The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1905-09-08

THE HOME CIRCLE.
TRIBUTE TO MRS COLT.
ADDRESS AT CHURCH OF THE GOOD
SHEPHERD, HARTFORD.-REV G. T.
LINsLEY POINTS OUT LESSON OF HER
LIFE.
At the morning service, Sunday, Au-
gust "a, at the Church OF the Good
Shepherd, Rev George T. Linsley, the
rector, spoke of the death of Mrs Sam
uel Colt as follows:
There can be but one thought in all
our minds to-day, one feeling in all our
hearts. We are gathered here as pas
tor and people under the shadow of an
affliction. We are wildly conscious of
q tremendous loss which the parish
has sustained, and loss which comes
personally very close to nearly all who
are gathered here and to many more
besides. shall not venture to-day to
speak adequately in memory Of her
who has entered into rest, whose fu-
neral service was held in this place
two days ago. Rather shall leave
that for another occasion to one who
by many years Of association and by
ties Of kinship is eminently fitted to
perform that duty.
But to-day, on this first Sunday, it
is for me with members Of the parish
gathered about me to say some few APP
propriate words as rector, that we may
seriously lay to heart some lessons sug
gested by the life Of her who is in all
our thoughts and hearts.
This is the holy house of prayer
which she caused to be built, being
prompted not only by the undying af
lection Of wife and mother but by that
CORRESPONDENCE deep and unchanging
love for her God, as also by her broad
and sincere spirit of constant interest
in her fellow men and the desire to
serve them. Here is the place made
sacred to her by beautiful memorials
to those she best loved on earth, and
made more sacred still by the holy as
SOciatiOns which have clustered around
it through the many years during
which 1t was her valued privilege to
be a regular worshiper in the services
of the church. Let us read to-day in
this temple of God, erected for glory
and for beauty, the enduring record of
wifely devotion and of maternal love,
of generous philanthropy and of relig-
ious faith and loyalty to God.
All, brethren, let us learn the lesson
so necessary to our modern living and
taught so eloquently in her noble life,
and witnessed to by this consecrated
house of God-the combination of fam
lily, loyalty, and church communion
and personal religion. The visible
monuments which she has caused to
be erected, SO evidently springing from
the depths Of loving heart, glorify
the names, the sacred names Of wife
and mother.
proximity here and constituting an
unequaled equipment for the parish,
besides being proof Of her consecrated
wealth, are in both cases pre.eminent-
ly for use, the thiS-Witnessi
to Almighty God and his holy church
the other-that yonder-w witnessing tC
human brotherhood. To me and tC
YOU all, 1 trust, these buildings speak
tly Of the religious faith, the
ly loyalty, the charitable anc
thropic spirit, and the mission
ally A.al of her who caused them to be
built.
But, beloved, you will agree with me
that such material structures and Wis
ible things are, in spite of their beauty
and their utility, utterly insignificant
as compared with that other building
which during all the years of long
life she gave her best attention to
even the character Of woman and ;
Christian. One who has long been al
intimate friend of our hOnOred deat
said to me yesterday, and said mos
truly, that there have been only tive
absolutely unique persons whom it ha
been his privilege to know-the on
the late Bishop Williams and the othe
Mrs Colt. Her personality was indeed
unique. You cannot think of anothe
woman just like her. And the chic
factor in that unique personality wa
the nobility Of character which St
beautifully adorned it.
There was in her most rare cOmbi
nation of the chief graces and the lead
ing qualities which adorn the trues
womanhood, and all these transfguret
and illumined by that grace Of Coz
which was her chief reliance. Her
was an aristocracy of goodness, hers
nobility of Christian character. Tn
many threads OF influence for goo'
which branched out from her person
atty are as numerous as they are far
reaching. Kindly deeds and generOu
gifts, loving service personally bestow
ed, patient attention to details whicl
even in their apparent insigniticanc
added to the pleasure or comfort 0
others, evidences Of unsuspectet
thoughtfulness, proofs of remembrance
unexpected, attention to the poor a
we'll as to the rich, responses eve
hnr