The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-29
 INSTALL THEIR
 FOURTH PASTOR
Successor to Rev. II A. Davenport at First Church Takes up His Duties According to the Ritual of the Denomination.

The Fourth pastor of the First Pres i byterian church was installed with the prescribed ritual of the denomination at the handsome edifice of the society at State street and Myrtle avenue, last evening. The new pastor is John Mac Laren Richardson, native of Syra- cuse, who for three or four years has
 been very successful as the pastor of a church in his native city
 The First Presbyterian church in this city was established in 1s50 Its first pastor was Dr. Hewitt who was followed by Dr. H. J. Hinsdale, pow
 living at Lakewood, N. J. Rev. H.
 and occupied the pulpit for about 30
 years until he severed his connection
 with the church several years ago. Dr.
 George F. PentecOst and several oth-
 CTS have filled the pulpit in the in- trim, but no successor to Dr. Daven- port was chosen until MT. Richardson was called. He has been preaching to the congregation for several months and has already moved his interesting family into the parsonage of the church on Myrtle avenue. Mrs Rich ardson is bright and attractive, wo- man and will be of great assistance to her husband in his church work. There are two children.
 The church edifice is one of the handsomest in the state. The Sunday school building is regarded as one of the finest and most conveniently ar ranged in the world. The fact new light is breaking in upon the church was exennp1ihed by the new electric lights which were burning for the first time last night. They improved the appearance of the auditorium and brought out the many beauties of the decorations, which had before been ob- scured by the dim light of the gas jets.
 The new pastor is 8 years of age. a also of the Auburn Theological Semin- ary.
 The services last night commenced with an invocation followed by hymn and scripture reading. The church was well filled and many prominent men were seen in the congregation,
 Rev. W. P. Stevenson of Yonkers. N. Y., preached the sermon He took as his subject the wanderings of the Chil- dren of Israel in the Wilderness for forty years during which time their clothing did not wear out and their shoes withstood the rack of continual travel without breaking. The sermon was intensely practical. The religion of Jesus Christ was compared to the shoes Of the Israelites which never
 wore out The speaker started with the statement that a dealer who could assure his customers that the shoes he sold would never wear out would be sure of a monopoly of the trade. This miraculous manifestation of the power of God and His solicitude for His wan dering children was a manifestation of His love and encouragement. He fol- lowed the comparison of the clothing of the Children of Israel with the re- Iigion of Jesus Christ which does not rack, or wear out.
 The key note of the Christian religion lies not in death but in life It is not a garment to be worn on Sunday and taten of on Monday. If the religion of Sunday is not able to stand the wear and tear of Monday it is a disap- pointment. The test of religion is how it is standing the strain of years. Re- ligion is not wholly a preparation for death. It is to fit us to live in this world and the hereafter will take care of itself. It is not a matter of opin- ion but a matter of life.
 The speaker said that he was not confined to any particular dogmas but still was satisfied with the old brand of Presbyterianism. He asserted that if he did not believe that the things .ie preached on Sunday would be of use on Monday he would quit preaching. He objected to the claim of the sO- cialists that they were the only Chris tions because they are the only ones who love their nelghborS, and also to those of the Christian scientists who claim all the joy In the vision of the prophet of the New Jerusalem, the he saw were not praying, or rll'ning errands for the angels, they were playing. He could find, no ob- jectior to play in Heaven. Religion is a thing of ,gladness. There are no weeping willows in the garden of God.
 Rev. John A. Ingham, as moderator of the Westchester Presbytery pro- pounded the constitutional questions and after receiving the replies declar- ed the new pastor duly installed The installation prayer followed.
 Rev. Murray s. Rowland of Syra- cuse, who considered himself the matchmaker through which the new pastor had been obtained, character ized the new pastor as his dearest friend. In his charge to the pastor he threaded the difficult paths which await the pastor and called attention to the change in the relations between pastor and congregation which has ta- ken place in the last few years. The successful pastor must not only be a student and a wide reader but also a man of affairs. His address was prac- tical and dealt with the things which the Pastor must meet in his daily work. There was a gleam of humor in