The Newtown bee., 1892-11-04
THE WEBB REUNION.

The beautiful day favored the gather
ing of the descendants of James Madison
Webb at Winchester, Saturday, October
10, ere the departure of the youngest
daughter, Mrs r. FL. Smith and her fam
ily for their new home in California. M.
dest daughter, opened their home and
hearts for the reception of their guests,
to whose comfort they zealously minis
tered. After the toothsome feast came
the reunion, opened with prayer by w. 5.
Webb of Plymouth, the eldest son. Nj.
III. Wetmore made d touching address of
welcome, memorializing those gone be-
fore. "Those Evening Bells" favor
lite of the departed mother was sung and
then r. FL. Smith read, in part, as fol-
lows, mostly prepared by others:
As from out the unsounded waste of
space a comet swings its trailing radiance
within the bounds of human ken, so from
out the divine ministry there come inspi-
rations of genius and excellence reveal
ing the wealth untold of mental and spir-
itual truths.
The prophet, the seer, the inventor. the
radical are too dazzling, too far in ad-
vance of their generation to win applause
or fortune, but whom the fathers sneer-
ed at or stoned, the children honor with
sepulchres and fame. A material age is
too fierce in it's mad race for the things
that perish to honor or respect aught but
what can be coined into dollars or made
to minister to personal vanity and ease.
Bnnyan lies in Jail living, but, to-day 1.-The
Englishs-peaking religious world places
his Pilgrims Progress beside its Bible.
Shakespeare, the classic, finds more
commanding pedestal as his age recedes.
But the age of inspiration is not over
past. Truth flashes to-day from humble,
unexpected sources and, il the syntax
sometimes halted, we reyerently place the
laurel wreath upon the brow of James
Madison Webb. He spake as he was
moved and, though denied wealth
in his life time, he faltered not in
his message until death transferred the
seer from the seen to the unseen.
James Nj. Webb's boyhood was passed
in an idle fashion, reading, dreaming
roaming about the woods and fields
very different from other children. In
hut in the woods near Slatersville, an ole
man lived whose name and history were
| unknown, and whose strange ways filled
others with fear; but this boy used tt
court his acquaintance. He would taks
potatoes and go and spend whole day.
with him, roasting the potatoes IN tht
ashes to make dinner of them. Abou
once in half an hour, the old man woule
] go TO the door and, clutching his throa
with both hands, utter fearful screams
The boy was not frightened but though
the old man had committed some dread
full crime, whose memory haunted him
At IA he determined TO go to sea ant
was a sailor till he was 81. Then h
learned the trade Of finishing scythes i
the shop Of his brother-in-laW, Newto
| Darling, and soon after came to Winste
to work in the scythe works. Mr. Web
and Alec Waters put the first steame
on Big Pond and named her the LAD.
OF the Lake At ~, he married Mis-
Susan Porter Holt and went TO Marlboro
N. H., and tried farming for year an
here their eldest son was born. The
they went to BaIston Spa, N. II, and h
worked for Isiah Blood for six years
Minerva, Mary e. and George B. Wer
born here. Here, too, he was converted
under the faithful preaching Of Eide
Fox, 4 Baptist elder and became an eal
nest worker for Christ, in church, SUI
day school and among the poor. A hol
Was cut through the ice for his imme
sion. At the age of 30, he took b
family to Chautauqua. Here his young