 from one who has been connected with the 
 church for over 50 years. 
 
 816 Broad St., February 8, 1886. 
 My regrets that indisposition prevents me from be- 
 
92 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 ing present at the anniversary services of the First 
 Presbyterian Church. Nothing outside the home 
 could possibly interest me more, as I have been iden- 
 tified with the church for more than half a century, 
 being baptized in infancy by its revered founder. Dr. 
 Hoge, a Sabbath school scholar and teacher for 
 many years. The associations and memories become 
 more and more tender, when I recall the innumerable 
 company that has passed to the other side. Hoping 
 that others have taken their places, and the vacancies 
 permanently revivified, we anticipate for the dear 
 alma mater and "her daughters" a future of progress 
 and usefulness. 
 
 Regretting lost opportunities, and that it cannot be 
 said, " She hath done what she could," I remain. 
 Devotedly, Emily McElvaine. 
 
 Columbus, O., February 5, 1886. 
 Rev. jFrancis E. Marsten. Pastor First Presbyterian 
 
 Church, Colutnbus, Ohio: 
 
 Dear Brother in Christ : I am this day in re- 
 ceipt of the invitation and anniversary program, but 
 am sorry that my health is in such miserable con- 
 dition that it will not admit of my going out at all. 
 Would like ever so much to attend on Sabbath, but 
 can not possibly do so. May God add his blessings 
 to the services, and may much good be done in His 
 
'•'■ Old First Church" in Columbus. 93 
 
 name. Hoping that I may soon be able to meet 
 with you again, I remain yours in Christ, 
 
 Ruth Rightly, 
 304 West Second ave.. City. 
 
 2 Woodland Terrace, Philadelphia. 
 Rev. Dr. Marsten : 
 
 Dear Pastor and Friend: Wishing you and your 
 family all the joys and blessings of the new year, I 
 desire to thank you for notice of the coming 80th an- 
 niversary of our church organization, and for the 
 beautiful lines which accompany and form part of the 
 program. It was a happy thought to celebrate this 
 anniversary. At the age of fifteen, on profession of 
 faith, I united with the First Presbyterian Church, 
 Pittsburg. Rev. Dr. Herron was then pastor of that 
 church. In the autumn of 1833, I had not seen my 
 twentieth year when I handed my letter from Rev. 
 Dr. Herron to the session of the First Presbyterian 
 Church, Columbus, Dr. Hoge, pastor. Well do I 
 remember his Wednesday evening lectures, that 
 autumn, on the letters to the seven churches, which 
 were in Asia. Later lectures and sermons I remem- 
 ber one, on "Signs of the Times;" one to show that 
 the science of geology did not conflict with Divine 
 Revelation. I remember the semi-centennial of this 
 organization, when our revered and beloved pastor. 
 
94 Eight Decades ifi the Lift of the 
 
 Dr. Hoge, was present, and many, many others of 
 our church connection, who have passed over to the 
 other side, and are now rejoicing in their blessed 
 mansions which our dear Savior had prepared for 
 them. Dr. Hoge baptized all our children except 
 two, whose advents were later. He performed the 
 marriage ceremony for our eldest daughter Annie and 
 Dr. Wormley, at six o'clock one bright June morning, 
 when the church was crowded. Tiiough absent these 
 many years, Dr. Hoge still lives and will continue to 
 live in the memory and hearts of many. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Smith and Rev. Dr. Marshall left their 
 impressions for deep piety and strong moral force. 
 We revere and cherish their memory. Rev. Dr. 
 Woods, who I trust will be present on the coming 
 occasion. Rev. Dr. Roberts, Rev. Dr. Laidlaw, Rev. 
 Dr. Lord and Rev. Dr. Bailey, each and all hold warm 
 places in our memory and affections. Do give them 
 hearty greetings for me. I regret much that I must 
 be absent on the anticipated eventful occasion. Tell 
 Dr. Laidlaw I remember well the Spirit's influence on 
 many of his sermons, and of his performing the mar- 
 riage ceremonies for two of our daughters. Tell our 
 beloved Dr. Lord that I remember many of his beau- 
 tiful sermons, and especially those lectures on Daniel, 
 copies of the manuscripts of which are packed away 
 somewhere among my stored belongings. 
 
''Old First Church" in Columbus. 95 
 
 Sister Sarah, our so.i John, and his wife, unite in 
 sending greetings, and kind remembrances to your- 
 self, your family, and to our mutual friends. Last 
 autumn I had been fifty-two years a member of the 
 First Church, and my good husband is just six days 
 younger than the organization of the church. I trust 
 he Avill be with you on the occasion of the re-union, 
 and that you may all have a most enjoyable time. 
 Give my love to Mrs. Marsten and Joseph, and again 
 accept thanks for your remembrance from your friend, 
 
 Mary S. Gill. 
 
 Oak Street, Walnut Hills, February 5, 1886. 
 Rev. Mr. Marsten: 
 
 I regret exceedingly not being able to be in Colum- 
 bus at this very interesting time. Please remember 
 me kindly to my old friends, Mr. Woods, Dr. Roberts 
 and Mr. Laidlaw. The last-named gentleman per- 
 formed the ceremony at my wedding. I would love 
 to see them all and their wives if they are there. 
 Sincerely yours. Agnes G. Jordan. 
 
