The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-01-11
KENosHA, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, JANUARY Il, 1877

| its sweet worship and rest; and Heay-
| en-, the unending sabbath, the golden
port of the believing pilgrims journey
not only in his sermons and prayer
meeting addresses, but in the familiar
talk of every day, these and such as
these were above all else the dearest
objects of his thought. Well, if there
be any power in goodness, any power
| in piety, such a life as this for more
than thirty years passed in our midst
ought to have rooted itself in the re-
gard of beholders. 1t has been So.
This large assembly, representing not
only various congregations Of this city,
but several of the rural districts of our
county, is witness to how deep and
wide an impress has been left by such
a life as this 1t is no civic, or polite
al, or ecclesiastical, OF even profession
al honors that we are met to pay to-day.
Our tribute has higher meaning. 1t
| is the homage of our esteem, our con-
! fidence, our love for faithful, careful,
conscientious life; the life of ga just
and deyOut man." Of one who
believed the promises Of Heaven and
waited for the consolation of Israeli"
and who is doubtless to-day rejoicing
in the abundance Of that consolation.
| Such a life as this is worthy of more
than a passing mention. Such men
are not borne to us by every breath
| that blows. You do not find a DR..
Gridley at every corner of the street.
Such a life requires for it's production
the union of many choice influences.
DR.. Gridley was fortunate in his
parentage. His is an old Puritan
name. And our departed friend was
himself q lineal descendent of one of
those intrepid roundheads who fought
with Cromwell in the conflict of
English liberty more than two centu-
ries ago In the manner of our friend,
his somewhat magisterial style of
bearing, the observer might possibly
fancy that he could descry the trans
mitted marching and counter-march-
ing of those embattled heroes of the
olden time. That fine quality of pres
ence which we call dignity, and which
/ DR.. Gridley possessed in an eminent
degree, is not commonly the schooling
of a day, but is more likely the subtle
outcome of generations of noble think
ing and brave acting
DR.. Gridley was born in Kinder
hook, Columbia Co. n. Y, in May, 1907,
and at the time of his death was in his
8Oth year. His preparatory education
was received at the Kinderhood Acade-
my. After which he studied medicine
for three years in Herkimer Co., and
was admitted to practice in the year
1918, and practiced about y years, first
in Pulaski, then in Aurora, later in
Clinton. And here comes the great and
decisive change i'll his history. Dur.
/ ing this period of his medical practice
occurred his mothers death.
To those who hear me to-day, and
who were so familiar with the staunch
orthodoxy of Dr.. Gridley's religious
opinions, it will be a surprise to be
told that he ever for one moment en-
j tertained a skeptical objection. And il
is true that he never publicly avowed
any distrust of the christian system
He was never in any sense a propagan-
dist # infdelity. But it would seem
that about this time his mind had be.
come darkened by some Of those forms
of unbelief which were at that time
} only too fashionable among many OF
the intellectual leaders with whom he
was acquainted. Perhaps these doubts
J were never openly confessed by him
till after his conversion. But referring
to his secret thoughts at the time of his
mothers death, he has often since said
) when [ stood there by my mothers
dying bed and held her sinking pulse, l
really supposed that when that
pulse stopped, that would be the end
of her," His creed at this time would
seem to have differed little from the
lmaterialism of Prof Tyndall's Belfast
address, no potency but matter; man
dies as the beast dies!