Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-01

entered Yale; at fifteen he wrote an ESSAY
20 eoniute the accepted theories of the
metaphysicians and to prove that every
thing that exists has existed from the be-
ginning: that all thought. as well as all
matter, is immutahle and proceeds from the
creator: that nothing new has appeared in
the universe since creation" At seventeen
he wrote treatise to demonstrate God g
absolute sovereignty and justice in dealing
with His creatures with respect to saliva
ton and damnation." and that doctrine re-
manned unaltered with him throug hout his
life.
An Extraordinary Lad.
This extraordinary lad gra iuated from
Yale in 1720, when he was seventeen years
old. and at nineteen was preaching In one
OF the most prominent pulpits in New YORK
city. From 1723 to 1925 he was a tutor at
Yale, and there he became engaged to
Sarah Pierpont. She was only tn rteen
years Old when he fell in love with her and
he must have had tender spot in mis- con-
seriousness, for he described her in a letter
as Possessed of wonderful sweetness
calmness and universal benevoe ace of
mind. She will go about from pac. to
place singing sweetly, and seems always to
be full of joyousness and pleasure. ana no
one knows for what. She loves to be alone
walking in the feds and groves and
seems to have had some one invisible al
ways conversing with her"
That fairy-like creature married the
theological monster a few years later. and
bore him an unusually large family of
children. Several of them became famous.
Jonathan Edwards used to say that he
had sixty feet Of daughters" and one Of
them became the mother of Aaron Barr.
Jonathan Edwards was twenty-four
years of age when he came to assist his
grandfather in the church at NoIthamp
ton and the selectmen of tie town az
propriated e300 in colonial money Ito pur-
chase Him a Homeste ad or building; or
both as Their shall be Ocation. n the
aforesaid Sum of three Hundred pounds be
Not Sufficient to Accommodate Mr. Edwards
with Suitable Habiation that they would
doe And glue afterwards that which
Should be Suitable and Convenient To A
Commodate Him.
ely: The Town voted to Glue Mr. Ell
wards as His Salary One Hundred poun IS
year; but if the value of the Money
Should Rise then they would not be
obliged to Glue So Much: but Not TO de-
minish So Much of it but that H Should
by the SALARY Haue an Honorable And
Suitable Maintenance according to the g.
nifty of his Office.
Fly: The Town voted that If Either by
the deficiency of Lessening the values of
Bills or Money that Passe h Now or by
the Encrease of Mr.. Edwardses Family H,
Should Stand In Need of a Larger Salary
In order to his Suitable And HONORABLE
Maintenance: that they would a ID to 1t
So as to Make His Support Sutablt And
Well adapted to that Honorable Office.
THE abouesd votes being Separately putt
abouesd.
Test EBENEZER PUMRO, Moderator"
But only ESQ was necessary to buy the
home selected by him at the corner of King
street and what has since been called Ed
wards street in his honor. The house dis
appeared long ago.
Disputes Over Salary.
After the death of Mr. Stoddard and the
marriage of Mr.. Edwards the latter asked
an Increase Of salary. The selectmen added
94O and continued to increase it until 1t in
HAS reached a total of f35O, with firewood
in addition, but colonial currency was at
such a discount that it was equivalent to
80 many dollars. Mr.. Edwards seems to
have burned enormous quantities OF fuel.
In that year he had sXtyfour loads OF
wood and the next year eighty loads. Ow-
ing to the depreciation in the value Of cur
rency the increase of salary was of very
little importance. Sometimes the paper
money was almost worthless, whereupon
Mr.. Edwards demanded fixed sum in gold,
SO that his income would not suffer by
fluctuations. He repeated these demands
year after year, and they caused a great
deal of irritation. Indeed, tie salary of the
pastor, the excessive amount of fuel fur
niShed him and the necessity OF keeping the
meeting house in repair seem to have been
the principal subjects to occupy tire minds
Of the selectmen for several years. The
minutes of that distinguished assembly re-
In December, 1141, special town meeting
was called to act upon the question. Mr..
Edwards appeared in person, made a
lengthy argument in support of his demand
for permanent fixed sum in gold SO that
the congregation would suffer any loss
make any gain that might occur by the
fall or rise in the value of the bills. After
an acrimonious discussion the minutes re-
cord that the meeting adopted proposition
to pay the pastor 1.-The sum of ECO in bills
of public credit, the value of the bills to be
estimated by the prices Of the following
necessaries of life, viz: Wheat at Dos, rye
at 20s., Indian corn at 2s, pork at Is, and
beat at II cents per pound; and in case
any or all of these Necessaries before men,
toned should in any year vary In their
price, there shall be Addition to the
SUNNI of G7O0. or a dminution therefrom.
The foregoing Summs to be paid annually
to the Rev. Jonathan Edwards as long as
he shall Continue in the ministry among
u.s."
Relations Become Strained.
The long discussion and the evident re-
luctance with which this allowance was
granted caused the relations between the
pastor and the people to become very
much strained, and the irritation was in
creased a year or so later when Mr.. Ed
wards asked the selectmen to pay the ex-
penses of his daughter on a journey from
Boston to northampton. 1t appears that
she had gone with him to visit friends In
that city when he went to make his annual
visit at the time of commencement at
Harvard College, and for some reason he
had returned alone. 1t was customary for
the selectmen to pay his travelling expenses
on these occasions. Whenever Mr.. Ed
wards went on a journey his expenses were
not only paid, but he was accompanied by
some member of his congregation whose
expenses were also paid by the town. This
custom prevailed only during his pastorate
and terminated in the dispute over his
daughters expenses, which they refused to
pay and made him extremely angry They
resented his autocratic disposition. The
Journey to Boston usually cost about SIG;
a Journey to New Haven about SIP.
The continual disputes between Mr.. Ed
wards and his congregation over money
matters were trivial however, in COMPARE
son with their differences on doctrinal
points. His parishioners refused to accept
his extreme views concerning eternal pun
shment. They had been taught entirely
different doctrines by his Grandfather
Stoddard. and when he attempted to en-
force his principles by refusing to receive
into communion or baptize the children of
those who did not agree with him, they
rebelled and provoked the long controversy
which ended in his humiliation and retire
ment from Northampton. He went to
Stotkbridge to preach to the Indians at the
mission house but spent the greater part