Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-11-03
Caleb Bailey Davis.

Rev. Caleb Bailey Davis's sermon on
1.-THE Spiritual Sabbath" a copy of
which your Greenwood correspondent
mentioned in the Democrat of May 5th
as at that time owned by him and in
the Democrat of Sept. Sth as having
then been given by him to Miss Florence
Z. Bryant of Hinsdale, Mass, eluded
the painstaking researches of the late
Judge Joseph Williamson of Belfast,
and as a consequence is not listed in his
work, in two large volumes, entitled, "A
photography of the State of Maine from
the Earliest Period to 1884," which was
published in 1896, and in which, ex-
elusive of cross-references, II, 1882 books,
pamphlets, broadsides, magazine arti-
cles, ETC., are listed. The only piece of
writing by Mr.. Davis which is listed in
this work of Judge Williamson is an
article on the Paris Baptist church,
which was published on pages 30l-S04 of
the American Baptist Memorial for
October, 1854, mo. 10 of Vol. 1S). Mr..
Davis's above mentioned sermon on
"The Spiritual Sabbath" Is not the only
published piece of writing by him which
escaped Judge Williamson's researches
and as a consequence is not listed in the
latter's above mentioned photography
ings of Truth" which Mr.. Davis preach
cd before the Maine Baptist Convention
in 1916, is to be found in print and yet
is not listed in Judge Williamson's work.
In the historical discourse which Rev.
Hiram Cushman Estes, ID. D., delivered
on Oct. 1, 1891, at Paris on the occasion
of the celebration of the centenary of
the First Baptist church of that town he
speaks Up. 40 of Centennial of the First
Baptist Church in Paris, Maine'o of that
sermon on 1.-THE Balaneings of Truth"
as published, and a reader of the dis
course would naturally infer that DIR.
Estes meant that the sermon was publish
cd in pamphlet form, but, whether it was
ever published in that form or not, it is
to be found in print on pages 446 466 of
the christian Review" "a quarterly for
September, 1915. (The sermon appears
as an essay, rather than as a sermon, in
the christian Review" no mention be-
ing made of the fact that it had been
preached as sermOn.)
Mr.. Davis's widow, Louise Griffin
Davis, who married Deacon Joel b.
Thayer of Paris, was generous friend
Of Wayland Seminary,-an institution
which was established at Washington,
d. c., for the education of colored per-
sons for the ministry, but which is now
a branch of the Virginia Union Uni
versity of Richmond, Vs.,-and an al
cove in its library bears the name of her
first husband, c. B. Davis.
Judge Williamson is in error in calling
the magazine entitled the American
Baptist Memorial the American Bap-
tist Memorials" and Is llso in error in
stating that Mr.. Davis's article on the |
Paris Baptist church was published in |
the third volume of that magazine, the |
article being, as stated above, in the
thirteenth volume. Judge Williamson
erroneously gives 1905 as the year of
Mr.. Davis's birth July 8, 1907, is the
correct date), and enormously states
that Mr.. Davis's pastorate of the Paris |
church extended from 1888 to 1854 The |
the pastorate on Aug. %. 1852
His pastorate Of the Paris church cover
ID his entire life work as a minister.
He died on Jan. IL, 1855, in Portland.
His remains we've taken for burial to his
native place, Methuen, Mass.
Mr.. Davis Is the subject of one Of the
chapters Opp. 16S.179) of the personal
Of Joseph Kicker, D. D.,
augusta, 1894 !
OBSERVER.