The life of John P. Crozer

Front matter

,0 0.

\0 < oo f* v*

OO'

Contents

CHAPTEE I.

BIRTH-PLACE.

PAGE

Preface

SOON after the death of the late Joins' R Ckoz.k, a desire for some history of his life was quite generally expressed. His family, therefore, took counsel with their friends, and modestly shrank from any publication of memoirs, unless, in the judgment of others, the work would be a means of Christian usefulness. On the examination of this question, his friends did not forget that personal friendship and affection often exaggerate the usefulness and magnify the virtues of those we love, and often give prominence in print to characters of only ordinary merit ; yet, notwithstanding, it was decided, without a

10 PREFACE.

question or a doubt, to prepare the story of his life.

His papers were placed at the disposal of the author of this volume. They consisted of a few letters, of a narrative containing the incidents of his early life as recorded by himself, and two thousand one hundred and thirty closely-written ledger pages of diary. After reading and " inwardly digesting " this material, the importance of the work was apparent. The Diary, written for no eye but his own, was evidently the key to his outward life. With that outward life, during its more important period, the author had been personally acquainted ; he was now permitted to look upon its secret springs and study its hidden forces. He had known him intimately and loved him well, but now records his heartfelt conviction that he had signally failed to appreciate his worth. With ample material for a larger volume, the smaller size has been preferred, with the purpose of secu-

PREFACE, 11

ring a larger circulation and a more extended usefulness for this record of a noble Christian life.

The work of composition has been performed in the heat of summer and in the midst of other work. It is earnestly desired that no fault of the author may be suffered to mar the symmetry of a life of singular excellence and beauty, and that the spirit of Christian charity, which so richly abounded in him, may be found large enough to cover — while it cannot conceal — the imperfections of his biographer.

Life of John P. Ckozer

Chapter I. Birth-place

TEN miles west of Philadelphia, in that part of Springfield which is now called West Dale, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, there stands an old but still substantial dwelling. It is a square stone structure, whose low piazza, small windows, and antique roof remind you of the olden time. Standing apart from other habitations, and partially hidden from the country road in the shadow of a few old trees, it has an air of quiet seclusion amounting almost to loneliness. The ground which rises gently to the north protects it from the colder winds, while southward the prospect stretches far away to hills beyond the Delaware. It is a place well suited to attract attention. The stranger stops to ask its history — nor does he stop in vain. Strange memories cluster around this venerable mansion* It was reared amid the scenes of savage life. The snows that fell upon its new-laid roof fell also on the wig-

2 13

14 LIFE OF JOHN P. GEOZEB.

warn of the Indian. TTithm sight of its eastern gable a little town that nestled in the bosom of the forest has grown to be the fourth city of the civilized world. A race has vanished since its walls were built ; another has supplied its place ; and now from this old roof-tree the eye may sweep a landscape dotted with fertile fields, with happy homes, with snowy sails, and note the wonders which an era of eventful progress has evoked. And yet it stands unchanged — save here and there some moss-grown fissure in its solid masonry — linking the hard vicissitudes of an early settlement to the comforts and inrprovements of modern times; at once a monument of the old, a witness of the new.

Nor is it remarkable for its age alone. In the attic, under that old gambrel, was produced a picture which challenged the admiration of art in the chief city of Europe. The little nursery on the southwest* corner — there where a woodbine clings above the windows — gave an American president to the Royal Academy of England, the successor of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the friend and companion of George the Third. It is the birth-place of Benjamin West, the famous American painter. Here, when a boy of less than seven years old, he sat watching the slumbers of his sister's child ; suddenly a smile brightened the infant's * Sometimes stated the northwest.

face; the babe slept on, but the genius of the lad awoke. Seizing a pen, and with only black and red ink for his colors, he sketched a likeness of surpassing merit. His mother found him at his task; and, surprised by his success, exclaimed, "I declare, he has made a likeness of little Sallie!" In this same old mansion, with red and yellow from the Indians, blue from his mother's indigo, and brushes from the tail of the household cat, he pursued his work; and two years afterwards, when not yet nine years old, he had transformed the old attic into a studio, and with better materials was working at his first original. Beginning each morning with the dawn, and forgetful alike of parents and of school, he became so thoroughly absorbed in his work as to awaken anxiety by his absence. When search was instituted his mother found him in the attic, but her inclination to anger subsided on beholding his performance: she kissed him with rapture, and procured his pardon from her husband and the schoolmaster. The picture was completed ; and when sixty-seven years afterwards it was exhibited in London, in the same room with the "Christ Rejected," it was thought to have touches of inventive genius which the artist had never surpassed.

