The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-23

any other man. He was to Indiana all that
Peter Cartwright was to Illinois," He was a
| singular man. 1t is said that when he hogan
studying for the ministry, in 1918, under
Rev. John Collins he was SO illiterate that
| he had to count the chapters and verses in
consecutive order in the book or epistle from
! which he preached before he could announce
his text He developed, however, into the
most powerful preacher in the State, but he
attributed his power to divine inspiration.
| AT campmeeting in Military Park in 1886,
| he had personal difficulty with a bully
named David Berkhart who had disturbed
the services. During the preliminary trial
before Squire Jenison on the following
| day, Berkhart assaulted the preacher with a
chair. rough and tumble fight followed
i'll the court room, in which Berkhart was
badly battered and disfgured, while the
| pugilistic parson appeared at camp-meeting
the next day unscarred. He was man of
extraordinary physical power, and, on ac-
count of thick growth of insubordinate
red and gray hair, was generally called "Old
SorreP by those who were not his friends,
but to the people of his denomination he was
| more generally known as Father Ravens"
He had family of fourteen children de-
| pendent upon him during his ministerial
work. He died in 1864.
| Miss Lydia Halves, who, it is said, was
equal to one bishop and three preachers"
| wasa notably active worker in the early re-
ligious development of the commu-
| nifty. She came to Indianapolis in
about 1884 and for many years was CEN
trail figure in religious circles She is char
! acterized as "a rare combination of humility
and exalted worth" and by quiet work she
is credited with having done as much to
build up the churches OF the city as any one
person. She never married, and had, it is
| said n
several marriage proposals from distin-
| guished ministers.
THE FIRST GREAT REVIVAL.
In 1888 great religious revival, protracted
for more than four weeks, was held at Wesley
Chapel. At that time the city comprised a
population of about 5000 inhabitants. There
were three churches-one Methodist, one
Presbyterian and one Baptist-with a mem
bership of about 800. The extreme financial
distress which prevailed all over
the country about that period
had a depressing effect upon the
churches and it became urgent with the
pastors to do something to quicken the re-
| llgious pulse, to arouse the enthusiasm of
the old members and build up with new
ones. A week of preliminary prayer for the
| success of the revival, led by John Foudray,
WAS u6lu ny Vne ueVOuJ M6GlOulSLS. Az UnaG
time John c. Smith was pastor of Wesley
Chapel, but he called to his assistance two or
three brother preachers for the work which
was about to be undertaken. In the week
OF prayer, Misunderstanding and confession, the
religious ardor of the members was fully
aroused. The first of the revival meetings
was held on March 8, under the dishearten-
ing circumstances of the most inauspicious
weather. A heavy rain had been falling for
two or three days, and continued to pour
| down necessarily, The streets were almost
without bottom, and those who ventured out
to church did so under very trying diff
ficulties The hindrances, however seem to
have intesitied the ardor OF the church peo-
pie. The services at first were without any
successful results. There were two prom
inent church members between whom some
differences had existed-both were earnestly
interested in the success of the revival. The
two men met in front of the church OIL one
of the first evenings of the revival, and after
each had himself asked forgiveness OF the
other, reconciliation was effected and they
entered the church together. The revival
campaign inaugurated with such prayerful
care to details yielded greater results
than were expected. On the first
Sunday night of the services there
were five mourners. The pastor, with the
members of the church, knelt in prayer, de-
termned not to arise until at least one of
the five had been converted Before the
congregation was dismissed the entire five
had made professions of faith. The meet
ings continued nightly until the Sd of April,
when the additions to the membership of
the church numbered 265, nearly doubling
the whole number of church members
in the city when the revival began.
The management of the services
was attended to in detail by special commit
tees There was fire company" the duty
of which was to work up enthusiasm. Some
of the members of this company were James
Hill, George Havens Father Tinslow, John
son Crouch, John Wilkens, James Kettle
man, Isaac N Phipps, E. T. Porter, Henry
The pulpit work consisted in exhortations of
not longer than ten minutes, and there was
no preaching. Among those who were con-
verted and became members of the church
during this revival were Austin w. Morris,
Jesse Jones, James Yohn, Judge w. w. Wick
and Samuel Beck.