Reverend Eli M. Barber of Fenner, New York, came to the Pompey and Manlius Baptist Church and Society as a supply pastor in May, 1883. This limited status may have been at his request because his health was a continuing problem during his long stay in Manlius. The Church, however, made an effort to settle him as a full-time pastor and was successful . On May 20, 1883, at a free conference after preaching, three women, Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Preston and Mrs. Morgan, were appointed a Committee to solicit subscriptions for the purpose of ascertaining how much could be raised for a salary for Rev. E. M. Barber. On September 23, 1883, during a Covenant Meeting and on a motion of Deacon Dewey, seconded by Deacon Dunham, Reverend E. M. Barber of Fenner was unanimously chosen pastor of this Church, date to be commenced about the middle of July last (July 15, 1883.) His salary for the first year was $400.00 and he received four weeks vacation. His pastorate, which lasted over twelve years, was to be one of the longest for a Manlius Baptist Minister.
Reverend E. M. Barber preached in the Manlius Baptist Church regularly from July, 1883 on. The Weekly Recorder’s Manlius correspondent , impressed by the increased activity in the Church, exclaimed with some exaggeration that the Congregation had increased 100 fold.
In 1883 monthly Covenant Meetings were still being held to prepare for Communion on the following Sunday. In addition midweek Prayer Meetings were scheduled. Prayer Meetings were first mentioned in a Church Meeting on November 17, 1821, when the Congregation voted “to have a Prayer Meeting in the future the Thursday before the stated Church Meeting in each month at one of the clock in the afternoon at such place as shall be agreed upon from time to time.” They were later mentioned in our letter to the Onondaga Baptist Association Meeting of September 1875. “Our Prayer Meetings have been instructive and profitable and many more have attended than formerly.” Our letter often mentioned the Prayer Meetings from then on possibly because of the Onondaga Baptist Association’s recommendation that the program for a working Church include:
- Prayer Meetings
- Benevolent contributions
- A Young People’s Society
- A Sunday School
By 1883 the Church was doing very well in all these areas of Christian development.
On Sunday, July 6, 1884, many of the Baptists attended an ice cream social at the home of G. S. Morgan. There was reported to have been present a “large and pleasant gathering.” Besides the ice cream there was another special event planned. Reverend E. M. Barber was presented a “beautiful” silk quilt and sofa pillow by Mrs. Mary A. Woodworth. She presented it to him as “the work of our hands, hoping that when He giveth his beloved sleep only pleasant dreams may come.” Reverend Barber, a bachelor, responded. He felt that he could not appreciate the gift as it ought to be appreciated, that “it needed a woman on his side of the house to understand fully and fittingly to respond to the graceful and beautiful presentation to which you have listened.” As to the lack of a wife to help appreciate the gift, he noted that in his last 20 years on earth (he was 41 years old) he had received a few gentle hints, to say the least, concerning the truth that it is not good for a man to be alone, but never so broad a one as this. He thanked the women sincerely for the gift. He said, “It shall be a reminder of my first year’s pleasant association and work in Manlius.”
On September 6, 1884, Reverend Barber presented his letter from the Cazenovia Baptist Church and was received as a member of the Manlius Baptist Church. In 1884 the Church continued the practice of sponsoring concerts for the enjoyment of the village of Manlius and also for raising money for the expenses of the church. A “grand concert” was scheduled by Mrs. E. F. Lake (who appeared to be directing the Baptist Choir at this time), assisted by Professor T. H. Hinton and other noted musicians of Syracuse and Manlius. Tickets were 25 cents and included refreshments to be served after the concert in the lecture room. The concert received mostly rave reviews in The Weekly Recorder. The reporter did feel that the tenor who sang while suffering from hoarseness didn’t have a very pleasing voice anyway. Another tenor, Mr. Rice, vainly attempted to sing “Let All Obey” but the accompaniment was written in a different key.
Easter Sunday (April 13, 1884) was clear and warm. It was reported that hundreds of Manlius citizens turned out to worship and be seen, “particularly the possessors of fine silks, satins and feathers.” The Weekly Recorder correspondent who couldn’t attend all of the services “assumed that the sermon in the Baptist Church was on the Resurrection of Christ and that Mrs. Lake sang the appropriate parts.”
Memorial Day, a day sacred to the memory of fallen soldiers, was formally observed in the village of Manlius for the first time in 1884. Because of the absence of the band on May 30, the services were postponed until May 31, 1884.
On Saturday, July 5, 1884, in the afternoon the Church held a Covenant Meeting. The Church was still hiring ministers one year at a time and at this meeting invited Reverend Barber to remain as pastor for a second year, at the same salary and with four weeks of vacation. Reverend Barber accepted the call. In the letter to the September, 1884 meeting of the Onondaga Baptist Association, the Church Clerk wrote that “while the car of time has moved us to the station one year nearer the end of the journey, we are favored with a conductor.” The people liked Reverend Barber so much that they prayed for him not to be coveted by any other Church. Their appreciation was evidenced by the fact that “attendance at preaching was greatly improved.”
On July 2, 1885, Reverend Barber baptized five persons in the creek. On the same day it was announced that after two years he would leave his charge at the Church and preach his farewell sermon on July 5, 1885. It was still customary to hire a pastor for one year at a time, and this would be the end of Reverend Barber’s second year in Manlius. The Congregation did not accept Reverend Barber’s resignation, and he bowed to their will and agreed to stay. He was given several weeks leave of absence to enjoy a time of rest with his parents in Fenner, NY. A candidate recommended by Dr. Harvey, Brother D. D. Forward of Bouckville, N. Y., was to supply the pulpit during Reverend Barber’s absence.
Reverend Barber returned to resume preaching on October 18, 1885. It was reported that the Church finances were in good condition, that the outlook was encouraging, and that the time off had renewed Reverend Barber’s health and strength. He was, however, still to preach only once on Sunday to lighten his preaching burden.
He was to be paid his former salary of $400.00 per year.
