The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-12-04
LEON'S BLIND PREACHER.
a Sketch Of Elder A. e. Hatch, A.
NJ, Pastor of the Adventist
Church.

SnuTCH.
Inc following sketch of Elder A. E.
hatch, who goes at will all over Leon
with remarkable accuracy, and who has
made many friends in this county since
Locating here little over wear ego. is
taken from 'Our Hope" church parer
puollshed at Mendoza, ILL.,, and will be
read with Interest by our readers.
oar Hope readers have long g, wed
the Instructive articles of Bro. lla,c,
our talented blind preacher, upon pro.
pAetlc and kindred subjects, and will
DOUBTLESS be glad to become . l;,,!s
better acquainted, Ivy means Of his n;c.
ture, which also places before ,,s bis
prlghS and interesting family. On ac.
count OF his blindness he is sps,.ia,lv
dear to us, and his remarkable bower.
o. memory, oratory and meutal issiobt
quailly MN Tor great usefulness while
faithful to his sacred callin, as q minis.
ter OF Jesus Christ.
us lull nameis Arthur Elmer Hatch
and he was born at Wilton. Maine Ano
10 1907 lie became blind at the age of
SIX weeks, from sore eyes, for which a
physician was not called in time. A.
eight years of age he was admitted to
the Perkins Institution and Massacbu-
setts School for the Blind, at South Bos-
ton, Mass, where he remained ton
years, graduating June u, 1880. While
at this school he was converted a,a
Joined the Philips Congregational
cnurch OF $, Boston. After graduating
ne returned to his home in Maine. and
aeclded to do what few blind peon,e
have ever done, namely, to attend a
school for pupils able to see. He entered
wilton Academy, at Wilton, Maine, in
1850, and graduated May S, 1854, receive
ing triple diploma for the Eno,ish
classical, and the college preparatory
course, the first diploma Of the kind
granted by this academy,
While at the Wilton academy ~ +bo
request of both teachers and fellow SIN
dents, ne began lecturing on the subject
OF education, IN churches and school
houses. This decided his BECOMING a
public speaker. Then in 1883 he first
heard the bible doctrine of conditional
lmmortaity,at tent-meeting conducted
by Seven Day Adventists. Charmed
with the beauty Of the truth he c,ma
very near adopting the whole Seventh
LAY system, but, as he tells it,: :sAfter
Two weeks Of Sabbath endeayor he
found his way back from Sinai TO Cal
vary; but from that time his Congrega-
tionallsm was extremely Adventual."
After graduating from the academy
he spent one year in the lecture field.
and was then admitted to the freshman
class at Bates college, Lewiston, Maine,
from which college he graduated June
u, 1889. The same year he became
member of the A. Q. church at West.
brook, Maine, and began preaching.
While at college he won two prizes, one
for excellency in debate, and one for
English Grafton. He was also honored
by the Polymnian society with q place
Oh the public program two years. as a
debatant in his junior year, and as poet
in his senior year.
He was happily married October %,
1889, to Miss M. Helen Jordan. of Lis.
bon Falls, Me. They have five bright
and lovable children, named in the
order of birth, Roy Emerson, E..heI
Vivian, Eldred Fay, Stanley Valdes and
Burr Cel. in 1890 Brother Hatch was
elected principal of the Merrimack
county academy, Concord, N. f., and
filled that position two years. From
1898 to 1895 he was conference Sunday
school superintendent for the Wisco, sin
A. g. conference. From 1896 to 1898 he
was instructor of the bible institute Of
the Church of God conference of Mime.
sofa. He has served as pastor the fol.
lowing churches: S. Eliot, Me-; Farm.
ington, Rochester, E. Rochester, Great
Falls and Loudon Ridge, N. H.; Dor.
chester and Brockton, Mass; Magnolia
and Monticello, Wis; Smith Lake.
Mimi; Gravity, Shannon City, Leon,
Tuskeego and Woodland, Iowa.
While visiting the grave of William
Miller, at Low Hampton, N. Y, in 1898,
he there promised the Lord that he
would endeavor to become a systematic
student of prophecy. In February,
1901, he began series of articles in Our
Hops on systematic prophecy, whick
have continued, with some Interrupt
ton, to the present time, and are to
continue, d. v,