Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-01-16
SUPPLEM EMIT.
REV. ZENAS THOMPSON.
By Oh. W. b. LAPHAN.



been expected for some days, and ms nu-
meroas friends were in part prepared tof
i, vet when it came, il produced a severe
shock. as it always does when great
and GOOD man dies. And the death OF
Mr.. Thompson creates a great void, Il not
in the active world from which, on account
Of in6rmiiy he had for some time been
mostly retired. certainly in the hearts of
his great circle Of personal friends. His
active work was finished some years ago,
aud he was - old and full Of years, and
We, know of no man in Maine whose
death would cause more heartfelt sorrow
TO q larger circle o: friends who "sorrow
most Of all tina, they can see his face no
more.
Mr.. Thompson commenced preaching
in 1925, when j, cost something to be-
come an advocate Of universal reconcihA-
tion. Then the believers in this faith in
Maine were very few, and It's advocates
BY a great msjori,y Of our people, were
held mp to scorn, and the Universalis,
preacher, except in few families, was
socially ostracised. /; required faith,
courage aud perseverance in = young
man, to take the stand that he took.
though We Of later generation can
hardly comprehend II, and these Mr..
Thompson possessed in a remarkable
degree. He WAS eminen,ly man Of
convictions, and no force Of circum-
stances could ever cause him to swerye
one 10, or title from wha, he believed to
be right
Mr Thompson was born in Auburn,
Me, Dec 80, 1904, and a, the time Of
his death had nearly completed his sew
en,y-oish,h year lie was Of Scy'h-
Ir.sh lineage, anu his first American an
ces,or was Of the Scotch-Iri,h emf grafton.
This was Archibald Thompson who with
his family, came from the north o. Ire
land and settled in Abingdon, Mass, in
1924. He subsequently, moved 70 Brids-
water. and died there in l776, aged
eighty-fve years. He was the great
grea,-graudfa,her OF the subject Of this
notice.
Captain John Thompson. grandson Of
the emigran, and grandfather Of Rev.
Zenas Thompson, married Janet Allan Of
Brijsewa,er, and came early TO Miuo:,
Maine. From there he moved to the
south Hill so called in Buokdeld, where
he carried on the manufacture Of spin
ming wheels, which was also the occupA-
ton Of his enigyan; ancestor. His son
Hannibal. who married Dillingham; OF
Auburn, was the father Of the subject Of
this sketch. Mr.. Thompson, soon after
he became Of age, married Leonora,
daughter of Isaac and Ruth L. Perry
Leayitt of Turner, who survives him.
They celebrated their golden wedding
some six or seven years ago. Mrs. /
has been a model wife and mother, a
helpma;e in truth and in deed to her nus
band.
As TO his merits as a preacher, Others
better qualified than l, Will doubtless d,
him Justice. but | cannot refrain from
saving that | consider him one Of th'
ablest pulpit orators have ever heard
He was sometimes slow, and some hay,
sometimes spoken Of him as tediously so
but he never left subject without throw
ing light upon IT, He always began HI
discourses with elaboration, laid hl
foundations broad and deep, but the sd
perstructure was always beautiful, an
so firmly put together that an enem
could find no place FOR successful assault
He was my pastor for several years, an
never knew him TO make anything lik
a failure in the pulpit. His early train
ing and experience when his creed wa
SO bitterly assailed, made him aggressiv
and doctriual in his discourSes, and
was ever his delight to show up the IL
consistencies and incongVuitieS Of the PAL
tialist creed. He INDUCED in no rhetol
zeal fourishes for the sake of effect, bl
his well chosen language was always
the point, and his hearers were never
a loss to know what be meant. His WI
the eloquence of power and Of losi
and the force of his arguments was irr'
sistible.
Mr.. Thompson would have exeelled
any of the learned professions. Had
chosen the law, he wosld have been
great advocate. He would have indulg,
in DO mysticism, never would have tri'
10 pervert the truth, but in the elueid'
ton Of facts ne would have been powe
full. / once heard him preach on d
character and probable fate of Judas
CARROT. 1t was no attempt to cOndone
palliate his foul deeds, but it was an a
tempt to show that in the great mer