St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-09-06

memorial service in which the con-
gregations of the various St. Johnsbury
churches united was held at the North
church Sunday evening ia memory OF the
late Rev. DR.. c. M. Lamson.
The service opened with portion Of
the Episcopal funeral service led by Rev.
Edward T. Fairbanks and responses by
the choir and Crossing the Bar" was
rendered by the choir The addresses of
the occasion were by DR.. M. w. Jacobus,
of Hartford. Conn, and Rev. Dr.. Edward
T. Fairbanks.
DR.. Jacobus spoke of DR.. Lamson's
work in Hartford, and OF his powerful
and broad, extending influence, even upon
those he had never known. Many who
attended his vesper services and were
not of his regular congregation came to
thank him for the good he had
done them. One woman, not able to at
tend church, said she used to watch at
the window to see DR.. Lamson pass by
and got her sermon from the sunshine of
his face.
DR.. Fairbanks spoke in substance as
follows:
Standing here where he stood, in the
place which his presence always graced
and magni6ed, a great sense OF the in
adequacy OF words comes over me. The
public estimate of his worth and work
has already been voiced by many APP
preciative testimonials, every side of his
remarkable personality has been 6tly
characterized. What am to do now is
simply to talk little about the man
whom ! knew, and as | knew him, in
our St. Johnsbury life.
And first 1 shall give you the word
that most often characterized him in my
thought. Many Of you no doubt have
different word, his name suggests to
you, fidelity or courage, or earnest.
ness, or cheer, or mastery, or whatever
ese My word is not better than many
others, nor is it so inclusive as some
others, but it was mine from the first and
mine always. To me first, midst. last,
always, Brother Lamson was the one
large man, large, mean, in every sense,
in all proportions. In the quaint Indian
legend we read that
Two good friends had Hiawatha.
'Singled out from all the others,
| "Chibiabos the musician,
And the very strong man, kwasind."
Now among many friends OF mine one
may or may not have been musician,
but one surely was the very large man
! Lamson. That was the man he seemed
| 80 r,r,kN .ft
growing larger. In size he was above
the average minister here, literally fill
ing larger place in the pulpit than any
who have been pastors OF these two
churches. recall an incident OF nearly
forty years ago, at the installation ut
Mr.. Brastow as pastor OF the South
Church. An ordination dinner of the
old time sort was served at my mothers
house. Passing in to the dining room
on either side Ct the pastor elect were
Mr.. Cummings then pastor of the North
Church, and Mr.. Bard, recently settled
at Waterford. Following them were DR..
Worcester of Burlington who had been
the second pastor OF your church, and
Mr.. Thayer formerly pastor at Lyndon,
both tall men and spare. "Do you note,
Brother Thayer,' said Or. Worcester
with grave accent and merry
twinkle, do you note how the ministry
Of Caledonia county has degenerated in
height since our days." II do" said
Bro. Thayer," you know the scripture
saith there were giants in those days:
do not need to remind you that the
three shorter men OF more recent days
each demonstrated in his own wav
that the measure OF force, brain. genius,
is not with feet or inches. Yet for a
large spirit we all perceive the fitness of
a generous housing. Brother Lamson's
presence added weight to weighty
words. We saw that nature had built
his frame to match large design and
crowned it with a dome that beftted
and digni6ed it. He was man we
looked up to and felt the appropriate
to me vividly right here how large he
seemed that evening thirteen years ago
when it fell to me TO right-hand him in to
this pulpit. was TO give him hand
big enough to represent the entire council
aud county, instead of which | became
aware that mine was swallowed by the
biggest hand among us, with good relish
too.
For with the large hand went large
heart. There was a sort OF amplitude in
his greeting. Hand, voice, eye, smiling
face all joined to say How do you do !?
I'm glad to see YOU" Those OF us who
saw him for the first time when he gave
the 1885 baccalaureate at the South
church. will iemember how he stood at
the head of the south middle aisle as the
class, some fifty or sixty strong came up
to take his hand. | can see him now,
the multitudinous shaking that he got,
the voluminous shaking that he gave,
the beaming countenance he wore. He
greatly enjoyed meeting people. He was
large hearted enough to be brother to
every man. could not imagine him as
unfriendly to anybody, or as dsliking
anyone except tor moral badness. He
found something interesting in all sorts
of men. He saw in every man possibili-
ties OF a divine life. He reverenced the
remnant that remained of the lost image
of God, and wanted to recover it. With
large heart he entered into new rela.
tions, and before long they began to
take on something OF the mellow richness
, OF old ones. You all remember how
: quickly he settled himself into every
local interest here as it he had been with
us all the while.
. do not need to tell you how deeply
the roots of his love for this church were
t struck, nor what fondness and pride ht
had IN this town OF his adontion That