The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-25
JAY COOKIES BIBLE CLASS.
The Ffnancier Has Taught Ii for Half
Century.
New York Tribune


New York Tribune.
Jay Cooke. of Philadelphia. has taught
for fifty years a Bible class. This is the
oldest Bible class in America. Its teacher
takes In it the same profound and joyous
interest that he took in the financiering Of
the civil war and in the building Of the
Northern Pacific Railroad. 1t is not Won
derful. therefore. that it is a success.
Mr.. Cooke is now eighty years old. He is
about six feet in height and he weighs 175
pounds. His figure il erect, his gait is
elastic, his cheeks are full, the healthy,
unwrinkled skin. covering the firm flesh
smoothly. His blue eyes are alert and gay
and clear. His voice is young, and his
ready laugh is young.
st. Paufs Protestant Episcopal Church,
where he conducts his Bible class, Is at
Ogontz. one Of Philadelphia's beautiful SUBJ
urbs where p. A. B. Widener and William
houses as huge and as magnificent as
cathedrals. 1t was established by Mr..
Cooke more than fifty years ago. when he
bought the land 1t comprises for $500 an
acre, and this land is now worth $4,000 an
acre. He named the place after an Indian
chief, Ogontz who had carried him on his
shoulder and taught him the lore Of hunt
ing in his boyhood in Ohio.
Mr.. Cooke narrated the history Of his
Sunday-school class the other afternoon.
He said
q
that stood where Mr.. Elkinss house now
stands. Next to me lived John w. Thomas.
a merchant. Mr.. Thomas and his family,
and / with my family, used to get up on
drive in. to Philadelphia to st. Paurs
Church, on Third street. below Walnut
street, for there was no church here in
those days. We would arrive in time for
the Sunday school service at 8 o'clock, and
after Sunday school we would attend the
church service. Then we would get our
luncheon in the schoolroom. and at 2:3o
o'clock we would attend the afternoon serv-
ice. After this we would drive home, get
ting back at $50.
Now, to return to my Bible class. l
was was a great need of It. It had forty-fiv S
members In the beginning, and the services
were held in the parlor of my home. They
until oclock-and they made my Sunday
full day. for / still continued to get up
before daybreak and to attend at st. Pauls
the services there.
But L gave a great deal of attention to
the Bible class, for all that, and it pros
pered well. 1t grew to be too big for my
parlor. Therefore | put second story on
one of my outbufldings, and arranged there
an admirable Sunday-school room. Still
the class continued to grow.
I'm 1860 we established st. Pauls Church
at Ogontz. We erected beside the church a
Sunday school building, and the upper floor
of this building was reserved for me. But
my class kept on increasing. 1t mounted
TO a membership Oh lou. ltS quarters De-
came again uncomfortably crowded
And, therefore, built Parvin Hall. This
hall was named after the Rev. Robert j.
Parvin who was then our rector. 1t seats
300 persons and we use 1t for our entertain
ments and for my Bible class. The Bible
class services are at 2:30 o'clock each Sum
day afternoon. Do you know that some
of the members-Herbert r. Hammond,
Samuel Fisher and others-have been with
the class from the beginning. nearly fifty
years ago? / give two afternoons or two
evenings each week to the preparation of
the lesson, and this work Is very pleasant
to me. / always learn much from it,
Mr.. Cooke lives with his daughter, the
wife of the banker, Charles d. Barney, in
a huge house at Ogontz that he gave to
her. His own fine house near by he ceased
to live In some time ago because he did not
wish to be alone. This mansion is now a
seminary for young girls. Mr.. Cooke
Conservatives are on it's grounds, and in
one room here there stand always preached
half dozen barrels of walnuts, shellbarks
and hickory nuts. These are for the en-
tertainment of the young girls of the sem
mary. On the grounds. too, is an orchard
that Mr.. Cooke planted so that his young
friends should have no lack of fruit. He
has planted, indeed, and seen grow to a
stately size, more than 5000 trees In Ogontz
SOIL
Mr.. Cooke is no longer in business. When
he was in business he had on his books
an account called 20. p. j." and to this
account, twice annually, one-tenth of the
firms profits were credited. 20. p. j."
stood for "Old Patriarch Jacob" the Bibli-
cal character who originated the giving of
| tithes to God. Mr.. Cooke has given all his
life long one-tenth of his possessions to
charity and to the advancement of the
| Christian religion.