wfn.org | At the roots of Methodism: A little-known side of John Wesley

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Jan. 21, 1999       Contact: Tim Tanton*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{033}

NOTE: This is a regular feature on Methodist history by John Singleton
prepared especially for distribution by United Methodist News Service.

By John Singleton*

The role of John Wesley as a would-be entrepreneur is not one that readily
springs to mind when you contemplate the life of the founder of Methodism.

And yet here was a man with an inquiring mind; someone with an interest in
natural phenomena and a fascination with man-made inventions.

While on his extensive preaching travels by horseback, he would invariably
make a detour to view something he had heard about -- possibly a strange
rock formation or the scene of a minor earthquake.

In January 1761, for example, his enthusiasm knew no bounds as he relayed in
his journal an account of a huge water-spout that he saw while in Cornwall.

"A round pillar, narrowest at bottom, of a whitish color, rose out of the
sea near Mousehole and reached the clouds," he wrote. "One who was riding
over the strand from Marazion to Penzance saw it stand for a short space and
then move swiftly toward her, till, the skirt of it touching her, the horse
threw her and ran away. It had a strong sulphurous smell. It dragged with it
abundance of sand and pebbles from the shore, and then went over the land,
carrying with it corn, furze, or whatever it found in its way. It was
doubtless a kind of water-spout; but a water-spout on land, I believe, is
seldom seen."

Later, Wesley tells us that the spout measured about 20 yards in diameter at
the bottom, becoming broader and broader up to the clouds. It was said to
have sounded like thunder. It took up 18 stacks of corn and a large
haystack, together with the stones underneath, and scattered them
everywhere. It then passed back over the cliff and into the sea.

Wesley invariably regarded such phenomena as a manifestation of God's power
and judgment.

His interest in inventions was typified by his electrical machine, which can
still be viewed in Wesley's House in London. He designed the device for
treating "melancholia" and is said to have inherited his interest in
medicine from his great-grandfather.

There is a sense in which all of this is more of a footnote to the roots of
Methodism rather than anything of  substance, but it does tell something
interesting about the man himself. 

It's always exciting when you come across some information about Wesley that
you have never heard of before. So I experienced a sense of discovery when I
recently read about an incident that occurred on his travels and to which I
had seen no other reference.

I was sent a couple of pages from an intriguing 1927 publication with a
feature entitled: "The Romance of the Gramaphone." What on earth could that
possibly have to do with Mr. Wesley? Picking up on an earlier American
publication, the feature suggested that "considerable progress" might have
been made in Wesley's day in the art of sound reproduction by mechanical
means (remember the founder of Methodism died in 1791).

The story goes that Wesley was on one of his preaching tours and had crossed
over to Ireland. There, in a small town in the west, he happened to meet a
poor clock maker who showed him a timepiece of unusual description, which he
himself had made.

Instead of striking the hours upon a bell, it announced them in deep
sonorous tones, bearing a strong similarity to the human voice. Wesley
marveled at this curious thing and asked the man why he had not brought his
invention to the notice of the rest of the world. The man replied that
poverty had prevented him from doing so. Indeed, he did not even have
sufficient means to buy the material necessary to make another, similar
clock.

Wesley admired the man's skill and sympathized with his plight. He
apparently gave him what money he had, which we may be sure was not much,
and continued on his journey.

A few years later, Wesley was again in Ireland and sought out the old clock
maker. Alas! He was but a wreck of his former self. He was mired more deeply
in poverty, and his hopes, if he ever had any, were superseded by despair.
The clock was there but ruined by neglect. And the old man's mind, tottering
on the verge of collapse, was incapable of the effort necessary to set it
right.

Wesley is said to have ridden away reflecting upon the disadvantages of
genius unassisted by the power of friendly capital.
# # #
 *Singleton is assistant editor of the weekly Methodist Recorder in London.
He can be contacted by e-mail at: editorial@methodistrecorder.co.uk

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