4 EARLY RELIGIOUS I Ft 111 IS Paper on Zion Church by Prof. Wert Has Bearing as Historical Document IS OF GENERAL LOCAL INTEREST Harrisburg Historian Tells of Condi tions in State and City Which In fluenced Particularly the Lutheran and Reformed Sects A paper on '"The Founding and Eariy History of Zion Lutheran Church - ' was lead last night at a meeting of the -Men of Zion by Prof. J. Howard Wert, is of considerable local interest, review ing as it does the early religious his tory of Pennsylvania and more partic ularly of Harrisburg. With the de scription of the growth of Zion Luther an church is woven an account of con temporary events, which gives the pa per an important bearing as a histor ical document. The text, complete, is as follows: From very soon after the settling of Pennsylvania down to the present time the German element has been the most potent factor in the upbuilding of our SState. To it we owe much of the solid ity of growth prosperity and develop ment. first of the colony and then of the Commonwealth. In 1677 William Penn visited Ger many. He saw the poverty and misery left by the Thirty Years' war, and his great heart comiserated. Pour years la ter he received his grant of Pennsyl vania from the English King. He im mediately -wrote to German)*, recom mending hos new colony as an asylum for oppressed sects and a home for those who desired to better hard conditions. Emigration societies were formed. The first company, led by Francis Dan iel Pastorius. sailed in the Concord, a name which should rank with the May flower, and reached Philadelphia Octo ber 6. 1683, settling in Germantown. These people signed the first anti-slav ery petition in America. The German Population in Penna. From that time on the German emi gration to Pennsylvania continued in a steady flow that made our Com monwealth, more than any other State t/f the Union, a German one. The greatest number came from the Palatinate on the Rhine. Many of them came as "'redemptioners;" that is, through poverty, they were obliged to sell their services for a term of vears to secure a passage to the new'land of promise. Some of the ablest and most distinguished men of our State, from the time#of the Revolution down to the present, have been the descend ants of these poverty-stricken, but hardy, industrious and"religious "re demptioners." The cold winter of 1708-9, which de stroyed the vines and fruit trees over large areas of Germany, drove 15,000 to England. Rome thousands colonized in Ireland; 5,000 came on to the land of Penn. From 1719 to 1729 the Thinkers and other Baptist sects of Germany came to Pennsylvania in large numbers, founding Ephrata and other towns. In 1733 one of these German denominations settled along the Perki omen. In 1741 Count Zinzendorf es tablished the Moravian settlements in Pennsylvania, which developed into the towns of Bethlehem, Xazareth and oth ers. But the great stream of German emi gration of those connected with the Lutheran aud German Reformed Churches far surpassed that of all ofW sects. The history of these two denom inations is closely intertwined in the first century of our State's existence. How the Lutherar and German Re formed Churches Were Linked Together Xot only were these two churches of cognate German origin, but, in all essentials of Christian faith, the fol lowers of 'Martin Luther and T"1 tie Zwingli held the same points of doc trine. Theirs had been common suffer ings and persecutions. The two .:(lurches mentioned ran along lines so identical and were so interlinked by many ties of consanguinity that they readily and naturally coalesced in church matters. Ulence the great ma jority of the originally constructed church edifices were union buildings, in which each of these denominations had au interest. This union of effort in church-build ing was a result of primitive condi tions. To our forefathers of a ccntury und a half, or even a century ago, even at the best, life was a long, hard strug gle for existence. For many years »tfter the Revolution money was scaree, and it roquired here-lean and persist ant efl'orUt to obtain the means of erect 'ig places of worship. Ajvational life developed into more ♦ii Wit circumstances each denomina tion was able to establish itself on more independent lines of action. Yet, as a general rule, so harmonious were the relations of the joint owners of the German churches that, jn many cases, the union arrangement was continued long after the financial necessity for it had .leased to exist. The Intense Religious Life of the Early German Population Let it be remarked in passing, that, above everything else the German ele ment that settled in Pennsylvania was an intensely religious people. Agnostics, infidels, freethinkers were so completely unknown to them that there was no word in their original vernacular to ex press persons of that class. In every German family, at a stated time, morn and eve, all work was cropped