The morning journal-courier., 1908-06-01
Rev II. c. Hovey, Formerly of This City, Celebrates An.
 nivorsary,
FIFTY YEARS A PASTOR
Boston Presbytcry lIonors Preacher In His Ncwburyport
 Church.

church in this city, was celebrated in Newburyport last week, The New buryport News of Thursday has the following account of the matter;
 Fifty years ago Rev. Horace C.. Hovey pastor of the old South church, was ordained as minister and last night the members of his church and members of the Boston Presbytery, gathered in the church and witnessed tho carrying out of Il most interesting program,
 The Boston Presbytery was repre- sentcd by Rev James Todd, D.D, Rev, James Alexander, D,D., pastor of the First church, Boston, and Rev. S. r. French of Londonderry.
 By request of the Presbytery, pr. Todd presided The scrlptural selec- ton was read and prayer was offered by Rev. James T, Macfaddn, pastor of the church of Our Fathers. Dr. Todd then read the following testi- monial that had been prepared by 'he | committee, acting under instructions or the Boston Presbytery. This tes,i- monial was beautifully engraved on parchment and tied with blue "lbbon To the Reverend Horace c. Hovey,
 D.D.. Newburyport, Mass: The Presbytery of Boston, Mass, ! through It's committee, take pleasure in presenting you, tho Rev. Horace C. Hovey D.D.. this testimonial con taining a brief expression of their es- tcem for you on having completed the jubilee of your ministry for Christ and His church, Tn doing so we wish to acknowledge the unfaillng good ness of Almighty God. our Heavenly Father, whose hand has sustained your beloved wife and yourself in all your varied life and work. We also recognize with profound gratitude His signal honor conferred upon you by His grace in permitting you to serve as an ambassador of Christ for the exceptional period of fifty years.
 We most heartily congratulate you and Mrs Hovey upon this exceptional consummation together Of fifty years service in tho vineyard of our Lord. We appreciate fully the worth and work of such term of service and realize that for the ripe scholarship which has adorned your preaching. the pastoral care which nurtured it, the irenc spirit which sweetcned 1t. the consistent godly life which en- forced It, and the large measure of success which has attended 1t, the whole church Of God md the land you love are your debtors.
 Your work as a prcsbyter has been characterized by loyalty to Presbyterl- ian principles. Your zeal for and un- remtting toll in their advancement have been tempered by sweet reason ableness and charity to Christians in other focks.
 Your knowledge of church law has made you safe counsel Tor and leader in her courts, for all of which We tender you our most hearty thanks and this small tribute to your worth.
 1t Is the earnes prayer of our prcshytcry that you and your life partner may be long spared to enjoy in health and peace the evening of life among your family and friends: and when tho dawn of the endless day breaks and tho shadows of this life fee away you may have nn alum dant entrance into tho inheritance of the saints in light and receive life's crowning benediction from Him. whose name is love. in his own im- mortal words: well done. good and fawithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord"
 Committee Rev James Todd, D D.. Rev samuel F. French, ministers; Walter Gage, elder
 Boston. Mass, April 16, 1908.
 The testimonial as accepted by pr. Hovey in an appropriate speech, In the course of which he expressed his hearty thanks and his sense of the high honor that had been paid him r Congratulatlon greetings from the Essex north conference of Congrega- tional churches were brought by its scribe, Rev. Charles s. Holton; and by Rev. w. A. Rand of South Seabrook, Rev & r. French, Rev pr Alex ander, Rev Alfred Woods, Rev Alex ander Dixon. Captain O. O. Jones spoke highly of Dr. Hovey's work on behalf of the church.
 Letters of Congratulation.
 Letters of congratuatIon were brought from pr H A. Manches- ter of East Boston, pr W. w. Alter bury of New York city, and pr. Alex ander Parker of orange. Cal. Alter bury and Parker being the only known survivors of the Presbytery of Madison, which ordained Dr. Hovey on the 10th of April 1858.
 pr Hovey, by request, gave some account of the motives that led him to enter the ministry, and explained how it happened that he had like wise cherished such lifelong interest in scientific matters. His father the late pr. Edmund Otis Hovey, was or dained by the presbytery of Newbury- port, in what Is now known as the Groveland church, in 1881, and went 10 Indiana as home missionary, where, with other missionaries he helped to found Wabash college, with which he was identified for the rest of his life, mainly as the professor of geology. Ills son, thus brought up in an atmosphere both clerical and scien- tifc, did not originally intend to enter the ministry and had an alluring op- portunity to devote himself 10 scien- tihc pursuits. But the reading of a little book exhibited last evening, en- titled Primitive Piety Revived" in- duced him to devote himself to the work of preaching the gospel; @ de- cision he said he had never for one instant regretted. Twice he had de- clned offers to become college pres ident, and twice declined scientific professorshjps; but all along he has kept alive his interest in scientific