In the “things never change” category, The Weekly Recorder for Nov. 5, 1885, reported that a tattooing mania among the ladies has broken out in the city of New York. “An effort will be made to prevent the Manlius girls from giving their attention to the custom.”
On Tuesday evening, November 10, 1885, the Church presented to the village another evening of entertainment. Miss Ella Knight of Clyde, New York, presented a literary program. She was reported to be an elocutionist and impersonator of the first rank. The charge was 25 cents.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1885, the Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist Churches held Union Services. This year was the Presbyterians turn to host the services and Reverend E. M. Barber’s turn to deliver the sermon.
At times the Baptists had worked with a Mission Sunday School in Eagle Village. Details are sketchy but during the 1885 Christmas Season the Manlius Baptist and the Eagle Village School children met in the Baptist Church for “exercises of an entertaining character and the distribution of presents from the tree.” Later on Christmas Day (evening) the two schools met for a “Christmas Service and bower.”
The Ladies Aid Society was meeting at least monthly at member’s homes. Mrs. T. A. Moore (again active in the Church) was the president in 1886, and the Society was thought to be “in a prosperous condition.” The Young People met weekly on Sunday evenings before or after the Evening Service. The Baptist Sunday School held an annual picnic in different picnic spots around the area. (Green Lakes was one of the favorite destinations.) In 1886 the picnic was held on “Cozy Island,” a new resort near the southern boundary of the village of Manlius. Cozy Island was described in The Weekly Recorder published August 7, 1890, as “an island encircled by high hills which shut out the rest of the world, and so by its seclusion brings to the mind `Cozy.’ The island, in Limestone Creek, is well dotted in evergreens, with a beech here, a basswood there. Its solitudes are usually unbroken, except by the playing of the waters on all sides as they hasten down the rocky bed of the stream. It was in this charming spot less than one quarter of a mile off one of our main streets that a large number of people (not all children) found recreations and entertainment without expense or labor.”
There is always more to be done in the church besides attending meetings, services and social events. The church and the old parsonage continually needed repairs. On June 5, 1886, it was the church chimney that needed attention. The women of the Church were challenged in a another area of expertise as Mrs. T. A. Moore, Mrs. George Armstrong, and Mrs. Oliver Moulter were appointed a Committee to get the job done. Although it would still be many years before women would be able to vote again and be elected to Church Boards, their talents would be used in the meantime on a number of important appointed Committees. The September 1886 letter to the Onondaga Baptist Association was glowing with its comments concerning Pastor Barber and the progress of the Church “happily reunited and prosperous under our present pastor.” These and similar words were found in all of the Association letters written during Reverend Barber’s twelve plus years as Pastor.
On December 12, 1886, the Baptist Sunday School (assisted by choirs from several Churches) presented a Cantata “Under the Palms” (“The Flower Feast”). The Cantata illustrated the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles after the Captivity. “Everybody (in the audience) seemed delighted with the admirable manner in which the Cantata was produced.” The cost of admission was 20 cents.
Reverend Barber, still a bachelor, was held in high esteem by his Congregation. On New Year’s night, December 31, 1886, five gentlemen from the Church invaded his home and waited for him to return. (He was not living in the parsonage at this time. He had bought himself a home on the corner of North and Pleasant Streets, across from the parsonage.) At precisely 8:00P.M. Rev. Barber arrived to find his visitors. Brother Perkins rose to explain what was happening. He said he was not given to speech making but “we have come to thank you for the good you have done us by your kind words and your example as a clergyman, since you came among us, and in behalf of friends to present you with this slight token of our regard...... we hope you will be blessed with many Happy New Years.” Reverend Barber thanked the givers (representing a total of 35 people). He prized the gift not alone for the money but for their unexpected expression of regard, and for the spirit that promoted it. Later on the next Sabbath morning Reverend Barber was still glowing and spoke of the joy which came to him on the threshold of the New Year, a joy not equaled by any past experience. He hoped all of the names on the list of donors might be found upon the Lamb’s Book of Life, receiving at God’s hands the beautiful gift of eternal life. (The Congregation repeated the gesture on April 13, 1887, with another $25.00 gift.)
On Sunday evening, June 19, 1887, Reverend E. Barber preached a sermon to the Graduating Class of the Manlius High School in the Baptist Church. He spoke on “The Moral Beauty of Character” to a large Congregation. On October 9, 1887, Reverend Barber closed the fourth year of his ministry. He received a unanimous call to continue his labors and accepted.
At the Annual Meeting of the Church on December 12, 1887, the members made a determination to wipe out indebtedness. There was also concern about the possibility of Reverend Barber resigning . There apparently was a misunderstanding and Reverend Barber explained that what he had said was that he had resigned himself to stay another year. His explanation was said to have been “hailed with delight.”
“Christmas,” the writer in the holiday edition of The Weekly Recorder remarked, “of all Holidays, there is none so dear to all hearts as Christmas. It took years for the Christians in the Protestant Churches to warm up to the holiday, but when they did they went all out.” In the 1880s even Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and their reindeer were imported to the festivities. The Baptists joined with the Presbyterians in December of 1887 and “all seemed to be in the merriest of humor.” “The church was crowded to its fullest capacity and a stranger could not distinguish between the `blue’ Presbyterian and the `hard shell’ Baptists, the latter who hadn’t allowed other denominations to commune with them except they have been `down into and under the water.’ ”
In 1887 and earlier the Manlius Church sponsored Young People’s Meetings held at 6:00 on Sunday before the Evening Church Service. January 17, 1888, however, the Church sponsored a meeting of the youth to discuss the possibility of organizing a chapter of the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. The Christian Endeavor movement was sweeping the country and even the world. The Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor was founded in 1881 by Francis E. Clock to promote “earnest Christian Life and to provide training for Christian Service.” Meetings were held weekly for devotions and monthly for “special considerations.” Their simple pledge was, “Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I promise Him I will strive to do whatever He would have me do.” The movement grew rapidly and by 1885 there was an international organization with 3.5 million youth, two-thirds of whom were in the United States and Canada. Christian Endeavor was non-denominational and included groups from most denominations.
