Bemorealis Watch
Bellefonte, Pa., May 20, 1927.
Dr. Colfelt’s Pastorate
in Philadelphia.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
By Rev. L. M. Colfelt D. D.
OXFORD CHURCH.
My pastorate at Oxford church be-
gan and continued under the most
auspicious circumstances. No more
rolling of the stone of Sysyphus up-
hill only to roll back again as at the
1st church. The tide of migration
was in our favor. Palatial homes
were built along Broad street to dom-
icile the incoming Captains of in-
dustry, the great manufacturers and
ship builders. This was the golden
age in the history of Oxford church
ks iy with such men as Judge Fer-
guson, Stephen Collady, George Hen-
sell, Samuel Cramp, Elihu Irvin, Ham-
ilton Disston in the board of trustees,
T. B. C. Burpee, Samuel London, Hor-
atio Kern. Mr. Loomis, Jassa Hayes
in the eldership with George S.
Graham Superintendent of the Sun-
day school of 1000. Israel P. Black
head of the primary department of
300 and some: 25 different men and
women organizations, Oxford church
presented the spectacle of a model
church in organization and efficien-
¢y. But its Christian Endeavor so-
ciety headed by James H. A. Brooks
and composed of more than 100
young men and women, every one of
whom could conduct a meeting as
well as an ordained preacher and
scores of whom became men and wo-
men of mark in the after history of
the city, as judges, manufacturers,
teachers, chiefs of Y. M. C. A. work,
organizers of suburban churches this
company of young people, in their
practical effectiveness was the pride
and joy of the pastor. The $29,000
indebtedness remaining upon the
church as the aftermath of the fire
that had destroyed it and necessitat-
ed its rebuilding was easily cleared
off. Its gifts for running expenses
and innumerable benevolences to-
talled as much as sixty thousand an-
nually. Those were indeed happy
days of labor and accomplishment
when after the Sabbath evening or
Wednesday service I often accomp-
anied Mr. George S. Graham and Mr.
Edwin S. Cramp to one or the oth-
er’s home and relaxed the tension of
the mental excitement in genial com-
panionship and conversation. While
a minister should hold all his peo-
ple in equal impersonal regard I am
sure none of them will begrudge his
finding surcease from his highly ex-
hausting forensic work in familiar
companionship with a few friends for
whom he may have natural affinity.
There is no “respect of persons”
about it only like seeking like. Even
the Master of us all had a predilec-
tion of Peter, James and John. Mr.
Joseph E. Smaltz and wife, Miss Eliz-
abeth and brother John Smaltz were
especially near friends and efficient
workers for the church unweariedly
devoted to its welfare in auspicious
and dark days alike. Mr. Joseph E.
Smaltz was a stalwart and noble char-
acter, widely traveled and broad
minded who left a monument of his
great business capacity in the impos-
ing Smaltz building and the manu-
facturing organization which his son
now carries on with such a high rep-
utation for its products. At his
death Mv. Smaltz surprised me with
a gift of $1000 in his will. I deter-
mined not to use a penny of it for
my own benefit but devoted it to the
foundation of ‘2 weekly journal at
Bedford, Pa., for the exclusive pur-
pose of public education and political
reform. Oxford church during my
pastorate was always equipped with
a noble band of voung men such as
William H. Hensell, George Camp the
Ferguson brothers and William S.
Furst, John Shamtz .and hosts of
others just as devoted to the best in-
terests of the church, as well as
scores of young women who made the
Christian Endeavor society notable in
the city for its benevolence and var-
ied activities. But the youth whose
memory abides through the year sur-
rounded with a sacred halo of bril-
1
liance and pathos was James H. A. |:
Brooks, whose career was indeed a
romance of meteoric business success.