 Columbus, February 9, 1886. 
 My Bear Mr. Marsten : 
 
 It may be of interest to you to know the origin ot 
 the ladies' festivals or fairs in our church, wliich 
 have been the means of raising money for various 
 
96 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 church purposes, and to which you have so pleasantly 
 alluded during this anniversary occasion. It was in 
 1833 when my mother, Mary S. Gill, came a bride 
 from Braddock's Field Seminary, and thought they 
 ought to have a better accompaniment for the church 
 singing than the viohn, base viol and flute. Amid much 
 opposition from various members of the church, but 
 with encouragement from Dr. Hoge, she induced 
 some of the ladies to assist her in getting up a festival 
 to raise money for the purchase of the organ now in 
 use in the church. She painted exquisitely in water 
 colors, and with her brush decorated very many ar- 
 ticles which were sold at the first fair. Columbus, at 
 that time, was not a very musical city. There were, 
 at that time, only two pianos here, one belonging to 
 Mrs. Wilcox, mother of Gen. James Wilcox, and the 
 other to mother, and there was not an organ in the 
 place (neither church nor private organ), and one of 
 the elders and others opposed the getting of so un- 
 godly an institution, for such they considered it. Thus 
 you see the origin of the ladies' fairs in our church 
 and of a musical era in our city. 
 
 Very sincerely yours. Wilson L. Gill. 
 
 816 Broad St. 
 Mrs. De Witt regrets that she cannot be present at 
 the anniversary this evening. Mr. De Wilt is out of 
 the city. 
 
'■'■Old First Church" in Columbns. 97 
 
 FROM A PILLAR. 
 
 Springfield, Mass., Feb. 7, 1886. 
 Dear Mr. Mars ten : 
 
 Having been a pillar (perhaps you may think a 
 shaky one) of the '"Old First" for upward 'of forty 
 years, and not being able to be present at the celebra- 
 tion of her eightieth anniversary, will simply say, in 
 the language of Rip Van Winkle, "may she live long, 
 and her family prosper." Are having winter down 
 here after the good old Yankee fashion. Regards to 
 your family and self. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 William A. Gill. 
 
 West Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 8, 1886. 
 
 Rev. Fraticis E. Marste?i : 
 
 Greetings and best wishes to pastor, former pastors 
 
 and church. 
 
 T. G. WoRMLEY and Family. 
 
 Columbia, O., Feb. 8, 1886. 
 P. IV. Hiintingto7i : 
 
 Impossible for me to be in Columbus to-morrow 
 
 night. Thanks. 
 
 Orland Smith. 
 
 CiRCLEviLLE, O., Feb. 8, 1886. 
 Dear Brother Mars ten : 
 
 Very., very, VERY sorry that I cannot come. 
 
98 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 Harry has been quite sick for a week and though 
 convalescing I do not like to get away from him, as he 
 makes such large uses of me. I did think I might 
 run up Tuesday p. m. and be with you at the ban- 
 quet, but an engagement for that evening here which 
 cannot be broken interferes. I have many things to 
 write, but will defer until to-morrow when I will write 
 more fully. 
 
 Cordially yours, 
 
 James P. Stratton. 
 
 Cincinnati, O., Feb. 15, 1886. 
 Rev. Francis E. Atarsten., Columbus^ O.: 
 
 My Dear Sir — I doubt not you were surprised, 
 possibly offended, at my apparent neglect of your 
 kind invitation to be present and participate in your 
 anniversary exercises, on the 9th inst. When you are 
 informed that your inclosures did not come to my 
 notice until Thursday morning, 11th inst., I trust you 
 will consider me fairly excusable. On Tuesday even- 
 ing, 2nd inst., the date of your letter, I left for Chi- 
 cago, and was gone all the week. Monday (8th) I 
 spent on the railroad, and Tuesday and Wednesday 
 (9th and 10th) I devoted to the Loyal Legion anni- 
 versary. So you see how it was. I did not receive 
 Mr. Peabody's telegram, but did receive Mr. Hunt- 
 ington's while out on the railroad, and responded very 
 
"■Old First Church" in Columbus. 99 
 
 briefly by wire, supj^osing it to be the original invita- 
 tion, although the language seemed to imply that 
 some communication had preceded it. It would 
 have been impracticable for me to be present with 
 you ; nevertheless I should not have been quite so 
 laconic in my reply had I fully understood the situa- 
 tion. Regretting the contretemps, and congratulating 
 you on your success, I am, 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Orland Smith. 
 
 RESPONaE-. IN BdHALF OF THE DAUGHTERS 
 OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 The presiding officer called upon Rev. Francis E. 
 Marsten to respond to the sentiment, " Tiie Ladies." 
 
 thp: pastor's remarks. 
 Have I not already written all that, as pastor, I 
 possibly ought to say on this theme? I pause before 
 the greatness of the subject and my inability to do it 
 justice. It must be a difficult task, for our noblest 
 men have shrunk back abashed from its essay. I 
 pause. I seem to stand to-night on holy ground. 
 The white wings of the sainted dead seem to move 
 noiseless through these halls, shedding benedictions 
 as they pass, for I am to speak of the departed as 
 well as the sisterhood of the living. Elder Thomas 
 has paid a pretty tribute to the memory of that devout 
 woman, Mrs. Mary E. Campbell. Too much cannot 
 
100 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 be said of the influence of the women of this church 
 in promoting its prosperity, spiritual and temporal. 
 When the semi-centennial of this church was cele- 
 brated, which appeared in the report of the exercises 
 in the public journal of the following morning, I find,' 
 the name of Mrs. Kelsey as prominent among those 
 who helped to make that occasion a great success. 
 And it is auspicious of the future institution that the 
 mantle of the mother has fallen on the daughter, and 
 she, with the daughters of other heroic and saintly 
 women, have contributed so much to make this fes- 
 tival one that our memories shall not willingly let die. 
 
 It speaks well for these wives and mothers of the 
 past that their religion, taught by both precept and 
 example, has become the well-spring of activity on 
 the part of their children. 
 
