Centennial celebration, together with an historical sketch of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont, and its inhabitants from the first settlement of the town to 1874, Part 10

Author: Davis, Gilbert Asa, 1835-
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Bellows Falls : Press of A.N. Swain
Number of Pages: 188


USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Reading > Centennial celebration, together with an historical sketch of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont, and its inhabitants from the first settlement of the town to 1874 > Part 10


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16


18


Dec. 19, '63


=


Cav.


Deserted June 29, '65.


Spear, Edwin S.


21


July 14, '64 Sept. 30, '61 Aug. 14, '62


July 14, '64 Oct. 15, '61 Sept. 30. '62


I


Mus. out JJune 19, '65.


Valley, Felix.


25


July 4, '64


July 6, 64 Sept. 20, '61


I


17


Died at Salisbury, N. C., JJan. 15, '65.


Wait, Henry O.


21


Ang. 17, '61


C


Wilkins. Lucius O.


Dec. 2, '61


Feb. 12, '62


B


7


Died June 6, '64, of wounds. Mus. out July 14, '65.


Discharged July 1, '65. Re-en. Feb. 15, '64. Mus. out Mar 14, '66. Mus. out July 15, '65. Mus. out July 14, '63.


HISTORY OF READING.


6 Bat.


Mus, out July 18, '65.


Shea, Bryan


32


Z


6 Re-en. Dec. 15, '63. Mus. out June 26,'65.


Twis, Samuel B.


29


Prom. Cor. Re-enlisted Dec. 15. '63. Mustered out July 13, '65. Prom. Cor. Died Nov. 5, 63.


89


MA


Re-en. Dec. 21, 05. VYLU9.


.July 16, '61


1, '61


-June


22 22


22


May 26, '64


July 6, '64


A U. S. Navy


Pierce, Geo. W.


8 00


90


Names.


Age. !


Date of Enlistment.


Date of Muster.


Co


Reg't 1


Remarks.


Wilkins, Wallace W.


29


Aug. 15,'62


Sept. 30, '62


I 1


Mus. out June 19, '65. -


Whitmore, Kosciusko


21


Feb. 25, '62


Apr. 12, '62


C


6


Taken prisoner July 1, '62, and supposed to have died at Richmond, Va.


Williams, Charles M.


18


Mar. 4, '62


Apr. 12, '62


C


6


Wells, Edwin L.


18


June 13, '64


July 6, '64


I


17


Corp. Discharged Aug. 11, '65.


Willey, Harvey P.


19


May 7, '64


Apr. 12, '64


G


17


Killed at Petersburg, by a stray shot, June 25, '64.


Wait, Wm. A.


53


Aug. 19, '62


Oct. 4, '62


A 12


Mus. out July 14, '63.


Wait, Wm. D.


25


Aug. 19, '62


Oct. 4, '62


A


12


Mus. out July 14, '63.


Weston, Joseph D.


22


Sept. 4, '62


Oct. 23, '62


C


16


Mus. out Aug. 10, '63.


White, Azro


28


Sept. 1, '62


Oct. 23, '62


E


16


Mus. out Aug. 10, '63.


DRAFTED AND ENTERED SERVICE .- Phillips, Lucien Co. C, 6th Reg't.


VOLUNTEERS RE-ENLISTED .- Charles C. Grant, James H. Noyes, Henry C. Marsh, Edwin S. Spear, Henry O. Wait, Herman J. White.


ENROLLED MEN WHO FURNISHED SUBSTITUTES .- Gilbert A Davis, Henry Elgar, Edmund S. Hammond, Fred B. Merrill, John B. Merrill, James P. Osborn, Forest G. Persons, Nelson B. Sherman, Ethelbert O. Sherwin, Marcus A. Spaulding.


FURNISHED UNDER DRAFT, PAID COMMUTATION .- Edgerton Baldwin, Richard Burnham, John S. Corey, Justin S. Davis, Francis McGrath, Oscar Miller, Ambler Sheldon, Amsdell Sheldon, Clark Wardner,


PROCURED SUBSTITUTES .- Marcellus Bryant, Edmond S. Fay.


The following named persons, present residents of Reading, were in the Union Armies and fought for the preservation of the Union, but did not go upon the quota of Reading :- Carlos Bryant, Wm. W. Bailey, Lorenzo G. Coolidge, Geo. W. Davis, Wm. H. H. Dugan, Abel F. Gates, Curtis H. Gilson, Charles W. Harlow, Rev. Geo. A. Parker, Oscar Pierce, Jonas A. Putnam, David D. Smith.


