USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Barre > Memorial of the one hundredth anniversary of the Incorporation of the town of Barre, June 17, 1874 ... > Part 9
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versalists at the Plains. This was a state of things which no one could have reasonably expected long to continue. Theological opinion was every year becoming more definite and pronounced. Theologi- cal controversies had come, here as elsewhere in New England, to be earnest and often acrimonious. On one side, Unitarian Christianity was feared; on the other, Calvinism was hated. The old church, with its minister, had ranged itself on the liberal side. A small minority were of the opposite party. As was natural, they were not happy in their church relations ; and, withdrawing, were organized by an Ecclesiastical Council, convened for the purpose August 15, 1827, as " The Evangelical Congregational Church in Barre."
This was according to the spirit of the time, and, in itself, was right. But the separation produced much ill-feeling. Criminations and recriminations were freely interchanged; and even neighborly inter- course, in many instances, was suspended. Doubtless there was blame on both sides. But wherever it lay, it was soon forgiven; and between the successive pastors of the "Evangelical Church " and the minister of the old church there was never a moment's jar, but always the friendliest interest, and - where it was possible-cooperation. The new society, from small beginnings, went on prosperously, and I am glad to learn is flourishing still, and doing its part in sustaining the moral and religious character of the town. Of its ministers this is not the occasion for speaking. Their work is too recent for history. The
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record of some of them is in the hearts of their people and in the Book of Life. Most of them had short ministries; for, in the forty-seven years of the soci- ety's existence, it has had no less than ten settled pastors.
Not many years later the Universalists erected a church in the centre of the town and settled a minis- ter. The society never prospered, but, after a few years, sold its church to the Methodists and dissolved. The Methodist society has since enjoyed a fair measure of prosperity. A Roman Catholic church has also been organized here within a few years. But of none of these, nor of their ministers, is it my purpose to speak. It is only the church which was here before the birth of the town, and which was an elementary part of its forming life, that properly claims a place in this commemorative discourse. Of the ministers of this church, the three who served it during the first one hundred years of its existence are the only ones whose character and ministries it is my duty to notice. Two of the three have already been brought before you in brief sketches. Of the third, my revered father, whose ministry was much the longest, let me speak in the words of others rather than my own. Many of you know the hearty testimony which was borne to his worth and influence on the fiftieth anni- versary of his ordination, January 11, 1854. Many of you also know that with failing strength but un- failing resignation and more than usual peace of mind, he continued from that day until the 14th of
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May ensuing, when, on a bright Sunday morning, just as the bells had ceased sounding your summons to church, - a summons which he heard, faintly whispering, "The bells," his last words, - he closed his eyes and ascended. Many of you remember, too, the tender and filial tribute paid to his memory by his former colleague, the Rev. Henry F. Bond, whom he greatly loved.
The first published notice of this minister which I remember to have seen records a calamity which, to some extent, clouded his whole after-life. It occurs in an oration pronounced at Templeton, on the 5th of July, 1813, " before the ‘ Washington Benev- olent Societies of the county of Worcester and other citizens,' by Lewis Bigelow," a lawyer of distinction. The oration begins with a laudatory reference, a part of which I transcribe, as showing, with all due allow- ance for oratorical extravagance, the kind of estimation in which my father was then held. "The misfortune," says Mr. Bigelow, "which has been the occasion of my undertaking an important part in the cere- monies of this day can be no less a source of regret and embarrassment to me than of sorrow and disap- pointment to this assembly. While we deplore the afflictive and calamitous stroke which has in a measure paralyzed the powers of our brother, who had been selected, for his conspicuous talents as an orator, to perform the service so recently transferred to me, we shall forcibly feel, at this gloomy crisis in our national affairs, the want of his powers to excite those proud
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emotions which once glowed in our breasts on the return of this anniversary." At the foot of the page is this note: "The Rev. James Thompson, of Barre, was chosen to deliver the oration, but in consequence of a severe paralytic affection was rendered incapable of performing the service." This is the first notice. The last is that contributed to " The Christian Exam- iner," shortly after his death, by his former neighbor in the ministry, the late Rev. George R. Noyes, D.D., Theological Professor in Harvard University. After some account of Dr. Thompson's early life, - as, that he was born of Puritan parents in Halifax, in the county of Plymouth, on the 13th of April, 1780; that he was graduated with high honors at Brown Univer- sity in 1799; read divinity with the Rev. Jonathan French, of Andover; and was ordained as minister of this town by a council selected without reference to doctrinal opinions in 1804, - he proceeds to say: -
"Dr. Thompson, soon after his settlement, acquired a high reputation as a preacher and orator in the part of the Common- wealth in which he was situated. By nature and culture he possessed a combination of extraordinary qualifications for the ministry. A noble form, a commanding presence, a full, rich, and musical voice, a quick and clear apprehension of truth, a strong, good sense, deep sensibility, a fervid, earnest manner, and unmistakable sincerity, were his. By a quick and clear intuition he seized upon the prominent and important points of a subject, which, in simple, direct, and strong language, he impressed on the minds of his hearers. His discourses were full of weighty matter, solid and substantial, but not scholastic, critical, nor often argumentative. He very seldom discussed abstract subjects, but addressed as a friend the men, women, and children of his con- gregation on what most intimately concerned them, applying
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acknowledged and essential Christian principles to the various duties, changes, and trials of life. He had a certain sympathy with his audience, which taught him how long he might dwell upon a topic without being dull and uninteresting, and led him to a directness of appeal, which caused his hearers to say, ' We love to hear Dr. Thompson, because everything he says seems to come from the heart.'
