Litchfield enquirer., 1873-11-20
New Preston.

Many people in this region remember I distinctly Mr. Israel Bronson and his great liberality and generous gifts to re- l ig1ous objects He passed away some
 years since Mrs. Ann Bronson, his wid
 ow, passed away on the 1st inst, leaving behind the sweet savor of an earnest, con-
 sistent, christian character. Rev. Geo.
 Tomlinson was invited to preach the dis
 course at her funeral but as the day of
 the burial was very stormy the sermon
 was deferred till last Sunday afternoon,
 at which time it was preached in the
 church on the Hill, where the deceased so
 long attended worship and where her af-
 fections and donations were so cordially
 bestowed. Some of the most important
 articles of its furniture were given by
 Mrs. Bronson and her husband-as the
 communion service and sofa and chairs.
 It is understood that notwithstanding she
 did much while living she has done more
 ''by will" Mir. IFS discourse of course
 was earnest and appropriate. As we have
 noticed matter pertaining to the Hill
 perhaps in this connection we may allude
 to another which shows what changes and
 notifications of opinion a decade even
 may effect. We noticed in the report 1 which he gave of the meeting of the Evan gelical Alliance, the acting pastor incorpo- rated into 1t an extract from the New
 York Tribune What would have been
 said and how would it have been said | what would have been done and how would 1t have been done? if The Fri
 bune had been taken into that pulpit in 1863 instead of 1873! Let the supporters
 of Horace Greeley for president answer An efficient sewing society is now in
 operation in the parish on the Hill, of which Miss Mary Ackley is the accom- l plished president.
 In the village the Lyceum Dramatic 1 Association IS doing good work for it's | members. 4 movement to found pub lie library, started with great liberality by some of the young and live men of the place, meets with less favor from some l heads of families than we could wish. 1 About one hundred dollars, we hear. lave been subscribed. This place labors un- der the difficulty of being sort of ''sec- ond-fddler" to Judea. They have their large library and some of rs patronize it. ! They have their lectures and some of us patronize them. Thls is unfortunate for New Preston. We ought to have a libra " and lectures of our own. And here we l will suggest an answer to the conundrum or query of MT. Colton which appeared in the Enquirer, last spring, when in writing 1 of the course of lectures then just closed in Washington the Reverend gentleman asked; s'Why cannot other places about ! have such treat and profitable entertain ! ment for the winteri'' Because other places have not had Mr. F. W. Gum to offer an inviting house ''to all who will'' l to come and spend an evening weekly in l social intercourse and also to entertain ! the people with dramatic and other pub lie entertainments at which small ad-
 
 mission fee has sometimes been taken, thus accustoming the people young and | older to two things, viz: to being out evenings to reasonable hour, and to spending little money for social festivi- ties and intellectual and moral entertain ] ments. Herein, in our judgment, is the explanation of the success of the course of lectures in Washington. And instead of vote of thanks to the committee of last year it would have been more just to have given MT. Gum vote of thanks for having brought the public opinion and habits of the people to where it was pos sible for the course to succeed. .,- That we are right in this let any consid-
 CT whether the same effort by an equally
 competent committee in New Preston, or Warren, or Morris, or Bethlehem, or New ] Milford even, would have succeeded equally well. We make no invidious com parisons but believe we only state fact. l The people of other places have not been socially united and brought to the habit
 of spending money for such objects. Then we say other places can succeed when
 they do the preparatory work. And that ] preparatory work will take in country town about the life time of one genera tion, about as long as MT. G. has been in Washington. e- r
 And here let it be said in all candor and ! kindness that if any other man should
 undertake to do in any other like com l munity what Mir. G. has done in W. he
 must expect to receive decided opposi- l tion perhaps even from the minister and l deacons and others of the best people of l the place, because his entertainments
 were not in there effect just like prayer meeting. We depreciate not the prayer meeting. That is immeasurably important.
 But young people don't naturally go to
 the church prayer meeting. They pre-
 fer and greatly desire something else.
 Shall they then have some innocent
 amusement under the eye of their guardi-
 ans and friends, or. denied this, shall
 they find pleasures on the sly which are ] not innocent? A tree is known by it's fruits. Is there less morality and virtue and intelligence and refinement of man.
 ners and more intemperance and profani-
 tY and general degradation of character
 among the young of Judea than in neigh
 boring communities? And yet have not
 some of the good people of that place
 shake their heads with sadness and heart
 ache as the games and sports and music 1 of the Gunnery went on. And yet is it not true that to large degree the young men of W. have kept themselves from
 vices and bad habits and remained near
 the old homestead, while in other places
 larger proportion have early become