 It is a good omen also, and a witness to the value 
 of the gospel they preached, both by precept and ex-; 
 ample, that the children-, grand children and great 
 grand children of the venerated founder of this church: 
 and his wife of blessed memory, are found following 
 the same Saviour they loved so well and obeyed so 
 faithfully, and are here with us to-night partaking in 
 the general joy, verifying the truth of Holy Writ that; 
 the covenant of God is to the children's children, even 
 unto the third and fourth generation of them that love 
 and serve Him. 
 
'■'■Old First Church'''' in Columbus. 101 
 
 The ladies of this church have been in the past, and 
 are now in the hving present, its strong support on the 
 human side in doing the Master's work in the develop- 
 ment of piety, and in those practical deeds of benev- 
 olence which demonstrate that the kingdom of God 
 has come down to this weary world. Where would 
 the missionary work of this church be if it were not 
 for the women? Where would this chapel be if not 
 for the women? Where would our Sunday school 
 work be ? What would become of the prayer meet- 
 ing, the spiritual thermometer of the church. 
 
 The ladies ! God bless them. May benedictions 
 of love and hope and peace rain upon them now and 
 forever. 
 
 I dare not stop to mention names to-night, on my 
 own account, for if I should start in the perilous cat- 
 alogue I know no good reason why every woman who 
 has ever been connected with the " Old First " should 
 not receive appropriate recognition, and I tremble in 
 my inmost soul at the appalling task. They were all 
 good women ! 
 
 I want to thank the ladies whose deft fingers, ex- 
 quite taste and tireless diligence have done so much 
 to evoke the perfect harmony of this hour. Their 
 united beauty shining in a starry galaxy in the firma- 
 ment of memory shall serve to enlighten many a dark 
 
102 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 experience on the changing sea of hfe. Again, I say, 
 God bless the ladies of tlie " Old First." 
 
 HON. CHAUNCEY N. OLDS 
 
 brought the greetings of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church, and said: 
 
 " It gives me pleasure, Mr. Chairman, to partici- 
 pate by your kind invitation in these anniversary ser- 
 vices, and to speak briefly in the name and on behalf 
 of the Second Presbyterian Church, the eldest daugh- 
 ter of this mother of churches in this city. It is a 
 pleasure to me personally, as well as the representa- 
 tive of the Second Church. 
 
 " The Second Presbyterian Church was organized 
 on the first Sabbath in INIarch, 1839, with thirty-one 
 members, of whom twenty-seven were granted letters 
 of dismission from this church for that purpose. 
 
 " It is true, I suppose, as a matter of history, that 
 the organization of that church resulted in part at 
 least from the then recent division of the Presbyter- 
 ian Church into what was known as the Old and New 
 school, which separation took place in 1837. And 
 it is probably true, also, as a part of the history of 
 these two churches, that the mother church gave a 
 rather reluctant consent to the eldest daughter going 
 out from the old homestead and setting up house- 
 keeping on her own account. But if there ever were 
 
^'' Old First Church" in Colu?nbus. 103 
 
 any heart-burnings resulting theretVom, it is a pleas- 
 ure to be able to say they have long since passed 
 away. 
 
 " I became connected with the Second Church in 
 the spring of 1856 ; nearly thirty years ago ; and I can 
 bear cheerful testimony to the mutual kindness, har- 
 mony, Christian courtesy and Christian fellowship, 
 which have characterized the intercourse between 
 these two households of faith, from that day to the 
 present auspicious hour. 
 
 " In this connection it may be pertinent to revive 
 the recollection of the following item in the history of 
 these churches : 
 
 " A daily morning prayer meeting was organized 
 in the basement of this church on the l-4th of March, 
 1858. It was a union meeting of several evangelical 
 churches of the city and was kept up for nearly seven- 
 teen years. For a short time it was attended by 
 large crowds of Christian people, but for most of the 
 years of its existence by a small company only. And 
 yet when reduced to the smallest number, there were 
 usually representatives from at least five diflerent de- 
 nominations of Christians. That daily prayer meeting 
 attracted little public attention, and probably is now 
 remembered by very few persons, but its history is 
 written on more than one immortal soul, and will 
 live as long as immortality shall endure. I was a 
 
104 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 constant attendant upon that meeting from the be- 
 ginning to the end, and I have referred to it here and 
 now because it was, in my judgment, so largely in- 
 strumental in cultivating and promoting that kind- 
 ness, harmony. Christian courtesy and Christian fel- 
 lowship of which I have already spoken. To me 
 personally it made the old First Church building a 
 hallowed place, and my affections still chng to it as 
 if I were really a member of this Christian household. 
 
 " I may also mention the fact that I knew the 
 venerable Dr. James Hoge (the organizer and for 
 fifty years the pastor of this church) probably longer 
 ago than most of the present members of the church. 
 I met him first in 1831, when I was a young boy at 
 school in the Ohio University at Athens, and when' 
 he was one of the prominent trustees of that institu- 
 tion ; and my acquaintance with him continued until 
 his death. One of his nephews, the Rev. Dr. Moses 
 D. Hoge, of Richmond, Va., was for a year one of my 
 room-mates at Athens, and another nephew, the Rev. 
 Dr. WilHam Hoge, now deceased, was my first Sun- 
 day school scholar. 
 
 "In looking back over the eighty years of this 
 church, the personal life and labors and character of 
 the venerable and now sainted Dr. Hoge are blended 
 with and inseparably interwoven into the first fifty 
 years of that history. Indeed, it may almost be said 
 
^^ Old First Church" in Columbus. 105 
 
 that they make the history itself; certainly a very 
 large part of it. What an impressive lesson, and how 
 instructive, those early years present, for example, of 
 the scope and value and far-reaching results of the 
 Home Missionary work of the great Presbyterian 
 Church of the United States, in sending the living 
 minister, as she is still doing, to the distant frontiers 
 of our broad land. 
 
