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Book One - Pages 101-110
[[100-101]] blest with the gift of Exhortation, and was generally very successful, in the various fields of labour to which he was appointed, On hearing of his death, Bro, Ruter immediately made arrangements to go out and visit his <bereaved (55)> family, and while there preached his funeral in the church at the door Village, (56) to a numerous & deeply affected congregation, (Text Luke 23: 43 rd verse. (57)
October 22.- <1834> Conf. met in Centerville here (entirely contrary to his expectations) Bro. R, was appointed to New Albany Station, which he had left but two years before, with no thought of returning soon to that part of the State again, but as this was thought best he cheerfully submitted,* (58)
*[[110]] At the Conference in Madison 1833. Bro. Ruter had been appointed in connexion with Rev. Jas. Armstrong and A. Wiley, to draft a constitution for a Preachers aid Society, Bro. Armstrong being chairman of said Committee who having died during the year. Bro- Ruter drew up a constitution, and here at Centerville, Bro Ames being appointed to fill the vacancy in the committee, the constitution was presented & approved, and thus reported to and adopted by the Conference, and subsequently passed into a law by the Legislature, and thus originated that society in the Ia Conf.-, the proceeds of which, thus gladdened the heart of many a poor care-worn Itinerant and caused the heart of the widow to sing for joy. [[end of 110 and of MS I]]
[[101 resumed]] He returned to Indianapolis and spent one Sabbath there, Preached twice and recieved + that day and night, ten into the church on probation, and thus closed his two years labour in that Station. He was gladly and most kindly recieved + by his former charge in New Albany, and spent another pleasant and successful year with that pious [[101/102]] and affectionate people. (37)
October 15 th Conf. met at Lafayette, At this Conf. , Bro R. had much labour to perform, he was (as he had been for many years) Secretary of the Conference, and Treasurer of the Missionary Society, which required considerable active service, and then for a few previous years he had been a member of a committee on Education of which Rev. A. Wiley was Chairman. The object of which was to devise <or mature> a plan for getting up an institution of Learning of a high grade, and fixing on a site for its location, For this he had evinced a deep interest, but no scheme had yet been matured, indeed the Conference being young and Church comparatively poor, it was thought by most that the time had not yet come, to move in so weighty a matter, and this opinion appearing to prevail in the Conf.- he had, the previous year at Centerville, moved, and the motion prevailed, that the Conf.- memorialize the Legislature of Ia requesting them so to amend the Charter of the State Institution [[102/103]] that the Trustees should be elected by the State Legislature, a portion (one third) every year, the Conf. believing that the popular voice would thus be heard, and that the M. E. Church would acquire her due share of influence in that Institution, <of which she had hitherto been deprived> and be saved, from the necessity, at least for a season, of trying to erect a separate one. He was then & there appointed a committee to draft a memorial to the Legislature, and also a petition to be signed by the people of the State, praying the same change relative to the State Institution, which duties he performed to the entire satisfaction of the Conf-- The memorial was signed by the Prest. & sectr. in behalf of the Conf-- and sent at the proper time to the Legislature, accompanied by petitions signed by many thousands of the Citizens of the State in reference to this matter, but the object in view was entirely defeated by the management of a few members of the Legislature who hap<p>ened (59) to be on the committee of Education, and who were much opposed to the growing influence of the M. E. Church, [[103/104]]
This effort having thus failed (tho. it was not useless, as it tended to awaken an interest throughout the State on the subject of Education) the question came up at the Conf at Lafayette, What shall we do now, the committee on Education had one or two meetings, which, [however del], owing to the pressure of other business, he was unable to attend, He however, drew up a paper containing several articles as a sort of compact, starting point, or foundation for the erection of and institution of Learning of a high grade under the direction and patronage of the M. E. Church in Ia, one article of which went to say that the town or City, subscribing the largest amount as a bonus, should be entitled to additional consideration in the location of the site of the Institution, which should be decided by the Conf- at its next session. This paper he presented to the committee just as they were about to disperse. on the last day of the Conf- (as was supposed) having concluded to report, that they were not yet prepared to present any definite plan, and [[104/105]] ask further time. The paper, however of Bro Ruter, was approved by the Committee, and the Chairman, not having time to incorporate it in the report, already made out, was directed to present it to the Conf- in connexion with the report, as a kind of supplement, which he did, and the Conf- approving the suggestions directed the chairman to incorporate them in the report. Giving him time untill + the next morning, when the report was adopted <unanimously,> and this was the foundation or starting point of the Indiana Asbury University.
