Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-12-06

"Reminiscences OF DF, hlpleyY OF concord,
remember, when boy, driving
about Concord with him, and in pass
inc each house he told the story of the
family that lived in it, and especially he
gave me anecdotes of the nine church
members who had made Il division in
the church in the time of his predeces-
sor, and showed me how every one of
the nine had come to bad fortune or to
a bad end. His prayers for rain and
against lightning THAT it may not lick
up our Spirits" and for good weather;
and against sickness and insanity. THAT
we have not been tossed to and fro until
the dawning of the day, that we have
not been a terror 10 ourselves and
others" are well remembered; and his
own entire faith that these petitions
were not to be overlooked, and were
entitled to a favorable answer. Some
of those around me will remember one
| occasion of severe drought in this Vi
entity, when the late Rev. Mr. Goodwin
offered to relieve the doctor of the duty
of leading in prayer; but the doctor
suddenly remembering the season, re-
jected his offer with some humOr, as
with an air that said to all the congre-
CATION, This is no time for you young
Cambridge men; the affair, sir, is get
ting serious. | will pray myself"
One August afternoon, when | was in
his bayfield, helping him with his man
to rake up his hay, well remember
his pleading, almost reproachful looks
at the sky, when the thunder gust was
coming up to spoil his hay. He raked
very fast, then looked at the cloud; and
said, 1--WE are in the Lord S hand; mind
your rake, George We are in the
LORDS hand;" and seemed to say, You
know me; this field is NINE DR.. Rip
ley's, thine own servant!'
He used to tell the story of one of his
old friends, the minister of Sudbury,
who, being at the Thursday lecture in
Boston, heard the officiating clergyman
PRAYING for rain. As soon as the SER
vice was over, event to the petitioner,
and said, ''You Boston ministers, as
soon as tulip willis under your win
| dow, go to church and pray for rain,
! until all Concord and Sudbury are I'M
| der water" | once rode with him to a
| house at Nine Acre Corner, to attend
| the funeral of the father of family
| He mentioned to me on the way his
| fears that the oldest son, who was now
| to succeed to the farm, was becoming
Incorporate. We presently arrived,
and the doctor addressed each of the
mourners separately: ''Sir, [ condole
! with you.n Madam, | cOndole with
you" ''Sir, I knew your great grand
| father When | came to this town,
| your great-grandfather was a substan-
| tial farmer in this very place; men,
= IL, -
izen. Your grandfather followed him,
! and was a YirtuOUs man. Now your
father is to be carried to his grave, full
of labors and virtues. There is none
of that large family left but you, and it
rests with you to bear up the good name
and usefulness of your ancestors. If
you fail, Ichabod, the glory is departed.
Let us pray" Right manly he was,
and the manly thing he could always
say. / can remember a little speech
he made to me, when the last tie of
blood which held me and my brothers
to his house was broken by the death
of his daughter. He said on parting,
81 wish you and your brothers to come
to this house as you have always done.
When Put Merriam, after his re-
lease from the State prison, had the eff
frontery to call on the doctor as an old
acquaintance, in the midst of general
conversation Mr.. Frost came in, and
the doctor presently said, Mr. Mer-
riam, my brother and colleague, Mr..
Frost, has come to take tea with me. [
regret very much the cause (Which you
know very welD which makes it impOs-
sible for me to ask you to stay and
break bread with u.s. With the doc
tors views, it was a matter of religion
to say thus much. He had a reverence
and love of society, and the patient,
| continuing courtesy, carrying out every
| respectful attention to the end, which
| marks what is called the manners of
the old school. His hospitality obeyed
| Charles Lambs rule, and ran fine to
the last. ''-Ralph Waldo Emerson, IN
| November atlantic.