PDF (20 MB) - Virtual Library of the Public Library of Cincinnati

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY 259
years and here missionary meetings, temperance meetings and antislavery
meetings were held without let or hindrance, when too many
of the church doors in older portions of the country were tightly closed
to such unpopular gatherings. There Avas one man by the name of
Clark AVIIO ahvays remembered the slaves in his public prayers and it
is said that one good brother got so tired of it that he said he wished
there Avas a church Avhere he would not have to hear the slave prayed
for. One'of our citizens has told me (this is a man not at all connected
Avith us) that this "church has ahvays, right along through thick and
thin, been the radical, earnest defender of free speech. It has been for
all classes."
In 1843 there AVIIS a great revival in the community under the
preaching of*a Reverend Mr. Avery, an evangelist. He Avas one of the
old hard hitters some of us have seen, and all have heard about. He did
not believe in being tender with a sinner: he thought there was great virtue
in hard Avords, and perhaps they Avere then necessary. For instance,
he told one unrepentant sinner that he Avas "Eating from the hand of
God, and then biting the hand." Says he, "You board at the table of
God, and then serve the devil." He said he wanted to get converted
under Brother Avery's thunderings, but he couldn't feel the Avay the
others said they did, and so he gave it up. Well, there were about 300
converted and Sandusky had a terrible shaking up. The revivalist
started in by preaching to the church members, saying that he feared
many of them had not been living as they should. The audience was
very much Avrought up, and one man who had been an officer in a certain
church for years Avas especially excited. The next morning there Avas
a meeting in the basement for prayer and confession, and this man,
no doubt with entire- sincerity Avas impelled to confess his sins. He
said he had been a great sinner for many years, although a member of
the church; that he had been Avorse than any one of the recent converts
and said: "Yes, Brother X.; I have even stolen salt off from your salt
pile!" "Oh, yes," says Brother X., "we kneAV it, brother, Ave kmnv
you took it and we took an equal number of bushels from your pile." So
honors seemed to be even betAveen them.
A young man came here from the East to teach music, and he wished
to introduce the present system of do, re, mi, etc. A meeting Avas held
in the basement to organize a class, and the minister, Mr. Hart, gave
him a very kindly introduction. The young man Avas bashful, and
totally unaccustomed to speaking in public. Accordingly Avhen he got
up to explain his system, he could nqt for a time utter a Avord that anyone
could understand. He would start in, but before he could finish
a sentence or convey an intelligent idea he Avould choke up. Then he
Avould start in again with a like result. Meantime he Avas backing away
from his audience, probably in the hope that it Avould not seem so
formidable at a greater distance. At last he reached the limits of his
retreat, the Avail of the room, and here he felt he must say something, if he
died for it, and this is Avhat he produced, with much perspiration:
"When you come into the church the minister gives out the hymn, then