 In 1805 or 1806, the General Assembly at Phil- 
 adelphia commissioned and sent out Dr. Hoge as a 
 Home Missionary to the frontier northwest of the 
 Ohio river, then on the outer borders of civilized life. 
 He crossed the Alleghanies on horseback, with his 
 worldly possessions in his saddle bags, and came to 
 the little hamlet of Franklinton, then a remote out- 
 post, and began his life work. The primeval forest, 
 then unbroken, covered the ground where the city of 
 Columbus now stands, 
 
 " Glance at the familiar history of that life work 
 for a moment only, and behold what grand results. 
 Dr. Hoge labored not only as a Christian minister in 
 founding this first church, and training the early set- 
 tlers and their children in the doctrines and habits of 
 an earnest Christian Hfe. He labored also as a Chris- 
 tian citizen, in laying broad and deep the foundations 
 of a great Christian State, and the impress of his intel- 
 lect and heart and life is stamped upon our State ben- 
 
106 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 evolent institutions, our common school system, and 
 all the best elements of our Christian civilization. It 
 may be safely said, indeed, that the hfe and labors of 
 Dr. Hoge in this city, as the capital of the State, 
 have been worth more to the State herself, than any 
 ten Governors she ever had. 
 
 " But I cannot dwell upon this theme, nor trespass 
 upon your time further, though the theme is so fruit- 
 ful and suggestive of precious lessons. 
 
 " May God bless this dear Church, and make the 
 history of the next eighty years even more prosperous 
 and precious than the past has been. We shall not 
 live to see it, Mr. Chairman. Men die, but the 
 Church lives ; and will hve so long as she remains in 
 vital union with the Lord Christ, the great and ever 
 living Head of the Church on earth and in heaven." 
 
 PROFESSOR JOSIAH R. SMITH, 
 
 in behalf of Westminster, spoke as follows : 
 
 "The American appetite for a 'speech' is pro- 
 verbially infinite; otherwise one might think that, 
 after three days "reminiscencing," the good people of 
 the First Church would be inclined to spare them- 
 selves the infliction of any more eloquence. But the 
 command has been laid upon me to say something on 
 behalf of Westminster Church — a command which I 
 cheerfully obey. 
 
''Old First Church" in Columbus. 107 
 
 " As we gather round the hospitable board of the 
 Mother Church to-niglit, two notable family re-unions 
 suggest themselves as possible parallels, one scriptural 
 and one secular. The first is the return of the Prod- 
 igal Son to the yearning arms of his father. But the 
 parallel fails us here. For the prodigal came home 
 to confess his sin and folly in leaving the parental 
 roof, and to promise for the future to stay with his 
 father Westminster has no such confession and no 
 such promise to make to-night. Rather is it a 
 Thanksgiving dinner, where children — grown up chil- 
 dren — gather round their mother and renew the affec- 
 tionate relations of their childhood, and listen to her 
 own stories of 'when she was a girl.' Westminster 
 is now a matron of thirty-two, and as she joins the 
 family circle to-night she could not, if she would, 
 utter any playful sarcasms about the 'silver hairs' 
 and ' declining years ' of her venerable parent. For 
 here the parallel again breaks down. Individuals 
 pass away ; but the church hves, and grows, and con- 
 tinually renews her youth. 
 
 " Two years ago Westminster Presbyterian Church 
 celebrated her thirtieth birthday, and it may not be 
 thought out of place if I reproduce here the opening 
 words of a paper which I had the honor and pleasure 
 to prepare for that occasion : 
 
 " Thirty years ago a little band of pilgrims gathered 
 
108 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 themselves together, bade their mother church a filial 
 farewell, and with resolute faith went forth to set up a 
 new altar of worship to the God who had blessed their 
 fathers and them. The parent was the First Presby- 
 terian Church of Columbus; the eager aspiring child 
 was Westminster Church. 
 
 " The organization of the new churcii was no hastily 
 devised or rashly executed scheme; it had been a 
 matter of grave and prayerful deliberation for years. 
 In July, 1851, we find the session of the First Church 
 debating the subject, and unanimously approving a 
 new church enterprise. Then follows a period of three 
 years, during which the project seems to have lain in 
 abeyance, owing to several causes, chief among which 
 was the considerable expense incurred in remodehng 
 the church, and the consequent need of husbanding 
 all resources. But in March, 1854, the session took 
 up the matter again, and forwarded to Presbytery a 
 memorial asking for the establishment of a colony. 
 
 " The Presbytery, sitting in April, after considera- 
 tion, granted the prayer of the memorialists, and on 
 the 1st of June, 1854, as the spring deepened and 
 ripened into the fullness of summer, the child was 
 born whose thirtieth birthday we celebrate to-day, 
 and the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Colum- 
 bus entered upon the career which God had destined 
 for it to accomplish. 
 
