The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-05
An 0PTIMIST OF EIGHTY
Rev. Robert Collyer Says the
World Is Growing Better.
THE WORK OF WOMEN PRAISED.

Unitarian Minister on His Eightieth
A~nniversayy Declares Their Activ-
ity IL One of the Great Indications
of Advance-He recalls EARLY Incl
dents of Fills Life and Gives a Recipe
For Longevity.
Like the famous Countess Of Des-
mond, whose case he gayly quoted, who
"lived to be 10 and died from a fall
from a cherry tree them" the Rev. Rob
ert Collyer of New York, who rounded
out his fourscore years the other day.
believes the mere passage Of time does
not make age, says the New York
World.
II have never been sick a day in my
life," said DR.. Collyer, land l have
never wen eaten my breakfast in bed.
What is my recipe for longevity? Live
q natural life. eat what you want and
walk on the sunny side of the street"
To this the famous preacher has add
ed two instances of self denial, which
he holds largely responsible for his per-
feet physical condition-he did not even
smoke until he was forty and did not
drink at all in youth, though he per-
mits himself an occasional glass OF
wine now.
With evidences of love and remem-
brance on every side, DR.. CoIlyer, whose
retirement from active duty in the
Church of the Messiah, of which he
will be pastor emeritus, is coincident
with his eightieth birthday. grew rem
iniscent. For twenty-four years he has
filled the pulpit, and for ten he has had
the assistance of the Rev. Minot j.
Savage.
"My BIRTH" said DIR. Collyer, with a
twinkle in his keen and kindly gray
eyes, (which took place in England on
Dec. 8, 1923. has always seemed to me
a sort of geographical mistake. for
when / reached America l Immediately
seemed to fit. l have eve seen the
day l wanted to go back. except to Wis
it, of course. l have crossed v
times for that purpose.
my grandfather, who was a sailor
with Nelson, is the earliest ancestor we
have any record of. Mothers father
was also a sailor, named Thomas Nor
, man, so l can claim Norman blood, you
]. see"-again the twinkle. "He was
drowned, and his children. my mother
among them. We're placed in an asylum
in Norwich. When l was a little lad
worked for seven years in the factory
of our village, then at the forge.
Before l became a Methodist preach
er-oh, yes. l was a Methodist to be-
!. gin WITH! and he broke into broadcast
, Yorkshire dialect to quote the honest
countryman who had helped him on by
"making a spare rail" of him-that is.
: putting him in here and there where
: there was a pulpit to fill.
I Mr.. Collyer told of his leaving the
Methodist church and his call as a
/ Unitarian minister to Philadelphia.
. then to Chicago and lastly to New
York city in 1879. He told of the wide
experience of his eighty years. and
then the clergyman said:
Y do l think people are less interested
l in religion? No; a thousand times no.
They are thinking out the meaning Of
religion as they never have before. l
have seen great changes. Yes; it is an
evolution. People do go to church to-
> day, and they go because they want to,
not because they are driven, as they
We're formerly.
"Woman's activity is one of the great
indications of advance. She is help
ing herself and man at the same time.
. The church is to be greatly helped
, through her endeavors. Women will
preach too. They do now sometimes,
but they don't get outside of them
selves enough for the most part. Mrs.
Livermore did, and she was a success
u full preacher. l have always believed
in woman's rights. Lucretia Mott was
a great friend Of mine.
81 have no patience with the talk that
the world is growing worse. I won't
discuss it. 1t is getting better all the
C time. Gods in his heaven; alFs right
with the world If it wasn't so il
would mean that God had given over
the world to evil. and it would hardly
have been worth while for him to have
made it. No; in every department OF
l. life Gods plan is being worked out
and men and women are growing bet
ter"
The approach of Christmas carried
the distinguished clergyman back tt
:. his boyhood, when oatmeal porridgt
and skimmilk made the morning an6
) evening meal, and Saturday nights
S tub was a fearsome ceremony by rea
son of the quantities Of yellow soal
that found their way into youthful
eyes. Then the $4.75 a week of TIL
p~aternal Collyer was the sole income
- Of the family, and the holiday TIM
y would have proved a slim affair fo
the children but for the yule loaf ant
pudding prepared by the mother. A
a he described the singing of the carols
l. and the turning Of the yule log MI
Collyer wondered if in the Christina
celebrated in the churches and observ