YOL x x x r n . WESTFIELD, CHAUTAUQUA CO., N. Y., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1888. NO. 45.

REMINISCENT.EARLY HISTORY OF METHODISM IN

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.

M ethodist P ioneers an d th e O bstacles T hey O vercam e—-The R elig ions

C ondition o f C h an tan q n a a C en tu ry Ago.

The following interesting article was written for Thb Republican by Rev.Dr. Herron, of Silver Creek :

Although the Methodists were not the first denomination to advance into the forest aisles of the Chantanqna wilder­ness, they did not linger long behind.The typical itinerant preacher with his broad brim above and his saddle bags and his wearied horse beneath was ever present then, as now, in the skirmish line of the advancing civilization, and as the proud monarchs of the wood fell before him the cabin home was np reared there he mingled his happy in­spiring songs with the wild wood voiees.Careless of ease, conventional garments and mode of address, he anticipated the cnltnred multitudes that now delight to trace ont his ancient hannts and homes heralding as their forerunner in his plain and earnest manner in a style un- imitable and all his own. “ Repent, the Kingdom of God is Come.”

The heroic days of MethgdiBm in the connty began with the oentury. Indeed there is a legend (which no doubt is true) that Dr. Richmond, residing then at Chautauqua Lake, father of Judge Richmond, of Meadville, Pa., afterward? in Westfield, where the M ethodist cbnrch now Btands, preached to a faith­ful few at the old red school house west of that village as early as 1798. From Mr. Gregg* we learn that from 1796- 1812, Western New York was in the bounds of the Philadelphia conference.In 1808 a circuit was formed by that conference called the Holland Purchase, which circuit embraced all of the State of New York west of the Genesee river,To this Holland purchaoe afterwards called Chantauqna circuit, Rev. Geo.Lane was appointed, during the winter of 1808-9. Having learned there were some M ethodists in Sheridan he started from Buffalo in a sleigh to visit and preach to them. On his way he overtook a Mr. Gould and his wife who had been east and were now returning home.Night overtook the party near the Cat­taraugus and finding it impossible to go on in the deepening snow drifts they abandoned their sleighs and the three rode the horses on to Mack’s tavern to spend the night. The next day they re­covered their sleighs and pushed on to Sheridan where Mr. Lane preached and regularly organized the first Methodist elaaa in Ghantanqoa oounty; Stephen Bush, Daniel Gould and wife, Elijah Risley and others composing i t In 1810 an entire olaas of ten members moved from the east and settled in Villedova.John P . Kent, of this class and Justin TTinman, of Sheridan, attended the con­ference this year held a t Lyon, N. Y., to secure regular itinerate preaching for Chantanqna circuit. Three preachers were appointed to the Holland purchase one of them called Billy Brown was sent especially to serve Sheridan. He was an excellent man and worked hard to carry the gospel to the scattered homes and hamlets and the harvest grew apace. In 1811 E lijah Metcalf was sent as his successor and at the dose of his year reported 30 members. Ju ly 23, 1812, Rev. Benjamin G. Paddock was sent to that portion of W estern New York, now designated upon the map as Chautauqua, called after a lake of that m m « in the center of the territory. He formed a new class at Hanover in what waa known as the Angel settlement. In 1812 Rev. Lemuel Lane employed to fuaiat Rev. Mr. Paddock organized a class a t Silver Greek. In 1814 Burrows W estlake served the Chautauqua circuit and reported 157 members a t confer enee. In 1816 Rev. J . B. Finley after­wards elected chief of the Ohio Wyan- dots and who served as their pastor was . the presiding elder of a vast territory e ^ n '

by Mr. Bummerville consisting of P al­mer Phillips and wife, Joseph Phillips and wife, Asa Smith and wife and others. I t 1820 Rev. B. P . H ill com­pleted organizations at Westfield, Rip­ley and Portland. Everywhere classes were now being formed and the mission­ary spirit was waking in every direction resulting in churches and Sunday schools and uchool houses and home places of worship. Earnest pastors were cultivating Emmanuels land and har­vests were ripening beneath their hands where late tho dark hemlocks defied the storm and the red deer found a oovert.

