Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-02
An IllustriOus Fenmsyivanian.

NaSllnSt On Cor. l'Hl!auciEn1:t Bulletin.
| Representative Hester Clymcr, of
| Pennsylvania, took occasion on Monday
mornin" to present to the House of Repre-
sentative on behalf of Mary Baldwin Irwin
wife Of George Brooke, esq, OF Bir,isboro
Berks county, and Elizabeth Mulliepierg
Irwin, Of Philadelphia, the great grand
| children of Frederick Augustus Mullen
berg, the portrait of their ilustrious On
ccstor. In Mr.. CIymers address appear
ed the following sketch Of the subject OF
! the portrait
lie was Of that German race which mo;c
than one hundred years ago came in great
numbers, fuyitives from the civil and re-
lisious prosecutions then rcigning in their
mother land, and settled i'll the fertile val
leys and along the lovely streams of East
crn Pennsylvania. In Christian faith they
were generally disciples 0: Luther and
Calvin. Iii their new homes they never
forgot the teachings Of these great reform
evs, nor did they ever abandon their devo-
ton to the principles of civil liberty. For
these they had riSl1ed the dangers Of tie
sea and undergone the hardships and trials
of lite in the wilderness, and SO it was that
| when the war WAS waged which made us
free, TO be German from the Palatinase
or the defendant Of one was to be a
patriot 3 j. One of the first
and foremost of those who
planted the race in Pennsylvania
was the Rev. DR.. Henry Melchuir
Muhlenberg, who, in 1742, was sent by
the mother church in Germany as :. mis-
siOnary to the children Of Luther, who
had settled in these far off states. He
was q learned and deyout man, who III the
faith Of the Christian added the sturdy
devotion and courage of the patriot, and
for nearly a half century he minis;ercd to
the spiritual needs OF his people,
and during the long years Of revo!n-
tionary trial hc etood side by side
with Washington and Franklin and Wayne
and other patriots in the heroic struggle
His name and memory are deeply treas
ured and wherever there are followers OF
Luther in this land he is spoken Of as
Father" lie had three sons, all of
whom were distinguished I'D church and
state, in civil and military life. The first
was Major General Peter Muhlenberg,
OF Revolutionary fame and memory,
whose statue, by order Of the state
OF Pennsylvania, is soon to be placed
in our hall of worthless. The second was
Frederick Augustus, the statesman, and
the third Henry Earnest, the divine and
naturalist. In early life they were sept to
Germany and educated at the University
of Halle, and upon their return home they
studied divinity and were ordained minis
ters of the Lutheran church. Only one of
them. Henry Earnest, pursued his calling
to the end. Peter became Il soldier at the
personal solicitation Of Washington him
self.
Frederick Augustus Muhlenbcrg became
a statesman at the demand of the people
Of his state, who in 1879 and 1880 elected
him to the Continental Congl ess. For
three years subsequently he was member
and speaker of state Legislature. He
then became = member of and speaker o..
the beard of censors, taking leading and
conspicuous part in calling the convention |
which revised our state constitution in !
1899. He was president of the state con-
vention called to consider the ratification of |
the federal constitution, and gave it earn
est and efficient support. He was |
a member of the l., H., III. and ". Con
gress, and by reason of his experience and |
fitness was elected speaker of the l., and |
then again of the III. Congress. l may
hot now recount his public services suf
flee to say he was the firm and unsiaken
friend Of Washington, who greatly relied
on him in every emergency. After his
long service he became the register of the
land Office in our state, holding which he
died. in 1901.
Tho following resolution by General
Hawley, Of Connecticut, was unanimously
adopted
Resolued, That the speaker be requested