Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-08-10

Every moral reform was shure to find a
friend in Rev. Jas. A. Clark. He was
always in the front ranks and several gen
erations ahead of the times. He stood for
temperance and legal Prohibition and
feared not to preach and vote as he be-
lieved. He advocated womsn's rights and
favored and supported the movement for
National Reform. He brought the Scotch
Sabbath with him from his native heath,
and stood against the encroa chments OF
Secularism in State or Home.
The community in which he lived so
long bears the stamp of his principles for
no liquor has been openly sold in the vii
lsge for % years and g more religious tenn
perate Sabbath-ke eping community would
be hard 20 find.
To give fair and comprehensive esti-
mat G of his personal qualities and charsc-
tsristics is not an easy task even for his
SON. There is that which wells each from
the other. We cannot enter into another
mans personality and weigh and measure
with absolute exsctness. However some
things stand out clearly. He was bless
ed with remarkable health, seldom sick,
and only two or three times in all his life
missing a service through inability or per-
haps for any other cause. In the third
year of his Seminary course he records
that he preached every Sabbath yet never
missed a recitation in school. His bodily
strength, developed by the hard labor of
his youth among the stones ana tools OF a
mason s life, was phenomenal enough for
mention.
He had rare qualities of mind; most of
his education was, as he records 'self
culture. and it was culture of high quail
ty remarkably so for self requirement.
He was strong scholar in Mathematics
and read Latin in way that living schol-
ars might well envy.
He had as a noted man said of him, "the
gift of continuance" He set his aim be-
fore him and drove ahead. Fl g was not
the man to put his hand to the plow and
look back. Through all his life one steady
purpose runs. If he turned aside for
awhile it was only means to reach his
life's great purpose, if he taught schools it
was with that great purpose IN view, II he
left his school and took up his tools to
build stone wall it was still to get little
nearer the goal he had set for himself.
1t was largely this virtue of stlckability
that made him what he was. III times
were hard and work discoursging he did
not falter He did not quit his post be-
cause he was not paid enough, nor because
other men had better fields than he. he
world did not recognize his abilities aud
bsstow its honors. He stood at his post of
duty because it was duty. He would not
finch for hardships nor yield to dlscour-
sgement. He never looked for ease and
cared little for personal comforts. he
met all life's vicissitudes and disapolnt-
ments uncomplsiningly and brave-hearted
went on. He was loyal to the trust g
had assum ed and would not betray 1t for
life or death. He lived as one that must
give an account and endured as seeing
Him that is invisible"
He could not look lightly on the vows
he had assumed, and he would be taithftl
to his own hurt.
Sometimes he has suffered sharp criti-
cism but il was a choice with him between
honesty and dishonesty and he would be
true; but false never.
No quality in hi 5 character stood out
more plainly than his frankness.
He was the farthest remote from du-
plicitv. There were no dark and tortu-
Gus ways in his life. What he was, he
was out and out, in daylight and dark from
January to December. He could not can
ceal his convictions and sentiments. He
knew no such thing as intrigue and hated
wire pulling and conniyance. NOBODY
doubted where he stood and needed to
TO take no canvas to find out. What he
was he was before all the world and the
same on the surface as in the depths. He
was open manly, frank and hon est In
every fiber His religious faith was a
marvel. 1t was the fitting product CT the
pious ancestry from which he came. Rellg-
ion runs in the blood. God keeps his Gov
enant from generation to generation. II
the unseen and eternal were visible and
certain of their reality. No matter what
came or went no shade of a shadow OF
distrust ever seemed to cross his mind
God and heaven and spiritual things were
lust as real and certain to him as his con-
Seriousness of himself He never preached
any doubts, and very little apologetles
He could hardly understand the need o
such thing. His faith was positive and
he was positive altogether.
He was in addition to these, unsslhsh IN
Ills nature. He never seemed to think of
himself. If he had little or nothing he
never complained, and seemed to think il
mattered not, it is only |. He gave uD his
own rights and comforts that others might
be spared. He never was disposed to make
any demands for himself even OF his just
dues. In 80 years of pastorate perhaps
not once has remuneration been ever casu-
ally mentioned III puullc' III Aouihou
sense il might be said of him, "He saved
others, himself he would not save.,' Even
on h is death bed he did not want to exact
any attentions, and feared that we might
weary ourselves waiting on him. Kind
man, thousand times such attention
would gladly have been given.
Thus passed away from earth one OF
Gods noble men. "Help Lord for the
Cody man ceaseth." May the orld be
blest with gener ations such as he.