The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-09
THE WORK OF ALLEN WILEY.
Ministerial Labors of One Of the Ablest
of the Advocates of MethOdism.
A Devoted Man Who, for Thirty-Five Years,
Preached and Taught the Gospel in All
Parts of Thinly-POpulated Indiana.

Nritten for the INDIANAPOLIS Journal by w H. Smith.
Allen Wiley Dear to the hearts of Indiana
Nsshodists is the memory of Allen Wiley. In
hrs day his ministrations extended to every part
Of tina State. He travelled and preached In the
days when towns were few and far between, put
In mum bered at one time or another, his preach
ine places from Laporte in the North to New
Albany in the south There was no part OF the
State in which his voice was not heard. lie
endured hardships as good soldier He travelled
through woods when he had nothing to guide
htro but the marks of the axe.upon the trees. He
swan streams in the heat of summer and in the
rBd of winter. He slept on the open prairies
an beneath the shelter of the forest trees he
preached and prayed in the cabin of the pioneer
asd in the crowded churches of the city, and
everywhere with the same power and effect
ssrness His life was one of toll
ard danger, all for the Masters sake. In the
INST of this life of toll he overcame the draw
basks he felt on account of the want of early
educational advantages. and became proficient in
Tia Latin, Greek and Hebrew languages. This
IRE accomplished without the aid of instructors,
dHng his studying as he rode on horseback
through the winds across the prairies. Nor were
ais studies confined to the languages, but ne
bseame an adept in the sciences of the day, and
q profound theoogian. A sketch of his life is
well worth a place in the literature of the
present day.
he was of good old Virginia stock, and was
bun in that State in 1889. When he was but
niue years old his family removed to Kentucky
Although there was ostensibly peace with the
indians hostilities were not infrequent, and the
settlers always had their trusty rifles in their
h2ads or close by their sides. Among such
chnmunty he grew up, strong in body and self
rrEant in mind. The educational advantages
EHce very meagre, but young Wiley eagerly took
advantage of all that presented When he was
fftsen years old his parents again moved, this
tins making their home in Indiana, on the banks
OF Whitewater. Here for two or three winters
he attended school. At the age of twenty he
married, and entered upon the active struggle
for life Up to this time he had religious in
Rtr7ctiOn, and when he heard one OF mis- brothers
inL2w pray at the time of family prayer he was
% much impressed that he at once determined
70 become religious, and he set about having
family prayer in his own house Some months
aftscward he heard Rev. Moses Crume, a Metho-
diEs itinerant, preach, and in conversation with
fiat devout man he expressed to him some of the
fe1rs and doubts that had been troubling him The
prsacher gave him a small tract on the topics of
which he had spoken Mr. Wiley often said
afterwards that the little tract was the founda-
4a1 of his theological education Shortly after
ward he united with the Meth odst Church. and
In 1913 was licensed to preach. He was the first
person in Indiana licensed as preacher by that
denomination. In 1877 he was admitted to the
conference, and for thirty five years thereafter
be was an effective preacher.
Feeling the need of a more thorough education,
he set about the study of the Latin, Greek and
Hebrew languages, carrying his textbooks with
hf8 wherever lie went, studying horseback,
BY The campfire, or wherever and whenever he
cpzId get moment His first appointment was
To che Lawrenceburg circuit, which embraced
ths sections in which he had grown up to man
hopd In those days the circuits embraced large
ex:ents of territory. They had to be travelled
oa foot or on horseback. In many
pasts there were no roads and
but few OF the streams were bridged. A 'ci r
cut ride" as they were called, was expected to
PJsach twice on Sunday, and oftentimes once
BnGh week day. The sermons then were no half
hu1r talks but good gospel eXpositions of from
al hour and half two hours. The journeys
what the weather was. The SHOWS and ice of
winter had more terrors for those embassa-
dors of Christ, than the heat of the summers.
IL gas upon such work young Wiley entered
IN the strength and PRIZE of his young manhood.
To this work he gave his whole soul and
strength. To it he consecrated all the powers
Of bis body and mind. Imoued with the So
le7anity of his mission and the great responsible
itE resting upon him as the representative of
Cariss, he had no time for idle thoughts, no
time Yor social pleasure. Wherever he went he
to2d the story of the cross, and enforced mans
daily and accountability to God by the powers
Of dis logic. Like John the Baptist, he preached
Ale doctrines and necessity of repentance. and of
fssing from the wrath to come.
For eleven years he travelled these laborious
circuits, and the fruits of his lanors were every
where manifested. The church grew in numbers
and in power under his ministry After eleven
wars of such ministry he was called to the pre-
siding eldership. This did not lessen. but rather
Increased his labor Then the elder was
expected to attend every. quarterly and camp
meeting held in his district, preach and eXhort
tbs people, administer the DISCIPLINE and look
after the prudential affairs of the churches
under his charge. He was a bishop in a small
way. The elder was seldom bic to be at home
with his family more than one day at time and
often it would be weeks before he would
see the face of his wife or children. The
sermons given to the people had to be studied
while riding from one appointment to another
Their library carried about with them in
eeedinsly irregular It hardly snffced to
furnish the family with the necessaries of life,
and left no surplus with which to provide books
Vet the preachers of those days, at least many
OF them, profound theoogians They
eommuned great deal with nature and more
with God
Dir. Wiley spent fourteen years as presiding
elder. At the end of that time a few of the
larger towns had been created into stations and
Mr. Wiley was assigned to one of them For
Ave years he served in one or another OF them.
Until he took superannuated relation and
shortly aftcrward died at his home in Vevay
His death was brought about by an injury re-
ceived while doing some work about his proper
ty. AT first the injury was thought to be slight.
but death followed in four days. On Sunday.
July %, 1915 he laid down his armor and passed
over to join the innumerable throng around the
throne