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Book Two - Pages 111-120
[[Recto of front cover]]
Label: Shelf
RUTER, CALVIN WASHINGTON
Brief Sketch of Life and
Itinerant Labours.
Book No. 2
[[Verso of front cover]]
Label:
Library of Ruter William Springer and
Gertrude Lynch Springer.
Class RO Number 138
Stamp:
Chaplain Ruter W. Springer,
U. S. A. -- M. E. Church
Number Rh 138
Book ( No. (2)
(Autobiography)
Sketch of the life &c. of
C. W. Ruter
[[112/113]] 1837-8. At the time appointed for the 3 rd quarterly meeting for the N. Albany Station (July 1838) it was determined to hold a camp-meeting, the ground was prepared in a pleasant Grove about a mile from the City. They were aided by some from Jeffersonville Station, and adjacent Circuits, and a number from Louisville came over, erected tents & camped on the ground, it was a gracious season for the church, and a goodly number were happily converted, among the number was Marcellus Ruter the youngest son of the lamented Doctor Ruter recently fallen in Texas.
John C. Smith
author of Reminiscences
of Early Methodism in Indiana, 1879
On the 17 th of October 1838, Conference met in Rockville Ia. C. W. Ruter was returned for the fourth year to Charlestown Dist- N. Albany Station Jno. C. Smith & Silas Rawson, Corydon Ct. W. W. Daniel & Jno. Talbott – Greencastle, B. T. Griffith Paoli M. Stalker & Jno Crawford – Brownstown Philip May – Salem Geo. K. Hesterfield & J. Myers – Lexington Thos S. Gosser – Charlestown Isaac [[113/114]] Owen & E. Rutledge – Jeffersonville St n W m H. Goode, This was a year of great prosperity, in almost every charge in the District, The quarterly meetings were generally seasons of much interest The quarterly Meeting for N. Albany Station was the last in the round, after which one vacant Sabbath for a little rest, But at the first quarterly meeting for this Station the work for revival commenced so powerfully that the meeting was continued. So that instead of resting from toil, Bro_ R- spent fourteen successive days & nights in the Church, ( a few hours only the latter part of each night reserved for sleep). But this he considered as a most pleasing & joyous rest, for during this time about one hundred and fifty were received on probation, and perhaps an equal number professed conversion.
The Preachers Stationed here, laboured in much harmony, and with much success during the year. Camp meetings were held, as usual every year, but with more [[114/115]] than usual success this year. The camp meeting held on the N. Albany Camp Ground commenced on, Friday the 28 th of June, and it was intended to close on the 2 nd or 3 rd of July. Preachers and people from neighbouring Stations & Circuits were in attendance from both sides of the River, and the Lord was with us, victory was continually on the side of Israel’s hosts (61), and when the time arrived that the meeting was to close, all seemed unwilling to go, It had previously been supposed that it would not be expedient to hold a Camp meeting which should include the fourth of July, as on this day many rude fellows take liberties to annoy & disturb communities more than at other times, and here, where a compass of five miles would include a population of more than fifty thousand people it was supposed the masses could not be controlled, but since this meeting had been in progress perfect order had been maintained, and it was finally decided [[115/116]] to continue the meeting till after the fourth and this was indeed the great day of the feast (62) the many thousands that attended observed the strictest decorum, so that both day & night (it was often observed) within the encampment, at least, the order was equal to that observed inside of our churches. On Friday the 5 th the meeting closed, when it was found that about one hundred had been added to the church, and it was believed more than that number had been converted:
Then, the fall of 1839, was regarded as the centenary of Methodism, (63) and Bro. Ruter, by request delivered an address <in about every charge in the Dist.> on the rise, progress, position, prospects &c. of Methodism, These addresses were highly eulogized, and by many thought to be more than equal, both in interest & in usefulness, to his Sermons, they doubtless tended to inspire a greater love for, & confidence in the Church and her institutions. This year Closed his labours on that District, which he left amid many regrets. During [[116/117]] the year he had witnessed several gracious revivals, indeed during the four years, most of the charges had enjoyed seasons of much prosperity. The District was generally supplied with able efficient preachers. who laboured perseveringly & their labours were crowned with success, and perhaps a greater degree of harmony & good feeling has seldom been witnessed among labourers, than existed between the P. E. and the Preachers generally of the District, and the P. E. was often heard to say that he believed he had as good a set of faithful men as could be found in any part of the work, and as a result God blessed their united efforts, so that during the four years there was a nett + increase of membership of near three thousand which was almost double the number which was found, at the commencement of the term, and the last year was the most prosperous, showing a nett + increase of [word del, illegible] [[117-118]] more than twelve hundred on the Dist. One among the <most> pleasing revivals of this last year, was on the Brownstown Circuit commencing at the third quarterly meeting which was held in Brownstown in the month of May 1839. At the previous conference Rev. Philip May was appointed to that Ct.- he was a faithful & successful labourer, but the Ct being large, the first quarterly Meeting Conf, for the year requested the P. E. to employ a young man to assist him and Draper Chipman a young man of much zeal & of considerable promise was employed and sent on with him, they laboured with acceptability and some success during the winter and Spring, and even in Brownstown where the few faithful had almost despaired of ever witnessing a revival, a few had been added to Society.. The third quarterly meeting came on, They had only a small log meeting house hardly large enough to hold the congregation on Saturday [word del, illegible] [[118/119]] On Sabbath the weather being fine, the congregation was unusually large, but preparations had been made in an adjacent Grove so that the congregation was comfortably accommodated, listened with attention, and it was evident that a general, and in many [instances del] <cases> , a powerful impression was made upon the people. The sacrament in the afternoon was a most solemn & impressive season. The house being much too small, the use of the Court-House was procured, loose seats were brought from the Church Plank + were procured & the whole room pretty well seated, <and Bro. May preached on Sabbath night,> Preaching appointed for Monday at ten oclock, + but even the Court-House proved to be not sufficiently capacitous to hold the deeply interested crowd. The P. E. preached, The Spirit of God was present in the word. The place occupied by the Court of Judges, was convenient for a pulpit, while the circular bar, enclosed by railing, was converted into an altar, and [[119/120]] here penitents sought & found redemption in the blood of Jesus <and several joined the church>. The afternoon and night was also devoted to worship & the interest still increasing, an appointment was made for ten oclock + on Tuesday, when the sermon should be followed by the baptism of children & adults. By this time, the interest had become general, almost every kind of temporal business was suspended in the town, while from the country around many flocked in to hear, & see what was going on. Long before the hour arrived the house was crowded to overflowing, while many, unable to find room within, were standing around the door & windows.
The P. E. preached, (Text 1 Thess,, 5: 19 th) (64) he spoke with much liberty, for more than an hour the attention of the multitude was enchained, while the starting tear, & trembling lip, told clearly that the word was not without effect. When about to close, one of the preachers rose & swiftly suggested to the [[120/121]]