Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-10-09

a man is not rich before he is 80 years old
he will never be rich. He didn't know
whether Mr.. Grout is rich or poor he hop
ed he was poor. But there is a kind Of
riches which we may be laying up at 70 or
S0-such as Mr.. Grout has been laying up
all these years, and he hoped he would 90
on 10 the end There is text of scripture
which says, "Woe unto you when all men
shall speak well of you" Everybody speaks
we'll Of Mr.. Grout-but he wouldn't 90 in
to that exegesis any further. He simply
hoped they would go on speaking well Of
Mr.. Grout TO the end. Mr.. Cunningham
closed with very graceful words Of congrat-
ulation to the hosts of the occasion.
DR.. Holton here alluded to the presence
of Mrs. Mary j. Harris, the only person
present who witnessed as an adult the we'd
ding Of Mr.. and Mrs. Grout, and called up
on Rev. c. o. Day to speak for her and
himself. Mr.. Day said it was fitting that
Mrs. Harris should sit with Mr.. and Mrs.
Grout while the rest stood in their honor.
The subject Of Prof. Parks sermon or
daining Mr.. Grout was the reflex influence
of foreign missions. In the lives of Mr..
and Mrs. Grout we see illustrated the re-
flex benefit of such mission work Much
is said about the heroism of mission work
in foreign lands, bat it takes high degree
Of herosm to come home with broken
health and take up the quiet work of
scholar and preacher as Mr.. Grout has
done. Mr.. Grout is the Oldest member of
the Windham county minister's association,
but 1t is the testimony If all the members
that none shows more eshness and orig
inality of thought He and his wife are
teaching us all how TO grow old with our
faces turned toward the future and with a
promise that the best is yet to come. He
hoped they would spend many more years
here, and that when they go hence they
may go near each other, as those who
"hope to meet their pilot face to face when
they have crossed the bar" As Father
Cunningham had quoted text of Scrip
ture he also would quote one: "Bless ed
are the dead that die in the Lord; yea,
saith the spirit, for they rest from their la
bors and their works do follow them"
At the conclusion of Mr.. DAVIS remarks
Rev. Mr.. Babbitt offered prayer and the
exercises closed with the singing of the
doxology. Refreshments were served and
the company dispersed with renewed greet
ings and good wishes for the CHEEKY and
well-preserved hosts of the day.
There were many presents. These gifts
included, besides the 500 or more in gold.
already mentioned, a pair of handsome
rocking chairs from the members of the
West Brattleboro Baptist society and many
individual expressions of love and good
will.
The out-of-town guests included Mr.
and Mrs. John NJ. Grout and daughter of
Medford, Mass, Chales Whipple of Wealth
ers6eld, Miss Grace Chapman, Miss Julia
F. Ellis and Miss Jessie Ellis of Spring
field, Rev. and Mrs. NJ. F. Hardy Of
Townshend, Rev. and Mrs. p. F. Barnard
of Dummerston, Rev. Mr.. Shaw of MARI
boro and Rev. Mr.. Wiswell of Putney Mr.
Whipple, Miss Chapman and Miss Julia
Ellis were present, as children, at the wed
ding 80 years ago
An extended sketch of Mr.. CIRCUITS life
and lifework will be found on another
page of this paper.