Connecticut western news., 1919-07-24
SERMON A TRIBUTE TO
MISS ISABELLA ELDRIDGE
By Rev. John Barstow OF
the Norfolk Cong.
Church

mortal sermon preached recently by
Rev. John Barstow on the life and
character of Miss Isabella Eldridge,
has been printed with the following
introductory:
"This sermon was written in loving
appreciation of Miss Isabella p.
Eldridge, daughter of Rev. Joseph
and Sarah Battell Eldridge, who en--
tered into the larger life on Wednes-
day morning, June Is, 1919, and wlse
left record of loyalty to her early
training, and to those splendid ideaiE
that enrich all life, which we may
we'll seek to tmulate." Copies can be
had at the Norfolk library. The IRE
mortal sermon, which was preached
by Mr.. Barstow in the Church oE
Christ Sunday, June %, follows:
There is but one thought that bam
been uppermost in all our minds dux-
ing these days, and we can hardly gvx
away from it yet. Whether the
thought shall be a depressing ora
will depend largely upon the point az
view from which we consider it; for
there is the purely worldly viewpeima
and there is the thoroughly Christian
viewpoint.
There is that clings tenaciously ss
the material-to the things merely af
time and sense-and there is thmf
rises to the spiritual and places tho
highest valuation on things that God
counts of greatest worth.
The one is absolutely dependrHA
on external conditions. The Other,
while not .unmoved by these, Amm
access to sources that continually
feed the deeper needs of the soul
This is the tenor of the whose
teachings of Jesus and of the apes
tles-and it is this one great truxh
that want to hold before us tkm
morning for our comfort and inxpa-
ration.
And then, too, think it is wen FAIR
us all to be reminded of some things
that we are so apt to forget.
No desirable things come into Tina
life of an individual or a community
merely by chance. Weeds grow with
out any cultivation, but he nh9
would secure an Astounding harvcst
must give time and thought ana
energy to the things with which ke
has to do.
7 This is just as true of character
building and of things that go 10
make up the best life of community
or a nation as it is of the product NJ
the fields.
There are instances on record
where the great laws of heredity and
environment seem to be entirely dis
regarded-and out of the most UNA
promising conditions there h@@,
emerged a truly noble and usefn2
life. But everyone will admit that
this is the exception and not the rule,
and even in these exceptional cases,
if we could only trace the course OF
the hidden springs that have been
feeding the life we might still find
that this universal law holds good
Without dwelling longer upon
these general principles, let us pasu
at once to the thought which is up
permost in all our minds.
There has recently passed from
our mortal sight one who occupied u
larger place in the life of this com
munity than she ever realized, than
she would ever thing Of claiming for
herself; for more nred@ss, unassum-
ing, large-hearted woman / never
knew; one who was deeply Interested
in every phase of our community
life; one who sought to touch-not
in any patronizing way, but in a
genuinely natural, kwa~H way
every family and every individual
therein, and to make that touch n
really uplifting and ennobling one.
And now that she kn~ gone from
our midst, never to return, the first
impulse is to give way to unrestrain-
ed sorrow, and to say that Norfolk
can never be the same that it wax
when her familiar face, always NO
welcome, was seen on the street, or
in our homes and when hi CHEEKY
voice rang out its grsstin to us.
wherever she met us.
But this impulse 10 narrow, sef-
fish, thoroughly worldly one. From
it we can draw no inspiration, We >
can catch no clear vision, we can
attain no coveted goal. We must
never give place to it, even for Il
moment.
We honor the memory of our dsar
friend most, we give expression t0
our deep gratitude for all she hax
been to and done for this favored
community, when with brave hearts
we take up the task she has laid
down, and seek to perpetuate in our
own and in our children's lives those
splendid ideals, those great moral
and spiritual aims that she inherited
from Cody ancestry, and to which
she was so loyal to the last momeEt
of her life.
And this mention of her noble an
cestry leads me to seek to impress
upon your minds the lasting debt
that this community owes to this one
family, who for four generations hzE
left an indelible impression upon cur