Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-02-11
oplt,.nrN.
The Late sohn Meicnay, Esa.,

The Late sohn Hfeicnay, EBu.,
ny THE REV. y. rLANcHArp, ~. H..
!, An old citizen Of Cfnciqnntf. ar
old supporter of the Guzette aui IL
principles, aud and an old Christiai
patriot, has gone home.
Thirty years ago, who ever travel
; cd up Main street, Gincinnuti. wa
3 likely to see, near where that stree
runs Off toward the Brighton Hnus,
aud Carthage, standing in low
frame shop door, i'm work ing c,rrs
aud wearing a short carpenters aprof
made OF striped bed ticking, one o
the most Interesting mcil Who eve
lived In that or amy other city al
the more interesting because lie wa,
not man. monster, but tie reprscn
tative Of class.
Ills mother was an irish n 4hy
terrain OF that stanlp who uspa I,
ride fifteen miles on horse back regu
larry, to her meeting In London,ler
ry, IN. H.. and the son was tia
mother Americanized.. His earl,
advantages for education we surl
rs a hard New HAMPSHIRE farm af
forded the early emigrant fnna. Jles
But he had learned from his motif,
Catechism 10 exalt God and, fr -
her example, to revere Hin, r. .
TINT IS education. hat
lie came West early, In the
OF young men which Sill fiov ..e
ward from the same hills.
rfed; lost his wife and oa,a. r
early; placed n neat ton
their head. in the old prHs8
burying ground, and, from ha
devoted himself to the arf
God and his fellow nicn
One knows not how &c ats .
such man. He WIS Il SfYr,.
chanic and maker of ftmniur a
and an elder in the First FsFaaaa. ..
an Church, In the mei1IDra s
of Joshua l.. Wilson. do suaaras p
scholar, but he was Tluster at
Seminary from Its betinn re
till his death--that IL, taig.s .
years! He came TO CiuCiau-ts
lSl3 (the year of the war
seven years ago. and knew gt-s a
time, perhaps, more citi1gNa "a.
cinnau than any othet f31
ever lived I'm Ii. For this raee8Fa
ded to his known and revere D.
rity, he was judge OF alcnttaH
after year; and men resreeisa re.s
lican government when ihn.
the ballot box under his Rtapins
was Wing, devoted to hEs N-
yet he quit that party when ,-a.E .a
with IL identified him Win sat-
viency To the slave Tawer.. IN n3
when, in the trials of the murs
which disgraced The city a vile a-
yer by the name of N, &. 4ulI
heaped scurrilous abuse ON tue Al.
lolitionists, and described EN- "a aiI
that was Infamous, all thai tigels
lawyer, MIR. (now Chief Tust,cel
Chase, had to say to the jury la .aCii
defense was: "Gentleman--B JOIN,
Hcten6y such a many
As Christian, his character wa,
one of great moral beauty. He left
the First Presbyterian Church witt,
the colony which formed the Sixth
presbyterian. now the Vine Street.
congregational Church. Folk Ncn
and Osmond Cogswell were among
the members who went with him.
and that church owes its usefulncs.
and present existence more To John
Melendy than to any other ten o.
its members living or dead, and that
church has had I'm it, from the first
many men of superior excellence
During the days of financial disaster
(l63S'0), while Presby terian Church
es In Fulton and Newport went
DOWN ana ceased to exist. though
the Sixth Church was burdened will
debt, and loaded with opprobrlun
because Its pastor was an Abolition
ist, Mr.. Melendy was sexton, trens
: urer, trustee and elder of that church
anu It lived, paid its debt, conuuere,
popular odium and compelled re
spect; stood through the nemora
Bile three days and nights I'm whici
the mob ruled the city, aud civil gov
ernment was at an end, without hav
Ing even the lamp broken on tb,
post before its door. sa
Humble unpretending and unam
bilious, Mr.. Melendy might hnv,
adopted as his own the words of IN,
Psalmist: III had rather be n doc
keeper In the house OF my God tina,
10 dwell In the tentsof wickedness. ;
hundreds OF the old citizens Of Gin
cinnati Will remember his mild ant
pleasant face beaminS with the loy,
OF God and man, as he wcleomct
every one who entered his church
which stood on Sixth street, nea
walnut; as though every one vii,
went TO his meeting did him per
sonal favor. His kindness. benevo
ienar and charity % the poor wer
limited In their exercise only hy hi
means, and his means were consider
able and his giving constant while Il
had TO give,
The writer of the present lines wn
his pastor for nine years, durin
which time between five and III
hundred members were received i,l
TO the church, and ii the thousand
OF people whom Mr.. Melendy cor
Quoted to seats In the congregatio
We're now there, they would make
considerable part OF the populatio
OF the city, and every one would al
ter benediction Oh his memory.
And even his failings leaned /
virtues side" Every one knew tia
they would get their pay II his nam
was on their paper, and he spen
, some OF tho years OF his life payin
1 the debts Of men whom he had be
friended by lending them his name.
He never In his life took the nam
OF God I'm vain, smoked tobacco, d
drank liquor: never sought or hel
political office; his religion neve
was tinged with fanaticism or hi
politics with party rancor. Sounc
upright, constant In all his action
: and relations, he has done 10 n,uc
D good and so little evil that the ba
} ance In favor OF the good, sccuratcl
: struck, would exceed THAI Of mui
{ titudes whose means and advantage
: were vastly greater .haA his. An
: he lived to see bis country (whie
8 was his idol--if he had any) com
: out Of Its long death. graphic wit
! the slave power strong, united an
) unscathed. And In the family {
, his nephew Hon. Peter Melandy, 9
> Cedar Falls, I0wal, whom he had al
I ways regarded ns son, on tile lat
:. day of September, 1869. lie fell aslee
n In ChriJt.
= Happy, venerable, fortunate man
!, Muitituies who proceeded thee iiii
: the hidden realms have hailed ~
!. coming, and as thy highest joy o
earth was TO welcome men 10 tfl
: house Of God and bear TO. thers l.
sym bols of his love, sd. happily, tho
shalt be permitted 30 greet other San
!, fitndes nc our coming. asid welcotsl
! us to that "city that hRk founds
/. ltions whose builder and mssiseF
fGod - Ciucinnaj Guzef4e