HISTORY OF READING.


L


91


HISTORY OF READING.


CHAPTER IX.


SALE OF PAUPERS-SPOTTED FEVER-MASONIC-MURDER TRI- AL-TOWN CLERKS-CONSTABLES AND REPRESENTATIVES.


The change in town expenses is noticeable. In 1801-2 the tax for town purposes was only one cent on each dollar of the Grand List, in 1805, five mills, and in 1806, three mills. The present annual rate of taxation for town purposes is 75 per cent on the Grand List. The support of paupers at an early day, seems to have been a source of some disturbance, and the records afford some curious instances of " sales of paupers " to the lowest bidder.


March 2, 1791, the town " voted to set up Taylor's child at the lowest bidder, if Taylor does not take it away before the present time is up with Leavens."


This practice was kept up so late as 1816, when the record reads : " At a vendue holden on the 19th day of March 1816 for the " purpose of venduing the Poor of the town of Reading at the " store of Farwell and Hawkins in Reading, &e., Flynn Pear-ons " bid off B-n P-r and wife." &c.


The purchase of a farm affording this unfortunate class some of the comforts of a home, has improved their condition and stopped the barbarism of an annual "sale."


The most remarkable season of mortality was in February and March, 1813, when more than sixty persons died of the spotted fever.


The subjoined list is taken from a copy of the " Vermont Jour- nal," dated May 10, 1813, printed and published at Windsor, by Alden Spooner :


The following persons have died in the town of Reading since the last week in January, 1813: A child of Eben Herrick, two children of Peter Darby, Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, Widow Mason, wife of Thomas Townshend, wife of Capt. Hawkins, the wife of F. Bigelow, Esq., Asa Stone, Mr. Oliver Holmes and wife, a child of Maj. E. Fay, a child of T. Estabrooks, Miss Nabby Holmes, Jo- seph Bigelow and wife, Widow Washburn, wife of Abel Amsen, William Goddard, two children of Daniel Davis, Thomas Gordon end child, Ira Hathorn, Ebenezer Weld and wife, Benjamin Hath- orn, Jr., Pearly Weld, Ziba Hail, child of John Sawyer, 2d, Seth Thompson, and wife, the wife of Josiah Fay, Josiah Harris, Wid- ow Sawyer, Mrs. Marks and child, wife of A. Marks, Widow Gil- son, Marston Rogers, Ephraim Kile, Jason Smith, a child of Jo. seph Adams, a child of Wm. Barr, a child of - Capron, Wm. Kile, Jr., John Kile, Royal Pearson and child, Daniel Pealvaly, a child of Jared Bigelow, a child of Jonathan Grandy, a child of Jonathan Morse, Mr. Knoulton, Thomas Lewis, a child of Noah Cady, the consort of Ezekiel Davis, two children of Moses Nut- ting, a child of William Clark.


The " Eastern Star Lodge," No. 41, of Free Masons, was estab- lished here in 1815, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Laxlge of


92


HISTORY OF READING.


Vermont, and at one time had 100 members. Their Lodge was at Shedd's Hall at the Centre, Amsden's hotel, and subsequently at Hawkin's hotel, and on the burning of the latter their jewels and records were destroyed. No list of the officers and members can be found. The Lodge became extinct in consequence of the anti- masonic excitement following the abduction of Morgan, and has never been re-organized. Dr. Silas Bowen, Judge Thomas F. Ham- mond, and others, were Masters of this Lodge, and Benj. Sawyer and Benoni Buck were secretaries.


1844. Perhaps the most startling incident in the history of the town was the finding the lifeless body of a babe near the bend in the river south of F. Hawkins' and the arrest of Mrs. Merrill, the mother of the child She was first brought before Luther Ken- dall, Esq., a justice of the peace, for preliminary examination, on the charge of murder. The defense was insanity. S. Fullam, State's attorney, conducted the prosecution and Julius Converse, (present Governor of the State) and J. Q. Hawkins conducted the defence. Public sentiment was divided and was wrought up to fever heat. Esq. Kendall, after hearing the evidence, dis- charged her. She was re-arrested on the same charge, and the result of a hearing before Calvin French, Esq., a justice of the peace, was that she was duly committed to jail. She was subse- quently indicted, but on trial before a jury in the county court was acquitted.