In the early spring of 1888 diphtheria, a dreaded and very contagious disease, became a serious threat in Manlius and elsewhere. One method used to prevent the spread of this and other diseases was to quarantine the homes in which the disease was prevalent. In 1888 this included homes in the blocks on either side of the Baptist Church, and the church had to be closed for a time. The Presbyterians, with whom relations were very friendly (sharing Sunday night services, joint C. E. meeting, picnics and Christmas celebrations) offered the Baptists the use of their building for services until the disease abated.
On April 5, 1888, Mrs. O. Moulter and Reverend Barber were chosen a Committee to solicit funds to kalsomine and otherwise renovate the conference room of the church. On July 25, 1888, former pastor Reverend G. H. Brigham (Manlius Baptist Minister from 1856-59) of Cortland, New York, visited the Baptist Chapter of the YPSCE. The Weekly Recorder reported that if the saying “while we’ve youth in our hearts we can never grow old” is true, then in that sense, Reverend Brigham (65) was as young as any one else at the meeting. The group now called in Manlius the Christian Endeavor Society celebrated its first anniversary on February 2, 1889, with a supper at the home of Miss Sarah White. The Society was entertained with music, social games and conversation.
Second only to Christmas as a special time for the “little ones” was Children’s Day. The Weekly Recorder wrote “It is well that the Churches of our land have set apart a special day when the children may be taught in special lessons that Christ lived and died for them as well as their parents.” On Sunday, June 13, 1889, at the Baptist Church in Manlius the Children’s Day exercises took the place of the evening sermon., The stage was beautifully decorated with potted plants embanked in front of the pulpit. On either side cut flowers were arranged on stands. Crowning the pulpit were golden roses “suggestive of Him whose glory excelleth.” The program included prayer by the Pastor, a short message from the Sunday School Superintendent, singing, responsive readings, recitations by the children and a pleasing address by Pastor Barber. It was said that “the exercises of the evening, the sweet flowers, the singing birds and no thought of sorrow made one look beyond from our Sabbath home to the sweet endless Sabbath and wish that all might join in the universal chorus, Alleluia, Salvation, and Glory, and Power unto the Lord our God.(Rev 19:1)”
The people of the Church (and of the village) loved to get together socially in the summer and winter for parties, socials, entertainments and picnics. Hardly a week went by without an announcement in The Weekly Recorder of a social event or gathering of some kind in the Village. Picnicking was naturally a favorite summer event. On Tuesday, August 20, 1889, the Sunday Schools and the Knights Templar (a male benevolent society) enjoyed a picnic together in Green Lakes Park. Just four days later the unusual combination of the Village of Manlius Firemen and the Baptist and Methodist Churches organized an Everybody’s Picnic at Pleasant Beach on Saturday, August 24, 1889. It was announced in The Weekly Recorder that “the Firemen will go, the members of the Baptist and Methodist Sunday Schools will go ” (and the Episcopal Sunday School had been invited). “In fact, everybody who can go is going.” Transportation was by a train leaving at 8:41 A.M. The return left for Manlius at 6:00 P.M. from the picnic grounds.
The church buildings, inside and out, received considerable attention in 1890. The roof was painted on July 28, 1890. On September 19, 1890, the church was reported to have been renovated “inside.” The Ladies Aid Society decided to paper the inside of the church and Miss Sarah White and Mrs. C. W. Brown were sent to Syracuse to select the paper. Mr. Walrath of Fayetteville started papering on October 9, 1890, and promised to have the job completed by Sunday, October 12, 1890.
On October 1, 1890, Elder Eli M. Barber, Now approximately 51 years old, took the advice he had been given so often by friends, relatives and Church members (including Mrs. Woodward), and married Miss Ella Palmer (one of Fayetteville’s best known and popular young ladies.) The ceremony took place in the Palmer Homestead on North Burdick St. in Fayetteville and was conducted by Reverend A. C. Lyon of the Fayetteville Baptist Church. The couple honeymooned in Niagara Falls. The wedding was said to have been a notable event in this town where both the contracting partners were known and highly esteemed by everybody. Reverend Barber had lived in the Parsonage for a time. “Then,” according to Mary Avery Woodworth, “he bought a home where he could look askance at the old parsonage. The first thing he brought to make it look attractive was a Palm. The new species I believe is called a Palmer.” From then on Mrs. Barber became an active member of the Manlius Baptist Church. She worked with the Junior Christian Endeavor, the Women’s Groups and was a regular delegate to Onondaga Baptist Association. On December 6, 1890, Mrs. Barber was received into membership of the Manlius Baptist Church by letter from the Fayetteville Baptist Church.
In the Fall of 1890, the Evangelist Rev. John Fine held a two week Revival Meeting with the Baptist Church. The Meetings closed on November 9, 1890. One tangible result was the baptism on November 16, 1890, of 18 Baptists by Reverend Barber in the Lower Limestone Creek after Sunday school. The Weekly Recorder for November 20, 1890, reported that “the weather had been cloudy up to one-half an hour before the service began but “it cleared off bright and pleasant and remained so for the rest of the day. The water was very clear for this season of the year and everything conspired to render the occasion a very pleasant one. The number baptized was the largest at any one time in many years.”
Just two weeks later, on Sunday afternoon November 30, 1890, also after Sunday School, “quite a number repaired to the Limestone to witness the baptism of a young lady.” This time the weather was different. “ We awoke on Sunday morning to find about 8 inches of snow had fallen during the night. It was a most unusual sight for the ground was covered with snow and the candidate was dressed in white.”
In November 1890 Reverend Barber apparently in good health, started a new series of Tuesday Evening Studies devoted to Bible readings. Prayer Meeting on Thursday evenings continued. Sunday Evening Services were held jointly with the Presbyterians with the ministers alternating their preaching.
In the winter of 1891 a correspondent of The Weekly Recorder castigated the Protestant Churches (Episcopal, Baptist and Presbyterian) for failing to have their churches warm for the morning services. Several parties were said to have left services because of the cold. Conversely, by evening “it is liable to be so hot that the windows are lowered, letting zero air in on the heads of the audiences.” The Weekly Recorder hoped to be able to report better things in the future.
