The Press., 1911-05-31

additions were made to the church, and among the first was my sister, Elizabeth. A new interest was mani tested in material things as we'll as spiritual, and the church decided to ariee and build, and as 8 result the rev conference room was built. Up to that time the church conference room had been the old store of the late Jonathan Weston, just west of the Weston home. The late K. P.
 Williams was the builder of the new conference room. Aside from the building of the conference room sev- eral incidents worthy of notice oc- cured in 1842 First in our own family was the death of my grand father, Dunton. Then followed the severe illness of my mother, from which she never fully recovered. The spring was cold and backward and the apple trees were not in full bloom un- til near the tenth of June. when on Sunday morning, June 1Oth, there was g severe frost, almost Q freeze. Corn was we'll up near the first hoeing and was cut to the ground. The farmers at once out 1t close to the ground and 1t at once started fres h and was saved. The day before that frost was noted in our family as being the funeral of my fathers grand
 mother, Atwood, at the age of 98 years. Only. father attended the funeral. Her home was in the north eastern part of Mansfield, some ten miles from our home. With my youngest brother and our friend, AL bert Sharp, we were working our high. way tax on the road just east of Capt. Sharp's. and there were snow squalls in June. The next year, 1843, there was another frost the eleventh of June, but not as severe and little damage was done About the second Sabbath in August, 1842. was that wonderful display of what Elder J. s. Swan once called Gods artillery, when during the afternoon service the church was struck by lightning and young man sitting in the pew of Capt. Oliver Holt was severely injured. One who watched the gathering of that storm said that as it gathered it ap- psared like two clouds coming to- gether, like two opposing batteries of artillery, and the flashes from each one to the other were constant and seemed to be directly over the Baptist meeting house. The lightning struck some five or six times within radius of less than Q mile of the chulch The late Charles T. Preston. then a lad of ten years. sat in an djoining pew to the one in which the young man that was injured sat. and did net wait for his mother. the late Fear G. Preston. to open the pew door, but jumped over the door and was tl @ first to reach the injured man as he was carried to the open air. The servics was being conducted by Rev Bella Hicks, in exchange with Pastr Oushman, and he was reading tl @ hy mn just before the sermon, but ths { hymn remained unsung It will ba that in front of the old gallery was a heavy wire on which the red curtain was hung, and that wire was SO charged that a numbe of the choir received quite an electric shook, as from 3 magnetic battery. Pastor Oushman was Q born l1ader and man greatly beloved and quick to, improve every opportunity, and tlie next Sunday he tried to impress the lesson of the storm. The church religious interest deepened and the winter of 18423 witnessed . revival that extended over the whole town and many were added to each of the churohss. Pastors Oushman and Bancroft were of kindred spirits and worked without friction. For ex- ample, Father Seth Vinton was @ of the Congregational church, but was convinced of the truth of baptism by immersion and wished to be baptized and yet remain as a mem. Der as he was, so 1t was arranged and Pastor Oushman baptized him and he went on his way rejoicing. Eighteen hundred and forty-two was also noted as being the year of the inception of what was then known as the Miller and later as the second ad- vent doctrine The advocates of that sohism were very active and went preaching the word. and made it very clear to themselves that Christ would certainly make his second appearance in 1843 They, visited schoolhouses In every district and covered the blackboards with their figures on the books of Daniel and the Revelations, showing the time was st hand. Neither of the pas- tors and very few of the members were carried away and the world continued to move on as usual and yet moves. and is in the care of one who never errs and works all things after the of his own will, and there I rest and olcse this paper with the words of the Psalmist. ''The Lord let the earth rejoice. :"
 Minneapolis, May Il, 1911.