and children, guests, hired la borers —all within the household were assembled around the head of the iin'ise. who took down the ponderous family Bible which was a.n essential in every home read from it, with reverent awe, as a preliminary to fam ily ; rayer in which God 's guidance was sought anil Ilis 'blessing invoked. Baptism, confirmation, first eom muuion, marriage were joyous, yet sol emn milestones in life, blended with touching religious ceremonies and elab orately recorded in quaint certificates which adorned the walls of bumble, yet, happy homes. The faflh of those olden time Ger man folk who. in work and prayer, laid dee.i and broad the foundations of Uneeda Biscuit Nourishment —fine fla vor—purity—crispness —wholesomeness. All for 5 cents, in the moisture-proofpackage. GRAHAM CRACKERS A food for every day. Crisp, delicious and strengthening. Fresh baked and fresh de livered. 10 cents. SNAPAROOMS A delightful nfew bis cuit, with a rich and delicious cocoanut fla vor. Crisp and always fresh, xo cents. Buy biscuit baked by NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY Always look for that Name \ our great Keystone, was a happy faith, an absolute faith, a faith undimtned •by a dou'bt, —a faith all too rare, I fear, in our bustling, materialistic age. Harrisburg's First Church The first church building in our city lias a date coeval with the founding of the town—it was built on lot 187 of the original plot, which was the loca tion at Third ami Chestnut streets, do nated bv John Harris, the founder, for vhurch purposes. It was a log structure occupying but a small portion of the lot, and was erected by subscriptions from citizens of the town without re gard to denominational lines. Various sects held services there from time to time, hut as a vast ma jority of the citizens were connected with the Lutheran or German Reformed churches, the ownership was vested in those denominations, and they were the only ones to have regular pastors. From 1787 to 1795, these two bodies worshiped together, substantially as one congregation, although there were sep arate ministers. The first Lutheran min ister at Chestnut street was the Rev. F. D. Sehaeffer. residing in the much older town of Carlisle. The first Lu theran officials of whom I have been able to find a record were elected Sep tember 12, 1790. They were: Trustees, John Deutzel and George Ret tig: elders, Christian Kunkel and Jchn (Hotfker; < deacons, M'iichael von Keneu and John E'bert. In 1795, there was a more marked division in the congregations, although both continued to ©cctfpy harmoniously the same edifice. The articles drawn up in that year for the systematizing and consolidating of the Lutheran con gregation have twentynfive names ap pended to them, all males, thus indi cating that it is not by any means a full roll of the church membership. At the same time the Lutherans secured their first resident pastor, tile Rev. Henry iMoeller. Founding of Zion Church In 1813 the Lutherans bought ground on Fourth street, and January 26, 1814, the following com mittee was appointed: Christian ICun kel, George Yotise, George Zigler. John Shock and Christian Stahl. The build er of the church was a famous architect of those days, Stephen Hills, the same man who, in the same decade, built the old Capitol of classic proportions. At that time there was no sharply drawn line between the professions of architect and builder. The cornerstone of the Fourth Street church was laid June 22, ISI4, the ministers officiating iu the ceremonies •being the Revs. George Schraucker, of York tow 11. as York was then called; George Lochman, of Lebanon; Heidricli Uanhoff, of Jonestown; \V. G. Ernst, of Marietta, aud J. P. Heeht, of Carlisle. The church was dedicated October 1, 1815. The forenoon sermon was de livered in German "by the Rev. George ycbmiK'ker; the afternoon discourse, in English. by the Rev. Mr. Armstrong; while there was an evening sermon, again in German, by the Rev. Mr. Hindel, of the German Reformed church. The exercises were continued on the j following day, Monday, by a forenoon j sermon, in German, by the Rev. Mr.' Yanhoff, and one in the evening, in j English, by the Rev. J. P. Heeht. This was a memorable and joyous occasion. Lutherans from settlements j many miles distant came pouring into the little village of Harrisburg. All 1 pioneer peoples are noted for their hospitality, and none were more so than • the early Germans of our own State. ( All these visitors were greeted with brotherly affection and most cordially' HARRISBURG STAR-INDEPENDKKT, TUESDAY EVENING. NOVEMBER 24. 