When this lad had passed from his home in the forests of the New World to become the " companion of kings and emperors " in the Old, the old homestead became the birth-place of another child, destined also to distinction. West had become the President of the Royal Academy; nine months had passed since the delivery of his fine inaugural; when on the 13th of January, 1793, his old place in the little nursery was filled by the birth of John Peice Crozer. Nurtured amid the same scenes, sheltered by the same roof, playing in childhood in the same old attic, enriched even then with the memories of an earlier time, the child screw in breadth of thought and fixedness of purpose, developing genius of another sort and taste of a higher order. What circumstances awoke and strengthened the sensibilities of this broadbrowed boy we will not now narrate, but venture the thought that unless the picture of "Christ Rejected" is better than a life of which Christ himself was the light and glory — unless a genius to portray the u Death of Socrates " is better than a grace to die with a calmness unknown to philosophy, then the artist must yield to the philanthropist — and the old mansion be remembered as the birth-place of one whose works were finer than the arts, even as his monument will be more enduring.

Chapter II. Parentage

IN the early part of the last century, five brothers by the name of Crozer emigrated to this country from Ireland. Their names were James, Samuel, John, Robert, and Andrew. Mr. Crozer descended from James, who was his grandfather on his father's side. Soon after the arrival of James in this country, he married into a family of English descent by the name of Gleave, who owned a landed property in Springfield — a property which subsequently became his own. He was remembered by his grandson as a venerable man in extreme old age, " wearing a dressing-gown and cap, and leaning heavily on his staff." He lived in Springfield, about half . a mile from the residence of his son, and was glad to be enlivened at times by the visits and caresses of his grandchildren. The grandfather of Mr. Crozer by his mother's side came from England. His name was John Price. He died before the birth of his grandson, and no record of him remains. His parents were thus American by birth, and natives of

Delaware County, Pennsylvania. His father's name was James Samuel, and his mother's Sarah Price; the one, as we have seen, being of Irish and the other of English descent. His father was a carpenter and builder, pursuing this business mainly in the city of Philadelphia. When the Revolutionary war put an end to building operations, he returned to the scenes and employment of his youth; and soon after his marriage became the owner of the farm in Springfield, where the subject of this memoir Mas born. He was a man not only of marked enterprise and energy, but also of sterling integrity. Jle possessed information beyond the wants of his immediate calling, and to some knowledge of the Latin tongue added a more thorough acquaintance with the English classics. The w«>rks of standard authors, both in prose and poetry, which have come down from his library in the old mansion at Springfield, attest his intelligence and taste. Much of that love for learning which made the son the patron of colleges and schools may be fairly ascribed to the library of the father. He seems to have been a man of intellectual rather than of emotional development — less suited to cultivate the affect ions of his children than to command their obedience.

In his religious opinions he was much in sympathy with the Society of Friends, then the dominant sect around him, but he never became a member of the order, and committed the religious training of his children mainly into the hands of their mother. This mother was one of the best of women. Although feeble in health, and subject to frequent attacks of illness accompanied with intense suffering, she toiled unceasingly for the welfare of her children and her home. She was a meek and unassuming woman, of few words, but these spoken in great sincerity — especially free from uncharitableness in all its forms ; intelligent, warm-hearted, and withal a decided Christian. She had been educated as an Episcopalian, but it is recorded to her praise that "she loved all worship and God's people of whatever name." It was her constant aim to instil into the minds of her children the precepts of morality and religion. Such influences are never in vain. She lived to witness the success of her efforts and rejoice in the established character of her children. With John she was especially successful. He was devotedly fond of her, and attached great sacredness to her counsel. Her memory is wrought into the texture of his life. In his most religious moments we shall find him thinking of his mother, and forty years after he had laid her in her grave we find him writing, " Oh, how my old heart swells and softens while I write of this dear woman, whom I am proud to call my mother !"

Chapter III. Beothees And Sistees

11 HE children of the family were five in number: - Elizabeth, who became Mrs. John Lewis; James, who was the oldest son; Sarah, who became Mrs. Samuel Y. Campbell ; John Price, the subject of this narrative; and Samuel, who was the Benjamin of the household. The sisters, although older than John, survived him. They were both married to most excellent Christian men, and arc still living in their native county, illustrating in their widowed age the excellence of declining years when cheered by the refinements of culture and sustained by the consolations of the Christian faith.