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HISTORY OF READING.


TOWN OFFICERS. COMPILED BY SEWALL FULLAM.


1 Town Clerk.


1 Constable.


Representative


Andrew Spar. Thos. Hapgood.


Andrew Spear. Joseph Sawyer. John Weld. 66 ..


.6 ..


..


1


66


66 66


Elkannah Day. "


Elias Jones.


Solomon Keyes.


Thomas Fay. Abel Amsden. Isaac Kimball. Henry Carlton. Moses Chaplain. 66 Elisha Bigelow.


Moses Chaplain.


Noah Bigelow.


Elias Jones. Thos. Brown.


Jona. Shedd. Abiah Rice. Elisha Bigelow. Nathan Sherwin. 66 66


66


66 ..


..


Elias Jones.


Wm. L. Hawkins.


66


66


66


66


Jona. Shedd.


Win. L. Hawkins.


66


66


Wm. L. Hawkins. 6


"


66


66


66


66


Jona. Shedd.


John S. Hawkins. 66


66


Simeon Buck.


1819


66


66


1820


66


66


66


66


Jona. Shedd.


..


1822


:6


Jedadiah Leavens.


Elias Jones.


e


e


Thomas Hapgood. John Weld.


66


66


Barakiah Cady. Nedabiah Cady. John Sawyer. Aaron Kimball. David Hapgood. William Howard. Thos. Hapgood. Nath'l Pratt, Asa Wilkins.


1779 1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818


Elias Jones. Solomon Keyes.


66


66


66


Elias Jones. Solomon Keyes.


66


66


66 66


66


Lemuel Ide. Solomon Keyes. Jona. Shedd. 66 ..


Jona. Shedd. Sewall Fullam. ١٠


..


66


1821


Elkannah Day. ..


John Weld. Aaron Kimball. Abijah Stone.


David Hapgood.


Moses Chaplain. .. Solomon Keves. Elias Jones. ..


..


..


1


94


HISTORY OF READING.


Town Clerk.


Constable.


Representative.


1823


Abel Gilson, Jr.


Jona. Clark.


66


1824


1825


1826


66


"


1827


66


and


Henry Conant, last half. Solomon Keyes.


66


Simeon Buck.


1830


66


66


66


1831


66


66


William Felch.


1832 1833


Sam'l C. Loveland.


66


1834


Shubael C. Shedd.


1835


Bridg'n Hapgood. 66


66


Rufus Buck. 66


1839


66


1840


1841


66


Solomon Keyes.


1842


66


1843


66


Daniel Stearns. Amos Mann.


1844 1845 1846


Wm. L. Hawkins. Bridg'n Hapgood. W. L. Hawkins.


66


66


1847 1848 1849 1850


66


Levi Aldrich.


1851 1852


66


1853


66 66


From May 17, Stephen HI. Thompson . V. R. Henry. Gorton B. Merrill.


66


66 66


66


C. D. Shattuck. Ferd'nd Hawkins. 66


1861


From May 24, William L. Page. H. H. Hammond.


1862 1863


M. E. Goddard


1864


1865


1866


66


C. D. Shattuck. Ferd'nd Hawkins. James W. Fulton. Chas. Whitmore.


Sumner Fletcher. 66


187


1828


1829


66 66


Bridg'n Hapgood Solomon Keyes. Benoni Buck. John Wheeler. Rufus Forbush.


John Wheeler. Chas. Buck. 66


Solomon Keyes. Luther Carlton. 66


Amos Mann. Wm. S. A. Morsc. 66


Hiram Goddard. Charles Buck.


Ferd'nd Hawkins.


Sam'l Herrick.


1854 1855 1856 1857 1858


66


1859


66 66


1860


Nonc. Josiah Q. Hawkins Washingt'n Keyes Willard H. Dow.


O. A. Keyes. 66


66


1836 1837 1838


66


Jona. Shedd. Sam'l C. Loveland


Abel Gilson, Jr. Sam'l C. Loveland


95


HISTORY OF READING.


Town Clerk.


1


Constable.


Representative.


1867


H. H. Hammond.


1868


ad.


1869


1870


1871


66


1872 1873


W. W. Keyes.


Ferd'nd Hawkins.