About the time of his majority the
firm with which he was associated
went into forced liquidation. His
testimony in the bankruptcy court
was characterized by such lucidity
and transparent honesty that one of
the creditors who suffered loss at the
conclusion preoffered him $1000 to
begin business for himself. He said
‘the failure left him stranded, without
a position, engaged to be married to
Miss Doak, the day set and his total
capital $35. But he rejected the kind-
ly offer as not fitting in with his am-
bitions and daring plans. He went to
a young man who had just inherited
a small fortune and who he felt was
not any too friendly to himself. Ring-
ing the bell at young Mr. Neeley’s
home, upon being ushered into his
presence he made his proposition,
with great trepidation and anxiety,
which was, that Neeley should furn-
ish the capital $50,000, and Brooks the
experience and capacity to manufac-
ture kid leather which was then com-
ing into vogue. It was a stroke of
fortune and a good days business
when Neeley was sagacious enough to
close then and there with the offer.
They launched together the business
of manufacture and sale of “20th
Cenutry kid” and were phenomenally
successful as an inventory of the busi-
ness after two years revealed the as-
sets to be $425,000. Brooks grew in
every direction, not mereiy as a
phenomenon in the business world,
but a dynamo in church activities, in
all forms of benevolent efforts espe-
cially the Sunday breakfast associa-
tion and prison services, and came to
be a trusted adviser and friend of
Mayor Weaver. He furnished a type
setting machine for my Reform week-
ly at Bedford Pa., and cooperated
with its aims to the limit of his abil-
ity. Though a self made man no one
would have dreamed that he had been
deprived of the benefits of all but a
meager education.
brilliant intellect and was such an
He had such a:
omnivorous student in all leisure
hours that he could readily pass for
a highly educated Collegian surpass-
ing any man I have ever known in
his capacity for apt quotations from
the great poets and the choicest lit-
erature. After some years Mr.
Neeley, having acquired a fortune de-
cided to sell his interest to Mr.
Brooks and retire. The evening the
business of transfer was completed
and the papers signed in William S.
Furst’s office in the Betz building. I
happened upon Mr. Furst and Brooks
on the pavement opposite City Hall
and we engaged in a few minutes
conversation upon the closure of the
transaction which made Mr. Brooks
owner of the flourishing business. 1 | 000
shall never forget as we parted how
Mr. Brooks took my hand and wring-
ing it said solemnly “Dr. I feel as if
I wa going to get an awful jolt,
things have been going too prosper-
ous by me.” This was quite the most
clairvoyant presentiment I ever ex-
perienced or have had knowledge of.
Two days later taking up my news-
paper I read that James H. A. Brooks,
and his amnager Mr. Price were auto-
ing to Atlantic City with their respec-
tive wives and Mr. Price at the wheel,
no doubt for needed rest and to cele-
brate his important business event.
Several miles from Atlantic City the
auto skidded turned completely around
and pinned Mr. Brooks under it. Mrs.
Brooks, was the only one unhurt. Mr.
and Mrs. Price being hurled with such
force as to become unconscious. Her
feeble strength was too small to ex-
tricate her husband. A farmer was
espied at a distance and came to Mrs.
Brooks’ assistance. Her husband was
lifted from beneath the car but it was
found his neck was broken and death
instantaneous. Thus ended in this un-
timely tragical fashion this promising
and useful life of my very dear friend
whose memory is still as green as in
the hour I pronounced his funeral dis-
course so many years ago and still
evokes the profoundest emotion.- God
rest his soul! If one could not be-
lieve that the deaths of such eminent-
ly useful men are but for higher pro-
motion and to spheres of worthier
activity, such tragedies would appear
unexplainable indeed and plunge us
into stark atheism.
— er Ais
Prisoners Learn Farming by Mail.
Forty-four inmates of the eastern
penitentiary at Philadelphia are
studying agriculture by mail, accord-
ing to T. I. Mairs, director of corres-
pondence courses in agriculture at the
Pennsylvania State College. Poultry-
ing interests the majority of the pri-
soners but bookeeping has a fascin-
ation for many of them.
Plans now are being made to have
the Philadelphia county agent, C. K.
Hallowell, and one of the extension
poultrymen of the Pennsylvania State
College visit the class of prisoners
periodically to supplement the train-
ing they are receiving by mail.
—Litter on the poultry house floor
should be clean and dry and from four
to six inches deep.