" Dr. Thompson was a great reader, and in respect to all kinds of information ever kept up with the times. But he was not given to laborious study or extensive research. Had his inclina- tion, and the demands made upon his time by the active duties of a very large parish, allowed him to be a deeper and more methodical student, and to devote more labor to the composition of a single discourse, he might have produced greater sermons, perhaps more durable in their influence. But it may be doubted whether, taking all his duties into view, he would have been a more useful man. As it was, he was for many years accounted, by the most cultivated as well as by ordinary minds, the best preacher in the county of Worcester. In logic and learning, he could not be compared to Bancroft, of Worcester. Thayer, of Lancaster, may have occasionally penetrated to a greater depth. But in his power of arresting the attention of an audience by his clear and strong manner of presenting a subject, in the elegance of his diction, in the aptness and beauty of his illustrations, and the gracefulness and impressiveness of his delivery, he probably had no superior in his vicinity, and few in the Commonwealth. As he advanced in life, he lost, in consequence of a stroke of paralysis, that confidence in his own powers which he had before enjoyed, and became more retiring, irresolute, and reluctant to undertake offices for which his apparently unimpaired abilities fitted him. His preaching, however, seems to have lost none of its unction or effectiveness. After forty years' service he was still preferred by the congregations to which he preached to almost any of the younger men. The published sermon preached at the end of a ministry of fifty years, in the 75th year of his age, affords, by its simplicity, beauty, and strength, a satisfactory indication of what he could do in his best days. In the year 1841, the gov- ernment of Harvard University conferred on him the well-merited,
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and by him highly-prized, honor of the degree of Doctor in Divinity.
" The devotional exercises of Dr. Thompson were remarkable for copiousness, appropriateness, and fervency. They were truly the eloquent utterances of a believing soul, full of tenderness, full of reverence, full of tranquil faith and hope. Hence his services as chaplain on public occasions were much sought after. And it is said that it was not uncommon for farmers to leave their work and ride five miles on purpose to hear him pray at a funeral.
"Dr. Thompson was careful to exert his influence, not only in the pulpit, but in every possible way. When Lyceums began to be established in the country, some five and twenty years ago, he engaged in the large one of Barre with great ardor, delivered lectures, took an active part in the discussions, and exerted an influence over the large assembly, ' like a king in the midst of an army.'
" He ever manifested a deep interest in the young, and a ready sympathy with their minds, which made him a favorite companion to them. He held the office of Chairman of the School Com- mittee for forty years, and employed in visiting the schools time which, as he said, would amount, in the aggregate, to the working days of four years. Respecting his influence in this department of duty, one of his former parishioners gave the following pleas- ing reminiscence at the celebration of the fiftieth year from his settlement : ' You at this time could not have been aware of the full effect produced by your inspiring influence in these little nur- series of virtue and knowledge. I remember to this day with what admirable address and natural tenderness you brushed off the rough edge of a remark which had inadvertently fallen from another, and caused joy to beam from the bright eye which had just been clouded by a tear.'
" Dr. Thompson's influence was felt in the association of min- isters to which he belonged. His dignified bearing, the eagerness with which he welcomed, as well as the willingness with which he imparted information, and the readiness with which he encour- aged any measure having in view the interests of religion, con- tributed much to make the meetings of the association useful and delightful.
