xt7cfx73vb11 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7cfx73vb11/data/mets.xml Grafton, Thomas W. (Thomas William), 1857-1940. 1899 books b92-164-30098397 English Christian Pub. Co., : St. Louis : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Disciples of Christ Biography. Men of yesterday : a series of character sketches of prominent men among the Disciples of Christ / by Thomas W. Grafton ; with an introduced by Benjamin L. Smith. text Men of yesterday : a series of character sketches of prominent men among the Disciples of Christ / by Thomas W. Grafton ; with an introduced by Benjamin L. Smith. 1899 2002 true xt7cfx73vb11 section xt7cfx73vb11 MEN OF YESTERDAY A SERIES OF CHARACTER SKETCHES OF PROMINENT MEN AMONG THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. BY THOMAS W. GRAFTON Autbor of " Life of Alexander Campbell.," vrrH AN INTRODUCTION BY BENJAMIN L. SMITH Secretary of the American Christian Missionary Society. ST. LOUIS CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY 1899 COPYRMUTED, 1899, BlY CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY TO ANNA BELLE GRAFTON, THE COMPANION AND INSPIRATION OF MY BUSY LIVE, THIS VOLUME OP SKETCHES 1S AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. This page in the original text is blank. PREFACE. THERE is no more interesting or profitable theme for study than the life of a true man. When that life combines, with courage and en- durance, the elements of moral greatness and spiritual sublimity, it becomes an inspiration to noblest endeavor. The sketches which are here offered to the public deal with a class of men, who, in making a great cause triumphant, are deserving of the gratitude of thousands who have been blessed by their labors. When we think of the opposi- tion encountered, the unpopularity incurred, the sacrifices made, the hardships endured, the results achieved, it is doubtful if a modern in- stance can be found that will parallel the brave, noble, consecrated service of the men who fol- lowed Alexander Campbell in his search for the scriptural ideal and in his efforts to reproduce it amidst the political, social and religious envi- ronments of the Nineteenth Century. The names appearing in this volume by no means exhaust the list, but they are, I believe, fairly representative. The first three, Scott, Stone and Smith, wrought by the side of the great leader of the reformation and contributed in no small measure to the successful establish- ment of the cause of primitive Christianity. The latter, Errett, Johnson and Burgess, took (5) PREFACE up the cause at a critical period, rescued it from ultra-conservative tendencies, and made possible these days of enlargement. It was the privilege of the author to know well the latter group, some upon terms of warm- est friendship, and to hear them often as they stood before the public in the defense of the faith delivered once for all to the saints. For his knowledge of the earlier group, he has been dependent wholly upon the literature which has preserved a record of their achievements. In this connection, he begs leave to acknowledge his indebtedness to the earlier writers who have told the story of the lives of those who pioneered the way: Baxter's "Life of Walter Scott," Stone's Autobiography, Williams' "Life of Elder John Smith," Lamar's "Memoirs of Isaac Errett," each of which is deserving of the study of every disciple. He desires further to ac- knowledge the helpful service rendered by Mrs. B. W. Johnson and Mrs. 0. A. Burgess, each of whom has supplemented his own recollection of their revered husbands, with facts and inci- dents that are worthy of remembrance. In offering this volume to the public, it is the author's sincere hope that the perusal of these worthy lives may quicken the devotion of every reader for the cause which they served with such heroic zeal. Rock Island, Feb. 15, 1899. 6 CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . I. WALTER SCOTT. I.EARLY LIFE . . . . . . II. TRAINING IN A NEW RELIGIOUS SCHOOL 111. FINSDING A FIELD . IV. GOSPEL TRIUMPHIS IN MANY lLACES V. PECULIARITIES AND POWER . VI. THE COURSE FINISuED II. BARTON W. STONE. I. EARLY STRUGGLES II. CONVERSION AND CALL III. THE GREAT REVIVAL AT C(AEXERIIX;E IV. A NEW DECLARATION OF INI)EPENDEXCE V. THE PROGRESS OF TIHE REFORM MOVEMENT VI. A GOLDEN SUNSET III. JOHN SMITH. I. A CHILD OF THE BACKWOODS II. SEEKING ASSURANCE OF SALVATION III. WRESTLING WITH DOCTRINAL DIFFICULTIES IV. THE TRIumPH OF THE REFORMATION V. THE CLOSING LABOIR OF TIIE REFORMER IV. ISAAC ERRETT. 1. EARLY TRAINING FOR NVORK II. A WORKMAN THAT NEEDETI N ASHAMED III. FAITHFUL SERVICE IN A NEW FIELD IV. THE PROGRESSIVE LEADER V. THE LAST YEARS (7) 153 SOT TO BE 162 174 184 193 PAGE I, 19 24 32 47 53 CZ 71 85. 91 96 107 114 124 132 142 8 CONTENTS V. BARTON W. JOHNSON. I. YOUTHFUL LABORS ANI) AMBITIONS 201 II. FORMATIVE INFLPLUENCES AND EFFORTS 207 III. FRUITS OF THE EARLY HARVEzsT. . . 21F IV. IN LABORS MORE ABUNDANT . . . 227 V. HOME A-ND HEAVEN.. . . . . . 228 VI. OTIS A. BURGESS. I. YOUTH AND EARLY LABORS . . . . 251 II. NEW LIFE AND LABORS. 258 III. THE FEARLESS DEFENDER OF THE FAITH 271 IV. THE CLOSING YEARS OF A BUSY LIFE . 