Connecticut western news., 1893-12-14
LAKEVILLE-SEVENTEEN YEARS
 AFTER.
By Rev John G. Oakley, D. D.

1 etery on Town Hill, also to the one at Salisbury to see the grave of little boy who bore my name to the tomb and the love of my heart to Heaven. As I walked among the monuments in the cemeteries. and read familiar names, 1t seemed to me that there were more of my Lakeville friends asleep than awake.
 Seventeen years ago last spring l left New York for Lakeville, having been appointed pastor of the Methodist Epis- copal church in that beautiful village. When arrived at Millerton, learned that I would have to wait two hours and half for train to Lakeville. But who ever wanted to wait two hours and a half in Millerton? Taking the rail road track for guide walked to Lake vile. I found the church there net oyer attractive, and the parsonage was much less attractive than the church. The fence around the parsonage was still there, but much of it was lying, ap- parently in great comfort, on the ground The parsonage had evidently been painted once, but there was no paint on 1t then that was worth speaking of very definite ly. The church had big tow CT and big debt on it. It occurred to me that things might be changed for the better by taking the mortgage eff the church and putting some paint on the parsonage. The ladies of the con grAgation fixed up the interior of the parsonage so that it was really inviting took 8 hammer and removed the old sash from the windows which had very small lights made of curled, kinked, knotted glass, and put new sash in which had large and clear glass through which we could see things as they were. Then house. also dug some post holes, put in some new posts, rebuilt the fence, and paiuted it. I reconstructed the walk in the front yard, went into land scape gardening and made some flower beds, and put hitching post and store horse block in front of the gate. The result of all this was to so change the appearance of the place that the people who drove in from the country for the first time since commenced operations, would stop their horses in front of the parsonage and take good look to se+ what had happened. The people of the place approved of my plan to pay the church debt and made such liberal sub scriptions that it was soon accomplished But had an addition put on the par sonage which burdened them again with a small debt which was paid some time after left. That addition now forms part of the beautiful new parsonage which Is great credit to the LakevIlle Methodists and makes very striking contrast with the old parsonage of soven- teen years ago.
 did not fall in love with the Lake vile people at first sight: but after got thoroughly acquainted with them. fell so deeply in love with them that nev. CT have been able to get ,ont. It has never been my lot to live among and serve kinder. truer, more trustworthy people. During the three years lived at Lakeville the people of all the church. es, and those not belonging to any of the churches, were very kind to me, and believe they are to every body.
 | In it's scenery. in it's institutions, and l in its social life. Lakeville is model New England village. But to be true | to the fact in the case, must say that the place has greatly improved since I left it, and it may be that 1t would i'm prove still more if some others shonld | leave it; but upon the whole it is about as nice place as they make either in or ont of Connecticut.
 | l feel lonesome now when I visit Lakeville. can count more than fifty of my old friends, who, during the past seventeen years, have gone the way whence they will not return. Of the entire Official Board that found in the Methodist church not more than one is left in town. am glad that improve ments have been made in the place; but | if could see Lakeville aud the people in It as they were seventeen years ago. my visits would yield me much more pleasure than they do when I visit Lakeville-not as it was, but as It is.
 go to the western boundry of my old parish and find the houses in which used to visit, but I do not find Peter P. Everts, Daniel Cook, James Van Deu- sen, Col. Harris, Charles and Fred
 Everts, and Homer Gibbs I walk a
 little way eastward and stop at that
 beautiful residence near the lake where
 friend used to show me his library and
 lend me 8 book, but Governor Holley
 is not there now. I look up the road
 toward Mt. Riga. but there is no use oi
 going up that way, for Esther Bradley
 and Orville, too, have moved from that
 street I stop at the Lakeville post
 office, but do not see Lot Norton who
 used to hand me my letters. On Towr
 Hill I miss John Cleveland and many
 others But what a grand institution ol
 learning crowns Town Hill now! They
 tell me that woman caused that dream
 of beauty to crystaliZe in stone. May
 her name still live and be gratefully re
 membered when thousand years shal
 have rolled away. Returning toward
 the center of the village I notice Stat.
 Asylum on my left Yes; that is tn,
 place where Dr. H. M. Knight gave m. such cordial greetings when I called. 4 little further down the hill on my righ is the house where lived and died on, of my truest friends. When I say tha
 Col Lorenzo Tupper was that friend,
 am quite sure that every one who knev him will say, He may have been you
 friend, but he was my friend. too.
 Once in a while we meet man wh,
 seems to be friend to every body. Sncl , a man was Col Tupper. He has gone
 but he will not be forgotten.
 Doctor and Fred Cleveland are n' longer seen going about the village a
 in ..years gone by. Frederick Holle.
 came with his wagon to meet me ant my family when we moved into tn
 place and took us from the station t
 the little parsonage. He was splendi, man, but he, too, has gone. His kind ? ness shown in many ways we shall no ,, forget. Just think of it! Seventee ! years ago on that one street lived Fred d erick Holley. John Wardweli, Georg r Barnett. Albert Cook, Col. Tuppei n George Wood, George Shaw, Henr e5 Walton. William Bundy, Henry Chapin e Joseph Knig ht, and George Dodge. The 6 are all goBe-nOw. I miss Philander an