The Dallas post. (Dallas, Pa.) 19??-200?, December 28, 1929, Image 6

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    History of Dallas
As before stated, the earlier settlers
about Dallas, after McCoy,
Worthington, Wort and probably half
a dozen other families of Connecticut
Yankees were nearly all Jerseymen.
They brought with them many of the
customs and beliefs of the Jerseymen,
which gave as distinct an individuality
to the Dallas settlement as the Con-
necticut Yankees, the Germans and
Scotch-rish Ihave given to other set-
tlements in Pennsylvania. n Ireligion
they were Methodists, and in politics
Democrats. Methodism for many years
had no rival. The first services were
held at private houses and in barns.
The houses of Philip Kunkle, Richard
Honeywell and Christian Rice were
among the places for holding prayer
meetings and Sunday meetings until
the old log school house was built in
1916. This became then the regular
place of worship and so continued for
many years until the Goss school
house, the Frantz school house and
others were from time to time erected.
The first Methodist Church—sti'l
standing, 1886—near Dallas village
_ {since converted into a broom factory)
was erected in 1851. No other religious
denomination has yet succeeded in
getting sufficient followers in Dallas
to erect a church, though there are
now numerous representatives of
other denominations.
The Methodist
Church in Dallas borough, designed
by Messrs. Kip and Podmore, archi-
tests, at Wilkes-Barre of which a cut
is elsewhere given), was. begun in
September, 1888, and finished in the
spring of 1889. The ground for this
church was obtained from George WW.
~ Kirkendall, a former resident of Dal-
las(, but then of Wilkes-Barre. The
work of erecting the new church was
begun with some ceremony in the
presence of about fifty interested per-
sons. Mr, G. W. Kirkendall threw out
the first shovelful of dirt. The church
was erected at a cost of about $9,000.
I am told that the Methodist Episcopal
Church of 1851 was erected by Almond
Goss at a cost of $960, his bid being
below cost, and $40 lower than any
other bid.
Politically, the Jerseymen in Dallas
have not all been so steadfast in the
faith of their fathers. This assertion
may be questioned by some, for Dallas
township has long been farmous as au
stronghold of Democracy. At one time
it was unanimously Democratic, but
as early as 1836, thre men, Fayette
Allen, Christian Rice and Alexander
Fergusn parted company with the old
line Democrats and unted themselves
Leonard,
new Episcopal
‘with the Whigs. For three or four
years afterwards they stood alone in
this faith.
increased by eleven by the accession
of John Williams, Abram Ryman,
Jacob Rice, Charles Ferguson, Joseph
Shaver, Henry Simons, Samuell Wor-
den and Joseph Richards. From this
eleven Whigs has grown the Repub-
lican element which has. .a slight ma-
jority in the borough and a threaten-
ing ‘minority in the township.
The influence of polics was, how-
ever, quite insignificant in and about
Dallas during the earlier
pared with religion. Only on rare oc-
casions, when there was a great na-
tional agitation, did politicians visit
that back country. Religion took a
deeper hold, and was almost constant-
ly kept before the people by local ex-
‘horters and revivalists. So great was
the need of, and haste to make use
of, the present Methodist Church
edifice that it was pressed into active
service as soon as it.-was enclosed and
before any floor was put down. The
congregation sat on logs. After its
completion this .church, like the old
log school house, was put to a great
variety of uses.
ance, hygiene, travels in Holy Land,
magic lantern panaramas, day school
and Sunday school exhibitions, Fourth
of July celebrations, funerals, revivals
and “protracted meetings”
held at the church, and they were
matters of such general public concern
that they usually attracted as large
a nassemblage of the general public us
any of the other meetings or “goings
on” at the church. Even a funeral was
diversion in that .rough _and lonely
county. “Uncle Oliver Lewis,”
everyone called him, was at one time
famous in that country for his funeral
n 1840 their number was
days com-
Lectures on temper-
were all
as
sermons. He was very sympathetic
and wept copiously, ag did the mourn-
ers and 'most of .the audience, during
His discourse was usually
an hour or more in length, and was
devoted largely to panegyric and the
narration of touching incidents in the
his sermon.