On Sunday evening, January 11, 1891, Reverend Barber gave the right hand of Fellowship to twenty new members at an “impressive and beautiful ceremony.” Afterwards the Lord’s Supper was served.
From time to time different diseases took a heavy toll, especially on the young, the weak and the old people of the community. In 1891 and 1892 the scourge called La Grippe hit the Syracuse area. The Weekly Recorder listed the names of many who were ill and some who had died. At times the churches were reported to be relatively deserted. Reverend Barber, whose health was already somewhat precarious was unable to preach at least two Sundays in January, 1892. It was announced that the Baptists would hold services, conducted by Pastor Barber if he is able, if not, by someone else. Reverend Barber was quoted as saying he had never felt so uncertain of himself after recovering from an illness as at this time.
Another donation meeting for Reverend E. M. Barber was held in Clark Hall on February 20, 1891. $101.06 was raised. Although the weather was anything but favorable, the Hall was so full one could scarcely elbow their way in or out.
The Baptist Chapter of the Christian Endeavor Society was finishing its third year and celebrated at the home of Hiram White on February 13, 1891. The Presbyterian Society was invited as well as all young people interested in joining the Society. The Baptist Society reported growing from 14 charter members to 48 active members and 32 associates. A Junior Society was organized on Sunday, May 3, 1891. Mrs. E. M. Barber, wife of Pastor Barber, was to organize and supervise the new group of 25 charter members between the ages of 6 and 13.
The old parsonage on North and Pleasant Street apparently had been rented for several years and was badly in need of repair. The Trustees were considering a plan of tearing down the old parsonage, building and replacing it with two or three houses to rent. The Trustees changed their minds and on December 17, 1891, were reported to have concluded to build one large double dwelling house for the purpose of renting it. Neither scheme came to fruition and in 1900-1901 a single family parsonage was built on the lot.
The Church in 1892 was having trouble paying bills and sometimes meeting Pastor Barber’s salary was difficult. The Trustees were authorized by the Church to appoint a Finance Committee of Professor Bullis, H. H. Perkins and Will Monk to solve the problem. On June 9, 1892, the Congregation resolved to clean the church and particularly the windows.
In the Fall of 1892, O.W. Moulter, F. Barton, Mrs. Charles Brown, Mrs. Patrick and Mrs. Newman were appointed a Committee to ascertain the possibilities of cushioning the pews. The cost was to be held under $200.00. The Trustees appointed another Committee on December 23, 1892, of O.W. Moulter and G.H. Tripp to look into the situation. They investigated the possibility of shortening the side pews because some people thought the aisles were too narrow. There was no report from the first Committee but the Trustee’s Committee recommended shortening the side pews by one foot. The cost, they said, would not be over $10.00 and having shorter pews meant shorter cushions and that would save about $25.00. The Trustees rejected the report of their own brothers and voted to leave the pews as they were.
The Sunday School sponsored an unusual event to raise money for the Church Cushion Fund. It was a U.S. Apron and Ice Cream Social to be held at the home of James Dean on August 31, 1892. The “flag” feature scheme was to collect aprons from all over the United States that had been made either by women of note or by well-known former residents of Manlius. The aprons were to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The proceeds would be added to the cushion fund.
Reverend Charles Harris and his wife Yettie and children visited Yettie Harris’s family, the Loomises, and friends in Manlius in September and October of 1892. He preached to the joint Presbyterian and Baptist congregations on Sunday evening, September 25, 1892. His subject was India and his sermon was said to have been “entertaining and instructive.” On October 2, 1892, he preached a sermon of “unusual interest and power” on the text “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, giveth I unto you.” This sounded like a valedictory, and it turned out to be just that, as this was very likely Reverend Harris’s last visit to Manlius.
Hiram Smith, a long time Clerk of the Church (February 2, 1883 to August 30, 1873, which included the mysterious fifteen year gap in written Church Minutes) died on Sunday, October 2, 1892, at the age of 92. He was said to have been clear minded, vigorous and industrious to the last. He was a businessman engaged in the boot and shoe business. He was at one time Justice of the Peace and Postmaster of Manlius. In politics he was an “unswerving and loyal” Democrat.
From The Weekly Recorder for October 27, 1892, and November 3, 1892, we get a rare glimpse of how the political scene sometimes affected the life of the Manlius Baptist Church. The Congregation was very resourceful and inventive in finding new subjects for parties or celebrations. Eighteen ninety-two was a national election year and Grover Cleveland (a New York Democrat and former youthful resident of Fayetteville), President William Henry Harrison (an Ohio Republican), and Mr. Bidwell and Mr. Cranfell (No Whiskey, a Prohibition Party,) were running for President. It was advertised as a Campaign Cupper to be served on November 3, 1892. The Bill of Fare (everything on the menu had to start with a capital “C”) included Cutely Carved Cold Cuts, Crinkled Chips, Cucumbers, Cider-Cured, and other Curious Compounds by Competent Cooks. The Compensation was 10 Cents. Of special note were the decorations. The hall was trimmed with red, white and blue festoons. Each political party was represented by a decorated table. The Republican table featured a grandfather’s hat of mammoth proportions (a symbol for William Henry Harrison). The Democratic Table had a crib “of good size” in which was placed a doll signifying “Baby Ruth”.(Baby Ruth was born in 1891 to the Clevelands, a year before Grover Cleveland was elected to his second term. She was beloved by the country and the famous Baby Ruth candy bar was named after her.) The Prohibition Party’s table featured pictures of candidates Bidwell and Cranfell. (The Female Suffrage ticket, Mrs. Victoria Claflen Woodhull Martin and her unnamed running mate, was only recently announced and no pictures were available.) The entertainment was declared to have been “out of sight” (an expression rediscovered by our youth in the 1980- 1990 period, which may have been inspired by the success of U.S. and Russian Space Missions.) The proceeds were approximately $37.00.
