New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-17
arr DEPEW ON REVEALS.
III TALKS ABOUT THE ONE IN PEEKSKllAlA.
-or WAS ONE LIKE 1T ABOUT 1857. HE SAYS
THERE Wh9 0-'
WHAT he THINKS OF 1T.


WHAT HE THINKS OF 1T.
A. no point in his successful career has Chauncey
=, n.new failed whenever proper opportunity offered
" NV reverent and ahcctionate tribute to the place
-, ,o,i,itv lie has In fact conferred peculiar
,tnc,,on upon Peekshn every hcaier ana reader
=, ns many aftcrdinner speeches well Knows 10y
,.ct,nc that spot the scene OF almost every
,uorons incident anecdOte which he mas miro
.unxa into his addresses. Referring TO the religious
revival in his early nome Mr. Dcpe" s'u u iliou"e
.n,rter yesterday:
l Ever snce can remember. rs a boy, there have
,ssn IN the summer lime frequent camp or wood
lettings around Pecksklll but they have had very
m-,s effect upon the spiritual or temporal welfare
:. ,he TOWN. Revivals which earnest and pro-
.nced used 10 occur every few years In the Mctho-
,., Church of the village; but in 1851 1853 when
had returned from college and was studying law.
,sv,ysl began in the Cid school Presbyterian
Gnurch and speedily embraced all the churches in
,be village II quickly took In all the young people,
and within a few weeks the excitement became
Intense that services held every evening in
IN. PRINCIPAL hall Of the village and overflow meet
trs in the churches. The hardest drinkers and
most profane swcarers IN the town were captured
and baptized The liquor saloons practically
sloscd. and II remember rightly, number of them
had 10 60 out OF the business | recall the signii-
rant fact too. that the evening meetings developed
4 good deal of talent among the young in the
village n speaking upon religious subjects several
Of them entered the ministry afterward who had
Intention before of any such career. And as look
back the thirty odd years and recall such people
Us can whose cases We're most impressed upon my
memory at the time because their conversion was
thought 10 be very remarkable very few went back to
their old ways. OF those who Joined the church ana
were admitted 10 membership. very small per
ceDage ever dropped ont l doubt If any 50 far
fell away that their relations with the church had 10
be violently severed. The effect of revival upon
,ba q he pyido for II
made the town distinct from other river towns In
the absence from the community of dsorlerly per
sons in other words, drunken brawlers, roughS and
disreputable people of both sexes. know that
for many years the arrest and locking up of any one
h the village lookup was such unusual occur
that 1t excited the interest OF the whole town
"Peekshl differs from other places along the
Hudson from the fact that tn, invasion OF wealthy
Ncw-Yorhers who have built villas and constituted
superior society. or rather society which is ex
elusive with themselves and which Claims to be
superior at some other points has reached It's
boundaries. Wherever this New York element exists
10 any extent 1t changes the whole character Of
the place. The villagers are unable to compete
socially With these rch strangers and sort Of
line OF class distinction through the churches
well society But the inhabitants Of Pcekslll
are residents who live there MI the year round.
Everybody has to do something for Il living. TIE
proportion Of people who live there do business
elsewhere IS very small very large proportion
Of the people own their houses and the place
resembles one OF those New England villages where
everybody knows everybody else and the imp ,riant
fact who his father ana grandfather Most Of
the people descendants OF old ttlcIs and are
proud Of the land which has been for generation,
In the family as people have a right ~ b; whose
fathers and mothers for generations back have been
honest, reputable and worthy people, and known as
such TO the whole neghborhOOd
1t Is not difficult 10 find good philosophical
reason for concentrated excitement or interest in
community like Peekskill, with lis IL 900 inlab ants
as 1t thirty years ago, with it, 5000 nhab
itants The great mass Of the people are in condi
tons In life where there Is no wide separation by
reason Of wealth Of family. They have been brought
up together from CHILDHOOD attending the scoOl,
and WORKING In the same churches ana are thuOuShlt
acquainted. ANY thing which strS one church quickly
reaches them all. 1T Is cnurch-gOing community
religious movement among them is not eyane,Cenl
emotional. The standard q education Is higher
than in most towns OF Its size. They have one OF
the best academies, of the very best femdl.
seminares and several other excellent educational
Is Huguenot Dutch. where you get both impress
sionability, enthusiasm aid staying power Their
always foundation for religious movement Il
start from. That it should remain In allegiance TO
trebled develop the same scenes, experiences am
results noted third OF century before Is a
Interesting problem 10 study. Its causes are deepe
chan / am able 10 define If the elements OF rcviva
like that now In progress and the which | HAY
alluded to are always present and need only IN
moulding hand OF an inspired agent like the Rev. MI
Chapman seems TO be 10 bring them together, II !
unfortunate that Mr.. Chapma not more numer
Gus and do appear oftener, not only In Pechskl
but all the country"