The Press., 1891-01-22

Issued Every Thursday Evening. l tspringheld Republican correspondence.)
 WHITE MOUNTAIN FOLK IN WINTER.
 STORY OF RELIGIOUS WORK ON THE UP | PER sACo.
 | North Conway, N. H., December, 1s9O..
 The w White mountains now well deserve their name, being entirely covered from summit to lowest base with snow. The crowds of summer guests from our hot and overcrowded cities that seek refuge every year, more and more, among these noun tains, especially at Bethlehem on the west, and at North Conway and Jackson on the east, have all fled, like the birds that mi grate to warm places. Still, occasionally a resident runs against stranger who has run up here to look upon these hills under circumstances when they are none the less beautiful to see than in the season when residence or sojourn is more comfortable. The summer hotels increase in number and in size annually, and, in addition to the numerous farm houses and private board ing houses that accommodate guests, fur nish homes for thousands during all the ! my parish alone we can accommodate at least :, 1000 at one time, and at one time the past season every available room and bed was occupied even in private houses.
 In many ways the good people among these guests help the pastors and churches For example, away back in the fifties some such people stopping at one of our noun tain hotels and having their minds led up- ward to the God of the hills as they gazed upon the glorious mountains around them, also were caused to think and speak with one another upon the probable religious condition of the scattered families of the people who dwell ever among these hills. On inquiry, they found these families largely destitute of all religious privileges. This led to letter being drawn up and published in the Christian Witness of Boston, and this letter led benevolent lady to add generous sum to the gifts oi the visitors, to be given to that village deep among the mountains which should first raise enough more to erect comfort able chapel. In due time the upper vii lage in the town of Bartlett, in the valley of the Saco river, on the east side of the mountains, secured the fund and there with, supplemented by the gifts of resi- dents, erected very comfortable little |chapel, which was dedicated January 21 l1854, and received the fitting name o ''The Chapel of the Hills'' The place has grown, now having population, including the farmers in the valley above and below of about 450. It is the central station or the Mountain division of the Maine Gen tral railroad, and thus the homes of many of the engineers and trainmen. It is also the starting point of the Bartlett and Al !, oI the hills with some of the steepest grades and shortest curves of any railroad in tn. United States, in its search for the lumber 1that is felled by the industrious Canadian Frenchman, in order to bring these log down to the mills in Bartlett.
 But was speaking of the little chapel This has continued to stand all these years with open doors on the Sabbath and a other times. There is no organized church
 There has never been, till within feS months, resident minister. At frequen , intervals during these now nearly half
 century of years, one and another ministe } residing in the towns lower down the valle have visited Bartlett and preached. Blu they have been neglected people. Never t theless, one generation first, and now an ) other, has kept up good Sunday school gathering in the children. and lnstructin
 them as we'll as they could in the Bible
 They have also always kept their chapel il
 good condition and even enlarged it an,
 made improvements from time to time Thus they had done what they could fo
 themselves when the writer, who had bee
 a foreign missionary, but at the time wa
 settled Tn the next town, was invited t
 give them 8 sermon. He did so. Tn
 notes of that sermon are now before hlm
 bearing date June, 1889, only IS month
 since. His subject was "The benefits of
 settled ministry of the gospel" Befcr
 he had left the pulpit the people had vote
 unanimously to secure resident minister Since then various steps have been taken
 and, not the least of these, generous sut
 scription toward the support of 8 minister
 But it seemed difficult, and at times a
 most impossible, to find the right man fc
 the place. At length, however, a Staffor
 (Conn. boy, who was just graduating frol
 Andover theological seminary, was foun
 and consented to come. O. o. Lyon 500
 began his work, and as the demands of tl
 field seemed to require an ordained mal
 the writer's church called an ecclesiastic Il council, which met in the chapel in Bar d lett on Wednesday, the 17th inst, and, a l. ter making the usual examination, ordaiI . ed MT. Lyon as an evangelist. The churc
 was crowded to soyerhowing, in spite of n snow-storm prevailing at the time.
 h I do. not know whether Mir. Lyon is h poet, but it is a little singular that the nan l. of the first ministerPto have received ord l. nation so high up the valley of the Sac @ should betso near the name of the poet, E. G. Lyons, who wrote those beautiful stang " on The River Saco, which cannot r
 frain from quoting in the hopes that the 'r may, through the columns of The Repu h lican, please many readers, and also reat y a place in more than one scrap book of p ,e ems of places-indeed, 1 am surprised tho te have not already found some permane u place in such published book of poem le The words of these stanzas are perfect es true to nature as we'll as remarkably bea
 tiful in sentiment and language :-
 Forth from New Hampshire's granite steeps h. Fair Saco rolls in chainless pride,
 yh Rejoicing as it laughs and leaps
 d. Down the gray mountains rugged side; ; ,s The stern, rent crags, and tall, dark pines, ts. Watch the young pilgrim passing by,
 While close above them frowns or shines, The black, torn cloud or deep blue sky.
 Soon, gathering strength, it swiftly takes m Through Bartlett's wales it's tuneful way, ny Or hides in Conway's fragrant brakes,
 ye. Retreating from the glare of day;
 1s, Now, full of vigorous life, it swiftly spring n- From the strong mountains circling arml