RIDDELLS OF PARKMOUNT, IRELAND.
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native land he had been converted, and united with the Methodist church,
and was a local preacher, speaking almost every Sabbath for several years.
He has been heard to say he had two calls: one to preach the gospel, and
the other to manufacture cotton goods; and he was one of the few who
proved successful in both. He occupied a very leading position among
the local preachers of his denomination, and was president of their
National Convention in 1864. Being a natural and forcible speaker, his
pulpit and platform efforts were received with great favor. Not forget-
ting in the tide of business the calls of duty, he provided well for the
moral and religious welfare of his tenants Upon the brow of the hill,
above the Brandywine River, with its graceful spire rising above the trees,
is the village chapel, erected by Mr. Riddle. It is of Gothic architecture,
with stained-glass windows, and being located in a pleasant and imposing
situation, becomes one of the most beautiful chapels in the state. For
romantic scenery
"Riddle's Banks," known in song as the "Banks of
Brandywine," is unsurpassed, and the shady groves of ancient oaks upon
the hill back of the chapel have been the resort for many years of social
and picnic parties from the neighboring cities. Mr. Riddle was devoted
to his adopted country, and during the dark hours of the late Rebellion,
he was always ready to attest his devotion by word and deed. In 1866
the Republican party made him their candidate for Governor of the State
of Delaware; in this election he was not the successful candidate,
although, owing to his great popularity, he ran ahead of his ticket in
every township in the state.
His benevolence and kindly disposition were beyond question. He
never received a kindness from others without fully reciprocating the
same; he was always a man of peace, and was not willing to speak
harshly of any one.
The fact that several of his men had been in his
employ for upwards of thirty years, is a sufficient evidence of the amia-
ble disposition which his refined Christian character enabled him to man-
ifest in all his dealings with the world. The spare time of his youth was
devoted to reading and religious exercises, and the large and valuable
library left by him at his decease evinced the fact that his love for books
continued through life. He was fond of society, and Mrs. Riddle always
had her share of visitors. His death occurred Aug. 21, 1874, from heart
disease. During his sickness he received every attention from his kind
and dutiful family, and his last hours were peaceful and happy. His dis-
order had for several years admonished him to prepare for death, and
when the summons came he was found ready to depart and meet the
Master he had so long loved and served. The funeral procession that
followed his remains to their last resting-place was nearly two miles long,
and the ceremonies in the church and at the grave were of a peculiarly
impressive character, an occasion not to be forgotten as a suitable
tribute to a good man and respected citizen. In his will, Mr. Riddle left
ten thousand dollars to the Church Extension Society, and five thou-
sand dollars to the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He also directed the formation of a fund for the education of young men
for the ministry, with several other bequests of a similar nature, the total
amount necessary to carry out the religious and charitable bequests being
rising forty thousand dollars.
--
"And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write: Blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit,
that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them."
