The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-02-25
LIFE AND CHARACTER.


of his
LIFE AND CHARACTER.
The picture Of young Horatio Perry
starting out alone at twenty years of age
into the woods with his ak upon his
SHOULDER is indicative of certain rugged
traits of character such as we have seen in
his later life.
We sometimes flalter ourselves that we
have superior advantages in our time over
our fathers, but we have had so many
prominent leaders come from rude and
simple beginnings, that we dare not limit
the evolution Of strong characters TO any
special environment. Ii is certain that this
man came 10 be of positive character
through the very hardness of his struggle.
"Why DO you not marry| asked neigh
Dor. Because" was his reply, II want TO
fad on, first If / have wit enough to take
care of myself" But two or three years
of his lonely life were sufficient TO con-
vince him on this point and he found
worthy companion of his tolls
His life easily divides itself into four
seasons. Its spring-time, till he was
twenty, was passed in Vermont, New
York, Canada and Cleveland. The Sum.
merol life for twenty-seven years, employs
him in clearing the forest, adding acre to
acre, accumulating competence, raising
his family. The Autumn Of further har-
yesting, investment and distribution, fills
another period of twenty-seven years in
Elyria. The winter of life, twenty-seven
years again, is spent here lin Wellington.
"Father Perry" became new man
when thirty years old and never lost the
spiritual insight which then came TO him.
He had a strong peryading conscious
ness Of God. God was as real to him as
the first President for whom be voted
nay, as the neighbor whom he met on the
road and God was so near that he could
easily talk with him everywhere aud at all
times. He would kneel beside a stump
In the clearing and lift up his voice to
God. The impulse to pray would come
upon him as he was driving along the
road, and, throwing the lines to his CON-
panion 10 the carriage, he would alight
and going little way apart into the
woods would seek relief in prayer. When
news came that an itinerant preacher
would hold service, perhaps five or eight
miles away, Father Perry would notify
the neighbors, and, Sunday morning, the
oxen were yoked 10 the rough wagon,
straw thrown in and the little family
packed for the ride, while as many from
the neigbborhood as could be acconmo-
dated were welcome 10 seat. At home,
morning and evening, there was family
worship.
Win reference TO strong drink, our
friend had positive convictions. When
about seventy years ago, he wished to
raise barn aid invited the neighbors to
help, they refused, because ::he told them
there would be no whiskey. But when
he made known his difficulty TO Judge
Brown OF Brownhelm, he secured the
needed aid from the Judge and his friends
aud the barn was raised.
Father Perry was.geneous, come might
say, TO n fault. Forty years ago he made
an inventory Of bis worldly goods, gave
outright 5000 for missionary work, divid-
cd a portion to each OF two children and
retained scarcely enough for his own sup
port, aud even this he would haye dimin-
ished, had not his family dissuaded him.
The impression on my own mind is de-
rived from two sources,-his appearance
IN public worship, and the familiar inter-
course Of our homes. Those who have
seen and heard hin In prayer meeting
will never forget his unique personality.
The first moments after thelopening exer-
cises were his by common consent. We
waited for the usual formali'y,-the ar
ranging Of his two canes, the laborous
struggle to his feet, and then the old man,
leaning on bis staff, with reverept tones
and earnest utterance, cried unto God, for
bis neighbors, the church, the minister,
for the indifferent, for revival, Iii was a
,onying alter God But he must sneak