The Portland daily press., 1882-11-25
SECOND PARISH CHURCH.
PRESENTATION TO REV. MR. DICKIN-
SON.
A Delightful Occasion Last Evening.

The Second Parish vestry was crowded to
repletion last evening with the congregation
and friends of that church who assembled to
pay tribute of affection and esteem to their
beloved pastor, who has just resigned his
charge, having received call to the Kirk ST.
Church in Lowell, Mass. Mr.. Dickinson was
presented with gold watch and chain and
Mrs. Dickinson was made the recipient of a
like present, both being of elegant workman
ship and valued at three hundred dollars. The
venerable DR.. Carruthers called the as
semblage to order and forthwith presented the
astonished pastor and his estimable wife with
their respective gifts, in his accustomed happy
and hearty manner. The Doctor said:
The NEST obnoxious part of book is the pre-
face, and the most obnoxious part of a speech
is the opening. / shall not now impose
speech upon you, but proceed at once with the
object for which this meeting is called. So
We will go sin naedids res +" have here three
distinct packages, the first of which, / under
stand is for Brother Dickinson. Now, Brother
Dickinson, in the name of the people of the
second Parish church, l hereby present you
with this watch for your own; you will keep
1t and remember the donors as long as you
exist. From the young men of the Parish
present, In their name, this beautiful chain.
(Applause) Now if Mrs Dickinson will do
me the honor to come up to the platform, /
have something to say to her on the part of
the Parish. This watch and chain are yours.
NO lines OF sex are to be drawn. Equality
exists between the sexes. Laughter) L will
say that no more appropriate present could
De made TO the pastor of a church. The
various uses to which the watch will be ap-
piled will show that you-the people--have
been wise in making choice Of this present for
your pastor that was. In the first place it will
keep you in remembrance of these dear
friends whenever You take it from your pocket
and then, sir, know something about writ
ing sermons but have no way of testing the
longitude or the latitude of them such as you
now have, for by placing this watch before
you, you can go to the pulpit and settle the
whoie matter as to the length and BREADTH
DON'T say the depth-of the discourse laugh
teri And then, sir, there is one use to which
we can all apply these timekeepers and it is
that which teaches us that the days of our.
years are three score years and ten, and shows
us that time is fieeting. May yoar days be
many and dear is the earnest wish of your
friends of Portland, and you may be assured
that they will remember you with affection
and love. And now, Mrs Dickinson, you al
SO Will nave occasion to use your watch. Wis
itors Will come to your own house, expecting
you to spend little more time than yox can
well AFFORD TO give, and in one of those sly
ways that ladies know how to make use of.
take out your watch and measure its time
Uaughter) One thing about these watches.
They go by the same rules, tick, tick, tick,
each responding to the other. Thus they keep
along the measure of your time and whilst
these. the emblems of the affections of your
irlends mere, continue to act az they ought to
act, this will be an emblem of that endearing
union existing between you and your heavenly
rather. May both your days be heightened
ana may the blessings of the most High rest
upon you.
Mr.. Dickinson, though evidently greatly
overcome, responded as follows:
My Dear Friends-I am in a place where
realize more than ever before what it is not to
nave words to express my feelings. Could I,
In the embarrassment of this moment, collect
my thoughts sufficiently to choose such words
as would use they would be words of the
deepest surprise, the warmest love and the
most sincere gratitude / thank you, YES.
thank you with all nay heart, for this expires
sion OF your affection for me and mine. You
nave always been more than kind to us, and
can assure you that your kindness needed to
take no such substantial form as this to make
for you an abiding place in our love and mem
DRY. we shall value these gifts not only be-
cause OF their intrinsic worth, but above all
because OF the spirit which prompted them-a
spirit which has ever made it blessing to
know you, and joy to minister unto you. We
shall 60 from you happy in the Thought that
we Dear with us no enmities, and leave behind
US, as we believe, only friends. Wherever we
may go, or under whatever circumstances we
may DC placed, we shall always regard you,
our nrSt people, with feelings of tender interest;
we snail pray for your prosperity, and sympa-
thlze with you in all your joys and sorrows
notlee not few among these many famil-
lar races who. although they are not members
OIL the Second Parish have, through their
friendship and sympathy, shown deep inter-
est IN my work here. include you all among
my peop'e tonight and thank you for the kind
ness which have uniformly experienced at
your hands.
And perm it me also to thank you publicly at
this time, my dear brother and friend, for all
That You have done for me, and for all that
You have been to me since / have occupied
this important field as your successor. Nay
the Lord keep you and bless you.
Again | thank you, my dear friends, not
only for these valuable gifts, but for all the
kindness which you have shown to myself and
my family during my stay among yon. May
heavens richest blessing be yours, may your
love to one another abound, and increase
more and more, may You grow in grace, and
In the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je-
sus Christ. And may you SO live that you
may have for your eternal reward the Inherit
ance that is incorruptible and that fadeth
not away.
A brief time of social greeting followed this
presentation. The society deeply deplores the
loss of a pastor who has has endered himself,
SO closely in the family circle as well as by his
eloquent ministrations in the pulpit, but with
commendable Christian spirit, yielding to
re asons that are imperative, they send forth
their hearts best wishes with him to his new
field of labor in full trust that God will contin-
ne the blessings that have attended his labors
here.