Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1891-10-06

n-<1(E
yWz<5R1I1 r.s,
49, -.
ue.,iss iIsa.s - r1f.t nagtli Chur,h. Parts.
nula IN isis.
which no .-a.on and M cline can excel,
bright and fair. neither cool nor hot,
with M cloud In the ky aud jos, a touch
~ hare In the hl.Ancc. People came Ia
early. several diving distance oi near.
Ia fifty miles, aud others coming a. till
longer disianc. by rail-. The large au-
dlenc. ro1m 10 the n~-ilng-house was
we'll nllc,i AZ all 10 the meeting.
great deal was crowded Into one days
exercises, ani Tho sen'imeui ~ the pco-
PIE was we'll expressed by one Who,
though not a mrtnter ~ this church nor
an active participant IN the days ever
ci.cs. .aid, Il have enjoyed every minute
10 this liSelong day"
The floral decorations 20 the church
were .imple bat very beautiful. The
pgltl, alcoye "a. Archcd In evergreen
aud autumn leaves. aud several hand
some bouquets were placed about the
stand. tue 10 the ioral trihut"s, which
hnr- the sorI Rest" Vas Inscribed,
''To the memory 10 Milo and Nancy
Hathaway"
uiU HISTORICAL DISCOURSE.
The service. ~ the day OPENED At half.
pa.t ten With the slnglng ~ the doN-
ology, and invocation BY E",. L. j.
| Ham.sI.ll If south Paris. The ninety
flr.i psalm was rad In response, aud
PRAYER was ofierv,l by l,ey. :. u. Rich.
| .pi.on. \ very brief hat we'll worie'i
addrvs. q welcome wAs given hy the
pastor. RrN. \. l.. Wedge, aud after an
anthem, Rev. n. 4. E.tcs, u. u, 81
Leicester. Mass, . former pastor ~ the
church. WAS introduced ior the historical
| discuursS.
| Ia ia. beginning 10 hls disc"urse Df.
E.t.. .al that thc work sas not 81 hls
own choo.ing. bat that having under
taken II. be- had l-.n pufflcd What Ia
.Ay AMI Vhst not O. ay. Nevertheless,
n l. III. opinion Il hls hearers that hi.
selection WAS good. such . mass ~
matter hid b. collected, that when u
came "a delivery much ~ u had To u.
omitted, aud in a discours" an hour and
a half In icngth, little more than hall of
~. matter which b. had prepared wAs
given. \ brief abstract oi the discourse
follows;
The Ttr.t Baptist church Was the flrsi
chur,h organization Ia town. NJ the
time u VAS organized, cue hundred year.
ago, Main. Vas It'll part IL Masss-
| rhusstts, aud Paris NAs an unlncorIo-
/ rai,,l TOW nship known As No. .. ~ That
tim. then. were Ia the District 81 Maine
tscuty.tso Baptist churches, one OF
which vas twenty .,hrc- year. old,
though most II them were much young
81.
Among the hr.t settlers In iari. we're
several liaptl.is, and they maintained
baptist meetings, though for several
| wear. without the assistance 20 any
mlul.tsr In lspO they were visited by
Rev. Jane. Potter. aud during hi. visit
enjoyed revival. later they were yis-
lted by Eidcr Elisha snow, aud on No
,eml,cr l., 1921, the church was organlf-
81. Ths uumt-r If members was isrn-
a.. ten male, ten female. The lat oi
their nam~., the place ~ their meeting
aud the circumstance. attending the mr.
ganiTaiion, can not b. given, as the re-
ord. ~ the church for the flr.t thirty,
eight year. are Lost. Tie name. 81 seN.
ga only Of the mei,ilsr. are learned from
the r-coris 81 a Niasachusstts church
FROM which they were dismissed.
For twelN. wears th. church was With
out local habl,ation, MEETING. b.lng held
/ In some barn IN the summer, aud Ia pti-
| waite houses la winter. Ia l~iu q meeting
house was built aud dedicated IN June,
lsOi. "A large house, Ia the old style ~
| New England architecture, with two tiers
of windows, q massive tower, thru door,
aud galleries on thru. side. 81 the house.
Thl. "a. built With Immensely heavy
timlsgr., but within n generation u be-
came diapidat.d aud unit for use.
IN lsjs IA. old meeting house VA.
taken down, aud q little farther from the
street w.. erected another, IN. one which
stand. to-day. THIS Westinghouse Nas
dedicated on the 9th of December, ISIS.
The oil Westinghouse had been used
for town meetings; the new one had
basement with brick wall. which has
AWAY. been occupied a. town house.
The church has been twice repaired, Ia
lsGO. aud again In lsi5. The Nesiry va.
built la ls6i. The clock, a gift from
Hoo. Hannibal llimlln, was put la the
tower Ia lssJ.
During the flr.t years ~ IL. eSls,sDc.
the church va. favored with only o.
ca.ional preaching, four visits q year
from minister. being sometimes the
largest number that they could have.
The flrst pastor Of the church was Rev.
james IIOop~r-"Elder ilooI.er'-one of
ia. best known of the early Inhabitants
81 Paris, born leader of men, man ~
eccentriciiic., but oi resoluie indepcnd-
cncc and sterling worth. Elder Hoop
or VA. ordained In Icmuel Jackson's
barn, Ia June, l.9j. lie was also elected
minister of the town.
Elder Hooper WAS pastor until 1850,
when be resigned, and Caleb u. Dayi.
Was ordained June 9Th, lists. lie was
a man 81 culiur. aud refinement, below
81 by all who knew him, aud Was In
many respect. the opposli. at his pre-
dess.or lie resigned Ia 1874, on ac-
count of falling health, AMI died three
year. later. lie was succecded by Rev.
Adam Wilson, Who Was pastor from lsj!
"a ls55. Rev. ". N. =. Ncntre. MAS
pastor from isss to isG5; Rev. ". ~. 10.
Walker from isG. Ia 1870; Rev. 4. 4.
Fori from $50 to lisa: I,ey. ~. q. Estes,
w. iFss tfNtu tNss w t",'s
Cochran. from lss5 to lss5: Rev. Gideon
Mayo from iss. Ia isso. l,ev. a. T..
Wedge, the present pastor, was ordained
Nov. Z, ls,3.
The church has had sixteen deacons,
of whom only THREE are now living.
On the roll. 81 the church have been
the names of slu persons. The present |
number Il lightweight. These members
Of the church have been ordained "a the |
work Of the ministry: John Wills,
Ge rye Kicker, q. ". T.. King, Otis u.
Rawson.
The following churches have teen
formed largely from members dismissed
from this church for the purpose: Sec
ond Buckiield, Norway, Woodstock and
Grcenwccsi, lIsmlin's Gore. Paris aud
Woodstock, Lincoln, Buckield Village,
south Paris.
az the ten pastors Of the church i've
are now living.
In the matter Of contributions for
benevolent purposes, the church makes
wonderful showing. since ls5g, when
the records begin, there has been given
for these purposes q total Of eG,slsD,-l
In the words Of the speaker, ga record
good enough Ia make dead man clap
his hands for Joy"
After the historical discourse, the
meeting closod with the singing by the