his condition, as when, in the anguish of his soul, he poured forth his wild and bitter wail of despair: 'O, that I were some bird or beast; Some wolf, or stork, or owl! Some lofty tree should bear my nest, And then his joyful deliverance, as given above. This stanza is, I think, nearly verbatim from his experience, as originally versified by himself. "At the close of these services, which, to the best of my recollection, lasted not less than two hours, the company retired with his blessing. This interview, I presume, was never forgotten by any who were then present. Such pastoral visits were seldom in those days, and such a one I have not witnessed since. The evening was spent by Mr. Grenade and my father in conversation on the all-important subject of their work-the work of saving souls. These were times that demanded and called into requisition all the wisdom, the fortitude, and the patient perseverance of the few and widely-scattered laborers then in the field. "The next morning, after family worship and an early breakfast, these servants of God, with renewed vows of fidelity in their work, parted for the last time. In a few weeks from this time my father died suddenly of apoplexy. Though he fell unexpectedly, in high health, and in the strength of manhood, he fell with the trumpet at his mouth. It was on the Sabbath. He had an appointment to preach at eleven o'clock that day, but his work was done. About two o'clock in the morning he was heard breathing in an unusual and laborious manner. In a few moments a light was procured, and his family gathered around his bed. But he spoke not; death was doing its work in a summary manner; and he 'Ceased at once to work and live.' "I have said Grenade was a poet. His poetry was characteristic of the man, and his style as a preacher bold, towering, often tinctured with the 'awfully sublime,' yet flowing with ease and naturalness, and sometimes extremely tender and pathetic. In my childhood I memorized many of his 'spiritual songs;' but have forgotten most of them. I have not seen any of them in their original dress for many years, and fear they are 'out of print.' Some vestiges of them, occasionally found in compilations, are so mangled and distorted that the author, if living, would hardly recognize them. "Mr. Grenade labored but three years as an itinerant. His zeal carried him beyond his strength, and under his indefatigable labors and exposures in the new settlements his health failed, and he located. My last information of him was, that he was practicing medicine somewhere in south-western Tennessee." CHAPTER XXI. THE WESTERN METHODIST BOOK CONCERN. A SKETCH of the history of this institution, so intimately connected with the interests of Methodism in the west, should perhaps have been embraced in our sketch of the origin and progress of Methodism in Cincinnati; but as the Western Book Concern never has been, and never was designed to be local in its operations, but to embrace the entire west and south in the sphere of its labors, we have thought it more appropriate to assign to it a separate chapter. The General conference of 1787, having founded a Book Concern in Philadelphia, the proceeds of which were appropriated mostly to the establishment of Cokesbury College and district schools, and which underwent changes and modifications, from time to time, in its policy, till it was removed to New York in 1804, finally determined to devote the most of the profits to the enlargement of the Concern and the increasing of the facilities for the manufacture of books. Accordingly, in the year 1820, it was resolved that a branch should be located in Cincinnati, for the purpose of supplying the conferences west of the mountains with Methodist books. The books from New York were at that time wagoned to Philadelphia, and from thence to Pittsburg, where they were shipped on the Ohio river for Cincinnati. If about the time of which we are writing, an individual had been passing along Elm-street, between Fourth and Fifth streets, he would have seen, on the corner of Elm and Fifth streets, a small office, over the door of which he could have read, on a small, rude sign, "Methodist Book Room." And it was a "room," sure enough; for in its fifteen by twenty capacity great operations were performed. Like the log-cabins of our fathers, in which the kitchen, dining-room, sitting-room, chamber, and parlor were all in one, this "Book Room" comprised the depository, packing-room, counting-room, and Agent's office. It was also, to some extent, like the present Book Room, a kind of preacher's exchange. But, as we were going to say, had the individual we have supposed passing along been disposed to have looked within, he would have found a plain but intelligentlooking man behind the counter, or at the desk, or bending over a box of books which he might have been packing or unpacking, ready to receive and wait upon him with words of kindness, proceeding from an open, generous heart. That man was Martin Ruter, afterward President of Alleghany College and the master spirit of the Texas pioneers, where he labored, suffered, and died, giving up his martyr spirit into the hands of the great Savior, who called him away from the halls of learning to traverse the wilds of Texas, and lay the foundations of the Church in that infant republic. But to return from our digression. In that small store, had the inquiry been made, there might have been found the works of Wesley, Fletcher, Clarke, and Coke, together with the Journals of Asbury and the Hymn-Book and Discipline. There, also, he might have subscribed for the Christian Advocate and Zion's Herald; and, had he desired to have become more intimately acquainted with the condition and prospects of the Church, he might have obtained a copy of the General Minutes. But stay, gentle reader, we are a little too fast. The oldest Book Agent now living is here by our side, and he will correct us by telling you that if you purchased any of these books, you were obliged to do it on the wholesale principle, as the idea of a retail sales-room was not thought of in that day. Whenever an individual member of the Church in the vicinity wished to obtain either of the books named, he would call at or send a message to the house of brother Ruter, close by the Book Room, where it could be had. Such was the Western Book Concern in the year 1820, thirty-four years ago. What it has been since, and through all the progressive stages of its development till the present time, we shall endeavor briefly to describe. At first it was a mere depository, not even regarded as a branch of the parent Concern at New York, and, of course, it was neither expected nor desired that it should engage in the publication of any books. All that was published by Dr. Ruter, during his connection with the Concern, was a Scriptural Catechism and Primer; but these were on his own individual responsibility. Under all the embarrassing circumstances in which he was called to carry on the business, the Doctor managed it well; and, though the total receipts for the first year did not amount to as much as is now received sometimes in a few days, being little over four thousand dollars, yet, considering the times, it was a pretty good business. At that time there was a specific rule in the Discipline which rendered an Agent ineligible to re-election after he had been serving in that office eight years. Dr. Ruter's term having expired by limitation in 1828, the General conference, which was held at Pittsburg, elected the Rev. Charles Holliday as Agent of the Concern in Cincinnati. As the successor of Dr. Ruter, he set himself to work to make himself acquainted with the business, which, though at that time was not very intricate, still required some knowledge of the book business. |