Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-11-06

In addition to the above, Hon. Jacob But
Ter, in behalf of the Church and congregation,
presented hundred dollar bill as free gift,
calling up at the same time some interesting
personal "reminiscences Of the pastors early
labors. Mr.. 3. frankly avowed that on FIRST
acquaintance he had no kindly feeling towards
either the pastor or his religion, but had Stree
learned to cherish for him the most unbound
ed love and esteem.
Mr. Robbins, with grateful emotions, re
then gave some "reminiscences of his early ex
perience in the pastoral relation. AS the,
will be interesting to the general reader, W,
publish them nearly as they were spoken
emitting some Introductory remarks:
The first Sabbath in Iowa, at Muscatine,
(then Bloomington) was at the court house
in the court room, a soiled and dreary place
10 a young preacher whose first sermon, few
weeks before, was preached in some ancient
and comely sanctuary of old Massachusetts,
And that Sabbath was sort Of trial Sabbath,
at which were present those "hoping he
could not preach any way )" those curious to
hear what ''Rev A. B. Robbins, the 'Congre-
gatonalist preacher'-as the Bloomington
Herald announced him would have to say :"
the usual proportion Of indifferent ones, and,
finally, few decided and determined ones,
who had concluded that, if he would in any
way answer, they would gather about and
hold up the hand Of the new preacher
10 a very well filed court room-a much
larger congregation than we have often
preached TO SINCE with Judge Woodward
and wife and others in the jury box to sing
from Gallagher's Watts-we discoursed on
the texts: ''if thou hast run with the foot
men and they have weared thee, then how
canst thou contend with horses? and, if in
the land of peace wherein thou trustedst,
they are wearied, then what wilt thou do in
the swelling of the Jordan ~ and on the less
promising but more precious text: We
have not received the spirit of bondage again
to fear; but we have received the spirit of
adoption whereby we cry, "Abba Father ~
We have always thought, however, that
that text about the footmen and the swelling
of the Jordan had considerable to do with
making the impression that the young preach
er might possibly answer for a while, even
for 50 ambitious and promising town on the
great bend of the Mississippi as Bloomington.
After preaching awhile at the court house,
small room in the second story of house
on Second street. near Mr.. Wilson's grocery,
was fitted up with exceeding plainness for
our services. But in the spring we went
back to the court house but returned again
to the room on Second street, until, on the 9Th
of December, 1874, we moved to what was
our first house of worship, building high
up on the hill back of Mrs. Nealley's house,
a. ~
another in its rear. Formerly in the place Of
this last there was shaky frame and tower
for our new bell, the position of which gain
ed for us-from those who have always hon.
ored Us with their hatred and contempt, ex-
cept some of them who have repeated and be-
come Christians of similar sort-the name of
the "Stern-wheel Church" Another inter-
esting name given us was the id Yankee
Toms Cabin All these have been names
of honor, and all of them have already come
to be anything but disgrace
The stern-wheel can run and do its work
where other boats ground and sink and de-
cay. The grand army of the North, the no.
blest the world has ever seen, and moving on
to the grandest Of all victories, that of free.
dom and truth over oppression and falsehood
is called the ''Yankee" army.
And "Uncle Tom, which means anti-sla.
very and abolition--is claimed now by nine.
tenths of all the Christians in the land, and ia
. name rejoiced in by every one who loves
his country and Abraham Lincoln better than
some petty office and jeff Davis, or Rose
Grams or Meade better than Bragg or the wo-
man-whipper Lee.
We worshipped God and preached the truth
climbing the hill to the stern wheel until Octo-