1914. entertained in the homes|of the Harris burg Membership. How Our Forefathers Went to Church In those early days, when the sparse population was widely . scattered and churches were far aparl, Sunday was a red-letter (lay of the calendar to the toiling yeoman. Then the hard toils of the week were thrown aside for a day of rest, and humble folk, in their bo<t homespun jtarb, wended their way, past farm aud clearing and through mighty forests, for many weary miles, to reach the nearest house of worship. The well to-do farmer and his family went horseback or in some rude conveyance of the farm, for carriages were then an unknown luxury. But the great mass were obliged to travel on foot, often a distance of ten miles or more, to the nearest tabernacle of God. But no one, no matter how poor or! how lowly, ever came to these rural j churches of the olden time that he did ! not receive a royal welcome from the j brethren living near the edifice wlni j vied with each other to see who could j obtain the greatest liumber of the | brethren from a distance to accompany | him home for dinner. Meantime, at homes near by, one ori moro females of the family, in each, j were preparing a banquet fit for a! King. 'Tis said that the custom in the, old German churches, which is still maintained. I think, in St. Michaels church, on State street, of ringing the bell about the conclusion of the ser mon, had its origin, principally, in the desire to notify the folks at home that their guests of the day would soon ar rive. It is quite likely that such is the case for this was an era when time pieces like many other conveniences of our modern life, were not a very plen tiful article. How the Visiting Brethren Were En tertained: Well, did the Brethren from a dis tance who were urged and importuned "to go along for dinner" get anything to eat? Did people live in those days! I rather gaess. True, the folks of a hun dred years ago were a trille short on fii>hion, but they made it up in grub. The Susquehanua and every tributary stream abounded in fish, or you could' drive down to Havre de Grace and buy j a two-horse wagon load of the finest shad for what you now pay in our mar kets for one disreputable, slab-sided specimen. The hogs ran wild in the woods in droves and fed on acorns. And that pork they produced was fit for an cm peroc. None of your flably, insipid Chi cago stuff from diseased swine bloated upon rotten refuse brewery mash. Oh! the hams, the sausages, the puddings of that period as they came on every farm and village table! You juniors that nev-1 er tasted them don't know what living i is. Kach farmer and well-to-do deni- j zen of the olden time towns killed one or more beeves annually. Those ani mals were from the fresh meadows, now ] hauled two thousand miles packed in cars, like sardines in a box, till crazed from thirst and brutal proddiug. And game! Don't talk! There were deer and rabbits; pheasants and par tridges; 'possums and 'coons; squir rels and wild pigeons, wild turkeys, wild geese, and what not! And not a game law or a game warden iu all the broad State. Yes the streams were alive with fish, the wide forests alive with game, whilst beaver and otter basked iu the sunlight amid the mild of Paxton creek and every other little confluent of the Susquehanna. Did the rural dames of that period and their buxom daughters know how to prepare these and a hundred other things from farm and forest? Goldeu apples and golden pumpkins alike fur nished luscious pies. Aud the cakes, the tarts, the jams, the jellies, the pre serves! The midsummer berries that grew luxuriantly in the fields and thickets, the nuts of autumn'gathereif by the farmer boys by the bushel, —all were called on to add sweet viands to loaded tables. But I've written my self hungry, aud I'll stop. I'd like you all to see one of those country dinner tables of a hundred years ago. I would like to sit down to one myself right now. The Church Bells of Long Ago And one other thought of the olden time church going. 1 have spoken j>f the scarcity of time pieces. And that, perchance, is the reason why every old en time church had ,a bell to summon the worshippers. A hundred veers ago they would as soon have thought of havifig a church without a preacher as without a bell. Perhaps the day of their utility is gone but oh! I miss them, tbose deep-toned, sweet-voiced, solemn bells of my boy hood, echoing for miles over woodland and hillside on a stiil. sunny Sabbath morning. Pardon these digressions from the thread of my historical story. The Founding of a School and the Burning of the Original Buildlugs In the manner which has been nar rated briefly the l»utlierau ehureh in HarriMjurg was fairly launched into existence dissociated from the German Reformed congregation, aud the fair Zion was born that has now lived and flourished for one hundred years, and yet, with all that age upon it, shows marks of neither doercDitude or senility. The Lutherans endeavored to persuade the sister denomination to purchase an interest in the new build ing, but tha!t did not meet the appro bation of a majority of the latter's membership, aud, after considerable negotiation, the Lutheran body accept ed, in 1816, the sum of SI,OOO for their interest iu the property at Third