Middletown transcript., 1869-09-18
LOCAL AFFAIRS.

now ueSlgnated as the mother OF churches
The day was lovely, the temperature being of
too cold, fully realizing the poets ideal:
''sweet day, so pure so calm so bright,
The bridal Of the earth and sky"
from Port Penn, from st. Georges, from Middle
town, and all the adjacent country. The house
was filed to its utmost capacity, and the occasion
was one of deep and absorbing interest," for it had
been set apart, not only for the purposes Of this
reunion, but for special prayer in all the Presby-
terian Churches throughout the United States in
behalf of reunion of the two branches of the sew
cred Church, which for thirty-ive years has main
tained distinct organizations under the designa-
ton of Old School and New School.
Rev. DR.. Crowell, ofthe new Drawyer's Church,
Odessa, conducted the exercises, and preached
from LIST Corinthians, 18th verse dis Christ
divided? Was Paul cruciied for your Or were
we baptised in the name of Paul?' His sermon
excited the deepest interest and was listened to
with profound attention. The music was well
rendered by the choir of the Odessa Church. The
first or opening piece, preceding the sermon,
was: "Blessed are they who do his command
ments;" the closing piece, after the sermon, was
that fine old familiar fugue-tune "Jerusalem My
Happy Home, which when well sung, as it was
on this occasion, is truly inspiring.
The exercises were to be continued in the after
noon, and of course every one came prepared to
lunch upon the ground. Rev. DR.. Patton spoke
in the afternoon. His remarks embraced a re-
sumo of the history of the division of the Church,
and the events which brought it about; but
which happily is now about to be healed. He
feelingly adverted to the fact, that all over the
country, on that day, in all the Presbyterian
Churches, about 4,3!l in number, embracing a
membership of 43l 900, prayer was ascending to
the Throne of Grace in behalf of the reunion of
the Church into one body, "consummation
20 hox s1,nl Da4
tened to with absorbing interest. He was fol-
lowed by Rev. MIR. Gaylord, of Lincoln, formerly
pastor of Drawers. He adverted to heavenly
reunion, and with much pathos and tenderness,
named over the sainted dead, who, during his
own ministrations in that place, had departed,
one after another, for that better country, hea-
yenly, where he expressed the fervent hope there
would be a joyful reunion with those who had
gone before Rev. Mr.. Beale of st. Georges,
made the opening prayer in the afternoon, and
closed with the benediction. Altogether, the day
was a most agreeable one, and one which will
long be cherished in the memory of those who
were present.
To us, the occasion and the place, were not
only novel, but full of interest. There was much
to occupy the mind and employ the thoughts in
That which was passing around us, but our
thoughts were busy with the past also. The an
tque building, now almost century old with
its quaint appointments its high pews, its eabor-
the speaker, its bannistered chance, and air of
antiquity with its surrounding area thickly stud
ded with the memorials of the dead, all conspired
to impress the mind and heart, and Undue the
spirit with awe and solemnity. To the imagina-
tion the generations of the past seemed revivfed
and to people again those quaint old aises and
galleries, until as it was apty expressed by one of
the speakers, we seemed to be compassed about
by "cloud of Witnesses Doubtless many
present evoked the memory of the departed, who
had worshipped with them in that consecrated
fame, until their living presence seemed to minge
again with the throng around them.
Memory, outspreadng her white.plumaged pinion,
Was bearing them back to long vanished day,
Where the future seemed but the fairy dominion
And the present vision that fed not away
s0w the lights and the shadows Of being are blended
But lies weary pilgrimage, with them, Is ended
Their day'spring eternal all olopdess and bright
Full many a bud and fair sweet-scented blossom
Have faded and paed from the light Of the day,
And many white hand and warm-hearted bosom,
Grown puseless and cold as the inanimate clay;
For many dear one hath passed through the portal
The mystical gate, to tho shadowy straud
And we only know that call them immortal
And dwellers above in that far, better land,
After the services of the day were concluded
we had opportunity to view the tablets on either
side of the pulpit. Upon the right hand as you
enter, the tablet has the following inscription
' The Church of the first Presbyterian Society in
this Hundred, built A. D. 1913. This stone the
gift of Mrs. Mary Hill. Serve the Lord with
gladness. Paslm 100, I'd" On the left hand
the following =" This site was purchased,
May, 1908. The first Church was built in iii.
Rev. J. Wilson was the first pastor, I'LL Your
fathers, where are theyP' One hundred and fif-
ty-eight years have rolled away since that worthy
presbyter broke the silence of the surrounding
wilderness in the vicinity of Drawers, calling
upon his hearers to repent and believe that they
might be saved, proclaiming the unsearchable
riches of Christ The question suggested itself to
our thoughts-who will live of all who are pres
ent here to-day to recall the recollection of this
interesting occasion, and of those who particpa-
ted in it. when the second century from the foun-
ding of the first Church, shall have been compile
ted, forty-two years hence2 Few, very few in
deed. Here and there will probably be seen
as we have seen here to-day a gray-haired sire
or venerable matron, three score and ten, prob
ably four score who has out-lived the present gen.
Grafton, while all the rest have gone down into the
dust in fulhlment of the mandate, "dust thou art
and unto dust shalt thou return" May it then
with truth be said of each, nortalitatc Telcta vi
rn immortdlitdte indutus
AT length, as the sun of that beautiful autumn
Sabbath was descending in uncouded glory to
the west, one carriage after another rolled away
until the old church was left alone amidst the
sleeping dead, to be reopened again, on a similar
occasion, on the second Sabbath of Sept 1870.
A BLooMER IN MIDDLErowN.-Quitea sensation
was produced here on Tuesday night and We'd
hesoay morning, by the appearance amongst US
OF female in Bloomer costume. She arrived on
the cars on Tuesday evening, and put up at
Walkers Hotel, registering her name in a yery
pad hand as Il. b. Harmer, as nearly as it could
be made out, of Florence, n. J. On Wednesday
morning she took an airing, on foot and unat-
tcnded, to neighboring peach orchard, and af-
forwards departed in the IL .35 train for Dover.
iier dress was black silk coat which came
down to her knees, and pantaloons of the same
material. Her headgear was not unlike that
worn by other women, with profusion of rib
bon. She was the cynosure Of all eyes, wher-
eyer she went, and said she came down to look
at the Delaware peach orchards.
ATTEMPTED SUIcIDE.-James Dongherty of Dar-
by Pa. married young woman last July, who
had accumulated $500 by her own industry, and
this sum he induced her to give to him in order
that be might buy house and lot in Kingsess-
ing. Instead of doing this he induced another
young woman to accompany him to New Cas-
| tie where he was married to her by the Catholic
Priest. They then started for Boston. Mrs.
Dougherty on learning of the base desertion by