The heroic age is past and schools, factories and farms and vineyards cheer the hill and plain. And now after 68 years of Methodism Chautauqua county reports 5080 Sunday school scholars and teacheA, 4600 members, 51 churches, and $246,000 of church property.

“Out from the leafy wilderness Uprose the peopled town,

While waves that rocked the frail canoe,A freighted fleet bring down.

And where th e panther howled unheard, And roamed the surly bear,

The domes ol' graceful temples swell,There hundreds kneel in prayer.”

•Griggs history of Methodism, of the Erie Conference, which has been freely used in this article.

LOCAL EN TER PR ISE.

A BIG F IR E !THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE BUFFALO

HAS EVER SEEN.

jr /dnding Chautauqua county. He preached a t Canadaway now called Fre­donia a t a Mr. Baldwin’s, Aug. 20th, Thao rode down the lake 16 miles and preaohed a t a Brother Webb’s on the T^h> shore, where he organized a olaas and immersed several persons. This year, Ju ly 24, Jam es B. Finley had a camp meeting a t Fredonia. The roughs w a n exeaedingly noisy and daring. H sie F inley oollored t he chief of the rowdies and dragged him to the rear AritMriag to the offioers who were e itb e r wnaUs or unwilling to arrest him. Hash S B o ld soldier of the Revelation, J n d b O h M M ereee sad stated he had

for liberty and peace and w n in a d j to do ao again. This seemed

forth

W here I t Could Be Used to Good A dvantage.

The editor continues to receive letters suggestive of local improvement aud progress. There must be a reason for the present condition of affairs here. Will our readers help to locate it ?

IN FAVOR OF MANUFACTORIES.E ditor Republican:—In the issue of

Thb R epublican for Jan. 11, was a le t­ter from a fellow townsman headed,

Westfield as a Summer Resort.” We do not call in question tbe motives that actuated the writer as we believe he has the interests of the place at heart, but we do think be has based his sugges­tions npon erroneous premises. Of course we oannot expect a place having no greater ad vantages than this to reach the magnitude of large cities where nu­merous railroads center, ba t there is no reason why Westfield oannot have and maintain manufactories as well as hun­dreds of places no more advantageously situated. Taxes are less, as well as rents and land. Labor and fuel not ex­cessive. I t is suggested that present conditions and ciroumatanoes will not warrant suoh a departure. A quiet and continuous waiting will never produoe ths right conditions. Few Micewbers succeed in this day and age. Effort on the part of man ia what produces suc- oess, and by effort we can be equally as anooeasfnl as other towns. Silver Creek and North East have manufacturing in­terests and therein are successful. Both demonstrate that efforts by small places are not neoeaaarily disastrous. Certainly plants can be obtained as reasonably, fuel and labor as cheaply. Nearness to either Buffalo or Erie is not as appli­cable as to Silver Creek or North East, onr railroad facilities are equally aa good. Why then cannot we do as well? That the time may oome ia erroneons. That it has come is true. The present is full of opportunities. Waiting eoer- vates and dulls the edge of industry. The citing of the failure of industries here as establishing the fact of impos­sibility of success and the conclusions that follow, is upon a wrong baais. Those failures have net resulted as we understand them from lack of advan­tages in the place, bu t rather from lack of management in the affairs of those concerns. The gentlemen here invest­ing means in the various extinct indus­tries have invested their funds, leaving the management and oontrol of the busi­ness to others. The result has been a lack of interest, personal supervision and knowledge of the affairs of the con­cerns on their part necessary to sno-

They have not devoted the care and attention to the snooeas of these undertakings, that they have to their individual accumulations. I ts a dem­onstration of the old maxim. Money

ienoe, instead of both com- experience has generally

been lacking in economy and financial ability. Under snoh circumstances how conld success be assured.

For the snccess of the place organize a Business Men’s Association, instead of a Board of Trade. All interests are combined hereunder. Boards of Trade are organized for the purposes of facili­tating the trade and commerce of the oountry, are places of exchange, or pur­chase and sale. They are not organiza­tions for locating manufactories or creat­ing summer resorts. Above all things disabuse the mind of the idea that we are incapable of action, and that we shall exist only when innOColated with the virtu of “summer flies” who disap­pear a t the first touch of winter. That onr plaoe has advantages for a pleasant summer reaidenoe we all know and should disseminate this knowledge.

