The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-12-26
FoE TIE CENTRAL PREssxrERIAS.
"REMINISCENCES OF PRESBYTERIAN
MINISTERS.
By AN oCToGENARIAN.
No. 25.
DIR. DANA.

No. 20.
DIR. DANA.
Richard Ssorrs, q student of the College,
informed me that this divine from Newbury-
port, had spent a Sabbath in Princeton
Why, then, l asked, did he not make him
self known that We might have heard the sill
yer tones of his voice. MOdesty-he replied
Some men require to be sought out, for they
prefer not the notice they hunt after, but
that by which they are followed. Wish, l
rsjOined, that we could have caught sight of
his person. His weight, he said, would not
have run over hundred and thirty pounds,
but he knows what and how to preach. He
is sound Presbyterian, with an elocution
mild but pleasing. We afterwards found
that he stood upright in family prayer, and
commenced his Sabbath at twilight on Sat
urdsy evening. These were innocent pecu-
hsrities.
The writer did not then dream that he
might one day become the guest of DR..
Dana, After tho rising of the General As
ssmbly in 1919, we left Philadelphia for
NsWburypOrt in search of sea air. We were
not looking after POetess like Miss Gould,
or barrister like Caleb Gushing, author of
a long Chinese Letter, or millionaire like
Bartlett. What then? After breezes from
the Merrimack or the Atlantic. The town
was very handsome. On gentle declivity,
with wide streets running pretty much at
right angles, on pleasant river and noble
harbor. After an hour spent at the hotel, a
gentleman knocked at the door of my room,
and on finding ingress introduced himself as
DR.. Dana He wore gold spectacles. You
must 20 with me, he said, and not dwell in
any hired house during your stay. Don't
ike to deprive any one of customer, but
will try to send the hotel two in your stead.
The Jews at Rome had received not letters
about Paul from Judea, but we have received
some concerning you from the Pesbodys,
Dodges, Elliots, Searles, Russells and Put
mans of Georgetown. Yes, replied, that
town, founded in 1751, is full of New Eng
landers and they are first rate denizens. In
the first nuptial knot Doctor, ever tied, the
handsome bride was from your town. So
the stranger became Spugly fixed in Pres
byterisn Hsnse hedged on all sides BY Con-
gregatiOnahsm.
Let me say once for al that DR.. Dana was
a gentleman of che Virginia and Maryland
type. Hospitsble as the Patriarch under
the oak of Mamre, sensitive in his Orgsnizs-
ton, refined in his feelings, afectiOnate to
his kindred as was Joseph, with entire con-
troll of the unruly member, opposed to al
feuds, and devoted to the people of his
charge. He was q man of cultivated taste,
Bellies Lettres scholar, fond of improving
conversation, and what he wrote and pub
Ished was written with classical simplicity
and force. He never once limited to hi:
suest that he had been President of Col
lege which We suppose to have been Dart
mouth, but sometimes called Hanover, IL
Grafton county New Hampshire. He wa
also leading member of Londonderry Pres
bytery. We do not suppose that he va
versed extensively in French literature or IL
the Italian from Dante to Alieri but hi
mind was we'll stored with that of England
On each of the three Sabbsths spent il
NewburypOrt he invited the stranger to OC
cupy his pulpit. We found it in vain to de
cline. Your visit, he said, is but transient
and my people are not opposed to hearing
preacher from the South. We found th
Federal street church to be spacious ed
fee. 1t would accommodate large numbe
of people. When the congregation rose
prayer all the seats were thrown back o
their hinges making room for them to stsnt
and after prayer rearranged. The clstterin
resOunded over the church, galleries and a
below. The applications for prayer were
numerous, that bead roll would not hs7
been out of place, but not being Pspist '
did not count the number. But the peOp
listened to the discourse with fixed attentio
for they were clearly endowed with inqui
ing minds. The leader of that missiOnsl
band about to plant Christianity in the San