The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-15
THE CONGREGATIONAL CLUB
FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING
 HELD YESTERDAY.

Officers Elected-Other Business Trans
 acted-Address by Rev. Dr. Twichell of
 Hartford on "The Puritan Pluck"-
 Vigorous Defense of the Puritan Char
 acter.
 The fourteenth annual meeting of the New Haven Congregational club was held last evening in the Dwight Place church. The meeting was the closing one of the year and was we'll attended. The club assembled at 6 o'clock for social hour At 8:30 bountiful supper was served by the ladies of the church in the church parlors.
 The literary exercises were held at 7:45 in the church itself. President Rev. Frank R. Luckey was in the chair. The feature of the meeting was the annual election of officers, reports of the committees and an address by Rev. Joseph H. TWichell of Hartford on ''The Puritan Pluck" Appropriate mu- sic furnished by the Dwight Place quartet was much enjoyed.
 The nominating committee reported the following names as officers for the following year:
 President-Wiliam M. Parsons, Plymouth.
 Vice Presidents-Hon. James D. Dewell, Redeemer; Judge Livingston W. Cleave- land, United Rev, Charles Ray Palmer, D. D., College
 secretarySRev. Charles F. Clarke, Whit neville.
 Treasurer-John A. Richardson, United.
 Executive Committee-Joseph R. French, Redeemer; c. E. r. Sanford, United; Wal ter S. Bishop, Grand Avenue
 Nominating Committee--Walter R. Downs, United Rev. w. J. Mutch, Howard Avenue; Daniel A. Jones, D. D, &, Davenport.
 Outlook GommtteemHenrBB nt s BBl;ins G Newt9n' Redeemer; Rev. Newman Smyth, D. D., Center.
 Social Committee-P Prof. William E. Chan dler, Redeemer; Hiram NJ. Kocherspergerr Humphrey Street. Cullen B. Foote, North Haven; Evarts Cutler Center: Charles D. Parmelee, 2d. Fair Haven; Frank A. Cor bin, Davenport; Dennison B. Tucker, Dwight Place; Francis Potter, United.
 Necrologist-Rev. Justin F. Twltchell, D. D., Dwight Place.
 These were elected by unanimous vote, seventy three ballots being count ed.
 Rev. D. Melancthon James, the ne crologst, was not present The necrol- OSy Ol lle Club SllONS LII Ct bCal4iS 'iiS past year, namely. Jeremiah Wolcott, Henry Sutton and Leonard J, Sanford, M. D. The present membership is 193.
 The outlook committee, Rev. W. J.. Mutch, chairman, recommended that the club should make an effort to strengthen the denomination in the city and suggested as one way in which it might try its power would be to take part in preparing for the meeting of the Congregational Missionary society in October. On motion of Rev. Dr. Twitch- ell seconded by Judge Simeon E. Baldwin, the report of the committee was concurred in and the committee was given power to act in the matter.
 President Luckey in introducing the speaker of the evening, Rev. Joseph H. Twichell, referred humorously to Hart ford, the speakers home, saying: ''We have with us this evening as our speak CT one who comes from a little place up above here called Hartford. It is small in size. but has some very good men in it. One of these is known as Samuel Clemens"
 The president then read one of that popular authors witty characteriZa- tions of a man who was appointed to look after his health, but who made him so miserable that he left off praying for the patient and tried swearing instead, MT. Clemens saying that he had a spe- | cial indulgence from his spiritual ad- l wiser, Rev Joseph Twichell, to do so. Dr. Twichell spoke or ''The Puritan Pluck" in part as follows:
 This is festal occasion, and I sup pose I must be careful and not be too connection am reminded of two of my | lady friends in Hartford who have a summer home in the Adirondacks. They told me they contemplated put | ting over the door of their Adirondack | home this motto, No improving con- versation allowed on these premises. suppose that is the case here. How ever frivolous one may be on such an occasion, he stops his fooling when he steps upon the threshold of such a sub- l ject as mine tonight.
 1 Those Puritan ancestors of ours those heroes who drew their barks ashore on the desert coast of Cape Cod what reverence is sufficient to do | LHelH JuoliSC' w lidb pi oiSc Se1ii uo credit to the theme?. They stayed by the graves of their fellow Pilgrims and so got on their sides the clements of eternal truth.
 How large were the results they &C., 1 complished? Westward the star of empire holds it's way says Charles Kingsley. Yes, it is true, but the first movement was eastward. Our Puritan ancestors struck hands across the Atlantic with those who were fighting for freedom in England Owen, Milton and many other English | patriots were largely taught from this side of the water.
 Many of the best blood of New England went over to join in the strug- | gle for English liberty. Twelve grad uates of Harvard went over in 1646 and others went over to join in that strug- gle with their breasts full of New Eng | land milk.
 "Naseby and Marston Moor are bat | ties in which the names of some of the best of New England's blood appear. Great as have been the ideas of the old world upon us, they have not been | so great as the influence which Ameri- can ideas have exercised over the coun- i tries of Europe"
 l pr. Twichell excused himself at this point for his wandering from his sub fn11 +1,a