Prosper Merrill.


W. P. Chamberlin. Hiram F. Thomas. Hiram F. Thomas Died during hals Term. Gilbert A. Davis.


CHAPTER X .- THOMAS JEFFERSON SAWYER, D. D. BY THOMAS CURLEY.


In going back four generations, we find that James Sawyer was Cornet in the English army. According to the usual tradition, hree of his sons emigrated to this country, one of whom settled in Connecticut. This son, Joseph Sawyer, there married Hannah, laughter of Thomas and Sarah Hutchins. Joseph had a family of eight children, of whom Benjamin was the sixth. Benjamin was born Feb. 3d, 1762, in the town of Pomfret, Conn., and was herefore a fellow townsman with Gen. Putnam of Revolutionary ame. In the year 1787 Joseph, then living in Reading, Vt., narried Sally York, April 12, to whom were born ten children- ix sons and four daughters-the seventh of whom was Thomas Jefferson, the subject of this sketch, who was born in Reading, Vt., Tan. 9th, 1804. The ancestry of young Sawyer were undoubtedly English on his father's and mother's side. Thomas Sawyer obtained tis early education under the same difficulties which were to many whose youth was spent in a new and wild country. He attended chool perhaps six months in the year, until he was old enough to vork on the farm, then only three months in the winter. It must e remembered that the teachers of his time were remarkable ather for their great physical than mental strength, and that it was onsidered sufficient for a young man's education to do the exam- les to "Rule of Three " or through "Fractions." Under such afluences it seems to be quite a sure sign of success for a young lan to set himself at work preparing for college as young Sawyer id.


Possibly there were influences acting on him of which we know ot, but we do know that his parents were honest, upright, well-to- o people, whose influence would certainly tend to make him mor- 1 if not religious, though their faith ( Universalism ) at that time as considered a heresy. Perhaps unlike many farmer boys, to hom the rainy days and long winter nights furnish much time for udy or amusement, he went to his chamber and studied instead f going to the store; or with book in hand he ching to the old earth, winter evenings instead of going to parties or junkets ;


k.


Kev


Dom


rd etch


Joshua F. Davis. Ferd'nd Hawkins. Luther Kendall.


· od


ard.


.


96


HISTORY OF READING.


though his genial and mirthful disposition tells us that he would be a leader in the sports and amusements of his time. We do not learn that he exhibited any of the remarkable traits which are usually attributed to the youth of great men, except ready wit hence we say that he was probably guided, as many of us have been, by unexplainable circumstances the beginning and end o: which we knew not. At the age of eighteen he commenced fitting for college at Chester Academy in Chester, Vt. During winter. he taught school and during summers he worked at home on the farm; his books were always with him while fitting, and he used every spare moment at home studying them, for as they say who knew him then, he was more fond of mental than physical labor A In this connection we may mention the following incident : neighbor passing him one day as he stood under a tree whetting hi scythe, asked " how he liked it." "O," says young Sawyer, "it' work." At the Academy he exhibited considerable ability in de bate, and was always ready for a combat of words ; this same read iness elung to him quite closely in after life ; then he was as strong an upholder of some of the tenets of Calvinism as he is now of th contrary. At the age of twenty-two he entered Middlebury Col lege and as he says himself his class standing was only fair. W would it were possible to relate a few of the incidents necessaril connected with his college life, but your writer is unable to learn o any of importance. One of his classmates, Edwin F. Hatfield, at terwards became an eminent orthodox writer and minister in New York ; he also became a slanderer and not honorable opponent o Universalism and Universalists; through one of the orthodo: papers he called Universalists immoral, licentious, and little bette than heathen ; Sawyer answered him by letter through the press, the letter was courteous, though severe, for Dr. Sawyer knew how to be severe and gentlemanly at the same time ; Hatfield's state ments were returned to him, answered, their original applicatio: reversed and ably supported by personal examples from Hatfield' own followers and it was also well sprinkled with satire. The let ter is worthy to be read and may be found in any of the Universe list papers of 1844. He passed his time in his college course a most not rich young men of his time did, in study, farm work i summer, and school teaching in winter. In 1829 he graduated wit a class of eighteen. After leaving college he went to Wincheste N. H. and studied theology with the Rev. W. S. Balch, who after wards became eminent as a preacher and lecturer, and who ha since been titled D. D. but refused the title. He studied with th above named minister a short time and was ordained as a Unive; salist minister, Sept. 17th, 1829, Father Ballou preaching the o' dination sermon. Since he was ordained the same year in which he graduated it must be inferred that he studied theology not little in college. In fact, forty years ago the amount of theolog cal study was very small before one began to preach. Early i 1830 he was called to a then small society in New York city


