Rev. Fernando C. Holliday, D. D. [pp. 284-285]

THE LADIE$S REPOSITORr.
he must be allowed to imitate the example of
President. Grant on similar occasions, and say
simply with all his heart, " I thank you." He
subsequently examined with pleasure the valua ble present of photographic scenes, as will his
many friends in thle United States, who may
have the opportunity of looking it over.
Singing the hymn in Chinese and Englislh,
"Forever with the Lord," a prayer in English
by the Bishop, and a prayer in Chinese by one
of the native ministers, constituted the prayer meeting for tliat evening.
.
REV. F. C. HOLLIDAY, D. D.
NE of the most popular and one of the
most valuable features of the Repository
has been the frequent introduction of living
men to its readers. Naturally we desir e to read
of those whose writings we admire, and we
specially desire to see the faces of those who
are honoring themselves and the Church. The
late General Conference did a wise thing in
allowing the pages of our Queen of Monthlies
to contain more pictu;es, for through the eye
the mind and heart are most frequently reached.
'If "one good turn deserves another," the subject of this sketch should be seen by the
readers of the Repository, for lhe has done
them frequent good service in giving them the
pictures and the history of such men as Governor Wright, Dr. Wood, Father Havens, and
others. While it is pleasant to know that after
we are dead a great many good things will be
said of us, and our faults be hidden, it must
also be pleasant to know what is now thought
of us. Encomiums after death will not do the
departed much good, and censures will affect
himn as little. If a man's life is such as to
entitle him to an honorable place in society, that
life should be held up before the young as an
example worthy of their imitation. We are not
sure that the history of General Grant alive
has not more influence on the young than that
of General Washington dead. Living examples
are what we need; living lessons make the
best impression, and to the living let us briefly
loo-in this paper. We believe that the readers
of these pages will thank us for even an imperfect sketch of one whose early and later life has
been given to the work of the ministry, and
whose entire abilities have been given to the
building up in the West of an earnest, living
Methodism.
Fernando Cortez Holliday was born in Essex
county, New York, November 30, 1814, and came
to Indiana with his parents in I8i6, where he has
lived and labored almost ever since. He embraced religion during an-extensive revival on
the old Lawrenceburg circuit, under the labors
of Revs. N. B. Griffith and Enoch G. Wood,
March, I829; was licensed to exhort by Rev.
Joseph Oglesby, August I I, I832, and was
licensed to preach by Rev. James Havens, of
precious memory, August 26, i833. He entered
the itinerancy in the old Indiana Conference in
I834, and was appointed to Wayne circuit with
Rev. Charles Bonner. Young Holliday spent
his first night in the itinerancy In the house of
the writer's father, and we have heard from the
lips of those who entertained him then that the
boy preacher gave no unusual signs of coming
greatness or eminence. This proves that permantient growth is slow, and its beginnings are
not always most promising. But young and
inexperienced as the boy itinerant was, there
was a will power within him that urged him on
in the performance of every duty, and that
carried him steadily along in a career of labor
and triumph. Thle young preacher was popular
on his first circuits, but probably not so much
for his powers of exhortation as for his genial
social qualities and faithful attention to all the
points of the Discipline. Indeed, his reputation as a minister depends as much on his carefulness and faithfulness as on his pulpit powers.
He was ordained deacon by Bishop Roberts
in i836, and elder by Bishop Soule in 1838.
He has traveled three circuits, filled ten of the
most important stations in Indiana, including
one year at St. Louis, Missouri. He has been
presiding elder fourteen years, and now has
charge of the strongtt Methodist Church ill
Indianapolis, and is exceedingly popular where
he has been living for probably fifteen.years.
Although Dr. Holliday had l)but few educational
advantages in early life, he improved what he
had, and having laid down a course of stud(ly,
he steadily pursued it until he became in many
respects an excellent scholar. Being self-taught,
he can not be judged by the standard of the
schools, yet hle will pass a scholar in almost any
circle. What he lacks in the precision of a
school-teacher he makes up in the scope of his
education. In i849 M'Kendree College, Illinois, did herself the honor to confer upon him
the honorary degree of Master of Arts, and in
I859 he received the title of Doctor of Divinity
from Alleghany College, Pennsylvania. Both
of these honors were well conferred, and their
recipient has shown that they have been appreciated and were not unworthily given. Dr.
Holliday has some acquaintance with Latin
and Greek, and can read the Hebrew Bible.
He is not unknown to the reading public, for
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