281 INTRODUCTION. T nE final analysis of any movement is the men that are behind it. Any good plan will work if you put the right man back of it to work it; no plan, no movement reaches large results unless back of it can be found men with large plans and large ideas. The movement for the Restoration of Apos- tolic Christianity is an exemplification of this law. It had a glorious plea,-the union of all God's people; it bad a strong platform,-"the Bible alone as the rule of faith and practice;" it had a divine creed,-"Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God;" and under and behind it all, it had God-gifted men to advocate this plea and to win for it success. No truth has much power if it is only held abstractly; it must be embodied in a man and he made flesh and blood and dwell among us; then it becomes effective, and the larger the man who embodies the truth, the more effective it is. The love of God was a great truth, written by God's creative fingers in earth and sea and cloud, manifested in food and shelter, emphasized in seed-time and harvest, and repeated in provi- dences innumerable; but it was not a control- (9) MEN OF YESTERDAY ling truth until it was incarnated. When "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life," then the truth had power, and is to-day the most potent truth in the universe. So with our movement: it had great truths and principles, and these principles became effective through the great men who gave the cause their adherence and their service. God's truth flows through human channels, and as we contemplate these lives we appreciate the more his love. There is no more interesting study to us who are satisfied to be simply Chris- tian, and who take God's word alone as the rule of faith and practice, than the study of God's hand in our history, and the manifest leadings of providence to bring our feet into a "larger place," and to give us the glorious liberty where- with Christ hath made us free. Wycliffe, Huss, Jerome, Luther, Calvin, Knox and Wesley did God's work ill their day and generation. No man has improved upon the special plea made by Luther for Justification by Faith; no man has pleaded more strongly for Divine Sovereignty than did Calvin of Geneva; no man has manifested more consecration than Wesley; no man has excelled Knox in courage in his struggle to save Scotland from a return of Popery. We should never forget the little monk 10 INTRODUCTION of Wittenburg as he stands alone before the Diet of WQrms, and is commanded by the representa- tive of the Pope of Rome to retract his so-called heresies. He folds his hands across his heart, an(l after a moment of silent prayer he utters his immortal sentence, "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise; God help me!" We should never forget Wesley's great heart-cry, "The world is my parish!" nor Knox's agonized soul-cry, '"O God! give me Scotland, or I die!" While we rejoice in their lives and their work we should not forget that their work is not yet complete. They tried to reform the church, but after a generation the movements they inaugu- rated toward reform crystallized into creeds and sects, which in turn need reforming. In the early years of this century there was marked unrest in the life of the people. The help of the French people in our Revolutionary struggle was a great help politically and a great harm morally and religiously, for a flood of French infidelity swept over the country, and following it a tidal wave of immorality that swept God and religion and morals out of the thought and lives of many, too many, people. There were some souls that had not soiled themselves,-earnest souls that cried to God: then the Spirit of God led men in various parts of the United States, unknown to each other, to pray and plan for a new reformation, which 1i MEN OF YESTERDAY should be not merely a reformation in the church, but indeed a restoration of the Church of the New Testament. This spirit of reformation manifested itself in James O'Kelly, Abner Jones and Barton W. Stone, even before it found adequate expression in the movement of the Campbells. And no sooner had the latter come to see the "heavenly vision,"-the vision of the union of all God's people on the basis of God's word as the only rule of faith and practice, than other noble spirits were enabled, by their leadership, to look through the fogs raised by theological discus- sion, through the mists and mysticism of human creeds and the traditions of men, and to see, even though at first dimly, the splendid vision of the Church of God, freed from man-made creeds and discipline, and standing forth in her primi- tive simplicity and beauty. Of some of these heroic men we are told in the following pages. T. W. Grafton is espe- cially fitted to tell us the story of the lives of these worthies. Most of them he knew person- ally; of the others, he has had access to the innermost sources of information concerning them. One matter is worthy of note,-the intense opposition of the sectarians of early days to the plea for Christian Union as our fathers made it, and another,-the change from that time to this. 12 INTRODUCTION Christian Union is now a popular theme; the brightest minds in all religious communions have their faces set toward