Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-08
FROM GRAVE TO GAY,
Hon. s. 8. Cox's Early Religions Ex.
periences Related by Himself.

The memorial services held in the ma
urday, April 10, in honor Of the late
Samuel Sullivan Cox, were more sim
eere and heartfelt than such exercises
usually are. The speeches were gems
Of oratory and will fill large volume.
Mr.. 0uthwaite In his remarks embod-
led an article published In the New
York Independent some time ago, in
which Mr.. Cox relates his early relig-
ious experience. As 1t has much local
significance we copy il:
1.-THE Culbertsons, Hoges, Zanes, Nc
Intires, Youngs, ct all, who before this
century began, blazed their way over
the hills Of Ohio, while with rifle and
compass they made their roads through
the Stately Federal grants Of land
and propaganda energy-were not
merely Presbyterian and Methodist
household words, but household COM
panions of my grandparents and par
ents.
"Father David Young, who married
the widow of John McIntire, one of the
founders of GAINESVILLE, was to me be-
ing of another world, and of antique
beard and aspect, his quaint ways and
exclusive manners, and his natural hu-
NOR and eloquence made him seem the
ideal of a presiding pioneer elder. In
my boyhood, however, he preached but
seldom, taking turns, in the absence of
the stated minister, with an uncle,
Samuel J. Cox. in the old frame church
at the intersection of Second and Main
streets.
"There was not a little poignancy in
my heart when 1 saw the old church
where. l had often worshiped, or rather
attended. razed to the ground. Was 1t
not there / attended my first Sunday
school? There It was that learned my
Bible verses and received my red and
blue tickets for proficiency. There 1t
was that I accomplished the memora-
BILE task of reciting all ofSt. Paul to the
Romans, under the gentle guidance of
the Rev. William P. Strickland, then q
clerk of my uncle's postoffice, and since
a shining light and ready writer in the
church.
ut was there l used to hear Joseph
Irimble, when he brought his first
fruits of oratory to the alter. 1t was
there, in that old southwest corner,
where the "amens" were most pro-
nounced, that realized in my childish
fashion that l was unregeneiate and
sinful. It was from thence that / went
to my home convicted, and entered the
closet to cast off my little burden ofsins
and woes with an infantile orison; alas,
only to be discovered by vigilant
mother, who had all too frequently
missed her plum preserves and lump
sugar, to be sent to bed with all my i'm
perfections on my head unhealed, sore,
and not little revengeful. t" /.
"But this old frame haunt of Method
ist piety had its time to fall. Along
with it went the old coal-scuttle bon
nets of the elderly Quaker women, and
many plain and beautiful customs of
the early church.
IA brick meeting house of larger
dimensions and more pretension was to
be erected. My grandfather was on the
building committee; and, in absence of
better workman, it was my awakard
hand which marked out upon the stone
the awkard glyphics which designates
the sect and dates the time of erection.
"Happy Arcadian days! Eheu! How
they have glided into the abyss and
rearward of time. I only recur to them
to show the pious readers of the Hade-
pendent how q Democrat experienced
religion, and what fall. in their opin-
ion, he has had by reason of his unre-
generate politics.
"Those early memories were cut in
durable stone. Tarnished by worldli-
ness, busted with activities of life, they
have pursued me through the various
vicissitudes of studious professional,
literary, and political life. They be-
came the nucleus of studies in college;
they were coats of mail in the struggles
against selfishness and skepticism; in
fine, they prefgured and preordained
my choice of spiritual belief, as against
the delusive sophistries of new philoso-
pliers and mere material silence. They
have enabled me in following and stu
dying the physical advancement of the
past quarter of century. to perceive in
all the atoms, forms, and forces of na-
ture and the phenomena of mind, the
truth and benignity of the great scheme
of human redemption, which Is found
ed on the veracity of Christ, and become
with lapsing years, more beautiful with
the white radiance of an ennobling
spirituality.
"In this intellectual stability, upon
the rock of truth, Is there not some
compensation for the shortcomings of
our daily conduct? Is this denied by
the purist? Will he abide no deflec-
tion from the mixed right line of
known duty? All! it is much to know
the line, even if one cannot always
walk to it lineally and uprightly."