life of the deceased, interwoven with
minute and torturing details of the
sepecial sorrow that this and that
member of the family would, for par-
ticular reasons, feel. The first two or
three seats directly in front of the
pulpit always for
mourners. The open coffin was placed
directly under and in front of the pul-
between tlie
At all
meetings and services in this meeting
were reserved
pit about midway
preacher and the mourners.
house it was the invariable rule for
the men and women to occupy sep-
After the
funeral the men were invited to pass
arate sides of the house.
around and view the corpse, pass
down the isle on the women’s side, out
doors and re-enter and seats
again on their own side.
A reverse operation was. then per-
by the women. After all
had thus finished viewing
the remains, the mourners were invited
to take a last lingering and agonizing
This public exhibition of mourn-~
ing was often carried to ridiculous
and uncontrolled extremes. Some-
times, possibly, from love of display,
and again perhaps, through fear that
any lack of suficient demonstration on
the part of a near relatives or friend
might be, as it sometimes was, the
subject of unfavorable comment in the
community.
Of all the occasions in that churcli,
however,
intensity of feeling and excitement as
the “revival”
season.
take
formed
strangers
look.
none ever approached suck
or “protracted meeting”
These meetings usually began late
in the fall, about the time or just after
the farmers had finished their fall
work. The first sympton usually ap-
peared in the slightly extra fervor
which the minister put in his sermons
and prayers on Sunday. Then a spe-
cial prayer meeting would be set for
some evening during the week. Other
special meetings soon followed,
that, if all things were favorable, the
revival or “protracted meeting” would
be at a white heat within two or three
weeks. In the meantime the fact
would become known far and near, and
the “protracted meeting” would be the
If
parties
would be formed miles away to
with protracted
as their obpective visiting
point, often from idle curiosity or for
want of something more instructive
and entertaining to do. Others went
equally far, through storm and mud,
in wagons or on foot, from a higher
SO
leading event of the neighborhood.
the sleighing became good,
£0
this
sleigh riding
meeting
sense responsibility and
it
grave and seriouS business. The house
of personal
duty. With many was a most
was usually packed to repletion. Pro-
fessional ambulatory revivalists, often
from remoter parts of the
county, would stop there on their re-
state or
ligious crusades through the land, to
attend and help at these meetings.
Many of these were especially gifted
in the kind of praying and speaking
that was usually most successful at
such times.
say that many times on a still night
the noise of those meetings was heard
the On
one occasion I saw a leading exhorter
tI is not overdrawing to
a mile away from church.
at one of those ‘meetings enter the pui-
pit, take off his coat, hurl into a cor-
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DALLAS POST, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1929
: a a tai a: mre meri
ner and standing in his shirt sleeves
begin a wild and excited harangue.
After possibly half an hour of most
violent imprecations and raving he
came down from the pulpit, jumped
up on top of the rail which extended
down the center of the room and
divided the seats on the two sides of
the house, and from there finished and
exhausted himself, begging and plead-
ing with sinners to come forward and
be converted, and invoking “hell fire”
and all the torments supposed to ac-
company this kind of caloric, upon
those who dared to smile or exhibit
a sentiment or action not in accord
with his.
The principal argument at those
meetings was something to excite fear
through most terrible picturings of
hell, and the length of an eternal da:n-
nation and death. Scores would be
converted, and many would backslide
before the probationary period had
ended. Some were annually recon-
verted, and as often returned
to their natural state. Many
mained true to the new life and be-
came useful and prominent members
of the church and community. It can-
not be successfully denied that many
are reached and reformed at those
meetings whose
could have ’' been touched by any
milder form of preaching... They had
to be gathered in a whirlwid or not
at all.
