The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-25
JAY COOKE
TEACHES BIBLE
CLASS SO YEARS

This is the Oldest Bible class in Amer
lea. 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 North
ern Pacific railroad. 1t is not wonder
full, 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 is 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. PauPs Protestant Episcopal
church, where he conducts his Bible
class, is at OgontZ, one of Philadel
phia's beautiful suburbs, where P. A.
B. Widener and William L. ElkinS have
their great white houses-houses as
huge and as magnificent as cathedrals.
1t was established by Mr.. Cooke more
than fifty years ago, when he bought
the land it 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 hunting in his boyhood in
Ohio.
Why 1t Was Formed.
Mr.. Cooke narrated the history of
his Sunday school class the other af-
ternoon. He said:
Il lived in 1852 at the Cedars, a house
that stood where Mr.. Elkins' house
now stands. Next to me lived John w
Thomas merchant. Mr.. Thomas and
his family and l with my family used
to get up on Sunday before it was
light and we would drive in to Phila-
delphia to st. PauIs church, on Third
ctr noIO ~,
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 school room and at 2: 30
o'clock we would attend the afternoon
service. After this we would drive
home, getting back at $50.
III tell you, parenthically, who one
OF Mr.. ThomaS's sons was. He was
lad called George, and he worked in his
fathers mercantile house. I claimed
him from that house; 1 said l wanted
him to come with me in the banking
firm of Jay Cooke & Co. He was an
Industrious, morab brilliant boy; to
train him in banking was a pleasure,
and it was not long before he became
one of my partners. Then after my re-
tirement he went with the house of
DreXel & Co., and he is the head of
DreXel & Co. today. Today George G.
Thomas is, after j. Pierpont Morgan,
the greatest banker in America. 1t
pleases me to be able to say this truth
fully of him. 1t is fine thing to have
seen this boy grow up into SO good and
SO successful man.
Now, to return to my Bible class.
! started it because I perceived that
there was a great need Of it. 1t had
fOrty-five members in the beginning
and the services were held in the parlor
of my home. They were evening SER
Vices-they lasted from 1880 until
o'clock-and they made my Sunday a
full day, for l still continued to get up
before daybreak and to attend at st.
PauPs the services there.
Outgrew Its Quarters.
But gave a great deal of attention
TO the Bible class, for all that and it
prospered well. 1t grew to be too big
for my parlOr. Therefore put a sec
Ond story on one of my outbuiIdings
and arranged there an admirable Sun
day school room. Still the class con-
tinued to grow.
In 1850 we established st. Paul's
church at OgOntz. We erected beside
the church q Sunday school building,
and the upper floor of this building
was reserved for me. But my class
kept on increasing. 1t mounted to a
quarters
came again uncomfortably crowded
And therefore 1 built Parvin hall.
This hall was named after Rev. Robert
j. Parvin, who was then our rector. 1t
seats 500 persons and we use it for our
entertainments and for my Bible class.
The Bible class services are at 2:3O
o'clock each Sunday 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 wears?
L give two afternoons or two evenings
each week to the preparation of the
lesson and this work is very pleasant
10 me always learn much from it,
Enjoys Quiet Life.
MI. Cooke lives with his daughter
the wife of the banker Charles d. Rar-
ney, In huge house at Ogontz that ha
gave TO her. His own fine house near
ny ne 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.. Cookies conservatories
are on Its grounds and in one room
ueIe thefe stand always preached a
parreI OF cider, barrel of apples and
a haf dozen barrels of walnuts. she'll
barkS and hickory nuts These are for
the entertainment of the younp pirIc
OF the seminary. 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. in
deed, 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 farms profits were
credited. 80. P. j." stood for sOId
Patriarch Jacob" the Biblical charac-
ter who originated the giving of tithes
TO God Mr.. Cooke has given all his
life long one-tenth of his possessfoA;
to charity and to the advancement of
the Christian religion.
He deVotes himself to making peopIe
happy. He gives away at Christmas
hundreds of presents, and q few DAYS
before Thanksgiving he entertains his
Bible class and his tenants. MANY of
whom have lived with him and worked
for him, fathers. sons and grandsons,
for more than fifty years, with a con
cert and a supper in Parvin hall. At
the end of the supper, as the guests
are departing, to each is handed a tur-
key for Thanksgiving, and each sets off
homeWard With the bird.
His First Smoke.
Mr.. Cooke never smoked till he was
fifty years old. So far as drinking
goes, it may be said that practically
he never drank. He got a distastc for
tobacco and alcohol in his boyhood.
when he was a clerk in Sandusky,
Ohio
1T was on a Christmas eve," he says
of this, and l and some other young
clerks agreed, since the older folks
We're having a jollif1cation, that we,
too would celebrate. So we got come
cigars and some Toneriffe wine. and
we smoked and made candy and drank
had, guess, pretty rowdy time.
The upshot WAS that we all ent uarr