'•''Old First Church'' in Columbus. 109 
 
 "It was the middle of the 'fifties,' that outwardly 
 lethargic, inwardly fermenting decade, in which great 
 social and political questions were working timidly on 
 to a great and awful solution. But their time had not 
 yet come; the land rested in profound peace. Col- 
 umbus was a rather sleepy, pretty town of some 
 eighteen thousand people, with Httle beyond its po- 
 litical importance to aid its growth. The Presby- 
 terian camp was as yet divided. Old School and 
 New School, differing in non-essentials, were still 
 agreeing to dwell apart. The First Church felt itself 
 almost alone in the field ; the field was slowly but 
 surely widening, and the call for a new station in the 
 harvest field rang imperatively in the ears of the 
 mother church. Its two pastors at the time were 
 the venerable Dr. James Hoge and his younger col- 
 league, Rev. Josiah D. Smith. Thirty communicants 
 composed the young colony; an additional delega- 
 tion, twenty-five strong, was soon after added, and 
 the young church started on its way with a member- 
 ship of about sixty. On the 15th of June the new 
 organization elected the Rev. Josiah D. Smith to be 
 its pastor, and the question of his removal from the 
 First Church was refereed to the Presbytery, con- 
 vened in July. It was decided that he should go ; on 
 the 5th of August he was formally installed as first 
 pastor ; and the separation was now complete.' 
 
110 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 "The retrospective attitude of mind is inevitably a 
 saddening one, for individuals and for churches ; and, 
 mixed with the spirit of thanksgiving for what God 
 hath wrought, comes the melancholy remembrance of 
 those who should be with us to-night but are not, who 
 have fallen by the wayside, who have made the church 
 a sort of spiritual caravanserai, where they might rest 
 for a night and pass on, who have allowed themselves 
 to succumb to the torpor of inactivity, and have in- 
 sensibly become strangers and aliens in the house of 
 God. 
 
 "But we are called upon to look forward as well as 
 back, to thank God and take courage, and to resolve, 
 mother and daughters, that the mother's hundredth 
 birthday, when, it comes, shall find a happy family, 
 united and enthusiastic in every good word and work. 
 
 WILLIAM S. SACKETT, 
 
 a grandson of Dr. Hoge, responded for Hoge Church: 
 Mr. Chairman and Friends : It is with pleasure 
 that Hoge Church sends a representative to lay a gar- 
 land, twined with gratitude and good wishes, at the 
 feet of the mother church on this, her anniversary. 
 Although the passing years have taken from us all 
 the members of the little band sent out by the First 
 Church to establish a memorial organization in what 
 was then one of the missionary districts of the city, 
 
'■'■Old First Church" in Columbus. Ill 
 
 we still cherish tender recollections of them and of 
 their faithful labor. We hold the First Church in 
 grateful remembrance for the helping hand oftentimes 
 extended to us in our day of need, and as we ofter 
 our congratulations on this occasion, we ask the great 
 head of the church to prosper you in every good 
 work, and to make our maternal church in the future, 
 as it has been in the past, a beacon light in this com- 
 munity, guiding many storm-tossed and ship-wrecked 
 souls into the harbor of eternal safety. 
 
 MR. C. A. DENTON 
 
 responded in fitting terms in behalf of the Collegiate 
 Church, and expressed great hopes for its future. His 
 remarks elicited enthusiastic applause. 
 
 THE ELDERSHIP OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO ELDER 
 
 JAMES S. ABBOTT, ORDAINED IN 1849. 
 
 In referring to the honored men who constituted 
 the session of this the First Presbyterian Church of 
 twenty-five or thirty years ago, it is not expected that 
 they be individually considered. Each one, however, 
 would present an honorable record. Of their char- 
 acter and works, collectively, I very briefly allude. 
 They were men of deep piety, of devotion and earn- 
 estness, and men of prayer; faithful in the discharge 
 of their duties, reaHzing their responsiblities and 
 
112 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 sought wisdom, grace and direction from Him who 
 had called them to this service. In their councils 
 they were united and harmonious, always looking and 
 acting for the peace and prosperity of the church. 
 
 That some, especially the younger members of the 
 congregation, may know the fruit of whose labors they 
 now enjoy, I will read their names: James Cherry, 
 Isaac N. Dalton, Thomas Moodie, James S. Abbott, 
 William M. Awl, and Alfred Thomas. These are the 
 names of the men whose watchful care has largely 
 contributed to our present prosperity and enjoyment. 
 These men have come and gone, all gone, excepting 
 two, brother Thomas, who is still a faithful member 
 as you all this day bear witness, and one other. They 
 have gone and their works do follow them — .yes, their 
 good works will follow through time into eternity. 
 Being dead they yet speak; speak to us to be faithful 
 in the discharge of christian duties, that they who 
 come after us may also call 7is blessed. 
 
 The past is passed and gone, and as we look back 
 is it not a past to thank God for and take courage, 
 for are we not now gathering the rich fruit and sweet 
 and fragrant flowers from these early seed, watched 
 over and cultivated by a faithful pastor and a wise 
 and prudent Sessions. 
 

 ELDER JAMES S. ABBOTT. 
 
'■'■Old First Church" in Columbns. 113 
 
 THE TRUSTEES OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO HON. 
 
 GEORGE M. PARSONS. 
 
 Mr. Parsons spoke of the temporalities of the 
 church and drew out round after round of hearty 
 applause, showing how well he carried his audience 
 with him. 
 
 BITS OF HISTORY HON. HORACE WILSON. 
 
 Mr. President: I do not feel that I should say 
 anything this evening; first, because I am not well, 
 bcause I see so many here who have been con- 
 nected with the First Church so much longer than 
 myself. But, like most of the others who have spoken, 
 Dr. Hoge comes up before me, and the memory of 
 what I knew of him and saw of his life impels me to 
 say a word, hoarse as I am. 
 
