Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-04-03
Thursday. April 3. 1885,
Funeral Discourse

Funeral Discourse
By the Rev. Mr. willard at the Obse-
quIos OF the Late Deacon DIclkerman
ut westviIle congregational Church
Neutrality-suspicious. to a Venerable and
Esteemed Man.
The funeral of the late Deacon Isaac Dick
erman, of Westville, took place yesterday
afternoon from the Congregational church in
that place, the pastor, Rev. Mr.. Willard, Off
ciating. There were many prominent people
o. the village present and a deep sense of
personal lo5s seemed apparent in all faces.
The severe weather kept many of the elderly
people from the services much to their re-
greet. Throughout the entire village the
death of Deacon Dickerman seems to be felt
as the taking away of one deeply respected
and worthy of respect. A funeral discourse
was delivered at the church by the Rev. Mr..
Willard, whose long personal acquaintance
with the deceased and talents eminently
fitted him for the task. The discourse Is
printed below.
The pail bearers were four grandsons CT
the deceased, Mr.. George A. Dickerman,
Mr.. E. s. Swift and William B. Swift of this
city, and Chauncey Reed, of Westville. The
The intOrment was in Westville cemetery.
Micah T. aThe good man is persisted out of the
earth.
Soon after the death of the late Bishop
Kemper one who had known him well In life
uttered these words:
ssThere are deaths that upon with the sense
OF complete deaths mat The RorE IL
when the story L. all told hen the long InL gay
FAITHFUL superintendent manhood did the work like
master. Patiently, as the years passed. the ap-
borne And now at last, all finished, death comes to
summon the laborer to rest.
that end long and frzitful life with perfect close
They come with the cslmness of summer sunsets
SIMMER that ends the year They seem to belong to
the diviner hsrmonies of the other world, to be
visitation of Gods eternal order here among the IN
certainties and COMMISSIONS OF time"
Such death was that of our departed
friend.
OF no disten per, Of bias. he died,
But fell like autumn fruit that melloWsd long:
Even wondered at, because he dropt no sooner;
Fate SCENE to wind him up for fourscors years;
Yet freshly ran he on thirteen winters more;
Till, like a clock worn out with sst1ng time,
The wheels of weary life at last stood STILL
Isaac Dickerman was born in New Haven,
Conn, jan &c, 1871 In his early days, he
lived at home and engaged in work such as
farmers boys were wont to do in what we
now call the olden time. His father was
God-fearing man and was honored with
places of public trust. His mother prayed
that her boy might become blessing. On
the 25th of February, 1921, he made public
recognition of his faith in Christ by uniting
with the Center church, then under the pas
torate of the late N. w. Taylor, D. D. His
wife's maiden name was May Hotchkiss
She was native of Derby, Conn. They
were married Sep. Is, 1914. And now the real
character of the man begins to appear In
many ways of usefulness. And some of its
more marked elements tbs highly proper
that we consider.
Early in his Christian life he evincsd an
earnest desire that the people of Wsstville
sho I'D honor the sanctuary and sustain pub
lie worship.
Very soon after the foundation Of this
church the members began to say one to
another, ttWe need new house OF worship.
But the people were not rich, and none could
give largely out of their abundance, for the
abundance was not in them. Still, after
| talking the matter over, they resolved to en-
| ter upon the work. Fears were in the way,
and difficulties were to be encountered, and
sacrifices to be made, but there were giants
| in those days, and these did not lose heart
| Isaac Dickerman was then in the vigor of
| manhood. He proved to the brethren that
he had in him the metal of genuine courage.
To face a cannon in the hour of battle, to
| enter a VOLTS den knowing the wolf to be
/ there to strike back the blow of robber or
midnight assassin, in such onsets / believe
| my own courage would not fail; but were
| asked to go about among men and solicit
/ money to build house of worship should
certainly say, From that may the good Lord
deliver mel'
Sometimes whom 1 have heard Deacon
| Dickerman tell his story have thought OF
| Daniel in the lions den; of Paul when they
stoned him and dragged him out of the city,
| and wondered how he endured so many
sneers and taunts and still kept heart. But
| he did, and the Lord was with him. And as
| some aged veteran loves to tell the story of
| the battles which he helped to fight in his
! youth, or in the vigor of his manhood, so
| our good deacon liked to tell the story of the
| part he acted in the early trials and struggles
of this church, And why not? He did run
| WE'LL he journeyed from house to house. and
! from village to village, determined that the
Lords houss should be built. I can hear
him say in the spirit of David 81 " ill not give
| sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eye
lids until find out place for the Lord, a
| habitation for the mighty God of Jaeob;'' or
| with prophetic zeal, For lions sake will
not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake
I will not rest until the people come and do
| work in the house of the Lord of Hosts. ~
| And rest he did not till he saw men Ego up
| to the mountain and bring wood and build
| the house, and then he took pleasure in it;
| and SO long as the glorious gospel of the Son
| of God shall be preached here, SO long 1t
shall be told as memorial of him.
Then he loved the house of God. He could
| say: "How amiabls are thy tRbernacles, o
Lord of Hosts!"
A second element in his character was
sincerity. Those that knew him could not
suppose that he assumed anything or said
! any thing for the sake of appearance.
HE lived from all attainder of suspect"
1911 1Ao H. L.
of virtue" but because he had 10 vice to
daub. Hence instead of saying 81 am not
what 1 am" he could say II am what
am" And so 1t wa that people believed in
him and trusted him and listened to his
words. More than one has said to me
love to hear him talk in meeting, he is so
sincere. All, yes, he was sincere, there was
no faint of hypocrisy about him. He said,
Christ to me is precious, and he was very
precious. What was said of Thomas
Arnold may with equal truth be said of
him: sin Jesus he found faultless per-
fiction, all he sought in an earthly friend.
His eye went right across the intervening
ages to look into the eyes of the Saviour.
He saw there that wisdom which siIenced
the gainsaysr. that calm before which the
tempest became still, that love which
beamed through tears upon the weeping
sisters by the grave of Lazarus; he seemed
to grasp that hand which supported Peter
among the waves, and whose touch lit the
scared eyebau Or his eye pierced beyond
the atmosphere of earth altogether; he felt
himself walking by the river of life, in the
midst of the paradise of God; and here, too,
he saw the same Jesus, with those same
human features and that same human smile;
and when in the overlooking fullness of his
heart, every expression CT affection that
might pass between earthly friends failed to
express his emotion, he could, without
scruple and with speechless ioyfulness, bow
down and worship him"
He loved the sanctuary. He walked in
sincerity. And third element inwoven and in
wrought through his entire character was the
grace of humility. remember well how,
years ago, he told me of the gifted brethren