Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-10-02

Conference of 1874, held in Louisville
| KY. That Conference elected no nev
bishop; but had he been spared till May
| 1878, there was no man in the Churcl
that stood better chance for an elec
ton to the Episcopacy than DR.. Dun
can.
At the General Conference held il
Louisville DR.. Duncan was appointed
ONE OF THE FRATERNAL MESSENGER
to the General Conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church (North), to bt
held in the city of Baltimore in May
1876. The associate messengers were
Rev. Lovick Pierce, D. D., Of Georgia
and Landau c. Garland, LII. D., chan.
cellor of Vanderbilt University, Nash
vile, Tenn. DIR. Pierce, by reason o1
his age, could not attend. DR.. Garland
and DIR. Duncan were present at that
Conference. DR.. Duncan made the
great fraternal speech on the occasion,
and won for himself lasting renown,
and gained a conspicuous position in
the eye and estimation of the Northern
Methodist Episcopal Church. His
speech was marked by great candor and
frankness, and by a breadth of view and
maturity of thought that ELECTED the
commendation and admiration Of the
greatest intellects that heard him.
Withal it was a speech of almost
unrivalled eloquence. There are pas
sages in it that are unsurpassed by any
thing in the annals of oratory. Follow
ing that General Conference he had in
vitations to many of the leading
NORTHERN METHODIST. CHURCHES
to preach on special occasions, and was
even earnestly urged to take charge of
wealthy churches in northern cities on
large and tempting salaries. But moth
ing of this sort could draw him away
from Virginia.
The cause of Christian education lay
near his heart. His vacations were spent
in delivering public addresses in various
places within the bounds of the Virginia
and the Baltimore Conferences and no
man made stronger impression on the
minds of the great masses in favor of
liberal culture than DR.. Duncan. His
death is great public calamity. In
Virginia he was a universal favorite.
"None knew him, but to love, or spoke
of him but to praise" The news Of his
death will carry sadness and sorrow to
thousands of loving hearts. Who is to
fill his place? It is hard to duplicate
such man. We will not say that he
had no equals; but we will say, would
to God that we had more like him. He
has been cut down by the insatiate arch
er just at the time he was reaching
THE HILLTOP OF LIFE.
A magnificent outlook was before
him. Cherished hopes were clustering
round him. But few living men occu-
q 10 in,
than Rev. DR.. James A. Duncan. A
great and good man has fallen. While
in his own Church he was loved by all,
such was his catholic spirit he enjoyed
the friendship and esteem of all. the
Churches. He has left his impress on
hundreds of young men that have gone
out from Randolph Macon College. Be-
ing dead, he will continue to speak, and
the influence of his noble life will go
sounding down the ages:
"All other sounds die in son rich sky;
They faint on hill, and field, and river:
Our echoes roll from soul to soul,
And live forever and forever"
DURING HIS SHORT SICKNESS
tenderest solieitude was expressed on
every hand, though no one anticipated
the sad catastrophe. His death touches
every heart.
On the 1st of September DR.. Duncan
was taken with chill and was not able
to occupy the pulpit of the College chap
ell on the Sunday following. On Friday
the 7th instant two teeth were extracted
from the lower jaw, and on the next day
he went to Baltimore to preach and to
marry an old student of the college, and
while there was under medical treat
ment. On the following Thursday he
returned to Ashland with his face much
swollen, an abscess having formed in
the right lower jaw, which was subse-
quently found to be the result of dis
eased bone. This abscess progressed,
causing irritant fever, and for two weeks
before his death his pulse never fell be-
low 120 per minute.
During the progress of the disease he
had three severe rigors. The last occur
ring a few hours before his death, was
due to congestion of the lungs. In ad-
dition to the effects of the irritative fe !.
yer he was greatly exhausted by pro-
fuse serious diarhea. After the last
chill he fell into a semi -comatose condi-
ton, in which state he remained until
his death.
During the consultation of his physi-
clans (Drs. Bagwell of Ashland and II.
G. Leigh of Petersburg) on Friday last
it was thought that the disease would
probably prove fatal. DR.. Duncan,
however, never seemed conscious of his
critical condition until, perhaps, short
while before his death.