The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-08-19


 began theological studies at once, and in due time was ordained He preach ed for few years in number of places somewhat after the manner of an evan gelist, though he was not called one, He preached with great acceptance in important pulpits in New Haven and
 New York city, For a considerable
 time at this period of his life he was in
 poor health, and apt to overdo, and
 for this reason felt that he could not
 settle in a permanent field, But when
 the call to Whitneyville reached him
 he felt that he could undertake this
 field He soon succeeded in bringing
 peace and order to the distracted
 church. A parsonage was at once
 erected which still stands-the house
 now nearest to the church-and in 1t he
 and his wife took up their home Mir.
 Putnam's style of preaching was at
 that time a decided innovation to this
 people, who had been accustomed to
 the old prosaic style of the earlier parts
 of the century, and who were fresh from
 listening to the deep, intellectual ser
 mons of Dr. Taylor. He might have
 been called sensational. Certain 1t is
 that he was decidedly odd and original,
 both in the manner and matter of his
 preaching. He always preached with out manuscript and prepared his ser
 mons on his feet, while walking to and fro. Perhaps this habit enabled him to be busy with his sermons on his frequent and long walks about the l,n ll.l. T a large amount of pastoral visitation, His practice of introducing stories into his sermons by way of illustration, was then new to this people and secured the presence of many who had not been in the habit of attending church. One in- cident, which is related to me by some who were eye witnesses, serves to illus trate his peculiarity as preacher. Having missed from church one of his
 parishioners, a thrifty farmer who lived
 over in the west part of the town, he went and called on him and asked him to come to church. He said 1t was of no use, as he would go to sleep. MT. Putnam expressed regret that he could not keep awake under his preaching. | "Oh," said the man, fit isn't that. I'd rather hear you preach than any | body else, but I can't keep awake any way" Well" said MT. Putnam, If you will come next Sunday think I will keep you awake. If you will, :" said the man, q will give you quarter | of beef" Sunday came and the man came. MT. Putnam announced his text | from the book of Jonah. What mean est, thou, o sleeper? Arise, call upon l thy Lord" When the man down in | the congregation before him began to | nod, MT. Putnam would bring in his text, accompanied by a vigorous stamp of the foot What meanest thou, O sleeper?" As time went on that text | had to be repeated more frequently, and near the end of the sermon more | heroic measures had to be resorted to- The preacher finally exclaimed, T see Jonah has gone to sleep again, and I | think we will have to throw him over- l board" And the quarter of beef was | delivered early that week. Surely no
 other man could be like MT. Putnam The church at once began a steady 1 growth, which, though moderate, as it must be in such a field, continued 1 through the whole term of his pasto-
 rate. In six or eight years they ceased
 to need aid from the Missionary socie- ty Writing in 1s44 MT. Putnam says, ] ''The Mormons and the Millerltes are at work around me; but, thus far, my peo-
 pie follow their pastor."
 1 From this time on, through that whole forty-eight years there was not much new to record; but there was all
 the time a good old story which was lnever new. He himself wrote that the time was very monotonous, each year being very much like every other. In
 1844 he went to Europe and was gone
 nearly a year, going about most of the | time on foot.
 In 1867 this church edifice was enlarg-
 ed and remodelled, being rededieated
 March 31, 1867.
 MT. Putnam received 300 members on profession of faith and 150 by letter;
 450 in all There were several occasions which might be called revivals. His
 grave is in the cemetery near by, where all his family, as well as his father and inothef were DuTleu.
 1 It is not possible for stranger like myself to do full justice to a review of the ministry of your old pastor, even | if there were time. I feel that it is sac red ground. These walls still echo his words to some of you. The eyes of
 some of you moisten to-day as you re-
 member his fatherly ministra tions. l Only those of us whose families have
 known the same pastor for nigh to half | a century can form any conception of 1 the tender attachments and the abid- | ing influence which 1t carries. The good | old man, under whose hand so many
 grew up from childhood, were received l into the church, were married, and were l buried, was faithful to the end, and died in the harness, while the bells were
 ringing for church, with his sermon all ready to be delivered. So he passed into | his great reward. While he was yet 1 with you, he gave you many blessings and benedictions. But he left for you
 one which comes due to-day. In his historical discourse, which he delivered | in 1876, he used these words, 'In less 1 than twenty years from this time, or on the 18th day of August, 1895, you will celebrate your centennial anniver- sary. And then, doubtless. a history
 of this church, during the 100 years of its existence, will be read from this
 pulpit Some of you will be here tc