The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1905-12-29

duU, willie 1 greatly lOVc anu prefer our
own church, l am thoroughly con-
to be found in the world.
"REMINISCENCES OF w. T. HILL.
The class of 1855 began it's work amid
the stirring scenes of the anti-slavery
agitation, the repeal Of the Missouri
Compromise, the Prohibition and
Know-Nothing movements, the efforts
Of Bishop Hughes and the Roman
Catholic Clergy to exclude the Bible
from the public school, the formation
Of the Republican party, the religious
revival which spread almost as widely
as the English language was spoken,
and the civil war, which cost the nation
423 of her Sous per day for four years.
The number of church members within
the bounds of our Conference in 1855
spri' g; the missionary collection was
SO, 1853 against $44, 637; total benevo-
lences, SIG, $50, against Sl4l,6Sl: con-
tribution for Conference claimants 49,.
$50, against SIG, O94; the value of the
property of Wesleyan University, real
and movable, $4,000. against 1910, 900;
endowment less than $lO,O 900, now ST.
48l ,606; teaching force six or seven,
now thirty-three. or the ten received
on trial in 1855 five still live. There
were 1872 members Of the Conference,
Is of whom survive, all superannuated
The Presiding Elders were James Floy,
Buel GoodSell, E. L. James and David
Miller. The Districts we're New York
| East, Long Island, New Haven and
Hartford The eight Bishops with
| whom I sat in cabinet from 1876 to
1884 were Jesse T. Peck, Randolph S.
Foster, Gilbert Haven, Thomas Bow
man, Isaac w. Wiley, Matthew Simp-
son, Henry W. Warren and John F..
Hurst-all gone except Bishop Bow
man and our present superintendent.
The nine Presiding Elders were
Charles Fletcher, J. L. Peck, A. S.
Graves. J. W. Beach, G. A. Hubbelll,
G. F. Kettell, T. H. Burch. B. M. Ad-
ans and 1chabod Simmons, all deceas-
ed.
My native place was Redding, Conn.,,
town historic in Methodist annals;
and my ancestors we're the Sanfords
and Hills, who we're among the first
converts of Jesse Lee, the pioneer
evangelist, in New England. Since
these reminiscent papers seem to
necessitate the frequent occurrence Of
what pleasant writer has called 1.-THE
columnar, self-reliant capital letter.
permit me to say that l have done
|
mitted, but have nothing remarkable
to relate. / have performed no mighty
deed in physics or metaphysics; | have
not attained to the electorate in
divinity, or philosophy, or the human
tiles; l have never aSpired to be a
Bishop; did not consent to be made a
Presiding Elder, or have any knowledge
that the appointment was intended,
until it was read out by Bishop Harris:
| r no Iol = IN u
l have never tough duel; l have
dreamed golden dreams they never
came true. President Lincoln pre-
tended to quote from the Koran:
"Blessed is the man that bloweth his
own horn, for verify he that blOweth
not his own horn, bis horn shall not be
bowed" | can truthfully say that
the honor and prosperity of our Con-
| ference has always been dear to me:
and perhaps may modestly add. that !
prepared the first ''Pastoral Record"
for the "Minutes," in 1868, originated,
| EggleStOn, the Pastoral and Church
Aid Society and collection, and pre-.
sented the first written Presiding
Elders report in the New York East
Conference. Standing among you with
our official work at an end, drawing so
near to the disclosure of the great
secret, we can but feel that our position
is pathetic and interesting one. We
can claim nothing for what we have
done, return only gratitude for what is
done for US, and look toward the sunset,
trusting that at eventime it shall be
light. AS for myself l must say:
The mistakes Of my life have been many.
The sins OF my heart hav been more;
But when he dear Sa vior shall bid me come in
| I'll enter the open door"