the east upon this great subject, toward the east whence they expect the dawning of the better day. But when the fath- ers wrought, it was a very unpopular theme; it was declared impracticable, undesirable, and im- possible; its advocates were regarded as here- tics, and as such cast out of the synagogue of the orthodox. Not only was the teaching of Christian Union counted heresy, but almost every step of the way toward it was heresy. Did the fathers plead for a revision of the translation of the Scriptures, that the mind of the Spirit might be more plainly made known to the men of this century, it was accounted heresy, and when Alex- ander Campbell published a revised version it was widely heralded that Mr. Campbell had made a Bible to suit himself. When the fathers pleaded for a return to the Scriptures as the rule of life, it was called heresy of the deepest dye. "I would as soon depend upon an old almanac for conversion as upon the Scriptures, unless miraculously accom- panied by the Holy Ghost," was a common say- ing in those elder days. In the case "Our Ortho- doxy in the Civil Courts," a bona flde trial in Indiana, a minister on the witness-stand said that while he would not pronounce Peter a 13 MEN OF YESTERDAY heretic, yet his words in Acts 2:38, "were capa- ble of an heretical interpretation." But the heresy of the fathers has become the guiding light of the children. Revised transla- tions are everywhere, human creeds have largely retired from sight and influence; no longer are they taken into the pulpit and become the text- book for sermons; no longer are the teachings of the pulpits measured by the creed rather than by the Word of God; now not many members of sectarian churches know the creed under which their churches are working; the creeds are kept in reserve and are only used occasionally by which to try ministers. The Christ is coming to his own; the personal Savior as the object of the soul's supreme faith is being realized; the scene on Transfiguration is being repeated, "And lifting up their eyes they saw no man save Jesus only." Thus have we and our religious neigh- bors entered into the labors of the fathers; thus are we indebted to them for much that sweetens and invigorates our religious lives; thus are we debtors to them for their work and labor of love. As you read these pages note some things well, and note to imitate: the sublime faith of these men in the Christ of God, in the Gospel of the New Testament, and in the promises of God. By it they wrought wonders, removed mountains of difficulties, subdued kingdoms, 14 INTRODUCTION wrought righteousness, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, and turned. to flight the armies of the aliens. Note the sacrifices of the fathers: few of them were men of property, yet they stopped not to count the cost. It meant poverty, it meant re- ligious and social ostracism, it meant necessary absence from home, it meant alienation of friends; but they went out not knowing whither they went, save only that the heavenly vision beckoned them onward. They had something they called the "Cause." When they met they asked, "How is the 'Cause' prospering where you have been" They planned and prayed for the advancement of the "'Cause;" any disgrace was dreaded on account of its in- jury to the "Cause;"-the Cause of causes to them was the Restoration of Apostolic Chris- tianity as the basis and method of the union of all God's people, and in poverty and in tears they sowed the seed of the Kingdom; in the morning they sowed the seed, in the evening they withheld not the hand, and God prospered it as it pleased him. Note for hopefulness, the fruitfulness of these lives; they won souls by the hundred. God gave them abundant harvests and blessed their labors, and when their sacrificing labors were ended God kissed them and they rested, and over them we can repeat the Divine Word, "These all died 15 16 MEN OF YESTERDAY ir faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." But the Announcer must not longer keep the bidden guests from the Banquet; enter and feast yourselves on the rich food the author has so carefully prepared. BENJAImN L. SMITH. Cincinnati, 0. This page in the original text is blank. WALTUR SCOTT. WALTER SCOTT. 1. TEE greatest man in the world is he who is most like the Savior of men; who lays all his honors, gifts and attain- ments at the feet of Jesus, and gives him all the glory. It is he who abounds ih all goodness, purity and godly fear. It is he whose soul is moved at the wretchedness of mankind, and is only concerned to see men redeemed and God glorified through Jesus Christ. It is he who has the least taste, and is least attracted by the things admired and pursued by the giddy, gay, ungodly world of mankind, while he glories in the Lord.-WaUer Scott. 