Thirty Years in the Itinerancy. W. G. Miller
beings as have an eternity before them." I saw that a small act of kindness had won his ear and touched his heart. On leaving, I was cordially invited to call and see the family. The advantage thus gained was prudently improved until, in process of time, both himself and family were garnered for the Master.
But the time had now come to lay aside the anomalous position of "Exhorter in Charge," and take to myself the appellation of "Preacher in Charge." Under the advice of the Presiding Elder I still retained my membership on the Fond du Lac circuit, of which Waupun was a part. The last Quarterly Meeting of the year was held in Fond du Lac May 31st, 1845, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson presiding. The meeting was well attended. I was granted a Local Preacher's license and recommended to the Rock River Conference for admission on trial.
At the close of the quarterly meeting I returned to Brothertown and made up a company of the good people, to attend a camp-meeting to be held at Clason's Prairie.
It was the pioneer camp-meeting in the region, and, though the attendance was not large, it included nearly all the population of the vicinity. There were ten tents, and as many preachers, with the Presiding Elder in charge. The spirit of the meeting was excellent, and a goodly number of souls were gathered for the Master. The services were greatly enlivened, and clothed with additional interest by the presence of the several brethren whom I had brought from Brothertown. Their ready, incomparable spiritual songs, earnest prayers and touching narratives of Christian experience, awakened intense feeling among all classes, and gave abundant evidence of the power of the Gospel to save, even the red man, as well as his brother of lighter complexion and more favorable surroundings.
Another feature of the meeting fastened itself upon my memory. It was the persistence with which the good Elder pressed me into service on the Sabbath before the great congregation, and such a formidable array of ministers. It was indeed a great trial, but, as on other occasions where there is a "boy preacher" around, there was no escape. And besides, the effort took on the nature of a trial sermon, as it was my first effort after I had been duly licensed to preach. Whether I succeeded fairly or not in the estimation of my critics, I am not able to say, for I kept my ear during the balance of the meeting turned the other way, lest I might "have my feelings hurt."
Returning to Brothertown, I now determined to hold a camp-meeting, under "our own vine and fig tree," in July. The arrangements were accordingly made, and at the appointed time, the Presiding Elder and several other ministers came to our assistance. They were Rev. Messrs. H. R. Colman, Stephen Jones, Joseph T. Lewis, G. N. Hanson, S. B. Whipple and my dear father. The attendance was large, the order perfect, and the results of the meeting specially satisfactory.
Among the converts were several persons from Calumet, a small village of white people adjoining Brothertown on the south. We now established an appointment in the village, formed a class and opened a Sunday School.
But the time had come in the history of the Mission when a new and larger chapel must be erected. To further this object, several boxes of goods had been forwarded to the Mission by Ladies Benevolent Societies in the east. They were accordingly opened out in the rooms of the vacant Parsonage, and, when not otherwise employed, I installed myself as a salesman of merchandise. It was not a little amusing to begin the erection of a church after this fashion, but this was not the only queer thing about the building of the Brothertown Church.
In addition, the Missionary put his own hands to the actual labor of preparing the materials. It was done in this wise. It was ascertained that a man in Stockbridge, who owned a fine grove of timber, proposed to give a certain amount of it for the church, provided the church people would cut it. And it was further found that the owner of a mill in the vicinity would give the sawing. We decided at once to accept both propositions. Word was passed among the people, and on a given day a score or more of men and teams, with the Missionary among them, made an onslaught upon the timber. In a few days the task was accomplished, and the success of the enterprise guaranteed.
The conference year, however, expired at this time, Aug. 20th, and terminated my labors among this people.
Well did the Apostle say, "I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon." Nor was this experience new to the world in the time of Paul. It was the work of David to prepare the materials, but it remained to Solomon to build the Temple. Thus it is in every calling of life. But it is more manifestly so, perhaps, in the Itinerancy, than in any other.
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