Anthony Showalter, father of John A. Showalter, and grandfather of Anthony J. Showalter, both favorably known as composers and teachers of music,—­raised a numerous family of noble boys and girls in the same section, nearly, if not quite all of them, members of the Brethren church.

All of the above-named brethren were personal friends of Brother Kline, who often visited them at their homes.

David Haller, whose name is often seen in the Diary, was another intimate friend of Brother Kline.  He held membership in the church many years, and assisted in building the Brush meetinghouse.  From what has been said of the Brush, it appears to have been favorable to the reproduction of the race, both numerically and substantially.  Brother David Haller had born unto him from a first and second marriage twenty-two children, nearly all of whom grew up to manhood or womanhood.  The question was once asked:  “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” History forever answers, yes!  Truth echoes the same answer to the same question, applied to the Brush.

SUNDAY, June 4.  Meeting at the Flat Rock.  Mary Pope is baptized.

SUNDAY, June 25.  Meeting at the Powder Spring.  Peter Beacher is baptized.  We dine at Abraham Funkhouser’s and stay all night at Abraham Swartz’s.

THURSDAY, June 29.  Attend a very sad funeral to-day.  Brother John Zigler’s child was drowned, and quite dead when discovered.  It was one year, seven months and twenty-eight days old.  The death of a child is always distressing; but when death comes by accident, it is much more so.  Brother John Zigler lives in Timberville, Rockingham County, Virginia.

MONDAY, July 10.  Dine at Sister Judy Deitrick’s.  Call on Dr. Biggs, whose headquarters are at John Higgins’s.  He is a straight up and down Thompsonian doctor.  He seems to fear no opposition.  He says that such plain, common-sense principles as underlie Thompson’s System of medical practice must stand the test of time, and eventually win the day.  He says that Dr. Thompson was the first to formulate the Axiom:  “Remove the cause, and the effect will cease.”  Disease is removed from the body by expelling the cause.  Nature, when the cause of disease is removed, will of herself, restore health to the body.  Reduce the strength of the patient, and you reduce the patient’s power to get well.  Do bleeding, blistering, starving and drastic purges strengthen the vital forces, or add power to the recuperative system?  No!  All these tend to reduce the restorative forces by weakening the alimentary, respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems of the body; the only powers upon which the physician may rely, and to which he dare look for the restoration of the sick to health.  Such are the convictions which the doctor expressed to me in the brief interview I had with him to-day.  Stay all night at Joseph Miller’s.

SATURDAY, July 15.  Brother Daniel Miller and I go to Brock’s Gap, dine at George Moyers’s, and stay all night at Celestine Whitmore’s.