As the years of Reverend Barber’s tenure as Pastor increased, it seemed that our relationship with the Presbyterian Church just across the road from us got closer and closer. Union Evening Services were now the standard procedure. On Sunday evening, December 25, 1892, Christmas was observed by a Union Praise Service at the Presbyterian Church. The Monday evening service was of a “more secular character and especially adapted to the juvenile contingent.” H. B. Ransier, a “rapidly rising Manlius pharmacist”, and D. W. Allen prepared for the stage an old-time fireplace with andirons, hanging crane and kettles. The imitation of flame, smoke and steam so impressed the reporter that he proclaimed H. B. Ransier “a worthy rival in coloring and imagination to Reubens, Correggio and Michael Angelo”. Santa Claus came, gifts were presented, and there were recitations and singing. It was “a pleasant occasion long to be remembered.”
The Big Entertainment Event of the Year 1893 for the Baptists was the Washingtonian Banquet. The unusual feature of the Banquet that was brought to the attention of The Weekly Recorder readers was that it was inaugurated and carried out with no help from the ladies. As early as 1893 the women were accused of invading the proper sphere of man. “The masculine element in this instance has retaliated by assuming the duties of a position considered generally as being essentially feminine.” There was a marked contrast between the serious straight-laced life of the Baptist Church depicted in the Church minutes and what happened in the 1893. The Trustees and “others” met at the Depot on February 8, 1893, and decided that the Church would engage in a major fund-raising project to be called the Washingtonian Banquet, which would be held in Clark’s Hall in Manlius, New York, on February 21, 1893. (The Manlius Historical Society has not heard of Clark’s Hall, but it must have been quite larger to have held the crowd of 400-500 people that came to be fed and entertained.) The event was thoroughly organized by the Trustees (the rule was that the men do everything) with Supper, Entertainment, Reception, Decorations, Advertising, and Hall and Peace Committees with over 60 men involved. Pastor Barber was a member of the Reception Committee along with 22 others. All of the information concerning the banquet was professionally printed on a broadside (which has been reprinted in the appendix.) The cost was 10 cents for the entertainment alone. For 25 cents the meal was included. The profit was $65.67 of which $15.00 was spent for dishes for the next dinner. In the broadside which probably also doubled as a program, wry humor was interspersed with facts. For example, Napoleon XX was listed as a dishwasher. Arrangements were made with Doctors Killemquick and Kureawl to secure the comfort of the patrons. Oleomargarine was served mixed (with coloring) and bald headed (as is). Entertainment included music by the St. John’s Glee Club, impersonations and drama.
On Sunday morning, May 25, 1893, the Baptists arrived at the church to find the sanctuary full of smoke. There was no fire. The smoke was blamed on a “disarrangement” of the furnace. The Congregation must have surprised and pleased the Presbyterians when they walked across the street to join them in their morning worship service.
In June of 1983, the church had new carpets installed as well as new cushions for the seats. The church was thoroughly cleaned and, in the opinion of out -of-town artists was one of the prettiest churches in this region. On June 30, 1893, the church was again opened for the usual services. On July 2, 1893, the Church had an new Church Clerk. Isaac Newton Loomis resigned and H. H. Perkins took over his duties.
The Weekly Recorder correspondent for the Village of Manlius did an unusually good job of reporting Church News in 1893. He wrote condensed versions of several of Reverend Barber’s Sunday Sermons. From them we get an idea of the content of his Sermons which were reported to have been widely accepted by the people of Manlius. The synopses of the morning and evening services for July 13, 1893, are reproduced here:
“On Sunday morning, Rev. E. M. Barber preached from Matt. 14:17. His subject was: `The Kingdom of Heaven and the way into it.’ Where there is a Kingdom, there is a King and subjects. Men make a mistake when they think this Kingdom is continued to the other world. The text says `it is at hand.’ The purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was to form this Kingdom or Society, Himself the governing head and center, the members to follow where He points and be obedient to His word. The thought that the Kingdom is confined to the other world, will ruin any soul. The condition of entering is in repentance, or change in one’s mode of doing things. If we have thought sin a trivial thing, we are to change our mind on that, we must submit our views to His. It is humiliating to repent and confess one’s sin before men yet we expect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven when we die. He says, `Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things I say?’ It is one thing to be religious, another to be righteous.
In the evening, Mr. Barber preached in the Presbyterian Church. The theme was 'Summer in the Soul.’ The discourse was full of poetry and beautiful word picturing, comparing the lovely summer time, the sun bringing into life all things, with Christ in the soul making it beautiful, and productive of all good. There are afflictions, troubles, depressing seasons in the Christian life, but like the clouds of summer time they pass over, leaving us in the sunlight of God’s peace.”
One Sunday Evening Service a month, at least in 1893, was devoted to the causes of Mission. On July 30, 1893, Reverend Barber’s topic was the Indians of the United States. The needs of our red brothers and sisters were clearly set forth. Encouraging reports were read of the work already done for their benefit.
In the Late Fall of 1893, the gentlemen of the Baptist Church decided to try to repeat their Washingtonian Banquet’s success with a Marine Dinner. They advertised with a short poem:
Men-ny men of men-ny minds
Men-ny men of men-ny kinds
Men-ny fishes in the sea
Men-ny more for you and me
The Second Annual Banquet given by the men was held in the Baptist Church on November 30, 1893. It was a first-class marine dinner at very low rates. The diners were entertained with a unique and interesting literary programme, a demonstration of the superiority of man, established by proofs extending back to the time of Adam (who was a man). It was all in good humor, of course. The net receipts were about $30.00.
In 1893 one of the Women’s Missionary Groups adopted Mr. Gibbud as a missionary, renamed themselves the Gibbud Mission Band and held a Pound Social for his support. (Everyone was supposed to bring a pound of something useful to send to Mr. Gibbud to aid him in his work.) The group was not unmindful of the poor in their own village and Committees were chosen to look after them on Canal, Smith, and Pleasant Streets. Seneca and Washington Streets had not yet been provided with care takers.