The brothers of John both passed before him to their reward. James, the eldest, at the age of seventeen entered upon mercantile pursuits in Philadelphia. Mr. Crozer well remembered the evening before his departure, and recalled the thoughtful look and tearful anxiety of his mother at committing her first-born son to the dangers and temptations of a city life — an anxiety inexplicable to him then, but afterwards recalled and appreciated when he himself had become a parent. James was faithful, industrious and upright. In his after life he was always characterized by an unwavering integrity of purpose ; although somewhat peculiar in his temperament, and perhaps unduly sensitive, he was esteemed by all who knew him, and lived and died a most worthy man. He never achieved such success in his business affairs as was attained by his more fortunate brother, in whose employ the later portion of his life was spent. He died at Upland, at the residence of Mr. Crozer, in the month of October, 1859, in the seventy-fourth year of his age.

Samuel was more than three years younger than John. He evinced in boyhood a strong love for mechanical pursuits, and an aversion equally strong to work upon the farm. Much of his time was spent in his father's workshop, where his skill in making a variety of articles soon brought him into notice. His ingenuity attracted a good deal of attention in the neighborhood, and made him popular with companions who were ever ready to follow his lead. At seventeen years of age he left home to learn the drug business in Philadelphia. Soon after entering upon his city life he was led to sincere and humble faith in Christ, and at the same time began to manifest a strong desire for mental improvement. He now changed his business, and entered the machine shop of Large & Co., then the largest establishment of the kind in Philadelphia. He rose rapidly in the estimation of his employers, who seem to have set a high value upon his services. Although busily engaged during the day in labor at the shop, his evenings were spent in reading and study ; and, being gifted with a wonderfully tenacious memory, he acquired knowledge with great rapidity. Possessing unusual conversational powers, he could impart his knowledge with readiness to others, and was esteemed a prodigy by his friends and acquaintances. He loved the society of the intelligent and good, and wherever he went was sure of a kind reception. On the failure of Large & Co. in business, Samuel was boarding in the family of a fancy chair-maker, and immediately went to work at that business.

He continued thus until, on the death of his parents, the paternal estate was divided among the children, when he devoted all his time in close application to study, living sometimes in the city and sometimes in the country. His acquirements were wonderfully rapid, and his thirst for knowledge insatiable. The day was too short for his researches, and his studies were continued into the hours of the night. He attended medical lectures, and gave special attention to the study of chemistry. The last was his favorite study, and parlor audiences were at times both pleased and instructed by his experiments. With an increase of knowledge came also a desire to be useful. About this time the Colonization Society was fitting out its first colony to Africa. The attention of Robert Ralston, Francis Markoe, and other gentlemen of Philadelphia, was directed to Samuel Crozer as a person well suited to take charge of the enterprise. He engaged in the service with youthful ardor, and sailed from New York in the winter of 1820. He died in Africa on the 6th of April following, on board a little sloop in the mouth of the Shirbro River, only a few weeks after his arrival on the coast.

The interest which the subject of this narrative afterwards felt in the welfare not only of the Colonization Society, but in all efforts for the African race, had its early beginning in the death of this brother, to whom he was tenderly attached.

With this notice of the parents and the brothers and sisters of Mr. Crozer, we shall now dismiss them from our narrative, except so far as some one of them may occasionally appear in connection with some incident of his life.

Chapter IV. Childhood And Youth. 1793 — 1810

MR. CROZER was born, as already stated, on the 13th of January, 1793, at the old mansion in Springfield. This continued to be his home until he reached the twenty-eighth year of his age. The farm contains one hundred and seventy-three acres, and spreads out beautifully to the eye as you approach it from Philadelphia. It was a part of that wide stretch of land on the right of the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad, which rises gently to the foot of the hill on which Swartmore College, a Friends' institution, now stands. The dwelling is located on the upper edge of the farm, and from the portico in the rear may be seen every acre of the estate.

Mr. Crozer's earliest recollection of himself reaches back to the year 1798. He was then a child of five years. He remembered walking in the meadow near the house in company with his father and his cousin John Moore. The remoteness of the date is fixed with certainty by the fact that this cousin died of the yellow fever in the summer of that year. The incident is given as illustrating the clearness of his recollections, since these/ as recorded by himself, furnish much that is interesting in the story of his early life.

The educational advantages of Delaware County, at that time, were very limited. About three-fourths of a mile from the old mansion there may still be seen a little stone school-house. Here, at the age of six, John commenced his studies, walking daily to the school in company with his sisters and his brother James; and here he received all the school education he ever had, except a little over one quarter's instruction, in his fifteenth year, at a school two miles off.

