The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-16

show what was denied by Col. Saunders
and others, that many of the earliest
! settlers in North Carolina came hither
| for consciences sake. They also explain
! the disappearance of the Independents
from the records of the time; they had
! become converts ITO the faith of Palmer.
1t is not strange that he made converts
wherever he went and left the impress OF
! his spirit. Nor is it strange that, after
| his death, missionary of the Church
of England should have said Of Perqui-
mans. which was Palmer's home, THAT
parish abounds with SUCH (dissenters)
especially of the Quaker and Anapap-
fist kind"
Palmer was a Jealous propagandlst'
He travelled into every part OF North
| Carolina that he could reach and TOOK
long Journeys into the border counties
I of Virginia, preaching the truths winch
! he believed and winning men py the
! qentleness of his spirit and the gracious
ness of his manner. And he klndled III
the ministers who were raised up uncer
his influence the same fire that Durheu
in his own heart. Winfield, one OF these
men, crossed to the south side OF the
sound and settled in the neighborhood OF
Bath. Josiah Quincy, of Boston, return
ing from a visit to Wilmington, lHo'
/ notes in his, diary that he spent day IN
Winfields parish. Palmer visited MS
friends several times and extended MS
| Journeys to New Bern and thence 10
New River Onslow county, which IL was
| then thought would become large town
There he organized church which soon
| became a great body, drawing into lis
| fold most of the inhabitants. Rev. Alex
ander Stewart, missionary rector OF the
! Church of England, at Bath, tells IN one
of his letters of visit which ne hao
/ made to New River, which place he de-
| clared to be the "chief seat OF enthuSl-
! asm'' in the province. He preached twice
| during his visit and wrote that tine rev
remaining Episcopals were very thank
! full This was in 1851. A year Garner
! 1850 Mr. Stewart told the results or
| Palmer's labors. "Of late years, he
! says, this province is overrun with a
people that at first called themselves
Anabaptsts, but now, having renned
upon that scheme, have run into SO
many errors and have so bewiidered ana
| 1 may almost say bewitched the minds
of the people that scarcely will they us
ten to anything that can be SAID IN de+
fence of the church we belong TO- a
little later Rev. Robert Nixon, man OF
many of Palmers characteristics, was
pastor at New River and travelled far
beyond Wilmington in the spirit and
manner of his predecessor During the
War of the Revolution the Committee
or Council of Safety made an appropria-
ton of ten pounds or fifty dollars for his
voluntary services in ministering to the
soldiers who were defending the coast
1t would be to repeal an old story if
were to tell of the Parkers and Sojourn-
| ers and others who went forth into every
part of the State, filled with the spirit
| and following the methods of their great
J. leader When Palmer passed into the
house not made with hands he had or
ganized the Baptist denomination IN
North Carolina. 1t remains today sub
| stantially as he left it: the same III
| spirit, in method, and in doctrine. High
| Calvinists from Philadelphia and Separ-
| ates under Stearns sought to introduce
radical changes and they seemed to sue
coed for while, but eventually the de-
nomination returned TO the simple plat
| form on which it started. The churches
gathered in annual meetings, now called
associations, changed only in name.
| Palmer lived in the time of Governor
Pollock, Edward Moseley, John Baptista
! Ashe and the Porters. In point of ma
tural ability he was the peer of the
greatest of them: as fearless as Moselcy
| OF Ashe, as clear as any of them in his
understanding of the times and the
methods by which their needs were to be
| supplied, superior even to Porter in his
knowledge of men and his power to lead
| and inspire them, superior to them all in
the rare combination of qualities which
make up the highest style of man, the
Christian gentleman. When a North
Carolinian thinks of great religious lead
erS three names occur to him. DR..
David Caldwell, Shubael Stearns and
Bishop Ravenscroft. Of these only the
last named can be compared with Pal
mer The task set before each of them
was the same: to organize churches
which should be clothed with authority
and instinct with life and power, and
which, taken together should constitute
religious denomination. Both were
successful. But judged by results.
think it will be agreed that the bishop
was not equal to the man from Maryland.
J. D. HUFHAM
Henderson, n c., March IA.
GRIPPE KNOCKERS CURE ANY COLD