At this Conf- he was elected to the Gen l Conf- to be held in Cincinnati on the 1 st of May, 1836 (he being the highest on the list of delegates) and here he was appointed as P.E. to charge of the Charlestown District, composed of New Albany & Jeffersonville Stations, Charlestown, Corydon, Greenville, Salem, Paoli, Lexington, and Brownstown Circuits, - He still resided in New Albany, Rev. E. G. Wood in the Station, He laboured with considerable success in this, to him, new relation to the Church, and several of the charges were visited with [[105/106]] gracious revivals, the joys of which he was permitted to share, especially one with which the church was favoured in N. Albany, On this Dist- he laboured sucessively + four years, attending the quarterly & Camp meetings and giving his whole time and energies to the interests of the Church, nor was his labour in vain, The Church was blest, her numbers greatly increased, her influence extended, and her march was evidently onward, - (37)
In the fall of 1836 the Conference met in Indianapolis, and there by a vote of the Conference, after considerable discussion, Greencastle Putnam County Ia was fixed upon, as the site for the location of our Institution of learning, and Rev. s J. C. Smith and A. Wood were appointed agents. to raise funds &c, for carrying it into operation,
Aaron Wood
In this enterprise Bro. Ruter took a deep interest, considering no personal sacrifice too great, in order to urge it on to completion, generally visiting Greencastle once, and frequently, twice a year, being [[106/107]] appointed by the Conf.. to this duty, This was done at considerable expense of labour and money, as roads were then frequently very bad, and no way of travelling except on horseback, yet he ever cheerfully performed the service, believing that the interests of the Church, and the community required the sacrifice, and he ever witnessed, with the greatest delight, the growth and continued prosperity, of that cherished Institution -- (37)
October 25 th 1837 Conf.. met in New Albany This was attended by Bishop Soule and part of the time by Bishop Roberts -- Dr M. Ruter was also at this Conference having located his family here preparatory to leaving for the Mission in Texas, to the charge of which he had been previously appointed. Shortly after this session of the Ia Conf- he, left his family his friends & native land to revisit them no more, He went to Texas, travelled extensively over that new country during the [[107/108]] winter, preached frequently to the destitute settlers, secured lands for the endowment, and laid the foundation for an Institution of learning of a high Grade, designing to return home in the Spring for his family, and to make Texas his & their future home,
Martin Ruter, brother of Calvin Ruter
(portrait courtesy
of the General Commission on Archives and History,
United
Methodist Church)
But Providence ordered otherwise He had started for his home, but being overtaken by disease, he was compelled to return to Washington[,] Texas, where after a few weeks of severe suffering he sweetly fell asleep in Jesus, and his body rests in the Missionary’s Grave. He had entered the Itinerant field in the Eastern States in the 16 th year of his age, having no advantages of education but those derived from common schools, yet by dint of Study, he acquired such an extensive education, as placed him at the heart of Methodist Literature in America, and was able to read & properly translate more Languages, than probably any other Minister of the M. E, [[108/109]] Church, at the time of his death. He was the first Methodist Minister in the U, S, + on whom was confered + the degree of D, D, + This was confered + by the Transylvania University without his knowledge or consent in the year 1822. He fell a Martyr to his Masters + cause, May Heaven bless the bereaved family – (37)
These blank leaves were left thus, intending (if practicable to procure the material) to insert a brief sketch of the life and labours of his beloved his fallen Brother.)
(60) This brother was the celebrated Martin
Ruter. D. D. –
--
[blank page]
[[109/110]] Added note: “At the Conference in Madison 1833” marked with an asterisk for insertion in MS page 101, where the text is inserted in this transcription.
[End of MS Book No. 1]