Norwich bulletin., 1913-11-26
GIVES LIFE SKETCH
 OF REV. A. P. 5LlNN.
Golden Cross Publication Praises Its
 Past Grand Commander.

The current number of the Golden 1 Cross Journal, which is the official organ of the Order of The Golden 1 Cross, contains lengthy biographical sketch of Rev. Albert Hummer Blinn of this city, who is past grand com
 mander of the order It is from the pen of Wilbur H. Powers.
 After referring to the worth of an
 ancestry of the old New England farm
 CT type the biographer says: 1 Of such an ancestry Albert Hummer Blinn was born in Wiscasset, Maine, youngest of a family of eight being 1 the seventh son.
 Knight Blinns father was farmer, and owned a farm upon which five generations of Blinns had lived. He was also cattle drover, buying cat
 tie and driving them to Brighton market, as was the cuSto min those days. He was also a butcher and
 owned a meat market in Wiscasset.
 In addition to this, he had interests in shipbuilding.
 Brother Blinn traces his ancestry back to Henry Blen, who came to this country in 1929. He has in his DOS session the linen chest which his an cestor brought with him from Eng land,-a rare and valuable relic of "ye olden dayes."
 Japes BIen, a descendant of Henry and an ancestor of Albert. was in the Revolutionary war. and. after the war. settled in Wiscasset.
 The spelling of the name was changed after the war by some of the sons On his mothers side, Knight Blinn is descendant of Joseph Bailey a lieutenant in the War of the Revolu- tion, who with his son was present
 at the surrender of Burgoyne. His grandfather, Benjamin Bailey was a major in the War of 1872
 When Albert was four years old. his parents moved to Boston. Something
 like year later, he jumped on be- hind an omnibus on Washington street
 slipped and was thrown on his knees.
 Frightened by a policeman calling out
 to him, he held on until the flesh was
 scraped off to the bone. This caused
 8 lameness from which he has never
 fully recovered.
 He was graduated from the English
 High school in Boston, and from the
 Bryant & Stratton Commercial col
 leSe, and for nine years was a suc- cessful accountant
 We used to hear much about call
 to preach. The young man was told
 to consider the matter carefully and
 rayerfully, and the pastor would of
 ten come to the house to call and kneel
 down in prayer in the presence of the young man, and ask the Lord to show
 him his duty and to lead him into the
 great work of saving souls Today
 more is said about fitness and mental
 and moral qualities, but in the days of
 our grandfathers these were kept in
 the background while the 'call" was
 much to the front
 A brother, who had passed to the
 other side, came back to Albert and
 made himself known in various ways,
 referring to matters which only these
 two knew. This brother urged him
 to go into the ministry and enforced
 his advice by argument. Knight B1inn was convinced of the reality of the
 return and of the legitimacy of the call and commenced to fit himself for the
 ministry. He studied theology under
 the Rev. Moses Hull and Prof. Will
 liam M. Lockwood and began to take part in spiritualist conventions and meetings. In 1905 he was ordained
 pastor of the First Spiritualist Union at Norwich, Connecticut and still re 1 tains that position. His congregation highly appreciate his work and will not listen to any talk of severing the connection. He has also been presi- dent of the Ocean Grove Campmeeting association of NorWichport Mass for eight years and secretary of the Lake Pleasant Campn1eeting association for nineteen years, both of which positions he still holds. He Is also editor of the Banner of Life.
  him in his belief that his brother gave l him a message from the mysterious beyond,
 So many ideas come to him while speaking that he feels they are sug- gested to him by some power out side himself and he is known as an in spirational speaker. His addresses upon moral and religious topics are remarkable in their logic, historic re- search and moral inspiration, yet the text or topic may be chosen only the night before, or even after he goes He is of studious nature, anG much of his addresses or sermons show his wide reading, but while he is speak ing the most brilliant thoughts leap from his lips and are more of a sur prise to him than to others He is a pleasant, easy, logical, inter esting and instructive speaker. Wit and wisdom combined make his coun- sel to the commentaries impressive He has always been ready, at a mo- ment's notice, to meet any emergency, or assume any responsibility. Warm and enduring in his friend ships, always ready to sacrifice himself for his. friends, never a self seeker those who know him best love hini most His gratitude is a marked fea- ! tude of his character, and at times it makes him do things which to some seem inconsistent. but those who are { near to his heart life appreciate and 1 understand He never lodges respor- 1 sibility, but assumes all that belongs 1 to him; he never tries to throw it l upon someone else, especially if the act is likely to incur criticism; and he never claims an honor even though it is rightfully his.
 l Wherever he goes he finds himself
 in the house of his friends.