Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-18


some years. He came East in 1856 to
assume the pastorate of the First Uni
versalist Church of Williamsburgh,
| now All Souls Church. He soon be-
came noted for the fervor and magnet
ic quality of his discourses, a quality
which, while it made him always a
favorite on the platform, Slapped his
nervous resources and ultimately COM
PEELED his retirement from the pulpit.
In 1858 he went TO Europe and spent
some time at Heidelberg, corresponding
at frequent intervals with the Brooklyn
Times and the Cincinnati Times during
| his stay abroad. He returned to
Brooklyn shortly before the war and re-
| sumed the work of the ministry with
renewed fervor. The outbreak of the
war aroused all the intense patriotism
and the Humanitarian ardor of his ma
tures and soon the old church at the
corner of Fourth and South Third
| streets became noted as galyanie CEN
tire of patriotic inspiration. There are
| hundreds yet in Brooklyn who remem-
/ Der wildly the fervid eloquence OF those
/ war sermons, each half battle for lib
erty, and all who fell under their spell
| became the lifelong admirers and
friends of Bernard Peters.
Mr.. Peters in 1864 sought the calmer
atmosphere of Hartford. Conn, assum-
| ing the pastorate of a church there. and
at times contributing TO the local news
papers. In the following year-the
year of Lincoln's assassination and the
succession of Andrew Johnson-he was
induced by Mr.. David Clark. proprietor
| of the Hartford Post, to take editorial
| charge OF that newspaper, and he re-
NAMED at its head until 1868, when he
relinquished the editorship and return
| ed to the pulpit, accepting the pastor
al charge of church in Read
ever, that his nervous system was not
| equal to the strain of preaching, the
most exhaustive of all professions to
| one whose whole soul, as was that of
Mr.. Peters, was in his work, and who
| gave to his people of the brain and the
| blood of his earnest conviction. He
relinquished his pulpit, returned TO
| Brooklyn and purchased from MI
George c. Bennett a half interest in
| the Brooklyn Times.
! When Mr.. Peters became identified
with the Times it soon became appar-
ent that he did not consider his posi-
| ton as a sinecure, and that he had no
purpose of assuming the easy role of
a silent partner. His long residence
| in Brooklyn and the conspicuous place
he had occupied had made him thor
oughly familiar with the city, and es-
pecially the eastern district, TO the in
terests of which the Times was at that
| period almost exclusively devoted. He
| entered into the work of the news
| paper with a concentration of thought
| and energy that soon made itself APP
! pdIGuL III Tie VI INC AiAAS9'
He was not content with the work OF
leader writing, but speedily made
himself familiar with every detail of
| the work in all its branches, taking
| personal supervision of the assign
| ment book and scrutininZing and edit
ing with scrupulous fidelity and intui-
tive judgment every item of news or
correspondence that went into the pa
per. Besides all this, an additional
burden was placed upon Mr.. Peters
| through the constant demand that was
made upon him to address religious,
| political, social and other gatherings
throughout the city. The reputation
! Mr.. Peters had acquired as a public
sneaker of rare magnetism and force
during his local pastorate was well
remembered and when he returned to
Brooklyn his services in this direction
were in constant requisition and were
always cheerfully placed at the dis
posal of any worthy object.
|
But. although earnestly devoted to
Republican principles and ardent in
debate, Mr.. Peters had no personal en-