A Disciples preacher & a Methodist preacher collide

These are the tombstones in Keokuk's Oakland Cemetery of the Rev. Nathan Edward Cory, one of the stars in the panoply of Iowa's pioneer Disciples of Christ preachers. Arriving in the state ca. 1851 from Indiana, he preached nonstop --- with time out to travel, write and lecture --- until his death on the 19th of October 1917 at the I.O.O.F. Home in Mason City, age 80. (Find a Grave photos by Carl Nollen)

Much of his early preaching was done in the south of Iowa and from the late 1860s until roughly 1875 he served the Christian Church in Chariton as part of a charge that included Osceola, where he and his family lived, and at times Last Chance.

It was here that he encountered the Rev. Israel Mershon, assigned to the Newbern circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Rev. Mr. Mershon was some 25 years senior to the Rev. Mr. Cory, then in his 30s. While no one doubted Mershon's orthodoxy or work ethic, he had a history of difficulty relating to parishioners and by 1873, the Newbern faithful were in disarray.

In the spring of that year, Mershon challenged Cory to a mid-summer debate on the topic of baptism, something Methodists and Disciples could squabble about if they cared to do so since the former sprinkled and the latter dunked.

The Rev. Mr. Cory wasn't interested and rebuked his fellow clergyman rather harshly, a rebuke reported upon as follows in The Chariton Patriot of April 30, 1873, under the headline, "Challenge."

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Rev. Mr. Mershon, of the Newbern circuit, recently sent a challenge to Rev. N.E. Cory, pastor of the Christian churches at Chariton and Osceola, to debate "Baptism." In order to have a warm time, Mr. M. suggested July 7th as a good time to commence the discussion.

Mr. C. replied by quoting the words of Nehemiah: "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?"

The Elder further writes in substance that the church and cause of Christianity are cold and dead at Newbern and that Brother M. could do more good to try and build up a church of his own faith than endeavor to pull down the doctrines of other churches.

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The Rev. Mr. Cory's star continued to rise after that, but the Rev. Mr. Mershon left the ministry --- temporarily. He got himself elected Marion County superintendent of schools in 1874, then proceeded to annoy his constituents so badly they declined to re-elect him.

After that, he moved to Des Moines, continued to accept preaching assignments and eventually died during March of 1888 at the age of 76. He and his wife are buried in Woodland Cemetery.

An acquaintance characterized the Rev. Mr. Mershon this way: "He was an industrious man, anxious to be useful, but did not understand the demands of human nature, nor could he adapt himself to those demands so as to render himself as popular with the people he served as his undoubted piety and admitted talents would lead one to expect. Hence he did not succeed in the ministry to the extent that was sufficient to warrant his long continuance in the work."

Ouch.