The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-07-27
The Progress Of Religion in lows for
twenty-five Years, with especial
Reference to Burlington.
4 Sefmon Preached ia tie Congregational
Church, Darlington, Ioara, June 10th, 1853,
Br WILLIAM sALTER, Paafos or THE CHURCH.

1 If
Br WILLIAM sALTER, PISTON o. THE CHURCH.
Romans, TX, 26-And II shall come to pass, that /
people there shall they be called the children OF Tn
living God.
i One hundred and eighty-fve years ago thi
summer-during the sunny month Of june
the white mans feet first pressed the soil 0
Iowa Fifty-fiye years ago next December
the ownership Of this soil passed into tn
hands Of the United ssatcs TWENTY-FIVE
years ago-Jnne /, lS33-this portion 0
our State, which lies along tho Mississippi
River, was opened to civilization.
At the close Of quarter of century sine
the commencement Of our history, it is fit
ting to review the past, to recall the man,
blessings for which our aratitude and praise
should ascend to God, and to gather up les
sons Of wisdom and encouragement for thu
future
twenty-five years is Il very briefperiod II
human history, but with US it has beer
crowded with memorable events, such al
have filed more than century in the annals
of other States In this period, we have seer
savage tribes retire from their ancient hunt
ing grounds upon our soil, we have seen mil
lions Of acres subdued to cultivation, we have
seen one hundred thousand happy homes
erected, and we have seen a free and indie
| pendent government established with all the
characteristics of the most enlightened and
advanced States. In the year 1900, which
| was nearly two centuries after the first set
Element on the Atlantic coast. TO State had
population greater than the present popu
lation Of Iowa, at the close of only twenty.
five years.
The most important question, however, is
as to the character of this remarkable pro-
gress, and as to the rel; tons sustained by
the State Of Iowa to the Kingdom Of our
Lord Jesus Christ Il that Kingdom here
appearing in new form, Of beauty and OF
power ? Is a contribution to Chris.ia his.
tory, worthy Of the Nineteenth century OF
salvation to be afforded ~ the State Of Iowa
1t is with reference ID these things that
our history will have It's chief Importance.
As it is with individuals SO it is with the
State. 1t is only what is done for Christ,
and in coincidence with his work of redemp-
ton, that shall be had in everlasting remem-
brance. Separated from the kingdom Of
God, the affairs of nations, or Of men, have
no permanent interest Or significance.
The most important act after our territory
came into the possession Of the United States,
in its influence upon our character and his
tory, was the law Of Congress, approved by
President Monroe, March 6, 1920, forever
prohibiting Slavery ulan our soil That act
settled for us in advance the most vicious
and distracting question ever agitated in
America. 1t is the basis Of our peace and
prosperity, and of the large emigration that
has been attracted to Iowa from the slave as
well as the free States, and from so many
countries Of the old world
We owe to our Methodist brethren the
earliest introduction Of Christian Institutions
in Iowa. They followed close upon the steps
of the hardy pioneers who first ventured up-
on our soil. So far as | have been able to
learn, the first Methodist minister, and the
preacher of the first sermon, in this place.
was Barton Ii. Cartwti-ht, local preacher
from Illinois He is said 10 have been sent
over here by the eccentric back woods
preacher Peter Cartwright, who was at that
period Presiding Elder of the Quincy Dis
trict Illinois, which embraced all of that
State lying west Of the Illinois river. This
was in 1884, and the same year Methodist
class was formed, Of which DIR. VIM. r
Ross, an active Christian and man of pub:
lie spirit, was appointed leader. \ Metho-
dist class was also formed this year in Du-
buque, composed Of four persons Peter
Cartwright, his son-in-aw VIM d. Il. Trot-
ter, who was then preaching on the Hender-
son river mission embracing the country in
Illinois opposite to this vicinity, and Asa
McMurtry, held two days meeting here in
the summer Of this year, In his Autobiog-
raphy, (page 302, Mr.. Cartwright gives the
following account Of this meeting He says:
There were then only a few cabins in the
place, and but scattered population. The
cabins were small, and not one would hold
the people We repaired to a grove, (said
to have been in the vicinity Of the Public
Square on the North tIll,) and hastily pre-
pared seats. Years before this an old tree
had fallen across small sapling, and bent
it near the earth. The sapling was not kill
ed, and the top Of it shot up straight beside
the tree that had fallen on it, and it had
grown for years in this condition. The old
tree had been cut off, and thez scalped the
bark from that part of tie sapling which Law
parallel with the ground They drove a
stake down, and nailed Il board to it and to
the top of the sapling that grew erect, and
this was my hand and stood on that
part Of the sapling that lay hear and level
with the ground. This was my pulpit, from
which | declared the unscarchable riches Of |
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we had a
good meeting" Such were the humble be-
glnnngs that were made in planting chris
ian institutions upon this soil
Among other early Methodist preachers in
this place were George w. Teas, who came
here in May, 1885, and who informs me that
ne preached several times in loo school.
house near where Lawrences Tavern now
stands, John II. Rubel, who came here from
he Missouri Conference, in October, 1885,
md died May S, 1886, and was buried in the
I'D graveyard, now the grounds Of the Bur
ington University, Daniel Gray Cartwright,
md Wilson Ritner A quarterly meeting
vas held, and the Sacrament of the Lords
supper administered here, for the first time,
n July, 1885, by Andrew Monroe, Presiding
elder Of Palmyra District, Missouri Confer
nee, with which Burlington circuit was
hen connected. The General Conference,
t its meeting in May, 1886, attached the
Black Hawk purchase to the Illinois Confer