Smyrna times., 1897-03-03
THE LATE DR.. CROOKS.

The Methodist Episcopal Church has
had few members, ministers or Law
men, who have exerted a stronger or
more beneficial influence upon it dur
ing the last half-century than did the
Rev. DR.. George R. Crooks, who died
last Saturday in Madison. n. J. His
life from early youth was one of earn
est, intellectual activity. He was born
in Philadelphia in 1922, and was grad
uated from Dickinson College at the
age of eighteen. Young as he was, his
scholarship and character had made
such impression on his instructors that
two years after graduation he was re-
called from the work of missionary
preacher i'll Illinois to become classical
and mathematical tutor in his college.
He used to say that small debt, con-
tracted to aid him in completing his
course, induced him to give up preach
ing for time; he knew he could
never repay it from pastors
salary, and he could not rest while in
debt. This was the turning-point in
his life. Though always thereafter an
eloquent and convincing pulpit orator,
he was pre-eminently a scholar in a
wide sense.
After spending six years in pickin-
son College as tutor and adjunct pro-
fessor, he returned to the ministry.
In these six years he had prepared, in
conjunction with the late DIR. John
Met lntOck, a series of Greek and
Latin textbooks. After preaching in
some of the leading churches of Phila.
delphia, Wilmington, New-York and
Brooklyn, he became in 1860 the Edi-
tor Of ''The Methodist, " and independ-
ent UNCONVENTIONAL weekly paper,
which was establish ed in New-York to
advocate the cause of lay delegation in
the General Conference. This had
been a burning question in the Church
for generation; it had caused divis-
ions IN conferences, the expulsion of
ministers and the withdrawal of mem
bers, and the formation of q distinct
Methodist body. DIR. Crooks was Sc
lected to carry on a campaign To- end
only in victory. 1t was a wise selec-
tion. With all the official organs of
the Church opposed to him, he drew to
his support many of its best writer's
and strongest thinkers, made a family
newspaper of such excellence that it
won its way into many thousands of
families, and finally saw his efforts re-
warded with complete success. He
then returned to the work of the minis
try, and served as pastor in New York
and Brooklyn churches until chosen to
a professorship in Drew Theological
Seminary, where he passed his remain
ing years in congenial work.
For many years, while Editor of
the Methodist, and some years follow
ing, DIR. Crooks was a constant con-
tributOr to the Tribune, and for a time
had charge of the religious depart
ment. His scholarship was thorough
and general. His friends were some
times surprised at his accurate know
ledge of writer's and writings that they
had supposed too light to have at
tracted him. He was firm in his con-
VlctlOns, but tolerant of others. He
knew no compromise between right
and wrong. There were to him no
neutral tints; white was white and
black was black. He hated the ap-
pearance of can't religious slang" he
called it in his instructions to his as
sistant-and it never appeared in his
paper, no matter how eminent it's
parentage. "The Methodist in his
hands was an educator in pure and
vigorous English. Y. Tribune.