and Chestnut streets. At that time common schools were unknown and provisions for education were largely in the hands of the sev eral churches. In 1822, the Fourth street congregation erected a large two-story brick schooi house adjoining the church. In 1829, a steeple was placed upon their place of worship. October 21, 1838, both church and school house were entirely destroyed in one of the most spectacular fires that the borough of Harrisburg had wit nessed up to that time. How the New Church Ko&e From the Ashes of the Old The next day Zion's membership met amid the charred ruins and yet smoldering aalics and, undaunted by disaster, resolved to rebuild. The first assemblage iu the new building was the Whig convention that nominated General William Henry Harrison, the hero of Tippecanoe, for the presidency, tbe building not having been conse crated as yet. This wiis the first fully representative National convention ever held in the United States. For reasons of political expediency, the re lation of which would not be germane to this -paper, the leaders of the new Whig party deemed it policy to hold their convention in Pennsylvania's Capital, and the spacious new church fjSSS?' Let G. & F. Generous Credit Make You A Merry Xmas. Owr Credit System Has Furnished QgL&tWr Millions of Happy Homes in America Just come. Open a Charge r - ' • 1 - • " '7l | Account, that's all. Then ' ! pay as you get paid. No ra red tape and prices as cash J j | prices elsewhere. (j ♦|f y^Ttof.tAm ♦&&&BM LJI^ i Room size Rugs and all of Rugs at a Special Tapestry, Scam- s , poo*>p-c>pc><><><><><?• p<>^>o.<>^ less Rags, se.9B £ Soecial Carpet s ] ?) 65c Per Yard L • ' " ' ■—" -- Oilcloth, Linoleum and Draperies. Prepare' the Home Some Suggestions That Make Very Appropriate Xmas Gifts and That Won't be Here Long This Store has -Porhai> would i • 1 like the gift to be a gen- Ezfek a selection nine Diamond. If so, we lift .All sizes & Drices can save . vou 011 that ti,,t " " Safet y < lil '" for Bab x; it will Sem , . ' too. Diamond Rings Burely l(>ase - V 1 Compare values. f rora $9.98 to the best. $5.75 to sls £ A Wonderful Toy—Gravity Jim "" s r J-°. v won't be here until Xmas. Is aSO et. Toy. Our price No springs, no clockworks. The little man walks j I I down the platform and does not fall off ou reaching the end. I/ 1 I Nothing to get out of order. | \r 19 cents Specials in Overcoats, Men's, Wom I * IGATELY & FITZGERALD SUPPLY CO. I »»'• | rUHHlOntlfo 29-31-33-35 SOUTH SECOND STREET CLOTHIERS g ""■►Our Location Means a Great Saving To You BaaBB " HaHB 4H[ was the largest available room in the borough. Of the various alterations and im provements which have been made in the building during the seventy-five years which have elapsed since its erec tion this paper will not attempt to treat. An Honored 801 l of Pastors The resident pastors during the time that all the Lutherans of the borough were united in one congregation were: The Hov. Henry Moeller, 1795- 1803. The Rev. J. L). Peterson. 1803 1812. The Rev. 1\ C. Schaeffer, 181.2- 181 5. r The Rev. .folia George D., whose mortal remains rest within the shadow of these walls, 1815-1820. The Rev. Augustus H. Lochman, 1827-1836. The Rev. Samuel 6jpre..liel, IS3G -1840. The Rev. Charles W. Sbaeffer, IS4I - All of these men were earnest, able and conscientious heralds of the cross of Christ and the way of man's re demption; and several of them stood high in their .State and national repu tation ,as pillars of the greatest ability in the championship of l.utlieranisni and evangelical Christianity. The Progeny of Old "Zion" from the grand old Ziou church has arisen a numerous progeny, the first of which was the St. Michael's congrega tion organized in 1843. I have given but the briefest epitome of the rise of Lutheranism in Harrisburg and eannot follow at all, in tliis paper, the various offsprings or the subsequent history of the Zion church. The first division was largely on the lines of the use of the German and English languages in church services. All the pastors in the list just given preae.hed alternately in German and English, except the first two who used the German only. And now, aa a younger generation had grown up who used the English language almost exclusively, an agita tion began such as had occurred in a hundred other similar eases. There was! a constantly growing element that de-i sired to have a greater proportion ot'j the services i/i the tongue in most com mon use in our land. But, on the other hand, these were; many, particularly among the elder, who clung tenaciously to the language| of the fatherland. In some cases their j knowledge of English was not sufficient] to receive the full benefit of a dis-l course delivered in that tongue. But,j beyond this, there were, in many cases.' sentimental associations which had j been woven into the warp and woof ot'i life. The German language was asso-j ciated with tender incidents of