A hater of oppression from his boyhood, flee-
ing from his Scotch home for greater personal
liberty, he quickly realized he must take initia-
tive with a government supinely indifferent to
the pioneers on the frontier. What Mr. Elder
was as Captain of the Paxton Kangers and later
as colonel under the Provincial government his-
tory tells us ; what a bulwark of strength he must
have been to the terrified families in this broad
valley during the bloody years from 1755 to 1763,
we can but imagine.
That he was regarded as the saviour of Paxton
Township we learn from an old chronicler : "At
that eventful time (the French and Indian
Wars) he collected around him the aged, the
women fled to him for succor. Here by day and
night, under the wide canopy of heaven, he
poured forth his eloquent aspirations for the
safety of his congregational charge. To attack
him was not even attempted by the hostile and
merciless savages.''
It is undoubtedly true, but, for the conspicuous
bravery and recognized military ability of our
fighting parson nearly all the terrorized inhabit-
ants would have fled the frontier. We also find
him trying to persuade the Conestoga Indians to
abandon their treacherous allies, and, earlier, on
the first two days of April, 1757, he heads the five
or six men who meet at the home of John Harris
71
to confer with various tribes of Indians and their
agent, George Croghan.
Modernly speaking Mr. Elder was "an all
round man." Deeply religious, with an almost
over sensitized reading of honor, he was besides
an acute man of affairs, of brilliant mind and
strong personality. Repeatedly we see him play-
ing what his descendants would call "good poli-
tics." To him was due the retaining of a garri-
son in Fort Hunter; and in the letter he writes
in 1757 to Richard Peters, Secretary of Coun-
cil, to remonstrate against abandoning the fort,
we see one of his shrewd touches. "It is well
known" he writes, "that Representatives from
back Inhabitants have but little weight with the
Gentlemen in Power, they looking on us either
as uncapable of forming just notions of things or
as biased by Selfish views ; however, I'm satisfied
that you Sir, have more favorable conception of
us." And the secretary, thus flattered, saw to
it that the fort was held.
There is the same suave handling of the au-
thorities to gain his end, in a letter he writes
recommending Mr. William Bell of his congrega-
tion to a captaincy during the Revolutionary
War. He ends with, "I think that we can in a
short time engage a number of stout young men,
farmers' sons, well affected to the American
cause, and who may be expected to serve from
principle and a due regard to liberty, hut who
will not enlist under officers they are unac-
quainted with/'
He can be uncompromising enough when
72
wrongs are to be righted. Repeatedly he remon-
strates with the Governor and high officials.
There is a very modern touch in another letter
sent to Richard Peters in 1755: "There are
within these few weeks upward of forty of his
majesty^s subjects massacred on the frontiers of
this and Cumberland County, besides a great
many carried into captivity, and yet nothing but
unseasonable debates between the two parties of
our legislature, instead of uniting on some prob-
able scheme for the protection of the province."
Page 25
Presented as published in 1913. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A hater of oppression from his boyhood, fleeing from his Scotch home for greater personal liberty, he quickly realized he must take initiative with a government supinely indifferent to the pioneers on the frontier. What Mr. Elder was as Captain of the Paxton Kangers and later as colonel under the Provincial government history tells us ; what a bulwark of strength he must have been to the terrified families in this broad valley during the bloody years from 1755 to 1763, we can but imagine.
That he was regarded as the saviour of Paxton Township we learn from an old chronicler : "At that eventful time (the French and Indian Wars) he collected around him the aged, the women fled to him for succor. Here by day and night, under the wide canopy of heaven, he poured forth his eloquent aspirations for the safety of his congregational charge. To attack him was not even attempted by the hostile and merciless savages.''
It is undoubtedly true, but, for the conspicuous bravery and recognized military ability of our fighting parson nearly all the terrorized inhabitants would have fled the frontier. We also find him trying to persuade the Conestoga Indians to abandon their treacherous allies, and, earlier, on the first two days of April, 1757, he heads the five or six men who meet at the home of John Harris
to confer with various tribes of Indians and their agent, George Croghan.
Modernly speaking Mr. Elder was "an all round man." Deeply religious, with an almost over sensitized reading of honor, he was besides an acute man of affairs, of brilliant mind and strong personality. Repeatedly we see him playing what his descendants would call "good politics." To him was due the retaining of a garrison in Fort Hunter; and in the letter he writes in 1757 to Richard Peters, Secretary of Council, to remonstrate against abandoning the fort, we see one of his shrewd touches. "It is well known" he writes, "that Representatives from back Inhabitants have but little weight with the Gentlemen in Power, they looking on us either as incapable of forming just notions of things or as biased by Selfish views ; however, I'm satisfied that you Sir, have more favorable conception of us." And the secretary, thus flattered, saw to it that the fort was held.
There is the same suave handling of the authorities to gain his end, in a letter he writes recommending Mr. William Bell of his congregation to a captaincy during the Revolutionary War. He ends with, "I think that we can in a short time engage a number of stout young men, farmers' sons, well affected to the American cause, and who may be expected to serve from principle and a due regard to liberty, but who will not enlist under officers they are unacquainted with/'
He can be uncompromising enough when
wrongs are to be righted. Repeatedly he remonstrates with the Governor and high officials. There is a very modern touch in another letter sent to Richard Peters in 1755: "There are within these few weeks upward of forty of his majesty's subjects massacred on the frontiers of this and Cumberland County, besides a great many carried into captivity, and yet nothing but unseasonable debates between the two parties of our legislature, instead of uniting on some probable scheme for the protection of the province."