Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-06
WINDOW UNVEILED
In Memory Of The Rev Mark
LeavenW0rih Yesterday.

At the First Congregational
church yesterday the memorial win
dow in memory of the Rev Mark
Leavenworth was unveiled. The SER
vice opened at 1880 o'clock in the
morning and included sermon by
the pastor, Rev Charles A. Dinsmore,
d. D., entitled "a Puritan Minister.
1--WE accept to-day" said the
reacher, with gratitude the gift OF
beautiful window. 1t honors the
lemory of a venerated minister and
lscloses the generosity and public
brit of one of his descendants.
rom conspicuous place in our edi-
ng generations noble life and the
fly spirit of bygone minister of
le gospel.
Concerning the Rev Mark Leav-
worth | can relate nothing new.
t the 200th anniversary of this
aurch held in November, 1891, the
on F. J. Kingsbury set forth in a
aper of eminent clearness and in
terest all that was to be known OF
Mr. Leayenworth. This address and
the researches of Miss Sarah Prich-
ard and the monumental history Of
Waterbury by DR. Anderson make 1t
superfluous for me to attempt more
than the briefest summary of Mr.
Leavenworth' life.
1T was in March, 1740, that he
was ordained minister of this church.
In his twenty-ninth year he had an
enviable career at Yale and entered
upon his work here with an enthusi-
asm born Of genuine knowledge and
keen sympathy for men. He is de-
scribed as being of medium height,
erect, alert, and dignified, yet pos
sessed of kindly humor.
''The year 1740 is a noted one in
New England annals. A distin-
guished historian has said that the
beginning of the eighteenth century
marks the lowest ebb of the religious
life of America. The first settlers of
New England were, on the whole.
not strangers to the culture of the
old world, but separated from the re-
finement of civilization, their contact
with the savage wilderness had left
the impress on the people. By the
third generation the stock had un-
doubtedly deteriorated. The visions
of the fathers had faded, except in a
few of the Hottest minds, and the
power of the faith was gone.
"The year 1740 marks the begin
ming of what is known in our his
tories as the great awakening
Jonathan Edwards, the most exalted
religious genius New England ever
produced, if not its profoundest and
most subtle intellect, was making
the force of his tremendous person
atty felt through all our borders.
The marvellous voice, the magnetic
eloquence, the impassioned spiritual
fervor of Whitefield was carrying
conviction of sin and the terrors of
judgment into the souls of the multi
tude. 1t was in 1740 also that Jo-
seph Bellamy came to the neighbor-
ing town Of Bethlehem. He was a
Titan in body and mind.
1T was a day of stalwart person
alities and along the watercourses of
New England there were great
searchings of hart. The great awake
ening had it's regrettable extrava-
gances. 1t slew as we'll as it'll
made whole. 1t was like the terrific
thunderstorm which follows a pro-
longed drought. With this move
ment Mr. Leavenworth seems to have
sympathized and for it he suffered.
But his balance of mind restrained
him from the excuses of some of his
more austere contemporaries.
But religion was not the only
concern of the early ministers. They
sat in the gates with the elders of
the people. They were citizens of this
world as well as of the kingdom of
heaven. After the great awakening
the tides of the spirit flowed in poll
tical rather than In religious chan
nels, and like his master, Mr. Leaven-
worth did what he saw the Father
doing. In the French and Indian
war he served as chaplain and when
the Revolution sent its call for volun-
teers through these valleys he was
active in raising troops and sent
three of his sons to the front.
THE external records of his life
are all too meagre, but what pen can
describe the true spiritual erective-
ness, the fervor of prayer, the gloom
ending In victory, of one who could
maintain himself for fifty-seven years
as the spiritual light of the valley?
Long since has he been gathered
to his fathers. but his name is still
known among these hills; his infiu-
ence is prolonged for good in the
lives Of those who have inherited his
blood, and to coming generations he
finds new utteranee in this impress
sive memorial. Being dead. he will
yet speak to the congregations gath
cred by this ancient church,