The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-02-03

Sandisheld. Ny companion. the minister
in two Of the places named. said to nl@
as we neared SanGisheld. You VIII not
know when you get 20 =" Yet here IN
1850 was a population Of 2o00 and the
town rivaIee Pittsaeld IN size and i'm
porrance. Vow "the decent church TOPS
the neighboring hill sole relic q 8 for
mer grandeur. but that is all that r.
mains And here we are almost as much
higher than Great Darlington Is Great
Darlington is higher than New York, on
the tip-top part Of this ridge. which runs
along the eastern part of Berkshire and
is the watershed Of the H0usa5onic and
Connecticut rivers Here was the one
main and central street OF The village.
the "four-corners" hard by. and around
this church-crowned mount streaming
from all directions upon the sabbath
days toward this sacred peak was gath
cred an industrious and thrifty people
The town lay on the highway from
Westheld over the Hoosacs into Berk-
shire. a thoroughfare that once was an
Indian trail and led to Sheffield IN the
Housatonic valley. Along il bowled the
ancient stage coach past Three-miIe and
hill and Six-ulile pond. which have now
been rechristened with a more ambitious
nomenclature. The church which stands
on that Sandisfeld hilltop now IS the
IneaI successor Of the ancient edidce
but the site IS good place 10 pull out
Goldsmith's Deserted Village" and re-
read It's lines which glow with vivid light
in the midst Of the thronging fancies the
place awakens
Sweet was the sound. when oft at even
ing's close
Up yonder hill the village murmur rose.
and literally true when describing the
village pastor. Goldsmith says.
"A man was he 70 al the country dear
And passing rich with forty pounds a
year"
As a matter Of fact, that was Just whae
was voted the first pastor of the San
disfeld church the Rev. Cornelius Jones.
Here is the record at his settlement:
May 1s 1855: Voted 10 pay so. and the
minister's lot" which was usually
piece Of woodland which furnished fer
wood It may be added that an inter-
esting feature of the ordination Of Mr..
Jones and his settlement over the san
disfeld church was that the services
were held in barn and the Moderator
of the Council was Jonathan Edwards.
another member of the Council being
Samuel Hopkins. Mr. Jones a graduate
Of Harvard. 1872 remained only short
time. and was succeeded BY the Rev
Eleazer Storrs yale I769. who served IN
the ministry each for thirty-one years.
and was followed by the Rev. Levi White
Dartmouth, 1880 who continued in the
Sandisfeld pastorate thirty-four years.
from 17ss until 1892
Goldsmith's original
''Unpractised he to fawn. or seek for
power.
By doctrines fashioned to the varying
hour"
doubtless survived IN any one OF this ap-
ostoIcaI succession. but fear the poets
description Of sweet Auburn's" pastor /
as man who quite forgot the vices
of his people sin their woe" would hard /
ly apply to any New England ministry T
OF the period named. They were men.
these eighteenth-century Berkshire minis I
ters, cast in a heroic mould, poorly paid
experimenting their stipend often by Ia
bors on the farm, grounded in the rock
bed principles Of an tntolerant Calv{nfsr1
yet sincere. sacrificing. zeIaous servants T
Of their fellow-men, and in many Of I
these parishes through the country are /
buried near the churches IL which thew
BELONGED
] find this note in the account Of some
travels of Prof BENJAMIN SIuman. the f.
distinguished physicist. who in Journey
from New Haven to T4enox and beyond (
passed through Sandisaeld. September
in 1919: TT was was quite dark before
we arrived at Sandisfel6. but our road
was good. and the welcome light Of the
inn at length caught our eyes we silent
in great vacant ballroom"
And so we progress northward along
the ridge Of the Hoosacs and crossing
the county AT Williamstown. retraee our
way southwark along the ridge 81 the
Tagchonics, among these mountain
towns which have been left stranded
by the opening W CT the Great West.
by the coming Of better means OF trans
into the lower Levels along the
HoUsatonic. and by the ruinous comueti-
ton Of modern industries. New Mari
borough. once an educational center IS
the next town 10 Sandisaeld and Ideally
coated, with views rivaling these OF
Lenox, but Il Is only a shadow 81 its
former self, with property selling at
song. Tt is now looming Up q little into
prominence as a quiet resort. ana there
IS project on paper. II not IN foot
10 connect this beautiful town with Great
Z 81 rr.r- -ferf .sTH