The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-06-12
IN FORMER DAYS.
"Reminiscences OF Remington In the
Wear 1880.


Garden City, MINI. June 2nd, 1891. !
Mr.. Editor: A gentleman living in |
Iowa, a former resident of Bennington. |
has suggested that | give through the |
BANNER, my impressions of the Knapp |
revival, which occurred in 1899
Elder Jacob Knapp, then of Hamilton, |
N. Y, commenced series of revival |
meetings in the Baptist church in the |
East Village, September LIST, think, and |
continued through eighteen days and |
evenings. | have always regarded the
work done mt that time as genuine and
important. The town seemed to be
thoroughly moved, and do not think
have known 1t to be more so, religiously,
but ouce since.
The leading spiritual force of that
work seemed to be the pulpit power of
Elder Knapp. | was only II boy of 10,
but thought / had never heard such
preaching before, and doubt whether |
have known it excelled since, for such
work and such occasions. The preacher
seemed to have power with God, and
power with men. He brought a message
from God, TO which men must listen.
salvation was the all-important theme,
and he had an intense desire for the sal
walton of souls. Without doubt he was
a man of natural gifts and a born orator,
} but behind these there was something
more profound. IshOuld call it spiritual
power, intense love for God, and intense
desire for the salvation of souls; a deed
sense of sin, and of the sinners guilt and
danger, and consciousness that he was
an ambassador of Christ. Whatever the
secret was, he seemed to be endued
with power.
The probability is that rs an evangel.
list he had no superior in his day. He
D moved New York and Boston, and Other
large cities, doing important work. II
has been estimated that one hundred
: thousand were converted through hi;
' efforts. And yet he had detractor;
: among the high and lOwly. | Il ink he
j. was not college-bred, and considerable
opposition came from college and semi
| nary men. There was trouble from the
faculty of the institution where he lived
and when holding a revival meeting il
q Providence, II. l., the college faculty
turned the cold shoulder to him. Their,
has been more or less prejudice agains
! that class of workers, but the career o
=, Mr.. Moody has shown that God call
: men of might, from the ranks of the un
educated, to accomplish his great puT
poses. 1t Should be remembered tina
nature and grace do more for some mel
than it is possible for the schools to d,
= for Others.
p Three students for the ministry, Ray
mOnd, TO'man and Jones, came wi
:, Elder Knapp and assisted in the meet
: ing, and visited among the people. On
evening Enos Adams refused to go hOm
s to tea because "KnaDp's JOurs weT
there" One Of the students, Raymond
remained after Elder Knapp left, an,
. held meetings in the Morse sChool-hOus
. and in the brick school-house in TIL
north part of the town. S. =. Chase 0
9 Iowa, who was cOnyersant with thos
0 events, said in m article in the BANNEl
a short time since, that Raymond had
e striking gift in prayer.
y At that timr, Rev. s. Hutchins wa
!. pastor of the Baptist church, Rev. A
LOOMS of the Congregational, Rcv. G
+ r. wilkins of the Meth d s., n Rev
D N. C. Preston of the Episcopal churches
Il 1t was a union effort and the activ
y Christians of the community engaged il
the work. There was a concentration
of force, and a good work was done
Eighty united with the Baptist church
and the other churches had quite larg,
c additions.
With the wheat gathered, there wa
more or less chaff, and perhaps that il
o always inevitable in Christian work
y We do not know of a perfect church
And we must wait until the revelations
f of the great day, before we can full.
y comprehend the measure of Chnstial
effort.
+ 1t now appears to me that the reviva
r of 1889 exceeded in power any work tina
has come under my immediate Observa
" ton, except the revival of 81, IS. II
y 1858, Bennington with other parts of tn,
a land, was profoundly moved, and the re
" suits of that work have been most bere
fetal. The churches in Bennington to
2 day are stronger in consequence of tn
K work then done.
q j. ROCKWoOD.