 In 1811 I was a student at the Ohio State Uni- 
 versity in Athens, my native place. One evening 
 in May as I, with other students, was going to 
 supper, we saw coming up the walk with President 
 William H. McGufifey a tall, erect gentleman of com- 
 manding presence, and I was immediately impressed 
 with his look and bearing, as were other members of 
 our company, and the inquiry immediately was, made 
 "Who is he?" I think Milton Latham, who was 
 with us, replied that it was the Rev. Dr. James Hoge, 
 of his place (Columbus). Our crowd boarded at 
 
114 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 Brown's Hotel, where all the Trustees of the Uni- 
 versity stopped at their meetings. We soon learned 
 that Dr. Hoge was one of the Trustees, and had 
 been for some years, and that he was one of the men 
 to whom great consideration was given as to the col- 
 lege. I remember often seeing Dr. Hoge with Mr. 
 McGuffey in their morning walks together about the 
 campus. I know that when Dr. Hoge remained over 
 he was accustomed to give us a Sunday evening lec- 
 ture, and sometimes at morning chapel service Dr. 
 Hoge gave us short talks. I was in some way, I do 
 not know why, drawn toward the Doctor, and before 
 I left college had formed some acquaintance with him, 
 so that on several occasions we talked together. I 
 remember in these talks some things that, to me. at 
 my age, seemed wonderful. He said that as a rule 
 he had always rode on horseback from Columbus to 
 Athens, winter and summer. Columbus was at that 
 time much further from Athens in the way of travel 
 than at present — it was two long days' ride. I think 
 Dr. Hoge told me that he had come West on horse- 
 back, and at an early day he had gone over most of 
 the state and into the adjoining states on horseback, 
 on missionary work. Dr. Hoge spoke of many of the 
 old pioneers of Ohio who had been connected with 
 him in the college or in the church, and I learned to 
 love this man with something akin to adoration in 
 
'■'■Old First Church" in Columbus. 115 
 
 the after years when 1 knew him well. His son, Rev. 
 Moses Hoge, was the pastor of our church in Athens, 
 and baptized my two eldest sons. 
 
 Dr. Hoge, in 1848, married me in this county, and 
 when afterwards the Trustees of the Ohio University 
 met at Athens, the Doctor most always dined or 
 supped at my house. I then learned that under the 
 seeming cold exterior he had a great deal of tender- 
 ness and warmth of character in his composition. I 
 remember often at the table he entertained us, with 
 other guests, by his experiences in the early history 
 of the state, intermingling with these experiences 
 beautiful lessons of the good and true. His voice in 
 private conversation could always be modulated into 
 soft and tender tones, to suit the subject and the 
 company, and that, too, without losing any of the dig- 
 nity peculiar to him. Not like most men, Dr. Hoge 
 grew greater the nearer you got to him. His life, like 
 a level plain that spreads out beautifully before you, 
 was even; no abrupt ascensions or deep declivities in 
 his character. At the meetings of the College Trus- 
 tees, when other members were noisy and loud-spoken, 
 as the students could hear, Dr. Hoge's sonorous tones 
 were always modulated in about the same key, and 
 seemed to tell in the force peculiar to his character. 
 I have heard it said by more than one student in my 
 
116 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 college days that they meant to be quiet, dignified 
 and good, like Dr. Hoge. 
 
 In 1853 Dr. Hoge resigned his office as Trustee of 
 the Ohio University, and in 1853 Governor Medill 
 appointed me to succeed him, and I have been since 
 that time been his humble successor. The Doctor 
 afterwards, on meeting him, gave me kindly words of 
 advice, and I never failed to be entertained and bene- 
 fited by his society. 
 
 In February, 1859, I moved to this city, and at 
 once became connected with the " Old First " Pres- 
 byterian Church, and have so remained since that 
 time. As Treasurer and Trustee of the church 
 since a year or so after I came, I have often been 
 impressed with the same quiet dignity of the con- 
 gregation, who seemed to have been educated in 
 that direction by the long, faithful and devoted ser- 
 vices of Dr. Hoge, who not only impressed his own 
 great pure character upon the church, the congrega- 
 tion and the city in which he lived, but in the sphere 
 of his duties and life largely molded many of the 
 great institutions of the State. 
 
 Mr. Alf-;ed Thomas, who has been an Elder of 
 this Church in faithful service since 1857, and to 
 whom so much of its prosperity, both temporal and 
 spiritual, is due, paid a most eloquent tribute to 
 
'■'■ Old First Church" in Columbus. 117 
 
 Mrs. Campbell, a sainted member of the Church, 
 and read the following letters from former pastors : 
 
 Pantops Academy, near Charlottesville, Va. ) 
 February 1, 1886. j 
 
 Mr Dear Mr. Thotnas : 
 
 Your letter, containing the kind invitation of your 
 Session and yourself, reached me on Friday evening 
 last, and would have been answered sooner but that 
 I have been unwell. I should postpone all writmg, 
 were it not that I feel constrained to assure you that 
 your kind remembrance of me is highly appreciated. 
 
 I have just sent a dispatch to Air. jNIarsten — who 
 courteously telegraphed me on his own account — in 
 forming him that I am unable to go. This arises 
 from my present condition of health, as well as from 
 a number of other considerations : among them one 
 which has just occurred, the death of my brother, in 
 Missouri. You doubtless met with him when he 
 visited us during our residence in Columbus. He 
 died suddenly yesterday morning, as we were ad- 
 vised by telegraph. 
 
 Please convey to the Session my grateful thanks 
 for their kind invitation to be present on the interest- 
 ing occasion you are anticipating. It would be ex- 
 ceedingly pleasant on many accounts to avail myself 
 of it. I feel an undying interest in the welfare of 
 the dear Old Church. Often do my thoughts recall 
 
118 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 and dwell on the countless interesting and pleasant 
 scenes that transpired during the period of my con- 
 nection with it. 1 should be glad to make the ac- 
 quaintance of your present pastor. I should rejoice 
 to meet the remaining members of my old Session. 
 I believe there still hve Dalton, Abbott, and your- 
 self. It would give me the sincerest pleasure to 
 shake by the hand all that remains of my old flock. 
 I love them still, and often think of them, and pray 
 for them. But I will be present with you in spirit : 
 and trust that you will all have a most pleasant 
 season of communion as Christian brethren, and the 
 Blessed Lord will be with you to give you a fresh and 
 more complete consecration to His service. 
 