A M illion D ollar B laze—The L argest D ry Goods Store B etw een New

Y ork and Chicago B u rn e d — 8 5 S A . H eavy Loss to the City.

The greatest fire that Bnffalo ever saw, —measuring its features by the loss in dollars,— occurred Wednesday when the mammoth stores oocupied by Barnes, Hengerer & Co. were totally destroyed. The flames swept out both front and rear of the great building, and threatened everything within a block of it. But the

HerH er

were self deny- preaehers true

in labors and

Aaiwben

In 1816 a

» good year for Meth- Much good can be obtained therefrom; * but do not let us lim it onr capabilities

I by heralding tbat summer boarders and residents are the extent of our capacities or that tbe time has not oome when we oan extend to the honest son of toil the hand of welcome and recognition. All i t requires is.the mafcimg of conditions, whioh with caution, industry and oare-

| ful management lead to anenses.Axauda.

i wers tombed with heavenly flame" * of He m s ,

Bnsti

iHfc. UCKNIO) UUlLDlNU.brave work of the firemen, aided by for­tunate circumstances, kept the fire w ith­in limits. A number of stores ou tbe east side of Main street suffered severely from heat, smoke and water, and the glaciers have plenty of work before them. The loss cannot be less than $1,000,000 (indeed, Barnes, Hengerer & Co.’s loss is estimated at that figure), and may reach $1,250,000. Mr. C. J . Hamlin owned the destroyed building. His loss is $150,000. A dozen or more other firms lost amounts which are esti­mated at from $500 to $30,000. Some of these are probably over-estimated. The dry goods firm has about $700,000 insu­rance and Mr. Hamlin $100,000.

On every hand sympathy is expressed for the unfortunate yet plncky firm whose business has been thus unexpect­edly interrupted, accompanied by the immense loss which they have sustained. The house is well knowu in this oounty, where it has many friends and custom­ers who have learned with satisfaction that the business will suffer only a tem­porary interruption, as the managers have already taken steps preparatory to reopening. I t is also gratifying to learn, that while the calamity is a great one, it was not attended by loss of life, aa was at first reported. The esoape of the 500 employes of the firm was, in­deed, a marvel, and while Messrs. Barnes, Hengerer k Co. feel their loss keenly, they express the liveliest grati­tude that no lives have been sacrificed.

In all such misfortunes the bright side of human nature shines out, as it has in this instance. The unfortunate firm were overwhelmed with kind offers of assist­ance from many of their competitors in trade.

The firm estimate their loss at $900,- 000, on whioh there was an insurance of $700,000. The loss on the building, owned by Mr. Hamlin, is $100,000. The bom edont firm say “ Much is lost, more remains. We have lost time, money, home, stocks—we have strength, energy, hope, still. Ahead is the future. One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. We found our best friends among onr sharpest competitors—offers of help and practical sympathy that call for onr sincerest thanks.”

A Buffalo insurance man said tbat the loss will be doable the premium reoeipts for the year 1888, aud about equal to the whole losses last year; and also stated that some of the larger dry goods houses iu the city, though not touched by the fire, would be quite heavy losers. This was owing to the fact that several Buffalo ooncerns of that kind some time ago joined the Individual Underwriters’ Association. One firm in Buffalo wonld, it was said, be called npon to pay a share of fully $7,000; a lesson, the moral of which will teach them the wis­dom of that homely adage, “Shoemaker stick to your l a s t ”

W hat T h rif ty People Did.Householders who “ laid in” their

coal early last fall congratulate them­selves upon having saved “qnite an item .” Some of them having saved aa much as the amount of their taxes.

Took H e r H usband’s Money.Ray E. Cook, of Ashford, Cattarau­

gus county, recently sold a bum for $2,500 and gave his wife $1,500 in trust for their son. Of this she deposited $500 for him and $1,000 in another bank to her own cred it Then she took the boy to his grandmother, wrote a note to her hnsband that ahe would never live with him again, aa she had gone with a man named Knox. The hnsband brin.snit to reoover the entire azponnt in banks and an injunction was granted restraining them from paying i t ont until farther orders.

