Connecticut western news., 1885-09-16
WEDNESDAY, sEPTEMBER16, 1885.
"REMINISCENCES.
BY REV ROBERT HUNT.
North Canaan and Vicinity.


 ssnt us to West Taghkanic, N. Y.,where we found good people, but only re- mained among them one year.
 The presiding elder, s. I. Ferguson, thought the condition of the church at Canaan, Conn.,, demanded my services, and I left the matter wholly in his hands. I had received in one form and another $14OO in cash. knew full well that financially it would be to my loss to change, but at the same time knew I had come to serve brave, generous people. And felt from the beginning my charge was worthy of all I could do for them in the name of the Master.
 The imitation of the national currency during and after the war inflated every thing else. Church building, with every thing else, was booming, and the little society of Canaan erected a beautiful church and incurred large debt, which they carried without embarrass- ment until the monetary distress of 1873 closed down upon them like herald of doom. The debt began to grow and the hope of many waxed faint. The sources of income, from every possible direc- tion, were far from being equal to the expenditures. The original projectors of the new church, James A. Root, Rob. ert Van Deusen, John R. Fuller, Edward Hunt, Nathaniel O. Ward, J. J. Bailey and others had done all they could tow ard building, and now to control the debt and hold on to the church till ssclouds rolled by" became an anxious question. M
 The pressure of adverse circumstances IS often the immediate cause of sending us to our knees in prayer to God for de- liverance, yet not so much from consid- erations of our crippled financial condi- tion as desire for purer hearts, and that we might see men saved from their sins, and I soon learned with great glad ness that the Divine Spirit had put it into the hearts of two or more devoted women to pray for 8 revival. At some house In the village these noble women met to pray and they continued through summer and autumn and prevailed with God. In the winter we started @ series of revival meetings. At the first meet ing there were eight persons present; one of those proved to be seeker, and the revival commenced from that night. There were about 40 conversions and life from the dead was in that work. It brought money and members and hope to the church. We called meeting of citizens; all who were interested in maintaining the church, and many came to that meeting. Lawyer A. T. Rora- back left session of court at Falls Vil- lage in order to be present at that meet ing and made. as think, one of the best speeches of his life, and he has made many good ones. Those present resolv- cd to double their subscriptions and the church from that meeting began to move forward toward solvency and success. Julius Corbit and wife from the moment of conversion contributed in every way to relieve the society from embarrass- ment. George P. Strong was appointed by the church to run the boarding-house on the Pine Grove camp ground, and by his energy, tact and perseverance, and with the free contribution of labor and the willing cooperation of the church, greatly reduced the debt.
 wish to say here to the honor of the M. k. Church at North Canaan, that it is the only church have ever served where I thought every one connected with us did their best-all that could be expected of them financially.
 At the close of my second year I had the opportunity of going to an appoint ment where would have received $4OO more salary, and with my quite large family the temptation to accept was con- siderable, but when came to contem- plate it seriously my conscience would not allow me to leave my charge until I had reached my constitutional limit. Each year some one made me present of $50. Just before going to conference the lamented N. 0. Ward gave me $50. The next day after receiving news of the loss of $500 in some western invest ment Julius Corbit put $50 in my hand to send me on my rejoicing to the Gen. tennial at Philadelphia The last $50 came from George w. Peet, in letter which I remember was carefully written and beautifully expressed, containing clear and strong arguments in support of religion. Lawyer Peet, like so many other lawyers, was a firm believer in Revelation. It is Q very sustaining thought that the bench and the bar have been theistic from Justinian down. Law yers know how to weigh evidence and their friendly and appreciative attitude toward the Church has been full of en- conragement and helpfulness.
 During my second year at Canaan the event of greatest local interest was the removal of the Connecticut Western News from Salisbury to Canaan, where 1t is still issued. MT Pease, who first started the enterprise and edited the pa- per for a number of years. was 8 genu- inc newspaper man, active, intelligent. always on the alert for news, always on the right side of the moral questions of Inc times. He died in the noontide of his life and usefulness, greatly mourned ,y the public. It was an anxious ques- ion how it might effect the future of The News. But the paper was very for
 anate; it fell into capable hands; Col l s~.~aa.m.vg. x.~.k f.sa xysaSdsysop haxag &~x