18 WALTER SCOTT. I. EARLY LIFE. T HE name of Walter Scott is inseparably link- ed with that of Alexander Campbell in the cause of religious reformation. Near the be- ginning of the movement which led to the organization of the Christian Church, these choice spirits formed a congenial fellowship, which was only broken by death. Campbell and Scott bore a somewhat similar relation to the Nineteenth Century Reformation, that Luther and Melanchthon did to that of the sixteenth century. Or, if we may be allowed to liken the former to Paul in this new school of apostles, the latter was the counterpart of John, the apos- tle of love. Like the "disciple whom Jesus loved," Walter Scott's mind dwelt much upon the divine glory of the Master and the super- natural claims of his Messiahship. It is a strange coincidence that these two leaders of the new religious thought in America, should each have descended from distinguished Scotch ancestry, and both have stepped out of the bosom of the Presbyterian Church. (19) MEN OF YESTERDAY Walter Scott, the preacher and reformer, was of the same stock as the illustrious poet and novelist, Sir Walter Scott. Both could claim relationship to heroes celebrated in the annals of Scottish history. Preacher and poet alike inherited, besides the sterner qualities of their countrymen, keen perception, vivid imagination, deep emotion and great tenderness of heart. It was the inestimable privilege of Walter Scott to be well born. His father, John Scott, was a man of liberal culture and refinement of manners, and possessed of rare musical talent, a gift which he used in the support of a large family, as an instructor of music. His mother, Mary Innes Scott, is described as a person of beautiful life and earnest religious devotion. She had a gentle nature, keenly sensitive to suf- fering and sorrow. An illustration of the depth and delicacy of her affection is presented in her untimely death. Her husband was taken ill, while away from home, and suddenly died. So deeply was she affected by the intelligence of his demise, that she immediately fell dead of a broken heart, and both were buried in the same grave. Walter, the sixth child of this devoted couple, 'was born October 31, 1796, in Moffat, Dum- friesshire, Scotland. As the Scott family were all strict members of the Kirk of Scotland, Walter's religious training was not neglected. 20 WALTER SCOTT Under the kindly, sympathetic care of a devoted mother, his receptive nature unfolded its beau- tiful traits like the blossoms of springtime under the warm rays of the sun. His amiable disposi- tion and warm sympathy soon made him beloved of all who knew him. At a very early age he gave evidence of a decided talent. Though the resources of the family were only moderate, his watchful parents determined to give him every educational ad- vantage, the mother the while praying that the kirk might enjoy the service of his rare gift of heart and mind, a purpose which Walter himself seems to have cherished from childhood. The Scotch family of the old school sought no greater honor than to have a son at the univer- sity. Though a collegiate education, at that time, was regarded within the reach of the sons of the wealthy only, in this devoted family the slender resources were so husbanded as to enable Walter, after a preparatory course at the acad- emy, to enter the University of Edinburgh. Here he pursued his studies with a zeal and success that fully justified the labors and sacri- fices of his parents. Perhaps the consciousness that every hour of privilege was purchased for him at a great sacrifice, helped him to avoid the follies and dissipations then prevalent among his fellow-students. - Certain it is that his young life was unblemished, and that a foundation of 21 2MEN OF YESTERDAY character was laid which enabled him to with- stand all the subsequent storms that swept across his pathway. While a student at the university, an incident occurred that finely illustrates the unselfish de- votion of his whole after life. He had a fine voice, carefully trained, and possessing a sympa- thetic strain, which few were ever able to hear unmoved. On a pleasant evening he walked out in the city, and not returning at the expected hour, the family became alarmed at his absence. His brother James was sent out to search for him, and at midnight found him in the midst of a crowd, singing popular Scottish airs and stip- ulating, as the price of each song, that a collec- tion be taken for a poor blinid beggar, whose af- fliction bad touched his heart. This was always characteristic of the man. His whole life was a song of sympathy for those in suffering about him. After completing his university course, while casting about for a place to plant his feet and enter the service of his race, an unexpected turn of affairs changed the channels of his life. His mother's brother, George Innes, had some years before emigrated to America, and by faith- fulness and integrity advanced himself to a place of responsibility in the government service in New York City. Anxious to assist his relatives still in Scotland, he had written his sister to send 22 WALTER SCOTT one of her boys, promising what assistance he could render in his advancement. Walter, as best fitted by education for the opportunities of a new country, was the one selected to go; and as the plan was in perfect harmony with his own wishes, he at once left home, arriving in New York, on July 7, 1818. He soon obtained etn- ployment in an aca(lemy as Latin tutor, a posi- tion for which he was eminently qualified. But in this position he did not long remain. He was a young man of adventurous spirit. A new