Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-12-23
some Shepherdstown Pastors of NJ.
Boyhood Days
BY ]. o. Knott.

Was tne hrSt preacher not a Me,ho3iS,
that ! remember. He used TO come 70
me Remnant school-hoose once n
month TO meet the demands of the
Lutherans in our community We
were very cosmopolitan community in
!ne Gays OF our daddies and had preach.
ing al our community center-the pub-
nc School building-by Methodis,s
Episcopalians, LutheranS, Reformers
ana what not. We broke in vomnS
preachers and tried out others. Iohn
Anspach preached his first sermon if /
feeail Alright, al this school-house
oIa brother Cross brought us once a
young ShepherdStown aspirant for the
ministry whose name | shall not olive
VINO maze MS maiden effort at our ex-
MS text was, Strive 10 enter
IN al the strait gate" | well recall
'nat nc ialied to get anywhere. His
Iase REMINDS me OF the two Vanderbilt
UNIVERSITY students ~no went out in
~ me country to practice on the ma
VS. d. small churches and upon COM
ing back to the university camnus
accosted each other on how each oo,
on. one boy said, 81 came out at the
little end of the horn" The Other reo
torted: "Well, you did better than
for | didn't come out at all" So win
the young fellow who attemnted tba
strait gate" sermon. But Bro Cross
made UP for the shortcomings Of tho
young man by an exhoration that 6II1
ed up the time and relieved the awk-
wardneSs.
But ! started to tell of DR.. Bittle. He
was large man, very benign. and told
many anecdotes in his sermons. do
not Know whether DR.. Git;.. ALWAYS did
this when he preached "in town." but
LOT US country folks, and particularly
lot us children, this was very accent
aole. remember him for his stories
aoout Boys, and how we would smile at
his homely hits.
When | started to Shepherd Col
lege, at fourteen years of age, the pull
PIT or the Lutheran Church in Shep-
nerdstown was filled by Rev. Mr.. Haw-
klns: His face is some misty to me as
! write, but lis it strange) ? the face of
MS vivacous daughter, Emma, is as
clearly defined as thought | had seen
her yesterday. know Mr.. Hawkins
was tall, and had olive complexion,
and that he was very popular. Co
ing upon the assumption that dauph
tiers usually look like their fathers, can
almost make out Mr.. Hawkins appea-
ance from my recollection of the face
OF his daughter. Anyhow, the two
children of this pastor, John and En-
ma, were great favorites at the col
lege, and the portly editor of the Reg
lster, then a slender and shy lad, was
cheek and jowl with John Hawkins.
whose love for humorous ESSAYS ran
parallel with the embryo editors
tendency to follow out the same line
of writing. Emma Hawkins was a
girl of the southern type-with olive
complexion, dark eyes, ample mouth.
and vivacity uncomfortable She was
the life OF any group she mingled with
| do not recall when the Hawkins fam
lily left Shepherdstown, but know Rev
Mr.. Holland was in the Lutheran
Church afterwards, and that his coal
black beard, his very clerical air and
dignity of manner created quite an i'm
preston upon me as to a preachers
general bearing. ! used to go to that
church on Sunday evenings, for reasons
| had better not give here, for "the
other party is still living and may OBJ
lect to having her name in print.
do not blame the preacher when | say
do not recollect anything he ever said.
for ! sat high UP in church, with some
one by one my side whom liked to
look at even while the sermon was in
progress. 1t takes concentration to
hear sermon so as 10 recall it, And
my mind was quite other than conferred
upon Mr.. Hollands sermon.
The Reformed Church in those DAYS
was served by the scholarly and will
lowy Mr.. Bowman. He was fresh from
the seminary, enthusiastic, popular
and capable. He had the finest eyes ]
had ever seen. His smile was as win
ming as that of a woman's, and, ali
told, he was deservedly another pride
not only of his congregation but of the
town. personally owe him much
more than he ever imagines. My
grandmother Knott was originally a
member of the Reformed Church. and
was by marriage connected distantly
with Mr.. Bowman. Probably dis &C
counted for the pastors interest in me.
Anyhow, his encouraging words TO me
when ! made my speech upon gradua-
ton and later when he came to hear me
preach my first sermon in Shepherds
town so impressed me that | shall new
er forget him. He was just such a
man as young fellow needs when
starting upon life's career. Thank Won
Mr.. Bowman-now DR.. Bowman
wherever you are, for what can ncv-
err repay, except to keep on wishing
you well 10 the last!
Speaking of the Lutheran and Re-
formed congregations, both of which
worshiped at the extreme east end of
the town in churches directly opposite
each other, recall that the Lutheran
congregation had the finest choir IN
those days that, up till then, had ever
heard. Ella Kelsey, the Harp girls, the
Richard girls, and other so well-known
TO Shepherdstown then and since.
made music to tunes such as "Wimot''
and like melodies. The Sunday school