·
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"Dr. Thompson's character, as a husband and a father, may be inferred from what has been already said. Depending for his support on the small stipend of five hundred dollars a year, never free from debt until the close of his life, he gave his large family the best education they could receive ; and no sacrifice which he could make for them was ever withheld. He governed in the mildest way ; but he did govern. His family were completely under the charm of his beneficent influence.
" The writer well remembers how desirable it was to exchange on Sundays with Dr. Thompson, not only to secure his valuable services for his pulpit, but to enjoy for one or two evenings the open-hearted hospitality and delightful society of his accomplished wife and daughters. In the loss of this most excellent of women, and of five children, Dr. Thompson was most deeply afflicted ; but his was a piety that never murmured and never doubted. When most afflicted, it was most calm. Resignation was his habitual frame, - not induced by any spasmodic effort, but the natural posture of his mind and heart toward God. In society Dr. Thompson ever showed himself high-minded, sincere, courteous, and cordial. No man could have more or warmer friends in pro- portion to the number of his acquaintances ; and this was large. Of a dignified and commanding presence, as has been intimated, there was with him not the least appearance of assumption, but, on the contrary, much of retiring modesty and self-distrust. Yet so eminently social was his disposition, that in all social meetings where he was expected he was sure to be found, and never failed, sooner or later, to contribute even more than his share to the inter- est of the occasion. By a lively or instructive anecdote, by a vivid delineation of the characters of the deceased, on which his keen observation had been fixed, or by instructive remarks on the event or subject of the day, he riveted attention, and was in truth a most agreeable and valuable companion. He could sympathize with persons of every age. Those who were twenty or thirty years his juniors always found him as young as themselves.
" On the 9th of June, 1845, in the 42d year of his ministry, his distrust of his own powers, which has been alluded to, the exces- sive jealousy with which he watched the encroachments of age upon his mind and body, and his disinterested regard for the wel-
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fare of his parish, led him to ask a discharge from the active duties of the ministry in Barre, still retaining his connection with the church, but relinquishing the whole of his salary. This request was accepted by the parish with the vote, ' that the self- sacrificing proposition evinces that deep interest in the growth and prosperity of the society which has ever marked his conduct in regard to this Christian flock.' After this time Dr. Thompson continued to preach in several vacant pulpits, to great accept- ance, till near the close of his life. In Cincinnati, Dover, N. H., Leicester, Hardwick, and Worcester, his services were highly appreciated, and are remembered with respect.
" On January 11, 1854, on the fiftieth anniversary of his settle- ment, there was a gathering of those who at any period had en- joyed his religious ministrations in Barre, and who had been scattered in various parts of the country. At this jubilee the most hearty tokens of respect and affection to the aged patriarch were manifested, and a valuable present made in money. It was an occasion to him of the utmost delight and thankfulness, and sweetened all his remaining days. His strength seemed gradually to fail soon after the jubilee, but his serious illness was only for a week. It was old age, diminishing his ability to bear up against a chronic difficulty with which he had long been afflicted. His strength was exhausted ; enfeebled nature yielded, and he sank serenely in the conscious possession of all his mental powers, and with a cheerful submission of his soul to God, into the arms of death, and was, as we trust, borne upward into the invisible realm of his faith and hope. Farewell, venerated, true, and faithful friend ! Thine ever-welcome form will no more meet our mortal eyes. But thine image shall remain engraved on our hearts, and the precious memory of former intercourse with thee shall refresh and strengthen us under life's duties and trials, till the summons, which calls to the higher home, shall come to us, as it has to thee."
The following is the inscription on a marble monu- ment with a granite base at the left of the entrance of the north burial-ground : -
-
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" IN MEMORY OF THE REV. JAMES THOMPSON, S. T. D., PASTOR OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. BORN APRIL 13TH, 1780. GRADUATED AT BROWN UNIVERSITY 1799. ORDAINED JAN. 1I, 1804. DIED MAY 14, 1854, IN THE 75TH YEAR OF HIS AGE. A LOVER OF PEACE, AMIABLE IN TEMPER AND CATHOLIC IN SPIRIT,
OF TENDER SYMPATHIES AND WARM AFFECTIONS, OF STRONG FAITH AND MODEST BUT FERVENT PIETY, . OF SOLID GIFTS AND A PERSUASIVE ELOQUENCE, HE WAS EMINENTLY FITTED FOR THE SACRED OFFICE, AND HIGHLY DISTINGUISHED AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER."