Sunday Closing a t D unk irk . Owing to the efforts of the women of

Dunkirk, put forth in that direction, Dunkirk will hereafter have closed sa­loons on Sunday. Early in the winter the women presented to the common council a petition having affixed to it the signatures of several hundred tax­payers, praying the council to close all the Baloons on Sunday. The council, for some time held this petition nnder consideration, then decided that it conld not interfere. Beaten here the women determined to take the matter into their own hand, and accordingly a week or two ago sent to all the proprietors of Baloons in the city, a reqnest to close their respective places of bnsiness on Sunday, and intimating tbat if the re­quest were not complied with that the proprietors of such places as kept open wonld bfa prosecuted. The saloon keepers, or rather a large proportion of them, including the better class, signed an agreement whereby they promised to keep their places of business closed from 12 p. m. Saturday until 12 p. m. Sunday. All of these saloons were clos­ed in accordance with the agreement last Sunday. A nnmber of others, how­ever, remained open as nsual, and against these the W. C. T. U. is accu­mulating evidence and will prosecute.

M aking Banjos in P rison .An industry carried on in the Erie

oounty penitentiary has a merit of nov­elty and melody, and does no t interfere with the trades unions, perhaps because it has only one convict engaged in it. Edward Morrill, the prisoner, was sent there eight years ago for a deadly as- saul committed in a saloon. He had been a “ tough” and nothing musical was observed in his make-up until he began his long sentence. Then he took to banjo music aud soon made a good instrument, which he learned to play until now Le handles it with the grace and adeptness of a minstrel. The prison authorities say that he has made some forty instruments, the latter produc­tions being of the best quality, perfect in tone, made of finest material nicely inlaid, and Of the quality usually sold for $50 or $60. Morrill has disposed of all he has made, mostly to professional men, and has sold them at $15 and $20.

A P ro h ib itio n ist Speaks.E ditor Republican :—Your long de­

layed hopes for a boom are to be realized. A few wise and sagacious leaders of both the old Democrat and Republican parties notified each other to meet in Brewer Block over the National Bank on Friday evening to transact impor­tant business, and bye the bye as they desired harmony to prevail they dele­gated from their numbers one to go and respectfully invite a few Prohibs to aid in the business of securing a clean man for tbe coming Excise Board. They opened the meeting with their sympathy for the honest trafic in liquor, bnt want­ed to weed out the dives and to license a few favored ones and they even solicit­ed a poor Prohib to act in so noble a cause. Now mark! he rose np in his manhood and said I am not yonr man, and the other Prohibs voioed his words and the wise faoee changed their oolor and the meeting flashed in thb pan . Just note, wisdom and shrewdness did not kill the elephant. Hope On.

Found Dead in Bed.John K. Forsyth, a resident of Ripley

Crossing for the past 80 years was found dead in bed Friday morning. He had been under the Doctors care b a t a few days and was not considered dan­gerously ill. He got np at 4 a. m. F ri­day, took a drink of water, retained to bed, and was fonnd dead at 7 o’clock. He was a son of Charles Forsyth, a na­tive of Connecticnt He was born in Erie connty, Pa., May 5, 1804. In 1808 his father moved to “York State” and purchased a tract of land from the Hoi land Land Co., and resided there nntil his death. John then purchased the homestead and lived there np to the time of his death. His first wife waa Lavinia Stephens, after her death he married Nancy Ludlow. He leaves a large estate and bat one heir. He was the oldest resident between Westfield and Pennsylvania.

H igh License or P roh ib ition .A correspondent writes from North

East: “ Our quiet and orderly borough ia being considerably stirred np on the subject of license or prohibition. The msjority of level-headed and liberal- minded people incline to a carefully granted license rather than to a personal and spiteful restriction, instituted and egged on by a few fanatical persons whose chief bnsiness in life seems to be interference with the affairs of those who do not think jost as they do. Our local press takes a manly and bnsiness like stand in this case, and it is to be hoped that wise counsel and jostioe willprevail.” ________________

A Good Exam ple.Bnffalo has began the work of p a t­

ting its telephone wires nnder ground. The firemen rejoioe and the people who object to viewing the sky as through the meshes of a sieve are equally wel pleased. Buffalo certainly sets an ex* ample worthy of emnlatian.

