The Newtown bee., 1888-10-05

 fall of Rev D. G. Lawson, pastor of the Baptist church at Stepney. Possessed of talents that have attracted attention | on the platform and in the pulpit, he has fallen so far as to be locked up in the Bridgeport station house. In this sad | disgrace, let us all remember that ssTo | err is human, to forgive divine.'' Pity should arouse the heart of Sympathy at | an appetite so terrible in it's effects and so degrading to it's victim. Let Charity weep on the neck of Mercy, pleading ear nestly that the kind Father of all will turn remorse to penitence and reform, instead of plunging it's victim into deep CT disgrace.
 MT Lawson first came into public mo- tice as an elocutionist. He was born and educated in Glasgow, Scotland, but his talent for dramatic work was recognized at an early age. Nature had endowed him with fine voice and, after a warm reception in the United States, he made a successful tour of Great Britain, win ming warm words of praise from the press on both sides of old Ocean. The British Thunderer, the London Times, said of him, "Possessed of a good presence and harmonious voice, with considerable dra- matic power, he commanded the attention of his audience and elicited numerous
 bursts of applause" The London Morn ing Post remarked, ''The art and eXperi- fence of the trained elocutionist enabled him readily to engross the attention of his audience. Mir Lawson is at his best in Reclamation and in humorous pieces, rather than in the exposition of compo- sitions marked by pathetic qualities The Manchester Courier said of his ap- pearance there, "Prof Lawson is an elo- cutiOnist of remarkable ability; his de- lineations of character are eunsurpassed." The Edinburgh Daily Review: "In illus trating American humOr, Prof Lawson
 was quite at home." The three papers
 of his native Glasgow joined the chorus,
 the News saying, ''The elocutionist gain ed more and more in favor with his hear CTS and, at the close, he was again loudly
 applauded." Equally fiattering were the
 notices of the American press. The BOs- ton Post called him "Master of the pro-
 fession." The New York Herald said,
 ''Perfect elocution with rare dra matic
 talent and the Hartford Post, Memphis , Appeal, Charleston, $. C., News and } Courier and Louisville Courier Journal also praised his efforts.
 , But Drink had mastered the Man. Be
 fore he became an elocutionist, l3 years . ago and in the Middletown insane asylum, as he has related since coming to Stepney, Rev MT Lawson sobered of and, reforming, prepared himself after a
 time for the ministry of the Baptist church. The Stepney church, from which Rev Mir Ogden had recently departed,
 gave him cordial welcome and, reply
 ing to their call of January }, 1887, to be- come their pastor, Rev Mir Lawson said "As your unanimity is to you an evidence 1 of the Divine Will, so do I regard it With full confidence that He l will honor our labors, while we remain
 true to the injunction to Be perfectly
 joined together in the same mind and il
 the same judgmedt, may we so continue
 by the constant indwelling power of His Holy Spirit in our hearts, On the 20tf
 of the same month, a council represent g ing most of the Baptist churches in the t county met at Stepney and, after Mi s Lawson had given an account of his r Christian experience, call to the ministry
 and views of doctrine, he was unani
 mously approved and the ordination ex : ercises were at once performed, Rev c
 N. Nichols, then of Chatham, Mass.
 preaching the sermon, Rev Dr Garner o. e Bridgeport the charge to the candidate t Rev Dr Hubbard of Danbury the hand O : fellowship into the ministry and Rev $ e G. Silliman, then of White Hills, th' f charge to the church. So successful wal
 the first years work that, on the las o Sunday, of 1887, Rev Mir Lawson wa . able to report ss36 new members praisins z God and six seekers on their feet request :, ing our prayers" Drunkards had beer r reclaimed from their cups and brough f into the church and the languishing soci o ety rejoiced in unexpected prosperity # Let every man have credit for the goo, a that he has done, whatever his presen
 condition. At the beginning of the pres
 ent yaar, the Stepney church increases 7 Mir Lawson's salary and, as he was als Il now occupying the vacant Baptist pulpi z at White Hills, he was receiving an in $ come of about 5000 year. Soon afte > his ordination, MT Lawson married, tax + ing to wife Miss Emily Hamer of Man $ chester, England. She crossed the oceal
 to become his bride, the ceremony takini
 place on the 9th of March, 1887. Mir l. Lawson's sister and two of his sister l. have come to America and Mir Lawson e has a brother at Jersey City. But tn f. second year of the Stepney pastorate, be 5, gun so auspiciously and now brought t d so sorrowful close, has not hithert 5. been as successful as it's predecessor n With all his dramatic talent, the youni l. pastor lacked humility and charity. Tn !. enmity between the sister churches o [, the village has deepened to intense bit |. terness, though never want of Christia d harmony of this kind but that there Il some blame on both sides. The autocrat T. ic power of the pastor, too, which ha F broken up the old time union young pee e ples' meetings and driven the meeting n of the Christian temperance women else d where, began to be felt among his ow r, parishioners. Old and influential sup e porters of the church had their feeling :. I al;ouatx,1 a,,f3 | r T,awaou and anti-T awSo