Personal Recollections of Pardee Butler | Page 6

but they questioned him
and learned the facts. As his health improved he occasionally preached
for them.
Eld. N. A. McConnell gives the following account of his preaching in
Iowa:
"I first met him at his temporary home in Posten's Grove, in the fall of
1850. During that winter he taught a school in Dewitt, Clinton Co., and
preached occasionally at Long Grove. The next spring he attended a
co-operation meeting at Walnut Grove, Jones Co., at which he was
employed to labor with me in what was called District No. 2. His
district included the counties of Scott, Clinton, Jackson, Jones, Cedar,
Johnson, a part of Muscatine, Linn and Benton, and west to the
Missouri river. He preached at LeClaire, Long Grove, Allen's Grove,
Simpson's, Big Rock, Green's School-house, Walnut Grove, Marion,
Dry Creek, Pleasant Grove, Burlison's, Maquoketa and Posten's Grove,
as well as at numerous school-houses scattered over a large district of
the country. He did excellent work in preaching the word. He was not a
revivalist, nor was his co-laborer, yet there were a goodly number
added to the Lord during the year. I think not less than one hundred.
The next year, 1852, the annual meeting of the co-operation was held at
Dewitt, Clinton Co. At that meeting the district was divided into East
and West No. 2. Your father was assigned to the eastern division and I
took the western. His field included Davenport, Long Grove and
Allen's Grove, in Scott Co.; Maquoketa and Burlison's in Jackson Co.,
and Dewitt in Clinton Co. He labored also in Cedar Co., and did a
grand work, not so much in the numbers added as in the sowing the
good seed of the Kingdom, and recommending our plea to the more
intelligent and better informed of the various communities where he
labored. You will remember that he held in mind nearly the entire New

Testament, so that he could quote it most accurately. I think he had also
the clearest and most minute details of the Old Testament history, of
any man I ever knew. Nor was his reading and recollection limited to
Bible details; for he was very familiar With other history, both sacred
and profane.
"I call to mind two sermons that he delivered. One was based on the
language of Christ addressed to the Woman of Samaria, at Jacob's
well--John iv.: 'Ye worship ye know not what. We know what we
worship; for salvation is of the Jews.' In this sermon he detailed the
history of Israel to the revolt under Jereboam, the history of Jereboam
and his successors until the overthrow of the ten tribes, and the
formation of the mongrel nation called Samaritans. In this he showed
that God's promise--Ex. xx., 'In all places where I record my name, I
will meet with you and bless you,' was fully realized by the people of
God, and that a disregard of the law in harmony with this promise was
followed by most disastrous results. And that the same is true under the
Gospel--where his name is recorded, and only there, he now meets and
blesses his people.
"The second sermon was on the subject of Justification by faith.' This
was doubtless one of the very best efforts of his life. I will not trouble
you with the details of this grand effort, since it was published in full in
the Evangelist in 1852. The sermon was published, not by his request,
but by the unanimous voice of the State Meeting held in Davenport that
year.
"I am sorry that I can not give more of the details of his grand work in
Iowa."
The winter of 1851-2 was very cold, but father did not stop for bad
weather. I remember that when he started to his appointment one cold
morning mother cried for fear he would freeze to death. The
mail-carrier did freeze to death that day, but father kept from freezing
by walking. The next summer was very rainy, and mother was always
anxious when there were high waters, for there were no bridges, and
father always swam his horse across streams, although he could not
swim a stroke.

Then he preached for several years in Illinois, and was gone for months
at a time.
In July, 1854, my little sister--for by that time I had another brother and
sister--after a brief illness, closed her eyes in death. Fortunately father
was at home, to mingle his tears with mother's, over the little coffin.
The next spring father sold his Iowa farm.
Before leaving there an incident occurred that I distinctly remember.
The Iowa Legislature had passed some kind of temperance law, and the
people were to vote on it at the spring election. Our country lyceum
formed itself into a mock court, and tried King