TUESDAY, November 7.  They dine at William Hevner’s in Brock’s Gap, and reach home in the evening.

The editor is making these transcripts from the Diary January 26, 1899; just a little over fifty years after the entries were made.  He was then a young man; and the current of life’s forces, like a mighty river, has borne him on its bosom over a large part of the territory—­especially in the two Virginias—­traveled over and preached over and prayed over by our long since sainted brother, Elder John Kline.  He lived to see good results from his labors, but they were not strikingly conspicuous.  As the Diary shows, now and then a brother, a sister, applies for, and receives baptism at his hands.  But we must not overlook the truth that he was breaking the ice of indifference to all the claims of religion in the minds and hearts of these people.  He was the very first minister in the Brotherhood to begin and carry on what may be called an aggressive effort to spread a knowledge of gospel truth through the present counties of Pendleton, Hardy, Grant, Hampshire, Mineral, Randolph and Pocahontas in what is now West Virginia.  Other active and able ministers of that day, a few of whom I will here name, all living in the Shenandoah Valley, would cheerfully go with him; but he led the way.  Those whose names I will give were Benjamin Bowman, Daniel Miller, Abraham Flory, Isaac Long, father of the very excellent and able preacher Isaac Long, Jr., Martain Miller, brother of Daniel; John Harshbarger, and a little later on Jacob Wine and Christian Wine.  These are all gone to the heavenly shore, to live in the paradise of God.  But their works do follow them.  They follow them, and will follow them to the end of time, in the form of new houses of worship erected by a largely increased and increasing membership; by an increase of enlightened piety, as exemplified in its possessors by their nonconformity to the world and their attendance upon the ordinances of God’s house.  Here, however, we see only the beginning of the good fruits from their sowings.  The records of the book of life; the palms; the white robes and crowns; the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb will better tell than we ever can here the exceeding preciousness and excellence of their works.

THURSDAY, December 7.  Perform the marriage ceremony of Benjamin Wampler and Anna Driver at Mother Wampler’s; also the marriage ceremony of Eli Summers and Sophia Frank.

SUNDAY, December 24.  Get word of the death of Uncle Frederic Kline.  Go up to his place.

MONDAY, December 25.  Uncle Frederic is buried to-day.  Age, seventy-five years, ten months and fourteen days.  Stay all night at Christian Garber’s.

THURSDAY, December 28.  Perform the marriage ceremony of Michael B.E.  Kline and Elizabeth Rhodes.