Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-02-10
The Attitude of Rev. j.. G. c. Schweizer-
barth and OF the St. Marks Evangel.
Lutheran Church of Butler IN
early days and now as 10 the
English Language.
To THE EDITOR:

To THE EDITOR:
The jubilee anniversary of the First ing
lish Lutheran Church OF Batter, an extract
of whose history was published IN the
CITIZEN, Of January 9th. has brought ous
some very interesting "reminiscences OF the
early davs of Lutheranism in this place
together with Instructive reflections by the
Pastor of the English Church, on matters
relating thereto. Such scraps OF local
history, spread before the public on various
anniversary occas eus. are OF value, ana
their publication merits encouragement.
There are vet pioneers among Us, whose
minds ere stored with memories of past
local happenings of general interest, W hlcn
should be recorded before the scenes aud
Incidents mass with the receding generation
into oblivion.
The object of this communication Is II
some measure to supply important data
not preserved in the early records from
which the Rev E. Smith drew his ami
versary history. The well kept records OF
st. Marks Evangel Luth. Church OF But
Ter go back to Aug 29Jh, 1913, and throw
some light on the beginnings OF Engnsh
L,utheranism and the attitude OF the
Germans toward the spiritual needs and
preferences of their English speaking
brethren of the Church ofthe Reformation.
Some of the earliest names on the pa
ternal side in the baptismel records OF the
Church betoken German, Pennsylvania,
or English citizenship as to language, as
Benja lin Phueger. Michael Andre. VIM
McLjandless. The names of Wurmkessei,
Bernhard. Jacob Mechling, John Negley,
etc, also occur. 1t is interesting to note
gradual transformation in orthography
4. ,,aI -1fr n =
ON the part of the respective families
Thus Jacob Schooner becomes Shanor,
John Schleter-Slater, Strohwich-S traw-
wick Observation-Disclosures
Grub-Croup, etc.
When the first church ediice OF St
Marks congregation was dedicated. SePt.
Of IS4l. during Convention of the Eastern
Svpod of Ohio in Butler, there was divine
servic, with Holy Communion IN the tore
noon in the German language, and bngIlsn
divine service and the ADMINISTRATION "l
the Lords supper t. rhe English members
of the Congregation IN the afternoon. Dul
ing thar Convention Synod endorsed the
onblication of church periodical IN the
English language. and moved the publlca-
rio6 of an unmutilated edition OF the Eng
Esh Carechism. The pastors Of that period
in western Pennsylvania and eastern
Ohio. as a rule, recognized the necessity OF
,ha rngIish language in their missionary
o;ronits-which some German Pastors else
where settled in strong German districts
with a spriukling of English, failed to un-
derstand. and in some regions yet fall I"
see. All of which, on the whole, SHOWS
| the necessity OF cosmopolitan American
Lutheran ministry for the American butn-
eran Church. However, there were iaif
executions among the German Pastors OF
| LA dFond the Rev Schweizerbarth must be
| included among them.
In 1897. the communicants IN the con-
| yrepation numbered 81. and 1T the dedlca-
rion of the church 2l5. The country was
fast hecomiug more thickly settled with
Iutberan element from over the mountains
| and from Europe. Friends followed friends
Rev. Schweizerbarth, with headquarters at
| Zalieuople traverSed the county preaching
at some dozen various stations, even east
| and north of Butler. lie mad MS nahus
| fnll aud saw the growing need. On the
| 23d of Oct 1912. he brought Rev &. Bass
| I.r with him, whose home seems at the
| limo Ik.wise To have been at Zehenople,
| ,Sho assisted him at communion services.
This was probably the occasion OF his IN
PRODUCTION to the people. For, on the l9ln
| If Sent. some four weeks previous, the St
| uark's Congregation had resolved TO offer
The use of Ibe church TO the English brath-
rem. except during German appointments,
| at the nominal SUN of one dollar 1or one
| year. provided however, that Rev. bassler
should nnt be considered Pastor oi 81.
| Marks German Congregation hecoroS
| show that this arrangement was continued,
| an again formally renewed hy acci'h oi
| the Church Council on Jan :, lS40 he
| cords also SHOW that the vestry OF the
| English brethren had been asked to con
| rri6ute some sum toward liquidatlng the
churen debt. for the Germans We're IN IRE
| straits. aud the English vestry replied that
| they we're not able. They had not even
| paid the 81 90 rental Times must indeed
| Lave been very hard then as to,money, ana
| their answer seems to have been accepted
| in good faith as actual fact, for the Germans
continued their hospitality by letting their
| church ano~. at th" t1tno OF "'hN" t''n'u
rrations. Jan. . lS45, tor another year at
the same rental We tind the pastor soon
after iourneying to New York, and the
n.mDers of the Church Council to cities
| near and far, soliciting aid To save thelr
| church from going under the hammer.
And in this they we're successful, he';
| Senweizerbarth returned with 5000, and
| the Others with minor sums Thls saved
the day.
In the meanwhile the incipient English
Congregation had enjoyed the use ol tue
church some three years, II not more, Dy
the good will Of the Germans for rhe mat
/ ter Of rental was after ALL but mere mat-
ter of form-a legal precaution to guard
ownerships 1t should appear from the
records OF the preliminary movement to
inaugurate an English organization that
the German members assisted, and that
Jacob Walter of the German church pre-
| sided as chairman. He. a. also John Neg
lev and Others, " no actively iurthered the
English movement remained members OF
the German Congregation till the Master
called them home. There seems Tor a tune
To have existed intercom munlnn, Judglng
from d resolution in the the lntereSt oil
good order, passed by st. Marks Cougre-
carton AT the start, as conditioning the
use of the church THAT Rev Candl date
BaSsler permit no privilege to member
of the German Lutheran Congregation,
which the member does not enjoy III MS
own"
From this data it would appear that
whilst amicable relations existed between
pastors and people of the two churches,
together with mutual interest IN each oth
ers welfare il was deemed best, IN view
of the future, from the first To establish
two congregations. distinct as to language.
but not as IT, faith or fellowship. Since
then wears have come and gone. and with
them generations, and even ST. Mark
Church has found it necessary to intro
duce the use of the English tongue in the
divine worship for the benefit OF her OWE
Americaniz.d people There have been
divine services in English on Sunday even
ing during the past sixteen years, and ex-
clusiv. English worship on every fourth
SUNDAY morning tor over half that time.
In addition thereto, for the benefit OF the
country membership, too far distant to
atteni evening worship in town, there Is
English preaching twice month IN the
country, alternating between Carbon Cen
tre Chapel in the eastern portion of the
parish and the Butler township Chapel IN
the westaern The English language is
used in the Young Folks Circle ON Wed
nesday evenings-havlng an average at
tendance of hundred. The English Sun
day Scnoui numbers thrice the attendance
of the German, and about eighttenths OF
the rising generation may be pronounced
predominantly English. Nevertheless.
among the $50 enrolled communicate mem
bershIp ot ST Marks Church there Is YET
a surprisingly large percentage to whom
the German mother tongue in public divine
worship is-and will continue precious, as
attendance on the Sunday morning services
in German indicates. However, with the
two large Lutheran Congregations now IN
Butler to judge by, the Lutherans of fifty
years ago dad not so far amisS To secure the
interests of the church in both languages
during the open period of immigration
hither, when distinctions as to language,
thought habits and social prediectiuns,