Here we take final leave of the Church, grateful for the piety which planted, the care and love which have watered, and the increase in Christian works and charities which God has given to it; and with the fervent aspiration that, a century hence, it may still be seen a stately tree, with all its branches, by whatever names designated, green and vigorous, like that de- scribed in the Apocalypse, "which bare twelve man- ner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
Reference has several times been made in this dis- course to the subject of education. It is gratifying to observe that this great interest of the people has received increasing attention here during the progress
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of the present century, affording a hopeful augury for the future. This increase is shown in part by figures compiled from the valuable tables of Dr. Russell, before referred to.
In 1810, the population was 1971
,, valuation $659,600
,, appropriation for Schools $800
In 1870, the population was
2572
,, valuation " $1,832,888
,, appropriation for Schools $4,220
This gives the praiseworthy result that, while the population in sixty years increased only 34 per cent, and the valuation not quite 200 per cent, the appro- priations for schools advanced to 425 per cent!
But this is not the only evidence. About half a century ago an effort was made to establish and en- dow an Academy in the town, which, although it proved a failure, turned ambition in the right direc- tion; and when Horace Mann, a dozen years later, was stirring up public sentiment on the subject throughout the Commonwealth, the slumbering fires were kindled anew, and there was a grand awakening in this town. Dr. Thompson and his associate in the school-committee, the Rev. Mr. Fay, of the Evangeli- cal Society, his much-esteemed friend, worked to- gether, with a zeal that never slackened, in carrying on the revival. A convention of friends of education was held in the Unitarian church, in which its min- ister, and Mr. Fay, the Rev. Josiah Clark, of Rutland, Rev. Luther Willson, of Petersham, and many others,
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actively participated. I well remember the delight with which Mr. Mann spoke to me of the timely and hearty service rendered to him by these gentlemen. One of the fruits of this awakening was the establish- ment here, in the year 1839, of the second of the Normal Schools of the State. There were many com- petitors for the honor; but, though the town labored under the disadvantage of having no access by rail- road, yet, in consequence of the educational interest here manifested, as well as the beauty and healthiness of the place, it was finally accorded to Barre. The Rev. S. P. Newman, a Professor in Bowdoin College, was appointed its Principal. It flourished for a few years; but the inconvenience of the location was found to be too great, and to the regret of the people of the town it was discontinued. But its influence was a lasting benefit.
As belonging to the general subject of education, a list, as far as I have been able to complete it, of our graduates of colleges is here subjoined : -
WILLIAM CALDWELL, H. U., 1773. Studied law and practised the profession several years in Rutland; removed to Worcester; received the appointment of high sheriff, and was said by Governor Lincoln to have been "the model sheriff; " died in 1805.
EZRA RIPLEY,* D.D., H. U., 1776. A Congrega- tional (Unitarian) minister; ordained at Concord,
* Dr. Ripley was born in Pomfret, Conn .; but his parents removed to Barre when he was sixteen years old. The gravestone in the south burial- ground of his twice-married mother bears this inscription : " In memory of
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1778; died in his pastorate in 1841, having preached his last sermon on the day after he had completed his 90th year; a highly respected and eminent divine.
LINCOLN RIPLEY (brother of the above), Dart. College 1796. A Congregational minister, settled in Waterford, Me., in 1799, where he died in 1858, aged 96 years. Mr. Ripley was the minister of the child- hood and youth of the Rev. Dr. T. T. Stone, who bears this testimony concerning him: "Take him in his whole character, while I should differ from him in many things, I must say that I never knew a minister more faithfully devoted to his work, more conscien- tious in fulfilling whatever appeared to him duty."
ALPHEUS HARDING, Dart. C. 1805. A Congrega- tional (Unitarian) minister; settled at New Salem, where he died Feb. 9th, 1869, aged 89 years. A sound and instructive preacher; a faithful pastor; an industrious farmer; a useful and honored citizen.
CHARLES JENKINS, W. C. 1813. A Congregational minister of marked ability. First settled in Greenfield, then in Portland, Me., where he died Dec. 28, 1831.
SETH E. WINSLOW, B. U. 1814. A Congregational minister; settled and died in Hartland, Vt.