His first teacher, or "master," as he was called in those days, was named Moses Taylor. John had been under his instruction but a short time, when " Master Doane " succeeded to authority in the little school-house. He is described as having been a good teacher in spelling and arithmetic. In reading, his ability consisted in calling the words readily, rather than in emphasis or inflection. He was a thorough disciplinarian, and having drunk deeply into the spirit of Solomon, was an earnest believer in the use of the ferule and the rod. John seems, however, to have escaped correction, there being in his case no need of such gentle persuasion to diligence or good behavior. On the contrary, he was a favorite with his instructor.

Under this teacher John commenced cyphering, and found no little difficulty in comprehending the science of numbers. Long, irregular columns were given him to add up. How to dispose of the tens and hundreds was the problem. He was told to " carry them forward;" but what " carrying forward" meant was just what he did not understand. Master Doane scolded, threatened, did nearly everything but explain, until John was almost in despair. In his own words — "My poor little heart was sorely distressed for days, and I well remember my joy when I came to understand what ( carrying forward' meant." But once understood, the study became delightful; and although fond of play, he often spent the hour at noon in cyphering instead of joining his school-mates in their sport. A consciousness of not being as quick in acquiring knowledge as some of his school-mates spurred him on; and the same ambition to master thoroughly anything he took in hand, which afterwards characterized him in business pursuits, kept him always abreast with his school-mates. The results of his diligence soon began to appear. As his mind developed, his power of acquiring increased, and we find him fond of school and learning fast.

When he was about ten years old, "Master Doane" gave up the reins of government to Mr. Joseph Pardee. He was a man of more education than his predecessor, but in the opinion of his youthful pupil, who had already begun to study men, "he had less ability to impart instruction." Under Master Pardee, in addition to his other studies, he gained some knowledge of surveying; and soon put his knowledge into practice by surveying some of his father's fields, his only instruments being an old compass and a two-pole chain.

After reaching the age of thirteen, John attended school only in the winter, working the rest of the year on the farm. Even in the winter, his studies were accompanied with work in taking care of the stock, cutting and carrying in the wood, and building the morning fires. In comparing the present facilities for education with those of his childhood, Mr. Crozer said, " My teachers knew nothing of English grammar, although they professed to teach something of it ; and the little knowledge of grammar I possess was obtained without a teacher after I was twenty-one. Not one of my teachers, except perhaps Mr. Pardee, would now pass examination as teacher of common schools in Delaware County. It is a matter of satisfaction to me that the education of children is now so much more regarded." But scanty as his early advantages were, they were more than made up by industry and perseverance, and it is probable that, with the aid of the little library at home, he acquired in his youth

28 LIFE CF JOHN P. CBOZER.

as good an education as is usually attained by the youth of the present day.

The community in which Mr. Crozer passed his childhood and youth was not favorable to the development of Christian character. The Friends were the controlling denomination, not only in Springfield, but in the county, and comprised nearly all who made any pretension even to the outward observance of religion. They had few ministers of their own, and " hireling priests" was an epithet which they freely applied to the ministers of all other denominations. Their meeting were generally silent sittings, and of course unattractive to the young. It was the custom of the boys to exchange visits in the afternoon of the Lord's Day, and often to engage in play. John's relations on his father's side were almost all members of a society which, in that day, looked with leniency at least upon this practice — a society so dominant in their influence that it required strong principle and no little courage to differ with them in their views or practices. The youth in the family naturally felt this influence, and John joined his school-mates for a time in the Sunday visiting.

But there was, at the same time, at work in the household an influence of another kind. The mother had been educated under better instruction, and was a woman of decided piety. Like a good Christian mother, she kept a constant watch over the morals of her children. There was an Episcopal service once a month at Chester, and this the mother attended when her health would permit, taking some of her children with her. She also taught her children to respect the Lord's Day and keep it as holy time. One of Mr. Crozer's dearest reminiscences of his mother was her custom of requiring him to read the Bible to her on Sunday when he was a little child, she accompanying the reading with words of comment and counsel. So far as John was concerned, she was successful in instilling into his young mind reverence for the Lord's Day; for in mature years he confessed that when he failed to do something to mark the day as holy time, he felt guilty of sin.