A famous revivalist and assistant at
those meetings was Elisha Harris,
personally well known to many now
living in Luzerne county, and also ex-
tensively known in fields,
through what eRv. Dr. Peck and others
have written of him. His home was
near the Dallas Methodist Church and
he was a frequent visitors there, and
a most zealous worker at those “pro-
tracted meetings.” His familiar and
tremendous shout, “Amen! Glory be
to God,” was heard always at such
times clear and distinct above all other
Its efefct was often
again
re-
consciences never
larger
noises. most
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£
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startling and ludicrous. tI washis ex-
pression of approval of anything that
was said by any one e€ither in prayer |
It was a short thun-
dering punctuation mark wheh he
could not refrain from putting in|
whenever he listened to a prayer or
sermon. On one occasion, at Izhman |
Center Church, he came in lateat an
experience meeting, when some pro-
bationers were giving their ‘“experi- |
ences,” etc. since conversion, As he
entered the church he observed some
one standing up apparently to speak.
Not wishing to disturb any one he
quietly seated himself unobservel in
a seat behind everybody in the oom
near the door. The person speaking
talked so low and indistinct ony al
faint sound of the voice could be hard |
by Elisha. As the speaker sat dwn
Elisha heard apparent mutterings of
approval from the good brethren vho
sat nearer and felt sure that sone-
thing good must have been said. The
old shouting instinct at once irresist-
ibly came over him, and in that silat
moment “Amen, at a venture,” cane
thundering up from his | powerful
throat. The shock to many was quite
severe. He had so managed that net |
half a dozen in the house knew of his |
He enjoyed such surprises |
|
and rather took pride in the distine- |
tion they gave him. |
John Lingskill, a brawny Yorkshire |
Englishman by birth, a man of good |
sense and sterling honesty, of whom |
more is said elsewhere, wasgalso heard |
often with good and telling effect at]
those meeting.
or in speaking.
presence.
O
Famous ‘Black Shirts”
The black shirt was eriginally wom
by the Italian shock troops during the
World war.
D’Annunzio at Fiume.
adopted it as a symbol of the new pa-
triotism.
Oo © P0 oP6 6% Pres Toes aTo a 0s a Pi oF 0% yl
CP EPO P OATS ITD ETC IRB ATI LEI AT
Hitting rocks, holes and road obstruc-
tions bends in your tires—stretches the
cords inside the casing.
Os 0 0%
ogee
Later it became part of |
the uniform of the legionnaires of |
The Fascist!
_Vernon-
Quite a number of parents and
| friends attended the Christmas enter-
| tainment and Christmas tree exercises
given by the pupils of the Vernon
| school on Friday afternoon.
Our school is progressing nicely with
Miss Bessie Ross as the teacher.
Mr. and Mrs. George Rogers enter
tained . about forty relatives dud
friends to a venison dinner on Thurs-
day evening. }
Mrs. William Weaver spent Sunday
with Mr. and Mrs. John Montross lof
Jenks. f
Miss Ethel Race spent Thursday ahd
Friday visiting friends and relatives
of Noxen. |
Mrs. Mary Frempter, Tawrenice
Frempter and family spent Sundfiy
with Mr. and Mrs. Leon Dalley [of
Plattsburg.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry DeRemer fof
New Jersey spent the week-end wijth
the latter's parents, Mr. and Mid
Corey Newman, :
Mr. and Mrs. William Conden
Kunkle visited Mr. and Mrs. Clyde}
Eggleston on Sunday afternoon.
Mrs. Ralph Weaver visited Mr.
Mrs. George Rogers and family { om
Sunday afternoon.
Miss Florence Frempter is spend
the week with her aunt, Mrs. Mandus
Searfoss of Piattsburg.
—_— Ore
Worker Not Understood
He who would do some great thing
In this short life must apply himself
to work with such a concentration o
his forces as, to idle spectators, wh
live only to amuse themselves, 100k
like insanity. —Parkman
- O-
Beckoning Light 8
Two lights are seen on the ho
—one the fast fading marsh ligh
The Fascisti organization | power; and the other the slowly
was founded by Mussolini in March, | ing sun of human brotherhood.
1919, at Milan.
/
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