More Discussion R egard ing th e Tar- riff—The P o litica l Aspect of the

G rape In d u s try —The Five G al­lon Law and I f h a t it Means.

E ditor R epublican :—A correspon­dent of the T he Republican of Jan. 25, referring to the tariff sa y s : The free traders theory is that the imposition of duties allowB our manufacturers to sell their goods for a price equal to that de­manded for imported goods that have paid custom duties, and says if true it is most iniquitous. Now what are pro­tective duties imposed for if not for that very purpose? How can they serve any other use? Of course we pay a tax to manufacturers when we buy home made goods as mnch as to the government when we buy foreign goods. That is just what protection is for. Our manu­facturers may sometimes undersell im­ported goods to get a larger trade- This correspondent thinks the price of goods in any country is governed by the de­mand and cost of production. Did he never hear of combinations to keep up prices? and does not our tariff afford a grand opportunity for such combina­tions which is largely taken advan­tage of? He fears if onr tariff were abol­ished the country would be flooded with foreign goods, our manufactories crip­pled or destroyed, and then foreigners would raise the price and we have to pay higher than ever. If we are such ninnies as that we need a guardian as well as protection. To prove that a tar- riff lessens the cost of goods, he says that in 1843, under a high tariff iron and cotton fabrics were 20 to 50 per cent cheaper than in 1841 when the tariff was lowest. Did the tariff do it? At that time a period of inflation and high prices was followed by a reaction, just as about 1877 a reaction took place and low prices ruled though tariff re­mained the same. Many causes as labor saving machinery, over supply, etc., lower prices, but like the man whose wife killed the bear tariff because he happened to be bv, says he did it.

G. W. S.Habtfield, N. Y.

OUR LETTERBOX.IDEAS PRESENTED BY READERS OF

THE REPUBLICAN.

POLITICAL SIDE OF THE OBAPE INDUSTRY.Editor R epublican :—As the major­

ity of yonr sorrespondenta seem to think that Westfield would become a prosper­ous city if it oould be made the center of a large grape growing district is un­doubtedly correct, but how wonld it ef­fect Westfield politically, and those that undertake to make it a centre of grape industry. I t may not be out of plaoe here to give some statistics and make some comparison showing the present Btate of American viticulture. Our native wine production has increas­ed since 1870 from 3,000,000 to 40,000,- 000 gallons in 1886. The importations have decreased since 1871 from 11,000,-000 gallons to 4,000,000 in 1886. France, the greatest grape producing country in Europe manufactured 2,000,000,000 gal­lons of wine, but since the advent of the phylloxera has dropped to 900,000,000 gallons and produces less than her pop­ulation will consume and is importing from this country to make up the de­ficiency. As the price for gripes as a desert and table fruit is from I cent to1 cent more per pound than for the same grape at the wiue cellars, it shows that America already supplies more grapes than is demanded for table use and the culinary art, and has been forcing the surplus upon the wine cellars, which in­creased their production 37,000,000 gal­lons in 16 years. Would it not be well for all and every one to Btop and con­sider, before they put energy and money into an industry that will de­pend for success and stability on the fickle minds of a majority of voters, see law passed June 24,1887.

An act to regulate the sale of strong and spirituous liquors, wine, ale or beer in quantities of five gallons or upwards. The people of the State of New York,

represented in Senate and Assembly,do enaot as follows :Sec. 1. It shall not be lawful to sell

strong or spirituous liquors, wine, ale or beer in quantities of live gallons or up­wards at a time, in any town, village or city in this State in which there is not inforce at the time of such sale a license per-