SAMUEL CALDWELL, H. U. 1818. Studied law; settled in Canajoharie, N. Y .; removed to Buffalo, where he died in 1849.
GEORGE BROOKS JAMES, H. U. 1821. Son of
Mrs. Lydia Burnett, who was first consort of Mr. Noah Ripley, by whom she had 8 sons and 11 daughters, 17 of whom lived to have families. Her descendants at her death were 97 grandchildren and 106 great-grandchil- dren. She died June 17th, 1816, aged 91 years. 'Many daughters have donc virtuously, but thou excellest.'"
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Eleazar. Studied law; broke down in health, and died at Somerville, 1833.
DAVID OLIVER ALLEN, A. C. 1823, where he also received the honorary degree of D.D. A Congrega- tional minister. Spent 30 years in India. Author of a large octavo volume, " India, Ancient and Modern." Born in Barre, 1799, and died in Lowell, 1863.
CHARLES WADSWORTH, B. U. 1827. Studied law, and practised a few years in Barre. Removed to New York, and engaged extensively in real estate operations. Sent a son to Harvard College. Died in New York, May 3, 1866.
JAMES W. THOMPSON, B. U. 1827. A Congrega- tional (Unitarian) minister, Jamaica Plain.
HENRY L. PLUMMER, U. C. 1829. Physician; died in California.
CHARLES EAMES, H. U. 1831. A lawyer of emi- nence and a brilliant political writer. Settled in Washington, D.C., where he died in 1867.
DANIEL RUGGLES, West Point 1833. A resident of Virginia, and Brig .- Gen. in late Confederate Army.
ROBERT T. CONANT, A. C. 1836. A Congrega- tional minister, Ogdensburgh, N.Y.
ABRAHAM JENKINS, Jr., A. C. 1838. A Congrega- tional minister, Fitzwilliam, N.H. Deceased.
REUBEN T. ROBINSON, H. U. 1841. A Congrega- tional minister. Settled in Winchester. Died in 1871.
JOSEPH P. PLUMMER, West Point, 1841. Brevet Maj .- Gen. of Volunteers in the Union Army. Died at Corinth, Ala., of disease contracted in the service.
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J. MARTIN GORHAM, H. U. 1851. A lawyer in Barre.
SAMUEL FAY WOODS, Y. C. 1856. A lawyer in Barre. Adjutant of the 34th Mass. Infantry, and mor- tally wounded at Stanton, Va. Died at Worcester.
WILLIAM CRAWFORD, A. C. 1857. A Congrega- tional minister, Green Bay, Wis.
JOSEPH W. GROSVENER, Dart. C. 1859. A phy- sician, Lockport, N.Y.
SIDNEY CRAWFORD, A. C. 1861. A Congrega- tional minister.
CHARLES LEE BIXBY, H. U. 1861. Merchant, Boston.
WILLIAM BULLARD DURANT, H. U. 1865; LL.B. 1869. Boston.
JAMES THOMPSON BIXBY, H. U. 1864. A Congre- gational (Unitarian) minister, Belfast, Me.
FREDERICK HOLLAND, A. C. 1865. Farmer, Barre. GEO. F. BABBITT, H. U. 1872. Journalist, Boston. CHARLES HERBERT BIXBY, West Point 1873.
Here I leave the subject of Education, inscribing on my page, as I do it, to be kept by you and your pos- terity as a golden lesson for all time the memorable words of Winthrop, first governor of " the Massachu- setts Bay in New England:"-
" It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scriptures, as in former times by keeping them in an unknown tongue, so in these latter times by persuading them from the use of tongues, that so at least the true sense and meaning of the original might be clouded by false glosses of saint-seeming deceivers, - THAT LEARNING BE NOT BURIED IN THE GRAVE OF OUR FATHERS IN THE CHURCH AND
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COMMONWEALTH, the Lord assisting our endeavors, - It is there- fore ordered, . . . that when any town shall increase to the num- ber of one hundred families or householders they shall set up a GRAMMAR SCHOOL, the master thereof being able to instruct youth so far as they may be fitted for the university."
It is a just and proud commentary on these words of far-seeing wisdom when Dr. Palfrey proclaims that, "SINCE THE SEVENTEENTH YEAR OF MASSACHU- SETTS NO CHILD OF HERS HAS BEEN ABLE TO SAY, THAT TO HIM POVERTY HAS CLOSED THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE OR THE WAY TO HONOR." *
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