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HISTORY OF READING.


where Universalism was at a very low ebb. Of this society Hor- ace Greeley speaks, in his " Recollections of a Busy Life," thus : " I made my way, on the first Sunday morning of my sojourn in "New York, to the little chapel in Grand St., near Pitt, about the " size of an average country school house, where the Rev. Thomas " J. Sawyer, then quite young, ministered to a congregation of per- " haps a hundred souls, to which congregation I soon afterwards " attached myself, remaining a member of it until he left the city."


Notwithstanding " the dark days of this period " as the Doctor has since called them, he entered the field with a young ambition and trusting heart, which nothing could daunt. His congregation, af- ter worshipping two years in Grand St., and becoming somewhat larger, rented a church on Ochard St., which it afterwards pur- chased, where he ministered until the autumn of 1845. In con- nection with filling the pulpit he edited for many years, in company with Rev. Philo Price, the Christian Messenger, which they ably conducted for several years. In conducting this paper, he cer- tainly gratified his love for discussion and also did much to bring Universalism into notice in that city. In 1834, at the General Convention of Universalists at Albany, he proposed measures for forming a Universalist Historical Society, the matter was acted upon, and a Historical Library has been growing under his care ever since, which is now connected with Tuft's College Library. As secretary of this society he became acquainted with several German theologians, and through them was madea member of the Historical Theological Society of Leipsic.


We must now turn back to perhaps one of the most important epochs of his life, (or of any young man's life,) his marriage; it would probably be interesting if an account of his courtship could be given and we could catch a glimpse of that unseen affection which exists in every heart. Perhaps you can best understand his state of feeling at that time by this extract from his Memoir of Rev. S. R. Smith, under the chapter of marriage. He says, "I doubt if any one ever reached the age of fifteen years without finding his heart more or less scarred by the shafts of the cruel archer; and to grow up to manhood without suffering from such attacks, is I hold, quite impossible. Some may have done so, never- theless, but I do not believe it, and if any such beings ever existed they must have been so unlike myself. I do not blush to confess it, that I should regard them destitute of one element, at least, of a true humanity." However, it is certain that he married in the month of September, 1831, Miss Caroline M. Fisher of Newton, Mass., a lady of rare accomplishments, and great literary ability, one who has been a voluminous contributor to many of our magazines, and has successfully edited "The Rose of Sharon " and ' The Ladies' Repository." Besides being recognized a fine poetess, she has written and translated from the French and German many ine stories. This couple were blest with a family of seven children, ilthough two of them died while they were at Clinton, as he had 13 0


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HISTORY OF READING.


moved there in 1854. At Clinton he seemed to be in the right place, at the head of Clinton Liberal Institute; indeed, if any in- stitution needs a man of ripe scholarship and sound judgment it is an academy, for there many young men and women finish their education preparatory to entering active life, and a good teacher's influence is of primary importance ; at Clinton he established and was at the head of the first Universalist Theological School in this country. The Institute flourished very much under his charge. and yet it is probable that but few men could have endured the amount of labor performed by him, while there. Besides conduct ing these two schools he preached regularly Sundays, contributed to several religious journals, wrote a memoir of Rev. S. R. Smith and we know not how much more.


