The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-01-19


i our religious papers, startling
paragraph, since Notwithstanding
to the serious illness of DIR. THOMAS
j. SAWYER. The thought and fear ex-
cited by this notice that that great
and good man-who is 30 years OF
age-might be preparing to make his
exit from the stage on which he has
acted such a distinguished and merl
torious part, threw me into reflect
i've mood, and l began thinking over
some of the fruits which his long life
has borne, the inestimable services he
has rendered the religious body to
which he belongs, which he has seen
grow from despised handful to
widely established, highly respected
and influential denomination.
l knew Dr. Sawyer forty-fve years
ago and more, was student of his
at the Clinton Liberal Institute, To-
Gated then at Clinton, N. Y, now at
Fort Plain. He was then in his
prime, and acting in his double ca
pacity of teacher and preacher. hav-
ing charge of the Institute and of the
Universalist church in the village.
Those whom he instructed in the
class room he addressed from the
pulpit on Sunday. He taught the
theological students in one place how
to become preachers and in the other
he taught them, through his example,
how to preach. I was young, mex
perienced, too far behind him in years
and wisdom to be admitted into his
close confidence, but / saw and
learned enough of him to ardently
admire him and to wish sincerely that
might some day, as nearly as posi-
BILE, become just such a parsonage.
He was an imposing personality in
my eyes; he filled my ideal of what a
man and preacher should be. He
was handsome man in everybody's
eyes-and his beauty has worn well
an Apollo in form, tall, erect, ro-
bustly, but symmetrically built, i'm
maculate and faultless in dress, with
dark hair, noble forehead, smooth,
finely chiseled features, set off with
the fairest of compilations, he was a
figure well calculated to fascinate the
young men who hung reverently on
his week-d day teachings and his Sun
day sermons. The singular influence
he exerted over these students, can
not be better described, perhaps, than
by mentioning the fact that they gen.
orally carried away with them, after
graduation, as much as they could
of his manner, voice and accent. 1t
is we'll remembered that Beecher's
popularity Matched out brood OF
Beecherites for the American pulpit.
There was also at one time minis
terial race of Sawyerites.
I used to think, and still think,
that Mr.. Sawyer and his wife-Mrs.
Caroline M. Sawyer-were about the
finest looking pair in the world, king
and queen, majestic, graceful, ele-
giant. They were unlike, and yet
harmonious enough in their differ
ences. He uttered himself in good
solid prose and she enriched our lit
erature with some excellent poetry.
He seldom quoted poetry, make light
of it at times, almost chided Mrs.
Sawyer's fondness for it, | often
thought, and yet there was frequently
subtle vein Of it running through
his own fascinating sentences. The
singer has vanished and the aged
mate sits alone!
That DIR. Sawyeris reckoned among
the ablest divines who have ever
been connected with the Universalist
Church, must be unhesitatingly con-
coded. For time he stood head and
shoulders above most of his brother
clergymen in scholarship. In theo-
logical matters his opinions have had
superior weight always. He has
been a grand preacher also
in his best time-inclined to polem
les largely, too much so possibly. He
has ever been ready to welcome the
evangel of doctrine. From first to
last he has loved controversy; or else
he has been more impressed than
most ministers with the necessity of
it. He began to preach at a period
when Universalist doctrines were I'M
known and under ban, when the av-
erage congregation, if not purposely
deaf, was eager to have them explain
ed-and no man on earth could bet
ter explain them than he. He held
written and oral discussions-with
clever antagonists in some instances
and though these antagonists may
never have confessed defeat, they
must have retired from the contest
with hard earned appreciation of his