world spread out before him, and he determined to press on toward the West, of which he had heard glowing reports from his acquaintances in the city of New York. Having resolved to see for himself the country of which he had heard so much, he set out on foot, with a young man about his own age, to explore the regions which were beyond. Over the same route traversed by the family of Thomas Campbell, some eight or ten years previous, young Scott now bent his steps, little dreaming that he was following in the pathway of one whose fortunes would be so strangely blended with his own. After a long journey on foot over the Alle- ghany Mountains, a journey that to him, with his keen sympathy with nature and overflowing mirthfulness, was filled with delightful experi- ences, he reached Pittsburg in the early sp)riiig of 1819. As his purse was as light as his heart, 23 MEN OF YESTERDAY his -first concern was to seek some employment. This was not, then, difficult for a young man of his attainments. Men of scholarship were rare among the hardy settlers of Western Pennsyl- vania and their services were in demand, so he was not long in securing a position as assistant in an academy conducted by George Forrester, a fellow-countryman, and a man of high Christian principle. This meeting with Mr. Forrester marked a turning-point in Walter Scott's relig- ious life, and secured his services to the cause of primitive Christianity, then just beginning to claiml attention outside of the obscure church in which it had been cradled. IL. TRAINING IN A NEW RELIGIOUS SCHOOL. The young scholar, as we have seen, received his classical education at Edinburgh. It was un- derstood that he should enter the Presbyterian ministry, when the unexpected turn in fortune landed him in America. Without relinquishing his purpose, he entered the school-room as a stepping-stone to his ultimate life-work. The school at Pittsburg, which he entered as an assistant, now became his theological seminary, its text-book the Bible, and its instructor, that pious man of God with whom he had the good fortune to be associated, George Forrester. Under the guidance and inspiration of such a 24 WALTER SCOTT teacher, Walter Scott soon became a proficient scholar in the Book which was later to become his effective weapon in the dissemination of new religious ideas. Mr. Forrester had been trained under' the Haldanes 1 of Scotland before coming to Amer- ica, and had, in connection with his school duties, built up a small congregation of believ- ers who shared his views. Young Scott was not long in discovering that his employer, though a deeply religious man, differed widely from the traditional doctrines in which he had been reared; and Forrester was not slow in impress- ing his intelligent assistant with the superiority of his position over that of the Presbyterian and kindred schools of religious thought. Better soil for the planting was not to be found than that presented in the heart of Walter Scott. He was a sincere truth-seeker. He loved the Bible. He was ready to accept whatever could be clearly proven by its authority. No sooner, therefore, did he learn of this new relig- ious movement than he set about diligently to test the correctness of his employer's views. Together they made an earnest, prayerful search into the teachings of the Scriptures. The hours 1 Robert and James Haldane had, in 1798, inaugurated a movement for the reformation of religious society in Scot- land. somewhat similar to that afterward advocated by Alex- ander Campbell in America. 25 MEN OF YESTERDAY after school were spent over the Bible. Mid- night often found Scott turning its sacred pages, or on his knees seeking for light and guidance. The result of this painstaking search was, that in a few weeks he turned his back upon his past religious training, convinced that human stand- ards of belief were without the sanction of God's Word. This conclusion, we may be sure, was not reached without much anguish of spirit. He further discovered that though he had ad- hered, in all strictness, to the church traditions, he had neglected obedience to some of the im- portant commands of the Bible. Like Mr. Campbell, among his first discoveries, in this conscientious search for truth, was the absence of scriptural authority for infant baptism, and his need of personal obedience to a command so repeatedly enforced as that of baptism into Christ. With him to see the way of duty was to unhesitatingly pursue it. He, therefore, an- nounced his purpose to reject all authority but Christ, and in obedience to the Divine command he was immersed by Mr. Forrester and united with the small company of believers to whom he ministered. Walter Scott at once proved himself a valu- able addition to this struggling congregation. Although he did not at once take a public part in their services, his genial presence, zealous de- votion and Christian culture were the inspira- 26 WALTER SCOTT tion of the brotherhood. He humbly accepted the position of learner, continued his diligent search of the Scriptures and rejoiced in his new- found faith. In the meantime, Mr. Forrester, desiring to devote himself exclusively to religious work, turned over the management of the school to his