The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-12-11
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONs.
BY THE EDITOR.

Forty years ago there were no churches
| in the south half of Jackson county.
Preaching was had at private houses oc-
casionally. My parents were Baptists,
but they were very liberal, and the
preachers of different denominations
very often held meetings at our house.
Between thirty-fve and forty years ago
the preachers of the United Brethren
Church commenced preaching in the
south part of the county. Among them
was a young man named David Edwards.
He often preached at my fathers house
He was much above the average of
preachers in those days. l remember as
well how he looked as if it had been but
yet residing about Oak Hill, and from
that place to Gallia Furnace will remem-
Der the solemn, almost severe counten-
ance of the eloquent David Edwards.
Last Sunday night I took up the
chronological Journal for December, and
there saw a sketch of the United Breth-
rem Church, and its abler ministers.
There were twelve likenesses of the more
eminent ministers, and among them was
David Edwards, D. D. He looks very
much older, but l recognized him at
once.
The Journal gives the following sketch
of him:
| David Edwards, D. D., was born
near Llanvullin, North Wales, May 5th.
| 1916 His parents emigrated to this
country in 1921, and after a residence of
two years near Baltimore, Nd, settled
in Delaware county, Ohio, where, in 1925,
his father died Soon after the decease
of his father he was placed in woolen
! factory to learn the trade of carding and
cloth dressing. His parents were strict
Presbyterians, and taught him to pray
regularly, night and morning, from his
earliest recollection. They also taught
him the necessity of a change of heart
through faith in Christ He was i'm
pressed at the early age of seven that he
would be called to the ministry. At the
age of eighteen he experienced strong re-
| ligious emotions at United Brethren
meeting held near Lancaster Fairfield
county, Ohio and was so much impressed
as to attach himself to that body, and
was granted authority by it to preach the
Gospel.
In the spring of 1886 Mr. Edwards was
received into the Scioto Conference, and
with John Eckert as colleague was placed
on Brush Creek circuit-a circuit which
embraced large part of five counties,
and was three hundred sixty miles in cir
cumference; twenty-eight regular ap-
pointments were filed on each round.
During the third and fourth years of
| his itinerant labors his work lay in the
hilly regions of southeastern Ohio, where
he was not unfrequently in danger of
being mobbed for his bold utterances of
the truth About the time Mr. Edwards
entered the ministry the Religious Tel
eScope was started as an organ in the in
terest of the Church, and to this he be-
came an occasional contributor. His
contributions were always in good taste,
and evinced well-informed and discrim-
mating mind, and attracted so much at
| tention that at the next General Confer
ence he was elected editor of the IeLe-
scope.
| During Mr. Edwards editorial career
he prepared and published work en-
titled 1.-THE perfect Christian, or Con-
densed View of Bible Holiness" which
had quite a wide sale at the time. He
continued to edit the Telescope until 1849,
when he was elected bishop, and has
been thus reelected at each succeeding
General Conference.
Upon interrogating Bishop Edwards as
to where he was educated, we received
the following reply: "You ask, Where
were you educatedP A hard question
that. l never received but one years
schooling, and that was when | was
small boy. Whatever l obtained above
reading writing, and ciphering beyond
the rule of three was obtained by ap-
plication to books after 1 entered the
ministry. AT the age of nineteen l OBJ
tanned a tolerably good knowledge of
English grammar, by studying on horse
back; reserving other times for theology,
biography, history, etc. l learned to
read the German language after 1 was
fifty years old But if / was to give you
an honest and pointed answer to the
| question, Where were you educatedY P it
would be simply in these words, I am not
educated. / have been so much crowded
with work, and loaded with responsible
ties for the last thirty years or more,
that l have but little time for mental
culture"
Dr. Edwards influence as a circuit
preacher, presiding elder, editor, and
especially as bishop, has been good-al-
ways good. A rigid disciplinarian,
thorough and systematic preacher, an
untiring laborer, and close student, his
influence upon the Church has been in
calculable.
DR.. Edwards is about five feet ten
inches in height, and somewhat heavily
built; has remarkably penetrating eye.
deeply set underneath highly over
arching forehead; his mouth, especially
the set of his teeth, seem to say, You
can neither coax nor drive me from
what l believe to be right" Although
he possesses kind nature, yet his stern
adherence to his convictions makes him
sometimes appear to be unnecessarily |
rigid.
DR.. Edwards resides in Lexington,
Illinois, and has control of the East