Personal Recollections of Pardee Butler | Page 3

truthfulness, and the littleness and meanness of lying
and deceitfulness.
My grandmother was also very conscientious, which was illustrated by
the fact that on her death-bed, after giving some good advice to her
daughters, she charged them to carry home a cup of coffee that she had
borrowed.
An old Wadsworth friend, writing to us since father's death, says of him:
"From a boy Pardee was remarkable for his uprightness, and bold and
strict honesty, and it was a maxim among the boys to say, 'As honest as
Pard, Butler.' He and his father before him were specimens of
puritanical honesty and courage, and had they lived in the days of
Cromwell and in England, would doubtless have been in Cromwell's
army."

Scarcely was the settlement begun when a school was taught in one
room of a log dwelling-house. When but three years old, father was a
pupil in the first school that was taught in the new school-house, by
Miss Lodema Sackett, and continued to attend school a part of every
year. Books were scarce, but he was fond of reading, and read, over and
over, all that he could obtain.
The Western Reserve was settled mainly by New Englanders, who
were intelligent and God-fearing men; and religious meetings were held
from the first; printed sermons being read aloud when there was no
preacher. A Sunday-school was organized in Wadsworth in 1820.
The most influential man in the neighborhood was Judge Brown, an
uncle of "John Brown of Ossawatomie." He was noted for the purity of
his life, the dignity of his demeanor, and the firmness with which he
defended his views. He was a bitter opponent of slavery, and, what was
strange in those days, a strong temperance man. Before leaving
Connecticut he had heard Lyman Beecher deliver his famous
temperance sermons, and he came to Wadsworth with his soul ablaze
with temperance zeal. The community was strongly influenced by him,
and father said that he was much indebted to Judge Brown for his
temperance and anti-slavery principles.
Even in those early days Wadsworth contained a public library, a
lyceum where the young men discussed the questions of the day, and
an academy. Father took part in the lyceum debates, though he was said
to be slow of speech; and attended the Wadsworth Academy from its
beginning, in 1830. One of its most successful teachers was a shrewd
Scotchman named John McGregor. Father and several young men from
a distance, who boarded at grandfather's and attended this school, spent
their evenings studying their lessons, or reading and discussing some
good book. Dick's scientific works were among the books thus read.
There were many Lutherans, Dutch Reformers, and Mennonites near
Wadsworth, and there was a perfect ferment of religious discussion.
During father's boyhood, Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott had
been preaching the union of Christians on the Bible alone, and there

was great enthusiasm.
Eld. Newcomb, an honored Baptist preacher, together with my
grandfather, and Samuel Green--the father of Almon B. Green and
Philander Green--had been reading the writings of A. Campbell for
several years. Almon B. Green had been made skeptical by the
unintelligible orthodox preaching. But one day, after reading the first
four books of the New Testament, he exclaimed, "No uninspired man
ever wrote that book." He read on until he came to Acts ii. 38, which he
took to Eld. Newcomb, asking him its meaning. "It means what it
says," was his reply. In a few days Almon was baptized by Eld.
Newcomb, simply on his confession of faith in Christ, without telling
any experience, as usually required by the Baptists. Soon afterwards
four families, the New-combs, Greens, Butlers and Bonnels, all
Baptists, united to form a church on the apostolic pattern. Then
William Hayden came with his fiery eloquence and wondrous songs;
the people were stirred up, opposition aroused, the various creeds were
discussed with renewed energy, and the church grew and multiplied.
But father and his uncle Aaron, who was eight years older than himself,
had been made skeptical by orthodox mysticism and the disputes of so
many wrangling churches.
In September, 1833, A. Campbell came to Wadsworth to attend a great
yearly meeting held in William Eyle's barn. The following account of
an incident that occurred at that time, I quote from "History of the
Disciples on the Western Reserve."
"An incident occurred at this time which displays Mr Campbell's
character for discernment and candor. Aaron Pardee, a gentleman
residing in the vicinity, an unbeliever in the gospel, attracted by
Campbell's abilities as a reasoner, and won by his fairness in argument,
resolved to obtain an interview and propose freely his difficulties. Mr.
Campbell received him with such frankness that he opened his case at
once, saying, 'I discover, Mr. Campbell, you are well