talented assistant, a position for which the latter was well qualified. Mr. Scott's original meth- ods of instruction, his pleasing manner, his fault- less character, won for his school a wide patron- age. Had success in this line been the goal of his ambition, his situation would have proved eminently satisfactory. But this was not his ambition. The more he studied his Bible, the more he felt drawn toward the ministry of the Word. A new world of religious truth was gradually unfolding before him. He soon found that even his teachers in this new religious school but partially apprehended the Divine pur- pose and method in the world's salvation. From his study of the Bible, especially the Acts of the Apostles, which Dow enlisted his attention, the plan of redemption began to take form in his mind. Conversion had always been a perplex- ing subject to him, but in the light of this book all mystery fled. He now discovered that all who heard, believed and obeyed the glad mes- sage of salvation, were filled with peace and joy in believing. MEN OF YESTERDAY While pursuing this line of investigation a small tract, sent out by an obscure congregation in the City of New York, fell into Mr. Scott's hands. The views expressed in it so perfectly coincided with those which he now held, that he determined to get acquainted with its authors, feeling that such an association would add greatly to his Christian knowledge. He, there- fore, at once severed his connection with the school and set out in his search for more light upon the great religious problems that now con- sumed his thought. The visit proved a keen disappointment. He found the practice of the church much different from what he had been led to expect fromn their publication. So, after a short sojourn in the city, with a heavy heart he continued his journey, visiting Baltimore and Washington, in each of which he had learned of small congregations of independent believers. But these visits only added to his disappoint- ment. These early attempts at religious refor- mation were not always successful and often re- sulted in a caricature of the thing attempted. "I wvent thither," he says, describing his fruit- less journey, "and having searched them up, I discovered them to be so sunken in the mire of Calvinism, that they refused to reform; and so, finding no pleasure in them, I left them. I then went to the Capitol, and climbing up to the top of its lofty dome, I sat myself down, filled with 28 WALTER SCOTT sorrow at the miserable desolation of the church of God." His drooping spirits were cheered by his re- turn to Pittsburg, after a journey on foot of three hundred miles. He received a warm wel- come from those who had learned his true worth, and, a suitable successor in the school- room not having been found, a handsome salary was pledged to secure his services. Broken in spirit and in purse, he accepted the position and continued in the management of the school for several years with remarkable success. But his chief delight now was to minister to the little flock, which, robbed of a pastor by the sudden death of George Forrester, looked to him for leadership. This period marks the growth of Walter Scott in scriptural things. His reverence for Christ and his Word led to the constant study of the Bible. His chief delight after school hours was the Holy Scriptures. It was in these hours of communion with the Spirit of truth that he made his final dedication of himself to God, promising that if "He would grant him just and comprehensive views of his religion, his life should be spent in proclaiming it to the world." It was while thus engaged single-handed in working out the problem of human redemption that the pathway .of a recognized champion of reformation crossed his and led him to his final 29 MEN OF YESTERDAY stand in the defense of primitive Christianity. That man was Alexander Campbell, and his first meeting with Walter Scott took place in Pittsburg in 1822, and led to the formation of a friendship and copartnership in the work of reform which continued unbroken till death. They possessed many elements in common, had been reared in the same school of religious thought, had been driven by the same burning thirst for truth to the Bible, and through its message were led to pursue similar paths in their search for accept- ance with God. The following, from the pen of Robert Richardson, beautifully presents the pre- dominating characteristics in contrast at the time of their first meeting: "The different hues in the characters of these two eminent men were such as to be, so to speak, complementary to each other, and to form, by their harmonious blending, a complete- ness and a brilliancy which rendered their society peculiarly delightful to each other. Thus while Mr. Campbell was fearless, self- reliant and firm, Mr. Scott was naturally timid, diffident and yielding; and, while the former was calm, steady and prudent, the latter was ex- citable, variable and precipitate. The one, like the north star, was ever in position, unaffected by terrestrial influences; the other, like the magnetic needle, was -often disturbed and trem- bling on its center, yet ever returning, or seek- 30 WAITER SCOTT ing to return, to its true directi