In 1847 Mr. Sawyer issued a card calling on all Universalists interested in educational matters to meet in convention at New York, May 18th, 1847. As a result of this convention agents were appointed to raise one hundred thousand dollars for the es- tablishment of a college. The one hundred thousand dollars were obtained, and a short time after a building called Tuft's College was raised on Walnut Hill, Medford, Mass. He was chosen Pres- ident of the College but declined the appointment, subsequently he was offered the presidency of St. Lawrence University and also that of Lombard University, both of which he refused. In 1853 Harvard College, an institution not lavish with its honors, although never failing to 'recognize true scholarship, conferred the degree of D. D. on him. In 1852 the Doctor resigned the principalship of Clinton L. Institute, and returned to New York to take charge of the fifth Universalist society, but soon after resumed charge of Ochard St. Society, with which he was connected before going to Clinton. Henceforward, until the spring of 1861, it was the most active and so to speak, publie part of Dr. Sawyer's life ; during this time he had many theological discussions with those who were without and within the Universalist denomination, both on the platform and through the press. One of the first important dis- enssions was with a Rev. Mr. Wescott of the Baptist denomina- tion in the Broadway Tabernacle, commencing April 8, 1855, and continning eight evenings, on the question as to whether the Bible teaches the final salvation of all men, Dr. Sawyer taking the affirm- ative. In connection with this we may mention the fact that this Tabernacle was refused a short time before this discussion, to a body of Universalists on account of their faith, so bigoted were many at that time, in that sometimes called very wicked city, but the letter written by Dr. Sawyer in answer to that refusal was such as only he could write ; he condemned their action in terms so se- vere, but true, that his enemies could only look up to him and say you are right. This discussion, and the one following with Mr. Wescott, created quite a stir in the religious world, the large hall being filled every evening, and it did much to increase Dr. Saw- yer's already wide spread reputation, and it also effected much to-


99


HISTORY OF READING.


wards filling the Doctor's church, as Wescott himself acknowledg- ed. In these discussions Dr. Sawyer showed himself to be a mas- ter of debate ; so much so, indeed, that his eminent orthodox friends afterwards preferred or seemed not willing to meet him in open de- bate. Soon after the above discussion he held another, which also attracted great crowds, with Rev. Mr. Wescott, as to whether the scriptures teach endless misery, in which he again did himself great credit, showing himself to be a great theological controversialist, and no mean metaphysician ; again, as a direct result of this dis- cussion, a great number became Universalists and joined them- selves to the different churches in the city. Rev. Hosea Ballou, an eminent divine, Rev. Thomas Whittemore, J. D. Williamson, D. D. and many other eminent Universalist theologians held and taught the belief of predestination in opposition to free-agency. Dr. Sawyer was one of the first of his faith to break away from and oppose the doctrine of predestination and advocate free-agency, a doctrince which is now generally held by Universalists. In his advocacy of free-agency he was strongly opposed, and finally en- tered into an extended discussion with Dr. Williamson, also a dis- tinguished metaphysician ; it was carried on for several months through the papers. Here again he showed his logical powers, and invincible spirit when pleading for the truth. About this time, also, 1854, in opposition to all great exponents of his faith, before his time, he denounced the doctrine of "death and glory," or immediate entrance into heaven after death ; but taught that all men would finally be restored to happiness. For advocating this doctrine, he was accused of trying to destroy Universalism, and many harsh things were said against him by his brother ministers ; but fearless when he thinks himself in the right he conquered, and those doctrines so ably advocated by him are accepted and be- lieved by what is now known as the new school of Universalists ; or it may be said by far the greater portion of his denomination. Later he held several important discussions on the teachings of the Bible, with orthodox divines, which space and time do not permit us to mention.


He retired in the spring of '61 to Clinton, N. Y., where he re- mained working his farm and preaching until 1863, when he was called to the editorship of the Christian Ambassador, a denomi- national paper of New York, which had quite a circulation and considerable influence. Dr. Sawyer ably conducted this paper for three years, when he again retired, but now to a farm recently purchased in Woodbridge, N. J., where he remained in seclusion, we were going to say, for he participated very little in those duties which formerly demanded his attention, though he was by no means idle at this time, for a man of his character cannot be.


In 1870 he was invited to assume, and accepted the duties of the head of Tuft's Theological School, which we hope may prosper many years under his care. It is said " circumstances sometimes nake the man." If so, it is possible that Dr. Sawyer would not


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HISTORY OF READING.


enjoy his present reputation , if he had not gone to New York in 1830, to preach a doctrine despised there, as much as the first teach- ings of our Saviour, eighteen hundred years ago; or in other words, it is doubtful if he had attained his present eminence as a teacher of orthodoxy. He is one of those peculiar men who live and become greatest in the face of strong opposition ; for he not being what the world calls ambitious, has great perseverance, love of truth, and an extreme love for discussion, therefore as an ortho- dox too many would agree with him, and at the time he started in the world too few would oppose him. Furthermore, being a deep thinker, close reasoner and fine rhetorician, he must needs, with these elements, and those before mentioned, do for his denomina- tion what few men could do in New York.




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