The natural bent of Mr. Crozer's mind in childhood w T as serious ; and as a pupil in school we find him docile, industrious, and obedient. In referring to this period of his life, he remarked that his mind was exercised on the subject of religion from his earliest recollections. His sister, Mrs. Campbell, mentions an incident which took place, illustrative of the effects of his mother's teaching. She says : " I do believe he was in early childhood one of our blessed Lord's chosen little ones. I remember once, when he must have been a very small boy, a fearful storm threw down wit] i great violence several of the large willow

3* trees which stood near our house. In the midst of the family consternation, the dear child standing among us was heard calling on * Our Father which art in heaven/ " But it was not until the age of fourteen that he was thoroughly awakened to the claims of the gospel, and brought to make a full surrender of himself to Christ.

On the farm adjoining his father's lived an estimable family by the name of Pennock. On the death of a daughter in their household — a lovely Christian young woman, who was the intimate friend of Elizabeth, the sister of John — Dr. Staughton came from Philadelphia to preach the funeral sermon. The neighbors and friends assembled at the house of the Pennocks, where the service was held. Under the influence of this and a few following discourses at the same place a number of persons were converted, among whom were John and his sister Sarah.

Little did the excellent Staughton think, as he stood that day under the low ceiling of a farm-house room, looking around him upon the little company of neighbors and friends seated upon chairs and benches, that there sat among the boys a plain but thoughtful lad, not yet fifteen years old, who was to be one of the brightest jewels in the crown of his future rejoicing — one who would hew out a way to opulence and extended usefulness, becoming the benefactor of the poor, the friend of the "feeble-minded," the patron of learning, and the steadfast supporter of religion. Often in after years the full, round tones of this princely preacher rung out upon the ears of the multitude which thronged his ministry in the old round meeting-house in Sansom street; but never, perhaps, were they heard so far as when he spoke in the farm-house kitchen. As he arose, the hopes of future colleges and schools hung trembling on his words; Ethiopia was stretching out her hands to God in the prayer of that simple service; and the silver bells of Burman pagodas hung hushed and tremulous to the songs of praise.

Brethren in the ministry of Jesus, let us take a lesson. Our wayside efforts may prove our best. A sermon in a country town, a friendly talk on the dusty path of travel, a word of counsel in some desolate household of the poor, may yield the crowning blessing of our earthly lives.

In April, 1807, John and his sister Sarah were baptized by Dr. Staughton, in the Schuylkill at the end of Spruce street, and united with the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. The opportunities for public religious instruction at Springfield were poor. Preaching at the Pennocks' was infrequent; a traveling Methodist sometimes occupied the little school-house; but at Marcus Hook, eight miles off, there was stated preaching once a month, which John always attended, and once a month or oftener he attended divine service in Philadelphia; sometimes taking one or both of his sisters, and at others going alone on horseback. The kind Christian mother was always ready to aid her children in getting off to these meetings, and the father interposed no objection.

With this religious change in the character of John, there came an increased desire for mental improvement. He now began to read systematically; and although employed in hard labor upon the farm during the day, he spent his evenings in study. His sisters often joined him in these evening exercises, as

also Miss Mary Collins, afterwards Mrs. K , a

young lady of more than usual cultivation, who was the intimate friend of his sister Elizabeth.

For the next three years John made much progress in improving his mind and storing it with useful knowledge. He was probably too assiduous in these pursuits ; and a weakness of sight, which troubled him in after years, he was accustomed to attribute to protracted study by the dim light of a single homemade candle. He seems to have devoted every vacant hour to reading. "\Ve find him at the plough with a copy of Thomson's Seasons in his pocket, and when his team was resting in the shade he passed the time in the pleasant companionship of his book.

It is evident, from the account that remains of this period of his life, that he felt the want of male companions of kindred intelligence and taste. He found, however, in the household of his friends, the Pennocks, opportunity for useful conversation, and was almost as intimate with them as with the inmates of his own home. To this family, which combined much true gentility with religious worth, John was deeply indebted; and when, just before he became of age, they removed from the neighborhood, he felt the loss of their Christian companionship and sympathy ; but the influence they had exerted was lasting in its effect, and always remembered with gratitude.

C

Chapter V. Life As A Farmer. 1810 — 1820

FOR some years preceding his majority young Crozer ha 1 the entire management of his father's form. His father, under the sufferings of inflammatory rheumatism, had lost all energy and enterprise; and the farm by continued neglect had become comparatively profitless. This was a source of great anxiety to John, especially as his power to prevent it was limited. Only one man was allowed him for the work of a farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres, except for a few weeks in harvest. He was not permitted to carry out his own enterprising notions in the purchase of lime and manure, but he worked hard at almost all kinds of work; and by clearing up hedge-rows and thickets, and putting up new fences, soon gave the old farm an appearance of neatness and thrift, although the lands were as yet but little improved.