533,000 Hunters’ Tags Ordered for ’27
Season.
Harrisburg, Pa.—The increase in
the hunters’ license fees to $2 will
prevent the normal yearly increase in
the number issued unless present ex-
pectations of officers of the game
commission fail. Th bureau of publi-
cations today announced that it has
ordered the printing of 533,000 Ii-
cense tags for the 1927 season, the
same number as was printed in 1926.
In former years there was a steady
increase in the demand for license
tags. In 1924 there were 508,850 print-
ed with a 4,000 increase in 1925. In
1926 the number had grown to 533,-
The bureau has ordered the print-
ing of 15,000 special licenses in addi-
tion to those allocated to each county.
In case a shortage should develop the
special licenses will be sent there for
issuance.
The number ordered printed for
each county revealed that those coun-
ties which boast the best hunting is-
sue but a small percentage of the li-
censes which appear there during the
season.
Potter county, the mecca of thou-
sands of thousands of resident hunt-
ers and most of non-resident hunt-
ers whe come into the State will re-
ceive but 2,800 licenses for issuance.
Cameron will get 1,000, Forest 1,400,
Pike 1,400 and Clinton, another fa-
mous hunting county, but 4,400.
The largest number of licenses, 34,-
200, will go to Allegheny county,
while Luzerne county will get the sec-
ond largest number, 23,000. Philadel-
phia is third on the list with 19,600.
Centre county will have 6,100.
————— nears.
Tennessee to Put Stop to Highway
Sign Peril.
At the heels of the general warn-
ing that unrestricted billboard ad-
vertising on highways is a menace to
the motorists comes the announce-
ment from Tennessee that a campaign
is under way in that State to clear
the roads of the sign peril. It is un-
der the direction of the department of
highways and public works of that
State. For some time the department
has been removing disfiguring signs
from the state roads, in accordance
with the law created by the State Leg-
islature in 1925, which makes it un-
lawful for anyone to erect a sign of
any character on the right of way of
all sections of the state highway sys-
tem outside the limits of incorporated
towns.
Investigation of this type of out-
door advertising with the idea of as-
certaining how it may best be con-
trolled in the interest of conserving
the beauty and desirability of resi-
dence districts in cities and of scenic
countrysides will be undertaken by
the National Association of Real Es-
tate Boards following a conference on
city planning held by the association
in connection with its recent annual
convention, at which conference the
advisability of such control was dis-
cussed.
If you want a nice Porch Rocker, FREE, The Watchman will help
you get it. Come in and find out how it can be done.
LUMBER?
71-18-t£
Oh, Yes! Call Bellefonte 432
W.R. Shope Lumber Co.
Lumber, Sash, Doors, Millwork and Roofing
Two Kinds of Shoes
leather.
We have two sorts of Shoes for men
—the light weight single sole styles for dress wear—
the heavy weight double soled styles for street wear.
Your choice of black, tan and some styles in patent
Some with rubber heels, others with leather
NITTANY SHOE STORE
BELLEFONTE, PA
In the “Terminal” Room Where the Wires
In a “Manual” Central Office Where Calls
dre Handled bv Young V omen Operators
automobile.
From the Switchboard Are Connected to the
Wires From Your Telephone
\X JHEN THE BELL on your telephone rings,
somebody has a personal message for you.
It means that someone is making use of a per-
sonal equipment which we have provided, and
that he has secured connection with the personal
equipment reaching to you.
More than this, he has secured the personal use of the
necessary connecting equipment in a central office and the
personal services of one or more telephone operators.
When you are talking with him you are using hundreds
ot even thousands of dollars’ worth of telephone equipment.
Every time you talk with anyone by telephone you have
the personal use of equipment worth as much as a fair-sized
And in order that this equipment may always be ready for ,
your personal use, it is closely watched, tested, checked.
It's a personal service.
4
In a Dial Central Office Where the Telephones
Are Connected by Machies
Power Plant and Ringing Machines
sn a Telephone Central Office
TEE BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY
OF PENNSYLVANIA