The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-23
THE CAREER OF ELDER SWAN.
A Connecticut Evangelist Who Has Converted
Fifteen Thousand Souls.

Fifteen Thousand Souls.
Now london Letter in Now York Sun.
The funeral of the Rev. Jabez Swan, the IA
nous Baptist eXhorteT, occurs here on Friday,
and will be largely attended. The ending OF his
notable life was peaceful and painless. HIS age
was eighty-fve. He was better known TO the
people of southern New England and New York
State as Elder Swan, a title the Baptlsts We're
won't to confer upon their preachers years ago
Elder Swan was native of Stonington. When
the British fleet bombarded that place, in lSl4
he served as powder monkey to the cannoneers
that defended the town. At twenty-five he was
licensed preacher but, thinking himself in
sufficiently educated for his work, he determined
to take theological course at Madison Unlver-
sity, then in its infancy. TO reach the college he
rode 25Omiles on horseback He had at that time
500, saved from hard work, and young wife,
earnest and active as himself. They leased
cabin for 50 year, and began housekeeping
Every Sunday, while at college, the young stu
dent rode twenty miles to preach before a con
gregation that paid him fifty cents a sermon. On
other days he earned 49, cents day by work at
telling trees and cutting timber. In 1927 lie was
graduated.
In such school of heroic sef-denal he was
fitted for the work to which, during the next ff-
ty years, he applied himself with almost uneX-
ampled devotion He was then settled over the
Baptist Ch1rch at Stonington, in this State, at a
salary of $3.50 year and there began an evan
gelical career more remarkable and successful,
counting its known results, than that of almost
any other American preacher, except Lorenzo
Dow, or the equally famous Elder Knapp, with
whom he was eontemporaneous. Fifteen thou
sand persons have been converted under his
preaching. In one of his earliest pas
torates, covering period of three
years, he baptized 1,800 persons. This
evangelical work covered a field embracing
nearly all of southern New England and por-
ton of the State of New York. The greater part
of his life has been passed in New London, where
he was pastor of the First Baptist Church until
a few years ago, when he retired from regular
mnistration. He has since frequently supplied
churches in the neighborhood and in remote
quarters of the State, Three years ago he be-
came insane through religions excitement, and
since then his mind has been under cloud
The now historic Elder was true Yankee in
looks He was more than six feet in height,
well proportional, and even in later years his
tall form was but little bent. His voice was
resonant and ringing and his face expressive.
He belonged to a class of preachers that believed
in personal God a personal devil and raging
he'll. His sermons were extemporaneous, and
he always referred to hell as a roaring furnace
of fire aud birthstone He gave no thought as to
what he should say. Once in a pulpit, with a
Bible before him, the thoughts and words came
fast enough.
1t was as an exhoPter, character almost I'M
known in the religious life of to-day, that Elder
Swan was at his best: The scenes at revivals
instituted by him are almost Undesirable.
The great shouting weeping throng the rapt
with those ''out of the kingdom" to come into
the fold the glad hosannas of those who felt
they were saved, the walls of those who be-
lieved they were lost, left an abiding impression.
Many and many a time at these revivals has
the Elder prayed two hours without pause
He was ready to pray at all times-in the
street. on the housetop in the tempest and in
the calm. Sometimes he preached in his shirt
sleeves, and in other ways unheeded the conven-
tionalsms of the pulpit. But it was more in
speech than in manner that his eeeentricities
appeared.
With him baptism at the font meant nothing,
the baptismal rite was Intellectual in his belief,
unless the one to whom it was administered re-
ceived it standing in the flowing waters just as
he believed the Lord and the disciples did ages
ago. 1t Mastered little to the Elder what the
season was, SO long as it was asked of him that
he should lay baptismal hands upon any one
who would unite himself to the church. Often
in the dead of winter, when cakes Of ice were
floating in the Thames river, and the country
around about was white with snow, has he
walked waist deep into the frigid stream standing
erect, severe and grandin the unfriendly waters,
with impressive manner and dignity fitting
the sacred hour, conferred upon the convert the
right by this symbol of the faith, to member
ship in what he believed was the one true
church. Thousands used to gather at the water
side on such occasions, and their silence and
their tears bore witness to the solemnity of the
scene.
The Elder was an original Abolitiouist and all
his life he fought against rum.