Thursday, August 12. This day Brother Kline moved back home. He says: Anna much improved in health. The season at the Springs has been quite pleasant, with the exception of atmospheric dampness from the abundance of rain we had while there.
Monday, August 23. This day Brother Kline started on another journey to Pennsylvania. It may be irksome to the general reader to follow his daily steps from this date to the thirteenth of September, the day on which he returned home, so I will only name the families he visited or stayed with all night, in the order given in the Diary. His habit on this was the same as on other journeys of like motive; he preached as he went, and never failed holding family worship where he stayed all night, when well enough to do so. Few of those that were fathers and mothers then are living now; but their children and grandchildren may be living, to whom these reminiscences will, doubtless, be pleasant. Reflections like these instinctively impress us with a consciousness of time's rapid flight; and make us, who were young then, realize, with more or less acuteness of perception, the impressive truth that we, too, are growing old. To such of my readers as find no pleasure or profit in things of this kind I gently say: Pass over it as you would an advertisement in which you feel no interest, in a newspaper you may be perusing: Daniel Fahrney's; John Shank's, near Greencastle; William Etter's; Allen Mohler's; John Sollenberger's; George Copp's; Dr. Fahnestock's, in Middletown, Pennsylvania; Abraham Gipe's, near Lebanon; Jacob Gipe's; Abraham Balsbaugh's; Peter Miller's, this side Harrisburg; George Deardorf's; Daniel Longenacre's; Widow Bowman's, near Middletown, Maryland; John Garber's, Jr.; John Garber's, Sr.; Jacob Rupp's; Nathaniel Bondsack's; Jacob Saylor's; William Deahl's; David Reinhardt's; Sherk's, near Sharpsburg; Fahnestock's, near Winchester, Virginia; George Shaver's, in Shenandoah County, Virginia.
Some may say: This reads like a bill of goods with the prices omitted. But think a little, my friend. Let us suppose that business would compel you to mount the back of a horse away off in Rockingham County, Virginia, and travel day after day, until you had completed the round of visiting every family above named; and in addition to this attend a meeting of some kind every day or two, and yet be compelled to do all this in the short space of twenty-one days; would you not think it a task worthy of mention? Now Brother Kline did all this, but not on the score of any business interest whatever. Instead of seeking any worldly gain by it, the direct opposite was the truth, for he came home with less money in his pocket than he started with. It was just what he expected and felt assured would be the case. But he went. And what induced him to go? The love of Christ constrained him. The love of doing good to others by pointing out the way of salvation to them. Have I, have you, such love?
Between the last date given and the twenty-first of October Brother Kline attended a love feast at Beaver Creek, Virginia; one on Lost River; and one at Flat Rock. Besides these, he attended the regular Sunday meetings, council meetings, and visited, medically, a considerable number of patients. He reports much rain in October, and several times his life was endangered crossing high waters.
Friday, October 22. On this day he started on a journey across the mountains of western Virginia. He followed a line of love feasts and other meetings through the counties of Hampshire, Virginia; Garret, Maryland; Preston and Monongalia, Virginia, to Dunkard Creek in Pennsylvania, not far this side of Wheeling. He returned over nearly the same route by which he went, filling appointments he left on his way out. He reports, on this journey, 371 miles traveled on horseback, over some rugged mountains and bad roads much of the way. He arrived home November 4, after an absence of two weeks.
Tuesday, November 30. Attend the burial of old Mother Horn. Age, ninety years, two months and two days.
Sunday, December 5. Attend the burial of old Mother Conrad. Age, eighty-five years and nine months.
Wednesday, December 15. Louis and Samuel Kline, of Pennsylvania, visit us. I take them around to see their and my kindred.
Tuesday, December 21. Perform the marriage ceremony of Samuel Hinegartner and Catharine Ralls, at Christian Crider's.
Friday, December 31. Meeting of general council in our meetinghouse. In the year that is now about to close I have traveled 3,424 miles, nearly all on horseback. The work of another year is done; and the record has passed into eternity. As clay, once formed by the hand of the potter and burnt in a kiln can never be reduced to clay again and worked over into other forms, so our deeds in life, once done, are done forever. A vase may be broken, it is true, but the fragments are apt to reveal the form of the vessel from which they came. So the hand of jealousy, of envy, of persecution even, may shatter the results of our best efforts here; but God will gather up the pieces and be able to tell by their appearance and quality that they belonged to a vessel of honor in his sight. Seeds sometimes lie a long time in the ground before they grow and make a blade; so it may be with much of the good seed that I and others of our beloved Brotherhood have sown this year. Backward springs and other unfavorable states of weather during the early part of the growing season are sometimes followed by rich harvests. We do not know what the future may bring forth, but we do know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. In him I trust.