The men of the Church, encouraged by their first two successful Annual Banquets, decided to have a third. It was held on February 20, 1894, this time in the store building west of Phillip’s Flour Mill where two whole floors had been filled up at great expense for this event, described as “a men’s festival, banquet, fair, jubilee, exhibition, exposition, bazaar, social, anniversary celebration, feast, entertainment, show, supper, make-money or unnamable exercises.” The men promised a grand supper and entertainment by a cornet band, a champion accordion player, banjo and guitar players, foreigners who will sing songs in their native languages and Yonan Shabaz, a native of Persia, who will set up a booth where he would show an 800 year old Syrian Bible, photographs and curiosities. The admission for entertainment (the Persian Booth was 10 cents extra) and dinner was 25 cents. The evening was judged to be another great success both socially and financially for the men and the proceeds were about $100.
In the Spring on April 30, 1894, Melancthon Stillwell died at the age of 80 in his old homestead in Eagle Village. He was a graduate of Hamilton College and Principal of the Fayetteville and Baldwinsville Union Schools. “He eventually entered into the study of the ministry but owing to impaired health he was unable to continue the work which he believed he was called to do although he did not relinquish his work for His Master.” He preached to the Church, was a devoted Sunday School Superintendent (the first), and teacher (both in the Manlius Church and in Eagle Village.) He was described as a very estimable man who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
The Tribune Fresh Air Fund was already in place to help send needy city children to the country. A Committee from the Churches of Manlius met on June 5, 1894, to make plans to find homes for the “little ones” who have never seen anything but busy city streets.
While the Church was losing what we call “pillars” of the Church (Hiram Smith, Melancthon Stillwell and others) on October 17, 1894, at a Prayer Meeting, William Nightingale was received into the Church on his experience and was baptized on Sunday, October 21, 1894. Mrs. Nightingale’s membership was transferred from the First Baptist Church of Baldwinsville. This was the beginning of as remarkable and unparalleled record of 67 years of service to his Lord and his Church . He too would become a strong pillar of the Manlius Baptist Church.
In 1895 the Congregation felt the need for extra space for small meetings, dinners and other activities. The addition was apparently also to include a kitchen. There is very little written about this project in the Church meeting notes. However, in the rare instance in the early Church where we have a record of a pastor’s opinion on matters of this kind, Reverend Barber wrote a poem, “Improvements” , which described his feelings and preferences. Reverend Barber was said by local historians to have been a prolific poet whose works were often found in local newspapers. In his poems, both humorous and serious , we gain an insight into the character of Reverend Barber not available in older newspapers or Church Records. “Improvements” (see pages 14-16) let the Church know of his determination to have the new church addition on “God’s green earth and not in some dank, dark cellar.” “Trolleyitus Suburbanmeningitus” demonstrated that Reverend Barber was blessed with a sense of humor. The poem described the controversy over the possible replacement of the trolley car with buses. In a poem entitled “Dedicated to the Manlius Band”, we learn of Reverend Barber’s love of music especially as furnished by the Manlius Band on summer nights. “There is a place where we may go, on every Saturday night to throw our sorrows to the wind and troubles put to flight.” The Trolley Car and the Band poems are reproduced in the appendix.
When he first saw the inside of the church he wrote, “Walls were dark and bare, a dreary place for prayer. He felt a chill there of souls and place.” He did not want to come back again. Fortunately for the Church, he did, and then lived through the floor collapsing. This was apparently the worst thing that happened and from then on things improved. The question in 1895 was whether to build an addition in a remodeled cellar, which was characterized by Reverend Barber as “being dank and gloomy,” or to attach an addition to the east side of the church on the main floor - “on God’s green earth where all things lovely have their birth.” He felt that “it is a task we can assume, let us work with cheer and will and hold our faces to it, till it shall be fully done.” The Congregation listened to Reverend Barber, built the addition on the east side of the church, on God’s green earth. It was not built, however, until 1896, after Reverend Barber left the Church.
Manlius, June 5, 1895 E. M. Barber
Improvements
Room! more room! this is the cause.
Beneath the spur of Nature’s laws,
That brings us here tonight.
A kitchen to the room below!
Where things can come, where things can go
And willing hands, or quick or slow,
Can work with all their might.
2
All are indebted to the past;
We make no change, without we cast
A lingering backward gaze.
Twelve years! since the pastor followed where
They led him to that place of prayer.
The floors & walls were dark & bare;
A dreary place, he thought, for prayer,
Much more for heart-felt-praise.
3
He felt the chill of souls & place,
And did not care his way to trace,
Back to that room again.
But back he went; & through the years!
And through alternate hopes and fears,
Through mingled joys & smiles & tears,
And changes glad, since then.
4
Quite soon, one half the floor fell through:
And one long, silent breath we drew
At what would next occur.
But soon, a carpenter drew near;
New boards & beams our sight did cheer;
His hammer sounded strong & clear;
God bless the carpenter!
5
Then one good woman came & spread
“To ease the pastor’s knees” she said,
“When he should kneel to pray,”
A strip of carpet on the floor.
It eased his mind; it cheered him more.
The thoughtfulness was worth far more
Than any knew that day.
6
Then, on the sides, & overhead,
Good kalsomine & paint were spread,
To meet the earnest calls:
A paper border broad & neat,
Of apple-blossoms fair & sweet,
The lifted eyes with pleasure greet,
Above the tinted walls.
7
This seemed to meet the present need.
Some years went by: & then indeed,
A project new was planned.
A carpet now for every knee.
Covering all the room should be,
And all must instantly agree,
To lend a helping hand.
8
A carpet firm, of woven strands
Torn off & sewed by patient hands,
Was laid upon the floor.
Tis seen to-day; while some who wrought,
And for the fabric planned & thought,
And gladly in the making talked
Are with us now no more.
9
Then. afterward, before we thought,
Some paper for the walls was bought:
And , stranger still to say,
The good old organ walked down stairs,
And the Endeavorers bought new chairs
And the old room seems otherwheres,
Than on that distant day.
10
Thus, one by one, improvements came,
Until the place seems not the same
The pastor saw at first.
