Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-09
VI see world of spirits bright,
 Who taste the pIsaBdre4 there; ArrAyed iu robes of spotless white, And nnnnnarfno nal ma fhAE hanr :,


 And conquertDg palms they bear" The Methodists got their start in New l Haven near the beginning of this century. | Mrs. Dean, a Welsh lady, who had been a | Methodist in the old country was, it is said, our first Methodist and the nucleus of Meth odism here. She was the mother of the well remembered and energetic Deacon James | B. P. Dean, merchant and one of the found- 1 CTS of the Third Congregational society. The Methodists held their early meetings at her house, and it was soon noised about that they had happy times there and greatly Gen l joyed religion" The expression ''enjoyed religion'' sounded queerIy to the old Puritan
 stock, who attended to religious ministrations
 mainly from 6 sense of duty. Curiosity was ] aroused and if to this could be united pleas ure, the having ''a good time," 1t was at least something worthy their inquiry req I sonabie moral brings, and so they went and discovered that not the half had been told. They found that these people even ou the holy day in the heats of their joy could shout and sven laugh, while the more sanctinlonious of the original sort would not allow to let fit over their physiognomies anything stronger than the subdued light of solemn smile.
 The very first of these Methodists carne from the North church, which lost several of its prominent members, among whom were Isaac Gilbert (fsther of Elias Giloert) and Eli Barnett, who later became a Methodist preacher, and from whose lips our informant derived the above items. He furthermore stated that the accession of Mir. Gilbert was accidental. arising from bis entertaining an itiusrant to whom he had been listening one Sunday preaching in the open air from tho Court House steps As the stranger closed ] his discourse he told the people that he was 1 travelling the country with no scrip in h1s | purse, laboring in the vineyard of the Lord, | and that like his master he had nowhere to | lay his head, and that consequently he would | be glad to accept the hospitality of anyone 1 present over the Sabbath, and thus they | would help the cause of him whose unwor hy | servant hs was, or words to that purporr. | Thereupon Mr. Gilbert came forward and i took the good man home, his heart being | large and his larder ample, indeed it mus4 | have been to supply the appetites of the sew enteen young GilbeEts, all his own, and from @ single mother, that were wont to gather around the family board.
 Among the eccentric characters Of fifty l years ago was 8 colored woman known as Black MiIly. She was one of the old style i Methodists and at times greatly enlivened the meetings by her joyous shoutings, occasion ally getting into that condition termed by the coIored people of the South drunk with the spirit" She was medium-sized woman, with sseyes'' as is told us, which stood ont like lobsters." Her occupation was peddIing yeast made from hops, or, as it was anciently called, ''emptins." This she drew around in little hand cart from house to house. Everybody in our little town knew her aud smiled when her name was men, tioned, and had anecdotes to relate of her comical performances at the Methodist meet ings, or of some sharp or odd thing that fell from her lips. She would not allow any person to speak ill of another in her pres ence. On an occasion of this kind she closed a slandering mouth by exclaiming, Don't you talk about her. Hoe your own garden r Late in life she married man by the name of Myers. Soon after some one asked her what she did Sunday mornings, upon which she replied, 'Feed my pigs-Examine my constituencies my Myers ready-Fhen it's time to go to msetin. 'tMy Myers" after awhile passed away, and on being consoled with for her loss she replied, 70, he's noth- in to me nov! He's gone upi Gods got Myersl' At times her shoutings were so vo- eiferoRs as to ba great annoyance to the