 This morning we received a long letter from my 
 son Henry, in China. He and his family are very 
 well. He is much interested in his work, and in 
 every letter is loud in his cry for more laborers in the 
 Chinese field. The sad death of Rev. Mr. Butler 
 and his son from cholera, occurred six miles from his 
 station — Chin Kiang — and they were buried in the 
 same grave in the foreign cemetery of that place. 
 
 The Lord richly bless you and yours. 
 Yours most truly, 
 
 E. Woods. 
 
^'■Old First Church'' in Columbus. 119 
 
 280 Broadway, New York, ) 
 February 5, 1886. } 
 
 My Dear Bro. Marsten: 
 
 I am very sorry that I cannot be with you in per- 
 son to contribute my mite towards making your pro- 
 posed celebration of the 80th anniversary of the 
 organization of the First Presbyterian Church inter- 
 esting and profitable. If time and the press of im- 
 portant duties admitted, I would be glad to visit Co- 
 lumbus for the purpose. The occasion, however, is 
 so full of interest that you will not miss my presence 
 or what I might be able to contribute in the shape of 
 a speech. 
 
 I deem it one of the greatest privileges of my life 
 to have been closely associated with the first pastor 
 of your church. My relations to Dr. Hoge were 
 peculiarly pleasant and tender. I looked on him as 
 my counsellor and friend. It fell to my lot to spend 
 weeks with him at Fayette Springs, Pa., when his 
 health was rapidly declining. During that time he 
 admitted me day after day into the inner sanctuary 
 of his noble heart. I saw the man then as I never 
 saw him before. He told me things about his early 
 struggles, as a home missionary in Franklin county, 
 and the growth of your city, that had all the interest 
 of a novel. It devolved upon me to bury him, and 
 
120 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 preach his memorial sermon, which the congrega- 
 tion printed for the use of friends. 
 
 My short connection with the First Church of Co- 
 lumbus was pre-eminently delightful. Nothing was 
 said or done to inflict a single wound. I left the 
 pulpit and the circle of friends with great regret. 
 The health of my wife was the sole reason of my 
 leaving Columbus. I have counted ever since the 
 people of that charge among my best friends. When 
 I have returned from time to time to renew the old 
 acquaintance and to talk over the events of the past, 
 I have been received most cordially. I shall never 
 cease to have the warmest affection for the First 
 Church of Columbus and her noble people. 
 
 Though I shall not be able to mingle with you in 
 person, I shall be there in spirit. May the Lord 
 bless you and people as you shall recount what God 
 hath wrought there during the last eighty years. 
 Yours fraternally, 
 
 William C. Roberts. 
 
 February 8, 1886. j 
 Rev. F. E. Marsten : 
 
 My Dear Sir: Yours of the 26th ult. reached 
 me last evening, via Junction City, Kas., and Chat- 
 field, Minn.; so that while I write you are in the 
 
''Old First Church" in Columbus. 121 
 
 midst of the special services to which you and the 
 Session so kindly invited me. I assure you it would 
 have been to me a very great pleasure to be present 
 at such an occasion, and contribute what I might to 
 its interest \ or, had this been impossible, to have 
 sent my warmest greetings, and some of my recol- 
 lections and impressions, particularly of the first pas- 
 tor. Dr. Hoge. Clarum et venerabile iiomen. My 
 personal connection with the church was utterly un- 
 thought of by me, until, in the providence of God, it 
 became a fact, and, though brief, it was full of pleas- 
 antness. There was the one heart and one mind 
 among the people, from the little children up to the 
 most aged ; and my memories of the whole period 
 have no touch of sadness, except in connection with 
 my own so imperfect reaUzation of my own ideal of 
 the pastor and preacher. I still hope that at some 
 some day I may sit again in that sacred place, and 
 hear the present pastor set forth the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ, and, peradventure, in some proper 
 way, add my testimony to his concerning the infinite 
 salvation. 
 
 Please express my warmest regards to the Session, 
 and believe me that I am 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Willis Lord. 
 
122 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 Columbus, O., Feb. 8, 1886, 11:30 P. M. 
 My Dear Mr. Marsten : 
 
 I regret to have to write you that I have just re- 
 ceived a telegram from my family physician, telling 
 me that my presence is needed at home. What the 
 cause is the dispatch does not state definitely, but it 
 is evidently illness in my family, whether that of Mrs. 
 Laidlaw or one of the children I do not know. But 
 I have decided that I must not delay a moment, so I 
 leave by the midnight train. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 R. J. Laidlaw. 
 
 Mr. S. P. Peabody responded for the Sunday 
 school. 
 
 As the present Superintendent he urged all, espe- 
 cially the parents, to take a greater interest in the 
 work. His remarks, though brief, were received 
 with great enthusiasm. 
 
 Owing to the lateness of the hour Messrs. Noble 
 and Green decHned to speak. 
 
 The Church Roll was then called by the pastor. 
 
 The interesting exercises closed with singing " The 
 Sweet Bye and Bye." Mr. W. H. Lott, the gifted 
 chorister of the congregation, sang the solo with a 
 feeling and pathos that moved every heart, and the 
 company joined in the chorus. 
 
''Old First Church" in Columbus. 123 
 
 So the celebration of the Eightieth Anniversary of 
 the First Church in Columbus ended, and passed 
 down into history as one of the many bright spots 
 that adorn the pages of its life. 
 