Tis now, indeed, a place of prayer:
The Holy Spirit enters there,
Hallowed memories center there,
And Christian friendship sweet & rare,
To quench the soul’s deep thirst.
11
But still, improvement calls us on:
And what, & how, & when be done;
Facts for our common sense:
Would it be wise to build below,
When, as we all must clearly know
We should not just be pleased, although
Twere built at less expense.
12
We’ve room above, on His green earth,
When all things lovely have their birth
Beneath the quickning sun.
Then let us rise & build the room
Beyond the basement damp & gloom:
It is a task we can assume,
And let us work with cheer & will
And hold our faces to it, till
If shall be fully done.
On July 4, 1895, Mrs. Yettie Harris and her oldest daughter Rachel A. Harris were received into full membership by letter from the First Baptist Church of Pasadena, California. Rachel Harris had been baptized by her father on January 7, 1894. At this time, Laura was approximately one year old. (It appears that their son Taylor Loomis Harris stayed in California.)
On September 8, 1895, Reverend Barber, at the relatively youthful age of 56, again tendered his resignation, to be effective on the second Sunday in October, 1895., Our letter to the Onondaga Baptist Association meeting of September 9, 1895, reported that our work still goes on and that our earnest prayer is that the Holy Spirit and our beloved pastor may remain and abide with us.
After receiving the resignation of Reverend Barber, the Congregation met on September 22, 1895, at the close of the morning service to take action. The Congregation apparently was reluctant to accept Reverend Barber’s offer to resign and a Committee of Deacon Dunham, H. E. Ransier (Chairman), H. H. Perkins and G. W. Tripp was appointed to visit Reverend Barber. They reported that if the Church gave Reverend Barber one or one and a half years and if the Church could keep up the regular interest, Reverend Barber would, if his health was restored, return to us if we wanted him. There was no further recorded discussion of the possibility of waiting for Reverend Barber’s health to return. Probably there were too many ifs involved. On Friday evening, Dec. 10, 1895, the Barbers were given a farewell at the home of H. D. White. All were cordially invited to be present.
Reverend and Mrs. Barber sold their home on the corner of North and Pleasant Street to Yettie Harris and moved to Fayetteville. On September 15, 1901, their membership was transferred to the Fayetteville Baptist church. Of Reverend Barber’s years as pastor, Yettie Harris wrote: “For twelve years he faithfully served the Church. It was this long and successful pastorate that put new life into the Church and began an era of better times.”
Mrs. Barber died sometime in the Spring of 1904. On June 30, 1904, after the Covenant Meeting, the following memorial tribute was adopted by the Church:
In Memoriam
“We the members of the Baptist Church in Manlius desire in this informed way to memorialize our beloved sister, Mrs. Ella Palmer Barber, who so recently sought the Savior’s presence, and “entered upon the life of God.” Her sweet spirit was best expressed in the words of the Apostle Paul: “For to me to live is Christ but to abide in the flesh is more needful for our sake.” She lived among us with no thought of self-aggrandizement. She never sought to rule but just fitted so perfectly into all the emergencies and every day conditions of our Church life. ;Her creed, if it had been written out, would have been expressed in four words: to do, to love. In the home of the rich or poor, she was alike welcome. She knew no social boundaries, giving a happy consecrated service to all, hence, every one grieved at her going. In Sunday
School and Christian Endeavor both Senior and Junior, her life touched many other lives in a strong helpful way. In loving grateful hearts her memory will be enshrined. To our beloved brother who in his great loss has received it as from His hand unflinchingly and without a murmur and who has in doing this given us a beautiful example of loyalty. In the dense darkness we extend our sympathy, and pray that the everlasting arms may be felt in full support, until heaven and home are one.”
Mary Avery Woodworth
Reverend Barber, in spite of his ailments, outlived many of his contemporaries. He was an active member of the Fayetteville Baptist Church. He served on Committees, attended Association Meetings as part of the Fayetteville Delegation and supplied the pulpit when needed. Reverend Barber and Reverend J. C. Smith D. D. shared the pulpit from December, 1903 until September, 1904. Reverend Barber preached during the summer of 1907.
In Reverend Barber’s semi-retirement he continued to write poetry and also wrote two books, Home Memories and Margaret Ives. Home Memories was a simple tale of home life on his parents’ farm on Bingley Road just west of Fenner Corners. Pseudo names of local places were used, but many are recognizable to those who know the area. The book was published in 1908 by the Gorham Press, Boston, MA, and was said to have achieved “quite a sale.” A copy is available in the Syracuse Public Library. The forward to the book revealed Reverend Barber’s concerns with the trends of the early 1900s, i.e., congealed wealth (the massing of money by large corporations with monopolistic powers), and congested humanity (the abandonment of the simple country life for crowded city living.) He felt that the youth of the nation were being unconsciously robbed of the old-time values, i.e., honor, integrity, simplicity and contentment. He hoped that his picture of a simple healthful home life might inspire more of the young to remain in the country where “our work was out in the clean grass and clover, under cloudy and sunny skies, with lights and shade playing on the hillsides and in the hollows, and the chattering swallows and bubbling bobolinks coming close to us, and a thousand voices of fresh young life filling the earth yet new with each returning spring.” He asks, “Ye comrades of the woodland, stream, and schoolhouse green and travelled paths of hill and glen, whither have ye fled?”
In his introduction to Home Memories Reverend Barber also wrote enthusiastically about Theodore Roosevelt. He found in the new President, “some light shining in this darkness. The example of our sturdy, courageous, righteous President will be as a star in life’s way to many a youth of this land. He will appeal to the sense of hero worship so strong in the minds of the noble young, and be the recipient of the homage they are so ready to accord the true and the brave. He will be their ideal. He, and those who are like him, waging the warfare against organized greed anywhere in public affairs, will become a most powerful factor in forming their future course in life.... He will be enshrined in the thoughts and affections of the young, as a princely leader safe to follow, and through whom shall come to them a stronger and higher admiration for whatsoever things are true and honest and just and pure and lovely and of good report.”
