The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-19

that the novelty of this church would
be worn off in sixty days. He now rep
rescnts a part of the city in the Con-
gress of the nation; but although he
has been good business man he proved
a bad prophet. We have gathered
here in many times of great darkness,
doubt, vicissitude and peril. l may
now call this Old Plymouth church, fol-
it is old according to the scale we live
in America. We have been
here ON annual trial before
the people by the method
we employ of vending our seats. Dur
ing the years when we had Castle Gar
den and Union meetings, when mer-
chants and men wer threatened if they
| dared to express their sentiments on
such subjects as slavery or liberty; dur
ing the days when parties were forming
INTO life men in this congregation took
a part. Every year we were brought
| before the puo!ic,the seats were offered
publicly offered-cor sale, and so.
| that crucial test of New York value
vas employed by us in every year since
1850, no backward step having been
taken by this church. 1t has gone
| straight on, and when the hard times
came. and money was close and bank
! ruptcy abounded, measures and men
| were unpopular, and even leading Jour
| mails in New York we're recommending
that a minister of this church should
| be
ROLLED IN THE DUST.
as a testimony Of his offensive senti-
ments there was one stock that never
went down in the market, and that was
Gospel stock-the best stock man cv-
or invested in. If | thought that YOU
came to this house as a matter Of fash
ion or merely for the sake of some in
tellectual enjoyment l should be
ashamed to say a single word to encour-
age you. But | have the test of too
many mcn-vf thousands-that the
Gospel preached in this house has not
been preached to please merely, but to
make men better; I have the testimony
of your own experience that you have
been inlyoura business helped by relig-
ion, and the way i'll which you
have gone through your sorrows in
your family by the spirit of trust
which you obtained here; that you had
better ideas Of citizenship and patriot
ism and life in God and love to man
from coming here. I believe that that
only leads you to come from year to
year to purchase seats in this house
where you may still have this bread
of life. | will not all2de to any Of the
circumstances which make our coming
together this year peculiar. I have
only to say in the language Of the old
psalnist, Il have never seen the right
eous forsaken nor his seed begging
Bread" All through this pain
full period of my life, at
a time when most men
have earned til, right to cease from
labor and obtain the remuneration of a
life spent in the public service,I am I'M
able to do so. I accept this trial with
patience, with cheerfulness, and with
that trust in Gol which I preach to
you, and it is my desire to go through
trouble in such way as that ] may
not blush afterward when I preach to
you how to bear trouble, how to carry
sorrow. Mr.. Beecher then took up a
diagram of the house and explained
how the seats would be disposed of.
He informed the audience that their
auctioneer had been beguiled from them
but that another had stepped into his
place, and he brought the salesman for
ward.
THE BIDDING FOR THR SEATS
was promptly opened, and the first
pew was sold to Mr.. Charles Dennis fox
$3.50. Mr.. H. B. Clafin purchased the
second at a premium of $3.50. The
third was awarded to Mr.. II. W. Sage
at premium of $500. Mr.. G. Dur
zee bought the fourth for the sum Of
$500. Mr.. NJ. S. Beach gave 1886 for
the eighth pew and Mr.. H. G. Bowen
bought back pew at the twenty-sec-
end bid for 1856. Mr.. Augustus Storrs
paid the sum of 1866 for the thirty
fourth pew sold, and a Mr.. Pettingill,
who is member Of DR.. B1ddington's
church, gave $4l0 for seat. Mr.. G.
S. Robinson, of the firm of Woodruff il
Robinson, the house of which Mr.. Moul-
ton was recently member, paid
$40 for pew. Mr.. j. G. Shear
man gave $405 for his pew, and
for fully an hour after the selling began
these prices were maintained. Then
they began gradually to sink, until, at
half past ten, when the auction closed,
pews were knocked down at $50. The
total amount realized from the sale. in
Guiding the rental, was l,l65, being
an increase on last year of $l2,860.
The result was proclaimed from the
desk by the auctioneer, and vas hailed
with great enthusiasm by the congrega-
ton. The first 100 pews sold brought
$S.470 in premiums in advance of last
wear. One hundred dollars more than
IL, o,+;ro yror,,nu If Iect voar WOO