shall become the centre of a grape growing section, it alBo must become a wine manufacturing place, or when the surrounding hills are clad with the grapevines, you run the risk of not being able to gather the fruit of yonr labor, unless the true friends of this town, of horticulture and^ especially the grape growing branch are willing and prepar­ed to defend their interest against all assaults, whether such assault come from man, with only one idea or from short sighted and blundering friends or from demagoges. We cannot afford to have that industry handicapped with their puritanical n otions and laws. The question whether or not we shall manu­facture wine for commerce out of our grapes, and driuk it, if we choose is not a question to be submitted to the wis­dom of the people at all, for it does not come in the province of the government. I t is monstrous to think that the vote of a majority should have the power of de­ciding what the minority shall eat o r drink or manufacture. The right of every individual to decide for himself, what he would be better off with less wine, fewer breast pins or jewels, can not decently be taken away from him by the votes of his neighbors. Every man is his own free moral agent, he is responsible to his maker and to the laws for the abase of his liberty, if he so abuses it as to trespass upon the rights of his neighbors. I t is entirely wrong to concede that in everything the min­ority has to submit to the dictates of the majority, if so, that which is called in an absolute government state omnipotence would become a majority omnipotence, which means, that if the majority should decide Romanism shall be the religion for this state, we all had to bend o u r knees toward Rome, if they should de­cide we shall have no free Bpeech, no free press, we would have to submit to be jagged, or if they should decide that we shall not manufacture pork out of pigs aud eat it, we have all to abBt&in and do as the Jews do.

While I am in sympathy with the temperance principle, I abhor the motto of the Jesuits. That the object justifies the means and it seems to me that has been adopted in the platform of prohi­bition. How absurd it seems that a man may be trusted to take part in the gov­ernment, but may not be trusted to de­cide for himself what is best for him to do and what not to do. Animal ration­ale bipes, quod none volt coji, sed per- suadery.

Tbe E d ito r’s Mail.Editor Republican—While canvass­

ing over the list of papers at the com- menement of the new year, to see whioh ones we can beet drop and dis­pense with, I see that it will be an impossibility to drop yours, especially sinoe the grand, manly stand you have taken upon the temperance question in your town; since letters have been writ­ten to yon in red ink, indicating that blood is wanted, and intimidation and threats are resorted to to drive you from the noble and honorable position yon have taken upon this great ques­tion; and since yon have shown that you do not scare but come up more boldly for the right than ever. While under these threats I have determined that I can do no more in justice to you and the right than to say that you will find enclosed a $1.50 cheok to pay for another year. N. A. C haffee.

Gowanda, N. Y.

mitting the sale of such strong or spirit- uous liquors, wine ale or beer in quan­tities less than five gallons at a time Whoever shall sell any such strong or spirituous liquors, wine, ale or beer in quantities of five gallons or upwards at a time iu any town, village or city in which such sale is herein declared to be unlaw­ful, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemea­nor, and in addition thereto shall forfeit the sum of fifty dollars for each and every unlawful sale, to be sued and recovered in the same manner and for the same pur­pose as the penalties prescribed by section thirteen of chapter six hundred and twen­ty-eight of the laws of eighteen hundred and fifty-seven.

{ 2 . This act shall take effect imme­diately.

If that law would be enforced it would poll down an industry like grape grow­ing in this section in less time than it took to bnild i t np. Every shrewd busi­neas man m ust see that if Westfield

OBITUARY.

Died, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 1888, a t the residence of her son, William B. Barton, of Westfield, N. Y., Mrs. Ju d ith Barton, maiden name Powers, at the age of 98 years. Mrs. B. was born at Croy­don, New Hampshire, and spent her girlhood in the granite state. Here she was married and Jjecame the mother of seven children, tnree of whom preoeeded her to the spirit world. In 1831 she moved with her hnsband to the town of Leon, Cattaraugus oounty, N. Y., where she spent 57 years of her life. She was known as a woman of marked intelli­gence and high moral quality. In early life she became a member of the Pres­byterian church in which she remained through life. She was generous and hospital and won the reepect of all who knew her. Her dying hours were very peaceful. Although far advanoed in years her mind was d ea r to the last, and dnring the long weeks of her last sickness she wss patient and uncom­plaining, looking forward to the home prepared for her in Heaven. Much as she is m used in the c irde where Bhe was so long a beloved mother, she has gone to be with Christ whioh is far bet­ter. H er remains were taken to Leon for bnrial, and deposited beside her de- oeased hnsband. The funeral was a t ­tended by a large circle of relatives and friends. The servioee were oondnoted by Rev. J . H. Bates. B.

Office S tationery .Day Books, Ledgers, Journals, Cash

Books, Bill Heads, Note Heads, Letter Heads, Statements, Bnsiness Cards, En­velopes, etc., neatly prin ted and fur­nished to order a t th is office. “ Tho Lakeside Press.”