Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-12-30
AN OLD TIME MINISTER.
Brief sketch OF the Life Of Rev. Jonas
Clark. of Lexington, Mass

J a
Clark. of Lexington, Mass
The pastor Of New England church
century and a half ago was often diltgent
and successful farmer He needed what
ever his well managed acres could add TO
his support, for his salary was small, Ihat
of the Rev. Jonas Clark, who was ordained
pastor of the First Parish Church OF Lexing
ton. In 1885 was ESQ and twenty cords OF
wood The money was often so deprecated
ma IN be worth little more than the wood.
An interesting sketch of his life, and incl
deutally of the village life Mt the time, IS
contributed TO tho Unitarian Review.
AT blowing, planting, hoeing, haylng.
harvesting and cider making, Mr. CLARK
worked with his own hands and had the
HELM of his boys Through the season,
from the ir.t peep Of dawn till dusky eve,
he was ut work In the garden or the held,
at the woodpile, in the barn, or In the
study. His wife and daughters were
equally busy, spinning, weaving, caring Tor
the dairy, or making the clothing for
twelve children.
When the town wished to instruct its
representative in the general court. or in
the provincial congress, or when CORE
spondence with committees Of safety In
other towns was to be carried on, MIR.
Clark was generally intrusted with tho
drawing up OF the necessary papers. His
house became rallying place for the
patriots of Middlesex county. He assisted
| In sending forward men and supplies from
the town through all the dreary years OF
the war.
! He averaged fifty six sermons year dur
ing the fifty years Of his ministry These
were strong in logic, fearless In denuncia-
ton of tyranny and wickedness and ire
mendous In their length. His grandson
has seen one of them which must have re-
auired three hours for its delivery. 1t Is
recorded that he was emphatic in his man
ner and pounded the cushion without
/ mercy.
In 1892 Governor Hancock offered to give
the society an elegant Bible for the pulpit,
II the church would consent to its being
read us part of the service, as 1t evidently
had not been up to that time. Mr.. Clark
announced the proposed gift to his congre-
CATION, and asked them to take action In
the matter.
| One of the deacons arose and said that
he apprehended the innovation would not
be acceptable il it should increase the
length of the service, as the people were
anxious to get home to do their chores be-
fore dark Mr.. Clark promised that 1t
should not. The Bible was accordingly ac-
cepted, and the reading established as a
part of the church service
Mr.. Clark had pair of fur gloves which
he wore In winter while preaching. A slit
In the thumb and forefnger Of the right
one enabled him to turn the leaves Of his
sermon readily. When it was first proposed.
to put stoves into the meeting house the pro-
ject was stubbornly resisted, and one man
was so grievously offended that he refused
to enter the church again. After the stoves
were put In a lady actually tainted on ac-
count of the oppressive heat, although 1t
was a cold day. She was not little cha
grined on learning that no fire had been
kindled in the stoves
Mr.. Clark was companion to his boys.
They toiled together in the fields. They
set nets together FOR pigeons, and the min
lister carefully noted In his diary how many
were caught.
The president aud professors Of Harvard
college, brother ministers journeying to
and from Boston, the great leaders of the
patriotic cause, Samuel and John Adams
John Hancock, Joseph Warren and Gov
ernor Brooks, together with numerous
uncles, aunts and cousins, were entertained
under his hospitable roof How food and
lodging were found for such a multitude
it puzzles us to comprehend
Mr.. Clark's fee for Sundays preaching
when supplying a vacant pulpit was So
For wedding the fee was commonly 81
In exceptional cases he received S. but
oftener only 80 cents For a days labo.
on the farm he paid 30 or 40 cents. Board
was a dollar week in the best families
A farm of fifty acres, with buildings, rent
ed for $40 1t required two days labor te
pay for bushel of corn. and three days
for pair of shoes. These details serve tt
show how hard were some of the conditions
of life then.
Mr.. Clark's diary ends with Finished
haying today" The parishioners came
and gathered the harvest which he had
sown, and the bright soft days of the In
dian summer, November, 1905, were his
last