The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-01-02
WEARY YEARS OF TRIAL.
Continued from Sixth Page.)

= @SNHNSC the people or w est
 ilaVeh express their thanks and grat-
 ltuae to the Honorable society for
 senalng the Rev. MT. Morris to suc-
 ceed MT. Arnold, and if sincerity and
 zeal Tor the interests of the established
 church can plead for us, and others of
 tAe clergy who know, can sufficiently
 tetsify for us."
 MT Morris himself seemed pleased
 With his field of operation. But he had
 defeets, some of which made him ill fit
 tea to minister to the people of New
 Haven, and others which made him
 unfit to minister anywhere He
 seemed neither to know nor to care for
 the tastes and general habit of mind of
 the people of Connecticut; at the same
 tlme he did endeavor to present the
 church in favorable light to all per-
 sons not of the church, with whom he
 came In contact. He observed that the
 poorer people felt that it was against
 their worldly interests and prospects to
 conform to the church. Nothing of
 special interest occurred during his
 ministry and he seems to have left the
 field much as he found it.
 MT. Morris was, unfortunately, not
 simply a gossip, but an informer. He
 complained of MT. Arnold in the fol-
 lowing manner, in a letter to the sec Ee-
 tary of the s. P. G.:
 T should further inform you thathis frequenting the dissenters' meeting
 during his residence in this country has
 given no small uneasiness. He is not
 the only person that has run into such practices, and give me leave to assure you sir, that it would contribute to the welfare of the church if you thought proper to restrain such liber- ties in clergymen."
 He also complained that MT. Arnold had refused to let him have the Bible and Common Prayer book for the use of his people in the mission. Not con tent, however, with complaining against MT. Arnold, he undertook to lessen the respect of the society for MT Johnson, who was certainly at that time the most influential clergyman of our church in Connecticut. Of John- son he complained likewise, that he had gone to hear dissenters, Cor if not dissenters, Whitfield), preach, and i t made such an impression lpon the soci- ety that he felt himse!F compelled to make an explanation. It is almost a pity that he should have felt called upon to do this. He said he went once, with two or three of his brethren of the clergy, one night, in the dark, and per fectly incognito, among a vast crowd, to see and hear the management and rawlings of James Davenport. He also felt called upon to write to MT Morris expostulating with him for his conduct, and said to him:
 T hope your conscience is now en- tirely easy. having so effectually dis burdened it at the convention, and pro- cured a reinstatement to be sent to me- which have received.
 MT. Morris seems to have entertained a strong dislike of Dr. Johnson, ana when the clergy of Connecticut sent petition to the society that Dr. John- son be appointed commissary, MT. Mor- rts was the only clergyman in the col ony who refused to join with his breth- 'etu in the application,
 But .aEr. Morris had another defect or judge, because MT. Price he connmisaary of the Bishop of Lon Ion. wrote tas the secretary in HAS as 'ollows: e.,,
 "The neople Of New London are full 2f complaints against Mir Morrls anu ,harge him witl being disguised Wlth strong liquors. he should oe lhno- ,ent of this crime, which l shall lnqulre nto vet 1t is myt opinion he has not discretion enough to be of great service n that town, which is place of con- siderable importance"
 He seems to have been in bad odor both in Connecticut and Massachusetts This Is all that need be said of MT Mor- is: he disappeared henceforth.
 Then came the Rev. James Lyons, an -rtshman. If MT. Morris lacked discre- ion in one way, MT. Lyons was equally deficient in another way. He was nan, however, of better type than Nr. Morris. He was active, industrious ind somewhat energetic, and in let er dated New Haven, May 30th, l745, le makes a statement which IS very as it throws light upon the way in which parishes were organized n Connecticut. Everyone who has ex- mined the history of the church has cen disturbed by the fact that infor- nation respecting the organization of f arishes is so scanty and the records o few. The fact would seem to be,--in- as what I am about to men f ion is stated as if it were nothing c the missionaries ( themselves did all Gin the way of or V anization" that was or could be done i nd suspect this is the key to the r olution of the whole subject. In this | ,tter MT. Lyons says: (May 30, l745) t 1T preached thrice in Middletown, and ppointed church wardens and resolved give them liberty to read prayers and . srmons, as in other places" T. That must have been the extent of or f anization in many of our parishes fl hich are now parishes of importance q nd influence. MT. Lyon further re- u orts: tt "The people of Derby continue divid- b ] by national spirit which prevails T nd is industriously propagated by ti )me of them and the neighboring cler- a. y However, after all attempts made ir nd unchristian means used by some u render me unacceptable by hauling pl e once and again before an independ- u # iustire of tha paanp as I men ntiOned al