The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1881-11-17
THE REV. MR.. ARTHUR.


The late Rev. William Arthur. the faith
of President Aftl1lt1., preached III the Bal
list church Ill Hoosick. Rensselaer, count
IL this State, folsnany years. He belongg
70 the denominationk known as .IIard-shp
Baptists.2 Ii personal appearance be ":
''fmedfilm size aud big-bodied. His wal
was noticeable, because Of the fact that h
was club-footed. Tie was very lively i
disposition, and was possessed Of 4 deter
mined spirit. Anecdotes to illustrate hi
| character are told By persons now livtn
who were his ueighbors when he was liy
ing at Hoosick. Gu one occasion he wa
The central figure Of All exciting wranoI
between rival Baptist organizations in th
town OF North PoWnaI, in Benningto,
county, Vermont. For many wears tn,
town had two set IS Of Baptists, one knowt
as the Haid-shells aud the other as the
seventIl-Day Baptists or sab3atarians
Neither sect prospered as we'll as the elder
thought they ought, and it was finall,
agreed by them that the two bodies should
unite and work in harmony with the BaD.
list cause. A church was built in common
by the two scots, aud written articles were
signed, whereby each sect agreed &C. use
the building every alternate Sunday for
religious services. Il was also stipulated
that ifeitller sect faiiedto worship in the
church on the Sunday set apart for it, the
church property should revert entirely to
the other sect.
The arrangement continued to work
smoothly for a considerable time, but at
last dissensions arose among the members
ofthe two denominations, Which cuIminatp
i'll all open quarrel. While the Quarrel
Was in progress the Hard-shell Baptists
lost their minister, and found themselves
likely to be withoutanyone to preach for
them on a certain Sabbath. They were
threatened by the sSahhatarians that if thew
lid not hold regular. services on the day
named the church would be confiscated by
their adversaries under the terms Of the
contract and chat they would be debarred
from using it thereafter. III this dilemma
he Hard-Sheli elders resolved to enlist the
services Of the Rev. William Arthur.
aoosicE, where he resided, was only about
aWelve miles from North PoWnal. across
he State line. They saw him, and he con-
ented to preach for them on the Sabbath
Indicated.
lie gotta lay preacher to fiji his place in
he pulpit Of his church at Hoosick, and
tarted 70: North PoWnal early in the
corning Of the Sunday specified, taking
nth him the choirof his oWnchurch. One |
{ the singers was his fAyorife daughter.
anled Malvina. When he entered the
hurch at North PoWtlal he discovered the
hoir of che seventIl-n Blptists in pos
esslon OF The organ-ofr. His choir was
1mpelled to take a position in another /
art Of the church. He assembled the nu|ni1 |
nd opened the services with prayer. There. /
as no interruption until the opening
ymn was sung. lie announced as the
Ymn to be sung, s'eTesus, lover of mr.
'ul. = simultaneously with the singing
it by his choir, the sseventh-Day Baptisr
lolr sang the old Doxology. The result
as that there We're two choirs singing two
mes; at the ame time, which were not.
course, in accord. The confusion was
eat. One Of the choir of the Rev. Mr.
l1hur says his choir almost shouted their
ords, in order to drown the voices of the
choir, The next interruption
the srventh-Dty Btptists was during
e sermon of Mr.. Arthur.
The sermon was in accord with tenets OF
e Harl-Shell B.lptists. Every little :
nile, after Mr.. Arthur had enuneiatetl {
me sound Hard-sheIl Btptist doctrine. a
follower, who had been
Imed for the OCCASION, would interiect =
e remark: s'Ihat's u lie.. III a voice to /
heard all over the church. The remark Z
ts REPEATED several times, TO the evident I
liyhtof the seyenthnay Raptisfs who
ire present, but to the CONSERVATION of {
Z Hard-shtIl Norshippers. Mr.. Arthur, g
Wever, Went OH with his discourse, with i
I showing by his manner that he had
ard the expression, or that he was in lhpI Il
lst annoyed by it. Chagrined At his fail 9
e to have the preacher notice him, the !;
:tnrber finally gotup from his seat and 9
kas
! pulp t. Therenpon Nj. Arthur, spiz- 8
; astrong hickory cane, with which he
nerally walked, hastened from the put =
and met the disturbel il the aisle. He .
zed hold Of him with the remark y oil y
'ulldrel, ct out OF here and ran the q
low ont Of the church. lie gave him
zee Or four hearty thnmps behind with y
cane when he. get him On the steps. lIr. =
thur then resumed his place iii the pull =
and the services We're conducted 10 The 'tl
sc without any further demonstration 9
the. part of.tia sesenth-Day Baptists. y
/ was IN the basement Of the same u
llch that President Arthur aftefwardI
ght school. After he quit the school
late President Garfield went there and
ght Writing.-Aeso ] Tork llssss.
ae Grants In ia eIa. New York
House.
'here is quite fsatter IN society, owing n
lie HilIafIntafsl11lT I,af fseaf1 sss,aI AT,.r