their | childhood or that of their ancestors, j in far off homes along the Rhine, the Weser and the Ekbe. It 'was in the i German language that vows ha I been j made for them by sponsors in baptism J In German, they had themselves as-i sumed those vows in the holy cere monies of church confirmation. In j German, husband and wife had plight ed troth at the altar, and in German, dear ones, wearied with the march of 1 life, had been laid to rest, Beneath the low green tent Whose curtains never outwhrd swing, i The Early Membership of "Zion" 1 One word aboui the early member-! ship of Zion—-the men whose names 1 j •have given in this paper as early of ficials of the church, much more than 1 a century ago and their brethren who were associated with them in the work of the church—the men, aye, and the women too, who stood amid the smold ering ashes of Zion church and with undaunted hearts, resolved that a yet fairer structure for the worship ot God should rise—and rise promptl/ from its ruins. Some of them bore names that, with the mutations of time, have entirely j disappeared from the rolls of Harris-1 burg's citizenship. Others were the an-l cestors of those who to-day are pillars! in our congregation and are before me to-night. It is impossible to go into 1 speciific illustrations, but let me say, m ! a general way, that records are extant| which show unmistakably that the mcu and women of '/Aon from 1787 to 1843, the period imperfectly covered in this paper, were upright, God-fear ing citizens, of the 'bone and sinew ol' the borough of Harrisburg. Items appearing from time to time in the "Oracle of Dauphin," Harris burg's earliest newspaper, and in its immediate successors in the journal istic field, as well as information gleaned from other sources, indicate that the early membership of Zion were prominent and industrious work ers in the various avocations of life, of the very best element of that primi tive population that laid the founda tion stones for the glorious develop ment of our city, of our State, of our mightv nation. Diligent iu business, they were also fervent in spirit, serving the fiord, not as a matter of ostentation, but as one of right and duty. ''oulfi a wireless from the relms of the spirit land Come from those worthies long laid in sleep, to us of the present, might it not be couched in words like these: Brother, never rest a moment, With useless, folded hands. Unmindful of the barren spots. And wastes of deser! lands- - Up rouse thee from thy stupor, And gird thy armor on; When once a llvm resolve Is made, Full half the battle's won. What right hast thou to squander The talents God hath sent." What right In rust to bury The powers that lie has lent? They're yours to battle nobly In strong defense of right; They're yours, to carve your shilling way Up to the hills of light. Up from all dull supineness! Up with a righteous trust: An Idle life surely conducts To shame and carnal lust. Work, while the day endureth! Work, till the evening come! At/evening when the shadows fall, God calls Hia workmen home. Senator's Son Bnrned Pottsville, Nov. 24.—Drose Snyder, the 14-ycar-old son of Senator Charles A. Sn.vder, was Heriouslv burned about (■lie lace yesterday when he lit a niutth j to look into a gasoline tank on an auto, i The tank exploded with terrific force. FIREMEN'S DELAY COST LIFE Back for Ladders, Too Late- to Savs Woman in Peril Wilkes-Barrc, Pa., Nov. 2 4. —Delay [ encountered by city firemen in reaching j a blaze that destroyed the Presto diu ling parlors in this city, early yes tenia v I morning, caused the death* of Mary | Polocar, 2 9 years old, of No. 25 Am- I ber lane. The first trucks to arrive at the tire ; had no ladders to reach a third-storv ■ window, where the woman appeared a 1 minute after hot grease took fire in the j kitchen, and by the time the extension j ladders were summoned the poor wom an had become frantic. She attempted' I to regain the first floor, and was caught j by the sweeping flames. The Presto rooms were destroyed, at I a loss of about SIO,OOO. MADE PASSENGER AGENT George W. Hay Succeeds fcharles E Lee in Lehigh Valley Office South Bethlehem, Pa., -Nov. 24. General Baggage and District Passenger Agent George W. Hay, of the | V alley railroad, was last evening noti : Sod of his appointment to the position i of general passenger agent of the com | panv, to succeed Charles E. Lee, of j New York. I Mr. Hay assumed his new duties at | New York to-day. Man Blown to Atoms Titusville, Pa., Nov. 24. Ralph j Pu'bbs, 38 years' old, was blown to i atoms near here. Ho was loading a ! wagon with nitroglycerin when it ex ploded. The detonation waa felt for i miles. Boy Eighth Auto Victim Shaniokin, Pa., Nov, 24.—Struck by : an automobile at Kulpmont yesterday, Prank Jason, a boy, was fatally injured. | He was th<i eighth victim of automobiles at that place the past season.
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