The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-11

noocon William Trowbridge was a
II farmer living near Sheboygan
I'll He went there over 90 years ago.
pos;des filling little patch of ground
-. deacon who was indeed the very
nnl Of honor and ever had the respect
ad confidence of all in that commu-
NJ was in the habit, before regular
L. were sent there, of reading q
p ar exhorting. There was no
oSom about Deacon Trowbridgo's piety.
He was sincerity itself.
Fifty wears ago the little village was
.;s;ted Inv a smallpox epidemic-an old
sasbioned. widespread and spreading
on;demic-and they didn't know how
20 scotch il as we'll as they do now.
The first Sunday after the dreaded
disease madeits appearance the deacon S
congregation was quite large. AT the
oud of the services he made an announce
nent in about these words;
nThese services will be POSTPONED M
Il, after the smallpox disappears from
the community. From this on / shall
olive nv services to the stricken fam
lies. | shall minister to their wants,
holm 70 nurse them, and when they die
follow them to the grave 1t may be a
long term or it may be short term,
hnt however long or however short it
is nv plain duty to help my distressed
neighbors "
The word was well suited to the ac-
ton which followed. The good old dea-
con hurried to his home, changed his
Clothes babe his family goodby and at
once began his work of mercy. What a
work it was The epidemic lasted near
wall winter. Large numbers died. Few
in the village escaped the disease. The
deacon's example was followed by 9th
ers Men went to their homes, told their
wives and children what the deacon had
said and was doing, arranged their bust
ness provided fuel and provisions, kissed
their dear ones and went to the aid Of
the unfortunate. Like the deacon they
went without reward or hope of reward
Like him they spent weeks and some of
them months in that service without
daring to go home lest their dear ones
catch the disease.
The strangest of all this strange ex-
perience is the fact that neither the dea-
con, the good souls who initiated his ex-
ample nor their families were overtaken
by the malady, Notwithstanding the fact
that the watchers, helpers and nurses
were almost constantly in the presence
of the suffering patients and notwith
standing the fact that they laid out and
helped to bury the dead.
Nearly half of the deacon's congrega-
ton had disappeared when, the next
spring, he resumed services i'll the
schoolhouse. 1t was sorrowful Sun
day. Those in the audience who had not
lost members of their family had lost
neighbors and dear friends. When the
good old Christian had read a chapter,
prayed and talked practical sermon,
he referred feelingly to the scenes
through which the community had
passed. | think every man, woman and
child in the room, including the deacon,
wept. At the close of the talk he asked
all present to join him on their knees
III ushinH liltkb tuO iulkut
escape such visitations for all time &c
come 1t was most earnest appeal.
believe that that prayer has been an
swered, There may have been few
cases of smallpox there since then, but
there has never been an epidemic.
The Sunday after Sumter was fired
upon, and while Deacon Trowbridge
was conducting services in the Baptist
church, the denomination to which he
belonged for over so years, he and his
congregation were disturbed by great
commotion in the street right in front
OF the church. There were beating OF
drums and sounds of fife much out OF
tune. 1t was so uncommon thing that
most OF the congregation walked OF
ran out of the church. Finally the dea.
con closed the Bible and slowly follow
ed his fleeing flock. When outside, he
asked the cause Of "this unseemly dis.
turbance on the Lords day." Some one
told him that the president had called
Tor soldiers to uphold the honor and the
nag of the nation and that they were
going to raise company right then
and there.
The old deacon's eyes flashed as he
walked out into the street, where a
young fellow was irregularly pounding
bass drum, and said: Nathan,
know 1T is Sunday and that all but the
Lords work should be abandoned, but
the saving of our country and the
shielding of its flag from dishonor is
the Lords work. Give me that drum. y
And that model of piety strapped on
the big drum and went to pounding,
greatly outdoing Nathan in two re-
spects-he made more noise and kept
perfect time. He drummed as no one
before had never drummed in the little
village. AS If it had gone ON lightning
wings, word flew through the commu.
nifty that Deacon Trowbridge had left his
pulpit to beat drum, and on Sunday
too.
Within half an hour nearly every one
IN town and many from the outskirts
mad gathered around the old drummer,
al cheering him, and on Sunday too.
Inat night Nathan Cole, who had been
relieved as drummer by the deacon,