Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-12-10
Personnel of the Conference

Personnel of the Conference
Perhaps the man W no stands highes
in the Conference il. The
REV. NATHAN A. HOOKER.
Mr.. Hooker is said to | 9 arout SIX
fest and half high. is large, honey
man; was born i'll Greene County,
North Carolina ard has been the aTchi-
tect (under Cod of his ow fortunes.
When the Wilmington aud Weldon
Railroad was building. Mr. Hooker
woi ked on the section near Goldsboro
| as hand in grading ard getting cross
tics. Shortly after he was converted
aud joined the c!lu. CHI. Although he
| beG hunted !ucation. he inm4di-
stelv set TO work to see what good be
| cou d no and labOred earnestly until
ne felt the call to the ministry. when
| do !aIi DOVE. all to folIoH Christ. Since
| ut time through evil ard good report
| he has proven him seif ga workman
| taat needeth not to be ashamed -
SOMETIMES ile h'.s been appointed to
| charges where, to all hnman appear
| lnces the CHARGE of success was very
81 GIT, and btfore the end of the year
! he has come ont with his colors fivinp
and victorious over every difficulty.
| Mr.. Hooker has been sn iDcessaut stu
deLt, so that today he stands ready,
armed and equipped to meet airy foe
of is church who chooses to take up
arms against her. Son etimes his f
nances Lave been so low that LIE had
to walk round his circuit, but it made
10 dIffereuce to him God had given
him strong frame and vigorous health
AMI walk of fifty or sixty miles did
not Cause him to waver. HIS appoint
ments Were always met and the church
edit d. sinners armed and mour1 ers
cola fortrd. Taken altogether he is one
of the most remarkable men In the
! Conference.
| Not far from the altar, on the north
side of the Church, near a window. AS
If no delights i'll light. though he rarely
uses aids 10 his vision, sits the
| REV. ROBERT o. BURTON,
| long member of the Conference.
| Uni Ike Mr.. Hooker, he Was .'traiu+d
n the Schools" having been educated
at West Point. and Intended for the q
5. Amy. His erect form and firm
tread still bear testimony to his mill
tary discipline, and perhaps the exac,
habit of his mind may be due TO the
same il fiuence. As IA learned Evange
list he has few ,quals. He rarely goes
into the pulpit without long and care
full preparation, even on camp meet
SO great is his estimate of the duty OF
a minister. that he ~nds in solitude
such time as can be spared from other
duties before entering the ulpit, and
be CONES TO the duty with the q eatrst
solemuity, as if he were treadipg the
| anti cham Der If b, til worlds, aud was
| me dIator between -inhers and Christ
His sermons are sometimes delivere
with su Ii power and JUNCTION, as to
| sway his cOpgreeatIo S the trees o1
| the wood are sway. d by q N lightly wind.
! I"aitus, earnest. laborious, never
comp omislIg IN matter of dnty, be
is though passing down the decline
of life still eli effective and usefu
preacher. AS flashed speaker few
men excel him, his quotations reach
over a wide field of literature, and he
culls from all sources to strengthen
to beautify. to illuminate and adorn his
argument. Few men have been more
effective. and few haye seen more sin.
ners turn to the testimonies of the
Lord. MIR. Burton joined the Virgins
Conference in Petersburg in 1888
About half of North Carolina was
then in that Conference. Hence he
has been North Carolina preacher
foe about forty-two years. Who car
write the history of those years
| Should the remerd braDce of the iUci-
dents he has witnessed and taken part
in be allowed to perish
Let your eye roam over the Confer
/ epce room from the north side 90 g
line between the second and thitd pill
lars from the altar and you will SEE
near the middle aisle a small, dark,
why man. with bushy grey nearly
whltv hair and with whiskers of the
| same color. Let me Introduce him,
| The REVEREND DANIEL. CULBRETH,
III c;rcnits say ''they find his foot
steps in the ashes" BIZ which they
mosn we suppose that he has such a
habit OF visiting rs pastor that no
hut however hunb 9 is sig ted by him
but fro Ir he Palace to the cot he " Is.
it-. 1ude his fontsteps must
be blessed for the children every
where -(tnd ncAfly ali the grown peo-
pie AS weiD call him "Uncle Gull
breth,' G, pt,e. affection ate, full of
owe 20 the trring as well as the estab-
:ished, he comes AS bright messen-
ger 'f ''p ce OIL earth good will 10
m.n'
Al preacher lie is not always eIo
queut but the words of truth and
such a way that all are convinced tha'
he believes from the bottom of his heart
hat 'every word of God ia true. No.
:, man of many books but one Of long
ard deep study of The O>R BOX, WI ich
is able to make mau wise unto saliva
Itiou. His work goes forwsrd qnietly
but with Il steady gain for his cause and
his one am seems to be to prepare
men to meet their God.
Mr.. Culbreth is. we think, o native
of Sampson county n. @. He has had |
his residence most Of his life there, |
and alter the tolls of laborious We ar |
he can frequently be found moving
around amidst his neighbors-most of
them, children of the companions of
his youth who have gone On before