 THE BEaUEST OF THE EIGHTIETH YEAR TO 
 THE ONE HUNDREDTH. 
 
 REV. DR. N. S. SMITH. 
 
 He spoke with glowing eloquence of the bequest 
 the Presbyterian Church, at its eightieth year, ought 
 to hand down to the one hundredth. 
 
 The need of church extension, and of larger use- 
 fulness, was placed before the minds of the people 
 in such terse and burning words as he knows so well 
 how to use. Carried away by his emotions, he was 
 in perfect rapport with his theme and his audience , 
 and it is impossible for the compiler of this volume, 
 or the eloquent orator himself, to recall what was 
 the crownins effort of the evening. 
 
 ADDRESS BY WASHINGTON GLADDEN. 
 
 [ Owing to the delay in the reception of the following 
 address we are compelled to insert it out of its regular 
 order in Monday^ s service^ 
 
 Rev. Washington Gladden, D. D., brought the 
 greetings of the First Congregational Church, and 
 spoke as follows : 
 
124 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 "The Congregational church which I have the 
 honor to represent is not one of the daughters of 
 this church, but one of its grand-daughters, the child 
 of one of its children. It sometimes happens when 
 the tribes come together around the ancestral hearth- 
 stone that there is not room for the grandchildren at 
 the first table, and they must wait 'till the second is 
 spread. That is the reason, I suppose, why we were 
 not invited last evening; but this is a day of thanks- 
 giving in these festivities, and on Thanksgiving Day, 
 in all well-ordered homes, the young folks come to 
 the table with their elders, and are sometimes helped 
 before the rest. That is the reason why I get the 
 privilege of speaking first to-night. 
 
 " When we go back on Thanksgiving Day to the 
 old home, we expect to find the grandmother resting 
 in her arm chair by the fireside, with her spectacles 
 lifted to her forehead, her bible in her lap, and her 
 knitting work in her hands, asleep. But this grand- 
 mother is in no such condition. We find her alert, 
 vigorous, with ruddy face and stalwart frame and 
 vigorous step, looking well to the ways of her house- 
 hold, showing no marks of age or decrepitude. She 
 tells us, does she not ? that she was never in better 
 health; could never do a better day's work; never 
 felt less like setting down in the chimney corner to 
 doze. And I suppose that what she tells us is per- 
 
'^ Old First Church" in Columbus. 125 
 
 fectly true. Probably this Old Church, on its eightieth 
 birthday, is as strong and vigorous and hopeful as it 
 ever was. It ought to be. A Church of Christ has 
 no right to grow old. Feebleness and decrepitude 
 are no part of its portion. 
 
 "To most organisms there is a term. Man's 
 bodily life seems to be limited in its duration. The 
 days of our years are three-score years and ten, and, 
 though we sometimes exceed that limit, we always 
 know when we have reached it that the end is 
 not far off. Some plants are annuals, some bien- 
 nials, some live many years ; but to all this life 
 there is a term. There does not, indeed, appear to 
 be any fixed term to the life of a tree; we can 
 see no reason why a tree ought not go on adding 
 a new layer of bark and a new layer of wood year 
 by year, indefinitely. Many trees have lived to a 
 remarkable age; some of those marvellous Seqtioias 
 in California have been standing where they are since 
 Julius Caesar was a boy: the whole chronology of 
 the Christian era could be inscribed upon the con- 
 centric rings that mark the years of their growth. 
 Nevertheless, even these trees will wither and perish 
 in time. But the life of a church has no natural 
 term. It has no right to die. While the world 
 stands its life ought to go on without decay or dimi- 
 nution. 
 
126 Eight Decades in the Life of the 
 
 " In the old town in the Connecticut valley that 
 was once my home, stands a church that was planted 
 just two hundred and fifty years ago. Only sixteen 
 years after the Pilgrims landed they had pushed out 
 to this remote wilderness — a hundred miles from the 
 sea cost — and planted several churches. This church 
 has been standing there, on the same ground, ever 
 since. Several edifices in which it has made its 
 home have perished and been replaced by larger and 
 more costly ones, but the church lives on; and there 
 was never a period in its history when it was so 
 strong, so fruitful, so full of life and hope as it is 
 to-day. 
 
 " It is almost thirteen hundred years since the 
 good monk Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet, 
 near the mouth of the Thames river, and planted a 
 church, which stands to-day, and was never more 
 likely to live and thrive than it is to-day. It is known 
 now as Canterbury Cathedral, and the chief pastor 
 of this church is the primate of all England. 
 
 "Churches ought to live. They live by faith in 
 the Son of God. They are partakers of His life, 
 and His life is the life eternal. So long as they are 
 united with Him they can neither perish nor decay. 
 Therefore, my friends, I bring you to-night greeting 
 and congratulation. This church of Christ, on its 
 eightieth birthday, has a promise of growth and of 
 
''Old First Church'' in Columbns. 127 
 
 fruitfulness as clear and sure as it ever had. Thanks 
 be to God for the work this church has done in the 
 eighty years now past; for the truth it has cleared 
 and published; for the fidelity of its ministers and 
 its messengers; for the power that it has exerted in 
 behalf of purity and truth and righteousness in the 
 community; for the sorrowing hearts that it has 
 comforted; for the multitude that it has guided into 
 the ways of life. And thanks be to God for all the 
 hopes that belong to this hour; for the promise of 
 better work and larger influence, and more abundant 
 fruit through the centuries to come ! " 
 
9 mbC 
 
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 
 
 BRITTLE DO NOT 
 PHOTOCOPY 
 
 gka? 
 
 r\ xA > ^ I ' I 
 
 .,^^fTE-fs^» €Mrzi'3P'^d^^;^^^£)f.