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Show A PPEACHERS ONE HUNDREDTH HUN-DREDTH BIRTH JAY. Smiling faces and frequent glances toward Die door by the 'nro company a-sembled in 'innity M. lv church, Jersey city, yesterday morning, indicated indi-cated that tome happy event w s to bn celebratul. The programme indicated indi-cated that it w.t- L. . i r.t-nnlal birthday birth-day of the Kev, Fun-r lh-nry Boehm of the Newaik comIcrihv. At half p.iot 10 the vemTii 'hi Litest entered the church edifice I. . minimi the arm of his son-in-law, Mr. S. S. Kmley. and proceedeil with tottering steps up the centre uiIe to the pulpit, where he was receive-.! by the chairman, the Rev. K. V;iu Home. The exorcists began with singing and prayer by the Rev. Bartliolomo'.v Weed. After another hymn. Father Boehm arose, iind with his long while hair streaming stream-ing oyer his shoulders, and his time-scarred time-scarred faco nglow with smile, said: "I rejoice to meet you, my brethren breth-ren in the Lord, and that I am permitted per-mitted to seo tho wonderful progress of the Gospel of Christ in tbo land. There was no town hero in 1800, when I pissed through. There were no bouses but the ferry houso, 1 think. Blessed be God for his wonderful wonder-ful work throughout tho laud. I cannot say much, but I commit the rest to my 'venerable' brother Atkinson." Atkin-son." The Rev. John Atkinson, on rising to deliver the sketch of the life of tho venerable patriarch, said that this being a festive occasion, Boehm was inclined to bo festive also. Father Boehm was born in Lancaster county, Pa., June 8th, 1775. Tho noiso of the battles of Concord and Lexington had scarcely died away when he drew his first breath. He haa lived under the administration of all the presi-1 dents, and cast his first vote for John Adams in 179G. He distinctly remembers remem-bers the time when steamboats were unknown. In 1809, when he first came to New York, tho city extended only to Canal utreet; Brooklyn was a small town; Cincinnati was just sprouting, and Chicago was yet to bo. He was born nine years before the introduction of Methodism in New York, and nine years before the organization organ-ization of the Methodist Episcopal church and election of the first bish-opB, bish-opB, Coke and Asbury. When he began to preach there were only nineteen travelling preachers. He joined the church at the age of twenty-two, twenty-two, and was licensed to preach Jan. 6, 1800. Tho address then related the progress of the church, bis companionship com-panionship with Bishop Asbury from 1808 to 1818, and accounts of his travels. He knew the south when there was but only Methodism m America. He remembered when in 1S4-4 it was rent asunder, and as he stood there ho prayed to God that Methodism north and south might become one again. The Iicv. Dr. Porter then greeted Father Boehm, and presented him with a purse containing S00 Letters were read from several bishops; and the exercises concluded with touching and eloquent tributes to the venerable guest, by the Rev. Prof. Henry A. Butlz, the Rev. Jacob Todd, the Kev, G. L. Taylor, and the Rev. David W. Bartine. The chairman said that Father Boehm was in too feeble health to shake hands with all, but there was one present he did wish to greet, and that was Mrs. Jesse Grant, the mother of Gen. Grant, who journeyed jour-neyed from Washington especially for this occasion. Father Boehm pronounced the benediction, and the audience dispersed. dis-persed. A reception was held by Fatuer Boehm in the evening. New York Sun, 8th. |