Reverend Barber interspersed his narrative of Home Memories with poetry. Most was the work of some of the great poets of the day (Bryant, Hesperian, Field, Stowe, Tennyson, etc.), but two long poems written by Reverend Barber were also included. One was untitled, but was published elsewhere as “A November Dandelion.” In the poem Reverend Barber wrote about his feelings as he took a walk through the fields in late fall and came upon a late blooming dandelion which he described as
“A token of His Grace and Power,
From Him who sends the little flower.“
Finding the dandelion reminded Reverend Barber of a similar experience with a beloved brother who died as a young man. Reverend Barber picked the flower, took it home, and sitting by the fire, gave himself to musing. “I lived over again the dead but cherished past, which this little flower had quickened into life.” He saw “the loved ones of enchanted days” and longed for the years to take him back again.
The second of his poems was entitled “An Old Man’s Song,” which may have been somewhat autobiographical. The old man was 87 years old and had “buried all that looked at me when life was in its morning.” He felt that:
“My days of toil and earthly gain
Are now entirely over.
And yet my days of joy go on-
God is the changeless lover.
I go on as in my youth
With golden days before me.
I must be true unto the best
And highest in and o’er me.
Hail and farewell! to you until
The better country reaching
I say `Good Morning’ on a day
That has no night or ending.
And with the fadeless tree of life
In beauty o’er us bending.” (An excerpt from the poem)
Margaret Ives was the story of a young lady, orphaned soon after birth and brought up by Reverend John Ives and his wife Mary in an unnamed northeastern American state. Margaret, influenced by her adoptive father, became a Biblical Scholar, preached sermons, conversed and argued with friends and her future husband on the divinity of Christ. Besides getting a taste of what life was like in the farms and villages of the late 19th Century, the reader gets an excellent indication of what Reverend
Barber’s sermons must have been like when he preached in the Manlius Baptist Church. Margaret Ives was dedicated to Frank Barton, a Deacon of the Manlius Baptist Church, “the righteous man and steadfast friend, a tribute to the beauty of friendship.”
Reverend Barber enjoyed winters in Florida where he often visited friends. While in Florida he wrote two long letters which were published in The Fayetteville Bulletin (December, 1918 and May, 1919). They described the area and people which he visited, and, as a retired preacher, managed to include his thoughts on religion as well. He also wrote of his painful loss of Mrs. Barber. When he reached his friend’s home in San Mateo, Florida, he felt a sense of “getting home.” “Home! Home! you know how the words run, ‘ Be it ever so humble there’s no place like home,’ and no one knows the meaning of ‘home’ till his own home is broken up.” Reverend Barber was said to have enjoyed good health in his later years and an erect carriage as a result of the long walks that he took. He had intended to return to Florida in late 1921 but on November 4, 1921, Reverend Barber, walking west on Genesee Street, just outside of Fayetteville, was struck by a car. While he suffered only cuts and bruises from the accident, it was said that the shock following proved fatal. Reverend Barber died on November 6, 1921. He was eighty years old. In his obituary Reverend Barber was described as a clergyman of the old school, administering strictly to the needs of the Church. He was declared beloved by many in every Church in which he was connected. Services were conducted on Wednesday, November 9, 1921, in the Fayetteville Baptist Church. Reverend R. N. Rand, pastor of the Manlius Baptist Church officiated. The Church was “filled to the doors.” Reverend Eli Barber was buried in the Palmer family plot in the Fayetteville Cemetery next to his wife, Ella Palmer Barber. He was survived by two sisters and a brother, all of Cazenovia.
Introduction to the Band Poem
At times in the early twenties the village of Manlius sponsored or encouraged the formation of a village band which would in the summer months perform on warm summer evenings for the villagers of Manlius. Reverend E. M. Barber was one of the members of their enthusiastic audiences. His poem dedicated to the Manlius Band was published in The Fayetteville Recorder of August 22, 1921.
Dedicated to Manlius Band
By One Who Appreciates the Music
There is a place where we may go, When we want to give a social
On every Saturday night; The truth must be allowed;
To throw our sorrows to the wind,
And troubles put to flight.
It is down on our own Main Street
Where music fills the air;
With autos parked, as thick as flies,
And maidens, young and fair.
Our little town is up-to-date,
With everything at hand;
And we should all be grateful,
To have a Manlius band.
Of course, there’s some to criticize,
It’s natural as can be;
But never mind the sour grapes,
The sweet ones let us see.
We cannot all be Sousas,
We realize it, and yet;
The Manlius Band is good enough,
They play for all they get.
There is a village, beautiful;
With wealth at their command;
But when it comes to music,
They hire our Manlius Band.
When we want to give a social
The truth must be allowed;
We have it on a Saturday night,
The band will draw the crowd.
Then give them our encouragement,
It helps a lot, you bet;
It makes them feel you want them,
And gives the music pep.
So come out to the concerts,
Give them a hearty hand;
For we should be “some lonesome,”
Without the Manlius Band.
For Introduction to the Trolley Car Poem
In the early twenties there was a controversy over whether a bus of the trolley cars should be used for transportation to and from Manlius. Reverend Barber wrote a humorous poem on the subject called Trolleyitis Suburbanmeningitis, which was published in The Fayetteville Recorder for February 11, 1921.
Trolleyitis Suburbanmeningitis
You may talk about you jitney bus,
Whether it be near or far;
In this cold weather, I prefer
To go by trolley car.
Some towns may think a jitney bus,
Puts the trolley out of sight;
But give to Manlius the Suburban,
For we’re a trolleyite.
No doubt Mr. Allen has his faults,
Or he would be crucified;
And so have other folks their faults,
Or long ago they’d died.
So let us hope that by next spring,
When the birds begin to peep;
Those other folks will wake up,
From their Rip Van Winkle sleep.
I’m not to blame for what I write,
It’s the disease of lots I hear;
Called Trolleyitis Suburbanmeningitis.”
But the cure is very near.
The Antidote
The Suburban car,
With plenty of power;
To be given in doses,
Every half hour.
